Surgery Week

That Saturday the 22nd of September we moved to Las Vegas, boy what a trip it was. With the moving truck, it took us around nine hours to get there; my butt was definitely bruised by the time we got to the house. Okay, I lied we didn't move to Vegas really, more like the giant city of Henderson, which is about 45 minutes from the strip.
When we got there we expected to be able to move our furniture in right away, but that wasn’t the case since the painters weren’t finished painting parts of the house. Since my dad had been living in Las Vegas, he got acquainted with the new ward and met people who were willing to help us move into the house. If it wasn’t for them then we probably would’ve been moving everything in till past midnight.
While everyone was moving heavy furniture I was in the empty area taking care of Jamie’s son Tyler. I was still not strong enough to do any lifting so I was the babysitter. I would’ve loved to help, but I knew better than to push my luck. While I was babysitting I was told to put him to bed, I was reminded that he would cry and I should just let him cry for a little while and he would eventually fall asleep. Hearing that kid cry almost broke my heart, he sounded like I abandoned him! I don’t know how mothers do it. As much as I wanted to comfort that little boy I knew that his sleep was more important at the moment. I couldn’t help but wonder if I would ever be a good mother someday. After the move, everyone left to head back to Utah. Even my mom and I left my dad, who stayed at the new house. My mom still had unfinished business to do like for example an important surgery to attend to!
The day had finally come when I got to have surgery to take my uncomfortable port out! On September 25^th I was scheduled to get it removed. This surgery was making me a bit nervous, because I didn’t want another day full of vomiting. I recognized some of the same people in the operating room who put that port in me, and now they were going to remove it. The next thing I know my vision is getting shaky and blurry and I’m out. When I woke up I was feeling so good! Not the “good” feeling that you get when you win an award, but the good feeling when you’re in the middle of a good dream where you’re flying through the clouds and nobody can bring you down. In fact, I was not feeling sick at all. Actually, I was really hungry and feeling a little energetic, but yet I was so tired I could’ve slept for days.

On my way home I asked my mom to stop by Carl’s Jr. to get some food that I was craving; now I have hardly ever been to Carl’s Jr., but there I was slobbering over this hamburger. I don’t even know how I thought of Carl’s Jr. in the first place, but when I ate it I was on cloud nine. Ever since that day I have always loved hamburgers from Carl’s Jr. When I finished the food I went straight to bed and heard people every now and again, but refused to wake up because I was extremely exhausted. I slept all day long till it was dinner time then I slept all night, it was the best sleep I had ever had. This surgery was the best I’ve ever had in my life mostly because I didn’t end up vomiting.

Later that week my mom had her scheduled surgery to remove her breast cancer. I was very anxious and nervous for this surgery. When she came home she was a bit loopy and outgoing, but still herself. She was doing really well for someone who just got out of surgery, so I was surprised when she said she would go to her cousin’s wedding that night. We didn’t stay very long but it left us on a positive note for the week.

Cancer Strikes Again

That weekend in Vegas was a real stepping stone in my improvement. We were leaving Vegas on a good optimistic note, well until we got a phone call. My dad was at his place in Vegas checking on where we were every couple hours, we expected the call to be from him, but it wasn't. Before our little trip my mom had a couple mammograms, she wasn't too worried about the outcome but you never know when you'll get an unwanted gift.
The person to tell us the results from the mammograms was actually a very sweet lady in our church ward. Now back to the phone call we got, she informed my mom that she actually had cancer. What a joke! My sweet loving mother who battled with me because of my luck to have cancer would now have to battle breast cancer. why? Why my family? I never questioned God as to why I had to go through cancer, but my mom? She doesn't deserve this, how could this be happening?
I wasn't angry, I was beyond frustrated. My mom always told me what most mothers always say "If I could take this burden and place it on my shoulders instead, I would" Was God toying with my emotions? I was fine that he gave cancer to me, but don't hurt my sweet mother she's been through enough this past year!
 I remember glancing at my mom when  I was just diagnosed with cancer, and I saw her cry but I didn't. Then here I was in the car driving back to Utah stunned and crying because I never wanted my mom to experience any measure of what I had to go through. Luckily, it was determined as a pre-cancer, but to me cancer is cancer, I'm just happy they caught it so early. This next week was very rough on her, she was recently diagnosed with cancer while her husband was away and now she had to finish packing and move everything to Vegas by the end of the week.
My mom was pretty easy going about the whole cancer situation, she told everyone that she now had proof that stress(me) can lead to cancer. She kept telling me that it's not as bad as what I had to go through, but it's still not okay to me. Why her? Why my family? Don't get me wrong, I would never wish it on anybody but I take it very personally when my family is involved. So far, the year of 2012 is the worst year for my family.

Messengers of God at Target

My dad as an IT man got a job that was located in Las Vegas, so he finally took the offer and was working on selling our home in good old West Jordan. My parents decided to sell the home by owner so when my dad put the house on sale on KSL we weren't expecting to sell it as fast as we did, but we got an offer on the house within 24 hours. The next move was to find a house in Vegas that would be good for not only my parents, but for visitors and for my grandma to stay in. I was unable to go with my family to vegas when they were looking at the homes, but from what I heard they were not having the best luck. Since my dad was already living at an old home in Vegas he was still looking while my mom was in Utah working and taking care of me.
My hardworking mom turned into slave overnight working day and night to do everything before the big move. She packed the whole house herself while working full time, and making sure I had my pain medicine every four hours. I know this was not easy for her, she had to leave all her family and friends in Utah to go to a state she doesn't even like, and had to transfer to a job where customers yell at her all day. It's not something she planned on ever doing, but she did it because she loves my dad, she loves our family. She may have become a slave in the work but she was a hero in my eyes. She put her family before herself, she works hard and honestly. She's been through Hell and back and still comes out strong.
I was finally physically able to go on a trip with my mom to see my dad in Vegas on September 15th. I wasn't at all expecting how hard it was to walk all over the place. Now keep in mind, we didn't do a lot of walking, but for me it seemed like a lot of walking, by the end of each day I was exhausted because I was so out of shape. Sometime during the weekend we stopped off at Target when we were there a woman came up to me and very sweetly asked if I had a certain disorder or a disease that doesn't allow me to grow hair in certain areas on my head. I replied that I was more bald in certain spots on my head because of chemotherapy and radiation. She only asked because of her daughter, in fact she was somewhere in the store.
When we got to the cashier she was there with her ten year old daughter and she wanted her daughter to meet me. Her daughter would wear a wig because she was insecure about her bald head, but when I saw her she was looking up at me with the biggest smile on her face! She then took off her wig and her mom explained to me what they thought. I was so used to not wearing my wig and staying bald that I didn't realize what effect I had on other people, I just thought wigs were itchy, hot, and uncomfortable. But here I was in a random Target being told I was being a good role model for her daughter just because I was wearing my baldness proudly. I was shocked and humbled by hearing this, it's something I could never forget. Sometimes we are messengers of God and not even know it.