Trick or Treat Update from Freddie

Hello Dear Friends and Family,

Sorry it has been a couple weeks since my last update. It was a bit of a tough time with the first chemo treatment. As of the Monday after my first Oct. 17th chemo treatment, I was sick for about 5 days with flu symptoms and stomach pains. I also had a reaction to the chemo and had hives over my entire torso for a week. They are trying to figure out how to control this from happening again before my next November 7th chemo treatment. Nothing that I can't get through....just itchy, ugly and annoying. My hair started falling out on Wednesday, October 29th so we "attacked" and hubby Keith shaved my head on October 30th. Keith offered to shave his head too several times but I won't let him. Above arei a couple pictures of the bootcamp look. The stubbele are falling out fast but not quite in time to be a Saturday Night Live Conehead for Halloween tonight. My white blood count is way down now so with the flu season in full swing I have to avoid crowds and being around germs as much as possible for the next couple months so if you don't see me at events personally know that I am there in spirit.

Thank you again for the outpouring of love that keeps coming in and for all those that walked and supported Breast Cancer during Breast Cancer Awareness month. A couple pictures of some of my supporters below. Thanks cousins Sue and Melissa for walking for me in Miami (cousin Melissa in the picture below with sign)!

Me with a sporty look from yesterday in cap and glasses.

I will write again soon. I hope you all have a great weekend.

Love Freddie

Chemo Has Started But All Is Well

It is Sunday, October 19th and I am finally updating my blog due to a hectic couple weeks. October 17th was my first “chemo cocktail” of taxotere and Cytoxan. At this time I am tired from the experience over the last few days along with the nausea medication but no other major side affects or reactions yet. It has been almost two months since my surgery and the anxiety of waiting for the chemo to start…fearing the unknown…was worse than the last couple days. Chemo was worth waiting for though to see our beautiful daughter Amber, marry her love Brandon Vincent on Friday, October 10th. It was a wonderful day in our life.

I am now 25% through with my chemo treatments. I will have three more treatments every three weeks. The last treatment will be on December 19 if my white blood cell count stays high enough to continue the treatments every three weeks. After chemo, I will begin the 5 to 7 weeks of daily radiation. Keith and my spirits are strong though and we feel God’s presence along with all our friends who are praying for us.

I have cut my hair to attack the hair loss that I am told will happen within 10 to 14 days.
Here I am right before chemo...you will just have to wait and see if you will see further pictures with no hair (smile).

Many of my friends have written me what a strong woman I am. Although I am flattered by this comment, what strength I have I get from my faith in God. Putting on God’s Armor each day gives me the strength I need to fight this battle. Also, the love and support I have from all my family and friends gives me so much courage and hope for my great life ahead as a survivor. I will be a much stronger person because of all this.

Many friends have asked how they can help. Again, I feel more blessed than I ever have ever been in many ways in the past few months due to all your love and support through my Benefit and the words and gifts of kindness you have all shared.

For those that are calling and emailing me to still bless us more with food during my chemo treatments we welcome the support during my treatment weeks but due to my treatments mixed with my candida I am limited on foods I can eat. Basically, I try and eat only organic foods and I need to stay away from alcohol, all sugars, even natural fruit sugar, artificial sweetners, preservatives, most dairy, I eat some cheese...one of my favorite food. Due to the chemo, they want me to eat high protein so we eat organic chicken, turkey, steak, and fish and vegetables mostly. The only pastas and bread I eat right now are made of brown rice. I need to also stay away from fermented sauces such as soy sauce and vinegars. Here are a couple links of recipes we cook from.
http://www.geocities.com/hotsprings/4966/recipes/recipes.html; http://hubpages.com/hub/The-Candida-Diet; http://hubpages.com/hub/The-Candida-Diet-Part-III

Now I would like to again thank the family and friends (who include all the sponsors below) who donated to Cabo San Freddie on October 1st. Your generosity, love and donations have been overwhelming and have filled me with joy through this crazy journey and also helped me cover my enormously high insurance deductible for this year! THANK YOU! Cabo San Freddie was The BEST event I have ever been to! Ok, I was the guest of honor and it felt like my birthday but friends call and email me daily still raving about that night. Our industry is awesome how we prove time and again that we come together for each other. Thank you, thank you, thank you for coming together for me…all of you. A special thanks again to Danny Findley, Kristin Hutton, Steve and Allison Kinsley and Terri Utecht for spearing this great event.
Here are pictures taken from Cabo San Freddie: www.grantoakes.com/blog/freddie
Below are the sponsors who supported Cabo San Freddie

A Music Plus
Butler Rents
Capital Grille
Catering by Design
Crown Trophy
Dave and Busters
ESPN Zone, Kristin
Fun Productions
Gourmet Fine Catering
Grand Hyatt Denver
Hacienda Colorado
Hard Rock Café:
Image Audio Visual
Images by Grant Oakes
Jay’s Valet
Kevin Taylor Restaurant
Kinsley & Associates
Maggianos
McCormicks Catering
Michaels of Denver
Mile High Station
Millennium Harvest House
Northern Lights
Perfect Petal
Ritz Carlton
Rock Bottom Brewery
Sarah Edgell
Splash Promotions
TDA Design
The Oceanaire
The Palm
The Stanley Hotel
The Wildlife Experience
Tripping Griswolds

I would also like to thank Deanna Brown and the Grand Hyatt, Grant Oakes, Images by Grant Oakes, Jennifer Young with Bella Studios, Cal Cheney of All Digital Photo & Video, Fun Productions and A Music Plus. With their additional generosity, we were able to pull off a beautiful wedding for my daughter that will live on forever in our memories. Thank you!

I will keep you all posted via my blog on my continued journey.

Wow! I Am So Blessed By All Your Love and Support!

Last night was The Cabo San Freddie Benefit and I could not be more blessed by all my family, friends and colleagues support. Words can't truly even express how loved and the support I feel. It was an amazing event and we thank all of you for coming and those that could not attend but shared their love and support anyway. Thank you to all that helped sponsor the event! I will be contacting you each personally. Below is what I said at the Benefit to all of you wonderful friends... I truly do thank you from the bottom of my heart. I will see many of you at the Race for the Cure on Sunday (my team and others are meeting at the "F" at the registration area from 8:00 to 9:00 a.m.)
...
Good Evening my Dear Family and Friends,

Forgive me if I have to read what I wrote. This is very emotional for me but know this is from my heart.

Keith and I are absolutely humbled, honored, deeply moved and somewhat embarrassed by the amazing love and support from our family and friends who have come together to help us with our fight against my Breast Cancer. From the bottom of our hearts we thank all of you for taking the time to come tonight, love on us and for your financial support in these hard economic times. God has given me the faith but you all have given me the additional courage and strength to face the journey of chemo and radiation I have in the next five months by your outpouring of love and friendship. How can I NOT beat this Cancer with all your love and support? I can and I will fight and the road will be much easier because of all your kindness.

Last summer at an annual MPI Board Retreat, our dear friend Cherie Hogue asked us all to share one of our favorite songs. I choose the Eagles “Love Will Keep Us Alive”. I had no idea that a year later that song would be even more meaningful and true in my life. I dedicated this song to my husband last summer who is my rock, my best friend and the love of my life and has been by my side every inch of the way in the last two months giving me so much of his heart and his courage when I could not find mine. I share this song with all of you tonight and thank you for your love and for being there with Keith and me on this journey.

Two months ago Keith and my world were rocked when we received the diagnosis that I did indeed have Breast Cancer. I had a lumpectomy in August and 9 lymph nodes removed when they found the cancer had spread to at least my main sentinel node. For four days we were not sure if it was throughout my entire body (it is not). Those were the scariest four days of our life… From the first day we received the cancer diagnosis though our family and friends rallied together to help us get through this with prayers, flowers, fruit baskets, beautiful cards and gifts of encouragement, great meals and financial support towards an amazingly high major medical deductible and we are truly overwhelmed and blessed by all your love.

For the past two months, Keith and my hearts have been tugged more than ever for the women and men that don’t have this love and support while battling cancer and Keith and I encourage all of you to continue to reach out to those in need of your support to help, not only financially in finding a cure for cancer, but because your love and kindness truly does make a difference.

Two years ago my mother was diagnosed with Bladder Cancer. She has been in remission for the past year. Mom, you are my hero and my inspiration…so are you my cousin Dee, Dad and all my other family and friends who are cancer survivors here tonight. Thank you for your fight and helping me believe I will get through this and be that much stronger for it. I would also like to thank my sister Toddie who has spent countless hours everyday searching every link out their on my health conditions and working with me on how to fight my battle in the most healthy way possible. Thank you sister for everything you do for me on a daily basis.

Keith and I would also like to take a moment and thank the Cabo San Freddie organizers, Terri Utecht, Kristin Hutton, Danny Findley, who is looking for a new job and is an amazing catch for anyone looking for someone with his talent, Steve and Allison Kinsley, Devon Binder and the entire Kinsley and Associates office for helping to put this Benefit together and for the countless hours and love it took. Keith and I love you very much and appreciate all you have done for us. Thank you to Mile High Station for donating your venue and to all the caterers and sponsors who are great friends of ours who have donated to us and again, each and everyone of you here tonight…Thank you, thank you, thank you for your love and support and for being here tonight.

Keith and I will keep you all posted through my health blog on this journey. God bless you all and enjoy this wonderful celebration of my journey in kicking cancer’s butt.

Thank you my dear friends The Tripping Griswolds for playing for My Event! Anyone looking for a great band to play at one of your events here is their website:
http://www.trippinggriswolds.com/index2.html

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I truly feel I am a survivor already with all your love! Thank you!