Morales22.com

Focus on the Family

Debbie — Sat, 14 Apr 2012 21:13:53 +0000

For the third year in a row, we are serving a christian organization that we have financially supported over the years. This time we are in Colorado Springs at Focus on the Family, an organization started by Dr. James Dobson in 1977 and now led by Jim Daly. I raised my kids by the Dobson books: Dare to Disciple, Hide and Seek, and The Strong-Willed Child (and I think they turned out pretty great). Focus remains an awesome resource for parents and is founded on 6 principles:

1. The ultimate purpose of life is to know God through Jesus Christ and beginning with our families, to reach out to the world with love.

2. The institution of marriage is sacred and designed by God.

3. Children are a blessing and are our heritage from God.

4. Human life is sacred.

5. Christians are called on to support the institutions of family, church, and government for the benefit of mankind.

6. God created humans in His image intentionally male and female with unique and complimentary qualities.

So that is where we stand and we are giving them our time in affirmation of that. We have met so many delightful people, guests, staff, and fellow volunteers. Easter week we greeted over 6000 guests to the visitors’ center. We have worked banquets, Steve is working on data entry for a department, and I am doing decor and fresh flower arrangements for the annual Volunteer Banquet (for which we got an invite). Pam and Wally Hasbrouck have given us the run of their house (only 5 minutes away) and that enables us to be here for a full month.

Reach For The Sky Partner

Debbie — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 00:10:02 +0000

The scenery is so unique — cactus everywhere and unfriendly looking sawtooth mountains. Sand and Indian Trading Posts and Casinos galore!

Lots of nothing between Phoenix and Albuquerque (which I have learned to spell).

And very pretty sunsets viewed from our rear view mirror cause we ain’t there yet!

Would You Believe?

Debbie — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 00:03:38 +0000

Yep, this is our trunk. We, who pride ourselves on packing frugally, have done this to ourselves. Our mantra has always been “two pair of pants, 4 shirts, 2 tank tops and two pairs of shoes period.” BUT because we are greeters at Focus On the Family Visitors Center for a month, we thought we better clean up our act. I think I have 10 blouses alone!

Oh the shame…and to think there is even more in the back seat!!

The New Positive is a Negative

Debbie — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 21:52:20 +0000

The best news I can get is a negative, a zero. How did the test go? Nothing there! In this respect, I want to fail these tests. Earlier this week I had a pet-scan where they put radioactive isotopes through me via IV, put me in a dark room, and an hour later processed me thru a large donut that clicks and whirs. Then the cat-scan is where they put holy-mother-of-hot-sauce thru my veins and send me thru again. These chemical cocktails attach and light up any fast growing cells in my body (and my trip to cancer started with this 8 months ago). But they showed NOTHING. I’m smiling, really big! Hallelujah!

I’m not complaining, but while I was going thru chemo and radiation, I was doing something to fight this. Now I am on my own and the only thing I can do is be healthy. I must eat better, sleep more, de-stress, and continue to rely as heavily on my faith as I did in the dark times. My doctor (who I love) will see me a couple times a year to put me thru those test once again. And I will pray for a negative and be at peace because I had some truly remarkable people who walked with me and gave me such appreciation for the cancer journey I was on.

After all, ultimate healing is heaven with Christ, and that’s a real positive!

Two Quarts Low

Debbie — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 22:45:53 +0000

It’s all about the blood…

In Leviticus 17:14 it says, “The life of every creature is in its blood.” If your blood-numbers are out of whack, chemo can’t happen. My white was so low I had to give myself shots. My red was so low I was advised to see rare beef and dark green leafy vegetables. Then my platelets were so low we had to resort to a transfusion to try to help all of the above.

Because I am being treated at Balboa Naval Hospital, their blood bank is “in-house” (not mingled with the greater San Diego populace). I was prescribed two units which were cross-matched which means they stir a bit of mine with a bit of the other and see if it curdles. What I find humbling is that it was most assuredly from a young soldier, two of them, actually. There is the blood of young men coursing through my veins! It takes 2+ hours to put it in me with blood pressure and temperature every 15 minutes to monitor allergic reactions.

It helped, but still not enough and I had only the weekend to get my blood nubmers up, or postpone the next dose of kick-a-poo joy-juice. Soooo, I let by Bible Study and my bookclub know that I needed their prayers for my numbers! YES, I was retested after the weekend and my plateletes had gone up 50 points! Since they were headed in the right direction, they let me have the chemo. Oh Praise God that I could stay on schedule with only one more after this.

Now I can be miserable for three weeks and then do this blood numbers-thing again

Back In The Saddle Again

Debbie — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 22:39:56 +0000

I vividly remember sitting in front of my little blue record player with cowboys all over it playing my 33 1/3 yellow discs and singing this song by Gene Autry. I even had a Gene Autry cowboy hat and holster set. Don’t know why Mom and Dad didn’t give me Dale Evans or Annie Okley. I also remember sticking a bobby pin in the open socket above the record player plug, and learned to NEVER to do that again. I couldn’t have been older than 4 years old. Where did that segway come from?

The stimulating shots for my white blood cell count worked. Would you believe those shots are made up of medical E. coli? Shutter! So I whined and pleaded and got them to resume my chemo that very afternoon. Yay?

9 more weeks, can you hold on with me a little while longer?

Flunked!

Debbie — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 20:01:26 +0000

With radiation now behind me (thank heavens!) I was “looking forward (?)” to finishing up the last three chemo sessions and getting on with my life. I need good numbers on my blood work and then we would be set to go!

Blast it! I should be between 3-5 on white blood cell count and I’m a 1. That’s the number that fights infection. The red count is low too, but not as critical to proceed, that’s the energy one. So NO CHEMO this week.

I am infusing spinach, iron, and wheat grass and anything I can think of into my diet that might help…and praying. The sooner I resume, the sooner it’s over!

Another blood test this Friday. Study, study, study.

Twitter Announcement December 27

Andy — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 21:34:12 +0000

radiation OVER!!!

— Debbie Morales (@Debbie_Morales) December 27, 2011

Chick Magnet

Debbie — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 17:38:04 +0000

Or rather, make that a germ magnet. When it comes to germs, I haven’t met one my body didn’t like.

Two courses of antibiotics, I still bark (cough) like a seal, a port infection, and now volcano virus — erupting from everywhere! I missed radiation yesterday but at least the dashes to the bathroom are fewer today and radiation is back on (yippee). Jeez, some days it’s hard not to get down. I am missing all the holidays teas, lunches etc to be with the porcelain fixture. Thanks for letting me unload (almost said “dump”).

One bright spot, today the bank received my first Social Security check. I’m getting it early while there is still $$. Now I just need to live long enough to enjoy it!!

Hump Day

Debbie — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 23:30:41 +0000

It’s official!! Dec. 7th was my half way point of all chemo and radiation treatments. So I take joy in the fact that it’s downhill from here! (Come on, gotta find something to celebrate cause this sucks. Did I say that? )

Thank you for your prayers, they lift me up when I don’t even have the strength to pray for myself. And this is a long haul, so I appreciate those who haven’t forgotten about me.

In March 2012 we can have balloons, streamers, confetti,and fireworks for the end of this journey, but for now, yippee, it’s Hump Day!