Jazmin and Jamae's Headstone is Ordered

SAMPLE OF WHAT THE HEADSTONE LOOKS LIKE

I am so happy to let everyone who donated that the headstone is ordered and will be here sometime in April. Evelyn and I have had such an ordeal trying to order the headstone. Jazmin bless her heart had a dream of a headstone with a heart and two angels hugging the heart on each side. The problem was the grave site is not big enough for a headstone that size. So then we had to find another headstone that would fit on the grave site. We went to several companies but either they didn't have what we wanted or the biggest problem was they wouldn't install in the cemetery in Vacaville. Wow I learned alot.

On Saturday, I spent the day with Evelyn and her daughter Jessika. Jessika is Jazmin and Jamae's younger sister. She is beautiful and such a wonderful young lady. I really enjoyed my time with her. She was such an inspiration helping us to design and order the headstone. I'm so happy she was apart of this special day.

The headstone is basically just like the one above with some minor changes. The angel is in a soft gray color with highlights of white. The roses will be yellow with green stems. The lettering will be in white but a special font. On the back Evelyn wrote "In God's loving arms". It will be so beautiful and I'm happy it will be here soon. I know Jazmin was smiling down on us that day. I could feel her spirit was with us.

It will be a moment that takes my breath away the day the headstone is placed. I know it will be hard for Evelyn and her family but I hope she knows how much her beautiful daughters deserve to have a beautiful headstone on their resting place. I was there on Saturday and it hurts my heart to see these little green names plates with their information on it. It really made me mad to see how the landscapers just run their lawnmowers over the plates and they are all scratch up. I hope they are more careful with an expensive headstone.

Well the New Year is almost here. I wish everyone a Happy New Year! Be safe too! We will be spending our New Year at the trailer with friends. I'm really looking forward to it. It's been a few weeks since I have been there and I miss it. Hopefully, 2010 will bring good health and happiness to all! I'm really praying for the good health. 2008 was a year of diagnosis and eventually my heart transplant. 2009 was the stem cell transplant. So during 2010 I hope there will be no major treatments, just continuing with my weekly chemo and watch my numbers go down!!!!

Happy New Year!

Love,

Debbie

GOOD NEWS!!!!!

LAMBHA LIGHT CHAIN COUNT

119

Another drop in last month in my light chain count. Dr. Akthar was very pleased with the results. He said that as long as the numbers keep dropping, I will hit a plateau and then he will consider going on a maintenance program and off chemo for a while. That would be a blessing!

The normal range is 26, so I still have a long way to go but my wish is 2010 I will reach normal range and stay there. I keep praying to God each day to help me get healthy again. I'm feeling great except for the cold. My new shared heart is strong and helps me to do my weekly workout with my trainer. I still have some extra things to do to maintain my health such as walking or riding my bike and eating better. It's so frustrating being on these drugs because I'm hungry all the time. The steroids put weight on fast. I lost alot after stem cell transplant but thanks to Decadron its all back on again. So all millions of us say each year "I'll start eating and exercising more in 2010". For me that is so important, because I realized after heart transplant how being in shape really helped in my recovery.

Well if this week gets crazy and want to wish everyone a blessed Christmas! Life is not measured by the number of breaths you take but by the moments that take your breath away. Live by those words because you never know what lies ahead. I want to live each moment to the fullest.

I'm going on a cruise in May to Alaska. It's not Seabourn (DARN!! but Holland America. This will be my first cruise on a big ship, 1800 passengers compare to Seabourn at 200. I don't think my little guy with the spray bottle will be coming around and spraying me to keep cool, HAHA. Well in Alaska that won't happen. Maybe in 2011 I will be able to go back to Italy on Seabourn. I wanted to stay close to the US in case of any emergency. It will be fun to see the beautiful scenery, animals and of course make those moments that take my breath away.

Have a wonderful Christmas and Happy New Year!

love to all,

Debbie

GOOD NEWS!!!!!

Time Does Go By Fast!

Wow I can't believe how fast time goes by. I haven't blogged since December 1st. So here it goes.

December 4th Weekend

I spent the last weekend in Beverly Hills with Mom, Gary and Debbie. Oh and Mia came too! We had such a great time. The hotel is so beautiful. It felt just like home. We had a wonderful room complete with a little bed for Mia and her own silver feeding dishes. She roamed the halls of the hotel like it was her own palace. She became so protected of her space especially when other dogs were around. It was funny to watch her.


We had dinner at E'Baldi on Friday night. Wonderful food but soooo noisy inside. It is the place to be seen. It's funny to watch the people in Beverly Hills. I can only say one word, "plastic". The hotel staff is wonderful and they are good down to earth people but the people visit the hotel can be alittle fake or should I say alot of fake. On Saturday night we had dinner in the Montage Kitchen with our own private executive chef, John. This was fabulous! We had 8 courses including wine parings (which I didn't have cause of the drugs) but everyone enjoyed it. The food was wonderful. Little portions but so rich!! Mom enjoyed herself so much. I love to see her smile from ear to ear to experience these wonderful things. And of course this could not have happen without the generosity of Debbie and Gary. They are truly dear friends. The things I have been able to see and do I will never be able to say enough thank yous. This weekend was filled with many moments that took my breath away.


I spent time with Matthew and I'm sooooo happy to say he is moving home to the Bay Area. I want him closer to us. He got his old job back in Oakland and will start on the 4th of January. He will stay with us for a few weeks and then move in with his friend Laura. It will be a fresh start for him and less stress. Los Angeles is very expensive to live there and he would have to get two jobs in order to stay there. He is waiting for a test date to take the radiology test to take x rays. I'm just happy he will be coming home.


I need to do some catching up in time on my blog. The week of December7th I spent at home sick. Mark came home from Pittsburg with a bad cold and of course by Wednesday I was sick. I was soooo sick I couldn't attend the company party on Saturday. Monday was the worst and I had to take blood tests to check for low white cell count. Thankfully, white cell count was good but I was so sick. I still have the cough.

This past week I had a doctor's appointment at Stanford with Dr. Schrier. It was the first time in over a year that I could see in his eyes how happy he was with my treatment. My numbers have been going down and he walked into the exam room pumping his arms in the air with a big smile on his face. He was so happy. My numbers have come down from 341 to 130. I will get my results for this past month tomorrow. Hopefully another decrease. He wants me to continue with the same treatment which is Decadron Monday night and Tuesday infusion of Velcade. My numbers have to get down to 26 or close to that. I have a heart biopsy scheduled for January 12th and I will have to do a test for Amyloid in my new shared heart.

This weekend I spent at the trailer. Another relaxing and restful weekend. Christine and I took a ride yesterday to Lucerne to visit her friends. It was a nice ride around the lake. I finished hanging my curtains in the trailer. It looks so good. We ordered the new windows and hopefully Scottie can put them in next month. That will really help with the cold drafts I feel when we are there. It should make a difference. I felt so stressed leaving on Friday night. I had Matthew's dog Cassie staying with us and I couldn't bring her too to the trailer becasue the park only allows one dog. I left Cassie with our neighbor Jane for the night until Matthew came on Saturday night. I felt bad leaving her. Once we were driving to the trailer I felt the stress leave my body.
It is so amazing how much being up there makes me feel so good. We will go up again for the New Year. Our neighbors, Jane and Steve will be staying at Konocti Casino in the RV park. We are going to spend New Year's Eve at the Casino and at their trailer. Another fun weekend to come!

This week is Christmas week. I can't believe this year is almost over. Where did the time go. I brought a beautiful picture with the quote I live by "Life is not measured by the number of breaths you take but the number of moments that take your breath away". I hung it in the trailer and I love reading the quote everytime I'm there. I am so grateful to spend another Christmas with my family and look forward to next year when my little grand son will be here. I will have many moments that take my breath away when he is here. I can't wait!

I wish everyone a blessed Christmas and Happy New Year!

Love,
Debbie

Busy, Busy and Busy!!!

Wow lots of things have been going on the past few weeks. First, I have been spending at least every weekend at the trailer. It has been so relaxing! Some days I never even get out of my pjs and sit and watch movies all day. I love it! We found a great little restaurant called the Sports Stop. We go there every Sunday morning for breakfast and watch football. The owner, Mike is so nice to us and we have alot of fun. Mark and I have done some things to the trailer to make it more homely. We brought furniture from home up there and replace curtains. It feels like home! The other day I saw these pictures a few months back at this little shop next to us. So Christine and I went there to look at the pictures again. I walked in and went to the little room where they displayed the pictures but they only had ones saying "lake house" or some other stupid sayings. I remember when I walked in there was one sitting in the main store and I looked up and couldn't believe what I was reading. It is the saying I live by and here it is again for all of you to live by:

Life is not measured by the number of breaths you take, but by the moments that take your breath away!

So this is how I choose to live my life now. I live for the moments I make each and every day. I hope you will too!!!

Tonight was sad. I attend a rosary for my Uncle Sammy. My cousins, Angie, Michael, Sandy and Vince were very close to me growing up. We lived only blocks away and I went to school with Angie. Uncle Sammy died on Saturday after a 9 month battle with heart disease and other complications. He was 85 years old and lived a good life. I was happy to be able to attend tonight and see my cousins, aunts and uncles.

This weekend I will be leaving for Beverly Hills. Nana is coming with me and she is so excited. It will be her first trip to the Montage hotel and she is really looking forward to it. We will go to E'Baldi Italian restaurant, my favorite, on Friday night for dinner. Saturday night we will have dinner in the kitchen at the Montage with our private chef. I'm so excited for Mom to experience it because she loves to cook and she will be able to ask questions about cooking tips. We did it a few months ago and it was such a great experience. We will have late check out on Sunday so we can enjoy our beautiful room. I get to take Mia with me too. I'm didn't want to leave her for 3 days. The Montage accommodates animals and the general manager, Mr. Kaski said it was perfectly fine for me to bring her. I will visit Matthew on Saturday and take him to Costco for a Costco run. He needs food and Mom is the only one that can give him what he needs. Big Mark leaves on Thursday morning for Pittsburg to see his Pittsburg Penguins and the Steelers play. He is so excited. So we both will have a great weekend. Talk about moments that will take my breath away. I get to bring my Mom and see how much she appreciates these special little moments. She will be smiling from ear to ear and I get to savor the moment. That is what life is all about.

I wanted everyone to know the update on the headstone. We have chosen a few patterns but having trouble with the color - yellow. The online company has the color but I'm a little nervous about ordering from an online company for something so special like that. We found a place in Napa who agreed to install (another big problem ordering on line finding someone to agreed to install) and there is another company in Hayward who we are looking at to order the headstone from. I thought this process would be simple but it wasn't. Either the headstone we pick is too big for the gravesite, no one will install it or it doesn't come in the color we want. It has been so frustrating. Hopefully soon we will have it ordered and I can breathe a sign of relief that finally Jazmin will get her dream. I have been communicating and saw Evelyn a few times. The girls are doing great but poor Evelyn has been sick with the flu for weeks. She is just now getting better and that's why I haven't seen her. We talk often and I love her very much. She has always shown me her love and support and I am grateful to have her in my life.

Now as for my health. Things are going well. My lambha count went down last week to 130 from 137. Not a big jump down but it was down. Normal range is 26 so I have a long way to go. I was hoping it would be below 100 this time but the doctors say it will plateau and then I will have to look at other treatments. We will cross that bridge when we come to it but for now it's working. Thank God! I have been working out with my trainer every Wednesday. I'm up to 205 on the leg press and Tim is so happy with my progress. I am too! It makes me feel normal. My hair is growing back about 1-2 inches and full of curls. I don't know where the curls came from but it's cute. The weight is coming on again due to the steroid Decadron. My appetite is back and I'm always hungry. Oh well I have other things to worry about. I do need to start walking again and hopefully soon. It will help with my bones and of course weight gain. For now I will continue taking chemo each week and hopefully my numbers continue to come down. No other big procedures until January when I go back for heart biopsy. The heart is doing great. No complications and I just have to say healthy and away from anyone who is sick.

Well its almost 11:30PM and I have a big day tomorrow. I work out with Tim and then I have my first teeth cleaning since stem cell transplant. The high dose chemo did damage on my gums and I was not able to brush with a regular brush or floss for two months after. So you can imagine I will not have a good time. I'm going to tell Karen to take it easy this time especially because I don't want any problems this weekend. I want to do it every month for a few months until the problem is cured.

Have a wonderful weekend and remember go out and make moments that take your breath away!

Love,

Debbie

Busy, Busy and Busy!!!

Happy Thanksgiving

Wishing You and Your Family a Blessed Thanksgiving

Make Every Moment Count!

Love,

Debbie

My First Grand Child

IT'S A BOY!!!!!

I'M SO HAPPY FOR THIS BLESSING!

Happy Birthday To A Special Lady

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

TO

EVELYN

TO THE MOST LOVING AND CARING PERSON ON THIS EARTH. SHE ONLY GIVES AND NEVER ASKS FOR ANYTHING IN RETURN. THANK GOD SHE IS IN MY LIFE!

I LOVE YOU SO MUCH! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Where Has The Time Gone

I can't believe time has gone by so fast. I haven't wrote for over a week. I have been so busy. Last weekend on Saturday night I got to go to the Sharks game. My first game since getting sick. It was so much fun. Not only did my Sharkies kick butt on the Stanley Cup Champions Pittsburg Penguins 5-0 but to see my husband Mark cry was great! Our neighbors Jane and Steve Bjork came too. It was their first live hockey game. They loved it. We took them to the famous Shark hang out "Henry's" for dinner. So they got the full treatment of Henry's and a Shark game that night. It was a moment to remember. The rest of the weekend was relaxing watching football. I watch the movie "The Proposal" too on Sunday. What a funny movie!

Yesterday was the best day! I got to spend the whole day with my best friend and fellow heart transplant buddy "Tippi". I picked Tippi up and we went to Santa Clara Heart Transplant support group meeting. Dr. Kevin Anderson, another fellow heart transplant recipient, give a presentation on "Men and Sex after Heart Transplant". Al through it didn't have much information for us ladies, I still learned alot. The room was packed with heart transplant recipients, those waiting for a heart in the hospital and those just diagnosed with heart disease and considering a transplant. It is amazing how many people need heart transplants. Doctors have said they transplant a total of 16 from January to June, 2009 just at Kaiser. WOW! Thank God to those who make the choice to donate. It was a fun day. The million dollar girls out all day. We went to lunch and talk and talk. I kept telling Tippi I was sorry for talking so much. I took my Decadron on Monday night and so yesterday I was flying high. She's a good friend and understands.

Since getting sick I have to take such good care of my health in all areas. I have to be seen by doctors for skin cancers, OB/GYN, mammograms and not excluding bone marrow doctors, chemo doctors and heart transplant doctors. My schedule each week includes appointments for something. This is my new normal life. It was funny yesterday, Dr. Kevin, said it so perfectly. Our new normal life finally feels like a normal life again. I have to agree I'm almost there.

This weekend we are going to the lake all weekend. It's going to be so relaxing. I am bringing up some new movies to watch. Mia loves the lake house. She is so calm and quiet there. We go for walks down by the lake. She is so funny. She barks at the waves crashing on the shore. I laugh at the things she finds so interesting. She has brought so much joy into my life. She got groom today and looks so cute. Her hair is so long and fluffy. I love combing her long hair each night.
Jeff and Christine will be at the lake too. We are going to dinner at the Sports Stop in Kelseyville and again for breakfast and football on Sunday morning. We love the place. Mike is the owner and he is so good to us. Food is great!!!!

Next week I will do labs on Wednesday to check monthly light chain count. Hopefully I have another month of decrease in my numbers. That would be great! No chemo next week! Yeah!

Oh and the best part is that on Tuesday, November 17th, Erin and Mark find out the sex of the baby. As I said before I don't care what the sex is just that the baby is healthy and Erin is fine. I will be so happy to have a boy or girl. I'm just happy to be a grandma!

Sorry for not writing but like I said "life is getting back to a new normal". Moments are being made and life is good!

Love,
Debbie

The Numbers Are Going Down!!

Yesterday I received good news. My lambha light chain count went down again to 137 from 169. That is such great news! The chemo treatments of Decadron and Velcade are kicking in and lowering my count. Now can't get too excited I have a long way to go to hit normal of 26. Dr. Akthar says at some time it will reach a platto and even out. I hope it evens out around under 50. Next month will be interesting to see how far it goes down because I will have had a full dosage at 2.6 for 3 weeks. I only had 2 weeks of the dosage 2.6 and had such a great result. Time will only tell. I just can't believe how my life has changed and all I think about is numbers. White Blood Count, Light chain Count and more! Someday I hope I won't have to think about it anymore. I know that won't happen because there is no cure for the disease Amyloidosis. Just controlling it through chemo. I am blessed that the treatment is working. God bless that.

Not much going on this week. I am really tired especially at night. I don't sleep very well which I think is the problem. Last night I took my dosage of Decadron which keeps me up and gives me a dull headache. If it gets really bad I take Vicodim. Not that bad so far. Today I had chemo and all went well. Yesterday I had my monthly visit with Dr. Akthar, chemo doctor. He is very pleased with the results and said we will keep it up and hopefully the numbers will keep going down. I stood in line for almost an hour waiting for the H1N1 shot. I started to get nervous because there were little kids there getting the shot as a live virus through the nose. I am not supposed to be around anyone who gets the shot through the nose as a live virus for two weeks. So why did they have people like me standing next to kids getting the shot that way. I had my mask on and with my short hair, the nurses knew I was immune suppressed. Mom was waiting for me at Dr. Akthar's office and asked if he would give me the shot and he did. Thank God because today they ran out of the shots. I feel better knowing I am protected now. I have to be so careful not to get sick. My boys all got their shots, just the flu shot. Markie will get the H1N1 too because Erin is pregnant.

Erin and Markie had a doctor's appointment which the doctor canceled a half hour before and rescheduled for Thursday. They might be told the sex on Thursday if the doctor sees it right there in front of him. I will let you know after the doctor appointment.

This weekend I am going to the trailer again. I had a wonderful time this last weekend with Linda. It was so relaxing. We went to dinner Saturday and had a terrible meal. We went to Zino's Italian restaurant and ordered Veal Picatta. It came out as a square frozen piece of veal that tasted like ground veal and pork. It was awful. What kind of Italian would serve that. We went to breakfast on Sunday at the Grapevine Cafe. It is a new place with only 6 tables and it was great. We will go back on Sunday this weekend. Our heater is giving us some problems and the repair man was there today and said that he needed to locate a part. If he can then no big deal, if not it means a new heater. That is not good! He'll let me know tomorrow. We might be a little cold this weekend but we have portable heaters that we can use. Let's hope for the best.

Have a great week and weekend ahead. Go out and make those memories count.

Love,
Debbie

Not Much to Talk About

There hasn't been much to talk about. I guess that is a good thing. No problems with my health. Just the same old things going on. I had a break from chemo this week and that felt good. I was really tired on Thursday and last night slept all night without getting up once. It felt great. I have been having more numbness in the fingers and toes lately. Do not know if its medicines or the disease Amyloidosis.

Tomorrow I will be going to the trailer with Linda Ford. We want to spend some time together, go to dinner and just relax. Scott is hunting and Mark is painting Todd Jr.'s new house. I still have little things to do at the trailer, like fix my chair pads in the kitchen. I love the trailer. It's a place I can really relax and feel stress free. The minute I drive through the gates of the park, I can feel the stress go out of my body. Wish I could spend more time there.

Next week I will see Dr. Akhtar on Monday and find out my lambha light chain count. I hope I have another big decrease. That would be wonderful. All other lab tests have come out good this week. Next round of chemo starts up again on Tuesday with Decadron on Monday. I plan to get the H1N1 shot on Monday. Wow that is so scary when your immune system is soooo low. I'm so afraid of getting sick.

Erin will go to the doctor on the 27th. She is doing great. On November 17th we find out the sex of the baby. I'm excited but don't really care. Boy or girl, it doesn't matter as long as Erin and the baby are fine. I want a healthy grand child. Erin has more energy and is feeling better. I told her to enjoy the next 3 months and then its down hill again. Can't wait to see her big belly and my little grand baby moving inside her. That will be a moment to cherish!

Oh, I haven't said but my hair is coming back. It's so curly and thick. Wow the doctors were right when they said it would come back different than before. I can't wait to style it. My friend Laurie is so excited to start cutting it into some kind of style. We will just have to wait and see what my hair decides to do.

Have a wonderful weekend and enjoy every moment!

Love,
Debbie

Getting Back to Normal

Yes today it felt like normal again! I worked out with my personal trainer, Tim Rogers for the first time in a year. It felt so great and I didn't do so bad either. Well I didn't do 385 on the leg press but only 80 pounds for 7 minutes. Tim said it is obvious I need to go up on the weight but everything else I did fine. Wow it felt really good. Heart transplant has encouraged me to start building muscle and bone because of the drug Decadron which causes bone fractures. I'm starting slow and hopefully by January I can be back doing my normal exercises twice a week. I need to start walking again too. My ankle is doing fine so I think I can start soon.

Saturday I plan to attend my Amyloidosis support meeting in Walnut Creek. I miss seeing everyone and Dr. Kevin will be there too. The group has not seen me since stem cell transplant and I'm looking forward to talking to everyone about my results and current treatment. We are supposed to have a doctor from UCSF there to discuss our disease too.

After my meeting I'm driving to the trailer for the weekend. Scott and Linda will be there and Mark and I have lots of little things to do on the trailer. I need to dust the spider webs, rearrange my living room furniture and just do little things to get my little place ready for winter . I want to stock the closets and drawers with clothes, jackets and sweats so I don't have to pack every time we go up. I want most things there all the time.

An update on the ordering of the headstone. Evelyn and I ran into a problem with the online monument company. The headstone Jazmin picked out does not come in the size we need (32") for the grave site. They never told us that until we were ready to order. So now Evelyn has to choose another headstone. We are going to a monument company or two in Sacramento and look at them in person to make the decision. Hopefully, by next weekend we can place an order and it will be installed soon.

Have a wonderful weekend! Make those memories count. Today was a moment to remember.

Love,
Debbie

Busy Making Memories

I have been soooooo busy making memories. First, to the important news. No amyloid in my new shared heart. I am so blessed to have all my annual tests come back perfect including an NER (No evidence of rejection) and no amyloid in my heart. Also, the lambha light chain count is coming down from 211 to 169. This week is my last week for this cycle of chemo, which the dosage of Velcade was increased from 2.0 to 2.6. I hope the increase will keep the light chain count number going down. I will take the test next week.

This weekend was so much fun! I left on Friday and drove to Vacaville to pick up Ashanti, Jazmin's little sister. Ashanti spent the weekend with us. Friday night we relaxed at home. Saturday was so much fun. I made a big pot of spaghetti sauce and meatballs. We had dinner at Sean and Becky's house (Linda's daughter). Becky has three girls, Kennedy, Kaley and Capri. She has a big play room for the kids. Also that night Linda was babysitting Kenndel and Cody, two more grandchildren and Kennedy had a friend over too. There were five screaming girls and one boy. It was so crazy in the house that night. Ashanti had so much fun dressing up in play clothes, modeling and playing with the other kids. We didn't get home until 11:00PM and she was so tired. She fell right to sleep that night. Sunday we went to breakfast at my favorite little restaurant called Norm's Kitchen. Mark and Ron Rackerby came too before leaving for the 49er game. It was sad because it was time to bring Ashanti home. She fell asleep all the way home to Vacaville. I hope she had a good time and that the memories we made will stay with her forever. I know they will be with me forever!

This is what life is all about. It was so important to me to spend time with Ashanti. She is such a special little girl. She loved her big sisters Jamae and Jazmin and talked about them alot. It was nice to hear her tell me things about what she would do with her sisters and how much she misses them. Driving home was really sad and lonely. I missed her!

Oh I also cleaned out my closet and Marks. I took 6 full bags of clothes to the Goodwill. It felt so good to organize the closets and donate the clothes to Goodwill. I have been wanting to do that for months.

Mia goes to the groomer tomorrow for the first time. I'm so excited to see what she will look like after her first hair cut. I can't see her eyes and she looks like a shaddy dog. After she gets her hair cut she will look more like a shiatsu. She is going to be the cutest puppy!

I'm also asking for everyone to say a special prayer to my heart transplant friend, Jon Warren. I met Jon on 8-12-08, just 10 days after he received his new heart. Jon was a very special person with a great big smile. He was a gentle man! Jon suffered from heart failure for many years and finally got the opportunity to receive a new heart in July of 2008. Sadly, his wife Cheryl email me and said Jon passed away on October 4th. He had problems with his colon and antibody rejection. After a fierce battle including emergency surgery, Jon's body just couldn't do it anymore. My heart is broken. I will miss his beautiful smile and friendship. Jon was able to spend the last year doing what he wanted to do. Things he was unable to do with his old heart. Only God knows why he gave him just one more year. God bless you, Jon.

When I hear things like this I realize how precious life is and that every moment is precious. Making moments that take your breath away is my goal in life. I try to look at each day and ask myself "what moment today took your breath away". Ask yourself that same question and if you can't answer then you are taking life for granted. Life is short and we all know anything can happen but don't take it for granted. Spend time with family and friends, go for a drive, take a bath, give a child some love. Whatever it is that makes you stop and say "This is what life is all about".

Love,
Debbie

Is Life Getting Boring!

I can say life seems to be getting boring and I like it! This means the doctor appointments are getting farther apart except for chemo every week, it's back to the same old stuff.

I spent the weekend at the trailer again. I just love going up there. We had a little problem Saturday night with our heater. We couldn't get it to work and the next morning our assistant manager Tom tried to fix it but it needed to be checked out with a heating company. He was going to arrange the repairs and hopefully its not much and we can get back up there soon. We spent Saturday at Big Todd Schapmire's house. We brought a group of friends (Jane & Steve, Scott & Linda, Jeff & Christine and Bob Keyes) to listen to Big Todd's band. We had so much fun! Todd had a big BBQ and later the band played. It made me so happy and full of smiles seeing Big Todd living his dream of performing on stage (the Redwood Tree Stage in his backyard) to all his friends and family. The smile on his face will be a moment to remember. I'm so happy he is doing what he loves.

Yesterday I had my normal routine of Decadron last night and chemo today. Finally Stanford communicated to Kaiser that my dosage needed to be increase from 2.0mg to 2.6mg and today I received the correct dosage. I want to aggressively attack this disease especially now that I'm seeing my numbers go down. I'm so excited to go to the Amyloidosis support group next weekend and see the group. There are so many of them that have had one or two stem cell transplants and are really fighting this disease. All I can do at this time is continue taking the Decadron and Velcade each week and pray that the treatment works to bring the numbers down. I pray each night that my disease will go into complete or partial response and I can have a break from these drugs. I get to start working out with my personal trainer, Tim Rogers. Kaiser heart transplant feels this is the best thing for me. Yes I will start slow but just watch me go! I was in the best shape of my life before I was diagnosed. I really believe the condition of my body was the reason why I did so well through the heart transplant and stem cell transplant. I hope everyone reading this will understand how important it is to exercise at least 30 minutes a day. It's life saving!

Speaking of prayers, I know how much the power of prayer can mean to someone. So please pray for Auntie Mary Joan's new husband and my new uncle Don. He has suffered a relapse and is in the hospital. Pray that he can recover from this and get back home to Auntie Mary Joan. She needs him close to her and they have many more moments to enjoy.

This weekend on Friday I will be going to pick up Ashanti, Jazmin's little sister. She is going to spend the weekend with me and I am so excited. We are going to have lunch with Evelyn and I will bring flowers to the girl's gravesite. I can't wait to go there and see the beautiful headstone. Hopefully, it will be installed within the next 4 months. Ashanti and I will play with Linda's grand daughters on Saturday, go shopping and play with Mia. There will be plenty of moments made spending time with Ashanti. I can't wait! I called tonight and little Angelina got on the phone and said "Hi Debbie (at least 5 times) I love you (at least 5 more times) Bye Debbie" as clear as a bell. It was so cute. I'll never forget it.

So as I said life is getting boring but I like it! So now it getting back to living and enjoying the things I love to do. Spending time at my little trailer with friends, making memories with the people who mean the most to me, waiting for the moment I can hold my new baby grand child in my arms and just making every moment count.

Enjoy every moment!

Love,
Debbie

It's Been a Year and Oh What A Year!

Can you believe it's been one year since heart transplant. This week has been a blessing!

One year ago, I received a call from Dr. Dana telling me she had the perfect heart waiting for me at Stanford. Today, I believe she was right! My shared heart and my angel Jazmin have watched over me and continues to give me good health.

On Tuesday and Wednesday, I underwent many tests including blood tests, EKG, echo, heart biopsy, right and left heart cath. All tests were perfect and today I received the call regarding heart biopsy - another NER (5 in a row). Now do I have the perfect heart!

Also, this week on Tuesday was the best news. My lambha light chain count dropped from 211 to 169. That was the best news ever!!! Hopefully, the Decadron and Velcade is finally working along with the stem cell to decrease my lambha light chain count. I know I have a long way to go to reach 26 but maybe this is it - it's finally going down. I pray each day that my count will start going down and my disease would finally be in complete or partial response. I hope the time has come.

Now for the last test results and that is whether there is amyloid in my shared heart. I don't think so but until they tell me yes or no - I worry.

Mom and I had a wonderful two days together. I know how hard it is for her to see me go through all these tests but I could not do it without her. She gives me strength to continue going on. I think about my new baby grand child, a healthy life, traveling, and living my life to the fullest. That's why I will continue fighting this disease.

This weekend I will spend relaxing at our trailer in Lake County. On Saturday, I am going to Todd and Sherri's house in Ukiah to listen to Big Todd's band. I can't wait. That will be so much fun! I think the weather is changing and it should be cold or cooler at the lake but it will be fun anyway. I really want to use our little trailer more this year especially in the winter time when its raining and stormy outside.

Have a wonderful weekend and enjoy each and every moment God gives you! They are special!

Love,
Debbie

What a Weekend!!!!

I had a fabulous weekend in Los Angeles. It didn't start out good but ended great!

Our flight on Friday was delayed in San Francisco for two hours due to fog. We arrived in Los Angeles at 2:00PM and then drove to Beverly Hills. I was so excited when we pulled up in front of the Montage Beverly Hills. Our friend and doorman, JC greeted all of us. Mr Kaseki upgraded Mark and I to a Junior Suite and Debbie and Gary to a full suite. It was beautiful!

Friday night we had dinner in the kitchen at the Montage. The executive chef, John
prepared small bite meals. The first was pasta in a white sauce with white truffles. Of course, Mark did not want to eat the truffles (mushrooms) but Chef John kept insisting that he try one. He showed us a small truffle that he said cost $2,500.00. Mark quickly tried one. The second course was John Dory fish and again Mark didn't want to try it. Chef John convinced him to try it,he loved it. Our final meals included a tomato salad with sorbay; short ribs; new york steak (small thin pieces) and to top it all off a wonderful chocolate dessert with Carmel ice cream and Carmel sauce. Having dinner in this beautiful kitchen watching all the chefs cooking was an experience I won't forget. It was a moment to remember!

The next morning we were up at 5:00AM and out the door to the Breast and Ovarian Cancer walk. I was not able to walk this year but Debbie walked the whole 6 miles. Good job Deb! We stayed for the ceremony and Team Conley placed third in the overall fundraising. What an accomplishment!

Mark and I left with Matthew and stopped at Costco. We stocked Matthew's freezer with food and he was so happy. Mark and I hung all his pictures on the wall. His apartment looked so great! Matthew had dinner with us that night at the Grill on the Alley. We were starving when we came back from his apartment, we ordered room service and ate too much. We fell asleep for an hour before dinner. We had a wonderful dinner at the Grill but we were tired and full from our snack. I was looking forward to sleeping in the next morning.

On Sunday, we got to sleep in until 9:00AM and had a beautiful breakfast in Gary and Debbie's suite. It was a beautiful morning and the breakfast was so good. We then met our liquor license receiver and his wife, Craig and Cindy for lunch. I felt all I did all weekend was EAT. Then quickly it was time to get to the airport for our flight home. I wanted to go but deep inside I wanted to stay in this beautiful hotel just one more night. I look forward to the next time I can stay there again.

Today I'm alittle tired and stressed about the next two days. Tomorrow is chemo and then Mom and I drive to Santa Clara for my first day of tests. Tomorrow tests include EKG, echo and visit with the doctor. On Wednesday I will be there at 9:00AM for a heart biopsy, right heart cath and an angiogram. Mom and I will stay the night just in case I have any problems. Last time I had excessive bleeding and had to drive home two hours. It was not fun! Hopefully this time will be better.

Have a wonderful week and I will let everyone know the results of my tests at the end of the week.

Love,
Debbie

Remembering

Remembering one year ago this week the events that brought me to this day. Last year on September 22, 2008, I was admitted to Kaiser Heart Transplant Center to wait (what the doctors said 60 days for a new heart). On that same day, a beautiful child passed onto heaven and is my angel, Jazmin.

Three days later, I was rushed to Stanford Medical Center for a second chance at life. I arrived at midnight September 25, 2008, to wait 19 hours for the right time to begin the heart transplant. At 6:30PM on September 26th, I was taken into the operating room for a heart transplant. The months of testing, doctor appointments, happy and sad times all came together that night. A new heart!

This year has been a year full of moments. Sometimes happy and sometimes sad. Happy times were those such as my speedy and healthy recovery after the heart transplant, my new friends I have met, Kevin, Tippi, John, Matt, Ken and all the other heart transplant recipients, my wonderful doctors, Dr. Costelo, Dr. Warren, Dr. Weisshaar, Dr. Orer, Dr. Toby, Dr. Schrier, Dr. Aeria and of course the nurses at heart transplant center, Sue and Charlene and those who cared for me during the heart transplant and stem cell transplant. Happy moment was the day Erin told me I was going to be a grandma. I told the Stanford doctors, when they were considering accepting me for a heart transplant, that all I wanted was to be a grandma and to give me enough time to be a grandma. Another happy moment was the day I met Evelyn, Jazmin's Mom. When she got out of her car, all I could think of was to give her a big hug and hold on to her. Today, we still give eachother a big hug and I say to her, "my heart to yours, I love you".

She is a very loving and caring person and I am lucky to have her in my life. As for sad moments, I have to say there are few but the only one that I think about most is "why isn't there a cure for my disease and when will I be in partial or complete response".

There are many others out there suffering more than I have this past year. I think about my Aunt Mary Joan. Stage 4 breast cancer and how strong she is. She says I'm an inspiration and that I am so brave. She is the one who is brave! She told me she wants "quality of life" and not necessarily "quantity of life". I agree. We have to live each day as though it could be our last. Make those moments count!!!

Mom and I spent Tuesday with Evelyn. We went to lunch and talked, laughed and enjoyed the moment. It meant so much to me to be with Evelyn that day. Mom and I took flowers to the girls grave and said our prayers. I told Jazmin that it will be soon that her beautiful headstone will be placed in honor of her dream. Ashanti's birthday was a few days before, so Mom and I got to go shopping for her and Angelina. Ashanti called me to say thank you and to hear her sweet voice was so special. That day I felt happy inside and a sense of peace. Again, a moment I will never forget.

Now to why I haven't posted in a week. My computer died and I had to call Dell for a tech to come out. All is fixed now. Yesterday, didn't go as planned. I started out doing my normal morning routine which has included walking Mia for 45 minutes. We started on our walk and 5 minutes into it, I fell and twisted my left ankle. I had to call Jane, my neighbor to come and get us because I could not walk. Mom came and brought me to Kaiser for X rays and to see the doctor. No broken bones but badly sprained. He gave me a boot to wear to stabilize the ankle because of my trip to Los Angeles this weekend. Just what I needed, when I was beginning to get on track with my exercise and feeling stronger. Now this puts me back a few weeks. Oh well, could have been worse like a broken ankle or leg.

Tomorrow I fly to Los Angeles for the Long Beach Cancer Walk. I have done this walk several years, but of course I won't be walking this year. I plan to volunteer to help with registration or anything else they might need. I will be donating $500.00 to breast cancer from the Jazmin I. Mitchell Memorial Fund. I want to state that the two hurtful postings made by someone who didn't identify themselves WAS NOT Evelyn. I know who it was and I feel sorry for that person. Evelyn has and continues to be supportive of the way I have handled the fundraiser. I never did anything without her approval or wishes. Everyone knew that if there was any money left after the cost of the headstone, it would be given to a charity from Jazmin's Memorial fund in her name (NOT MINE). Thank you to my family and friends who donated to the Jazmin I. Mitchell Memorial Fund. Not only did it support Jazmin's dream of a beautiful headstone but also those suffering from breast cancer. I know in my heart Jazmin would have done the same.

Now for the fun times ahead. I fly to Los Angeles Friday and get to stay at the Montage Beverly Hills. Mr. Kaseki upgraded us to suites and will be hosting a special dinner Friday night. I am most thankful to Gary and Debbie for their love and support during this year. Taking me to Los Angeles to celebrate my one year anniversary for the heart transplant, and staying in this beautiful hotel will be a moment to cherish. Saturday will be one year and we are going to celebrate at The Grill on the Alley in Beverly Hills. It's one of my favorite restaurants and Matthew will be joining us for dinner. You could say that it's my 2nd birthday. I now have 3. My first birthday November 22nd the day I was born; second birthday September 26th heart transplant and the third birthday, May 29th stem cell transplant. I have always loved celebrating my birthday so believe me I going to celebrate each one!

I'm feeling good except for the ankle. I will begin the new treatment plan next week. Also, on September 29th and 30th, I will be at Santa Clara Heart Transplant undergoing many tests on my shared heart. This is my annual checkup and yesterday I did all the blood work and x rays for this checkup. Mom and I will be staying in San Jose for the two days enjoying our stay at a beautiful hotel.

Now more than ever, my hope for everyone is to enjoy those special moments in time. I have many more moments in my life to enjoy.

Love,

Debbie

Stanford Appointment

Yesterday I had an appointment at Stanford with Dr. Schier, Amyloidosis specialist. He is not encouraged with the current results of Decadron and Velcade and wants to get more aggressive with my treatment. He said that in Italy they are treating this disease aggressively with 2 days of Velcade instead of one. So his future treatment plan ordered for me will be an increase of the dosage of Velcade from 2.0mg to 2.6mg once of week for the next two months. He will monitor my lambha light chain count during this period to see if there is any change in the count. If after two months the light chain count is still at around 200, he will increase the number of doses to two times a week for two months. After that, he will discuss the treatment of starting Revlind (another chemo drug) with my heart transplant doctors. Revilind has been suspected of causing rejection to the heart and he wants to discuss this with the heart transplant doctors before. There has been no evidence connecting heart rejection with Revlind but Dr. Kevin Anderson has been on the drug and has had two 2R rejections. So they are looking closely at this connection.

I realized yesterday this is going to be a lifetime of drugs managing the disease. We can only hope the new drugs being researched now will cure this disease. There is a new drug being tested in England that has blasted amyloid out of patients bodies. It will not be available in the United States for two years. I met Tony from my Amyloidosis support meeting at Stanford yesterday, and he said Stanford has also been researching a drug to do the same time. So I need to continue fighting with the drugs available to continue this fight until the drugs are available here in the United States. I pray to God it comes soon because there are so many people out there suffering and dying from this disease. A cure must be found!

I feel blessed to have the time given to me to continue this fight. Without the heart transplant last year, I wouldn't be here to write this post. I have been given a second chance at life and a chance to fight this disease and wait for a cure.

There are so many things in my life for the future that keep me going on. My new baby grand child, my sons and my daughter Erin, Mark, Mom and my friends and family. You all make life worth living.

REMEMBER YESTERDAY,

DREAM ABOUT TOMORROW,

BUT LIVE TODAY!

Posting of Comments

Dear Family and Friends,

From now on, I will be moderating all comments posted on my blog. I'm sorry to have received two hurtful postings last Friday night and decided I need to approve all comments before they are posted.

I want to say thank you to the person who wrote the comment posted below. It said it all!

Most importantly thank you to my family and friends who donated to the fundraiser.

I will always be grateful!

love,

Debbie

New Picture of My New Grand Child

Erin went to the doctor on Tuesday for her monthly checkup. Mark and Erin got to see the baby moving inside. They said it was so exciting! Erin thinks the baby looks like a "gummy bear". I can see, I think a little arm but its hard to see anything unless you are there while the sonogram is being done. Erin and baby are doing great. I'm just so happy to be a grandma. I don't care, and I mean it, what the sex is. I only want Erin and the baby to be healthy.

More pictures to come next month and then on November 17th we will find out the sex.

Love,
Debbie

Had a Wonderful Weekend

I had a wonderful weekend at our trailer on Clear Lake. The weather was alittle cold but it was so nice to be up there. Our friends, Jeff and Christine stayed with us and we had so much fun. Matter of fact, they had so much fun they bought a trailer in our park, so they are neighbors here at home and at the lake. They are so excited about the beautiful trailer they got. Lots more memories will be made.

Saturday night our trailer park owners put on a BIG party and provide all the food. I ate so much including some wonderful desserts. We got to see everyone in the park and visit too. They had a band and DJ who play music until 10:00PM and then everyone went over to Richmond Park and dance the night away.

Sunday we spent all day and evening at Konotic Casino. I didn't go in because our friends Jane and Steve had their 5th wheel in the RV Park, so Mia and I stayed there visiting with everyone. We had dinner in Lakeport at "The Park Place" which was a very nice place. Mark played alittle more and I watch the fireworks show the casino put on and we were home and in bed by 9:30PM. Today we got up early made breakfast and drove to Potter Valley to see Mark's Mom. We got her some things at the store and did little odd ball chores for her. We had a nice visit. She is doing ok. She finished her chemo and the doctor said so far the disease is in remission. Thank God. We pray for her every day. I don't want her to be in pain.

I got home around 3:00PM and today I took Decadron so of course I'm wired up. I went grocery shopping, did laundry, made a banana cream pie for dessert and unpack. I'm making my onion soup potatoes and steaks tonight for dinner. YUMMM!

Tomorrow is chemo day at 11:00AM. I'm sad because tomorrow is heart transplant support meeting and I can't go because of chemo but I will be there next month. I miss seeing everyone, especially Tippi. We were going to go together and have a girls day but that can't happen now. I want to go over and spend time with her. We have so much fun together!

Erin goes to the doctor again tomorrow and I will have a new picture of my new grand baby on the blog tomorrow night. She is doing great and said we should see more in this picture. They are going to know the sex by November. I don't care what the sex is I'm just thankful and blessed that I will be here to welcome my new grand child. Thank God and my angel Jazmin in heaven.

The fundraiser was a complete success and I raised $4,000.00 towards the headstone. I will be able to donate in Jazmin's name $500.00 to Breast Cancer on the 25th of September when I go to the cancer walk in Los Angeles. I'm so excited to donate this money in my Auntie Mary Joan's name and my dear friend, Kathy Conley, who is a 5 year breast cancer survivor. I will also be celebrating my one year heart transplant date. Will it be a celebration, in a way but I will never forget and always be grateful to Jazmin. I will spend Sept. 22nd with Evelyn, Ben and the girls going to the cemetery to put flowers on Jazmin and Jamae's grave. I wish the headstone was placed but it will be there soon! I'm so grateful to my family and friends who donated to achieve Jazmin's dream! Thank you!

I forgot to say, that I have pictures from the fundraiser but I'm having trouble getting them on the blog. Some are really small and backwards. I'll keep trying to get them on. Christine did a wonderful job taking pictures of everyone. There are so many great shots!

Well have to get dinner going but wanted everyone to know I'm doing great. This weekend was full of memories I will cherish forever. To think last year at this time I was so sick and didn't even know if I would be here this year to attend our trailer park party, do the fundraiser or dream of holding my new grand child. Life is short and I will not take it for granted. I'm going to enjoy every moment!

How about you!

Love,
Debbie

What's Going On

The week went by soooo fast! Didn't do much but just rested. I started riding my bike again for 30 minutes each day. Wow it my legs feel like I'm turning cement. I'm so out of shape. I can't wait to get back to my personal trainer, Tim Rogers and super slow. I am going to ask if I can go back after my big tests next month on the 29th and 30th.

I went to the oncologist today, Dr. Akthar. My lambha count went from 215 to 211. Wow big decrease. This is like chipping through cement. He was not concern and said we have to wait another 3 months after these 3 courses of Decadron and Velcade. Then he said they will decide what's next.

I hope everyone saw my new grandchild's sonogram picture. Erin is doing great. She will go to the doctor again on September 8th and I will have a new picture to share. I can't wait until I see that beautiful baby. That will be another moment that takes my breath away. I'm so lucky and blessed to have these moments. I will never take them for granted.

I'm working on downloading the pictures from the fundrasier. I hope to have them on the blog by tomorrow. They are wonderful and we had a great time that day. What a moment to remember!

Well I'll say goodbye for now. The Country Music Awards are on and I love country music! I saw my favorite hunk, Toby Keith at Konocti on Friday night. We sat row 5 from the stage. It was awesome! He is so good looking!!!!

Love,
Debbie

I'm Going to be a Grandma

This is the most beautiful picture in the world. My first grand child. If there was ever a moment in time that took my breath away, it was seeing this picture for the first time. My sweet grand child.

Erin and Mark told us about a month ago that she thought she was pregnant but didn't want us to tell anyone until her doctor's appointment yesterday. Mark and Erin went to the doctor and took a sonogram (picture above). Baby Douglas is due April 13, 2010. They saw the baby's heart beating. Erin said it finally felt "real".

Mark and I are so proud and happy for our family. Of course, updates on my blog will be coming. I can't wait to post a picture of me holding my new grand child.

This is what moments are made of. I hope to have many, many more moments like this that take my breath away!

Love,
Debbie

Jazmin's Dream

Jazmin's dream came true on Saturday. Jazmin dreamed of purchasing the headstone for her sister Jamae. On Saturday at the fundraiser, her dream became a reality.

My sincere thank you to all who attended and to all that donated to this beautiful cause. I will never be able to express the deep gratitude I have for my family and friends who supported me in making Jazmin's dream come true.

It will be a beautiful day, when the headstone is finally placed on the grave site for two beautiful angels in heaven. The headstone is so beautiful and it features two angels hugging each side of the headstone. Jazmin and Jamae deserved to have a beautiful headstone in their honor.

I will have pictures from the fundraiser posted this week. It was a fun day and a moment I will never forget. When Jane told me we made our goal, it was a moment of joy and one that took my breath away!

Thank you so much,

Love
Debbie

Dreams Do Come True

Jazmin, my donor, had a dream. That dream was to purchase a headstone for her sister, Jamae. Not knowing a short time later, she would be with her sister. The headstone Jazmin picked out for Jamae will be a dream come true for her. I'm so blessed to have family and friends who have supported this fundrasier. I'm hoping on Saturday we will have enough donations to make this dream come true for Jazmin.

It will be a very special day when the headstone is installed and one that will definitely take my breath away!

Thank you to everyone who has donated so far. I really appreciate the love and support. I hope to see everyone on Saturday to celebrate this awesome day.

If you are unable to attend, donations may be sent to Jazmin I. Mitchell Memorial Fund, c/o Exchange Bank, 2201 Mendocino Avenue, Santa Rosa, Ca 95403.

Thank you again for your support.

Love,
Debbie

Feeling Good

This week I took my second course of Decadron and Velcade. It is amazing how these drugs effect you. The nausea is gone and the appetite is back. I still feel the soreness around my neck and upper body on the 2nd and 3rd day after taking the drugs. It's not as bad as before because I know what it is caused from. I have one more week for this course and then I have a one week break. This will continue for another two months and then Stanford will decide the next treatment. So far everything is stable.

The fundraiser is going great! To date a total of $1,225.00 has been donated. I am so appreciative to everyone who has donated. The fundraiser next weekend will be so much fun! I'm hoping to collect the total $3,000 - $3,500 needed to purchase the headstone by next weekend. It will be a moment that takes my breath away when the headstone is installed.

Please send your checks to: Jazmin I Mitchell Memorial Fund, c/o Exchange Bank, 2201 Mendocino Avenue, Santa Rosa, Ca 95403. Thank you so much for your love and support towards this cause.

Tonight I'm going to dinner to my favorite Italian restaurant, Riveria. It's been so long since I have been there. It will be nice to see Rita and Lucia too! Tomorrow is Christie and Brian's wedding. Christie is Bob and Cindy Keyes daughter. It will be a beautiful wedding!

Sunday I have some things to do before the fundraiser and Maxwell will help with that. I want the yards to look nice before the fundraiser. I'm also going to try a few new recipes for dinner. I love Gilada from Everyday Italian and her pasta dishes. So I have one I want to try.

Have a wonderful weekend and make moments that take your breath away!

Love,

Debbie

Enjoying the Moments

I have been so busy. Well I guess you can call it busy. I went to the lake on Thursday for two days. I met Marion and Terri there. I had a great time! Thursday night they made a wonderful dinner for me. Mia and I played all day and night. She loves the lake and the little trailer. The weather was a little cold. I even had to put my electric blanket on my bed at night. The days were windy and warm. I left on Saturday to go home. Erin's birthday is today! Happy Birthday Erin! Markie gave her a birthday party on Saturday night. It was so fun seeing all the kids and Martie and Jeff (Erin's parents) were there too! Lots of fun.

Sunday was a relaxing day. Mark went to Potter Valley to visit his Mom. She is very ill. Please say extra prayers for Mom Douglas. I stayed home to catch up on some things. Later that day, our neighbors, Steve and Jane, Jeff and Christine and Pam all came over for dinner. I made a spiral ham, my homemade scalloped potatos, roasted vegetables. Sooooo good! Jane made Mom's fruit salad. Yum! We sat around and just talked and listened to music. So relaxing! These are moments that mean alot to me. I want lots more!!!

Today I did some work and things around the house. I'm planning the fundraiser and organizing the details. It is going to be so fun and I'm looking forward to seeing everyone. Thank you to all who have donated so far. We are currently at $1,150.00. Our goal is around $3000 - $3500. This will purchase and install the headstone for Jamae and Jazmin. The day it is installed will be a moment to cherish in my life! I know Jazmin will be smiling down on us! Thank you! The information for the fundraiser is at the top but please send checks to the bank:

Jazmin I Mitchell Memorial Fund c/o Exchange Bank, 2201 Mendocino Avenue, Santa Rosa, Ca 95403.

Make moments that take your breath away each and every day! It's not the quantity of life but the quality. Make it a special one!

Love,

Debbie

First Day Back on Decadron and Velcade

Yesterday was my first day back on Decadron and Velcade. Oh have I missed them. Yeah right!
Last night I was up until 1:30AM and fell asleep and woke up again at 4:00AM. Needless to say I'm tired tonight.

I leaving to go watch Mark and Markie play baseball in a championship game. It should be fun but cold.

Tomorrow I leave for my trailer on Clear Lake. I'm staying there until Saturday. I'm so excited to go up and relax. Marion and Teri are there and we are just going to relax and read books. It will be Mia's first time there and I know she will love it there. I'm hoping my little sister Kathy will come and visit too. Maybe even spend the night with me. That will be so much fun!

Well I will write when I get back from the trailer on Saturday.

I plan to make moments that take my breath away while I there.

Love,
Debbie

The Call Finally Came

The call I was dreading finally came this afternoon. It was from Dr. Aktahar's office to schedule infusion of Velcade. I was surprised to hear that Stanford wants me to take Velcade twice a week instead of once of week. I will also begin taking Decadron too. I'm going to ask if I can take Decadron on Monday, so when I crash and feel terrible it will be on Wednesday and not on the weekend. I will find out tomorrow once I meet with the doctors. I realize this is going to be a lifetime of medication, doctors and tests. If I could "make a wish" it would that for the next year no medication, no doctors and no tests, but I know that won't happen. This is going to be for a lifetime and that's what is hard to accept.

I had a wonderful day yesterday. I went to Tori Puentes bridal shower. It was so nice and Tori got so many wonderful gifts. I'm so happy for her and Zach. The wedding in September will be beautiful. After the shower, I came home and Big Todd made a wonderful dinner for us including Tom and Jeanie Benton. We had filets, corn, bake potato, onion rings and I made a new recipe of Fried Mortazella sticks. Everything was so good! We talked about old times. Jeanie and I graduated from Ursuline together. So it was fun talking about the things we did.
That's what moments are all about. These were very special moments. Thanks Big Todd for a wonderful dinner. You and Shari are the best!

Well tomorrow will be my first day for Velcade. Hopefully, not too many side effects from it. Have a wonderful week.

Love,
Debbie

The Week Went By Fast

It was a busy week running errands and doing things around the house. No doctors appointments until the end of August. I do have to do lab work next week to check cysolporine counts. The last two were weird numbers. On biopsy day the count was 998 and at the end of the week it dropped to 134. 134 is still low but Dr. Dana said not too bad. She would like me to be around 150 - 200. I will do it again on Monday to check.

September will be a busy month for doctor's appointments. I have heart biopsy, cardio gram, appointment with Dr. Shrier and Dr. Areria. At least I get a little break during the month of August. I will start the drugs Decadron and Velcade this next week. I'm not looking forward to that but I have to keep fighting this disease.

The fundraiser is going great! To date the total amount of money raised is $730.00. Please support me in raising money to purchase a headstone for my donor, Jazmin Iris Mitchell. She and her twin sister Jamae do not have a headstone for their grave and this will be a dream of Jazmin's if we can raise enough money. Jazmin before she passed away picked out this headstone for her sister Jamae, not knowing a year and half later she would pass away. I want to honor my donor and her family and raise enough money to purchase the headstone Jazmin wanted. Please send your donation to the Jazmin I Mitchell Memorial Fund c/o Exchange Bank, 2201 Mendocino Avenue, Santa Rosa, Ca 95403 if you cannot attend the fundraiser on August 22nd at my house. All donations will be greatly appreciated.

This weekend I have Tory Puentes bridal shower on Sunday. Todd and Sherri Schapmire along with their son Todd's in laws, Tom and Jeannie will be coming for dinner. I haven't seen Tom and Jeannie for a while so it will be nice to see them. Jeannie and I graduated from Ursuline many, many years ago. Of course, Big Todd will be cooking and he is the best! It's always nice having someone else do the cooking. It will be a fun day!

I hope you have a wonderful weekend and remember to make memories that take your breath away.

Love,
Debbie

THIS IS WHAT LOVE IS ALL ABOUT

Auntie Mary Joan and her son, Lou walking her down the aisle

Auntie Mary Joan and Uncle Don taking their vows

Auntie Mary Joan and her daughter Shelly

The Newlyweds

Auntie Mary Joan, Uncle Don, Mark and Me

Love knows no time and it doesn't matter how old or young you are. When you are truly in love with someone, it is magical. I experienced that magic on Monday night. My Auntie Mary Joan and my new uncle Don married in a beautiful ceremony. On September 12th they will exchange vows again with all family and friends in attendance. It will be another beautiful moment!

Moments like these are what life is all about. Make the most of those moments!

Love,

Debbie

Weekend Moments

I had a wonderful weekend filled with memorable moments. Friday, Saturday and Sunday I watched my sons, Mark and Maxwell play ice hockey in the Snoopy Tournament. It was so much fun watching them and also seeing all my hockey families. The boys team won the championship.

Matthew drove up from Los Angeles and spent the entire weekend with us. So I was very happy to have all three sons here. We went to breakfast, watched TV and enjoy each other's company.

The fundraiser is going great! We have a total donations to date of $680.00. I am so excited and grateful to those who have donated for their kindness. The fundraiser is August 22, 2009, noon to whenever. Come and enjoy food, drinks, music and swimming. A minimum donation of $20.00 per family or more will be appreciated. If you cannot attend, donations may be sent to the Jazmin I Mitchell Memorial Fund, c/o Exchange Bank, 2201 Mendocino Avenue, Santa Rosa, Ca 95403. Please share this information with your family and friends. This means so much to me and will be a moment never to forget if we are able to purchase this headstone. I look forward to the day when I can go to the grave site and see this beautiful headstone there.

Today I have to bring Mia to the vet for her first shots. Oh no, I remember those first shots when the boys were babies. I hated it. I hope she will do ok. She is so cute and is a joy!

Tonight is Auntie Mary Joan and Don's wedding. This will be a happy moment. I plan to enjoy each and every one. I'm so happy for both of them. They are an example of how life should be lived. It's not the quantity but the quality. Make each moment count! I love you Auntie and Don and am so happy for both of you!

Have a wonderful day and remember make moments that take your breath away!

Love,
Debbie

Forgot the Most Important Post

No Amyloid in my new shared heart!!!

I am so blessed with a beautiful heart from my angel Jazmin Iris Mitchell. I will always be grateful to her family for this beautiful gift.

Love,

Debbie

Fundraiser

The fundraiser for Jazmin and Jamae is going great. We have raised a total of $650.00 so far. Thank you to those who have donated. I really appreciated your love and support.

For those of you who don't know about the fundraiser. It will be held on August 22, 2009, noon to whenever. Come and enjoy food, drink, music and swimming. Everyone is invited. We are hoping to raise a total of $2,850.00 to purchase a headstone for Jazmin and Jamae. The fundraiser will be at my house, 2015 Dennis Lane, Santa Rosa. If you have any questions, please call me at 707-569-9024. A minimum donation of $20.00 per family. Please help me to raise enough money to show our appreciation to Jazmin's family for the gift of life they gave me. I will always be grateful. If you cannot join us, donations may be sent to Exchange Bank, Jazmin Iris Mitchell Memorial Fund, 2201 Mendocino Avenue, Santa Rosa, Ca 95401.

Love,
Debbie

Fundraiser

Fundraiser

August 22, 2009

Noon - ?

2015 Dennis Lane

Santa Rosa

707-569-9024

Please join me in support of this fundraiser to raise money to purchase a headstone for Jazmin and Jamae Mitchell. Come and enjoy an afternoon of food, drink, music and swimming. Minimum donation of $20.00 per family. If you are unable to attend please send your donation to Debbie Douglas c/o Jazmin Iris Mitchell Memorial Fund, 2015 Dennis Lane, Santa Rosa, Ca 95403. This fundraiser is very important to me and I hope you will support this cause. It will be a way to express our heartfelt gratitude to Jazmin's family for the beautiful gift of life!

Love,

Debbie

Joey and Rachel's Wedding

It was a beautiful day!!!!

Jeff and Christine's Wedding in Lake Tahoe

Neighbors

Steve having too much fun!


Jeff and Christine

Jeff and Christine's wedding in Lake Tahoe was beautiful and so much fun. It was great having all our neighbors there to share this special day. Congratulations to Jeff and Christine!

A Great Weekend In Lake Tahoe

I was on the top of the world!

Emerald Bay

I had a wonderful relaxing weekend in Lake Tahoe. I drove to Emerald Bay on Saturday and took these beautiful pictures. I felt like I was on the top of the world!

I Finally Have a Little Girl

Mia

She is so sweet and lovable!

A Big Thank You

A Big Thank You to

David Codding and My Sister Mary Ann

for the generous donation to the fundraiser.

My heart is so grateful for this gift!

Thank you so very much!

Fundraiser Date Change Again

Sorry for the change in the date again for the fundraiser. Just found out that Auntie Mary Joan and Don will be having their wedding celebration that day and I will not miss that.

So the fundraiser will now be on August 22nd, same time and same place. This is very important to me and I hope you will support me.

On Sunday, I visited the grave site with Jazmin's Mom. It was very sad to see a "postcard size" piece of paper in the ground with their names and the dates they were born and passed away. I want to honor them by making this dream come true for Jazmin. Jazmin picked out the headstone for her sister, not knowing that a year and half later she would passed away. Please help support this beautiful gift.

love,

Debbie

Fundraiser

FUNDRAISER DATE HAS CHANGED TO AUGUST 22, 2009

PLEASE JOIN THE FAMILY AND FRIENDS OF

DEBBIE DOUGLAS

IN A FUNDRAISER FOR

JAZMIN AND JAMAE MITCHELL

SATURDAY, AUGUST 22, 2009

NOON - ?

2015 DENNIS LANE

SANTA ROSA

707-569-9024

www.debbiedouglas.blogspot.com

Jazmin’s heart beats a new life in our friend Debbie Douglas. The family and friends of Debbie are so grateful to Jazmin’s family and their amazing gift of life! Jazmin was preceded in death by her twin sister Jamae. Together Jazmin and Jamae lay in rest together in peace just as they did so many short childhood years ago. Jazmin’s family is unable to afford the cost of a headstone marking their daughters beautiful lives. We as family and friends are having this fundraiser to raise $2,800.00 necessary to purchase the headstone for Jazmin and Jamae. Your small donation of at least $20.00 per family will help us raise the money in support of our heartful appreciation to Jazmin’s family. Come and enjoy an afternoon of food, drink, and music. If you cannot attend and would like to donate, please send checks to Debbie Douglas c/o Jazmin Iris Mitchell Memorial Fund, 2015 Dennis Lane, Santa Rosa, Ca 95403.

Doctor's Appointments Kaiser and Stanford

Yesterday was a long and busy day. My day started at 6:00AM driving to Santa Clara for my 8:00AM appointment for heart biopsy. As I waited for over an hour in the waiting room they finally came and said they were running late and to go to the clinic first. I went to clinic where I had an echo. The echo went well and Dr. Parak said the heart looked great. All functions were perfect. Next was the doctor's visit to go over medicines and any problems I was having. That's when things went bad.

I found out that my Lambha light chain count after the stem cell transplant did not go down but up from 190 to 215. As you know, that is the number to judge the progression of my disease, Amyloidosis. I was hoping the number would drop. So now Stanford wants me back on Decadron and Velcade again. I hate Decadron so much. It makes me feel so sore and I gain weight too. I was so depressed. It's hard staying positive when you go through a horrible experience like stem cell transplant and it doesn't work. The doctors really don't know why and can't say whether the numbers will drop as time goes on. This disease is just so mysterious. Each patient responses differently and that is why it is so hard to treat. I realize now that my life forever will be doctors, appointments, drugs, biopsy etc. I wanted complete or partial response to take a break from all this but it's not going to happen. I will keep fighting but it's getting harder each time.

Today I wait for the results of my heart biopsy. I should know by the afternoon the results and will let everyone know. I'm hoping to get good news. I could sure use it!

I look forward to the weekend when I get to go to Lake Tahoe. My neighbor friends Jeff and Christine are getting married there. All the neighbors are going and it will be so much fun. The weather will be perfect too. On Sunday, I will be meeting Evelyn, Jazmin's Mom. She is taking me to the cemetery so I can put flowers on Jazmin and Jamae's grave site for their birthday. I wish the beautiful headstone was there already but I know that the fundraiser will be successful and they will have a beautiful headstone. Oh by the way the fundraiser date will have to be changed to September sometime because Evelyn's little girls are in a wedding on the 29th of August and I want them there. So look for the future date soon. I need to check out some things before I decide on the date.

Have a wonderful day and make those moments count.

Love,
Debbie