Make the little things the big things every day!!!

I would like to start off this blog by saying how wonderful this week has been!

I have been able to take my Dogs out to the park almost everyday! This is our favorite place to go it is a park in the neighborhood I grew up in. 

   We have been going there to play ball and lounge around in the shade of the big trees for many years it is the place I feel most at peace I love it there. Sometimes on a nice day when I am sitting in the shade of the big tree by the horse pasture, and I can hear the sound of the gentle wind through the rustling of the leaves, smell the fresh cut grass, and see how happy my dogs are to be out playing ball and enjoying the day I think this must be what heaven is like only all my family would be there to.

On weeks where I am able to go several times with my girls is an amazing week! Having gone there consistently for the last few years and growing up in the neighborhood we know most the people and their dogs.
On Thursday we had 6 dogs playing together there was my two, then there was a little poodle called kip and a black lab mix named Zoe, my moms old Chocolate lab Sheila, and lastly is this sweet old puggle that always comes to see us and let's me love on it a bit (I wish I had gotten a picture of all the dogs together next time I will remember to take one for you guys). 

Another thing that gives me great joy about this park is far at the other end are horses we often bring carrots as a surprise treat for them. There are three horses but one in particular that lifts my hart every time I see her she is a dark brown with a black mane and tail, she always can tell when we get there before we even start heading her way that it is us and she walks to the fence and waits for us to come see her I don't know if she can smell us or just remembers what our car looks like but she is always there waiting and it feels my heart with joy!  

 
I wish a simple picture and some descriptive words would allow me to share the special joyful, peaceful feeling i get being there, really though there are not words to express how I feel about this park other then when I am there I am happy and at peace. 
Thursday was also very special because the girls (my dogs) got to meet their new sweet little cousin Jayden. We went for a nice little walk with Stacie, Matt, Jayden, and our Chocolate love Sheila.





















For my birthday Stacie, Matt, and Jayden got me this beautiful engraved Glob that plays "Amazing Grace" it is absolutely beautiful! The engraving reads "For you Sis" and a card with a dog and a cat. It meant so much to me!

Thursday my dad got his new Tent Trailer and man that thing is SO NICE I told my hubby Mike that some day I would love to have one of those so we could just pack up on weekends with the dogs and go.

Thursday night our dear friends Lindsay and Scott came over for dinner and we were able to catch up and even played on the photo booth app on my iPad! :)

Tonight me and Mike splurged and went out to dinner at Santa Monica Pizza& Pasta Co.
There we saw my best friends (AND MY friend) sister Kandis and her cute family! 

Kandis is an amazing photographer (she is on FaceBook as wish photography) and has offered to do family photos for Me and Mike with our two dogs as a birthday present!!!!!!!! I am beyond excited!!!!! We do not have any formal photos other then our wedding and I seriously can't wait! If you are in the market for a photographer look up her stuff on Facebook she is extremely talented and is such a kind caring person I seriously can not say enough good things about her work I posted a few pictures she has done which was so hard only picking a few just because they are all so so good! Go check it out for your self! This first one is of the beautiful  Kandis.

This is my beautiful best-ist friend Shyleen when she was pregnant with her little boy Sterling.

 

                     

Back to the pizza place if you have never been to Santa Monica GO!!! It is SO good!!! Get the garlic cheesy bread for sure! Mike got the Pepperoni sausage Pizza, and I got one with Alfredo sauce, feta cheese, roasted garlic and sin dried tomatoes with spinach and artichokes, it was amazing!!!! The drinks were HUGE!!!!!! Biggest cups I have ever seen in a restaurant!!!!

I know many of you are following my blog to keep up on my health and I am happy to tell you all that other then a little swelling in my right leg from the lymphedema that causes some pain I have been doing really well. I feel very blessed.
For those of you who are not familiar with lymphedema, Lymphatic obstruction is a blockage of the lymph vessels that drain fluid from tissues throughout the body and allow immune cells to travel where they are needed. Lymphatic obstruction may cause lymphedema, which means swelling due to a blockage of the lymph passages.

They are still in the process of trying to get me approved through insurance for the chemo pill it is called Votrient it is a pill I will take 4 times a day. The nice thing about this round of chemo is that this chemo pill attacks the enzymes so what does this mean?... For me this means almost no side effects! No lost hair, no nausea, or dizziness, no vomiting, no anemia. The only side effects it has been shown to cause occasionally is diarrhea and some mouth sores compared to the previous symptoms this is a walk in the park.
I will use this pill to control the growth of the tumors in my lungs and (although very unlikely) shrink them. I will use this till the Sarcoma no longer responds to it and starts growing again, in which case we will have a few options we can try, or until new treatment is discovered that addresses aggressive Sarcomas and helps slow or possibly even kill the cancer.
It is frustrating waiting for insurance to get started. I like to joke and say I am going to die before they approve it, a morbid joke I know please don't take offense but I don't see my situation as grim and I like to kid around and make light heavy things by adding my happy joking personality. It is irritating though that its been over a month and they are still trying to get it approved despite my constant calls to follow up.

Thank You for all of you that follow this blog! Keep me in your prayers and believe in miracles! I know I am going to be okay without a shadow of a doubt because of Philippians 4:6, 7 "Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus". and also Jeremiah 29:11"For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future".

For those of you reading this I want you to know how happy and blessed my life is because of all of you! I don't view my life as a struggle of hardships but as an amazing learning lesion! Yes it can be overwhelming to have a Dr who deals with and sees how this cancer works to give you a timeline for your life, but really the way I see it is I am just living life with a little more information then some get in life, you could get in a car tomorrow and your time may come so I want you all to know how important and wonderful are life's can be!

Make the little things the big things Every day!!!!

Happiness for me is......

WEDNESDAY MARCH 13TH

Very greatful to be feeling good and able to enjoy summer! 




Today was a fun day, the weather was nice and I had a play date with my two dogs and my sweet sister and     her adorable kids!

The weather was nice and we went to our favorite park in our mom's neighborhood. We played ball and took a long walk then came back to my house for lunch.



It was great weather 
I was able to rock a Tank top, shorts, and flip flops!

Today's do was a wild natural curl with a peacock feather headband to make the curly mess look like it was fashionably intentional.  







Later that night my Dad stopped over with a surprise delivery for us that he had gotten in the mail,... our Hawaii package!!!!!

After our big day with the kids, we crashed on the couch and me and my hubby watched Pearl Harbor to get us supper jazzed about our Maui Trip less then a month away!!!!





Dinner was homemade soup of my own creation which I was SO glad turned out good infant Mike really liked it (despite all the veggies in it). I was going to take a picture of it but forgot but just trust me when I say it was good ;D




I noticed that I was sunburned and got excited butterfly's realizing that it meant summer was on its way!

 Yes I just noticed the typo after the photo was made it should say season not session this was made on my phone and I didn't even notice the auto correct till someone pointed it out to me......

Today I took some time to think about how greatful I was to be feeling good this year and be out enjoying the park with my dogs and the sun. This time last year I was going through chemo unable to be in direct sunlight, and really out of it due to the treatments. I am so thankful to be here enjoying my life with my family and friends! Everyday is a blessing and I am honored to be able to share it with you!

<----THIS TIME LAST YEAR














THIS YEAR--------------------------->    

I have been so very blessed and am very grateful to have a GOD who loves me and wants the best for me. I see his mercy everyday in my life and the life's of those I love. 












This past Sunday I received a call from my husband Mike letting me know that a car had pulled out in front of him and he wrecked his bike, it is the call I have been dreading since he purchased the bike. Despit the fact and much to my dismay that he had been not wearing any protective gear besides his gloves he had only minor road rash and soreness.     

The accident happened at low speeds on a quiet street just down the street from our house. Even the bike was not badly damaged.

The cop told us he was very lucky however I disagree he was not lucky, it was not chance, I know there was  Godly protection and intervention it could have be SO much worse but again GOD was there taking care of me and those I love! I am so greatful or a loving father who is bigger then the trials of this life and knows what's best for us.

THANK YOU ALL FOR TAKING TIME TO READ MY BLOG AND SHARE MY BEAUTIFUL LIFE WITH ME! 

GOD BLESS I SEND MY LOVE OUT TO YOU ALL!!!! XOXO

Year in review my Battle with Synovial Sarcoma and the plans moving forward!

2. 

   My name is      AshleyDawn Leamon, but most of you already know that...  
   

   

   In March of 2012 I was diagnosed with a very aggressive and rare form of cancer called Synovial Cell Sarcoma. We became aware of this cancer because of a large tumor that was quickly growing in my upper inner right thigh. 
   
   
   
   

             While having a CT or CAT scan done  as routine check up to see if the cancer had metastasized anywhere else they discovered that my lungs were showered with blood clots and  despite it being a friday at 9pm had my Dr contact me and  advise me to stop what I was doing and go into the ER right away. 
   

   

      The Drs were all stunned and the severity of the clotting because my oxygen levels were good, and my lungs sounded fine when they listened with a stethoscope, I also was experiencing no symptoms such as coughing, shortness of breath, or pain, the Drs said that normally someone in my condition would be in a great deal of pain but the only pain I was experiencing was the pain of having to be stuck in the hospital and not see my Dogs  (who are my babies) for 5 whole days :) 

   

   

   

           During 2012 I underwent a very aggressive regimen of a combo of Chemo 4 times a week with (thank GOD) a two week break in-between treatments, causing me to loose every hair on my body, nausea, anemia, mouth sores, loss of ability to taste, and all those fun things that come along with the treatment, which I wrote about in a little more detail in other posts here in my blog if your looking for a little more light reading ;) 

   

   At this point the blog suddenly stops and for all you amazing people out there who were following it and were left hanging I do apologize I hit a wall there for a while and having to live though it was about as much as I could do, I just didn't have it in me to write about it at the time. For those of you who were let down, left hanging, and disappointed or worried I do apologize I am going to try to fill in the blanks for you as I move forward but for now I hope this brief explanation will do. 
   

   
   

   
          Once I was through with three cycles of the chemo they started me on radiation which after chemo was a peace of cake and a nice break! I went in every day Monday through Friday for about 30 min a day to be treated and really it wasn't so bad,  It did cause some burning on my leg making it so I could only wear skirts but lucky for me it was sumer so it all worked out just fine. While at radiation I met and made friends with an amazing women you may all know name Mary Nickles from channel 2 News.  

   

           

   After 25 treatments of radiation the next step was to remove the tumor this would include due to its size and attachment to the muscle to remove 50% of my inner thigh now I know that sounds terrible but I think it is wonderful that it was only 50% 10 years earlier and they would have had to take the whole leg, plus now my leg looks super thin like a Barbie leg I have been thinking about talking them into doing the other one for me ;) Sorry I am a bit of a kidder I like to tease and see the light side to any dark. Anyways after several surgeries the news was not good but great! the tumor was able to be completely removed no compromised margins and when the tumor its self was tested it was 95% dead now to give you an idea of what the norm is,... Most tumors removed after chemo and radiation are usually still 35% alive mine was only 5%.

         We were very optimistic and I was scheduled  to be on a watch with follow-up every 3 months with scans and blood work. My first follow up came in November 2012 and things looked great I was sent on my way and scheduled back for more scans and such in another three months. 

         In February a few weeks ago and, almost a year to the date from when I was first diagnosed with cancer I along with many others were shocked to find out that 10 new tumors had been discovered in my lungs ranging in size from 8-9mm, the largest was 10mm, This tumors were new and there was no sign what-so-ever of them 3 months ago. 

       It was a shock to everyone because I have been feeling better then I have felt in years. even before I found out that I had cancer, and also they were so successful with how much of the tumor had been dead when removed. 

        The Dr explained to me that at this point there would not be a cure unless one is discovered in the next little bit and our next step would be to figure out how to slow the growth of these tumors and prolong life kind of like that saying "Its a Marathon not a sprint".

   Thankfully this time we will not be doing the aggressive chemo (at least at first) because we do not want to be super hard on my body until we have to. Currently I am waiting for the chemo pill to be approved though my insurance and I will be using that for as long as the cancer will respond to it. I don't remember the name but I am going to try my best to be better about BLOG-ing and keeping you all up to date on whats going on with me. The wonderful thing about this chemo pill that I will be taking is I will not experience really any side effects such as loss of hair, sores, anemia, loss of taste, nausea which I am SO grateful for!  

   
   

   I know the prognosis is disappointing,  from the Drs perspective I have been labeled as terminal but while I have the utmost respect for Drs and know they are helpful and I am so thankful for them, I am first and foremost a believer and I know that there is only one person who knows what the hour and time is that we will return home to him and that is our father GOD. I continue to put my faith and trust in him and know that he will work to the good in every situation with me because I love him and he loves me. If you are wishing you could do something for me you can! The best thing you could do for me is pray to our father on my behalf. Pray has been such a blessing for me and I have been so grateful for the multitude of prayers that have gone out on my behalf. I want to share this with all of you who are reading this right now and feeling worried, or even despaired on my behalf. 

   Philippians 4:6-8

   New King James Version (NKJV)

   ⁶ Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; ⁷ and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

   
   

   Meditate on These Things

   ⁸ Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things arejust, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.

   
   

   Thank You all my Friends for caring about me enough to read my blogs (If your reading this; whether we have met in person on not you are my friend and I send you my love)  I appreciate your love and support and again offer my apologies that I have not kept up on it. I will be working on feeling in the blanks for you as I pick up where I left off with my blog. If you have any questions you want to ask me feel free to message me on Facebook I am happy to answer any and all questions. 

   
   

   ~Ashley Dawn Leamon
3. 
   

Round Three Of Chemo DONE! HALF WAY!!!! :D

Hello Everyone! 


Well I have made it through the third round of Chemo You all know what this means?.... We are half way through!!!! I am very excited about this if you couldn't tell? ;) 


We Started out this round of Chemo on a Monday and also met with my Dr Gregory Litton. Dr Litton evaluated the tumor and even though I had not felt like it was shrinking much he stated he feels that it has some which was great news! 
Dr Litton decided that we will evaluate the size to see actual shrinking if there is any with an MRI that I will get on Monday May 14th. I will then meet with my Surgical Oncologist Dr Steve Scott on Thursday May 17th to evaluate for removal of the tumor, or possible radiation before hand to possibly shrink it further. 
After surgery they will evaluate the tumor to see how much of the cancer is in fact dead and evaluate if more Chemo is needed or possibly just radiation. 


The possibility that we may not need further Chemo was very exciting to me as this last round I would have to say was my hardest. My spirits were a little more down then I like them to be which was frustrating. I had a lot of confusion with this last round as far as being unable to focus and think clearly, as well as having dreams and then not being sure if they had actually happened or not. They did advise us that this was a normal side effect however I think that was one of the biggest things that added to the frustration I felt throughout this las round was the confusion. I was also a lot sicker this round although thanks to anti-nausea medications I did not have any issues with vomiting which again was a blessing! 


I have been very fatigued and sleeping a lot, this is because I am as the nurse put it "Very Anemic" and eventually will have to get a blood transfusion I think this also is one of the reasons why this last round was so hard on me. The Anemia makes me cold all the time and super tiered getting from the bed to the living room couch is a big trip for me which I find oddly humorous.


This last round of Chemo has left me tasting even less which is a little frustrating I find myself feeling like the Pirates of the Caribbean character Barbossa who just wanted to taste his apple :) 

During Chemo week all I ate was Sonic tater tots and KFC Mash Potatoes however these things no longer had any flavor after the last day of Chemo. I also lost the flavor of Cheeses that I was enjoying so much before. I do still enjoy most natural juices and have been having a lot of these in slushy form or over Shaved Ice. 


I was so grateful to have the company of my Mom on Tuesdays Chemo day and My sister Christie on Wednesday on Thursday. Its so awesome to have such supportive family not only with taking me but by praying for me, and spoiling me in other little ways that show me that they care! I am so grateful for them all as well as my friends! You all help carry me through this you really do! 

On Cinco De Mayo my Mom came and got me while Mike was working a side job and I hung out at her house all day which was a nice outing. Because I am very low on energy right now I relaxed in her bed while she did some deep cleaning and we just visited which was very nice.


A good friend had given me a Saved Ice machine and we decided to be festive and try adding a little flavor to the ice with some Virgin Margarita Mix to my delight It did have a slight flavor that I could taste!!!! 

We also got some Hard shell Tacos from Taco Time and though there was no flavor from anything inside the Taco I enjoyed the crunchy texture of the Taco and discovered that if I put the very hottest sauce on the taco it helped get rid of the funky Chemo taste in my mouth that I have. This was very funny to all of us as we enjoyed our Tacos and I drenched mine in at least 3 packets of Fire sauce because normally I did not care for spicy things at all. With the loss of taste in my mouth the flavor did not feel hot at all, although I could tell it was because my nose started running :) My parents laughed so hard when I tried the texture of a crispy cinnamon bite covered in hot sauce ( it wasn't bad, not as good as the crunchy taco of which I had 3!) 

The salt water rinses have been very helpful I think in preventing the sores they say you get in your mouth during Chemo because I have not gotten any yet and rinse several times a day but as we go along they help less and less with the bad Chemo flavor. 


I will keep you all updated once I meet with my Surgical Oncologist next week on how they plan to proceed with treatment. To be honest I am hoping they will decide on surgery to removed the tumor because though I am grateful to be halfway done with Chemo after this last round I would really be grateful to be done and not be that sick again. 


I appreciate you all taking the time to read my blog and your constant prayers and positive thoughts I am SO grateful for! I hope you all have a wonderful, safe week! XOXO