Inspiring Change!

Hi so I am writing about me, but kind of Taylor...

I had a physical a couple weeks ago. I was asked my regular questions by the doctor..."still drinking all that coke?", "Still smoking only a few cigarettes?", etc. I told her yes, she asked if I could quit...must have given her "the look" as she tried to soften her advice, she made excuses for me..."you're stressed", "maybe when things get less crazy in your life", "try some easy stuff"( I had told her about Taylor, etc)...anyhow, my blood pressure was high so she has me doing tests, etc. Basically the analysis was I am fat and need to exercise.

Anyhow, I was a bit shaken by the high blood pressure and just kept going over in my mind that day what had gone on. I had a bit of an epiphany I wanted to share.

I basically felt really dumb when my epiphany hit..."Taylor goes through so much...she is fighting for her life! What the hell am I doing throwing mine away?" All the things I was being asked to change are brainless...stop drinking so much pop, watch what I eat and do a little exercise throughout the day.

So I have quit drinking Coke, as well as quit smoking! Next on the list is a change of diet... and including through baby steps- exercise. I will start with only weekends and graduate up. But I am doing it and I will never look back! I will also try some dieting with Mindy as she wants to shed some baby fat also...mine is just lazy eat too much fat. LOL, ooooh and I am going to try to not drink beer, but wine..cannot give up alcohol...how would I cope...kidding!

The latest news....

Well Taylor is doing great. She has decided she is a "Big" girl and no longer uses a soother, will not use her walker as she is walking pretty much all the time! Apparently she has hit the "terrible ones" LOL and has some tantrums if she does not get what she wants...who saw that coming?LOL So normal!

Well another most exciting news is that Mindy is returning to work in less than 2 weeks! Hurray. She is super excited. The best thing is that she found the PERFECT babysitter for Taylor. Taylor absolutely adores her new sitter as they love to play and snuggle ...can put her to bed in a flash, great at just about EVERYTHING...The new sitter has done EXTENSIVE work on their home as well as can train dogs to ring the bell to go outside, fixes almost anything (right Mom.LOL), has charm and wit!

Landon is going to win the best Dad of the year award and look after Taylor. This is such an amazing turn of events! Now we don't have to worry about Landon being gone for 6 months and they keep their family together! Yeah!

So make sure to give Landon your congratulations. I am so extremely proud of him there are no words!

Taylor Stitches are out!

Well Taylor got her stitches out. Everything went well. They had a bit of a wait though and because Taylor could not eat she got a bit grumpy!LOL She is such a food hound. Apparently she gained .3 of a Kilo since after surgery, so nothing seems to keep out little star down!

Saw Taylor yesterday at my Aunt Ruth's house. She was looking great as always and I got lots of sniffs and hugs from her. It was actually an amazing time and I would like to thank Auntie Ruth! What an amazing meal...absolutely loved seeing everyone and will have to make a point of doing it more frequently!

Taylor gets her stitches out tomorrow

Well Miss Taylor will be getting her stitches out tomorrow. She will need to be sedated for them to cut them out. Hopefully nothing too bad. Apparently they are plastic surgeon stitches...they were extremely well done, very finely stitched. So I hope she feels no pain and only relief from getting them out!

OOops did not update...

Well Mindy, Landon and Taylor were able to return home on Thanksgiving Day (Monday Oct 12) Yeah! I have not seen her since today, but I am ecstatic to report she is COMPLETELY back to normal!!!! So amazing to see her. So my Mom is staying out at Mindy's this week to help out with Taylor monkey. So happy to say everything looks so amazing, doesn't even seem that she had surgery!

Super Taylor is on her way home!

Yahoo! Taylor has recovered so well she gets to go home today! I cannot even express my elation....OH MY GOD!!!!

So our fight is far from over. Taylor still needs your prayers and good wishes, hopes and dreams for her coming. I pray that the cancer cells get zapped out so this all can end....I pray that the radiation causes no significant or noticeable damage, I can help her learn if she has any learning complications! I guess that is why we were sent the challenges we have! I pray Mindy can head back to work soon as I know she misses everyone there. I hope they find the most amazing caregiver for Taylor to allow Mindy and Landon ease of mind when Mindy returns to work....I just am too bloody excited right now to think straight...be back later!

Happy Thanksgiving

Well Taylor is doing well. A bit tired today. She has not had a bowl movement for 4 days so I think she is getting "stuck up".LOL Hopefully tonight she gets a good one.LOL

We took dinner up to the hospital tonight. My Mom and I cooked up our regular smorg and dragged it all up to the Stollery so that we could continue tradition that we eat as a family! So hope everyone had a great dinner!

Let's just say Taylor is AMAZING!!!

Well Taylor is doing magnificently. She is really getting back to her old self in warped speed.LOL which is exactly where she always operates.LMAO

Taylor is eating, smiling, laughing, waving, etc. She is a bit itchy from the adhesive from tapes, etc as she is allergic to them and rashes out big time, but unfortunately that cannot be helped at this time.

So everybody have a great Thanksgiving. We are having a small one at the Hospital. I know what I am Thankful for!

Food drop offs?

Hello,

So I thought I would ask if anyone wanted to do up a meal or something to drop off for Mindy and Landon? We order out a lot as it is the only thing to do because we cannot cook ourselves generally because we are at work or at the hospital. We are making them a Thanksgiving Dinner tomorrow, but anyone interested could let me know if they would mind doing that? Landon will be back to work after Monday so Mindy will be there with Taylor. Basically she needs lunch & supper, breakfast if your feeling food savvy. They seem to be dreaming of "comfort" food...a.k.a basic foods like roastbeef, mashed potatoes and gravy, chicken, porkchops, shepperds pie, etc....I think you catch what I am throwing down.LOL SO if you would like you can:

e-mail me: DorcasL@telus.net

or phone me:

(780) 467-9988 (home)

(780) 695-5550 (cell)

I amy not answer so just leave a message. I have a bunch of running around to do...watch out for the crazy in the stores and on the road....it may be me.LOL

I am sooo excited!

Well I left Taylor, Mindy, Landon and Mom early yesterday at 8:00pm as I was tired (cannot even imagine how tired they are) and wanted to see my kids before they were in bed.LOL So when I spoke to Mom I got what happened after I left. As you can remember from yesterdays post, Taylor was on a great recovery. Taylor seems to be getting her old self back quickly. She was reaching for peoples food, eating up a storm, etc.

Early in the day yesterday the Speech and Language Pathologists said we were okay to feed Taylor some food (we were not doing this as we were not sure we could, so she had bottles only up until then). So Mindy began feeding her yogurts yesterday...soon after this though Taylor began reaching her arm out when she saw anyone eating something...so before the "okay" from Speech and Language Dr.Mindy and Dr. Josie decided Taylor was okay to eat more solids, albeit softer ones. So Taylor had her popcorns twists, a dinner of mushed roast beef potatoes and peas(she did not eat the peas, but spit those back out as fast as they came in.LOL). We had Pizza and Wings last night, which of course led to Taylor having Pizza. I told Mindy she could get in trouble of Speech and Language walked in seeing her holding a pizza slice up to Taylor's mouth.LOL

Needless to say it was great seeing Taylor at it again. She always has to have what we are eating, food is a very special time for Taylor as she gets soo much enjoyment from it.LOL

Okay so when I left they were about to bathe her. They did, which she did not care for as she likes to be able to move around and splash, which she could not do (for obvious reasons). Apparently she was in a lot of pain ( Grandma Josie claims they were not wanting to give her codeine,but Mindy and Landon "made" them...hmm, maybe they did the gangsta hustle to scare them? LMAO well maybe not!)

As soon as drugs were making her comfortable I guess Taylor was smiling....real smiles!!!!!!She was turning her mouth up a bit earlier, which I knew was a smile, but not FULL SMILE! Woot!Woot! As well she was giggling and acting silly! She was laughing at my Mom telling her "Nooo,nooo,Noo Taylor" as well Mom took her for a walk around the Oncology where she is used to everything and apparently she was throwing the toys around in the playroom as she usually does.LOL So Angel Taylor had an absolutely amazing day. DOctors predicted we might see her coming very slowly back to herself on Sunday...see they are wrong, wrong, wrong! Taylor just keeps saying "to hell with the odds, I AM TAYLOR!"

Keep praying and sending positive vibes. I will try and get a Pumpkin Pie Blizzard up there today and see if she likes it!LOL

Taylor is doing amazing!

Well, Taylor had a rough night as she may have been in pain, but they sorted that all out this morning. She is now on regular pain drugs. She is getting stronger and more like herself as the day progresses. She is now eating everything again as well as drinking. She watched some treehouse as well.

Taylor is doing really great!

Well Taylor is out of PICU (Pediatric Intensive Care Unit) and on a regular unit for her recovery. She is still super sleepy, which I think is a good things as she needs to heal. She slowly is coming out more and more for lucid moments. She is drinking Apple Juice, but they have to wait for feeding her solids. You can see her amazing personality coming out here and there.

Landon is being the best Daddy and staying with his little angel tonight to give Mindy a break....isn't he GREAT!!!!I think I will need to grab him a pumpkin pie blizzard tomorrow!

I cannot say much more...things are looking awesome. Thanks for the amazing support. I got to kiss my Shining Star today, and am eagerly awaiting seeing her smile.

Dear God,

Thank you for another day of keeping our Angel safe. Help her cope with the pain, let her get the rest she needs to recover. I see you have sent your Angels. I see that your Angels are giving us strength in all the care for Taylor she is receiving from Amazing Doctor's and Nurses, from Mindy & Landon's positive outlook all the way down to Mom getting deals for our food at night.LOL You are pretty thoughtful God! Thanks for walking with us down these scary days, months, and year. Sometimes you carried us, but you were always there.

Amen

Taylor fought the Cancer Monster and kicked butt!

Hello,

So Taylor is doing well. The Tumor was completely removed as was shown in the MRI today! YEAH!!!!!! Thanks for the prayers, love and support! Taylor has a black eye from the surgery a.k.a. fight with the Cancer Monster, but looks great. Cannot wait until we can pick her up and squeeze her. To see her amazing smile will be a dream come true!

The meeting on radiation went well. Because Taylor's cancer is so rare the studies are few and far. So basically the radiation will be shot in to the area the tumors were located to try and zap any cancer cells left. The line the radiation goes is apparently a great line as it is a straight as you could hope for in the brain area (Mindy says it is like beaming a light to zap the cells, so you want a straight line the light can hit...no curves on this bloody road please!). There is around a 5% chance of severe complications like brain damage, death, etc...not that bad of odds if you ask me! If Taylor after this radiation does not get any tumor growth for a year she has a 30% of living another year. If she gets through that year it goes to 50% she will live until she is 5 years old. Basically the longer without a tumor regrowth the higher mortality she has.

I know this sounds bleak, but it is not! If you consider she is the youngest to be diagnosed so early as well as the fact that it is rare so they really know very little I think she has a chance of defying these odds. She has already lived and thrived past their forecasting so to hell with them.LOL No we need them, but no negativity people believe she will live and she might just outlive us all!

Please continue you to pray for Taylor and send her love, hopes and wishes. All of your concern helps fuel us to continue fighting for Taylor. So thank you.

Dear God,

Thank you for protecting Taylor. Dr.Pugh's hands managed to get all the tumors, which we are so blessed to have done. Thanks for sending your angels to protect her, please keep them near her, I am sure they are all in love with her by now...it is impossible not to be.

Please let her know my hopes and wishes will always be with her. Let her know how proud we are of her tonight for fighting this valiant battle the Cancer Monster is so scary I don't know that I could be so brave.

Please don't forget my sister, she has been so strong and amazing. She needs your guidance and strength. Make sure Landon knows how much we love him too, he has done such an amazing job of being a Dad. Continue to give my Mom strength. We are so blessed you sent her to us...I have never heard her complain no matter how exhausted she is for caring for all of us with her never ending love, patience and kindness to us when we need her. Bless Don and Roberta with an extra dose of strength... they love Taylor so much and worry. God please make sure that everyone who has been thinking of us and Taylor know how much their support means.

Please, please guide the radiation to any cells that remain so that Taylor can enjoy the life you have given her.

Amen

Surgery was successful!

Well it was a very, very long day. Taylor's surgery got bumped back until later in the day. Taylor was operated on once to remove the tumors, then she was sewed back up, MRI was done, than another part of a tumor was still left so Dr. McDreamy went back in to get it. So at around 10:00pm tonight she was done for the day. It was basically about 10hrs...she is going to be kept sleeping due to such a long surgery to help her recover and get the rest she needs.

All looks well, Dr. Pugh said she did great and he is happy with what happened. They are going to try and get another MRI to double check tomorrow if possible, but maybe thursday if they cannot fit her in tomorrow.

Landon and Mindy also will have a meeting tomorrow about the radiation. They will get some stats, etc of what to expect with radiation. Apparently it is done at the Cross Cancer Institute... the radiation, not the meeting. So more news tomorrow. Please continue praying and sending out your positive energy...it helps, never believe it doesn't.

Must sleep as I am a bit tired.

Dear God,

Keep protecting my Shining Star, she has fought so hard. Keep the angels watching over her. Thank you for the gift that Taylor has given us, she shows us the true beauty of life. Please watch over my family tonight and the days to come. Difficult decisions will need to be made and we need your guidance to protect Taylor.

Amen

Don't forget to pary tonight, send good karma or whatever you have been doing to keep Taylor safe...

Hi Everyone,

I have been hearing how shocked everyone is with the news. I want to thank everyone for their kind words and offers of help. At this point I am not sure what we will be expecting. Surgery I am sure will be fine...it is the radiation that is a bit scary. I will let everyone know how all goes tomorrow. I think Mindy & Landon should find out more about the radiation on Wednesday. I will definitely keep you posted!

Again keep all the prayers and love shooting towards Taylor, Mindy & Landon. They have been an amazing example of strength, love and hope.

Dear God,

Keep my Shining star safe! Please send out your angels to protect her. Give us all the strength to help her where we can. Make sure Taylor feels all the love that surrounds her. Let Mindy and Landon feel our hopes and wishes to help them get through this most difficult time.

Amen

I wrote this a long time ago, last year when we were really entering this battle but feel it is something to remember...

I am grateful for Taylor and how she has increased my belief in the good of the world...
I am grateful I have Mindy as my sister, my anchor, my hopes and my dreams...
I am grateful that Landon has been in my life with his amazing energy to keep us laughing, try anything, help always person...
I am grateful for my children and all the happiness they bring me...
I am grateful for my husband and all his support and pushing when I stop believing in myself....
I am grateful for my mother and all the endless love she brings. She is the epitome of strength and kindness...
I am grateful for my brother and his calm, intelligence and heart...
I am grateful for my friends who keep supporting me no matter what....
I am grateful for my students past and present who show me the beauty of each day...
I am grateful Barb found me when she did as it got me back together during a patch of uncertainty...
I am grateful for everyone who has offered up the prayers, support and kindness in this uncertain time...
I am grateful for all the acts of random kindness I encounter every day....
Please add your grateful things...

More Information about the Taylors future

Hi everyone,

We all are a bit shell shocked by the information we received yesterday on Taylor's MRI. Taylor has 3 Tumor growths that are growing rapidly. Two are the size approximately of half a pinky finger and one is half of that. Taylor will have surgery for removal on Tuesday October 6th. Dr. Pugh (a.k.a. Dr. McDreamy) is going to do her surgery again. Dr.Pugh will remove the tumor and then get an immediate MRI to check he has everything he can and remove anything he misses. He is clearing his entire schedule so as to focus on Taylor...he says Taylor is "special" to him (yes he said all his cases are special, but Taylor holds an extra special status) so he will give her his best! Yeah! God Bless Dr.McDreamy!

Surgery will remove the left frontal lobe of her brain that is dead so that the cancer cannot hide out there(I think this is right, but Mindy always corrects me when I am wrong.LOL it is like the game telephone you play as a child...remember how things get distorted.), as well they remove the tumors...duh! When Taylor is healed up she will get radiation every day for 5 weeks (I think just 5 days a week though, not 7). After this it will be followed by an MRI to check...after that we will have decisions being made what to do for Taylor. Mindy and Landon still need to speak with the radiologists to see what impact this will have. It will cause learning delays that could be anywhere from moderate to severe...hard to say. Mindy and Landon at this point are focused on the "quality" of Taylor's life, not the length. We really cannot think to far in advance as Taylor has been a miracle from the beginning. She seems to be more resilient than anyone could have expected. Doctor's apparently are actually astounded she survived the first year as well as even thrived in becoming such a normal happy baby! So this should take us all up to Christmas with this first stage.

I need to again ask everyone to send Taylor all your wishes, prayers, or whatever the heck has been making this work...we have had such a blessed year and it has been because of everyone. I reflect all the time on how much having such an amazing group of people supporting and rooting for Team Taylor has helped us survive this year.

I am praying that surgery goes amazing, that the radiation kills the cancer for good, and Taylor comes out feisty as ever. I think Taylor has been put here to make are hearts bigger, to make us stronger, to make us think of others. I know I always reflect on the fact that others may be going through some tragic things and that I shouldn't cuss people out in traffic, I should extend smiles freely, help where I can, because you just never know. Seems silly that it took Taylor to make me really get this, but it did! Taylor will always be my shining star on a dark night that guides my way...

The Cancer Monster is back, but we cannot let it win!

Well Taylor's MRI came back with signs of rapid growth. She has surgery on Tuesday October 6th and then radiation every day for 5 weeks after she is healed from surgery. I will let you know more soon. I am off for a visit with Mindy, Landon & Taylor....