Two Thirds Done!

Yesterday was chemo treatment #8! Dr. Bierman walked into the room for her appointment and happily announced, "After today, Melissa, you will be two thirds done!" Melissa answered with a huge smile, "Yes!" Her blood counts were low due to her head cold. However, it did not stop the chemo treatment.

Today was the "Girls On The Run" race. Some of the Gretna girls, grade 3 thru 5, participated in a  5K run at Holmes Lake in Lincoln, Nebraska. There were 600 participants from Lincoln, Kearney, Hastings and Gretna. Melissa was the chairman for this activity for her school. However, when she was diagnosed with Hodgkins Lymphoma in late January, she had to ask one of the other volunteer teachers to take her place. Melissa practiced with these girls every Wednesday after school and continued to help with the program as much as she could.

Melissa greeting the girls from the bus

Melissa warming up the girls

It was a phenomenal day! The Governor of Nebraska spoke and declared "May 14th is officially called 'Girls On The Run Day' in the State of Nebraska!" Next, Melissa was asked to speak. She did a fantastic job of explaining how the program promotes inner beauty, builds self-esteem, positive self talk,  and having fun while exercising! Melissa then climbed a ladder to be the official starter for the race. She pushed the air horn button; the siren noise was loud and clear. The girls, coaches, and parents were off!

Nebraska Governor Dave Heineman

Melissa's speech

Melissa starting the race

 

Steve and I drove her to Holmes Lake Park and watched from the sidelines. It was emotional to see these Gretna girls hugging, smiling, and huddling around her! Melissa was laughing and cheering them on! Not even 24 hours from having chemo treatment, and Melissa is there to support her girls! She is amazing!

Melissa and the girls

We attribute her positive attitude to all of her support and prayers that all of you send her way. We thank you so much! Enjoy the pictures! They speak for me as I share this emotional day with you!

Wonderful Chemo Free Weekend!

Melissa taught a unit on the farm and barn animals to her kindergarteners. They had a field trip on Thursday to Gifford farm in Bellevue, NE. This activity included a picnic lunch too! Another fun and educationally rewarding day for the children! Melissa had her hand sanitizer in her pocket ready to beat any and all germs! The students and Melissa were exhausted on the bus ride back to school.

Matt and Aimee came in for a very short weekend. Friday night, Steve, Melissa, Matt, Aimee, and I went to a surprise party for Matt's good friend, Scott. Scott's twin brother, Chris, and his wife flew in from California. Scott's wife, Beth, did a great job keeping the party and Chris's visit a secret! We all had fun !

Maggie, Steve, Melissa, Matt and Aimee

Saturday night we celebrated Mother's Day at our house. I created a Mexican theme for our family fun night. I made beef and chicken enchiladas, Spanish rice, and a strawberry margarita pie for dessert. Steve was in charge of the drinks, including the "Skinny Girl" margaritas. After dinner, we played Mexican train; a domino game. Melissa laughed so much! It was the best treatment and good medicine that she could have! She and Matt kept each other laughing and telling stories all night! It was so good for Matt and Aimee to see how upbeat and positive she is! They both remarked how good Melissa looks. They were so happy they made the long trip in for such a short period of time!

Melissa, Matt and Aimee

Melissa is working at the Market Basket today for their Mother's Day brunch. Matt and Aimee left early for their 11 hour car ride home to Indianapolis. We all got our "family fix" of hugs, laughs, tears, and smiles! Thank you, God!

Tomorrow...a new day begins as we continue on Melissa's journey with her!

Kindergarten Quotes: Melissa's students wrote and drew pictures in writer's workshop on Friday about what they liked or learned at the farm.

• "I like the pigs the best, one even peed in front of me!"
• "I learned that cows give us lots of stuff!"
• "I learned pigs can sunburn really easily. They are really lazy too, they just lay there."
• "I like the the fuzz from the sheep. It's soft!"

Happy May Day!

Laura's Team in Training jersey

Laura and Danae before the race

What a cool, brisk Sunday morning for the Lincoln Marathon! Melissa's good friend, Laura, ran the half marathon in her honor! Laura and Danae were part of  "Team in Training" for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society! Together these girls raised over $6000! It was fun and also an emotional time for us. Steve, Melissa, and I cheered Larua and Danae on as they ran in her honor! We are so proud of them!

Melissa cheering at mile 4

Melissa and Laura after the race

Danae, Melissa, and Laura after the race

Round 7 of chemo was completed on Friday. Melissa's lab work continues to be good. Dr. Bierman, her oncologist, and Maribeth, her nurse, enjoy seeing Melissa and her upbeat smile! They both remarked how great she looks!

We continue to pray and thank God for Melissa's positive attitude and her courageous strength to handle this disease! Steve and I thank you for your many prayers and continuous support. We are blessed to have all of you praying for Melissa!

Melissa and Laura

Spring Break Came and Went!

Melissa enjoyed her chemo free spring break! She went to step class at the gym, ran outside (when weather permitted), and socialized with friends. Melissa also spent time in her classroom organizing projects for the month of May.

On Easter Sunday, Steve, Melissa and I went to Mass at Boys Town. We thank God for the many blessings He has given us during this difficult time. Following Mass, some of the aunts, uncles and cousins came over for our traditional Bloody Mary's and Easter brunch! Melissa was a great help to me in the kitchen on Saturday! She helped with the cooking, baking, and setting the tables.

Family

Spring break is over....school resumes tomorrow. Melissa is going back relaxed, refreshed and ready to work. Hopefully her kindergartners feel the same way!

Friday will be chemo treatment #7. We plan to watch the royal wedding while we are at UNMC. History is being made as we continue on this Hodgkins Lymphoma journey with Melissa. Prayers are good! Thank You!

6 Down...6 To Go...

Friday (4-15) was Melissa's 6th chemo treatment. She continues to handle the treatments well. Dr. Bierman, her oncologist, walked into the room and said her lab work was marvelous! We are so thrilled to hear that Melissa's body is managing all the medication that the UNMC staff gives her! Melissa keeps smiling and staying so positive! All she thinks about is beating this cancer.

The weekend was fairly calm due to it being a  "chemo weekend". On these particular weekends, Melissa knows her body needs more rest and her stomach usually feels queasy. She takes life a little slower than usual. We attended the mass at Marian in honor of St. Peregrine, the patron saint of cancer, on Saturday. Melissa hung out with friends that evening. Sunday she went for a walk and then later had dinner with another friend. All in all, resting is the main ingredient for her to get well.

Please continue with your prayers! We are so appreciative of your support!

Kindergarten Quotes:

• A student made Melissa a card. It said, " Miss Maher, I hope you get detter soon!". Kindergarteners always confuse the  lower case letters: b/d.
• A co-worker came up to Melissa asking her if she lost her wig. Melissa said "No I didn't wear it today". The co-worker proceeded to tell Melissa, " There is a wig on the curb and the students want to know if it's yours?"

Life Is Good

This week has been a good one for Melissa! She taught school, attended grad. class, and also worked out during a step class at the gym! As busy as she is, Melissa knows how important her daily naps are. It is a part of her scheduled routine.....school, exercise, and rest!

Some of Melissa's Pledge Class

As I have mentioned in past posts, Melissa was a member of the Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority while in college. Last Thursday, April 7th, was the sorority's philanthropy with all of the proceeds going to the American Cancer Society in honor of Melissa! Wow! She and some of her sorority sisters attended this event. The Kappa Kappa Gamma girls had t-shirts made with Melissa's name on each shirt. She had so much fun! Melissa was so excited and appreciative of what these UNL KKG girls did in her honor!

Melissa and Kristen

Melissa's pledge class with the present members!

On Saturday, Melissa and I had a "sleepover" with Steve's sisters, (Melissa's aunts) Sally and Nancy. Aunt Sally lives in Tabor, Iowa, and Aunt Nancy lives in Springfield, Missouri. We had fun shopping, going out to dinner, and just "hanging out". On Sunday, Sally, Nancy, nieces, cousins, friends, and I participated in the ALS walk in Virginia Maher's memory (Melissa's grandmother). It was a beautiful day for the walk at Chalco Hills.

Aunt Nancy, Melissa, Maggie, Aunt Sally

Nancy, Alex, Sally, Jake, Maggie

The whole group!

Thank you for your prayers! We will have round 6 of chemo this Friday. Melissa will have a total of 12 treatments before her next set of scans. We are looking forward to saying: "6 down, 6 to go!"

Round 5 Completed!

Dr. Bierman confirmed the good news! The scans from last Friday were clear! The chemo treatments are working! Melissa will have 8 more sessions of chemotherapy. Hopefully, all treatments will be done by mid-July. The protocol with Hodgkin's Lymphoma is another set of scans 6 to 8 weeks after the final treatment. So.....early September could be her "rainbow" at the end of this storm!

Melissa & Maggie

Melissa was much more relaxed today during treatment. She had the calendar out trying to schedule summer school grad. classes, possible days she could work at the Market Basket, and basically....striving to get her life back to normal!

Life is Good! God is Great! Family and Friends are Fabulous!

Our US Bank Friends in Support of Melissa!

Thank you for your continued prayers and support as our journey with Melissa continues!

Kindergarten Quotes:

• One little boy tells everyone in the hall, "Miss  Maher's medicine is working!"
• Steve and I went to visit Melissa in her classroom. As we walked in, one little boy said, "Miss Maher, you're Grandma and Grandpa are here!"