Spring- A time for renewed life and hope!

hollyberry
hollyberry Member Posts: 173 Member
edited March 2014 in Emotional Support #1
What a beautiful Day!! I sat on my patio and watched the birds play in the trees and my animals laying in the grass near me, enjoying the weather and the chance to bask in the sun. I hope that all of you can enjoy the season as well; we may not be in the best physical shape, but the new growth of flowers, trees and baby animals can only help make us feel the hope for renewal of our own lives and bodies.
I had my PET scan and MRI last month and I was so nervous about the results, as you probably read in my last post. It was so scary for me as I have had so much bad news lately, with new tumor growth and the last chemo not working. I also knew that I was running out of options. It was not the best time for me, emotionally or physically. And just as I was getting myself ready to say my final farewells to my family, a miracle occurred!
My tumors are disappearing and the ones that I still have are shrinking. I had wide-spread metastases in most of my organs and brain. The MRI showed lesions in the brain and the nurse called with the bad news; I was not to be allowed into the clinical trial for Gleevec. The next day, as I was seeing the oncologist, the nurse told me that the neuro-oncologist had reviewed the films and felt that the lesions were vascular abnormalities. Wow, what a relief!! They started me on the Gleevec and I have since had significant reduction of metastatic disease with the tumors in my lungs and other organs resolving and, what they thought were abnormalities turning out to be brain tumors, shrinking at a miraculous rate. To say that we're happy would be the understatement of the year! We are ecstatic!!At a time when we felt there was no more hope, God blessed us with a miracle that is so unbelievable that it still makes my head spin.
My family and I are now so grateful for every day and our other troubles seem so insignificant now. I was so close to death and, in a matter of a couple of days, my life was renewed and we were given new hope. I wanted to share this with all of you, as so many of you have been so kind and supportive to me and my family and I wanted to finally share some good news with you. You have become my second family, my strength when I don't feel strong anymore. You are a wonderful family and I want all of you to know how much I appreciate your prayers and kind words during my darkest days. I hope,also,that my story will give others hope. You never know what lies ahead; so, please, don't give up. Try and keep a positive attitude, even if things seem bleak and you don't see any hope. You never know what can happen.
I have another chance at life and it came during the season of new life and I am praying for all of you to experience the same kind of miraculous renewal. Enjoy the weather, enjoy each day and know that it is a gift to be here with your friends and family each and every day!!

Blessings to all, today and always,
Hollyberry

Comments

  • soccerfreaks
    soccerfreaks Member Posts: 2,788 Member
    #2
    hollyberry
    Congratulations to you!

    This is a wonderful story. Keep it up!

    Take care,

    Joe
  • slickwilly
    slickwilly Member Posts: 334 Member
    #3
    soccerfreaks said:

    hollyberry
    Congratulations to you!

    This is a wonderful story. Keep it up!

    Take care,

    Joe

    Spring
    HollyBerry. Your letter added to the great day I am having. You have to love these sunny days and it seems like each day brings new things to see. I was sure tired of the snow as nothing seems to change. I have flowers coming up and the grass is turning green. I walked about 1/2 mile of ditches on my street picking up trash. I still have to get that daily sense of accomplishment as I sleep much better. Me and my dog are getting more exercise which I needed even it my body tells me I am crazy ha ha. There is no way to express how happy I am for you Holly. I can't begin to imagine how your husband and children feel. Each day is a blessing. If everyone had your outlook on life this world would be a better place. God Bless Slickwilly
  • hollyberry
    hollyberry Member Posts: 173 Member
    #4
    slickwilly said:

    Spring
    HollyBerry. Your letter added to the great day I am having. You have to love these sunny days and it seems like each day brings new things to see. I was sure tired of the snow as nothing seems to change. I have flowers coming up and the grass is turning green. I walked about 1/2 mile of ditches on my street picking up trash. I still have to get that daily sense of accomplishment as I sleep much better. Me and my dog are getting more exercise which I needed even it my body tells me I am crazy ha ha. There is no way to express how happy I am for you Holly. I can't begin to imagine how your husband and children feel. Each day is a blessing. If everyone had your outlook on life this world would be a better place. God Bless Slickwilly

    Thanks!!
    Dear Joe and Slick,
    Thanks for your kindness; I just wanted all of you to know that you walked this journey with me and made it better for me. Everyone here has helped in some way and I am grateful for this community.
    Have another beautiful day- I'm going out to my garden and cutting some tulips and daffodils to put on the table. We all need a little sunshine after a cold, dark winter! And the dog has pulled his leash out, guess he wants a little sunshine, too!
    Talk to you soon,
    Hol
  • RE
    RE Member Posts: 4,591 Member
    #5
    Such a blessing!
    Dear Hollyberry you have made my heart soar! You continue to be in my prayers and my thoughts, thank you for such a beautiful post! You are right we never know what door will open for us we must keep hope at the forefront!

    image

    RE
  • creampuff91344
    creampuff91344 Member Posts: 988
    #6
    RE said:

    Such a blessing!
    Dear Hollyberry you have made my heart soar! You continue to be in my prayers and my thoughts, thank you for such a beautiful post! You are right we never know what door will open for us we must keep hope at the forefront!

    image

    RE

    Dear Hollyberry. What an
    Dear Hollyberry. What an inspirational story. A friend on the b/c boards directed me to your post, as she and I have been PM friends. After being diagnoised and treated for breast cancer over the past year and a half, I was diagnosed with a neurological disease caused by the meds for chemo nausea (Reglan). During the quest to further diagnose this disease, the doctors found an meningioma growth on my brain through an MRI. The symptoms from either the tartive dyskinesia or the meningioma are causing me to have involuntary jaw and tongue movements, as well as in my hands. They don't know which is causing what. Another MRI in June will determine if the the meningioma has grown, and if so they will try to remove it. I know there are blessing in every day, and was so hoping to get through breast cancer treatment and return to somewhat normal life. However, these other two diagnosis have extended my time period to be able to get my life back. Your story has definitely shown me, as well as others, that there are miracles in this world, and I am keeping my spirits up until the doctors determine the extent of my problems. From one "survivor" to another, contratulations on your wonderful prognosis, and looking forward to following your story in the months and years to come. You broght me a breath of fresh air. Hugs.

    Judy
  • hollyberry
    hollyberry Member Posts: 173 Member
    #7
    creampuff91344 said:

    Dear Hollyberry. What an
    Dear Hollyberry. What an inspirational story. A friend on the b/c boards directed me to your post, as she and I have been PM friends. After being diagnoised and treated for breast cancer over the past year and a half, I was diagnosed with a neurological disease caused by the meds for chemo nausea (Reglan). During the quest to further diagnose this disease, the doctors found an meningioma growth on my brain through an MRI. The symptoms from either the tartive dyskinesia or the meningioma are causing me to have involuntary jaw and tongue movements, as well as in my hands. They don't know which is causing what. Another MRI in June will determine if the the meningioma has grown, and if so they will try to remove it. I know there are blessing in every day, and was so hoping to get through breast cancer treatment and return to somewhat normal life. However, these other two diagnosis have extended my time period to be able to get my life back. Your story has definitely shown me, as well as others, that there are miracles in this world, and I am keeping my spirits up until the doctors determine the extent of my problems. From one "survivor" to another, contratulations on your wonderful prognosis, and looking forward to following your story in the months and years to come. You broght me a breath of fresh air. Hugs.

    Judy

    Where there's life, there's hope
    Dear Judy,
    I am so sorry to hear of your complications. You are in my thoughts and prayers. Please try and keep a positive attitude and know that you are stronger than you feel. I didn't think I would make it through some of those difficult days, when my tumors were taking over my body, but I did and I am so grateful to be here every day.
    Thank you so much for your kind words; it's good to know that my story can bring hope to others who are going through such a traumatic experience. I can see by your picture that you are a beautiful woman and your words tell me that you have an inner strength that will carry you through these painful, scary days. Stay strong and know that you are never alone.
    With so much love,
    Hollyberry
  • blueroses
    blueroses Member Posts: 524
    #8
    WOW
    Oh Holly what an amazing story. I am so happy to hear about the fantastic test results and I do believe we all were allowed access to your miracle through you sharing with us on this site. Couldn't have happened to a nicer person, a nicer family.

    Just thrilled to hear of your miracle and thanks for sharing it with all of us. It's truly inspirational.

    Love as always, Blueroses
  • tonybear
    tonybear Member Posts: 90
    #9
    hollyberry
    you are an inspiration for life. what great news and a lift for my day. thank you and god keep you. tony
  • Pnktopaz10
    Pnktopaz10 Member Posts: 56
    #10
    Hollyberry You rock!
    Congratulations Hollyberry! You rock! What wonderful news on such a beautiful day. My prayers are always with you and you are so right about enjoying each day as a gift! Hugs, Pnktopaz

Discussion Boards