Update #10

Hi, all,

There's not much new to tell right now, but I thought you'd like to know that we haven't forgotten you.

The Norwalk juicer arrived this week, and extracts all the juice from the vegetables and fruits, leaving a very dry "pancake" of fiber. Wonderful!

Terrie's looking forward to leaving for her clinic on Monday morning, early. Thankfully, the clinic fees and her plane ticket have been paid, and other donations have taken care of part of the costs of transporting her both ways between the airport and the clinic. We still need $180 more to get her there and back. 

She's tired, and has been pretty uncomfortable for several days, now, so it's easy for her to become blue. We've taken to praying more with her first thing in the morning, and that seems to help buoy her spirits. If you're reading this and can take time to post a comment here, please let Terrie know that you're still remembering her. It would mean so much to her.

God bless you all!

--Marty

Update #9

Hi, all,

PTL

I'm running off in a few minutes, but I thought you'd like to know that Terrie received a shot in the arm yesterday, as she learned about her LTD (long term disability) benefits from work -- it'll be enough for her and Marisa to live on if their careful. There's a waiting period of 90 days before the LTD benefits kick in, but it's still a great comfort to know that they'll be coming, even if she can't have them immediately.

Also, she's at peace because a particularly wonderful family have agreed to give Marisa a home if something should happen to Terrie. Both Marisa and Terrie are very happy about this gracious offer, and it's given them a lot of comfort. You can imagine how much of a load this takes off their minds!

Visiting Terrie 

These developments help to buoy Terrie's spirit, for her days can be long and dull - she's not occupied by work or the conversations with her coworkers; she spends much of her time in boosting her immune system, and she hasn't the energy for extracurricular activities. To help break the monotony, the Lord has sent two people to chat with and pray with her several times a week. We thank God for June and for Freda and Stan, who will be coming two days a week. They don't stay long, of course, because Terrie tires very easily, but their visits give her something else to think about for awhile.

Terrie would welcome visits from any of you, so she can hear about how things are going in your lives. Should you wish to visit her in person, rather than sending a card or your wishes through this blog, please remember to call before you come. She spends most of her day at a friend's home, so try to call and leave a message on her home phone the day before you come. Since she also needs to nap during the day, we ask that you visit her between 2:30 to 4:00 p.m., and plan to stay no longer than 30 to 45 minutes, depending on how strong she is that day.

Her Current Financial Need

Terrie's due to go to a clinic for a 7- to 14-day stay; she leaves in 10 days, on February 4th. Several families are sponsoring her for the clinic's fees ($5500 per week) and for the plane fare, but we're still a little short of what's needed to transport Terrie from the airport to the clinic and back to the airport. We need $280 to cover those expenses. We've tried to find less expensive transportation, but this is actually the best solution.

Should you wish to help with this need, you can make a deposit at any San Benito Bank office, or you can send your gift to the San Juan branch at

San Benito Bank

301 3rd 

San Juan Bautista, CA 95045

• Write your checks to the "Terrie Sanchez Fund"
• Please write the account number on it: #0101661551
• And email Ted at tls1@razzolink.com, so he'll know that the funds are there. Give him your name, address, and amount, so he can keep accurate records. This information is for record-keeping only, and to keep us from being confused.
• Again, because your gifts to Terrie are specifically for her, they are not tax deductible.

That's all for now. God bless you all!

Under His mercy,

Marty

Update #8

Hi, everyone,

This'll be short, but I wanted you to know how Terrie's doing.

Over the weekend Terrie's been rather tired, and it's hard for her to get going in the morning. She's in some discomfort but it's manageable at this point. In two weeks she'll be off to her clinic of choice and will be gone for a week or two.

Yesterday Pastor Pierre took photos of her and Marisa -- mementoes that everyone should take the time to make -- so that they can have some wonderful memories. 

There's not much more to tell you today; I'll try to write again soon. God bless!

--Marty

Update #7

Good evening, everyone,

Tonight's entry will be rather short, but I thought you'd like to know that today Terrie laughed and laughed because she's feeling better -- I haven't heard her so light-hearted for several weeks now. When she moves, though, she's decidedly short of breath.

About that Norwalk Juicer

We're grateful that Terrie's receiving a loaner Norwalk juicer, to help her for the next several months, until she can obtain her own juicer. We're still looking for an affordable used Norwalk juicer for her, as the $2300 price for a new one is rather daunting.

Helping Terrie Financially

Terrie will experience a rather severe drop in income after her PTO (paid time off) runs out at the end of this month. She is not eligible for disability insurance until May, so she will need much help financially during February, March, and April, at the very least. We have set up an account for Terrie for those of you who would like to help Terrie financially. You may send your  donations to any branch of the San Benito Bank. If you're not close to one of those branches, you may send your checks to

San Benito Bank

301 3rd 

San Juan Bautista, CA 95045

(831) 623-4590

• Write your checks to the "Terrie Sanchez Fund" and 
• Write the account number on it: #0101661551. 
• Also please email Ted at tls1@razzolink.com -- with your name, address, and amount -- so he can keep accurate records. 
• Since your contributions will be specifically for Terrie, these arenot tax deductible. 
  

I think that's all for now; the brain's getting fuzzy. G'night and God bless you all.

--Marty

Update #6

Hi, all,

I'm sorry I haven't posted for several days. I haven't seen Terrie since the weekend, and I've been out of town.

Terrie's Current Condition

She's tired and is really trying to focus more on getting healthy, so most of her day is filled with resting and doing the other things that will help her body to fight. I haven't heard about the thermography results yet, but I'll let you know when I have that information for you. 

Juicer Needed

Terrie has an urgent need to find a Norwalk juicer at an affordable price. Apparently this particular juicer extracts juice in a unique manner which gives the most juice while preserving the precious nutrients and live enzymes which are so helpful to the body.  The current model, the Norwalk 270, has been in production for 15 years and is more reliable than the previous model, the 265.The Norwalk juicer retails for $2200-$2300, so we're looking for a used one! We're keeping track of the eBay listings for Norwalk juicers; if any of you happen to know someone who wants to sell theirs, please let us know.

Prayer Requests

Terrie so appreciates your prayers and encouragement. As you continue to pray for her, she'd love to have you include these requests in your prayers:

• For her comfort and strength - physical, emotional, mental, spiritual
• For her current and future financial situation
• For Marisa's peace of mind
• For an appropriate confidante for Marisa - someone to help her process and to deal with with the usual teenage challenges, and with the added stress of Terrie's cancer
• For energy, for efficient use of time, and for clarity of heart and mind for those who are closely supporting Terrie in her fight

That's all for now, folks. I believe I'll have more news for you late tomorrow, so I'll try to write then. I hope you all have a good day. God bless!

Under HIs mercy,

Marty

Hello Freda,

Thank you so much for your prayers. I am so grateful for the support I'm receiving from you and my church family. I know it is making a big difference in my healing journey. I appreciate every prayer, word of encouragement and love being poured out by everyone. Thank you and may you and everyone be blessed as well.

Love always,

Terrie

Hello Paula and Jimmy,

Thank you so much for checking up on me. It truly means a lot to hear from you. Thank you for your prayers and encouragement. You both give me extra strength to continue with this struggle. I pray that both you and your families are doing exceptionally well. Take care and God bless you all. Talk to you soon.

With love,

Terrie

Update #5

Hi, all,

I'll try to post twice today, because there's so much to tell you. I know it's challenging to read a long post, so I'll try to make them reasonably short. Besides, I typed this post in my word processor and discovered that I can't copy from it and paste the message into this blog; I have to actually type the message here and then copy from here into my word processor so I can keep a record of what I've told you.

PTL

God is sooo gracious! Terrie's been driving herself around Hollister, so no one had planned to take her to her Social Security appointment last Friday. However, when I awoke on Friday morning, the Lord reminded me she had that appointment, and asked me who was taking her there. After a few calls to see if anyone else could do it, I called Terrie to ask her whether she wanted a chauffeur for that trip -- and she did! If God hadn't prompted me, Terrie would have been sitting there waiting for one of us to come pick her up, as she thought that we'd planned to do that. The Lord's timing is perfect!

Her Disability Insurance

The Social Security administrator/facilitator/agent who helped Terrie this last Friday is trying to do everything she can think of to help Terrie speed up the approval process -- the process normally takes 3-5 months to get approval. The bottleneck is usually obtaining the medical records, but Terrie gave them a copy of her records last Friday.

Terrie's still receiving her sick and vacation pay, but that runs out at the end of this month. The Social Security Administration will deny her disability insurance application if she's receiving $900 or more per month, so it doesn't do any good to apply for disability insurance until her income drops below the $900 ceiling. Moreover, she has to be disabled for at least five months before they'll start sending disability payments, which means that she won't be eligible for disability payments until at least late April or early May.

What this means for Terrie is that she'll have a severe shortfall during the months of February, March, and April. After that, we'll know how bad it is when her disability insurance payments actually begin in May -- if they begin that soon.

Helping Terrie Financially

Some of you have asked how you can help Terrie. We are in the process of setting up an account for her, and when we have that information, I'll post it here for those of you who wish to send her your financial love gifts.

Visiting Hours :)

Terrie would love to see you any who wish to visit her. If you wish to visit her, please plan your visits for the afternoons, between 2:30-4:30, and arrange your visit time beforehand so that you won't all descend on her on the same day or keep her up too long. At this time a visit of 30 to 45 minutes is a comfortable length of time for her to have visitors.

I'll post more in a bit, if I still have time. Thank you for your loving comments to Terrie; they mean a lot to her. God bless you all.

Under HIs mercy,

Marty

From Terrie

Hello Everyone,

Thank you so much for the encouraging words and prayers. It really means a lot to me to hear from you. I'm taking one day at a time, trying to stay positive. Let me get back to you as far as helping out. Hugs and kisses to you all. I miss you all and hope to see you soon. God bless you all.

Love Always,

Terrie

Update #4

Many thanks for your encouraging comments! Terrie will reply as she has time, but, if she doesn't reply quickly, please know that she really appreciates -- and needs-- your continued support and encouragement.

Yesterday Terrie underwent a thermography exam to see how her body is doing. She'll receive the results next week, but the thermographer did tell her that she has "no vitality." She explained that Terrie should concentrate on resting, and should not be trying to do anything except resting and letting her body fight the cancer. It was almost as if Terrie felt she'd been given permission to be tired -- she actually took a good nap yesterday.

Today she has an appointment with Social Security to submit her application for disability insurance, so I'll let you know how that goes. It takes three long months before the disability insurance kicks in.

Must run; will try to make my next post soon. God bless you all!

--Marty

Update #3

Dear friends,

I haven't much time but wanted you to know that the clinic of choice will accept Terrie as a patient, but with conditions. The clinic's usual requirement is that the patient stay for at least 2 weeks; 3 weeks is the usually recommended length of stay. In cases of metastasis to the bone, the treatment takes longer, and the prognosis is guarded. The clinic will accept Terrie as a patient on a week-to-week basis; if her blood tests show no improvement, the clinic will send her home at the end of the first week.

Please continue to keep Terrie and Marisa in your prayers, as well as those who are actively helping her to deal with all the various aspects that this cancer has brought.

I'll try to write more tonight -- if you're reading this blog, please comment so Terrie can hear from you -- and so I know that I am not journalling for myself. God bless!

--Marty

Update #2

Hi, all,

I think there's not too much to tell you, at this point. I don't understand how Vito managed to journal every day!

Terrie's been spending her days in paying attention to the many details that her cancer has foisted on her: 

• having her blood drawn for  her regular blood tests (CBC; complete metabolic workup; cancer marker levels); 
  
• getting copies of her files from the oncologist; 
  
• contacting Social Security to see what she needs to do to apply for disability;  
• talking with Human Resources at work to see what her benefits are, and what procedures to follow to apply for them
  
• applying to a clinic that specializes in fighting cancer
• finding/obtaining the necessary documents to substantiate her claims for Social Security, for Human Resources, and for the clinic
• boosting her immune system so her body can fight the cancer more effectively

As metastatic breast cancer requires so much of the patient's time and energy, Terrie has quit (or is in the process of quitting) work, so that she can spend most of her energy and attention on helping her body to heal. Some of Terrie's co-workers have generously offered to donate some of their unused sick time to her, since she has used most of her available PTO (paid time off). 

When I spoke with her on Friday, she was feeling about the same as she has since she started actively boosting her immune system.

Marisa came home on Thursday, so she now knows what her mom is facing. They cried together, and have spent the weekend together.

We should know by tomorrow afternoon whether Terrie's chosen clinic will accept her as a patient. 

Thanks for your interest and your prayers on Terrie's behalf. God bless you all.

--Marty

Background on Terrie and her cancer

Hi, everyone,

Terrie's asked me to give you some information so you can know what she faces. She was diagnosed a little over a year ago with breast cancer but it subsided for awhile. Over the last 6 months the cancer marker in her blood tests kept rising and doubling, until the cancer marker levels had doubled in two months' time, from September 2007 to November 2007. The levels of the cancer marker are now just above normal. Terrie then had a CT scan and, two weeks later, a PET scan, as the oncologist wanted more detail. Both scans revealed that the cancer had metastacized to multiple sites: there was an 8 cm (>3 inch) tumor on her right thigh, 3 spots on the spine (T3, L3, L5), several sites near the right lung (around the 3rd & 4th ribs and around the 6th & 7th ribs), a spot on the right ileum (pelvis), a mass on her liver, another on the right thyroid,  3 affected lymph nodes in the right arm, and multiple locations in the bones. In the two weeks between the CT scan and the PET scan the mass on the liver grew one inch.

This metaplastic cancer is an unusual form of breast cancer  and has no estrogen or progesterone receptors -- it  grows aggressively but is not dependent on hormones for its growth. At this point it is now called a Stage IV cancer and is considered incurable. Now the goal in treatment is to at least prevent the cancer from spreading or increasing. When cancer spreads to the bones it becomes very painful, but not life-threatening; when it invades the liver, the outlook is more serious. As he's certain her pain will increase beyond the efficacy of the OTC analgesics, the doctor prescribed Vicodin.

The oncologist, a gentle and compassionate man, explained Terrie's options: chemotherapy, but no surgery and no radiation. Because each dose of chemotherapy kills only a percentage of the targeted cells, the cancer patient must take multiple doses of the drug(s) in order to at least keep the cancer from growing. And, because the chemotherapy drugs target dividing cells, the drugs will kill skin, hair, mouth, intestinal, and bone cells, as well as the cancer cells. None of the drugs in the oncologist's arsenal are effective (in some cases, is not safe) for more than 9 to 18 months, so, even if one drug is effective in limiting the cancer's growth, Terrie would then have to switch to a different drug after 9 to 18 months. 

A Stage IV cancer patient has a 50% chance of surviving two years. If the patient survives two years, then he/she has a 50% chance of surviving the next two years. If he/she survives the 2nd set of two years, he/she has a 50% chance of surviving the following two years -- decreasing odds, diminishing returns. With chemotherapy the hope is to keep the patient alive until, hopefully, the pharmaceutical companies develop a product which will control or eradicate the cancer completely.

When the oncologist gave Terrie this information, he was certain she should be in great pain. On that day she wasn't in great pain -- she did have some discomfort, but it was reasonably manageable -- but 2 or 3 days later she was in tears and could not sit still because she was so uncomfortable. Since that time -- for the last 5 days -- she's been taking aggressive measures to help her body fight the invader, and has become more comfortable. Yes, she still has some discomfort, but the pain has decreased so that she no longer experiences discomfort if she's sitting still. 

I can tell I'm getting tired, so I'll close for now. In my next post I'll try to give you an idea of how this cancer has affected the other facets of her life. If you respond to these posts, I'll probably write more and can paint a better picture for you. You can help Terrie a lot by posting your encouraging comments in this blog, and by keeping her and Marisa in prayer. If you post comments, Terrie will respond as she has time. Good night, all, and God bless!

--Marty