Heaps and Heaps of Support!

I have had a heavy heart this week. Several people that I dearly love are facing really tough situations...the recurrence of cancer and all that comes with the 'what-do-I-do-now?' phase, another with an early pregnancy scare, and yet another sharing the last days of a loved family member. But I'm reminded, as in my own journey, to take all these situations to my God in prayer! Indeed, He already knows the outcome of all these situations and He will work for good in each and every one of the hearts of those involved in each of these trials.

So it seemed fitting that today was the day to take the 'healing basket' (contents pictured) off our kitchen counter and into a keepsake box that I will treasure forever. This basket housed all the letters, notes and cards that you all sent over the last 8+ months of my cancer journey. Likewise, I have an "Ahhh, Love is Nice" Gmail folder that holds 448 of your emails sent to me with words of love and encouragement.

I have a diary where I carefully noted each day, the many calls, meals, and gifts that came in that day.

In addition, I just checked my Google analytics for Julie's Pink Link and since December 18th, you all have made 9,518 visits to this blog, leaving your good thoughts and comments along every step of the journey our family has traveled since my diagnosis. Indeed, 44 of our 50 U.S. states are represented and somehow also 39 other countries in the world have checked in at one time or another! Little did I know how far reaching the blog would be.

It seems the right day to once again be reminded of these treasures of the last few months. We human beings need to be reminded constantly of God's provision for us and how truly healing it is to others when we take time to reach out to them with a note, an email, a phone call, a prayer or all the other ways we can send the message..."I care about you"! Your love for me and my family was truly remarkable and truly made all the difference in my healing journey! Thank you so much!

My prayer today is that in each of the situations my friends are now facing plus those situations among all of you unknown to me, that your 'healing basket' would overflow!

The Recovering Power of Love!

All the research is very clear on this point--those people who have deep connections to family and friends in their lives live longer and do better under any kind of physical assault to their health. Whether studying recovery from serious injuries, surgeries of all types, heart attacks...you name it, every study I've read differentiates outcomes based on these connections.

So it's not surprising that I'm doing so well. Simply the 1,000 hits per month to this blog are a testament to all of you who continue to support my recovery process!

I did get a hyper-bolus of love this weekend though...from Parker and Finley as they celebrated their 2nd birthday. I will never forget both of them running to me with arms outstretched for a hug as we arrived on Saturday morning. And the pure joy in their faces as they each took their turns riding the pony who had arrived to delight all the little kiddo's at the party. Grandchildren are simply the best recovery drug ever!

Big Goal Accomplished!

Yesterday was another big day. Ted and I biked to the State Fair, walked all over and biked back, with a group of neighbors yesterday. Yes, it was 90+ degrees outside too! We all got our desired 'fair food' items, viewed the horses, sheep and pigs, the 4-H winners and walked everywhere in vain trying to find the 'giant zucchini'!

And yes, being the kids we are, we rode the Ferris Wheel and had a blast with the bumper cars!

Another recovery goal accomplished!

Happy Birthday to our Twins!

Today is a great day! Our twins, Parker & Finley turn 2 today! Here are pic's of them playing in the new play tent we sent them. It was so fun this morning to talk to them this morning, if only by phone to wish them a happy day and to get "Pops-Pops-Pops" from Parker and "Hi-Ya" from Fin. It's hard to believe that they're two as I remember their births like it was yesterday. My oh my, how life has changed in two years for Brian & Brooke.

• Finishing med school and feeding twins every 2-3 hours!
• Moving to St. Louis, buying a house and doing all that with 2-9 mo olds
• The endless house projects and starting Bri's interim year and child proofing the house as Parker and Fin were mobile early
• Finishing his interim year and starting his anesthesia residency and preparing for baby #3 to arrive!

Brian & Brooke prove that the "life events scale" is bogus as they have sailed through it all with complete grace and style! So even though it's Parker & Fin's big day, I think I'll hug Brian and Brooke lots today for the beautiful job they've done as partners and as parents! They show up in a few hours from STLouis for a family wedding, so the official BD party is next weekend so that MiMi and Pops can attend!

What Summer is All About!

Last night was so great. Ted and I walked out to our condo's courtyard last night about 7pm with our dog Wrigley and our grand-dog Indy. Before too long, Allie brought her dog Riley out to play. Then out came Tom and Roxanne, Mark & Teresa, Matt & Cindy, Ann, then our new neighbors Karen & Kirk. Mark & Teresa had just received their credit-card points gift which was a margherita machine. So we all convinced them that we needed to try it out...so needless to say...a lovely summer evening party just happened! The doggies romped and romped, refreshed by handouts of leftover ice to cool them down.

This is what I envy about the European lifestyle. People live close together and when evening comes, they congregate in the piazza to laugh, to eat well, to drink wine, but most importantly, to enjoy those evening summer breezes and cooler temps together! So get outside and enjoy what's left of this great summer!

P.S. I think we'll give the doggies their baths outside tonight and let them play in the sprinkler!

Home Group

Ted and I are so blessed. In 1986, we were deeply involved in starting a non-denominational church in Center Grove, the suburb where we raised our 3 sons. At the center of the church founders' hearts was the desire to create smaller Home Groups within the church body for the purpose of providing those involved a deeper connection to a community of believers who could pray, love and care for each other as life brought it's inevitable joys and trials.

So Ted and I have been with our Home Group for well over 15 years now. We remain together despite the fact that several of us have moved away and now attend other churches. Pictured here are some of my Home Group lady friends at a July gathering at our condo in 2004 (And yes, you're welcome Coleen, Julie, Marilyn, Fran and Midge for posting 'younger' pictures!). We gathered this past Friday evening at the Casper's, as we do each month for a time of prayer, devotions and lots of fun conversation. Coleen led our devotion which she said was "for her", but it was indeed for us all. All our Bible readings and discussion surrounded the topic of 'being thankful in the desert'. You know, those many times in life, when we are really struggling with something that deeply pains us or makes us so fearful that we think we can't make it through another day! Across these ten couples, just about everything has happened to at least one of us that could happen in life. And indeed, several of our Home Group couples are in tough situations right now. It is so wonderful that we have these times together where we can pray collectively and remember that God is so faithful to bring goodness out of tough times if we only 'cry out to Him' for guidance and strength. We know that He has brought us all through these times before and He will love us and teach us important character-building lessons through our current trials once again.

This group of friends is so precious to Ted and me. How amazing it is, to live life with people who have been such long-time Christian friends. We have shared so much with this group of people...bonded together by our collective faith and love for God and for each other!

Another Mini-Graduation!

It sounds silly I know, but it was so great yesterday to finish my 6th Zometa IV infusion which signals my 'graduation' to the every 3 month routine. What does that mean? It means that I will now receive Zometa every 3 months for an additional 30 months which means I finally finish in May 2012, just about 3 months after Indy hosts the Super Bowl.

If you remember, I'm in this national clinical trial whose purpose is to see if giving women with agressive breast cancer an osteoporosis-preventing drug will lower the rate at which the cancer could metastisize to bone. The idea is that if these drugs make your bones stronger and more dense, they will be less hospitable places for cancer cells to multiply. The additional benefit of course, is a lowered chance for osteoporosis which causes spine changes and greater risk for hip and other fractures as we ladies grow older, so I like that too!

So I now have no doctor appointments until late October (to see my surgeon for routine check) and early November for the next Zometa treatment...YEAH! Maybe all the IV stick bruises on my right arm will finally have the chance to really heal!

The Best News!

We awoke Sunday morning to the phone ringing...we had eagerly anticipated this call and it was just as expected...our #2 son, Joel and his love, Jo called from Bali to say that they are engaged!

Jo is such a perfect fit for our son Joel, as he is for her, but she is also a perfect fit with our family. They met in January 2008 and we had our first chance to meet her when Ted, Kyle and I went to San Fran in April of 2008. Then, Joel brought her to Indy for the 500. It was her first visit to the Midwest and needless to say, she was drinking from a fire hose that weekend on all our race weekend traditions, but handled the immersion into our Hoosier ways quite well.

We will never forget meeting her family for Thanksgiving in New York City.

They were all so gracious and kind to mix their wonderful traditions with ours that day. Jo's parents, Chia-Chia and David were both born in Taiwan, but didn't meet until they were both grad students at Berkeley. They subsequently married and raised Jo and her sister Shiao in San Francisco. This picture is of Jo, Chia-Chia and me at Thanksgiving last year.
Chia-Chia made the best poached fish I have ever eaten along with homemade wontons and vegie's that were perfectly cooked. We can't wait to visit Jo's parents again in October. David has been an incredible scientist and prolific patent-producer at Novartis, while Chia-Chia has earned national honors for her social work efforts in San Francisco, so needless to say, Jo comes by her intelligence and sweetness honestly from her amazing parents.

Jo was subsequently swept into crisis mode with us as we all gathered for Christmas and learned of my cancer diagnosis. Being a Harvard-trained physician followed by a 3 year Fellow in breast oncology at UCSF, she managed the delicate balance of providing us all with expert guidance while still maintaining her role as family supporter with tremendous grace! Needless to say, there was a lot of family bonding with her during this time...she helped us all so much.

So for knowing her such a short time, we all agree...she's a perfect fit for the Meek family. No specific wedding plans yet since Jo is starting her academic physician role at UCSF on September 1st, but likely the wedding will be late spring or early summer of 2010.

We welcome the Chien family into our own with tremendous joy and thanksgiving!