Beyond Cancer

First, please forgive me for not updating in months...no excuse; just let other stuff get in the way.

Jamie is all done with cancer treatment--she finished radiation about 3 weeks ago!

Her hair is growing back (and looks beautiful).

She is still pretty tired--I think the last 11 months have taken a toll on her body--but she is feeling better all the time, and had a fantastic attitude.

I am so proud of how she has walked through this, and continued to work and do all she does to keep our household running.

As a family, we are doing great--kids growing and having fun, enjoying the holidays, and looking forward to the new year.

In November Jamie and I went to a "Weekend to Remember" conference, and had an amazing experience. It brought us closer than we had been for a while.

I'll try to write more soon, but want to say thank you to everyone for all the love and support you have shown us over the past year. We are blessed with an amazing family and hundreds of friends.

Looking good!

I'm sorry I haven't updated sooner.

Jamie had a second surgery a couple weeks ago, and the results were great. The surgeon said the edges on the five pieces of tissue he removed all looked clean.

That means that he believes he got all the cancer cells out.

Jamie will start radiation in a couple weeks; that's the last part of the treatment. So the end is very close, and Jamie is really excited.

She is back at work and doing great, although she is pretty tired and her feet hurt pretty badly when she gets home.

Thank you for your prayers and encouragement.

Surgery went well

Jamie's surgery went well today. Dr. Skinner had to dig a little deeper, taking some tissue from the muscle of her chest wall, so she was in some more pain afterward than she was last time.

But she came home tonight and had a good evening. She is sleeping.

We go back next week to get the pathology report, and to talk about the next step, 5 weeks of radiation.

Thank you for your prayers and encouragement!

Surgery Update

Please forgive me for not updating recently.

Jamie is doing well. She had surgery two weeks ago, and it looked good. Dr. Skinner, Jamie's surgeon, was pleased that the original tumor had shrunk significantly due to the chemo.

Dr. Skinner also removed a section of tissue containing lymph nodes from under Jamie's left arm. Tests showed that cancer cells were in only 2 of the 9 lymph nodes; which is a good sign.

Jamie has been recovering well. But the tests after the surgery showed that there were some cancer cells at the edge of some of the tissue they removed from her breast. So we are going in for a second surgery today to remove some more tissue, and hopefully removing any remaining cancer cells.

Jamie has a great attitude. She bounced back quickly after the surgery and is ready to get this one done. And her hair is growing back--really fast!

My mother is in town helping us out, and has been great.

Kids are ready to start school tomorrow.

Thank you for your prayers and encouragement!

A Big Day

Last week Jamie had a mammogram; she was told that the tumor had shrunk significantly.

On Monday she had an MRI.

Today we meet with Jamie's oncologist and her surgeon, to get results of the MRI, and discuss what's next, as far as type of surgery (mastectomy or lumpectomy), and surgery date.

Jamie is really excited that the chemo is over. I am so proud of how she walked through it; it's been a difficult 6 months but she has shown amazing strength and determination.

Jamie is feeling pretty good, but has been dealing with neuropathy, which causes pain in her hands and feet. Hopefully that will subside as she gets further away from the chemo.

Her hair is starting to grow back, and we are excited as we move closer to the end of this healing journey.

Thank you to everyone who has given food and helped us out; it means a lot to have so many people supporting and encouraging us!

Good news!

Jamie had a mammogram today; the radiologist told her the tumor in her breast has shrunk significantly!

We went out to dinner to celebrate tonight; Jamie is really excited.

She has a couple appointments over the next week; then we'll make decisions about surgery.

Stay tuned!

Final Chemo Treatment!

Yesterday Jamie had her final chemo treatment!

It has been a big mountain to climb--16 treatments over 24 weeks; almost half a year. She has been very strong through it all--continuing to work at the bank, taking care of the house and the kids; I am amazed at her strength and determination.

She now gets a four-week break before having surgery. In the next couple weeks she will have tests and meet with doctors to determine exactly what type of surgery she will have.

My mother is coming out here from Virginia in August to help out for a few weeks after Jamie's surgery.

The kids have come through this well; they are helping out and loving their mom.

One of my favorite moments came at dinner a few weeks ago.

We were talking about the great commandment, loving God and loving people. Cash, showing compassion for Jamie's illness, said, "We should love Mommy almost as much as God and Jesus because she's bald."

Some recent highlights...


Ashley got her drivers license and is now able to help even more as we try to get everyone to work, daycare, summer camp, etc.


Thanks to some gift cards we've received, Jamie and I have been able to have a couple dates lately--wonderful time with just the two of us!

We had a great Fourth of July, watching the Loggerodeo parade in Sedro-Woolley and then having family and friends over for a cookout.


Tomorrow marks one year that we've been in Washington! It has been a crazy, exciting, scary year, but we have all grown closer as a family, and I think we've all seen God work in our lives in big ways.

Thank you for all the prayers and support, and for the great meals many of you have provided!