Shana Bearden

8-16-08–We have all been very busy this last week. Shana has had a slight infection and has been working to get that cleared up but overall her energy and spunk have been up and she got shots almost all week to get her blood counts up. Although she was knocked down pretty bad after her last chemo, she rebounded and has generally felt pretty good for the last week. We got her new stamped concrete patio finished and it looks really good so she is happy about that. We also got the foundation for our new bedroom addition poured, so we will be starting on that before long. We are getting bids on the kitchen and conversions so we are spending money like crazy and that makes her happy for some odd reason (or is that just my “man think” showing?). We were scheduled for a PET scan as a marker to see what her tumors are doing but our insurance, which frankly has been wonderful up to now, refused to pay for it and we are appealing that decision. The PET scan injects a sugar connected with a radioactive componant into the blood stream. Cancers love sugar and absorb it at a different rate than normal cells and the PET scan takes a photo of that absorption so that we can tell if the tumor is dying, growing or just resting. Hopefully we will get this approved and get some good news out of it. Shana is even thinking about beginning to drive again and we will have to get her a new car to be able to do that if she decides to try it. Her stomach muscles are too weak from the surgery to drive her standard Pontiac Sostice so we will have to do something soon to get her a car she can drive.
Shana’s skin had become really rough, almost like a reptilian skin from one of the chemos she is taking. She had a horrible time itching and scratching for about two weeks until we found a lotion called Cetafill that worked magic and has been unbelievable at moisturizing her skin and reducing the itching. Thanks to the person who recommended the creme.
Wes got back Thursday night from San Antonio where he was acting as a vendor manning a booth. He had been there almost a week and he is extremely tired. Yesterday was his 31st birthday. It is hard for me to think of him as being that old because I remember so clearly seeing him for the first time in the birth room and bonding so strongly with him as a child. He is a phenominal man. I think I respect him more than any other person I know because he is so talented and so capable and he has turned out to be a wonderful father and a really great person. He idolizes his wife and child and he has so much on his plate these days and he excels at it all. He runs a multimillion dollar business, attends law school full time (where he just got elected to the Law Review and appointed by the school to the American Inns of Court–both VERY prestigious awards), is a brand new father, sits on the City of Arlington historic review committee, bends over backwards to take care of his mom and still takes time to have a really good home and personal life. I admire and love this guy. We had a super dinner for him at our house last night cooked by Shana and Antoinette and all had a really good quite ime. Please help me wish Wes a wonderful birthday. He really deserves a special day.I do have to note that there is some gender bias at work here. Somehow, the women in this family get birthday weeks while the men get birthDAYS. Seems unfair, but its easy to see who is the smarter gender huh!
We heard some not good news. Kathleen Donahue’s thyroid cancer appears to have spread to her lymph nodes near the thyroid. That essentially means a larger surgery and longer rehab time but the prognosis remains very good and a complete recovery is expected. She is acting very strong but this clearly has to be a scary period for a young lady. Please let her know that you care and are thinking of her.
I recently heard from my friend Bee Rippy who was diagnosed with ovarian cancer and who has been receiving chemotherapy. The chemo has really hurt her and knocked her down but she is nearing the end of her course of treatments and she is beginning to feel better and is finally up and moving. She is a very very sweet lady and I ask that you pray for her and Kathleen and all those who suffer from this horrible epidemic of cancer.
August is our family’s big birthday month with birthdays for: Brad (6th), Johnny (10th), Wes (15th), Jake (17th), Jim (20th) plus friends Kathy Segreti (5th) and Jeff McKim (22nd). Wish them Happy Birthday if you see them please.
Shana and I went to her bunco group on Thursday and had a good time. The husband’s hung out together and went to a local restaurant named Ginger Brown’s in Azle. Rusty Kirby had eaten more than half of his chicken fried Steak (which was at least 6″ accross) when the owner spied it and proclaimed it overcooked and insisted he get a whole new one. Rusty protested initially but of course when the second steak arrived, he asked if his mashed potatoes didn’t look overcooked too. He ate the second CFS in its entirety. This is funny because Deborah, his wife, is on a kick to have him eat healthy foods. Right!
I also learned that as men get older their conversations change. Instead of talking about sports, women, jobs , politics or the normal things, my age group of men spent all night talking about the best greasy spoons and BBQ joints in North Texas. I was the only one who seemed not to know the best local restaurants in every small town around here. I’ll have to study up on that. Someone mentioned going to a strip joint and half of us objected to having to spend a dollar to give the girls and the other half objected to the cost of the beer in those places. Times do change. OH well……..signing off as I get older and mildew.
Jim