The month of December is always an especially busy (and fun!) time of year for us, not just because of all the holiday parties and events, but because it is also one very special girl's birthday.

Lily was born 12 years ago on December 13th. Even as I spent the day in labor, I was multi-tasking! We spent the morning searching for the perfect Christmas tree and the afternoon decorating it. By that evening, I was finally ready to head to the hospital, where Lily was delivered a short time later.

Lily was a beautiful, healthy newborn; she looked like a pretty little doll with chubby cheeks and a head full of long, black hair.

I was so happy and excited to finally have my sweet baby girl in my arms. She was absolutely the best Christmas present ever!

This Christmas, I am so thankful to still be able to hold my girl in my arms. She truly is a gift and a blessing to everyone who knows her.

Thankful!

We had a great Thanksgiving this year! Not only was it very relaxing (and yummy!), we had so much to be thankful for. Lily's health was of course top on our list; we are so happy and grateful that her treatment has gone so well this year.

We have also been enjoying this beautiful fall weather! We've been spending as much time outdoors as possible and Lily and I have been planting all sorts of things: flowers, radishes, garlic, onions, spinach, lettuce, beets, and broccoli so far.

Lovey helping with the planting!

 All my sweet pups except for my Lovey are gone to good homes, with friends that we know will love and take good care of them.

It's been two weeks since Lily's last treatment, but tomorrow is a long chemo day with 3 different chemo therapies and overnight hydration.

Okay, to say that I've been remiss with this blog is a bit of an understatement.

In my defense, I've been so busy with puppies, homeschooling, doctor appointments, work, work, and more work, plus occasionally cleaning my house, exercising, and spending time with family and friends that there simply hasn't been time in the day for all that I want to accomplish. In addition to this, I'm really embarrassed to admit that I have a bit of an addiction....and it's called crochet; more about that later...

Luckily (?) Phillip has been home to help, but somehow having him home means I get even less done and he is still recovering from his knee surgery. So tonight, in a moment of quiet (Phillip is at school, Lily went out to eat with Grandma, and Jacob is doing homework), I finally logged on here to check in and realized that I never posted this blog that I wrote almost a month ago after we got the news of Lily's biopsy:

Each simple day brings forth so many moments to be thankful for.
I’m awed that even the tiniest details of my daily life reveal the greatest mysteries.

Simply waking up with the sun each morning; being alive- laughing, loving, singing, enjoying the beauty of this wondrous earth reveal to me the miracle that is life.
All too often, however, I tend to forget or maybe fail to recognize how precious and beautiful life truly is. Perhaps we all do this, or perhaps as a sensitive and emotional person, my focus too easily gets swept away by my thoughts, feelings and worries. Either way, Lily and the challenges she faces bring into sharp relief for me what a gift life is.

Last week, we found out that Lily’s bone marrow biopsy was negative for metastatic  tumor. This means, that according to all tests and scans, Lily is in remission. Words can’t describe how happy and grateful we were to hear this news.

Most of you already know this beautiful news. Reading this post again made me realize what a whirlwind this past month has been since I wrote this. I think I have been swept away!

Time to refocus my energies. Time to be mindful of each moment as it comes. Time to breathe deep, relax, and smile. Lily is in remission!

Amazingly Wonderful News!

Today we got the results of Lily's MRI and PET scan and they were fantastic! The doctor said her PET scan was perfect and is simply amazed at how well she is doing. He wants to do one more test- a bone marrow biopsy- but said the chances of that showing something the scans do not is very slim. Lily also had an Echo and EKG done on her heart to make sure it has not been damaged by some of the chemotherapy drugs, but everything looks great.

This picture of Lily's PET scan is just a photocopy, but you can see when you compare the first image from January to the image from this week what a difference there is between the two. Lily's first scan revealed cancer in her foot, knee, pelvis, spine, shoulders and arms. The second image is completely normal.

Words really can't describe how I felt after meeting with the doctor today. Joy. Gratitude. And a surreal feeling that I can't explain. The doctor actually said the words total and remission.

Lily will continue her scheduled chemotherapy treatment for the next three months, but it will not be as intense as it has been in the past. Monday she will have a transfusion with overnight hydration, but then she will get two weeks off from chemotherapy. This cycle will continue for the next 9 weeks, followed by even "easier" chemotherapy drugs. Once Lily has completed her treatment, she will have another evaluation. If everything still looks good, she will only need to be seen periodically to be evaluated. 

The doctor reminded us today of how far Lily has come when he mentioned the night, nearly 9 months ago, when Phillip and I sobbed in his office as our world came crashing down on us. I never could understand how anyone would want such a terribly heartbreaking career, but what a difference today's visit was. Now it makes a little more sense. 

When I thanked the doctor, however, he said, "Don't thank me. It's all her," and pointed at Lily. In a way, he is right. Lily's strength of body and mind is something simply amazing. But I also know where we would be without the doctors, nurses, medical science, holistic medicine, family, friends, love, prayers and human kindness (in no certain order) working for us. And for this, I am thankful!

A Huge Thank You!!

Thanks so much to everyone who donated at the clothing drive last weekend. It was a huge success!! A ton of clothes were donated. So much so that even after a great turn out with lots of shopping, we had two trucks full of clothes to give to Desert Industries.

We also really appreciate all the hard work that went into getting everything set up and ready to go. Thank you to all those that helped! And a extra big thanks to Cami, who planned it all.

Why should we all use our creative power….? Because there is nothing that makes people so generous, joyful, lively, bold and compassionate, so indifferent to fighting and the accumulation of objects and money. ~Brenda Ueland

The phrase “creative power” is apt because creativity is the most powerful force that humans have been blessed with. When people tap into the love that is the Universe they can accomplish great and beautiful things. But creativity isn’t just about listening to your intuition and surrendering yourself to inspiration. It is about bringing that love out into the world and sharing your insight in whatever unique way you can.

To the musicians who played for Lily at the benefit show- Mergence, Black Carl, Badshoe- thank you for working so hard to bring forth your vision and wonderful talents into the world! You are some of the most "generous, joyful, lively, bold and compassionate" people I know.

This video was shot during the show that benefited Lily.

A BIG Thank You!

Our hearts are full of gratitude for all those who contributed and helped with Lily's benefit concert. What an amazing night - full of fun, love, good music and great people!

The result of Lily's PET scan was as fantastic as her MRI. There was no sign of the tumor in her foot and the only area with uptake was in her shoulder. In comparison to her previous PET scans which showed uptake in her foot, knee, legs, pelvis, spine and shoulders, this is an amazing improvement. 

Lily has come so far in such a short amount of time and we are so happy and thankful that she is doing so well. So many people from all over the world have sent their prayers and loving thoughts our way and we feel the strength and power of their love.  All of this positive healing energy has helped as surely as the chemotherapy has.

Benefit Show June 17th

We are so grateful and excited about the benefit show planned for Lily. This is going to be an amazing night!!
A big thank you to all who are involved in making this happen. We love you!

Thanks to everyone who helped support Lily with the craft fundraiser. We had such a fun day creating Mother's Day crafts!

A special thank you to the Shupes for planning and organizing everything. We love you!!

Fun in the Sun

The cornhole tournament fundraiser was a huge sucess. Thank you to those who came out, we had so much fun!

We Love Crafts!!

There is going to be another fundraiser for Lily Saturday, May 7th. Thank you Lacey!

Love and Gratitude by the Heartful





How beautiful a day can be
When kindness touches it!
~George Elliston

My heart is so full of gratitude for the kindness of others!
I am so thankful for the kind-hearted nurses and doctors who have decided to make helping others their life's work.
I am thankful too for the many things both large and small that friends, family, neighbors and even strangers have done to help make this all bearable.







Another Fundraiser!!

Our amazingly awesome friends Theresa and Victor are having a fundraiser for Lily on Saturday, April 16^th.  The fun starts at 9 a.m. near Skyline Park at Coralbell Ave & 103rd place in Mesa.

There will be a barbeque with yummy food, inflatable jumpy thing for kids and a cornhole tournament. What (you may be asking) is a cornhole tournament?!? According to the ACA (American Cornhole Association, yes they have an association!) at www.playcornhole.org, cornhole is similar to horseshoes except that you use wooden boxes and corn bags instead of horseshoes and metal stakes.

If you have a facebook account, you can RSVP to the event here: http://www.facebook.com/?tid=1460536773186&sk=messages#!/event.php?eid=204084806269767

Thank you so much Theresa and Victor! And thanks to everyone who is helping with this event. We are truly blessed with wonderful friends and family J

This event is being sponsored by two very amazing women. Thank you Elizabeth and Michelle!

Thank you also to everyone else who is helping with the event.

When strangers reach out to lend a helping hand by giving of their time, resources and energy, you know that there is pure goodness in world J 

Thank You!!!

A big THANK YOU to all who participated and helped with the benefit barbecue! It was a great success thanks to you.






  




Benefit BBQ

My dad's work is having a benefit barbecue for Lily on Friday, March 11th at 11:30 a.m.
It will take place at Earnhardt Toyota 6136 East Auto Loop Avenue, Mesa, AZ, 85206. They will be selling baked goods and $5.00 lunch plates.

Thank you Jim and Jordan and everyone else who is helping!!

Make a Wish!

Phillip's work has been amazing. His co-workers have been giving out bracelets that say, "Stay Strong Lily Lopez" for a donation. They also folded 1,000 paper cranes! A Japanese legend says that by doing so, a wish may be granted.

 

1,000 paper cranes! I love it.

Thank you for everything!



The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen, nor touched, but are felt in the heart. ~ Helen Keller

I continue to be amazed at the thoughtful loving kindness of others.  So many people have reached out to help or to show that they care. You know who you are! All I can do is say thank you from the bottom of my heart.

A big thank you to my fellow teachers for thinking of Lily and running for her at London's Run.