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October 10 Update on Steve (obstacles and opportunities) Steve is doing well considering. During the neck dissection at the University of Colorado, Dr. McEntire removed 12 cancerous lymph nodes near the esophogus and arteries in his neck, and a few tumors. One of which was completely wrapped around one of the nerves that controls your speech and swollowing. The Doc removed the tumor from the nerve and was positive that he damaged the nerve but the nerve was in tact. The prognosis wasn't good regarding the lasting effects, but miraculously, Steve was swollowing and speaking by that evening. The Doc also removed 37 lymphnodes on the right side between his ear and esophogus, of which 9 were cancerous. He also removed several large tumors in that area as well. We will be going back to Denver near Thanksgiving for follow-up. We will find out what level his cancer is at now, and what treatment option are out there for us. Wish us luck. Also good news is that he secured a State job in Utah. Moab Utah to be exact so we will be attempting to sell our home to move there. He starts at the end of this month so we are excited. It is something that we have been praying for. Steve has also decided that he wants to be baptized into the LDS church. Of course it has been a long process, and a decision that he is very excited about. What a great blessing this will be for him and our family, He is being baptized tomorrow. Our oldest son will be baptizing Steve and is also very excited. One last thing..... Thank you all for your many prayers and support. Your prayers and unselfish support have definitely helped us through our struggles and will continue to help us. Talk to you soon June 30 CameronCameron is now not going to Montana! His boss had to let a fellow employee go because of dishonesty, so he needs Cameron here. Steve is happy that Cameron is staying. probably because they have fun picking on each other. Taylor is just getting over chickenpox. Yes, you heard me right, chickenpoz. He was exposed several times when he was little, and even had the vaccination, but he still came down with a severe case. I would post a picture, but he made me vow not to take a picture. I suppose being fourteen makes you a little self conscious. If I had it, it would have made me lock myself in the house, away from prying eyes until I was completely healed. He will probably have some scaring, because of the severity, but Dems the Berries! Take care! June 12 Results of Steve's ScansWell, we were able to review the results from Steve’s CAT scan and PET scan yesterday afternoon with Dr. Bush at the Durango Cancer Treatment Center. The news is that Steve requires surgery again to have a neck dissection. He has a few lymph nodes in his neck that showed up on the scan as abnormal, and the blood tests also showed abnormalities. His primary doctor that is over seeing all of the treatments and therapies (Dr. Demby) is going to schedule the surgery to take place at the University Of Colorado Hospital. The neck dissection requires that they remove the cancerous Lymph nodes, as well as other surrounding lymph nodes around the cancerous ones in the neck. They are going to do the surgery as soon as possible, and will follow with more radiation. Also good news is that they are opting to avoid Chemo. After speaking with Dr. Bush, who comes very highly recommended, he stated that he felt confident that this would take care of the cancer remaining in his system. Of course follow up tests months after the surgery will confirm that Steve is either cancer free, or they will confirm that there is additional cancer cells in his system. It sounds silly, but after we heard the news, we went out and celebrated by treating each other, and Taylor who was with us, to a nice dinner. It’s nice to have some positive news. It could have been a lot worse! We are thankful for every blessing. June 10 Update on Steve's Cancer (PET Scan)Well here is the initial news or results of the PET scan that was done on Steve last week. The results identified additional cancer in his neck, and it appears to be spreading. We are going to the Cancer treatment Center in Durango today so that Steve can have a cat scan of the area where the additional cancer was found. They will also be doing blood work along with other tests to help to identify how extensive the cancer is. Of course when I found out, I came home from work and cried. Poor Cameron, the sweet heart that he is was there to wrap his arms around me. Then we actually cried together. What an awesome kid he is. The tears have been flowing ever since. The testing should show the level his cancer can be classified in. The worst being terminal of course. We won't know what the plan is until later in the week (hopefully). I am going to find a second job so that Steve can focus on his health. On the upside, Cameron has been asked to go to Montana for his new job. He will just go for the summer, and will be going with his best bud Joseph. The company will be placing them in an all expense paid apartment together with a few other workers. This should be a good experience for Cameron and Joseph and they are both looking forward to it. I will keep you updated on Steve and his prognosis. Take care.... May 19 A few more pictures added I added a few more pictures..... Enjoy! By the way. I scored another 4.0 in college this last semester. I am thrilled. Also, I was told that this summer is my last semester. Another graduation coming up! Take care, JennMay 18 Cameron's College graduationCameron graduated from San Juan Basin Vocational College yesterday. Here are a few pictures. He plans to attend again next year to put another year under his belt. We are all very proud! Good job Cameron. May 06 Cameron is graduating from his technical college. Wooo Hooo!Cool news! Cameron is graduating from his technical school on May 17. He says its no big deal, but when you consider that he is only 1 out of 10 high school students in Montezuma county that was actually able to pass the required tests to go to college while he is still in high school, its pretty amazing. He plans to take advantage of the almost free schooling next year as well. He is planning on putting his accomplishment to work for him this summer, working as an electricians apprentice (if everything works out as planned). Taylor is also thinking ahead, and we are hoping he will be able to attend a camp for prospective college students this summer, again, if everything works out. It is a camp at Fort Lewis College in Durango, CO. where he would be able to see what campus life is like, and would be able to advance his science as math skills even further. If it doesn't work out, he will most likely take a martial arts class. He needs some defensive moves to use against his older and stronger brother. lol. Steve is doing good. He may be leaving his current job for another that would allow him additional advancement eventually. Hopefully it works out for him. Take care and love to all. I will post graduation pictures later. April 09 Life is Like a Box of Chocolates, You never know what your gonna getLife is like a box of Chocolates. Taking this parable, and applying it to daily life can be ever so challenging. Steve had, yes had a second job, which we greatly relied upon to help us survive. They informed him that they want to use him on call. Steve and I are looking for better employment. Something that will allow me to still stay in school, and finish. The awesome news in all of this is that; there was a shift at my employment with the City that I wanted that would allow me to spend more time with my family, allow me to focus on school, and still pay me enough, and even a little more to boot. The gal that had the shift I wanted, quit yesterday, so with a little fineagling, and phone calls to cover my managment position, I was able to snag the shift. One thing I have learned from the employment world, and that has always helped me succeed, is that if you take the initiative to make things happen, they usually do. The key is to make the proposal attractive to the person that it needs to be attractive too!
Steve is doing ok. His next cancer treatment is scheduled for around my oldest nephew's birthday in May. He no longer worries about the outcome as do I. What happens's, happens! His wholeistic (as possible) diet is helping him to find more energy, and satisfaction is his routines. The fact that I will be able to be at home more when he is and when the boys are will help too. Speaking of my boys, My oldest is doing great and staying busy.
Cameron, who will be 17 in June is doing well in his college studies, and his high school studies. He is an "A" student and has definite goals set for his future which include serving a mission for our church. He is helping to save money for this by working, and is looking forward to an electrician apprenticship this summer with a local company. What a smart kid he is! Actually, so is the other one....
Taylor(14)is working hard at school as well and is also an "A" student. He has hopes to do something eventually with his love for creating and building things, and his math skills can only contribute to this goal. as far as college for the boys, I found out that because they have 1 quarter of native American Blood, that they will be able to attend either Fort lewis College in Durango, Colorado, or Dartmouth, and Ivy League College, in Hanover New Hampshire tuition free. This is fabulous! One of my former employees is attending at Dartmouth , and loves it. I also have several employees and friends that attend and have attended Fort Lewis College, and also love it. Who knows, maybe they will choose something completely different. Although this is just an overview of what is going on, the day to day routines are fairly consistent.
The boys just had spring break last week, and every year we meet up with their childhood friend Michael (and his family) who now reside is lehi, Utah. we all met in Logan, Utah when we lived there. I suppose cameron was about 10-12 years old and taylor was around 8-10 when they met. I love this arrangement because it allows me to see my friend Sherry (Michael's Mom). I made the boys pose for a picture after the trip. Don't mind the picture, they didn't get to bed until around 4am in the morning. They had to enjoy the fun down to the last minute! February 18 Chance update!Chance was a boy. Yes, I said was. The vet said we were doing everything right, but that Chance was suffering and trying to save him right at this point was probably not going to work. She didn't feel that he was going to make it. We didn't want Chance to suffer. His breathing was really irratic, and for the last hour, we kept having to massage his body to keep him breathing. After being looked over by the vet, she thought that it must have been something genetic. It's sad, but at least he got a little love ht efew days he was alive. Its really sad because when he was found, he was barely alive, and his sibling were lying dead next to him. We were able to help him thrive within the first 24 hours, but then this. February 18th, 2008Today is a much needed holiday. The whole family actually has the day off, and we plan on heading to Durango to see a movie, get the boys some new shoes for school, etc. We have been looking forward to it for weeks. Crazy I know, but its exciting when there is so much going on with everyones school, health, etc., and you find a day off. Steve, as most of you know has been told that problems have been detected with his liver. His doctor beleives it may be caused by the radiation treatments for the cancer, but none the less, he is to stay away from any type of pain killers or over the counter medication until we can find out more. Also, Steve found an abandoned kitten at his place of employment, and we as a family have been attempting to nurse it back to health, but as we speak, it is being rushed to the vet to determine if it going to live. I don't think it looks good. All of this with support from a vet in the first place, and a great website that can be found at http://www.feralcat.com/raising.html. I hope it lives. I will add a picture to this site. We called the baby kitten "Chance". Wish us luck. February 06 Fast Wolf or Speedy Dog if you likeWelcome to the Fast Wolf family Blog! Home away from home for Steve Fast Wolf, Jenn, Cameron Adams, and Taylor. Oh, I can't forget the family pets..... Meatball, Lucy, T'Nicker (the tenacious felines), and Omi (the insatiable bearded dragon). |
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