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