A Foretaste of Upcoming WonderVan Life

My favorite new organic taco dinner with mushroom taco ‘meat’ and eating the rainbow of fresh veggies! This was my Last Supper before I headed out West for John’s work conference in AZ. Thought I’d share some pics along the way as we made our way from Ohio to Arizona. 

I saw this sign and cross in Illinois and thought, “There’s a message in this for someone!” Maybe when you’re at a Y in the road of life, what direction will you choose??

Along the way in Missouri we had the joy of visiting dear family friends then found a mountain bike trail with some beautiful Redbuds and Dogwoods, but sadly didn’t see any morels.

However, we did use our Harvest Host membership for the first time and parked our van (not the WonderVan yet) for the night in the parking lot of a winery/brew house and meet a sweet young gal who served us with a smile and shared camaraderie over eating plant based food! Thanks, L!

Like so many, we donned our Eclipse glasses but sadly we weren’t in an area of totality so it wasn’t as cool, sacred, awesome and amazing as some of my folks back home experienced. 

Oklahoma's…..a long flat drive with cows and oil wells. That’s it!

However, New Mexico had more topographic interest. We were all hyped up about Taos, but in all honesty, it disappointed. Along the way, there was so much poverty, dusty and arid terrain, but also had mountain views that were very pretty. Some passes even had snow still on them which was a treat to see in stark comparison to the desert-y rest of the state. We did a little off-roading for fun but not too much in the 2 wheel drive van. The WonderVan will handle this with no problem. 

The Rio Grande!

Our wild camping site on BLM land in NM had wild turkeys nearby. 

We kayaked the San Juan River for a day while John played around with fly fishing for trout. He managed to hook a little guy on day one which he ate for dinner. I took one bite and was surprised that I was kinda grossed out. For a gal who used to eat any animal protein, becoming plant based has certainly changed my tastebuds. 

We meet up with friends from Ohio where John and Joe G fly fished with a guide in quality waters of the San Juan near Navajo Dam. 

Then we headed out toward Arizona. 

On a whim we decided to stop at the Grand Canyon and OH MY!!!! were we glad we did. So many gorgeous views that photos never do it justice! We rode our mountain bikes along the South Rim trail, hiked Bright Angel trail, wild camped along forest service roads in the Ponderosa Pine forest, and took an unforgettable helicopter ride over the Canyon!! Both John and I actually teared up flying over it and we were speechless. 

Next stop…Phoenix to see friends from 30 years ago then Tucson for a conference. 

 

With Gratitude, Optimism Is Sustainable

I was cutting up pineapples in order to grill and dehydrate them for this upcoming September when John and I plan on living in the Canadian Wilderness for a month! We have dreamed about this for years! We will have only a canoe, tent and gear for fishing and cooking. Besides what fish we catch to eat (being plant-based now changes things for me entirely, so I’ll have to decide just how much fish I’ll allow myself to eat up there) I’m having to dehydrate or vacuum seal ALL our food which is why I’m starting to dehydrate now!

 

As I did that delicious preparation, I was scrolling through video reels and one came up that stopped me in my tracks, put a tear in my eye and made me want to share it with those who read my blog. This is one for the record books! Click on this link!! His profound words are POWERFUL! 

Then it made me think how grateful I am that Bevin Bells company agreed to make me a Gratitude Bell that others can buy for their own reminder to express gratitude to God for their blessings. I ring mine almost daily and it always elicits a response of claiming out loud what I’m grateful for in that moment. While it is still my hope that these will be placed in every cancer infusion center to encourage stage four cancer patients, most of the bells that I am aware of are hanging in people’s personal spaces, and it would be my hope that everyone reading my blog would consider getting a bell for their home or a friend to support the company that so graciously made this bell specifically for me. 

I flew to Florida on March 28th to visit my daughter, son-in-law and granddaughter and I’m especially grateful I get to spend this Easter with them to witness beautiful acts of faith in Jesus.

Unfortunately, on Friday night while drying a crystal glass, it just broke into two and the sharp glass shard rammed right into my palm leading me to the ER for 4 sutures.

The PA asked if I was ok with a medical student to suture it and for some odd reason I just really wasn’t in that frame of mind. I’m usually one to always help out students but this night I felt differently and asked the PA, Josh, to suture me up himself, which he gladly did. Come to find out he’s a Christian and sings in his church choir in Naples, FL area. I asked him if he was familiar with my favorite worship song, Gratitude, by Brandon Lake and he had not heard of it so I played it while he put in my sutures. He started humming along to it and I knew he was the perfect person for me this night!  He was such a gift from God and I love how my Heavenly Father takes such perfect care of me! Thankfully, only 4 stitches later and I’m going to be just fine.

 

Josh, the PA said he was sorry that I had that happen, but in that moment, I was so grateful that I got to see and experience God’s care for me and then the thought that it was Good Friday came to mind.  I had only 1 cut and was bleeding which made me pause and think how Jesus willingly took 39 violent whip lashes with sharp bones and metal shards on MY account…whew! I was so humbled to think how intense and unfathomable that excruciating pain must have been and how much blood must have poured out of him! Thank You, Jesus for going to the cross and enduring it all for me! 

This weekend I’m really thankful that I get to spend it with this little lady and her parents.

Sad that my hubby couldn’t come down with me but he’s working hard on our WonderVan. This weekend he’s putting in the flooring!!

 

Last week we started applying the olive ash burl veneer on the bench seats. It is even more exquisite than the photo shows. 

And today, April 3, 2024, I’m back up in Columbus, OH for my every 3 week infusion. It’s the first time I actually saw my oncology team since that amazing PET scan where Dr. Johnson called me on the phone to inform me of my clean scan!  (The past 2 infusions I only got the infusion but didn’t see the oncologist first).  I wanted to record them actually saying it to me, in person, so Amber who is the PA for Dr. Johnson and who did my exam today was gracious enough to let me record her making the official statement of that clean PET scan done several weeks ago. 

I did ask if there were any studies that have been done where stage 4 breast cancer patients with clean scans extend treatments out longer than 3 weeks. Unfortunately, Amber said she’s not familiar with any and suggested that since I have had THE BEST POSSIBLE results with how things have been done, and that it’s probably in my interest not to change my current treatment. She said that everything I’m currently doing, including eating a whole food plant based diet, is WORKING!! She said that I should continue on this path of Herceptin/Perjeta infusions every 3 weeks and eating super clean, exercising daily and having such a great attitude! I also asked my oncology nurse how often she sees someone with stage 4 breast cancer get CLEAN scans where there’s NO EVIDENCE OF DISEASE? She said it’s not very common at all!! 

She was in full agreement with me that it was a gift from God and a miracle! This brings to mind my absolutely favorite scene from The Chosen. Every word is powerfully moving to me and helps me accept whatever happens on my cancer journey. The miracle today of healing IS great news but I remember these words from the Bible book of Job and am humbled. This photo is the sunrise from this morning as I drove up to get my infusion! KJV is for my dear friend J. O’B 💕

I’ve Got The Joy Joy Joy Joy

After the last blog entry, how could my heart be any more grateful?!?! And boy have we celebrated!

Here in this photo I was gladly ringing 🔔 my Gratitude Bell once again this week as I will every three weeks for the rest of my life, but this time I’m joyfully ringing it knowing that there is zero active breast cancer in my body! Some people asked why I still get infusions if there’s no detectable cancer and the answer I’ve been told is that once a person is diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer, the treatments do not ever come to an end because they never really know for sure if there might be a rogue cancer cell somewhere, so they basically preventively continue with infusions.

 

To celebrate, John and I went immediately to my favorite mountain biking trails at John Bryan State Park and we joyfully rode a couple trails on a perfect spring day! I love listening to Brandon Lake’s song Gratitude as I ride! And for those of you who know I have tried desperately to contact Brandon Lake himself to see if he received the Gratitude Bell gift I sent to him several months ago… No, I have heard nothing😞.

To my great surprise, I was treated last night to a Celebration🎗️ Dinner at a fancy restaurant called Jags.  My dear friends and former teammates from Advance Dentistry blessed me immensely! I was shocked, over joyed, elated and deeply touched at the gift of time each one of these dear people made to come and have dinner with me!  What a good God I have to bring them all into my life! Thank you AD for the cards and for sharing your Thursday evening with me! I love it that after almost TWO years they still think of me as “one of them”! 

To update folks on our WonderVan…yes, it’s coming along and John works on it nonstop, but there is still lots more to do. Here’s a sneak peek to what we’ve been working on this week…a couple table tops… one is end cut ash from our woods that was later filled in with dark brown epoxy and the other is a USA map with different species of wood for each state. I’ve been wanting to work on these two pieces for almost 2 years! What a joy!

This last week I started watching The Chosen series once again. If you haven’t seen it, I can’t say enough about how positively it affects me in a way that makes me fall in love with Jesus even more and what a great way to come into this season of sacrifice. It would be a blessing to anyone to watch it and see how great a love God has for us with a fresh endearing approach that I’m hopeful won’t disappoint anyone. You can watch the first three seasons by getting The Chosen app. Season four is just coming out and will be playing at theaters Thursday – Saturday before Easter.

JESUS is my greatest joy!

Miracles ARE REAL!

My past few weeks have filled me with lots of GRATITUDE. 

Two weeks ago LillyMae and a I drove to the chilly north as we hiked and winter camped in Wisconsin on a trip with some of my favorite people! Admittedly, waking up in 20°F weather is becoming less of a novelty however if it means hanging out with these two…I’m all in! In addition to laughing and learning with them, I got to see my long time friend Wendy & my nieces Stephanee and Sammie! I made a commitment to upping my game and hiking minimally 1 mile a day with the hopes of several multiple miles at a time on good days! 

Some ‘exciting-for-a-grandma’ news is that my beautiful granddaughter started walking, so I can’t wait to have her run into my arms in a couple weeks!!

Here in Ohio, I got to fully enjoy what will likely be the last snowfall of the season. Although it was only a scant 3”, it was beautiful and I went out for a hike to my bench and sang my favorite Brandon Lake song, Gratitude! I don’t think I’ll ever tire of hearing it! Then I was treated to seeing robins and hearing cardinals singing! I am so thankful to have a place close to my home where I can enjoy God’s beauty in nature!

And now thanks to the melting snow, there are flowing waterfalls where I can hike and sit while listening to the gentle bubble of tumbling snow melt cascading over some fossilized rocks! I had to take 2 days off of hiking as my left calf muscle cramped so spastically for a couple nights in a row that I could hardly walk without wincing. Yet, here I relaxed at this spot praising God!! I have today! More gratitude!

This past week, during my morning reading time I came across some Bible verses that touched me. I’ll share in hopes it’ll encourage you, too. LillyMae especially loved the second verse as we read together.

Now to continue with all things gratitude, I drove to Columbus, OH twice this week for tests and my infusion.  The drive was glorious! A vibrant sunrise displaying Elohim’s creative genius.

I had an echocardiogram on Tuesday & PET scan and infusion today. Waiting for Dr Johnson to give me a call with the results. 

And on this warmish Wednesday morning, John and I enjoyed each other’s company as I had yet another infusion. Yes…I did ring my Gratitude Bell both in coming and going and asked the receptionist if anyone ever rings it and she said that ’Yes’ they do!!! This makes me happy. The infusion was easy and now we head to the shop to keep working on the building of our WonderVan! 

JUST GOT THE CALL from my PET scan results! 

I can’t call everyone, so I thought I would make a quick recording that you all can watch to see my reaction once I got my call from Dr. Johnson! I am praising Jesus all the way! He is my healer! He is my miracle maker! God is so good… So, so, so good to me! I will receive it willingly, with every fiber of my being! Thank you Jesus for the gift of this miracle that I get to experience through your healing hands! 

Reflection, Gratitude & Excitement

It is February 2024, and I am beyond grateful to be approaching the two year mark of my diagnosis for metastatic breast cancer. It is hard to imagine that two years ago today I was fighting a chronic cough that I believed to be bronchitis stemming from having Covid. I never imagined that around the corner it was going to be a complete derailment of my life the way I knew and within weeks I would fall head long into an entirely New World! The thought never crossed my mind that my nagging cough was metastasized breast cancer cells filling in my lymph channels inside of my lungs as seen here from my 4/22 PET scan. Those lungs should be pitch black, not fluorescent green!

So much has changed in these two years, and I am truly grateful for all of it! Beautiful friendships, excellent medical care, the new worship in my heart, the creation of a Gratitude Bell (now hanging in my own treatment center at Stephanie Spielman Comprehensive Breast Cancer Center)

the unexpected retirement from dental hygiene, and the gift of time to be with my new granddaughter,

adult children, loving husband, and all my beautiful family and friends that have surrounded me… All of these things are my miracles… My million little miracles! 

This week I went back up to Columbus, Ohio, for my three week infusion. For the most part it was status quo, but there were a few slight changes to report. One is that my new insurance company denied paying for one of my drugs, Herceptin and required my oncologist, Dr. Johnson, to try a bioidentical drug and that I would have to fail two different bioidentical ones before allowing Herceptin again. As much as this concerns me, Dr. Johnson was not concerned at all and said this is par for the course when new and lesser expensive bioidentical drugs are available. He did give me the assurance that he would appeal the insurance company and try to have the Herceptin approved for next time. 

The second conversation the oncologist and I had was about the spot that was noted in my nuclear bone scan back in December 2023. I saw it on the actual imaging for the first time this week and honestly it was pretty concerning as it looked like a very bright spot right in the middle of my femur (this image isn’t very clear but it was more visible than what I imagined).

It did coordinate with the PET scan from 2022 but Dr  Johnson explained that it still could be a cancerous lesion. He suggested we get another PET scan as soon as possible to compare apples to apples so I am scheduled for February 20, 2024 to do that. This will indicate whether or not that spot is actually active cancer or if it is some kind of scar tissue from a previous trauma. If it is active cancer, he said that regardless of whether I have pain or not they can always treat it with radiation first and see if that helps. If it doesn’t slow it down, they will consider changing my medications altogether. Mentally, I’m not falling pray to fear, but rather trusting that God knows the plans He has for me, and they are to prosper and heal me and be Jesus’ hands and feet on earth while I am still here. That is my goal! No matter what the diagnosis… 

Other than that report, my days are quite routine. I wake up and read 1-2 chapters in scripture, do 15 minutes of gentle yoga, eat a nutritious breakfast and prepare my food for the day.  I still try and listen to a pod cast daily on the health and longevity benefits of a whole food plant based lifestyle!! 

John and I usually spend most of the day at his shop building working on our WonderVan! This week I’ve been sealing and sanding our spalted maple ceiling boards.

John has meticulously worked on the very detailed and intricate custom cabinets that soon will have a beautiful veneer on the cabinet door faces but here you can see the skeleton at least with the drop down shelf on the underside!

I’m looking especially forward to an unexpected winter hiking and camping trip coming up next week in Wisconsin with my mountain biking coach and friend, Brenda! And great news is that my hiking buddy LillyMae will hopefully be joining me!! We are both stoked! We hope to hike 5-10 miles a day! Oh…I have so, so much to be grateful for!

Thriving Everywhere

 

This blog entry will begin with the most recent and exciting news! I continue to thrive in the way I am responding to all my cancer medications… Herceptin and Perjeta. Truly, I’m so grateful for that! Every time I walk out of the oncology infusion center, I am flooded with gratitude, and today was no exception. I got to ring my Gratitude Bell once again at the Stephanie Spielman Comprehensive Breast Cancer Center in Columbus, Ohio. And yet, there were people all around me, and in rooms right next to me that were suffering and not feeling well at all! I was asked as I rang it what I was Grateful for and today I stated that it was because I continue to feel so amazing despite the diagnosis! I have so much to be grateful for! 

I have been able to get out and hike several times in the last three weeks and in this photo I am taking a break at Patricia Allyn Park, where my sweet little bench is tucked into the woods. Here I am praying for my friend Carl who is the giver of my bench gift who lost his 94 year old mother last week. He was grateful to have had that many years with her. It reminds me of one of my cousins who also went home to be with Jesus last week. Sally was a feisty 98 year old and I’m hoping those genes for longevity are in my cards too as I fight for my health. 

These two photos represent one of my favorite days of the year… The first snowfall of every winter. I’m so grateful it was on a weekend and our friend Trace was able to join us for a glorious hike at Clifton Gorge near Yellow Springs, Ohio. This is where the origin of the Little Miami River starts and it’s cut into the rock with beautiful, flowing waterfalls along the path. As I hiked, I recall breathing in the crisp, winter air, and just closing my eyes, while smiling and thanking God for being able to experience yet another snowfall. I just love the childlike excitement I get when I wake up and see snow on the ground!

For the last seven weeks, I have made radical changes in the way I am eating, and I am thriving and feeling amazing! This is just a little sample of a typical dinner and some food prep for the week. Also, thanks to my friend Monica, I am able to say I have made my first lentil loaf and quite enjoyed it! I continue to read scientific studies, listen to medical doctors and nutritionists as I learn the benefits of a whole food plant-based diet! I’m having quite a bit of fun with it and so glad I came across something and I am 100% convinced that it can only benefit my body’s ability to heal. I’m also very grateful that my husband, John, is choosing to join me on this journey of eating healthier…although he may not be quite so hardcore as I have chosen to be. Stopping all processed food, eliminating refined sugar, minimizing animal protein to two times per week, and having no alcohol is certainly no small endeavor especially if it has been one’s norm. That’s what he says he’ll be doing so we shall see. But for me, I’m not having any animal products, not even venison or wild caught fish, which seems to be difficult for many.

Inviting you to experience part of a sweet hiking moment, I had last week where I went by myself and got to sit next to this beautiful sounding river on a very chilly winter morning. Honestly, going by myself, was a little scary, as I typically don’t ever do that, but I talked to God about it, and as I focused on talking to Him and less on my fear, I noticed that I was comforted and the next thing I knew, I came to this spot where I could sit down and listen to the water bubbling over the rocks. Before I knew it… All my fear was gone!  God reminded me that if I keep my mind focused on Him, no matter what happens in life, I can hold on to that and I don’t need to be afraid.

Next… The Wonder Man building out the WonderVan! Yes, it is taking way more time than we expected, but what construction doesn’t? However, my extremely talented husband is thriving and making great strides in building out our camper van which will soon become our only home. He is meticulously working on the cabinetry which is made with such precision that any fine furniture or cabinet maker would be impressed by his ideas, raw talent & skills! I am so blessed to be the recipient of such incredible craftsmanship. I am so grateful!

Yes, people have asked, “When will the van be done?“ 

Well what I can say is that it will be done… When it is done!  Thankfully I am feeling so well that I’m convinced I will have many years, if not decades, to enjoy it even if it takes 6 more months! 

And finally, it’s 2024 and it’s a new year! What are my resolutions? Like many of us, I don’t really like to make resolutions because we often dismiss them within a short period of time. However, I would say I have set one goal that came to me at the end of 2023. 

The more I learn about longevity and incredible healing our own bodies can make if we just treat them right, the more I am convinced that my own healing in the past year has taught me the sacredness of cherishing opportunities to share Christ with others, also it’s been a wake up call to make better choices of what food and drink I put in my mouth and how I equip my body to heal itself. 

My new goal for 2024 and beyond is to be the longest living person with stage four metastatic breast cancer! I want to be someone who is still mountain biking at the age of 75, hiking at the age of 85, and thriving at the age of 105! It’s never too late to start today. 

Spiritual healthiness and a thriving relationship with God is critical … having healthy boundaries and saying no to people and situations that create undue stress is paramount! Attitude, and a heart of gratitude is essential… Choices of how I treat my body affects me physiologically and contributes to my thriving! All of these things I am holding as sacred and keeping myself responsible and I am treating myself the best I know how. No more excuses!  I’ve got at least 45 more years in me! 

PS Someone asked me about my Gratitude Bell and if Brandon Lake ever responded to me regarding the one I sent him…not yet! But I’m still hopeful that somehow, some way, he will receive it and read about my vision to get them in every infusion center out there and I hope he can help promote that so that every single cancer center gets one or ten!!! If anyone knows how to reach him, please feel free to ask about it.