Hello All

And Merry Christmas week. Surprise, Surprise, Missy is not ready! I have been a little Ba Humbug this year. Ever since my Christmas light ordeal, I just haven't come around. I suspect that my gifts are lacking a little flair this year. At any rate, it will come and go , ready or not. Gifts really have taken on a new meaning for me. We have been given so many gifts (blessings) all year long. Nothing bought in a store can compare to the gift of life, the gift of good news, the gift of friends and family, the gift of children, the gift of peace and comfort, the gift of healing. We run around trying to find that perfect gift and sometimes lose sight of what it all would be if we weren't constantly receiving gifts from above. I am not sure I have seen the likes of praying the way that I have in this last year. I have seen some pretty huge trials left at the feet of our Lord only to see Him pick up each one and carry them around with Him, never letting go. The power of the multitudes of prayer is phenomenal. Even when you think that God must have "looked away" for a second, you find another blessing was just another second away.

I could go on, but the words on this post don't do justice to the thoughts in my head. Just know that we are blessed abundantly this Christmas season and always because Christ was born and died for our salvation. What greater gift?

Also, Mark's appointment went well yesterday. He is all set for surgery on January 12, 2010. It will again be at Baylor Irving. We are expecting a considerably shorter hospital stay this time. Will keep you posted with anything new.

Love to all and Merry Christmas, Missy

PS . Please, please, please keep my friends Melissa and Jeremy and their families in your prayers. She is still in the hospital at MD Anderson having undergone a 14 hour surgery to remove cancer from her body and reconstruction. It looks as if she may get to leave before Christmas, but her recovery will be most challenging. They will need strength and support in huge ways. I know God is holding her so tight and that he is working through so many people to help support the whole family. Thanks for all the prayers.

Schedule

Mark got a couple of appointments scheduled. He sees the surgeon today to set up the procedure to take out his port. We are hoping for the first of next week. We will see. Also, On December 21st we will go to Irving for an appointment with Dr Crim. He should get a surgery date at that time for the completion of his reconstruction.

I think with Thanksgiving just a couple of days away, share some of our "thankful" moments. I am really thankful for wonderful friends we have here in Scotland and Windthorst. For, only true friends would support us like family and love us no matter what we look like!!!!! Confused? Well I had to wait a while to post our Halloween pictures because I wasn't sure Mark was real keen on the idea. Remember last year, old man Brown and his wife made an appearance at the party. Well that was just two weks after the cancer diagnosis, and celebrating wasn't in the forfront of our minds. Now, a year later, we decided it was time for the big stage. While they didn't actually sing (thank goodness), Sonny and Cher made it all the way from - wherever they are from?!

Thanks to Felice and Chris for getting everyone together and thanks to Cher for being such a good sport!. Love, Missy

Good News!!!

We finally got a report of Mark's PET scan. We are really excited to tell that there was no cancer anywhere! The spot they were watching from the last scan was gone, and there was no evidence of spread anywhere else. WOOOOHOOOOOO! That is really exciting. It is a great feeling to be able to finally say that they don't see anything. He is making calls today to "move on" and schedule is final procedures. I will let you know dates when we have them.

Wow, the power of prayer. God is so good to us and we know it has to be because of all of the people on our team. So many people praying for His healing and His guidance each step of the way. It means so much to us to have your support.

We saw the play "Barber shop Dialogues". I really think everyone will enjoy it. I won't talk about it so I don't give anything away, but you should make plans to go. You won't be disappointed. A heads up also. I would call or go online for tickets for those who plan to come on Thanksgiving weekend. I have heard many people will be in so I think that will be a pretty crowded weekend.

Love to all, Missy

Scan tomorrow.

Okay, so I really didn't post just to remind everyone about the upcoming scan. It is important and don't forget an extra prayer, but I have another request. I don't think you could have followed the blog and not gotten to know my dear cousin "Auntie N". She will probably hurt me for this, but I know she will appreciate the fountain of prayers that are generated by many loving people. Nelda has sent word that she will be embarking on a new journey. Not necessarily by choice, but out of necessity. She suffers from Parkinson's disease and is experiencing some debilitating symptoms that don't allow her to work like she used to. After 37 years of dedicated service to Trott's drug store, she will be retiring at the end of the year. I know she has mixed emotions, but I can't help but be happy for her. She has worked so hard through the years and spent countless hours committed to her employer and her customers. They will definitely feel her loss. My prayer is that this transition will bring abundant blessings in every way. As I told her, God will provide, just as he has for us. Though we never know when or how, we can be assured that He will lead as each day comes. Our warmest wishes Auntie N. We love you. Mark and Missy.

Incognito

Just in case ya'll thought that post didn't sound like me, your right. Mark actually posted again, but I guess he didn't want anyone to know that he actually could do it! Have a great week. Lots of love, Missy

Calling All Prayer Warriors

Tuesday 11/17/09 @ 8:00 AM Mark has his repeat PET scan. Please pray that everything will be negative with no cancer to be seen. It's almost time for Deputy Don to show up at the Royal Theater in Archer City. Performances are Nov 19,20, 21, 27, 28 and Dec 4 & 5. No news is good news...till next time....

1 year

It's hard to believe marked one year since Mark's cancer diagnosis. Wow, so much has happened and it seems like it all happened in the last month. We have been so lucky. When I think of all the "ups" and downs, I am certain that the "ups" win hands down. I can remember writing about the roller coaster at certain times, but looking back on a bigger picture in the rear view mirror makes all of those valleys seems much smaller. GOD IS GOD.

Today I can't even imagine how we found time to fit cancer and treatments and surgeries and appointments into our schedule! Just like the rest of the world, we are non-stop all the time. Mark is into play practice now with production scheduled for the last two weekends in November and the first weekend in December. Landon is busy with football and piano and band. Austin also has football and is adding Wednesday night religion and Abby is still into her softball and gymnastics. She perfected the back handspring and in the same day did two in a row. She finally has some confidence with it. It's been an exciting week for her.

My kids have already started telling me what they want for Christmas, and I am desperately trying to get on the ball and be disciplined enough to get started on that - ahead of time. (ahead of time would be a little out of character for me, but we can always change right?

Mark's follow up to his last PET scan will be within the next month, but we don't have it scheduled yet. We will let you in on any new news. Thanks to all of you who continue to pray for and leave messages for us. (Thank you Auntie N.) WE ARE SO BLESSED. We love you all. Missy

Note from Houston

Mark thought many would like to hear Dr. Cooley's perspective in his own words.

Dr. Cooley visit.

I know so many of you have been waiting patiently for this post. I think I have finally recovered from the whirlwind of activity and emotion. We had a really awesome trip. I am still in awe of how this whole thing worked out. It just fell into place like it was meant to be. We arrived at the hospital two hours early (Yes, I know, very unlike us!). I had planned for the worst possible traffic and conditions, but everything went beautifully. We just decided to walk around and the first turn we took led us right to the museum at the Denton A Cooley Building at the Texas Heart Institute. It was so amazing. I know I have said this to a few people, but we really take for granted heart surgeries and artificial valves and heart transplants etc., like they are something we just expect to happen. We were so fortunate to be seeing the man who pioneered many of these things. For instance, a book in a case was titled "Surgical Treatment of Aortic Aneurysms" by Denton A. Cooley. The man we were going to see wrote the book! Too awesome!

As for the appointment, it was much like any other with one exception. When he came through the door, every staff member in the office stood and did not sit until he had gone! It was quite impressive. He was shocked to see Mark sitting in the room. (No, he didn't recognize him) His first words were, "Well you look like you are in great shape." In a nutshell, that was the basis for recommending that we not do anything. Mark is doing so well and has no symptoms of pain, high blood pressure, valve failure or anything else. He said that when weighing the risk of the surgery, the risk was to great to take considering how well he is doing. He feels that the aorta might have been enlarged for some time as this can occur in people with the congenital defect that Mark had. Apparently whatever causes the aortic valve to be defective also alters the makeup of the aorta making it more prone to aneurysm. He said that we couldn't solely rely on the size of the aneurysm in Mark's case because of the other factor's that make the surgery a greater risk. As far as long term, the key will be to keep Mark's blood pressure low and refrain from strenuous activity. He did give him a little breathing room allowing him to do some things, but not to overdo anything.

We are so happy that he does not have to endure the stress of that surgery. I will say that this decision is another huge leap of faith for me. While I am glad that he is not going to undergo surgery and the risk it entails, the reality is that the risk of the aneurysm is still the same. I know that God is looking for our total trust. I just pray for His help each day to overcome my human fears. I know that He will provide all that we need, each day, all the time.

Where we are now, your guess is as good as ours. We thing that we will wait for a follow up scan prior to doing Mark's final bowel surgery. That should be either the end of October or November. That will be into Royal Theater play time, so it may be after the first of the year that the next surgery occurs. That is a tentative plan, but there are no definites at this point.

I do know that the Brown's will be laying low. We are going to be out of the spotlight for a while. We are going to get back to just work and kids and recovery for a while. It has been a long 11 months and we are a little weary and looking forward to some kind of normalcy. This could mean a little hiatus from the blog for a while. I will update with any news or changes in the plan, but otherwise, it will be very limited. I thank all of you so much for all of your support. You are so dear to us and we certainly have felt your presence each step of the way. We appreciate your continued prayers as we sort through these final stages.

Love to all, Missy

Late Wednesday

Monday came and went without a call. But early Tuesday morning, Dr. Cooley's nurse called to say they would like to see Mark on Thursday! Yes, this Thursday. Things fell into place pretty well to make it happen. In March we had to cancel a trip to Houston for a friends wedding. We figured we probably ate the cost as the reschedule fee was fairly hefty. It turns out that the fee was waived due to the medical necessity of the cancellation. This made flying an affordable option, so we can make a one day trip.

We are staying the night with Judy and Donny and will leave at 0630 in the morning for Houston. Mark's appointment is at 1100. at St Luke's Medical Center/ Texas Heart Institute. We are really looking forward to hearing input. We have enjoyed looking at all of the old pictures and documents from Mark's previous surgeries in Houston. It is amazing how things have changed with time!

We will report on our visit, but our flight does not leave Houston until 7:30pm.
I will take many prayers for safe flights and great pilots!.

Missy

Call from Houston.

Dr. Cooleys nurse Dena called yesterday evening. She said that Dr. Cooley would love to see Mark. They reviewed all of the information we originally sent in November 2008 as well as the most recent information. He would like to examine Mark himself and advise us from there. We are not certain whether it will be next week, but for sure within a couple of weeks.

I really feel like God has opened big huge double wide door has opened for us. Second opinions are always great, but even better to be coming from Dr. Cooley. We are in such good hands. We just keep finding blessings in each step we take!

Please everyone throw in an extra prayer today for our friend Melissa, the young mother with cancer. She is having a very difficult time and is back in the hospital with suspected radiation poisioning and a possible staph infection. She is very sick and I just pray God will lay His hands on her and blanket her and her family with many blessings to get them through this trying time.

Hope everyone has a great day. Happy Friday and even better, HAPPY WEEKEND!!!!!

Addendum

God is watching me today. Since the time of Mark's appointment with the heart surgeon, we have had a lot of unanswered questions. I have really tried to just "let it go", but I haven't been real easy about our plan or semi-plan. I just prayed about it that God would just lead me to know what my role should be in all of it.

Sooooo, today, I picked up the phone to call Houston. Imagine this, I got directly to Dr. Cooley's office and to his nurse, the very person who typed the letter for Dr. Cooley when we consulted him back in November of 2008! She was so wonderful. She took all of Mark's info and is going to call me back. She reminded me that Dr. Cooley is now 89 (had a birthday in August!). He sees patients in the clinic but does not operate anymore!

Truly amazing that his health has allowed him so many years of sharing his expertise.

Anyway, we don't know what will happen tomorrow, but I feel really good about today!

Love to all, Missy.

Patiently Waiting.

Riiggghhht. Okay, maybe I am waiting - not by choice. There has been no post because there has been very little to post. Just a lot of frustration. After we were informed of the delay in the heart surgery and got the go ahead to do the bowel surgery, we got stalled again. The colorectal surgeon wanted a study of all of the reconstruction that he did in January to make sure it was all working. Easy enough. We had that done today in Wichita Falls. Preliminary reports looked good with no evidence of any complications with the reconstruction. We will sent those results to him. He also wants a release from the cardiac surgeon before he will do the surgery. Communicating with these guys is no easy task. Of course they are not local, and you never actually get to speak to the doctor, then you throw in a Friday and a holiday, and things move at turtle pace!

Sooooo. We are still really in limbo and have had some uncertainties over the last week or so. We need lots of prayers for guidance for his physicians to set a plan and have confidence in it. This would help us to feel a little more settled.

Thanks for checking up on Mark.

Missy

Monday/Tuesday Dr. visits

We saw Dr. Crim yesterday evening. He examined Mark and was very pleased with how everything was going. He even talked about scheduling the surgery to reverse his ileostomy. He was reminded of the heart surgery however and told us to call him following recovery from heart surgery. All was good otherwise.

That being said, we can preface the appointment today by saying that the best laid plans are meant to be changed ---right? Today's appointment with Dr. Kourlis brought a new agenda. He reviewed all of the records and the procedure with us. The procedure to fix the aneurysm is huge. Consequently, the risk is great. He really wants Mark to be at "the top of his game" before he will do the surgery. He would like him to be further out from chemo and to have the follow up scan that was recommended by the radiologist following the PET. He would also like to figure in the statistics related to recurrence for Mark's type of cancer. In a nutshell, Mark's health must be optimal in order for him to believe he has the best chance of surviving the surgery.

We have questioned ourselves if the surgery is an absolute. If the risk is so great, is this really what is best. He did confirm that it needs to be done, but the conditions need to be the best they can be. He also feels like that includes reversing the ileostomy. Due to the difficulty of fluid regulation with the ileostomy, he feels it would be best if that were reversed prior to the heart surgery.

Sooooooo, it appears that surgery is likely within a couple of weeks, but not heart surgery. Dr. Crim is out of the office today, but tomorrow we will attempt to get back in touch with him to discuss scheduling the reversal operation.

We haven't eaten yet today, so that is where we are headed and will be on the road again. Hope I have answered many questions. I am sure we will be talking soon.

Much love, Missy

Tomorrow

We head to the metroplex tomorrow afternoon. Mark sees the colorectal surgeon late tomorrow afternoon and the heart surgeon early on Tuesday morning. We have lots of questions and are hoping for all the right answers. Thanks so much for your continued prayers.

Sean and Kristi met Sena yesterday in Ethiopia. Please keep them in your prayers as they work through getting to know her and bringing her back to her new home in the states.

We have made a huge breakthrough at the Brown house!! One of the kids actually wants to learn something from a parent. WOOOHOOOO!!!! Austin was behind the wheel (of a car) for the first time yesterday on the streets of Scotland. He did great and even said he might get up and wash the car today!! Landon thinks he should get a turn next. I am sure that surprises no one. And, Abby thinks she gets the mule now. Let's just slooooowwwwww down everybody!

Love to all, Missy

Good News!!!!!!!!

Preliminary scans are clear. I got a call yesterday evening with the report of Mark's PET scan. There was no evidence of metastasis, no lymph nodes visible, and clear liver and lungs. WoooHooo!!!! While we don't have a written report, that pretty much confirms our trip next week to see the surgeons and move on with the rest of the agenda. We are so blessed by all of the good outcomes we have seen. We are always realistic and yet still have high expectations. While we understand the worst of it, we focus on the best and we know that God will provide whatever is best for us.

So we begin a whole new journey! While our specific intentions may change slightly, ultimately our prayer is for God to carry Mark through each day closer to optimal health. Only He knows the way. We allow Him take the lead and what an awesome job he has done thus far!. (Whew, that control thing can be so hard to give up!!!!!)

Mark has appointments in metroplex on Monday and Tuesday. We are expecting to have a date for heart surgery when we return. Everything is subject to change, however.

Thank you so much for the constant prayers that continue to carry us through all of this. That is quite a heavy load to carry and we love you all for being there for us.

Missy.

It's Friday!!

Not sure why that is so exciting when we are working tomorrow, but I still love Fridays.
I think I can gather my thoughts to rewrite that last post that disappeared into space - AAGGHH!!

It was originally titled still waiting because that is pretty much what we are doing. Mark saw the oncologist on Wednesday, and as expected, we had to wait that "magical two weeks to go in and get the script for the scan he will have next week. We had many questions, and he basically had one general answer. He expects everything to get better without the chemo. IT is very difficult for us and I am sure for them as well to have several different systems involved in this process. The oncologist can't really answer the GI questions and the GI guy doesn't have all the heart answers, and so on and so on, so there is a lot of going in between which leads to a little bit of frustration. I know you would never guess that! Aaaaannnnyway. PET scan is next Tuesday in Wichita Falls. There is a lot riding on good results from this test. We really need only positive results so that we can move forward with his heart surgery. The oncologist will write some sort of release from the cancer standpoint that we are supposed to deliver to the heart surgeon on September. We actually see the colorectal surgeon and the heart surgeon on the 31st and 1st. Also on one of the burners is the possibility of getting Mark's port removed prior to the 31st. But, first things first, scan on tuesday and we will have a few more definites.

Just FYI, it seems that Landon has somehow obtained a facebook. The way I hear it, his yahoo information was used to create a facebook??? I wasn't sure I believed him, but I have since heard of others who have reportedly had a facebook when they never knew they did. Anyway, not my intent for my 10 year old. Thanks to Heather for the great idea of limiting his friends. He is allowed to have family and classmates for friends. I am sure many have already heard from him. What is this world coming to????

I am requesting lots of prayers for our new great niece and her wonderful parents Sean and Kristi. They will be traveling to and from Africa over the next couple of weeks. Sena Anne was abandoned in Ethiopia Sean and Kristi will be adopting her out of an orphanage and bringing her home to join their wonderful family. There couldn't be a family better suited for bringing lots of love to a special little girl. I am so proud of them for their commitment to provide a loving home and wonderful opportunity to a beautiful little girl in need of special attention. I know they will all be blessed by the company of each other. Sean and Kristi have also just moved and made a new home in New Mexico. They are needing to sell their home in Arlington as well. They have a lot on their plate and God on their side, but I know they would welcome many prayers of support for them.

Love to all, Missy

Still Waiting

I cannot believe this. 1 AM, a huge post, click the post button and it is all gone. I could scream at this thing sometimes. Sorry, I am tired and I will try to remember it all again tomorrow. Love to all, Missy.

We're Done

Here is a picture confirming the end of the very last treatment. Not a great picture, but definitely documentation of finishing this leg of the race! He is so excited, and when he is feeling a little better, he will be anxious to tell the world. Just waiting now for more good news to come from final scans. Enjoy the last day of your weekend everybody. Much love, Missy.

WoooooHoooooo!!!!

Oh joyous day!!!. Everybody do the happy dance. Today is the beginning of the end of chemo. Just 48 hours away and we can celebrate!!!. Mark says we are going to celebrate with a bonfire. to burn the "bag" that carries his pump!!! God is good. We have been so fortunate through all of this. Even through the up and down and good and bad, we have always been able to focus on the light at the end of the tunnel. Every now and then we felt like we needed a little better perscription glasses to see it, but we could always count on a brighter day. Those days came and went for several months now, but Mark is so looking forward to them being here to stay. A couple of new updates. ....

The final oncology appointment is August 19th. Praise God. There will be no love lost in walking away from there. We do really appreciate the wonderful girls in the infusion area, and Shannon has been a Godsend. Thanks to all of you. The doctor will give orders for his final scans (which I have tentatively on the schedule for August 25th.) Dr. Kourlis's office at Baylor has been so wonderful in scheduling and changing and ordering. Many thanks to Yolanda at his office. We see him on September 1st and figure we will get a surgery date at that time.

It has been so long since I have been on here. Like "Aunt Nelda" said no news is good news. Treatment #11 was fairly unremarkable. Mark was drained and rested most of the weekend. While he rested, the kids got to enjoy a few days with mom and dad in the metroplex. They had a great time bowling, going to the omni theater and the botannical gardens. A huge thank you to mom and dad for helping them get away for a little while.

Austin finished conditioning camplast week and started high school football this week. No sleeping in any more. He is doing so well and is becoming a young mand right before my eyes. He hasn't complained about the workout yet. Today is day three. We will see??? Landon has decided to play football as well. He is a little anxious about football as an organized sport. I am just glad he runs pretty fast. I told him that was key to not getting hurt - don't let them catch you! Abby has taken up shopping! She loves to try on clothes. I enjoy shopping for her way more than myself. The only trouble she has is accepting that I get the final say!

Miss hearing from you all. Hope all are well. Believe me, I know how hard it is to keep up. PRay for good test results in two weeks, Missy

Just to clarify.

Mark acquired the kids set of golf clubs legally from a friend of his at the hospital. They are Landon/Abby size and they have been hitting around with them. All on the up and up for sure. Also, Landon wants to let everyone know that he has an e-mail address. speedydude1998@yahoo.com
He is pretty proud of it, so feel free to send him a message in your spare time.

Missy

I'm Baaaaaaack!

Well I haven't been anywhere really. Lacking a little motivation these days. I get home and really just want to do nothing. Not very productive of me and really hoping this "stage" passes very quickly before I drown in things to do.

Mark is in the middle of treatment #11. He is wearing the fashion pump as we speak. Things seem to be going pretty well so far 24 hours into it. I am not for certain, but he is so pumped about being almost done with chemo, that it would take a whole lot to get him down. We are so, so, so excited to be almost through this stage. We were a little bummed by our doctor visit. Dr. D. doesn't quite see our plan the same way we do sometimes. Imagine that! We were all set to be done with chemo and move on to the heart surgeon. I will have to cancel that appointment and push it forward a couple of weeks. The oncologists wants to see him two weeks after the last chemo which will be the 19th. He will then order his final scans and give his release from the cancer standpoint pending the results of those scans. Hopefully this will not delay the actual surgery, but we will see. Still planning that for mid September.

The rest of us are always on the go. Landon spent a whole week with Grandmother and Grandaddy. Austin is in conditioning camp and Abby is going to drama camp. I know, I know, do we really need any more drama? She loves it though and gets to perform with their group tomorrow at the Kemp Center for the Arts.

Hope all are doing well and everyone got to enjoy the beautiful rains that we did. Love to all, Missy

Long Time, But Getting Closer!!!

Hey, It's Landon, saying "I ain't seen ya'll in awhile!" As you all know, my mom hasn't posted in a while, so I'm filling in again! My dad had a chemo today and he is feeling just fine. He even played golf with Abby and I using a golf set he says he didn't "Buy," he "Accuired?!? We are all still doing fine and can't wait until the chemos are over.

Hotter than Heck!

Wow, we suffered through only one day of Landon's baseball and I am sure glad we are not doing it again tomorrow. Of course, the reason we are not is that we did not fair so well in the tournament today! We were a little outclassed.....and overheated, and we were just sitting in the stands. Praise God for whoever provided the recent canopies over the bleachers. Oh well. chalk it up to experience. We did get in a little R and R at Danny and Sherry's. We camped out there and invaded the pool and the air conditioning in between games! Austin missed the heat and is having a great time indoors at the Diocesan Catholic Youth Conference in Dallas (per his 11:30pm call last night).

So far so good with this treatment. We took his pump off on Friday and so far it hasn't been to bad. He did sit out in the heat and that has made his hands a little worse. He does complain of food not tasting good either. Other than a few small things, it hasn't slowed him down.

Right now he got a late craving for some steak. Sooooo, 10:00 pm and we have the grill going. It's even pretty late for the Brown's. Must be the 2 1/2 hour nap we took today!

Hope everyone is having a great weekend. Love to all, Missy.

Great Weekend.

We returned safely from Lake Whitney and our traditional 4th of July family reunion. Great turn out. I am not for sure on numbers, but about 70. The kids had a great time. We now have two accomplished skiers. Austin and Abby both have taken off. It is so fun to watch them progress each time. Landon was quite successful himself as he won the hold 'em tournament. Don't think he got the card playing skills from me. He prefers the indoors to the sun, Can't say that I blame him with temperatures the way they were. Mark enjoyed some r and r indoors himself. The heat was a little much. He did go out on Sunday and watch the kids ski. I think he had thoughts of skiing himself, but never quite got to that point.

Treatment # 10 starts Wednesday. We are a little anxious about these final treatments and what new things he might have to face. We shouldn't even try to anticipate, because we know that it is out of our hands. One day at a time.

We missed Amber at the lake. Hope you enjoyed a little one on one time with new baby Abigail. Will and Anna we look forward to the next time you guys can make it for the reunion. And Helen, so many thoughts and prayers were lifted up for you this weekend. We know you would have traded places in a heartbeat. We will pray for God's healing as you near your surgery time that brings you one step closer to overcoming this battle.

Much love to all, Missy.

Thanks God....

For ending that miserable week. Treatment #9 proved to be a real pain in the buttocks or I guess more appropriately the mouth. On about day three when Mark was pretty run down already, he developed a mouth full of sores. This of course made is difficult to eat and even to talk. After several days of this, several different medicines and mouthwashes and several different varieties of mashed foods, he finally started feeling a little better on this Friday evening. That was awesome, because it made Saturday much more enjoyable. To see him, you would never have guessed how bad his week had been. We went to the Cypert reunion at Lake Fort Phantom. He got to eat everything!! Even brisket! And he talked all day long. They had a great turn out and it was so good to see everyone there. The kids had a blast swimming and riding the jet ski and visiting with family they don't get to see very often. Thanks to all who made our day so enjoyable.

Mark is going to get a much anticipated break now. He would routinely have treatment three days from now, but it will be put off until after the 4th of July. WoooHoooo. So, starting on July 8th, treatment 10, 11, and 12 will be every other week with #12 being on August 5th. Woohoo, Woohoo, Woohoo!!! That was a happy dance in case you couldn't see! I know he will be so glad to have this behind him.

Getting ready this week for the Berend Family Reunion at Lake Whitney. More fun and sun and catching up with family. Mark is all about the fun, but will probably avoid the sun as much as possible. It might be lots of dominoes indoors for him. Suits him just fine.

Have a great Sunday. Love to all, Missy

Happy Fathers Day

Hope all dads have a great day tomorrow. We love all of you and know that each of you have a special place in many people's lives. Just wanted to let everyone see the kids entry to the fathers day contest at KFDX.

http://thp.upickem.net/engine/Details.aspx?PageType=APPROVED&ContestID=7114&SubmissionID=1008091&IncrementNumber=1&SSMode=STOP#SubmissionDisplay
(couldn't get it to make a link. copy this to your search)

He didn't win the contest and the chainsaw given away, but no worries, he probably won't be using one for a while anyway. Mark is a little drained this weekend. Although, if you had seen him and Austin racing on the go karts yesterday you would never guess it. In fact, maybe it is because of the go kart riding that he feels so poorly today. Anyway, better days are ahead. Have a great weekend, Missy.

Wow.

I got up thinking I better go back and read what I wrote last night. Good thing, it was horrible! I am hoping there were few who were up late last night and read it. I have edited and hopefully it is more readable now. I know Judy must have squirmed in her seat to see the misspellings and grammatical errors and just plain jibberish. I have got to stop sitting in the recliner before bed to post.

Hoping for a terrrrrific Tuesday for everyone. The kids are at basketball camp half a day and I am trying to catch up on several things I am way behind on and Mark will work on getting in everything he won't be able to do for several days.

Hope all are well. We are looking forward to the upcoming family reunions to get to see everyone. Love you all, Missy

Gosh, Time flies!

It has been quite some time. Yes we are still here and doing well. Nelda is right, we did get kind of wrapped up in all of the baseball goings on. We made the trip back to Austin to support the boys baseball team. Such a heartbreaker. Glad we got to make the trip, but really hard to see the championship game slip away from them. We have really enjoyed following these boys. Their committment and hard work is a joy to be a part of. They have much to be proud of.

Thanks so much to Deanna and Donna and Judy for taking such good care of us when we come to see you. I promise, we never want for anything when we are there! God has blessed us with wonderful family. (I would say big sis's, but the boys are pretty awesome too!) Many thanks to Danny for the help with the lawn. And to Mom and Dad and Grandmother and Grandaddy for bringing us all together.

We are just working workin, and the kids are adjusting to being at home and having to entertain themselves. They fight a lot, but are actually completing a few tasks a day for me to help out. I am really proud of them, but am having to watch them grow up rather quickly right in front of me.

Mark is good. He did really well in Austin, even in the heat of the day at the ballgames. He had some dizzy spells this wlate in the week, but I think we are on top of that now and he seems to be much better, Chemo #9 starts this wednesday.

Falling asleep again, better go.

School is out.

I think I should have been a teacher? Sure would like to be out for the summer! You know, I always thought I would be a teacher when I was tired of nursing, that was until the TAKS test came along. What ever happened to the good ole achievement tests. Those were the days. Anyway, we enjoyed seeing Austin graduate into the high school. I am not sure he had anything on his mind but whether he would make the ball game that night. Abby and Landon are really excited about the break as well.

Congrats to the Trojans on advancing to regional finals ( I think that is the right round???). I know I witnessed a huge number of true blue fans. Anyone who sits roasting in that kind of heat must either bleed blue or need to have their head examined. Thanks to all those who confirmed the miserable conditions. I think Mark thought I was being a little pansy. A huge thank you to James and Gwen for a little shade. I should have found you 13 innings earlier.

Many applause to our Tanna for being the valedictorian of the Windthorst graduating class. All that hard work eventually pays off! And to my nephew Justin, we look forward to celebrating the end of your high school years next week also. You guys make us really proud and our kids really look up to you. You should be very proud of yourselves as well.

This is chemo week. #8 starts Wednesday. Mark has had a pretty good week leading into it. I know everyone is so proud of how good he looks. It makes it really difficult to even think that there is anything going on with him. Believe it or not, I can on think of a very few times that he actually looked sick through all of this. We are so lucky. Daily we are reminded of how much worse it could be. So bad, in fact, that sometimes we even feel lucky to be where we are!. God is good. We have an appointment scheduled with the cardio thoracic surgeon on August 11th. Of course that is pending the end of chemo treatments. We have it all planned and lined out. We all know what that will do for us. In time we will know if God's plan works out even similiar to how our plan looks on paper!?!

Congrats to Michael Wipperman. Michael is the young man I have requested prayers for. He is undergoing treatment at MD Anderson. I believe has received three treatments and they have seen miraculous change in the cancer in his body. They feel that his cancer is 85-90% gone. Many kudos to all of those people who walk all night so that successes like these are possible.

God is good. Love to all, Missy

One week post chemo.

And all is well. Mark is feeling pretty good. Can' t complain too much. We have had so much going on with playoffs and the end of school and work. He just keeps going. Sometimes I think I have a harder time keeping up than him! He still looks good, still has some hair, and has been maintaining his weight for a while now. All good news. He has even gotten a little break from his shaving. Many of you know Mark typical 5 o'clock shadow pops up about noon every day. Not anymore! He can go for several days now without shaving. Who would've thought? No nausea to speak of and hands are much improved from one month ago. He does spend the weekend pretty drained, but has come around quite nicely.

Short and sweet today, But i might have 30 min in the recliner if I go now. Aaahhhhhhh.
Love to all, Missy

Hello All

Oh my gosh!!!!! I just had this whole long post and it is gone! I saved it and it is gone. Okay, I want to cry, but instead, I will try to reproduce it. It has been a while since I posted, so it was long. We had a good couple of days last weekend and are already into mid week with chemo #7 starting today.

Saturday was crazy. I had talked myself out of softball games because Hawley was just a little far. Soooo, when they changed to Haskell, I got the kids up and dressed and got on the road, only to get to Haskell and find out it was moved to Hamlin. Now, I am already as far as Haskell, so you know I am not going to turn around. So we drove a long way and we froze our rears, but it was worth it. The girls played great ball, very fun to watch. This group of girls has been carrying a heavy weight with the loss of a good friend and teammate. They recently experienced what an impact this kind of mental and emotional stress can have and how it can eventually manifest itself. It was a huge reminder that we are all human. While many of us have strong minds, and others are great athletes and still others have the biggest hearts - none of us can acheive alone. We cannot carry the weight of the world inside of us and think we will not stumble. We have to give it up to God and know that he will carry it for us. This is a great group of girls and we are so proud of all of their accomplishments. No matter how far softball takes them, they are #1. Good luck to both the girls softball and boys baseball teams from Windthorst on their playoff run.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my Austin. Where has the time gone? Where did my little 4 and 1/2 pound peanut go? Only a couple of more weeks and I will have a child in high school!. It can't be. We enjoyed a great family day on Sunday to celebrate his birthday.

Mark's chemo last time was pretty uneventful. I was convinced they had changed his dosing, but I was wrong. Just his lucky week I guess. Today started #7 and he is already a little drained. His potassium is low again and he just got over another bout of thrush. Just a constant "fixing" of all the little things. Again just little things in the grand scheme of it all.

I just have to put in an extra little note for a special prayer for my friend. I was crushed recently to find out about a friend who was diagnosed with cancer. Melissa and her husband Jeremy are a young couple in their 20's with 2 young children. She has had surgery and is scheduled for more surgery tomorrow and will follow with chemo and radiation. I know how strong this young family is. Both of Jeremy and Melissa's children were born with congenital heart disease. They have both undergone multiple surgeries with anticipation of more and ongoing monitoring. I have seen them rise up to this challenge with amazing faith and strength. I know that right now, this whole new occurence of events seems unthinkable. I just pray, pray, pray for her and her family during this difficult time.

Much love to all, I must get back to work. Missy

Chemo is 50%complete.

I am really bad for letting this go, but Woooohoooo. Mark is halfway through his chemo treatments. He went last Wednesday for treatment #6. He did really well with it. We are not sure if it was really the week off or if they adjusted his dose as well this time. We were having a few communication issues at the clinic where he gets his treatment, so the last couple of weeks has been a little challenging. Hopefully, we have that resolved and we can get back to focusing on Mark and his cure. His side effects this time were similar to probably his first or second treatment. It hardly slowed him down. We accomplished everything on our schedule this week. All ballgames went off as scheduled. The kids did really well with all of them enjoying much success. We finished the week with a great Mother's Day at Mark's parents and at mine. We visited a church in Monday and got to hear Mark's nephew preach. What an uplifting day! Of course when he goes home, he knows everyone and they are always so glad to see him. That in itself is enough to raise your spirits. You should have seen God working in that room with all of those friends and family praying for Mark. Not only for the blessings we have already received, but what He still has left to do. Very powerful! It makes me feel really honored to be a part of it all.
We are blessed.
Mark's mom fixed a wonderful meal, perfect for filling our bellies before a good nap. The trip to Munday warmed our hearts as always. We even got to come back to mom and dad's to spend the rest of mothers day with them. We ate lite, as they had also enjoyed mother's day at Nelda's a little earlier. Sorry Nelda, we heard we missed a wonderful time and good food! We returned home Sunday night. Unfortunately, while the tooth fairy did visit our house this weekend, the housecleaning fairy did not! Oh well, lucky for me, I have learned to "let it go". It will always be there when I return right? If only I didn't require any sleep, I would surely get caught up!

Much love to all, Missy.

Funny how things work.

Each day I have tried to figure it all out. I still have no answer. This whole flu thing has got me puzzled. I won't burden anyone with my thoughts on that, just comment on the result of this big "scare". The whole world seems to have stopped. All except work that is! First the treatment was delayed, then the rest of the world! I am thinking that maybe we all just needed a big break and this is God's way of giving the gift of time to all of us. He brought a glorious rain and then postponed activities so that we could sit back and enjoy it. We have not been committed to anything anywhere for several nights now. We have been able to come home and rest or do just whatever we want, play ball, work in the yard, sleep, have a meal around the table at a decent hour, and the list goes on. Granted, there is plenty to do because much has been mounting for several months now. But more importantly, there is nothing we have to do. Also, in the midst of the recent tragedy in our community, I can even see that He gave us this break to allow time for friends to support each other. No conflicts, no out of town trips, no late schedules - free time to focus on the beginning of a healing process. Time that may seem unimportant right now will be recognized as a valuable gift down the road. Time, not only for those directly involved, but for the rest of us to PRAY. Many prayers are needed to carry our friends through their loss. I hope we all make the best use of our extra time.
Much love and warmest wishes to all, Missy

No Chemo this week.

Well, our visit to the oncologist didn't go quite as we planned yesterday. The doctor did not want to do his treatment and put it off for a week. He felt it would be a good idea to let Mark's hands heal a little more before exposing him again. Mark lost the skin on his hands and the "new skin" is a little sensitive, but the doctor thinks it could worsened if he were to give the chemo again this soon. Soooooo, maybe next week we will hit the halfway mark.

Kids are well. Rain is great! Please pray for everyone to be comforted through difficult times.
Love to all, Missy

Sunday am.

My dear Nelda. It is Sunday morning you know. No time for blogging when you are trying to get some tired folks up for church. And, of course, after church comes food and I am very sorry, but that must come first as well! The turnout for the Relay for Life was good. Mark was very well represented. Definitely a testimony to how many people he has touched and he has on his side. So many of his family were able to come and many of his classmates as well. We had a great visit with many and the wind was just a bit more tolerable this week than it was in Archer. The 3p-3a time seemed to work out well, especially the getting out a little bit early part. Not quite as hard on the body. The entertainment was enjoyable, we even got to hear Cindy (Mark's sister) sing which is always a treat. There was also plenty of good food and more than enough sweets. Many miles were walked and I would imagine that there could even be a few people suffering from use of some muscles that hadn't been exercised in a while. Won't mention any names (Joe or Neil), but it is amazing what youth the "last lap" brings out in some people. I think the last tally I heard for the relay was over $22,000.00. Our team the M and M team (Miracles for Mark) contributed $3800.00 at last report to me. I am sure Cindy will have a final to report , so be watching the comments. Many thanks to all who worked so hard on this project. I know the commitment it takes and we are honored that you would do that for Mark. Thanks for all you do. We love you all.
The Brown's.

Relay For LifeTomorrow!

Hey everyone! I'm at Grandmother & Granddaddy Brown's house, posting to say that the relay for life is tomorrow, and I hope we have lots and lots of M&M's! I can see that my mom hasn't had very much time to post, so I'm filling in for her for awhile. Austin, Abby, and my dad are doing fine, too. They are all saying that they are pumped up and ready for the relay for life!
Ciao! (P.S., I think I might have spelled Ciao wrong on one of my posts! ;-)

OOPS!

Forgot to mention A&A. They.re doing great, too. They had games on Tue., they won them, obviously!

Landon here, just checking in from school today. Everything's going great now! Dad's recovering is going very well: his hands have been resisting the cold more, and is in a better mood than he's been in the whole time he had cancer. Well, there's only one more thing happenning today and that's that I've got a game later. Ciou! (sound:(chow) meaning: Bye!)

Tuesday Night (Or Wednesday morning)

However you want to look at it after midnight. I am so glad you all enjoyed Landon's posts. He recently told me that he had not ever gotten on the blog, and I felt horrible. I told him he needed to get on and go back a really long way! Too bad he can't AR test over all of this "light reading" I don't want him to feel left out at all. Only problem with being on the computer is that there is NO TIME. You can see from his post that we were already up way after bedtime.

Baseball is sort of kicking us in the booty (as if we needed any more of that. 8 ballgames this week, and 4 of them are at 7:45 pm Waaaayyyy past bedtime when we arrive home. It makes for horrible eating, homework and sleeping habits. Thank goodness it is temporary!

Mark has come around a little bit this Monday and Tuesday. You are probably wondering how our "restful" weekend turned out. It was really nice. Mark slept so much. The only drawback was that he didn't feel any better for it. His concludes that, if resting is not going to make him feel better, he might as well just do what he wants.

Okay, falling asleep again. I don't like it when that happens, because now I don't even know if I made any sense at all. Better catch some zzzzzzzzzzzzzz"s. Much love, Missy

Great Day

OK, Landon here, to tell you that we're all getting along great today and that my dad caught a foul ball at my game, but he DIDN'T get hurt! :) I'll be trying to post about the present day each time unless I get a comment that says otherwise.I hope everyone had a good day today, because I did! All else seemed to go well. Until next time...

First time blogging!

Hey everybody, It's me, Landon, (The ten year old son!) This is my first time blogging, so I'd like to say hi to everyone on this site and that I'll be praying with you to raise the strength in recovering my dad. I'll also be posting when I can to help my mom keep up, because I occasionally hear her say "I haven't posted in a while, Mark." So, I look forward to blogging in the future!

Some things just make you smile!

Good Morning to all. Now if this picture doesn't make you smile, then what will? That is just pretty sweet. I know Mark would give a whole lot for an ice cold coke right now. Mark is taking it easy this weekend and it is a terrible inconvenience for him. Pray for patience. Better days are ahead, it's just so hard to see through the mud and muck. I am hoping lots of sleep and lots of faith makes the sun shine sooner. Speaking of sunshine, Abby sang our special song for me this morning.

You are my sunshine,
My only sunshine,
You make me happy when skies are grey.
You'll never know dear,
How much I love you,
Please don't take my sunshine away.

I am pretty certain she doesn't know I got that off a mustard commercial! Anyway, sweet words we share together. Along with the Barney song. (Okay, I know it was Barney, but the simple words are great anyway.)

I love you,
You love me,
We're a happy family,
With a great big hug,
and a kiss from me to you,
Won't you say you love me too.

Have a happy day. We love you, The Brown's

The pump is on.

Treatment #5 is almost half over. New side effects this week - visual disturbances. Mark says he has had some focusing trouble since yesterday. His hands seem to be more sensitive as well. He might have to wear his gloves around the clock. He did get a little rest yesterday afternoon. Overall he is feeling fair and hanging in there. He did get his perscription for potassium three times a day, and as I suspected, he was ecstatic about that! He really didn't complain too much, just was really impressed with the size of those pills!

More as it comes to me, Missy.

I Love You Mark!

Today starts treatment #5. Many, many , many prayers for strength over the next week. We are committed to making Mark do as little as possible this weekend. We are hoping that if we don't push quite so hard to keep up our pace, maybe he can get the rest he needs and feel better. We will see how that plan works??!!! Mark's potassium was pretty low yesterday, so we are waiting to hear the plan for that. This can happen commonly with ileostomy patients. He has not noticed any side effects from it either which is good. It will probably mean more pills though. Oh, he will be so excited!
Thanks to all for your thoughts and prayers. We love you all, Missy.

By the way. Mark's dad has had a couple of follow up visits this week and is getting many good reports. He is recovering so well and we are so thankful for that and also for the time he is getting to have at Danny and Sherri's. God is good.

Saturday Morning

Well, it is Saturday, praise God. Such a blessing not to have to get up for work or school today. At least for most of us. Mark is working today. Praying for a great day for him.
Well, it's that time, I have a request for everyone who asks what it is you can do.

Oops, interrupted by the beeper which brings up another subject. Fires! As you might have read, Archer County and many surrounding counties have been devastated by wildfires over the past several days. There was just another call for a hotspot near a friends house. We were so fortunate with our own home and many others who were spared from the trajedy of the fires. The fire departments worked so hard to preserve as much as possible. Thankfully, a little divine intervention, calming the wind slightly helped, to control the multiple fires. I never have enough appreciation for the fields surrounding the house. Looking out over green fields with the glowing fire just on the other side provided a sense of comfort. I'll do my best never to give anyone a hard time about dust or manure again!

Anyway, back to my request. I think we could be in need of a little "pick me up". I know how proud Mark is of the sea of people he has supporting Him. Chemo has become quite challenging for him, as we expected. The effects of one treatment and the anticipation of the next are becoming quite a nuisance for him. His difficulty keeping his usual routine, and the discomforts of the side effects are just mounting. I know so many of you can relate to what I am saying. I have found my encouragement to be kind of like talking to my kids. It never seems as effective as what others have to say! I am thinking that just a little reminder from so many loving people in our lives could be a huge dose of inspiring medicine. An e-mail or comment just to say hey and update us on you or your family would be great. If you are in Wichita, you might stop in with a smile, or leave a message at the house for his return home. It may sound so simple, but we are all so busy, that taking even a few minutes can be a challenge. I promise, I have seen the difference all of you can make in him and I would sure love to see it again.

The kids are all into ball games now. Of course, all days of the week, all times of the day, so we will be running as usual with lots of time on the road and lots of bad eating habits! They are already talking about the end of the school year. I can't believe it is just around the corner. Even worse, I got our transfer papers in the mail yesterday for the kids. It says I will have a freshman nest year! Lord have mercy on me. I am overly aware of the fact that I have a teenager, but now a highschooler!. Maybe we just think cancer is our biggest challenge!?!
We are so blessed by it all!!!!!!!!

Much love and thanks to all of you. Missy

Relay is over.

So many people have been working very hard since January 2009 to make the 1st Archer County Relay for Life a huge success. 42 teams braved the high winds to line the track of the football field in Archer City, all with a purpose to aid in the fight against cancer. I think the majority of those present that night would agree that the relentless wind was less than enjoyable, but it didn't stop the large numbers of people who came out to support a good cause. Thanks to all those on the team who worked so hard for us, and thanks to mom for getting the team together. And, thanks to all of you who have given of yourselves over the last couple of months, your generosity means so much to all of those hoping to one day eliminate cancer. As of 5 am on Saturday, the total raised for the event was over $115,000.00. Best wishes to Knox County for their upcoming Relay for Life. Praying for great weather for you.

Mark has been trying to catch up from the busy weekend. Getting some much needed rest will hopefully be the key. Thank goodness for a Sunday for him to rest.
Hope all of you are well. More later. Missy

Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Hello all,
Well I am really needing to catch up here. So much has happened over several days. The weekend was a challenge for Mark's dad. A combination of medications, sleep deprivation, surgery and lengthy hospital stay were really messing with his mind. Thank goodness that has passed. He is resting well now and they are talking about some outpatient rehab. The bad news is that they still don't know what started all of this in the first place to figure something out and know best how to care for him.

Chemo #4 is tomorrow. Mark loaded up at the Survivor meal in Windthorst tonight. I think Grandpa was a little surprised at his appetite. He was offering Mark his food too. He does try to pre-load to make up for the next several days. He had his CT scan today to monitor his heart. We will have that report pretty quickly.

We enjoyed getting to see Mark's family at the birthday party this weekend. We are so lucky he is able to keep going. God is good.

Hope everyone is planning to come out to the Relay for life this weekend in Archer City. It will be a big time. The meal tonight was a nice treat. Dorothy Scobee spoke and gosh, if you ever are feeling sorry for yourself, you need to visit with her. Now she has been through some difficult times.

hjbsdf8791gldb. Oops, dozing again. Better go.
Love to all, Missy

Sat. Morning

Good weekend morning to all. We are so glad it is the weekend. Our weekend plans to be in Houston have kind of fallen through. Best of luck to Sarah and Wes this weekend. I do remember the relief of finally having the wedding behind you. Many blessings for a wonderful married life.
Granddaddy, Gene, Uncle Gene, dad, left ICU yesterday evening. He was looking good and reported feeling fairly well when they transferred him. He was even up enjoying his yummy liquid diet. Unfortunately, the biopsy did not produce many new answers for him. About the only definite that they have told him is that there is not a cancer or a marrow disorder that is causing his difficulties. While we are so grateful for that, it also means that they don't have the answer for what is causing all this mess. We are still hoping that they can figure out, but more importantly, just make it better so Granddaddy can feel himself again.
Mark woke up feeling good today. Since we cancelled our trip and ballgames were cancelled due to weather - we might get some leisure time! That is after laundry and dishes, and housecleaning and grocery shopping and ............
Oh, I almost forgot. Thanks to Nelda for the good news you delivered this weekend. We certainly appreciate all your hard work for the TEAM. Also, I got the pleasure of taking care of Mrs. Schreiber this week. 91 years old and such a pleasure. Very sharp lady! We had a great time and hopefully got her fixed up so she can get back home.
Love to all, Missy

Thursday, March 26

Hello all,
Don't have long, just a quick note. Mark is fair this week and working on managing some new side effects, but overall still doing well.

Mark's dad is still in the hospital. This is day 8. They are still uncertain of his diagnosis. They have exhausted so many possibilities. He is recovering as we speak from a lung biopsy. We are praying that he comes off of the ventilator routinely and gets back to his room. They say it will be a couple of days for results. I know I have prayed for patience before. I think Mark's whole family has been incredibly patient. I guess there is little choice to be anything but. Hopefully this will be the key to finding a diagnosis so they can begin the appropriate treatment. Thanks for all the thoughts and prayers.

Love to all, Missy

Saturday Morning

Wooooohooooooo! I thought I just needed to say that because it has been so long since you have seen it. I am not sure I am even really feeling it, but it feels better just to say it. We can use it for celebrating being 1/4 of the way through chemo. WooooooHooooooo! Mark is doing fairly well. (he says except for that truck that ran over him this morning!) Nothing new has come up with this treatment, still the neuropathy and the cold sensitivity (both of which he really dislikes). It hasn't slowed him down too awful much though.

We are going to have to beef up the the communication to the man upstairs. Mark's dad is still in the hospital and they are still uncertain of what is causing his difficulties. Many, many tests have produced little explanation. He is looking at several more tests at the beginning of next week after he has been off of his coumadin. We are really praying for God to intervene and open the window for them to see more clearly how they can best treat him. He will provide.

I also want to mention something else. Every now and then I get to a point where I think I am going to spontaneously combust. I just cannot imagine being faced with even one more thing. I do begin to wonder . "I know that God will not give me more than I can handle - but just how close do I really have to come" I guess it is just this thing that He and I have. He pushes me, and my slighlty competitive self steps up to the plate. And, just when I am certain the game is over and I am going to be defeated, I realize that I am just being weak. I know that if He can push me, then he knows I can take it so........ not to worry. This is fresh, because yesterday was quite a day for me. One where you just want to crawl in a hole because the world is falling apart around you. But, by the end of the day (after Dana had to endure my crazy venting), I could look back and see that for every place I was in that day, God had chosen me to be there. Not because I am someone with any magical talent, but sometimes just to help me grow in areas where I have been challenged. Now, these are really not any special "words of wisdom" by Missy, just something in my heart that I needed to get out. I really try to spare you guys most of this, and stick to the facts. Today was just the day.

Lastly, I want to mention a very sweet lady I met yesterday. She is being faced with potentially one of the hardest experiences of her life. Her son is awaiting biopsy results to determine if he has cancer. It hit very close to home for me for a couple of reasons. The most obvious, cancer, but also the challenges that Michael has faced in his lifetime are very similar to some we have experienced in our own lives. I recognized this immediately when I met him and I couldn't help being personally touched by the whole thing. I got to meet Michael's mother and a dear friend of hers and hear more of their story. The whole experience from Michael to his mother was so pleasant. Michael and his mother are blessed to have each other and to have support from wonderful friends and the small community they live in. I pray for God to guide them and carry them if necessary through any storm they are facing.

We love you all, Missy

Thursday evening.

Hello all, chemotherapy #3 ends tomorrow. Again, it has been somewhat uneventful. The usual cold sensitivity and some neuropathy so far. We are so grateful that he is doing so well. Things have been so crazy that we can't imagine what we would do if he were unable to keep going. God is taking such good care of him. We are still waiting on a script to have his CT scan done to check his heart. We should be able to get that done next week.

We could use some extra prayers for Mark's dad. He is having many tests run to figure out the cause of some breathing difficulties he has been having for several weeks. There are many question and not many answers so far. We are just praying for God to give the doctors the wisdom to treat him appropriately for his complete recovery. And for Him to give the rest of us patience as we wait for them to put all of the pieces together. Granddaddy is in good spirits, telling everyone how "good" he has been. I tried to get him to scoot over in his bed so I could get some rest too!
Also, Mary could use a few extra prayers. She lost her mother this week after many difficult weeks. May God comfort her during such a trying time, and let her be open to know the He is holding her always, even when she feels it the least.

Many thanks to all of you for your endless committment to continue supporting us on this journey. You are all wonderful. Love, Missy.

It's the Weekend!

All is going well here. Mark is over most symptoms from his last chemo and is doing well this second week out. Today is the big day for the garage sale in Munday. Mark is working and unable to be there, but we do appreciate all that you are doing to raise money for cancer research. So many people are working really hard. We learn of more people affected by cancer everyday. They really need to make some big breakthroughs in cancer research!

Hope you are all well and enjoying each day to the fullest! Love to all, Missy

New Item

Now don't think I am getting fancy or anything. I have added a new item to the blog. I am just overwhelmed with the daily surprises of new people in need of some serious prayers. I feel like my list is growing by the hour. I realize that some of these people you may not even know, but I promise that each of them has a special need for a few extra prayers. I just don't want to forget any of them, so this is one list that I can't misplace! Thanks for checking in, We love you, Missy

Good weekend.

What a weekend. Just a few more things we got out of the way. Next weekend will bring a few more of those, then maybe there will be rest (HA!) I can always dream, huh? A big thank you to David and Patti for letting us come out to Posada Pots to raise money for the Relay for Life team. The kids had a good time. Abby couldn't quit talking about her cousin Patti. It couldn't be because Patti spent hours playing hide and seek with Abby and Landon. We all need a job like that! IT was a very relaxing day and the boys did really well with the sweets and treats. Thanks to all those who donated in any way.

Today was a great day. Mark piddled outside with the cars. The Honda has a license plate again. Yeah! We have only been stopped, not once, but twice for it. I would say that is pretty redneck. Anyway, all fixed now. We have trampolined and jumped rope and played ball most of this beautiful day. If only that was all I had to do. Heading to Wichita to try to get some work in before work tomorrow.

Mark is doing well. Chemo brought a few new things this time. The cold sensitivity is again there, and the neuropathy in his fingers he did not experience last time. It is a frustrating thing for him because the swelling and discomfort limit him slightly in the fine motor area. He is tired, but still has a fair appetite and has not been sick (Yeah). He is washing cars and going to help with baseball practice. We couldn;t ask for much more. We are BLESSED.

Thursday, March 5, 2009

Hello All,
We are half way into chemo #2. Mark is wearing his pump with chemo infusing until tomorrow. He is pretty drained, but overall not feeling to horribly, so that is a blessing. The last week has been kind of crazy. Thanks for all the prayers and well wishes for my dad. He was sick and spent several days in the hospital this past weekend. We need a complete recovery for him as well as many others we have added along the way. Also, over the past week, I have learned of three men Mark's age who have all been diagnosed with very serious illnesses, one of which I cared for in the hospital. I just want to pray for all of them and their families that God brings them peace as they begin their journey to better health.

And on a brighter note.....The boys (Austin and Landon) have chosen this weekend to sell their home baked sweets to raise money for the Relay for Life. They are baking up a variety of treats and will have them for sale at Posada Pots on Saturday, March 7th.
www.posadapots.vpweb.com
David and Nelda so graciously allowed them to come when they are open on the weekend. The weather is supposed to be great. The high is in the 80's. It will be a perfect day for everyone to come out and see the boys. Abby will probably still has a few hugs for sale as well! I am hoping Mark will feel well enough to go out and soak in some rays also. The web site above will give directions to the location. If you are getting ready for spring and summer outdoors, you really ought to make a trip there to see all of the neat things they have. You can find many of them on their website as well.

Don't forget the Relay for Life coming April 3rd and 4th to Archer City. There is still plenty of time to participate, or just plan to come out and see the festivities.

Love to all, Missy

Catching Up.

I can't believe how long it has been since I have written. Guess that means things are good - or just so darned busy that I don't even have time to sit down to do it! This week started with the Dr. Crim appointment. Both the Dr. and the nurse were really impressed with how Mark was doing. He did tell Mark to expect some big ups and downs over the next several months. He wants to see him again in three months to see how he is tolerating the chemo. We will try to kill two birds with one stone as that is also when the cardiovascular surgeon will see him again. That will be about a halfway point with the chemo. He has felt well this week and managed to keep from getting the bug that the kids all. The boys are much better. Abby is on antibiotics for a sinus infection. Now she stops several of her allergy medicines in preparation for her allergy testing this week. Could be a great week. The boys are already having some TAKS testing this week. Can't believe it is that time again. It just means that the end of school is just around the corner. It is funny how sometimes we want to speed up and sometimes you just want it to slow down.

Chemo #2 this week wednesday. Pray for Mark.
Love to all, Missy

Thanks for the Evening

Saturday night was stuffed full of commitments for us. We didn't quite make them all, but we did make a few and we are certainly thankful for Jerry and Wanda making it possible for us to go to the Trace Adkins concert. It took Austin to fill us in on who these guys were before we went. He said that Trace Adkins "looked old", but he did sing "Honky Tonk Ba-Donky Donk???"
He sure would of liked to see Craig Morgan sing "International Harvester" At least after talking with him, we knew some of the popular songs. We were pleasantly surprised by the whole concert. I think even more so by the opening act Craig Morgan. He was absolutely wonderful. I can't help but leave a link here because I want you to hear one of the songs that really makes you think. He could have just as easily been playing in a Christian concert. I think he referenced his Maker in about 80-90% of everything he sang. He really sang from his heart and his passion was obvious. Very enjoyable from our floor seats! Trace Adkins presents a totally different style. Very entertaining and enjoyable as well. Only problem there was everyone thought they needed to enjoy him while standing up! Didn't bother us any to sit right in the middle of them! Hope you enjoy the new song as much as we did.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cegjAGZWp58

Once again, we are so lucky to benefit from all the wonderful people we have in our lives. Just like he says, "God must Really Love Me (us)"

Mark is doing well. Just like the energizer bunny. He has ups and downs energy wise, but overall is doing well. 1 down WooooHooooo. He sees Dr. Crim tomorrow for another follow up with him and his nurse specialist. I think we are finally getting a handle on all of the stomach issues. Praise God. We will see tomorrow.

Love you all, Missy

Saturday

Mark got his pump off yesterday. We're keeping our fingers crossed. So far, he has been pretty lucky. Gosh, I sure do say that a lot! He has experienced the cold sensitivity, and that has been an adjustment, but other than that, he is most challenged by being exhausted. This morning was a little better, and he got to watch Landon's ball games today. We have commitments tonight as well, if he lasts. He doesn't have the greatest appetite, but he has not been sick, and for that we feel very blessed. Prayers are working. Keep 'em coming!

Love to all, Missy

Treatment #1

Day one of treatment one behind us. First, I just have to thank Judy once again for this laptop.. I promise I would not be posting right now if I were not laid out in the recliner with the keyboard in my lap. Modern conveniences!

Yesterdays appointment went well. It was a little de ja vue. We were uncertain of where the doctor's office was. It ended up being at the hospital - Baylor Irving. Kind of strange being back there. Dr Weisberg was kind enough to see us on his afternoon off. He visited with us, and answered all questions. He reassured us that the treatment plan we have is the standard treatment for Mark's type of cancer. There are different combinations of drugs, all with similar statistics, and all with slightly different side effects. The Folfox 6 is what he would use if we were to seek treatment in his office. Overall a good visit and Mark really seemed to like him.

Today, Mark had his lab drawn and his first treatment was started, It was pretty uneventful, At present, he is receiving the 5FU via a pump into his port. He carries this pump around in a bag and will go back to the clinic on Friday to have it removed The only side effect so far is the cold sensitivity. We were actually surprised that it was affecting him so quickly. He knew immediately when he tried to take a drink of iced tea, and when he tried to drive the mule out on this cool evening. He will just have to be a little more conscious about what he is doing.

Okay,gotta go. Falling asleep. Not sure if it will all make since. More later, Love to all, Missy,

Happy Birthday Uncle Doug!

Yes, today my baby brother is yet another year older. I won't give away his age, at least not his exact age. I'll only say that he just another year closer to 40! Yes, I know, I will be there first. It is hard to believe our bratty little selves have grown so old.

We are having a good weekend in Scotland USA. Today was very nice to just stay at home and actually get a few things done. It makes only a small dent in my list, but something is better than nothing. It is a much needed break from the running we do. Especially before we start this coming week.

Monday brings work, doctors appointments, and more work - As do Tuesday, and Wednesday. In addition to Marks appointments, we have Landon recovering from strep throat, Abby trying to get some allergy control, and Austin on the last leg of his braces. What would we do with nothing to occupy our time?! Mark is really ready for Wednesday to come. The anticipation is for the birds. He is ready to begin getting it behind him and marking one more feat off of the list.

Thought you all might enjoy listening to what has become one of our favorites. Cindy Lou passed this cd on to me one day several months ago. Sometimes words really can be truer than life. I am working on getting Abby to sing this one. Hope you enjoy
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZZayut9i45M

Hope all of you are well. Many hugs and kisses to everyone on this day after Valentine's!
Missy

Have a Plan.

Hello all,

Well "chemo class" is over with and he is scheduled for his treatments. His first treatment will be Wednesday the 18th and will be every two weeks for 6 months. He will be receiving Fulfox 6 which is a combination of three drugs. They will start his infusion at the clinic. It will run for approximately three hours and then he will be hooked up to a pump for the next two days. On Friday he will go back to be disconnected. The "chemo class" was mostly education regarding the effects and side effects of these three drugs and ideas for coping with those. We have friends who have been on both ends of the spectrum of side effects from these treatments, so we are well aware of how challenging it can be as well as how functional it can be. Mark still has a great attitude and is prepared to do what it takes to make the best of this. We already have the days marked on several calendars and we are excited to start marking them off, one by one. We even found out how blessed we were once again. There are already some big dates on our calendar of events that we would like to enjoy. We had been wondering how many of our "good times"might be affected by all of this. Almost every one of them fall on the "off" week of his treatments, meaning that he will have the best chance at feeling well for most of them. How lucky is that?!
If everything goes as planned, his last treatment will be on July 22nd.

Also, we have an appointment on Tuesday the 17th with another oncologist in the metroplex, Dr. Weisberg for a second opinion. We were referred to him by Dr. Crim and are looking forward to hearing another perspective and are hoping that every one's plan concurs. In addition, many people have been asking about Mark's heart. He will have another CAT scan next month to follow the aneurysm. We are also supposed to contact Dr. Kourlis again when we are halfway through his chemotherapy treatments. He has had not complications or symptoms related to his heart through all of this . Praise God!

God has definitely provided for us through all of this. He has given us each other, our kids, and all of you every step of the way. We are so blessed!

We love you all, Missy

Saturday

Hello all,
Thought you might like to see what the kids are up to lately. Besides basketball and piano and tumbling and school, they are getting into some fundraising for the American Cancer Society. I am forwarding an e-mail that my mother sent so that all of you will have an opportunity to get in on the fun! This is something we have never done before and are kind of ignorant of the whole thing, but we are making an effort to help out.

The Archer County Relay For Life cancer fund raiser is scheduled for April 3, 2009. It will be held at the Archer City High School track starting at 6:00p.m. and concluding at 6:00a.m. the next morning. A number of teams will participate and usually dedicate their walk to a family member or friend who has or is fighting cancer.
I have agreed to be a team captain for the Relay. Cancer has caused some major heartache in my life so walking for a cure is an easy choice for me. Years ago I lost a dear brother, Louis Morath to cancer. This past May, after a long, long battle, my only sister, Jane Berardi died from the complications of cancer and now our son-in-law, Mark Brown is in the process of WINNING his battle with cancer. This year we are dedicating our walk to Jane's memory and in honor of Mark and are calling our team "The JAM (Jane and Mark) Crew". Abby Brown has been asked to be an angel in the opening ceremonies and she and her brothers, Austin and Landon are planning ways to raise money for the event. Abby is selling "Hugs" so have your dollars ready if you meet her somewhere!! The three of them will be our #1 team members!
Our team should consist of 15 walkers who hope to raise $100. each for the event. SO, any of you in the area or who might be in the area on April 3rd, consider this your personal invitation to join us. The first ones to respond saying they want to spend a fun night with us will be the lucky winners! If you can't be here but would still like to help the cause we would be happy to accept your checks made to the American Cancer Society and mailed to me at 4700 Willow Bend Drive, Wichita Falls, TX 76310. We will be turning in our packets before long and hope you will think this is a worthy cause. Remember no amount is too small and the large amounts are welcome also.
I'm hearing there are a number of teams from the Scotland and Windthorst area so we plan to have a fun time, pitch a tent (with cots, please), and do our part for very important people in our lives. Those of you who follow the Brown's blog will probably get much this same message from Melissa. This is definitely a team effort!
We hope to hear from you soon!
Thanks,Nancy Berend

Mark is making it after his procedure yesterday. His port was placed on his left chest, so he has been favoring that quite a bit. He is recovering well from his surgery and is even able to work. He is getting more energy back everyday. Everyone might notice how much weight he has lost. Right now, he is probably at a very healthy weight and we hope he can maintain that. He has held for several days, so we are encouraged by that. I know he is looking good, but I sure wouldn't recommend the weight loss program. I would highly encourage everyone to stick with the weight watchers!

We are still working on getting his chemo lined up. We are supposed to attend chemo school on Tuesday morning and sometime this week we have plans to go back to Baylor to an oncologist for a second opinion. We are anxious to hear another perspective and reinforce confidence in our present plan. As far as when we start, we were told it would be within the next week or two, but no date was set and we are uncertain how that will follow through. We will find out more this week.

Thanks to everyone for your help this week and weekend with getting to all of the appointments and ballgames. We were spread pretty thin with four ballgames in four different towns, but we are so lucky to have such good friends and family to help us out.

Love to all, Missy

Monday Evening.

Mark went to see the surgeon today. He is scheduled for Friday morning to have his port placed for his chemo infusions. I didn't get to go with him, which means I didn't get to ask all of my questions! It will be an outpatient procedure at the hospital at 0730. That is about all I know from Mark. That's all for now. I am fading fast! More later. Missy

New pic's.

ISN'T HE SWEET!!!!!

Good Morning

Hello all,

Yesterday Mark went to see the oncologist. He got a plan for the next six months. He will see Dr. Thomas (surgeon) on Monday to have a port placed for his chemotherapy infusions. He will do that as an outpatient surgery here in Wichita Falls. He will start his treatments within a couple of weeks after that. He will get chemo infusions every two weeks for six months. There is a little bit of question as to whether that will be done at the hospital or via a pump at home. We will know after I discuss with the insurance. The treatments will also be in Wichita Falls. He will receive a three drug combination with his infusion. He was assured that it was the best treatment, and we will also follow up through our Baylor connections to have another confirmation of that plan. We are supposed to go to "Chemo School" prior to starting to learn more about the specifics of administration and effects of chemo and techniques for dealing with those. More smarts!

Mark is doing well. He is not 100% percent, but is feeling better each day. I know he will be better when he can drive, and I sure will too. He is the worst backseat driver riding shotgun. I will have to get a more recent picture of him so you all can rest assured that he also looks good. He is hearing that a lot lately. I think it could be going to his head! That's okay, keep it coming!

Thanks for checking in. We love you all, Missy

Nothing New

The doctor's office closed today due to the weather. They rescheduled him for Thursday (today) at 2:30 pm.

I can't believe it is Tuesday!

And I haven't posted in sooooooo long. That means that life is back to hectic, as usual. The weekend was good but tiring for Mark. By Sunday afternoon he was realizing that he doesn't yet have his energy back. He just has a great excuse for taking a few extra naps!

Monday we returned to Dr. Crim for a follow-up. Fortunately, we beat any of this crazy weather and had a very smooth trip. He was pleased with Mark's progress. Everything is going just as he planned it. We also saw the nurse specialist in his office. This is the fourth one we have seen and we now have 4 different opinions, all of which we really have a lot of confidence in. These ladies have all been so experienced and knowledgeable. Unfortunately, there is a lot of trial and error to getting it right. God just knows that Mark is always up for a challenge. And, like I said before, we are learning so much. We go to the oncologist tomorrow and will have much to discuss then. Look for more updates.

Also, hurray for Justin. He is now home and is improving daily. I hear he has them catering to him at home! He is eating, sleeping well, and has even made a trip out of the house. Thanks to everyone for their prayers and to the wonderful people who have been feeding them over the last couple of weeks. They have some really great support down that way as well.

Both of our families have been so blessed by God and all of you. I know that is hard to see sometimes, but when I look around at how much worse things could be, I know how fortunate we are. Mark and Justin are on the road to being back to themselves. We are so lucky for that. I hear Justin talking about soccer and Mark wanting to drive and get back to work. Pretty soon we won't be able to slow them down.