Hello there friends! Before jumping into this week's happenings, I want to send out a huge thank you for an event that took place last week.... Mike's friend Steve S, a fellow teacher at Kettering, is the advisor for Kettering's Robotics Team. The team is competing in three tournaments this summer, in which their robots have to complete a number of timed tasks while competing against other schools. The Kettering team blew us away when they told us that they were dedicating their summer tournaments to us! This not only included turning their green Kettering Captain logo to pink, but they designed awesome shirts with "Let’s Beat This Thing / Driving Robots for Meghan Malley" on the back. How cool is that?! The Kettering Robotics Team (aka Team 3098) also teamed up with the Team 1528 – Monroe Trojan Robotics, who hosted the Michigan Area Robotics Competition (MARC), last Friday, June 24th, and they all decided to make the ENTIRE event a benefit for Mike and I! We were so honored and touched! The teams raised money through t-shirt sales, silent auction, and "Robots for a Cure" bracelets! There was also a "Survivor/Honor Night" on Friday where the tournament honored all those that have battled any type of cancer. We were incredibly disappointed that we couldn't attend after receiving instructions to avoid public places after finding out that my counts were so low last week. Steve, Kettering Captains Robotics Team, and all participants of MARC...we cannot thank you enough for honoring us in this way. We are so deeply humbled and overwhelmed by your generosity and thoughtfulness!!! Thank you a million times over! ps. Congrats Kettering Captains on placing 4th out of 48 teams!!! Thank you so much to Steve's wife, Angie for taking these pictures so we could feel like we were there last Friday! It was because of amazing events like this that I was so disappointed about my "house arrest" since last Thursday! I am beyond ecstatic to report that I am now free as a bird!!! Yippee!!! Yahoo!!! My counts made a HUGE leap this week and Mike & I almost did a jumping high five in chemo this morning upon hearing my blood work report. It's so warped that we get so excited about being able to get chemo, right?! My white blood cells shot up from 1,800 to 5,800, my hemoglobin rose from 9.0 to 10.3, and my neutrophils soared to 3,900 from a sad 300 last week! What a difference a week of complete and utter rest can do! We were actually pretty nervous while driving to Chemo-land this morning because I have actually been pretty sick this week while attempting to fight off a wicked head cold. This annoying cold creeped in on Saturday after I ventured outside for a bit to walk to the pup around the block. Since Saturday, the cold has brought something new and exciting each and every day....complete head congestion, runny nose like a faucet, constant sneezing, and the finale...a hacking cough to the point of dry heaving. Oh, the joy of a summer cold mixed with no white blood cells to fight the pesky thing off! Thankfully, I felt a bit better this morning and the incessant cough stopped in time to arrive at chemo. Mike and I were worried if they heard that cough, we wouldn't make it too far past the front door! Just goes to show that you never know what is going to happen - felt good last week and had lousy counts, felt crappy this week and counts were much better than expected. Who knows?! Bottom line is...the value of rest and prayer cannot be underestimated! Thank you to my hubby in particular for scolding me every time I tried to push my limits, and thank you to all of you for your continued prayers for me to get back on track with treatment! Now that my counts are up, I am no longer on "lock down" at home and I couldn't be happier! I can now go join the land of the living and most importantly, spend 4th of July weekend with family and friends! I have promised nurse Jan, aka Momma, that I will continue to be extremely cautious of germs, and not push my luck now that I have the green light to go back out in public. Speaking of going out, I am very excited to let you all know about two more fundraising events for the 3 Day For a Cure event this August! I believe there are only three more events left before the race, so get in on the action while you can. I must admit, we are a pretty fun group to fundraise with:) Check out the flyers below for details - hope you can make it! I always look forward to seeing friends & family at these awesome fundraisers! The "Meghan Malley Rally" 3 Day Team continues to do an AMAZING job raising money for breast cancer research and Susan G. Komen For the Cure. They have actually reached their team goal today of over $20,000!!! However, the fundraising continues in order to assure that each individual participant is able to reach the $2,300 needed to participate in the event. Kara has a great ladies night planned at her house on July 8th. Tons of great vendors will be there with great merchandise, such as jewelry, purses, food products and more! The best part is they have all generously agreed to donate a portion of the proceeds to the 3 Day team! Can't wait to check it all out & see you guys there! Another fabulous friend of mine, Diana M. has put together this amazing spa day at the end of July. It sounds incredible so get out your calendars and mark it down now! Check out the flyer below for all the great details on how your donation can treat you to a relaxing day at the spa! IMPORTANT: Please make sure to RSVP to the event at the number listed below, so Diana knows how many massage therapists and nail techs she will need. Come enjoy an afternoon of relaxation benefiting the fabulous 3 Day For A Cure team! Thank you Diana! ♥ Thank you again for all of your prayers for elevated blood counts this week! They clearly worked and I am so grateful. I guess the ole' body just needed a break last week, huh? Normally, we usually go out of town every 4th of July with a great group of some of our best friends. We have made a collective decision to keep the celebration local this year and keep it a little more low-key, and I must say I am pretty excited about not hitting the road again. In addition to that, I am THRILLED that Mike and I will be able to head to my Aunt Ree's house on Saturday to see many of my aunts, uncles, and cousins - especially Becca, Jon, Nate and Teagan from Denver! YAY! I can't wait to see you guys! Each night, I always take a minute to think about what I am grateful for. Lately, I am so grateful for all of you, your prayers, and support. I am also grateful for the opportunity to spend Independence Day Weekend with our family and friends - enjoying sunshine, cookouts, and bonfires! Life is good! Happy 4th of July! xoxo, Meghan This guy has been keeping me great company this past week. Have you ever seen a cuter furry face?! I mean, come on - he is undeniably the most adorable pup on the plant. (I guess I may be slightly biased) ;) Hustled outside after my post-chemo nap to snap a few shots of the garden before I lost the sunlight. Spending time alone in my flower beds is something I find so therapeutic and relaxing - can't wait to feel well enough to do it again soon!
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Well, I got the boot today...got kicked out...told to hit the road...adios amiga...catch ya later! In all seriousness though, I did get sent home from chemo today because my counts were too low. I am super bummed out, and somewhat surprised. I know it might sound crazy, and most people would love to get out of chemo for the day - but when you are in the midst of this, all you want to do is blaze through it as quickly as possible. Now we are delayed and everything gets pushed back another week. I know it's not a huge deal in the scheme of things, but of course being the planner that I am, we already had a family vacation planned for the first week of September and my date for surgery was somewhat set. Now, all of those dates are out the window because I will no longer be done with chemo on September 1 as originally thought. After checking my weight (which was up - yay!) and my vital signs, my nurse, Denise accessed my port to draw my blood. Mike and I waited awhile to hear the results but I never thought they would be too low to get chemo. Denise finally came back and said that my counts dropped significantly since last week and that she would be very surprised if Dr. F allowed me to get chemo today. Sure enough, Dr. F said "no way, Jose" and we were sent packing. I didn't actually get to see Dr. F this time, but Denise explained that this may still be residual effects of the first set of drugs I was on, since those are so tough and usually drop your counts much more than the Taxol that I had last week. My white blood cells, specifically my neutrophils, are severely low. White blood cells (WBC's) are part of our immune system and are the ones that we need to help fight infection. There are five different types of WBC's, one of which is called neutrophils. Neutrophils make up approximately 45-70% of all WBC's. The normal range of WBC's is 4,300-10,600 cells per microliter of blood and the normal value for neutrophils is 1,580-7,130, with neutropenia (low neutrophil count) being classified as anything lower than 1,700 and severe neutropenia being anything lower than 500. Well, today my WBC count measured at 1,800 and my neutrophil count is only 300! So, this means I am at an extreme risk of infection because my infection fighting cells are significantly diminished. On top of that, my hemoglobin (part of the red blood cells that carry oxygen) has dropped again. The normal value for hemoglobin should be between 11.5-15.1, and mine measured at 9.0 today. Low hemoglobin can cause symptoms such as fatigue, headache, dizziness, lack of concentration, and shortness of breath. So, what does this all mean? I have to be EXTREMELY careful to avoid infection. We have to be very diligent about hand washing and keeping our house germ free. I am no longer allowed to be in crowds, around children, or near anyone that may be sick. If I have to go out in public, I have been instructed to wear a mask over my nose and mouth to avoid any possible risk of infection. I knew I wasn't feeling the best earlier this week, and even told Mike that I thought I might have over done it by going to Nashville, but I never thought my counts would be so low. All I can do now is to rest, hydrate, stay infection free, and pray for elevated counts when I go back to chemo next Thursday. I am a bit frustrated and disappointed, but more than that, I am a little sad that this has once again served up a dose of reality and it makes me nervous. I sometimes feel invincible - that I can handle anything - that even chemo can't knock me down too hard or for too long. Today was a reminder that even if I am feeling mentally tough, physically my body is still fighting so hard and no matter how much I try, there are certain things I don't have control over - such as my blood work. I never would have guessed that my counts would be so low today and it just scares me because right now, I need chemo! Although it is the chemo that is making me so sick, I still firmly believe I need it to save my life. I just pray that I am able to get back on track soon. So, it looks like I will have to cancel all of my plans for the next week- which is such a bummer especially because my wonderful cousin, Becca and her husband and two sweet kiddo's were coming for a visit from Denver. I am hopeful that my body will be in fighting shape by next Thursday and I can resume my treatment plan then. Thanks again for your continued love, support and prayers! Since I am going to be trapped at home for the next week, does anyone have any good jokes? Movie recommendations? Books? Say an extra prayer for Mike that I don't drive him insane this next week- haha! :) xoxo, Meghan Looks like these will be the only faces I get to see for awhile....good thing they are both so darn cute :)
Howdy y'all! Haha, just kidding. We had a great time in Nashville, but I didn't pick up the official southern twang that fast. Prior to leaving for Nashville, we had quite an eventful week... Unfortunately, the morning after my last blog post, we found out that we lost Mike's Aunt Margaret after her long and brave battle with cancer. Yet another huge loss to this awful disease. This news obviously saddened us so much, especially after losing Mike's uncle just last week. Although this was heart breaking news, we are so thankful that Aunt Margaret is no longer suffering and can now rest in peace and be reunited with Mike's mom and her other loved ones in Heaven. We will miss you very much, Aunt Margaret. Our families have been through so much this year - here's hoping that the rest of 2011 shows us some mercy. On Tuesday night we enjoyed some good food, beautiful weather, and great company at Rosie O'Grady's for the fundraiser Stacy organized for the "Meghan Malley Rally" 3 Day For A Cure team. It was a wonderful night and over 60 people came out to support our cause, which ended up raising $800! I am continuously amazed at the generosity of our families and friends! You guys are incredible and you make raising money for this cause so easy and so much fun at the same time! Thank you for your unwavering support! Wednesday afternoon Mike and I met with Dr. B at the Beaumont Breast Care Center to start discussing my surgery. It was nice to see everyone over there - the staff is always super friendly and they were very curious to see how I was doing. Dr. B examined me before our chat and she was "pleasantly surprised" at the changes she felt and the apparent difference that chemo was making. This was very encouraging to hear! The three of us talked for quite awhile and Mike and I got many questions answered regarding what to expect with my upcoming double mastectomy. We all agreed that time is flying and that surgery will be here before we know it so it's good to get the ball rolling with this. Dr. B anticipates that my surgery will be scheduled for the last week of September or the first week in October. However, if any of my chemo treatments are delayed, this will definitely change. In addition to that, this surgery date will have to be coordinated with whichever plastic surgeon I decide to go with because they will begin the reconstruction process on the same day as Dr. B performs the mastectomy. To be quite honest, I am pretty nervous about the surgery and recovery process, but I trust Dr. B and her team 100% and look forward to conquering the next obstacle in my path! Come Thursday morning we were back to see Dr. F at Karmanos for the next round of fun in Chemo-land. Dr. F was happy that Round #4 had gone so well for me, in addition to that my weight and blood pressure have both remained stable which I was happy to hear. My hemoglobin and platelets continue to drop which is somewhat expected, I just hope it doesn't continue to happen and eventually delay any of my future rounds of chemo. If my hemoglobin continues to drop, it will mean that I have to have a blood transfusion which I would like to avoid. Dr. F gave me the scoop on what to expect with the new course of treatment which is the drug, Taxol. He said that most people feel much better while on Taxol as compared to the previous regimen of drugs I was on. Dr. F said the biggest complaint he hears is that many patients experience peripheral neuropathy once they get about half way through the Taxol treatments. There isn't much I can do to avoid it or treat it, we'll just have to wait and see and deal with it, if and when it occurs. The good news is that Mike no longer has to give me the injection of Neulasta the day after chemo. This was an injection he would administer into my arm 24 hours after chemo to stimulate my bone marrow to produce white blood cells. Although I must admit he did a great job, I am happy to rid my life of one additional needle. Mike and I came home from chemo, packed up the car, and immediately headed south to Nashville to celebrate Joe & Lauren's wedding! We had a wonderful weekend spent in a fun city, with great friends, and to top it all off - I felt pretty darn good considering I had just finished my fifth round of chemo! We explored the scene in downtown Nashville, ate at yummy restaurants, and enjoyed some amazing live music! On Saturday, we traveled outside of the city to a gorgeous country farm where Joe & Lauren's wedding took place. It was raining so incredibly hard all day, but somehow ended up turning into a sunny, beautiful evening for an outdoor wedding. We had a such a great time with our friends and we were so happy we could be there to celebrate Joe & Lauren's big day! Although I felt great most of the weekend, I think it caught up with me a bit today. I am now battling what seems to be a raging head cold and it feels as though someone took a rake to my throat. :( In addition to that, I had a crazy skin reaction over the weekend which resulted in huge blisters on the outside border and bottom part of both my feet. It started after walking only about 1/2 mile in shoes that I have worn a million times so I know this is not your usual case of blisters due to breaking in a new pair of sandals. Upon waking up today, I realized that they had started to look a little worse (one opened up and was draining suspicious looking fluid) in addition to an elevated level of pain. This sort of thing is very worrisome for me now that I have to be so careful to avoid any type of infection. After speaking with my doctor, I was advised to stay in bed and off my feet today, soak them in epsom salts and keep them clean and infection free! Luckily, I don't have to get on antibiotics or go into the clinic to see him. Although Dr. F said this would be a very rare side effect from the Taxol, it could be related to the last set of drugs I was previously on and they will examine my feet this Thursday when I go for my next round of chemo. Always something, huh?! Before I wrap up, I want to give a quick CONGRATULATIONS to my beautiful friend and college roomie Meg B who also got married this past Saturday in Columbus. I am so bummed I couldn't be there to celebrate with you and see all of my college girlies - if only I could clone myself and be in Nashville and Columbus at the same time. :) Congrats Meg and JR..I am so happy for you both! I also want to send an early congratulations to another gorgeous college roomie of mine. My wonderful friend, Julie R. is getting married this upcoming Saturday in San Diego. Jules, you are going to be a stunning bride and I so badly wish I could be there to celebrate with you and Grant! Love you guys! I am looking forward to a somewhat slower week and some quality time with a few girl friends mixed in too. I hope everyone had a great weekend and continues to have a wonderful week! Check out some of my pics below for a peek into our fun times down in Nashville! xoxo, Meghan Friday was spent exploring the amazing sights of downtown Nashville.... On Saturday, we celebrated Joe & Lauren's wedding on a beautiful farm in the hills of Tennessee. I couldn't get a great shot of the lovely couple during the ceremony but captured this cute one of Joe celebrating as the new Mr. & Mrs. Phillips walked down the aisle! Love these ladies! Great times with great friends! Adorable and charming details everywhere you looked...
Oh, so many things are on my mind lately and I'm sifting through what is blog-worthy today. :) Recovery from Round #4 has continued to go well and although I had a minor crash of exhaustion after the excitement of last weekend, I have still been pleasantly surprised at how my body has handled chemo this time around. I continue to battle the fatigue on a daily basis and try not to let it frustrate me too much. There are so many other little changes that have been going on with my body as these toxins circulate through my bloodstream - things you never realize or think about unless you have experienced it yourself. Since beginning chemo, I have either had a constant runny nose or the complete opposite with such a dry nose that it is painful. Sometimes, one side is runny, and the other is dry simultaneously - kleenex in one hand, nasal spray in the other - so weird! The chemo causes some odd changes throughout the nasal cavity I guess. I also get frequent headaches behind my right eye every few days. I experience some unusual visual disturbances at times, such as not being able to focus my vision properly or feeling a sense of strain on my eyes after looking at the computer for even a few minutes. I have also been dealing with quite a bit of back pain and stiffness when I wake up in the morning - to the point that I am nervous to even move because it feels like my back is going to break. A few weeks ago I started to experience some numbness throughout a few of my fingers, my skin has become incredibly dry on my hands and feet, and the ridiculous amount of bruises I seem to acquire take a lifetime to heal. On top of all of that, chemo also causes an increased sensitivity to the sun (as if I didn't have this problem already - red haired & freckled...hello?!), so I have to constantly drench myself in sunscreen and give up any hopes for even a minor tan this summer. Oh, the joys of chemo! None of these things are a huge deal or enough to keep me down, I just wanted to share that to give a little insight into the fact that there is more to chemo than nausea and fatigue. Those of us going through it often have an array of side effects and you just never know what you are going to get. Kind of like Forrest Gump's box of chocolates. ;) Last Wednesday, we celebrated Mike's Uncle Johnny's life at his funeral service and burial. It was a very nice service and although the circumstances weren't ideal, it was nice to see all of Mike's family. Unfortunately, coming from a pretty big family as well as marrying into a big family means that I have attended a lot of funerals in my twenty-nine years. But, this time it was very different. Sitting in the pew next to Mike at the gorgeous Shrine of the Little Flower Church, I was reminded of our amazing wedding day in that very same place - the absolute happiest day of my life. At the same time, I couldn't help but think about my own death and how one day, my own funeral will take place in that very church. I by no means consider myself dying, but when you are diagnosed with Stage IV cancer and told there is no cure for what you have, it is nearly impossible to not let these thoughts creep into your mind. I knew attending a funeral would be difficult for me, and it definitely was. It just hits a little too close to home right now and I couldn't help but think of what that day will be like and how it will possibly arrive decades earlier than I ever thought. I wish I could tell you I didn't think about these things. But truth be told, I think about it way more than I would like. Facing your own death is such an overwhelming, all consuming feeling - it feels like a tidal wave of grief and sadness, where despite your best efforts, you can't seem to find the surface to catch your breath. It is something that I have obviously never come close to experiencing before and a feeling that I can't even put properly into words. It gives you an entire new outlook on life - what's important and what's not - and how to cherish the time you are given. I think we all assume we are automatically given a lifetime of 80+ years on this Earth. The truth is, nothing is promised to any of us and a long life is not guaranteed to anyone. There are times when I still can't fully wrap my head around what is happening. And if I have made it three days without crying, I consider it a success. I am truly not afraid of death, but the thought of leaving Mike, my mom and the rest of my loved ones before I am ready, just breaks my heart. However, I do my best on a daily basis to use the time I am given to live my best life, to tell the ones I love how I feel about them, and to fully appreciate every blessing that is given to me. That is all I can do, because the alternative is to curl up in bed and never climb out - which has never been, nor will it ever become an option for me. Sorry for such deep and heavy thoughts today but these are things that I think about a lot. I have shared some pretty difficult, intense and emotional conversations with Mike, my mom, and some of my closest friends and I always end up feeling better after releasing these thoughts to others. It's incredible how isolating this can feel sometimes because not many people can say they know how you feel, but that's all the more reason why I am so grateful for all of you. Your love and support truly gets me through those tough times and you have no idea how much that means to me. I also want to send a quick shout out to Kara for putting together a great Yin Yoga fundraiser last Friday. It was a fun time and thanks to all of you that were able to be there. I also want to thank our friend, Karen Hiatt for hosting a fabulous Lia Sophia jewelry party fundraiser at her beautiful home on Sunday. We had such a nice time and I can't thank you enough for doing this for me. Mike and I truly have the most incredible friends and family! We have an action packed week ahead including the Rosie O'Grady's fundraiser tomorrow that Stacy put together. See the poster from a few posts ago for details. It should be a great time & hope to see some of you locals there! I have an appointment with my surgeon, Dr. B on Wednesday to start the ball rolling with that process, getting many questions answered, and learning as much as I can about what my double mastectomy will entail. On Thursday, I start my first of twelve rounds of Taxol and then we are immediately packing up the car and heading down to Nashville for our good friend Joe's wedding. Although I am not super excited for the 9 hour car ride, I am very much looking forward to exploring Nashville for the first time, spending a weekend with some of our best friends, and of course, celebrating Joe & Lauren's big day with them! We are again keeping our fingers crossed that chemo treats me well, especially since we will be even farther from home this time! I hope all of you are doing well and enjoying your summer so far! You guys blow me away with all of your kind words and support. I am thankful for it each and every day. Have a wonderful week ahead, don't sweat the small stuff, and live it up! :) Looking forward to sharing some pics from Nashville next week! xoxo, Meg Spending a Saturday morning at the Royal Oak Farmer's Market is one of my favorite things to do. This Saturday, I loaded up on all of my flowers now that I am finally feeling well enough to get out in my garden. Yay! Here are some images I captured from the market this weekend... My single, absolute favorite flower - the gorgeous peonies which now have a home on my kitchen table! There was a cute little petting zoo set up across the street at the Royal Oak Public Library for the kiddo's...
Thank You, Thank You, Thank You! Thank you so much for all of your prayers for a smooth Round #4 of chemo - I know they were all answered because I have been feeling great! It is so crazy how you never know how your body will respond to each round, but I know this much for sure - I kicked Round #4's booty! On top of that, it was my last dose of Adriamycin & Cytoxan, which means the hardest part of chemo is over! Thank God! Although my hemoglobin continues to be low, Dr. F. is pretty pleased with how I have been doing, so we will continue full steam ahead! I have this week off, and then I will begin a new chemo drug, which I will receive every week for 12 straight weeks until September 1. Time is flying and I couldn't be happier to already have these past four rounds behind me! Last Friday, Mike and I headed up to Petoskey to celebrate Lindsay and Justin's wedding. I would be lying if I said that we weren't a little nervous about being away from home the day after I had chemo. Normally, the weekend following chemo is the toughest for me and I usually don't feel too hot. Well, I don't know if it was the fresh northern Michigan air, the gorgeous sunsets, the Lake Michigan view, or being surrounded by good friends....but I felt the best I have felt in a very long time! After arriving to the historic Perry Hotel, we wandered around adorable downtown Petoskey, relaxed on a bench by the water, and then went out to a nice dinner. It felt so nice to have a "normal" night out with Mike and enjoy every minute of it without worrying about how I felt. The beautiful Perry Hotel... After Saturday morning breakfast with friends, I literally laid in bed the entire day until I had to get ready for the wedding. I was hoping that if I forced myself to rest, no matter how good I felt, that I would be in even better shape to enjoy the wedding. Well, it worked out great because I felt amazing the rest of the day. I thought that I would be able to enjoy the ceremony and maybe dinner, but that I would have to get back to my room pretty early that night. I am so happy to say that I made it through the entire night - all while feeling great! I was able to watch my beautiful friend walk down the aisle as she married her best friend, and then celebrate with her all night until the party stopped. I was so excited (and shocked) that I felt so good, and I am so happy I was able to be there to witness their gorgeous wedding. Somehow, I even had enough energy to hit up the dance floor, although I will admit that there is no way I could keep up with Cocoa ;) Dancing with the girls was a blast and I am so grateful that my body allowed me to have those moments and feel like myself again. Here are a few shots I captured while we enjoyed our little getaway - it always feels good to get out the nice camera... And of course, some pics of the gorgeous bride & groom... A wonderful night celebrating with friends.... All 11 of us piled into the photobooth...love you ladies! We truly couldn't have asked for a better weekend up north, and I can't thank you enough for all of your prayers! I feel beyond blessed that I was given the chance to have such a fabulous weekend and to feel so well from start to finish! However, we are still often reminded of how precious life is and how there is so much to be grateful for. We found out on our way back home that Mike's Uncle Johnny lost his courageous battle with cancer on Sunday. Uncle Johnny was very brave during his final days and we are comforted by the fact that he will now have eternal peace and rest. It has been a pretty tough year for the Malley family, after already losing Grandma Malley in January. Please keep the entire Malley family in your thoughts and prayers.
Thanks again for the constant love, support and encouragement! It truly means the world to me! xoxo, Meghan A new week + new weather - fatigue = finally feeling like myself again! We finally welcomed warm weather (in the 90's today!) and I finally bid farewell to my fatigue from Round #3. I was so excited to wake up today and finally have energy and feel "normal" again. It's a bummer that it took this long this time - since I have another round of chemo coming up in two days - but hey, I will take what I can get! I was feeling great today, the sun was shining bright, and my brother opened his pool this past weekend...sounds like a recipe for an amazing day. Add in my great friend, Katie and her adorable 2 year old, Emma - and it was quite the pool party. :) I can't tell you how fabulous it felt to enjoy an afternoon outside, laughing, chatting and not thinking for one second about feeling exhausted, or achy, or nauseous. It made me realize how truly debilitating the fatigue was for me this last round. I am so thankful that today was able to serve as a much needed reminder of how great life is and how wonderful I can feel once my body takes the time it needs to rest and recover. I look forward to many more days like this in the future! Miss Emma was not really interested in looking at the camera today, despite numerous attempts and bribes from Katie & I. She was loving that water though! ps - what do you guys think of my big, floppy, J Lo inspired hat?! Gotta come up with something to keep this bald head from baking in the sun. :) Finally caught a shot on my phone with some eye contact & smile Prior to today, I still wasn't feeling too hot so needless to say, we took it pretty easy this Memorial Day weekend. However, I did make it to my good friend Lindsay's bachelorette party this past Saturday. It was frustrating for me to have to leave after just a couple hours (once the crazy-fun bar crawling began!), but I could tell this run-down body had enough and needed to hit the road and rest. I was glad I could make it for a little bit and see my little "Stepankie" all dolled up and glowing with excitement for her upcoming wedding day! Some of my fabulous former co-workers & great friends at Lindsay's bach party! This upcoming weekend, Mike and I will be heading to Petoskey to celebrate Lindsay and Justin's wedding! I am so excited to see how gorgeous and happy my little Lindsay will be. It will be wonderful to have a weekend away and I am praying that I feel well enough to not only enjoy Lake Michigan and the beautiful Petoskey area, but to also break it down on the dance floor with Cocoa (aka Chanell -pictured far left above). :) My awesome friends on the 3 Day team have two great fundraisers planned in the upcoming weeks. Kara has set up a night of Yin Yoga at The Detroit Flyhouse in Eastern Market in Detroit. Kara describes Yin Yoga as, "regular yoga poses held for longer periods of time and done by candlelight". Sounds very relaxing and therapeutic to me! Sign me up! Check out the flyer below: Stacy has planned a fun night at Rosie O'Grady's in downtown Ferndale. You can't beat an all you can eat salad and pizza buffet for $15, especially for a great cause and with such wonderful company! Check out her flyer for more details and make sure to RSVP by June 10th. I really hope to see you there! Thank you so much for all of your support for the "Meghan Malley Rally" 3 Day team! They are doing an amazing job with their fundraising, thanks in great part to a lot of you that have made such generous contributions.
I also want to say thanks for the continued thoughts, prayers, and support. You have no idea how much a comment on the blog, a text message, a card - truly means to me, especially during the tough days. It really means more than you know and it brings me such comfort to be able to go back and read your comments and thoughts and know that so many people are praying for us and thinking of us. So keep it comin' folks! :) Please say a prayer for a great Round #4 of chemo - the last round of what is supposedly the hardest part of my chemo schedule before I switch drugs. Keep your fingers crossed for a little less fatigue so that I can enjoy this upcoming weekend away with Mike and our friends while we celebrate Lindsay and Justin's wedding! I hope you all have a great rest of your week and a wonderful weekend ahead! xoxo, Meg |
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