Step-on-me vs. Ovarian Cancer

Today is Stephanie's 30th birthday.  A few months ago we certainly didn't expect that her 30th birthday would come after a very challenging start to her battle with Ovarian Cancer.  But the fact that she is here today healing and preparing to lose her last and final tube is a testament to what the last 30 years has built.  A strong willed, determined woman with the strength to take on whatever is thrown at her. I always knew that I married a very strong and independent woman but little did I know how strong she actually is.  Watching her push through all that she has endured over the last three months has been nothing short of painful.  What she has dealt with would have brought the toughest of tough to their knees begging for assistance.  Not Stephanie.  Stephanie, through each and every step, never let her spirit break and fought hard to get to the point she is at today. I am so proud that I am married to Stephanie and I love her with every fiber...

Stephanie's surgery went very well on Wednesday and her recovery has been going extremely well.  I haven't posted about it yet because I did not want to jinx it.  She is losing tubes by the day.  Yesterday they finally removed the nephrostomy tube she has had since September and during the surgery they removed the two pelvic drains she had.  In about 30 minutes they are going to remove the last drain in her pelvis.  This will leave only one more tube - a catheter. She has had a total of 6 drains and tubes since late September.  She is ecstatic to only have one.  Doctors come in and apologize for having to discharge her with one tube remaining and she smiles and tells them that she came in with 3 and 1 is awesome compared to what she has had to deal with. Stephanie's recovery is going so well that she may be discharged as early as today!  Although she is in pain from the surgery, I think her spirits are higher than they have been in a long time...

2 Hours In Stephanie is currently in surgery and has been for about two hours now.  The OR is very busy today and there are a ton of other families sitting in the waiting room.  She was in good spirits going into surgery and Julie, her sister, was there to be with her and keep her occupied.  Julie is the absolute best at caring for Steph in these hard times.  They have a certain way of relating to one another that really helps to calm Steph when she is struggling. 3 Hours In The Urologist came out to inform us that the surgery went as well as can be expected.  She is doing well in surgery as the GYN ONC team gets started.  They will be placing the port and investigating her abdomen for disease.  She may be in for another hour or so as they complete the surgery. 4.5 Hours In The surgery ended successfully.  The great news from the GYN ONC doctor was that there was no visible cancer in her abdomen!  This is great news because there was c...

Tomorrow is a very big day for Stephanie because the surgery that will fix all of her current plumbing issues will take place.  The surgery she will be having is a ureter reimplantation. Steph's right ureter was severed during her initial surgery and it has caused her to leak urine into her abdominal cavity.  As a result, she has had multiple drains and tubes placed over the last two months to relieve her abdomen and pelvic cavity of the urine.  Finally, the procedure tomorrow will reconnect her ureter to her bladder and allow her urinary system to function normally. The procedure is an open surgery that will be performed through the same incision that was made during her debulking surgery in September.  The surgery could last as long as 6 hours and as few as 3 hours.  This procedure would normally be much shorter but Stephanie's abdomen is filled with scar tissue and adhesions that will need to be delicately cut, removed, and manipulated in order to get to ...

My smoking hot wife at MAMFest! In August of 2009 a group of friends and I planned and held an event called MAMfest.  We chose to use our talents to do something meaningful.  We believed that wearing a mustache was a novel way to raise money and awareness for a cause.  So we all grew mustaches and encouraged people from all over Louisville to do the same.  Our facial hair growth, planning, and promotion culminated with a very large event where we honored the mustache and raised a substantial amount of money for an organization named Gilda's Club, a very special organization that provides support to people dealing with cancer. Since 2009 the mustache has become something of a symbol or reminder of the close bond this group of friends share and of the good that can be done with an unshaven upper lip. These friends recently collaborated from across the U.S. to create a video message to Stephanie and they used their mustaches to help them. Our friends have been a...