support is key

*English to follow

Pour traduire le texte, vous pouvez utiliser Google Translate pour vous aider.

Hello everyone!

I've had a pretty good day.  Again, lots of iron rich food to boost my hemoglobin count so that the doctor like my results on the next blood test I'm getting done in a couple of weeks.


A bit of exercise (5 min) and again, it made my hips feel better so it's worth being a little bit sore around the shoulders, the arms and the mid section of my back. 


I'll go on doing 5 minutes a day for the rest of the week, then I'll add a couple of minutes and will build nice and slow, until I can claim my healthy, strong body again...  Can't wait for that day to come.


I did a bit of shopping with my mom today and that went well too.  I'm about to go to bed and it will be nice to rest.


I've had a bit of a rough night, though, so every bit of support through those e-mails and a beautiful card I got from members in the Laval ward is key.


I've just been feeling a lot of the trauma of the whole situation.  The fear of having another tumor found somewhere and end up in surgery again.  The fear of getting trapped in a hospital room again.  The strange feeling as I look at myself in the mirror and can't recognize my own body which aspect has changed so dramatically in such a short period of time. 


Not sure what to feel about it. I don't know if I'm going to stay skinny and kind of frail like that for good or if my muscles and curves will come back again after a while.  Am I still loosing weight as we speak?  When is my physical body be OK?


So all these strange feelings going on.  Thank goodness for prayer.  I have a nice time coming up. The time when I go to bed on my comfortable mattress and talk to my Heavenly Father and get to feel that peace that comes only through the power of prayer.


So thanks for being there and reading this and thanks for all the phone calls, e-mails, cards, prayers. It helps me cope with strange moments like tonight. 


It makes me come back and be in touch with the part of me that knows I will be all right and that the Lord has promised me that I will recover completely.


So good night to all.   It's time to feel the great comfort of prayer.  I'm counting on feeling better tomorrow.      :)


Nathalie.

Dear

Still resting

*English to follow

Pour traduire le texte, vous pouvez utiliser Google Translate pour vous aider.

Hello to all friends and family!

I'm still resting at home.  It's hard to be patient, but I am not yet as mobile as I would like.  So I still take a lot of time to lie down and rest my aching joints and stand and sit when I feel up to it.

Yesterday, I did 5 minutes of exercises.  I am a bit sore from that, but will continue to do 5 minutes for a week or so, then, I will gradually increase the time and the number of yoga poses.

I lost a lot of muscle mass in the last 2 months and what used to be easy and fluid is now a big challenge.  But I decided to pray for help and give myself a pep talk every time I get discouraged.

My next check up is in 2 weeks.  I will see the oncologist and get a blood test done.

My parents are adorable, as usual, helping me out.   The food here is the best!  My appetite has grown more healthy and I haven't gotten nausea or heartburn from any of the meals I've eaten here.  Last night, we even tried tomatoes (which made me throw up every time at the hospital) and they didn't give me any problem.

Dorothy said  it best: "There's no place like home!"

Yes, I am home!

*English to follow

Pour traduire le texte, vous pouvez utiliser Google Translate pour vous aider.

Hello all!  Yes, I came home yesterday.  So happy about that!!!


It is so good to be home.  I sleep so much better here and my stomach doesn't get upset with the food we eat here, unlike the food at the hospital.


It was nice to be "girly" today and color my hair. It was nice to take a shower and shave so I don't look like "the bush woman" anymore.


I've also enjoyed a little outing.  I took my car and drove down to Bureau en Gros to make a copy of music that I'm practicing.


I'm preparing a demo to send to France to see if they might be interested to use my voice for the songs on the church movies.  They don't seem to have a variety of signers to dub the songs in France, so I'm hoping they'll like my voice and use me to dub the music soundtracks of the movies.


My hips are still bothering me at time, I don't know how long it will be until they stop hurting me. But I can already do a lot more then I used to, so I am pleased.  I tested the strenght in my legs today and it's pretty pathetic compared to what it was like 6 month ago.... But I'm determined to be in shape again, so I will slowly recondition my muscles by starting with yoga poses done on the floor instead of standing so I don't fall down or injure my joint doing something I'm not strong enough yet.

Patience, patience...... 


I will see the doctor in 2 weeks.   Hope the exam will go well.  I don't know when I'll be cancer free, but it is my goal.


Thanks for all your support!


Nathalie.

She's home!!!!!!!!!

*English to follow

Pour traduire le texte, vous pouvez utiliser Google Translate pour vous aider.

Dear family and friends,

Contrary to what I would have done, i.e. escaping after the first week, Nathalie has been really patient and obedient and today it all paid off! Today we get to rejoice because she finally received her discharged from the hospital. What a sigh of joy and relief we all felt in the room when Dr. Melnychuk entered the room with the good news. I was so elated that I started doing the "Happy dance". Yes, yes, dancing is allowed in the hospital when patients get discharged!!! ;)

Oh the sight of relief!!!!!!!!!! I had envisioned this moment a while back and kept seeing Nathalie walking out of the hospital, happy to go home and that day is finally here. Visualizing pays off!!!

So from now on, the blog will be maintained by Nathalie, unless she wants me to follow up on something that I'm the only one that can do, but in all honesty, now that she's done her first post, she's a pro!!!

Thank you again for your constant support. It has meant the world to Nathalie (and I) and her family. We love you and appreciate your prayers on her behalf and all that you have done to make her 6‑weeks hospital stay more bearable. I am so glad to see that the faithful prayers of many have been answered.

I know the staff from the Montreal Jewish Hospital won't get to read this, but in the odd chance that this gets back to them, a million thanks to all the staff for making her stay more comfortable. There were so many nurses, nurses aid, bed's assistant, maintenance workers, etc. back at 8 North West that helped my dear Nathalie get back on her feet. All your little attentions have been greatly appreciated. Of course I cannot speak of the staff without mentioning the tireless efforts of Dr. Melnychuk, Nathalie's oncologist, who visits his patients EVERY SINGLE DAY without fail! If that's not dedication, I don't know what is!!!

So now I'm signing off after my 6‑weeks assignment. I've finally been fired! Between you and I, it's about time!!

This is Nadia, hoping I'll never have to be a correspondent again under such circumstances.

May God's blessings be upon each and everyone of you, now and always.

Much love,

Nadia

XOXO

P.S. Thank you for allowing me to be Nathalie's scribe during her stay in the hospital. I know she was strengthen by your constant support and it has helped during her recovery. I feel very blessed to share so many amazing friends with her and want you to know that you have touched my life in so many ways. I feel honored and blessed to call you friends.

A day off...

*English to follow

Pour traduire le texte, vous pouvez utiliser Google Translate pour vous aider.

  
Hi everyone!

Today was more than wonderful! I have been given permission to go home for the day. I can't describe with words how good it feels to be out of that hospital room and not being trapped in that uncomfortable bed! It's hard for me to find words to say just how bored I am in that place, it's driving me bananas...

It had been 6 weeks yesterday since I was admitted and let me tell you my friends, I am a fairly patient person........................... I don't remember my patience being spent and gone like it has been in that situation....................... Arrrrggghhh!!!!!

Ok, thanks for letting me vent!

As you all know, the original plan was that I was going to have permission to be out here for the weekend. Then Dr Melnychuk said that he was going to send me home for Friday and then let me, if that went well, go home on Monday.

When we were in the middle of dinner, I was apprehensive about having to get ready to go back to the hospital. Nadia suggested I'd call and see if I could get permission to stay for the night.

I did call and I was blessed because the good doctor was actually there with the guy who answered the phone. I asked and Dr Melnychuk said I could stay for the night.

YÉÉÉÉ!!!! I get to sleep in a comfortable bed tonight!!!!

I'm also happy to report that the wonderful  food we have here at home did not give me heartburn like the hospital food does. The food isn't as bad as it could be for hospital food, but compared to the beautiful gourmet meals we prepare  from scratch here at home, it can't be compared... We prepare here with organic food and being careful about the amount of salt, fat and sugar we cook with makes all the difference in the world!

So yeah, no fever, no heartburn or nausea today.  It's been good.

Tomorrow, I'm going to try  to see if Dr Melnychuk would please please please let me stay for another day since I've been so happy here and maybe he'll say yes.... We'll see.

Good night all! And thanks for visiting me here on the blog.

P.S. To write an email to Nathalie while she is in the hospital, please use withfaithineveryfootstep@gmail.com. I will print the letters and bring it to her or answer any inquiries about Nathalie. I strongly encourage you to send her a card at home. If you do not have her home address, please email me at this same address.

It's working!

*English to follow

Pour traduire le texte, vous pouvez utiliser Google Translate pour vous aider.

Dear friends,

All of your prayers and visualization for Nathalie is really paying off!!! She is doing much better today and the doctor has confirmed that he will give her the weekend off so that she can go back home and if everything continues to improve, he will discharge her shortly!!!

Since I last wrote, it seems that the hormonal therapy has kicked in, so we expect a full recovery. So far, she can walk much better than a few weeks ago, the pain has diminished a lot and has been manageable with Tylenol for the past 2 weeks. When she gets discharged, she will continue to visit her oncologist as an outpatient. This is such exciting news!!!!!!!

So no visits at the hospital on Friday because we're not sure what time she will be discharged for the weekend but you can imagine that she is really excited about that, so she'll want to leave as early as she can. As for visiting during the weekend, I suggest that we let her get reacquainted with her environment at home before we line up to come and visit. Her parents will closely monitor her and will screen the calls when she is sleeping, so it would be best if the phone did not ring off the hook to let her sleep as much as she needs.

We so appreciate all that you have done for Nathalie and will continue to do until she has fully recovered, namely praying, doing the healing code, writing her cards of encouragement, putting her name in the temples around the world so that more faithful Saints can pray for her recovery. From the bottom of our hearts we (me and the family) wish to thank you for your constant support. We have no idea yet how long it will take before she is able to go back to work, but we hope that she'll be able to resume her normal activities within a month or so.

May God's richest blessings be upon you and your family always.

Nadia

P.S. To write an email to Nathalie while she is in the hospital, please use withfaithineveryfootstep@gmail.com. I will print the letters and bring it to her or answer any inquiries about Nathalie. I strongly encourage you to send her a card at home. If you do not have her home address, please email me at this same address.

There is hope...

*English to follow

Pour traduire le texte, vous pouvez utiliser Google Translate pour vous aider.

Dear friends,

I just came back from the hospital with Nathalie's parents and tonight Nathalie shared with us a very good news: her blood seems to be stabilizing and improving on a daily basis. We are still waiting to hear from the bone marrow test to hear whether or not they will need to do chemotherapy but I am sure hoping that she won't have to go through that very invasive procedure.

She was moved last night since the new lady sharing her room might have had pneumonia, so instead of taking a chance, they moved both to private room to keep them under observation. The good news is that now she can really rest, not having to worry about the patient's needs on the other side of the curtain. I really hope that they will keep her in that room until she is discharged to go home. If you want to call her, the new phone extension to reach her is 1804. As for the room number, well please get in touch with me before planning to go and visit her so that I can make sure that there is not too many people visiting her at the same time as it is very tiring. She still takes long naps during the day so I'll tell you when is the best time to go visit her.

On a personal note, I must say that I am really touched by the beautiful expression of love and faith that a lot of you have shared with Nathalie through the email that was created for her here. Every night that I am at home, Nathalie calls me and we go through the emails written and she dictates the answer and I write the email. It is really edifying to read some of the beautiful emails of love she receives. Thank you. You have really touched my heart and Nathalie feels really blessed to have so many wonderful friends around her, praying for her recovery and visualizing her happy and healthy, singing and dancing. We ALL can make a difference.

Thank you!

P.S. To write an email to Nathalie while she is in the hospital, please use withfaithineveryfootstep@gmail.com. I will print the letters and bring it to her or answer any inquiries about Nathalie. I strongly encourage you to send her a card at home. If you do not have her home address, please email me at this same address.

One day at a time...

*English to follow

Pour traduire le texte, vous pouvez utiliser Google Translate pour vous aider.

“One day at a time — this is enough. Do not look back and grieve over the past for it is gone; and do not be troubled about the future, for it has not yet come. Live in the present, and make it so beautiful it will be worth remembering.”

And this is how Nathalie is trying to live, one day at a time, but honestly sometimes some days are harder to deal with than others. Yesterday was one of those. After talking to her oncologist, he reiterated the fact that if her new blood test results show that it has moved into her bone marrow, he will start chemotherapy on Monday. When the chosen path of treatment was radiotherapy and hormonal therapy, she felt relieve that she wouldn't have to go through chemo. Hearing him talk about the chemo brought back the unwanted emotions and the fear associated with that. She is working on getting reacquainted with the idea of having the chemo.

I can only try to imagine what is going on through her mind at the moment. Fear. Fear of the unknown. Fear of the side effects. Fear of loosing her hair. As I put these thoughts on paper, I am reminded of the most important thought I have ever heard: "Act in spite of fear" which reminds me of the famous quote from Franklin D. Roosevelt’s 1933 Inaugural Address. “So, first of all, let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself—nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance.”

Fear does not exist in the present. It is based on something that may or may not happen in the future!" Did you get that? It may, or may not happen. So we are afraid of something that has a probability of not happening. Instead of focusing on that, let's focus on the positive and all the good things that can come out of our lives when we move forward.

When I catch myself feeling unsettled about the whole situation, I am peacefully reminded of Nathalie's will to fight, and that keeps me going. I am reminded that she may look like a kitty cat, but she has the courage of a lion. Let's help support her in this time of need that she may feel each and everyone of us supporting her in this battle.

May all of our lives be enriched with the little thinks in our days that make this world a great place to live in.

P.S. To write an email to Nathalie while she is in the hospital, please use withfaithineveryfootstep@gmail.com. I will print the letters and bring it to her or answer any inquiries about Nathalie. I strongly encourage you to send her a card at home. If you do not have her home address, please email me at this same address.

Nous attendons les résultats de l'hématologue

*Le texte en français suivra

This time it will be in French, so for those of you who don't understand, here's hoping Google Translate can do a good job!!!

Bonjour à tous,

Mes visites à l'hôpital se sont espacées car dans les 2 dernières semaines, Nathalie avait besoin de beaucoup se reposer car elle surmontait une infection des reins. Elle a terminé de prendre les anti-biotiques dimanche mais malheureusement son taux d'hémoglobine a encore diminué et elle fait de l'anémie. Son oncologiste a demandé une consultation avec l'hématologue afin de trouver la raison pour laquelle son taux d'hémoglobine a descendu sous la normale à plusieurs reprises. Elle devrait avoir les résultats d'ici vendredi mais ils craignent que sa moelle épénière ne soit atteinte. Si tel était le cas, des traitements de chimiothérapie devront être envisagés très rapidement.

Elle a encore des nausées, parfois accompagnées par des vomissements, mais à une fréquence moins rapprochée qu'avant mais comme vous pouvez vous imaginer, cela affaiblit énormément, c'est d'ailleurs la raison pour laquelle elle avait demandé de ne pas recevoir de visiteurs. Comme elle se sent mieux, ceux intéressés à aller la visiter doivent communiquer avec moi afin de trouver une plage horaire où Nathalie n'aura pas de visiteurs. Je vous demande de respecter sa demande de confimer votre visite avec moi afin qu'il n'y ait pas trop de personnes la visitant en même temps. Elle a toujours besoin de se reposer mais aimerait bien voir quelques uns de ses amis.

A few people have offered to send care packages with goodies. She thanks you for your thoughts but since she is not keeping much of the food it's best not to send anything, UNLESS you can find the OLD LONDON Melba toasts which are virtually impossible to find in Canada or for a company to ship them here. The other brands we have here are just not as good, but she's been having a craving for those lately since they help prevent the nausea. So if you want to send a care package, please consider sending her the OLD LONDON Melba toasts. She'll be thanking you and more especially her stomach will thank you.

P.S. To write an email to Nathalie while she is in the hospital, please use withfaithineveryfootstep@gmail.com. I will print the letters and bring it to her or answer any inquiries about Nathalie. I strongly encourage you to send her a card at home. If you do not have her home address, please email me at this same address.

How to do a breast self exam

Ok, so yesterday was World Cancer Day so I thought it just fitting to post this video about breast self exam, to encourage all women out there to thoroughly do their breast exam. This video will explain in detail what you have to do. I hope it will be very instructive, especially to all the young women out there who are clueless about how to do a self exam.

Make this part of your monthly routine. Just say NO to cancer!!!

P.S. To write an email to Nathalie while she is in the hospital, please use withfaithineveryfootstep@gmail.com. I will print the letters and bring it to her or answer any inquiries about Nathalie. I strongly encourage you to send her a card at home. If you do not have her home address, please email me at this same address.

It's been a month already!!!

*English to follow

Pour traduire le texte, vous pouvez utiliser Google Translate pour vous aider.

Dear friends,

So I had written a nice post and lost it all... so I apologize for the delay, but sometimes it's my life that gets in the way of posting on the blog. Nathalie has been replying to all the emails she gets from this blog, so it's a really nice personal way to get in touch with her. Obviously I have to help transcribing the emails while she dictates them to me over the phone, but we do get to them all. Sometimes, the lucky ones get an answer the same day. Other times, it will be within 2 days, but they all get personally answered. The email is at the bottom of this post.

It's hard to believe that Nathalie has been in the hospital for a month already!!! She finally started hormonal therapy on Wednesday. When the nurse came in with the kit, they were both surprised to see the size of the needle which was quite large. I think they were both scared when she pulled out the needle. She described it as a big needle, such as the one they use on big animal, then she recalled that when they used those kind of needle on the animal it never seem so bad, so it gave her the confidence she needed. Apparently, it wasn't that bad afterall. That's a good thing since she will have to start again in 3 months. We'll know in 6 weeks how Nathalie is really responding to that treatment.

In the meantime, her radiologist decided not to irradiate the other hip just yet, so we'll see if she has to do more radiotheraphy soon. Since she is still nauseated at times, her doctor is keeping her under observation. The fact that the pain has not subsided either is another good reason to keep her there a while longer. At least we know she is getting really good care at the Jewish Hospital, so it's OK.

She is slowly resuming to accept visitors. Again, I ask you to please get in touch with me before deciding to go visit Nathalie. Since she is still nauseated sometimes, it's important she gets all the rest that she needs.

Hope you'll have a great weekend!

P.S. To write an email to Nathalie while she is in the hospital, please use withfaithineveryfootstep@gmail.com. I will print the letters and bring it to her or answer any inquiries about Nathalie. I strongly encourage you to send her a card at home. If you do not have her home address, please email me at this same address.