Today is big day please send your thoughts & prayers

Dear family and friends
We are sorry we did not post for several days. I had hoped Andrea could help write this one and we could post some pictures. However Andreas time at home has had a few wonderful moments filled with wonderful distractions and love by family and friends, mixed feeling really terrible. We started off Andrea's time at home by joining Joe and Rod for the famous friday chinese buffet, regularly attended by the Wishard biomed group. We missed Dan & several of the other regular members but it was still nice. We also enjoyed visiting Stephanie, a close childhood friend of Andreas, at her new home. She has really a nice place in broadripple. We enjoyed those wonderful twins and the winning :-) Uncle John for a visit and dinner at MCL, we enjoyed a visit from Uncle Tom, Uncle Ralph and dinner at home with friends Kathy and Kate. It was a nice dinner, but unfortunately Andrea had gotten progressively weaker and dizzy and then ran a high fever. It was upsetting to her to have to go to the hospital, especially since this was the 50% chemo dose and we all hoped she would not be in the hospital for any of the time. We had scheduled an appointment for an oncologist to see her at IU so that if she had any problems while visiting it wouldn't be so scary for Andrea if she got sick. The oncologist had the reputation of being not only an excellent doctor but also wonderful to his patients. He spent alot of time with Andrea, us and reviewing her history. Andrea, Joe, Kathleen and I thought he was really good and kind so it felt comforting. Unfortunately Andrea got a fever and we had to go to the ER. However Dr. Azar had a 4 page history and physical and even his recomendations for antiobiotics so it made the ER visit and Andrea's admission much easier. We had just got Andrea in bed and fast a sleep when the power went off because of some accident. But despite emergency power and flashlights for the bathroom everyone has been incrediable. The doctors have sent alot of time explaining, and talking to Andrea and us as they are working up some of Andreas symptoms and her abnormal previous tests to see how those problems might be impacting her current symptoms. Unfortunately they had to remove her PICC line because of its age and its possibly being a source of infection and because of her fevers and terrible headaches she had to have a spinal. That was a terrible day since Andrea has had ?12 spinal chemo's and they had become so painful Andrea was really worried. But one of the doctors actually made arrangements with two different radiologists and got medications from the floor so he could give her medications for comfort during the procedure. It was really something Andrea and I really appreciated. When they were unable to replace the picc line, since her major vessels in her arms clotted probably from previous procedures the talked her and came out and talked to us about why they needed to put in a hickman catheter. Andrea came through like a champ two more painful experiences behind her. So I can't say enough about how terrible it is Andrea has to go through all this but it has been wonderful having her home and such a comfort that the doctors, the nurses are seem so good and so kind and Andreas room is so quiet and beautiful. It has made one more frighting experience alittle easier. We did also enjoy a visit while here from Aunt Joanne & Uncle Brian who brought us cupcakes and Uncle John and Aunt Lisa who brought us candy :-). Last night was girls night for Kathleen & Andrea who worked on a puzzle and watched a movie. Today Joe played music and Andrea had her Pet scan and was examined by the opthomologist to check to see if the fungus or the medication has affected her eyes. He thought looked good but needs rechecked in a few weeks. During this admission Andrea has had CT scans of her abd, chest, pelvis, and an MRI of her head and several episodes with hours of painful, headaches, dizziness,nausea,vomiting and back pain and through it all she smiles at me and says tomorrow will be a good day and I pray it is.

Andreas last CT's were abnormal. Her MRI showed leasions in her brain. The PET scan was frightening to read. She had multiple active lesions in her soft tissues,lymph nodes in her chest & abd multiple bones,liver and spleen and it said they were unable to differentiate between inflammatory and malignant lesions. We were told it looked like a fungal infection. However since Andreas counts were down so long from previous treatments and the fungal infection it actually put her at risk for cancer. I couldn't believe it, how could such a terrible thing happen, But we were and are hopeful. Here the infectious disease team think the lesions on her bones and in liver and spleen look like cancer. The hematology team talked to dr. Kent and he too was a little worried but they are hopeful that it is the infection. So Andrea was told that if she has lesions on the bones with the new pet scan that they would recomend a bone marrow biopsy to see what it is. So tomorrow we dare to hope for Andrea a break in this terrible cancer journey. She's tired and she's tired of being sick and everything envolved with the painful treatment but in some her most difficult times closes her eyes and she chants I am strong, we are strong and I cry.

So today is another big day for Andrea and she can use all the extra love, thoughts and prayers you all can send her. Today all the tests from here will be reviewed and some compared with some of tests at Rush. Then they will give us their interpretations and recomendations. So thank you all for all the love and support you send to Andrea and all of us. Today and tuff days ahead(and may they be fewer) we will continue to get strength from all of you and all the wonderful ways you show Andrea and us your love and support.

Thank you, Take care Love Sharon,