Home Sweet Home..Away From Home *soon*

Ok...
so I know that you are all just biting your nails and stalking the blog for this post. ;) I apologize I was not able to get it out sooner, but apparently with June 1st comes the start of crazy summer. Birthdays, showers, graduations and all the parties that come with! Fun but time-consuming.
Anyhow, today is 'recovery day' from all that, so it's time now for me to sit down with the computer and fill you all in.

As many of you know, Friday was my appointment/consult with Dr. Julie Gemmell of Willamette Valley Cancer Institute in Eugene--a third and final opinion on the matter of my radiation needs as well as a potential doc to fulfill those needs.

I am over-joyed to report...it was A.M.A.Z.I.N.G.

When I first got there, I was greeted by the most welcoming and pleasant reception staff. They had already gathered up all my paperwork and only had a few 'autograph' needs for me, which were in a nice, neat pile--awaiting my arrival. The 'usual' clipboard of paper after paper, relaying all personal info, medical history, etc had already been collected from my previous doc visits and since nothing has changed, they didn't make me do it again!! That alone was such a relief.

Not more than five-minutes after sitting down did I hear my name to have another very pleasant face and hand introduce themselves and issue me to a nearby room--office, but I use the word room because it felt more like someone's cozy home-office with all it's pleasant pictures and posters of God--minus the examine table which is about the only reminder that it's in fact a doc office. ;)

The first person to walk through the door--again not more than five minutes after I was left by the assisting nurse--was Katie, an incredibly sweet and young patient navigator. Not only did Katie and I hit it off right away, but shortly into our discussion, I was able to deduct down that she, herself, is a breast-cancer survivor--which steered our conversation into more of a cancer-survivor group-meeting than an information session. ;) But it was WONDERFUL... and I really felt like I received an awesome glimpse of what the young-survivors group that she did tell me about, which meets every other Wednesday. And yes. I will most definitely be attending at least one of those while I'm up there! While Katie and I were still in, what seemed like the midst (though it had been a good twenty-minutes or more!) of our conversation, the door opened once more--this time to the warm smile of an angel.
Cue Dr. Gemmell.

Let me just take a minute to describe Dr. Gemmell. She is a middle-age woman (though she looks quite fantastic for her age), a wife, a mom of three (two boys and a girl), and a Christian. She is also a 20+ year experienced doctor of oncology with a specialty in radiation oncology and specific interest in breast cancer. She has had a couple of up-close and personal experiences with breast-cancer (friends and family) and healing people and the teamwork effort of doing so with each patient are what fuel her to do what she does.
If you want to hear this from HER, check out this video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L4LiYP05IPs

Basically, I don't know that someone could've designed a better doc to fit me if they had the option.

After an hour+ meeting with Julie (on top of the already half-hour long lovely meeting with Katie), they sent me down to a lab just down the hallway where I had a CT scan done so they have current pictures of everything to triple-check how they are going to set the radiation boundaries. While down there, the tech and myself quickly found ourselves matching up stories of mutual acquaintances as she grew up in Days Creek--and btw, I should make a special note that ALL of the people I interacted with on Julie's team were believers, so I found myself over and over sharing 'Praise God's' and 'Amen's' with each. ;)
Needless to say, I feel at home there.. truly.
AT HOME.
Dare I say I'm even looking forward to my time there?! Ha!
Yep. I actually am. :)

So, now...
Found the doc--Julie Gemmell!
Confirmed the place--Willamette Valley Cancer Institute
What happens next??

Glad you asked. ;)

THIS Tuesday, I'm going back up for what they call the '0-day' appointment... where they put me on the machine to run specific light-accuracy tests and make sure they know exactly the setting for MY treatment when I come in, everyday, once I start. After this Tuesday, I have a few remaining days here at home to get ready for Lincoln's big 4th birthday party and company that will be staying through the weekend and pack myself and the boys up for an extended period of time--as come Monday (a week from tomorrow), myself and the boys will be living up in Eugene with my awesome in-laws 5-days a week! Yes, I know. My in-laws are incredible--I thank God every day for Aaron and what came with him in the 'deal.' ;)
I'll confirm on Tuesday, but it sounds like I will start radiation Monday, June 10th and yes... it is a five-day-a-week commitment, for six weeks. The therapy itself is veeeeeery short but I still have to be there every day of the week. Dr. Gemmell did say that as we get further into treatment if/when a 'break' is needed, we can absolutely talk about it... so it's not like it's cut and dry. BUT, that's the plan going into it and one way or another, I'll have had two rounds (one round is three weeks) or six weeks of radiation, in the end.

Since daily treatment appointments are so fast and I'm going to be staying in the hometown of all my beloved family on the hubby's side, my sis-in-love and myself are already making plans! Plans for the three little cousins to make lots and lots of awesome memories together--and sisters to do so, too! ;)
I am so very blessed that God would open this door, so close to home...
and for that matter at my home sweet home away from home!!!

Thank you all for your steadfast prayer (haven't I said this before?!) ha! ... and your ongoing support. Can't believe we start the last 'leg' of this looooong journey, in one week. Eager to get going, definitely... but also just marveling at the Lord and how yes, this too, He has His Hand right in the middle of. Can't thank and praise Him enough for loving me...that much~

*Here's one more quick video of my 'angel doc' as I'm going to call her...describing the therapy I'll be having: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NgfF60FZJt8&NR=1&feature=endscreen