A SPECIAL NOTE ON DAWN LEE

LAST UPDATE:

Friday August 20, 2010

Dawn is undergoing extremely serious surgery this morning at 11am.

Any prayers for Dawn, her surgeon and staff would be greatly appreciated.

I will post any updates in this spot.

1/24/2009

The Lord has given us the strength to endure this first challenge.

Dawns surgery went well, and with continued treatment for about

8 to 14 months she should be back to her normal self.

Our dance card has been extended.

Thank you for your prayers.

Tom

1/24/2009

Not feeling so pretty good (to be expected) sitting up on the bed, setting in a chair and taking short walks (assisted).  Difficult to talk and take a breath due to a tube - we got it removed, but not before nearly choking to death - sometimes you must demand what you know is right.

The pain medication is taking the edge off and Dawn is handling it with grace.

Tom

1/25/2009

6:30 am Dawn is feeling better than yesterday, sounding clear and ready for the kids to visit.

The day started out great but turned bad in the afternoon - we expect there will be many days like this.

Tom

1/26/2009

Bad Day, Pneumonia (mild case) has set in - hard to breath.

1/27/2009

Dawn had a much better day.  Antibiotics doing their thing.

She has been walking about 75 feet (round trip) actually had a piece of toast and some kind of soup.

Friends and family have helped a great deal. 

Tom

1/28/2009

Dawn is home.

She is feeling weak and very very sore - but home.

It's a little hectic and stressful - but home.

Still difficult to breath with strength - but home.

Our thanks go to all that know Dawn, Prayed for her and helped us get past this first hurdle.

Now comes the difficult road of eradicating the remaining bit of the devils work with Chemo therapy.

And I thank God - Dawn is home.

Tom

02/02/2009

Dawn is recovering, and those of you that have gone through similar situations know that it can be slow and arduous at times.  Friends and family have helped - don't know where  we would be without their support.

Tom

02/14/2009

Hello to all my Dear Friends!  I am getting stronger every day, this is my first email to let every one know that I am getting better.  I had Tom take a picture of me today as I had 15 inches of my hair cut off today.  I have grown my hair long for over 15 years.  I will be starting my Chemo treatments the first week of March and my Doctor said it would be better to get a short hair cut.  It was a hard thing to do after wearing it long for so long, but I got a nice short cut.  Hair will grow back.

I want to thank all of you that have kept me and my family in your prayers.  It has meant a lot to all of us.  All of the cards and flowers sure have made my days happy.  Some of our family members and friends here in Michigan have made meals for us and brought them to our home.  It has helped Tom as he sure has his hands full.  I will be sending out thank you notes soon . My eyes just have been a little blurry so I have not been able to write very well.

I will be starting the next part of my journey with the cancer.  My Doctor feels that he removed 95%.  I am scheduled to receive 12 Chemo treatments. Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers for the months ahead.

Again Thank You all for being so kind to the Shepherds

God Bless each and everyone of you.

Dawn Lee

03/01/2009

The Med-port has been surgically implanted on Thursday of this week.

This allows blood to be drawn or fluids to be put in - such as Chemo - poison - to help kill the Cancer that has attacked Dawn.

It is attached so that it is hooked up to the jugular vein - we are going after this demon with gusto.

Chemo will be started this week - Wednesday.

On a lighter note, we have celebrated our 40th wedding anniversary at Molly's restaurant in Midland with

Bob and Pat - Tom a visiting, retired priest also joined us.

It was magical.

Tom

 3/4/2009

The first treatment has been given on March the 4th.  Everything went well.  Dawn made it through the treatment just fine.

We will be watching for the side effects in the days ahead.  We hope that the side effects are mild ones if any.

Tom

3/26/2009

Hello Friends and Family,

 Just a note to let every one know that I had my second chemo treatment yesterday.  Before the treatment I had a Doctor visit with Dr Boike.  Before my operation for the cancer my CT markers were over 1200. A normal reading is 35 or below for a woman.  Mine was off the charts so that is one way they knew that I had cancer  besides other test that were given .

I have blood work done 2 days before every chemo treatment.  When I saw Dr. Boike my CT markers were down to 30!!!!!!!! That is wonderful.  The cancer is still with me but what a drop. That means the chemo plus the operation is working.  I have started to lose my hair. I am getting very thinned out on the top and sides.  I will wait a little longer that have the rest buzzed off. Tom says this is a good sign as it means the chemo is working.

Thank you all for keeping us all in your prayers and thoughts as I go forward on my journey to become a cancer survivor.

The best to very one and keep well.

Dawn Lee

05/01/2009

Hello Friends and Family,

We are sorry that we have not up dated the notes to you all. We hope that you folks have not been worried.

I have had chemo treatment number 3 on the April the 15th.  The week before my treatment I had a bladder infection and had to be put on a medicine to over come the infection. My infection did clear up thank the Good Lord.

After this chemo treatment I have had the side effect of being very fatigued.  We have been taking a morning rest and a afternoon nap. That is what one has to do with the cancer fatigue.

The Midland Cancer Society has a treatment call Reiki to help people over come the pain and to relax and be at peace with-in your self.  I have started the treatments and I think they will help me with worry and stress.   I also went to a class offer by the American Cancer Society to help cancer patients feel good about themselves.  They taught us about make up and things to do for our bald heads and our skin. We were given all kinds of  make up and skin care products.  It was all given to us at no charge.

You can see by the pictures above that I am now bald.  it is a hard thing to handle but hair will grow back once I finish my chemo.  My dear husband Tom bought me a wig but it kind of bothers me.  Little Dylan say's he loves me with hair or without!! Leave it to a child to make you feel better about yourself.

I will be having my 4th chemo treatment on the 6th of May.  8 more after that.  It is a long day being hooked up to a IV for almost 5 hours.

We want to thank you all for the prayers and all the e-mails asking how we are all doing. friends and family sure have helped us keep our out looks high.  We are trying to be positive.

We hope that you are all well and happy.

Good Night and God bless you all.

Dawn and Tom

06/05/2009

Dear Friends and Family,

  I hope that this up date finds you all in the best of health and good spirits.  A lot has been happening

with me.  When I had my 4th chemo treatment they could not get a blood return. This has happened every time I had a chemo treatment.  It was decided by Doctor Boike  that I needed to have dye put in my Med port and then a x-ray to see what the problem was.  During that time I developed a bad cough and a cold.

Having that I was not able to have the test or my chemo.  I was put on medicine to get me over the cold and cough.  It took me two different medicines to fight that off.  Because of getting sick I lost another week of chemo.  I had to have the Med port removed today the 5th of June and a new one put in. No one knows what happened to cause a kink in the old Med port plus it had moved up into my neck and that is why it was not working right.

 I am home tonight and glad that the Med port is replaced if it needed to be.  I just want to get back to my schedule for my chemo which should be every three weeks.

I will have two weeks to recover from this surgery.

Tom has been right by my side and gives me hope and strength.

Our children are now out of school so they will be here to help me.  They are good kids and they realize that they have to pitch in and help.

I am scheduled to have my next chemo on the 11 0f June.  I just hope and pray that I am able to keep this appointment as it will be 6 weeks since I had a treatment.  I just want to get it done.

When I had my 4th chemo my blood work showed that my CA 125 levels had dropped to 15.  That is wonderful.  I thank the Lord that He is making the chemo treatments kill the cancer.  I have 8 more to go and we hope that I will continue to improve.

Take care of yourselves and may God bless us all.

Tom and Dawn Lee

07/05/2009

Dear Friends and Family,

  I hope that this update finds you all in the best of health and good spirits.  Yesterday was the 4th of July 2009, it was a beautiful sunny day here in Michigan.  We had a quite day of rest. Tom grilled out and we took Dylan to see the fireworks right next door at the church camp. The fireworks were beautiful and little Dylan enjoyed them as did Tom and I.

On the 1st of July I had my 6th chemo treatment. Before going for my treatment I went to see Dr Boike.

My CA 125 count is staying the same at 15.  This is great as often they stay the same for a while.

Because I am half way through my chemo I need to have CT scans of my brain, chest and abdomen to make sure every thing is OK and verify the CA125 marker.  This will take place on the 14 of July.  I pray that all will be fine.

There are many side affects to Chemo Therapy and most people do not have them all and you generally only hear about the most prevalent effects - each individual is unique in their reaction to the treatments.  I am experiencing a dramatic loss of vision (nearly blind) in my right eye due to the chemo attacking the nerve endings in my cranium - this also can cause a loss of the ability to process information and decision making. While this is frustrating it is also usually temporary and the effects go away after treatment is completed.    

I will see Dr Boike on the 22 of July before I have my 7th chemo treatment.

I want to thank everyone who has been praying for myself and my Family.  It sure means a lot to all of us.

We hope everyone has a wonderful summer and a safe one.

My the Lord bless us all.

Tom and Dawn Lee

07/24/2009

Dear Friends and Family,

I have some very good news to share with my dear Family and Friends. Last week I had CT scans on my brain and my chest and my abdomen. We are happy to say when I went to see Doctor Boike on Wednesday the 22 of July that no tumors were seen. I was so scared to hear what he would have to say.  I am half way through the chemo so this is a critical point. My CA 125 level is now 14 so it dropped a number too. It was a great report for Tom and I to hear. 

I have a wonderful husband.  He goes with me to all of my doctor appointments and wants to hear my reports.  Then he goes with me to my chemo treatment and sets with me while I am hooked up to the IV for 5 hours. Tom goes and brings us lunch to help break up the time. He might fall asleep in the chair next to me but, he is right by my side.

People do not realize how important it is to have strong family and friends to help someone through a serious illness. I can not express how much I love my Family.

We are all enjoying the summer as much as we can. The kids are swimming almost every day.

I can not be in the sun because of the chemo treatments so I have not been able to swim. I look forward to next year!!  It is hard to believe that July is almost over.

We hope that you are all enjoying your summer.

Blessings to very one,

Dawn and Tom

09/4/2009

3 more Chemo Treatments!

Dear friends and family,

I had my 9th chemo on the 2 of September and I saw my doctor also.  As you may know when I have my chemo treatments

I receive Carboplatin and Taxol.  For my last three treatments I will be receiving only Taxol.  My CA 125 level is at 14 which is good.

Dr. Boike is very pleased with my progress so far.

I am still suffering from fatigue and require a lot of rest.  I have to take lots of naps (Tom does not seem to mind the naps as he is required to attend).   Also I have fatigue because I have anemia, I could get a blood transfusion but I will see how my blood count is in three weeks. I want to get done with my treatments.

I want to thank everyone for their thoughts and prayers for my and my family.  We are doing well but there is still along way to go.

The Lord has blessed us as I keep progressing. We are keeping positive thoughts even on the bad days.

We will be sending the children back to school next week so that will get things kind of back to normal.

we hope that all the returning students will have a great year in school.

May the lord take care of all of us.

Bye for now,

Dawn Lee

10/3/2009

2 more Chemo Treatments!

Hello friends and Family.

I had my 10th chemo and I had a good treatment. My doctor was out of town so I did not see him before I had a treatment. I guess all my numbers must have been OK or I could not have had a chemo treatment. 

I will be having my 11th treatment on the 14th of October. My last chemo (number 12) will be on the 4th of November if all goes as planned. I will find out what the next steps are in my cancer journey.  I pray every day that the lord will allow me to be here to raise the children.

I hear very often from friends and family that are praying for my recovery and my family. It means so much to Tom and I and our children.

We are now into the fall here in Michigan and it is very beautiful. Every time I go for a ride I think how lucky we are to be able to enjoy the Lord's handy work.

Bye for now,

Dawn Lee

11/11/2009

The Last Chemo treatment

This is my last chemo in the series of 12. Here I am at the beginning when I just got hooked up to the

machine and the med port in my chest.

This is at the end of the day when I am just about ready to get unhooked .You can tell I am very happy to be done!

Hello friends and Family.

I hope that this finds every one well and happy.  I am wanting to share how happy that I am to be finished with this part of my Cancer Journey.  It has been a long journey but one that I realize I am lucky to have been able to take.  At this visit to my Doctor Boike office this morning I found out how we will continue the treatment of the cancer.

Ovarian and uterus cancer are at a high risk of returning.  I will be seen every three months by Doctor Boike.  I will have a pap smear every visit to check on things and cat scans every so often.  I will do this for the next two years every three months. This is why I must keep the med port in my chest so if the cancer shows up Doctor Boike can put me back on chemo again.  We are not going to think like that!  We are going to be strong and positive.  Dylan is going to be 8 years old December the 31 and I want to be here to help raise him and see him graduate. 

My family has been so strong and helped me get through the last year.  Tom has been very strong and positive for me when I have been sad and felt down.  It is so wonderful to have a partner in life like Tom. I know this has been a terrible year for him as well with me being sick and he has not been able to find work since February. He has tried not to show how up set and worried he has been. I want to thank him for being there for me.  We have been married 40 years but it does not seem like it!

I also want to thank my sister Pat for being there for me. She has taken time to go with me to my chemo twice when Tom was not able to go.  She has made food for our family, come to visit me, given us a gas card, called every week to check on me and just be there as a sister and a friend. Life is so short and we all need to take time and just be thankful for the little things.

I feel as though as we get closer to Thanksgiving I realize the true meaning of being thankful.  I am very thankful for a year with my loved ones.  I might not say it but I do love and treasure them all.  I am also thankful for all of the friends that have kept us in their daily prayers and thoughts.  I believe God has heard them and has helped heal my cancer. No matter what happens I will try and be positive.

I wish everyone a blessed Thanks Giving. We will keep you up dated as I go along with my Journey.

Bye for now,

Dawn Lee.

12/18/2009

MERRY CHRISTMAS & HAPPY NEW YEAR 2009

Hello friends and Family.

We hope this Holiday season finds everyone healthy and happy.

 The Shepherds are doing well as the 2010 year begins.

Dawn is in remission and the outlook is very good.

The kids are all well in school with Caietlyn looking forward to graduation in 2011.  Amanda is into make-up and hair do’s.  Dylan is into the Transformers and night vision?

Shawn, Tim, and Kim are doing well with Tim providing 3 grandkids and Kim and Larry getting ready to have our 4^th around May.

Tom has gone back to work again and is looking forward to retirement again?

This has been a very difficult year for many people and we consider ourselves blessed.

May 2010 be blessed for all.

THE SHEPHERDS

April 2010

Three Sisters get together for Dawns 60th Birthday!

The following is a brief update of the aforementioned gal.

We'll need to understand "REMISSION" in the context of medicine.

Remission - Defined

Remission is the state of absence of disease activity in patients with known chronic illness that cannot be cured. It is commonly used to refer to absence of active cancer when these diseases are expected to manifest again in the future. A partial remission may be defined for cancer as 50% or greater reduction in the measurable parameters of tumor growth as may be found on physical examination, radiologic study, or by biomarker levels from a blood or urine test. A complete remission is defined as complete disappearance of all such manifestations of disease. Each disease or even clinical trial can have its own definition of a partial remission.

What Is Remission?

 Some people think that remission means the cancer has been cured, but this is not always the case. Remission is a period of time when the cancer is responding to treatment or is under control. In a complete remission, all the signs and symptoms of the disease go away and cancer cells cannot be detected by any of the tests available for that cancer. It is also possible for a patient to have a partial remission. This is when the cancer shrinks but does not completely disappear. Remissions can last anywhere from several weeks to many years. Complete remissions may go on for years and over time be considered cures. If the disease returns (recurs), another remission may be possible with further treatment.

Today is May the 3, 2010. On the19th of April I had blood work done and a cat scan taken.

 This was done because I felt some lumps on my right side and I was concerned.

I received a call from Dr. Boike (my cancer doctor) that my count was up from 14 to 41.

also that I had nodules.  I saw Dr. Boike today and I am no longer in remission.  I will be starting two new kinds of chemo treatment very soon.  If the nodules go away or shrink I

will be on two chemo's for a while. If they do not work then he will try other kinds.

We were hoping that the first chemo would keep me in remission for many years. Perhaps the new drugs will be the ticket.

We are not giving up hope with this set back!  I will keep my spirits up and try to be strong

for the next part of my journey.

Dawn Lee

The Serenity Prayer

JUNE 2010

Dear Friends and Family,

We hope this e-mail finds you all doing well. I thought I would let everyone

know what has been happening in the last 6 weeks.  I started two new chemo treatments and I had different side effects than the first kinds of chemo I had.

With this I have a lot of nausea . Nothing smells good or tastes right. I have medicine to help with the nausea.

When I went to see my doctor and have my second chemo treatment my white cell count was too low so the doctor said I needed to wait a week so it could come up.

When I went to see him before my next chemo treatment I was having trouble getting my breath and coughing. He sent me to the emergency room as he was worried I might be having heart failure or a possible blood clot. I was checked into the hospital where I stayed for three days while they ran all kinds of test on me. I was given breathing treatments every 4 hours and that seemed to help. I did not have a blood clot and my heart checked out ok.

They did find 4 spots on my left lung and not sure if cancer has traveled there or not. They are to small to tell at this time. If it is cancer the chemo Treatments will reach everywhere there is cancer cells.

I was so happy to get home to my family! Hospitals are no vacation.

I was put on 8 new kinds of medicine plus breathing treatments. I do not know what caused the breathing problems perhaps it is the cancer?  I am feeling  alot better so something is helping me.

I do know that I am happy to be alive every day. I have put my self in the Lords hands to take care of me.

Everyday I wake up is a good day. I have really enjoyed the beautiful spring flowers and the trees so nice and green again.

I hope every one has a wonderful summer.

I will let you know if the new chemo treatments help or if I will be put on a different kind.

My doctor told me there are a lot of different kinds that he can try.

God Bless,

Dawn Lee

August 2010

Dear Friends and Family,

 On the 7th of August, Saturday: Dawn was having some minor difficulty with memory and speaking, we attributed this to the effects of Chemo.

Sunday August 8th: The difficulty was getting more pronounced and becoming

a frustration for Dawn.

Monday August 9th: We went to the Midland Emergency Room at Midland Hospital.

After many hours of testing and waiting (many of you know the routine) the

Doctor came to us with this: "I have found what is causing the problems"

Diagnosis: A Cancer Lesion on Dawn's brain.

Monday evening at around 7:30 pm she was transported by

ambulance to Covenant Medical Center in Saginaw, Michigan.

After arriving in Saginaw: tests began immediately.

2 am Tuesday morning: We normally pray for the strength to

to deal with whatever the Lord throws our way, this time we

added that a small miracle would be ok too.

The drive home was difficult for me; thinking of my best friend for more

than 40 years in this condition was bringing me close to utter despair.

Tuesday August 10th: more tests - little information.

Wednesday August 11, 2010

A SMALL MIRACLE

The Doctors at Covenant Medical Center informed us that

Dawn's condition was NOT caused by a Cancer but rather

Dawn had most likely suffered a mild Stroke.

We call it our "LUCKY STROKE"

Saturday 14th August - 9am: the results from the last test

had come back and they showed that the doctors suspicions were

98% accurate -  the only way to tell for sure (100%)

would be to perform a biopsy - and they did not believe that would

beneficial and could actually cause more harm than help.

An MRI can confirm diagnosis in two or three weeks.

Chemo cannot be restarted until this is resolved, however her

Cancer marker has retreated to 26 with 30 or below being normal - So

the Chemo was doing its' job.

Dawn came home Saturday and is recovering - The proverbial...

"Take an aspirin and call me in the morning"

She will undergo another test to determine if she can take

a stronger blood thinner instead of the aspirin treatment.   

God Bless,

Tom & Dawn Lee

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