WOW!

It's hard to believe the last time I was on a computer was October 9th. My how time flies when you're crazy!!!!!
We have just survived the Christmas season and looking for a wonderful New Year to come. When I reflect back on the past year, all I can think of to say is..."Thank you God for all the challenges, victories and blessings You have allowed us to experience."
I've really dropped the ball on keeping everyone up to date on Savannah's progress but now that "I'm back" (online) hopefully I'll do better from this point on.
The Epi treatment in Little Rock at UAMS did not seem to affect the little tumor on her adrenal gland. The good news however is that no other tumors appeared anywhere else so it's just the one place we're battling right now. UAMS has released her as a patient so it's back to NIH in Bethesda. She was never released from NIH just allowed to participate in the Epi clinical study at UAMS. She will always be a patient at NIH due to the on going studies of the Til Cell Treatment etc.....
Anyway, we are waiting to hear when her appointment is. We're guessing sometime very soon after the 5th of January. At that point they will do more tests and scans to see what is happening and then determine whether she needs the Til Cell treatment again or a different form of treatment. We are just praying that when they do the scans, they won't find the tumor anywhere! If she has to have the Til Treatment again we will deal with it...just as before, but of course it breaks our hearts to see her so sick and suffering.....not to mention loss of work for us and almost a month away from home etc... but that is all of little concern when we think of her health. SO....please pray for NO TUMOR!!!!

It amazes me how blessed we are. Not just my family but all of us. Just to have our families with us, a warm place to sleep, enough food to keep us going and the freedom to live and worship as we please. God is SO good and still in CONTROL !
Hope Everyone has an AWESOME 2011 !!!!!!!!!!!!

Forgot to mention

Just a reminder to those coming to the Centennial Celebration.....
Bring blankets and/or lawn chairs.

Savannah has had 2 treatments so far and as of this moment is tolerating them very well. No side effects! We are praying that continues. We won't know how well it's working til they do testing and we don't know when that will be....maybe at the end of the treatment which will be several more weeks.

I guess I'm tired so I can't even think of anything else to say except.....about the Greenland Centennial Celebration.......first of all....just let me say that at one of Danny's City Council meetings he thought it would be a good idea to volunteer me to help organize it. .... :0
SO......this is the easiest way to plug it..

Saturday, October 9th......THIS Saturday....Parade starts at 10am and goes up Wilson St. to the Community Center. Festivities to follow are...Bluegrass/country/gospel Music, Food, Square dancing, Martial Arts demo, Blacksmithing, Antique Car Show, Historical memorabilia exhibit, Bouncy house, games for kids of all ages a costume contest and much more. Come join us It'll be FUN

If you would like to be in the parade -call me @ 871-0749

Savannah

Savannah had her post-op appointment at NIH August 4th & 5th. They ran the scans and did all the testing and found that she has a small tumor on her existing adrenal gland. They recommend that she has a treatment called Ipilimumad.
It is an infusion that she will get every 3 weeks. It is considered experimental medicine since it has not yet been FDA approved. There are only certain places that administer the drug. Fortunately, there are 2 in Arkansas....Little Rock and Hot Springs. Her first appointment to discuss the treatment will be next Tuesday, August 24th in Little Rock. After that, they will schedule the start date. Once she starts, she will have one treatment every 3 weeks for 4 or 5 months........I think! We don't really know much about it til we have the appointment. They did tell Savannah at NIH that it has some pretty major side effects but we believe God can take care of all the details.
From what NIH told us, the other 2 options they were discussing were not good options at all....(unless the Ipi doesn't work). One was to do the Til cell therapy again but they said that was like taking a bazooka to kill a fly. The other was removing her other adrenal gland which would put her on hormone replacement therapy for the rest of her life....so....that would be the last choice!
Apparently, this is a tumor that had been the size of an apricot and then disappeared and is now back the size of an acorn. That doesn't sound too bad til you realize how aggressive this form of cancer is.
Please pray that the treatment will work and that the side effects are minimal.
She will be trying to go to school and work during all of this. Please also pray for her spirit and attitude. So far she has been a real trooper!

Shelby is home from Germany! She had a fantastic time and was a little sad to have to leave. Only a week after she got home, we encountered the "German Invasion" (just kidding). Corinna and her family came to America to visit us and see where Corinna had spent a year of her life. Her Dad's name is Berthold, her Mom is Kordula and her sister is Saskia. All very sweet people!
We thoroughly enjoyed their visit. They were gracious and charming, spoke English very well.....(probably better than us!) and had great personalities. We enjoyed a cook out while they were here so that some of Corinna's school friends could stop by and see her. The next night at Dinner, Saskia, who is a wonderful pianist, entertained us with some classical pieces and Kordula, who is a former Opera singer sang a beautiful song in Italian...of coarse!
They were interested in the American Indians so the next day while the girls did "girl things" the adults went to Talaquah to the Indian Village. It was a nice day although it must have been at least 110 in Oklahoma! :(

The day the Fischer's left to go to Las Vegas and San Fransico, Shelby started back to school.....she is a JUNIOR this year.....oh my!
The day after that , Bo arrived home with my nieces, Rose and Lilly.....
they had been here before for only 2 days when their great-grandmother Dot passed away....so....Donna and Jeff asked Bo if he would accompany them back to VA for the service and then back to AR to finish their visit. As it happened....Savannah was finishing up her appointment in Bethesda at the same time Bo was checking out the sights in DC. Her airport is in DC and she just happened to miss her flight...so that made it very convenient to meet up with Bo, do a little sight seeing, stay in a nice hotel, have a nice dinner and sight see some more the next day. She finally made it home....two days later. :)

I am looking for a job! If anyone knows of anything please let me know.
Of coarse, I would love to do something creative in art, music, something with kids or adults but at this point.....I would probably consider anything that I'm physically able to do. :)

Thanks to all of you out there that have never stopped praying for Savannah.
We have received so many notes and cards from individuals and churches that have been praying every single week since her diagnosis. God hears those prayers.
We still hold to the belief that God is in control.....not the cancer.
Thanks again and love to all!

Home again

Mom, Melanie and I got back last night from our jaunt to Minnesota and the Mayo Clinic. My elbow surgery was a little more uncomfortable than I had hoped but I'm doing great besides being a little sore, black and blue. I had to bring a therapy machine home with me that is the size of a small fork lift. We really had to do some tricky packing to get it in the car with all of our other luggage. It's now in the middle of our Living room because it doesn't fit anywhere else.
All in all we had a great trip. God answered those prayers to keep us safe, healthy and out of trouble.......although........for a really interesting story.....ask Melanie about driving at night near Des Moines, the Exit, the Atlas, her cell phone in the median and the scary twist of fate that put me in the drivers seat for a while!!!! :0

While we were gone we had some news that Dot (my sister-in-laws Grandmother that lives with Jeff & Donna) had a really bad fall out their back door and broke her hip and her upper femur bone. At some point...before or after....she had a heart attack. She now has had surgery and is in serious condition. We would appreciate prayers for her. She is very special to her whole family as well as ours.
She is such a precious person.

Bo is taking off a few days from job hunting and going with some friends to Albuquerque, NM to go hiking.
Shelby is looking forward to their trip to Bavaria on Sunday to see the castle that Disney fashioned Cinderella's castle after. I believe they will will see another castle or two while there. I'm SO jealous!
Savannah is....just......being Savannah! :)
Thanks for the prayers! Hope all is well with y'all love!

It's mid July and Savannah is doing GREAT!....aside from getting robbed 2 times in one week! First- her IPhone then- her purse......both were found THANK GOODNESS!
NIH just scheduled her for her next visit the 4th & 5th of August. They will do all the normal scans etc... and we expect to hear that she is totally cancer free.

I am leaving in the morning after church to head back to Mayo for my elbow surgery.
Mom (Daisy) and Melanie (my cousin) will be going with me. Your prayers would be appreciated since I have never even seen the doctor that will be performing the surgery. The only thing he has seen of me is an xray of my arm. I see him Tuesday and will have the surgery on Wednesday. It's "probable" that I will be without pain and have full range of motion when fully recovered. :)

Shelby is living it up in Germany with Corinna (our former exchange student) and her family. She loves it there and says the architecture and history is just amazing. She has already visited a castle or two and seen the Catholic Cathedral in Paderborn. I'M SO JEALOUS!!!! She has been attending school with Corinna for the last 2 weeks but now that their school is out, I think they have some big plans......not sure what they are......it's probably best that I don't know! :)
She will be returning the last day of July. We miss her a bunch......as well as Kim, Megan & Laura and all of our other girls that don't come around unless Shelby's here!
She is trying to post pictures on facebook if anyone is interested.

Bo and Savannah are looking for jobs (again). They will also still be going to school in the Fall so if you hear of anything - please let us know!

Again we would appreciate your prayers for safe travel, good weather,successful surgery, pain-free recovery OR really good drugs and wisdom for the doctors and staff.
Thanks so much! love you ALL!

BTW - SALE at Fayetteville Trading Post - Look at their Face Book page and mention it at the register for 20% off anything in our Sassy Salvage booth.
We have new items weekly so check them out......they're Fun, Funky and perfect for putting the finishing touch in your decor.

We're also running a 20% off sale at Daisie's and Olive's in Prairie Grove and at The Treasure Chest in Lincoln.

IT'S AFFORDABLE CHIC !!!!!

Savannah has been home a little over a week and a half and is doing great! Of course she still has some pain due to surgery but otherwise she is getting around like usual only a bit slower. She says the only time she has to take her pain pills is when she is around Shelby or me. She says we make her laugh too much and it hurts her. ??? It's not like we're trying to make her laugh...... is she saying we're stupid or something????? surely not :)
While she was in Bethesda, Savannah got a cute, sassy little haircut that looks adorable. She could have gotten the same "do" here but of course it's much more trendy if you pay triple the price while you're out of town......right???
For the moment, all is well with the fam...Bo found a job, Shelby is getting ready for her trip to Germany, I'm preparing for VBS Crafts (june 21-25) and Danny is staying busy working and trying to keep up with yard work etc.....plus a little fishing here and there. And as always - Savannah lives in Savannah-land where everything is always wonderful. love!