My Journey Thru Chemo

Latest health update while Hailey & I enjoy Huguenot today. Thankful I felt like coming here today.

Results from last Thurs CT scan. A week ago.

Previous measurement of cancer spot in May was 1.9x1.3cm in left abdomen.

Last week’s measurement is 1.4x1.0cm.

It is getting smaller, but still there.

I will be on avastin for as long as a year or more, every 2 weeks. It prohibits the cancer cell from making new blood vessels. Over time, it’s supposed to starve them out.

I will be getting another colonoscopy soon, and getting scans every 2 months.

It’s good news, but I’m still fighting. I have to say, while this is very good news, and I realize that, I was hoping to be told it was gone. So, my expectations were not realistic. That seems to be a recurring theme in my life. My expectations sometimes don’t match reality.

When I think of the diagnosis I was given in Dec, which was basically no hope, then why am I disappointed?! So, I am retweaking my brain. I really think that I’m just worn out & tired of all the blood work appt, and the thought of continuing infusions, and having to keep my port in. But, there is so much MORE good news than bad. I just have to keep fighting longer than I thought I would, or thought I’d have to.

Another thing to be thankful for is the avastin only made me sick till about midnight on Monday. Tues, I felt better, and by Wed, I felt nearly like myself. That was a tremendous blesssing.

Thank you to each one of you who is still praying for me. I know the Lord has heard & honored your prayers for me. I will always be grateful.

I’m shaking, nervous & just don’t want to be here. The last treatment was exponentially worse than ever before. I said I was done, I wasn’t doing anymore. But, here I am. The Lord gave me 4 very specific encouragements this last week, which I will share soon. Instead of saying “I can’t”, which I’ve been saying a lot, someone reminded me of “I can……do all things……through Christ…….which strengtheneth me.” I’ve heard & known & read this verse my entire life, but it never hit me like a ton of bricks like it did this past week.

I know y’all are praying for me, but I’m in such dire need. I don’t know how I will endure these last two treatments. Today & June 6.

Thank you for all your love, prayers & support for me. I love you all!

My husband got a Mohawk for me this past week. One of the ladies who came to the graduation came up to me & said, “I don’t really know many husbands who would be willing to do that for their wife. You have an amazing husband. “ I completely agree with her.

And here we all are in our t-shirts that the Lord put on my heart to design. Tor has one, but I forgot to bring it for him to change into after our service Wed pm. I’ll post a pic of us in it together soon.

I love my family. Tor & my kids, 😭😭😭, (happy/thankful tears) have taken such good care of me. My kids have helped me in ways I have never had to help my own parents. It’s incredible the load that they must be bearing, and the grace & strength with how they are bearing it. I’m overwhelmed by my Heavenly Father’s care of me & how he’s using my family to help me during this time. I’m so blessed!!!!!! 💕🙏🏻

Shout out to the barber who gave tor his awesome Mohawk! Bro. John Chapman is a member of our church & we are thankful that he & his family are here with us.

10 hours left to buy a t-shirt! I need 11 more to reach my initial goal of 50. Please share this with friends/family that you think this might help them as they experience chemo. Nobody wants to go thru chemo, but I hope this idea the Lord gave me will give them faith & the will to keep fighting!











https://www.customink.com/fundraising/heathersheatseekingmissiles?utm_campaign=mobile-campaign-page-share&utm_content=heathersheatseekingmissiles&utm_medium=social&utm_source=copy-link

Here’s all the different t-shirts I designed with the wonderful help I received from Custom Ink. On the back of each t-shirt is the verse the Lord gave me, for me to “see” chemo as heat-seeking missiles to destroy the colon cancer in my body.

Psalm 18:39a, “For thou hast girded me with strength unto the battle:”

Please share if you don’t mind! 💕😍💙

Thank you to each one who’ve purchased a t-shirt. Every time someone tells me, it just makes me cry. So sweet!











https://www.customink.com/fundraising/heathersheatseekingmissiles

Here’s my testimony of when & how we found out about my second diagnosis with colon cancer on Dec. 8, 2021. It’s been really difficult for me to talk about, and the Lord finally gave me the strength to do that.

Thank you to everyone for praying for me. I know the Lord is hearing & answering your prayers for me. I love you all!

Heather’s Heat Seeking Missiles How I’m getting through a second round of chemo for colon cancer Stage 4.

Well, I've been working on this since the Lord gave me this idea on Feb. 14, 2022. The wonderful people at Custom Ink have encouraged & helped me every step of this way. The Lord showed me what the chemo was & what it was doing in my body while in the throes of chemo that particular Monday. The Lord helped me go from a very negative mindset & attitude about chemo to a positive mindset & attitude. I've been using my imagination to think of the chemo as "Heat-Seeking Missiles" searching out the cancer & destroying it. I hope that this concept will help others as we endure our chemo experiences together. Thank you to every person who is praying for me. I am indebted to you all.

Support Operation Heat-Seeking Missiles: There's a war going on your body. Let's fight it together for Other Reoccurring Costs This fundraiser is to help others going through chemo by giving them a new way to view their chemo experience. Chemo, for me, has been an awful & debilitating experience. It affects me incredibly negatively. I spend 4-6 days in bed with each chemo treatment. I knew I had to change my negative mindse...

On my way to have my portable IV pump removed, whom I named “Data”. I will not miss toting this thing around, sleeping with this thing, trying to shower with this thing, cooking with this thing, driving with this thing, sitting with this thing........well, you get the idea. I am ready to say goodby!!!

So, technically & officially, this is my last day with chemo. I’m incredibly thankful & happy that this day has come.

Thank you for praying for me!
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Just got home & going straight to bed. 💙💕🙏

#11 chemo treatment is in the works. I’ve only got one left on Jan 12. Thank God!! I can see the light at the end of this tunnel!!! Finally.

So thankful we got rid of the oxaliplatin, which was making me so nauseated & sick, & we finally found a new med that worked for me to counteract the nausea & sick feelings. It would’ve been nice if we could’ve figured all this out earlier, but I’m glad things have gotten better & not worse. I was told from the beginning that the latter treatments would just get worse & worse, and I truly didn’t know how much more I could survive.

I didn’t know that oxaliplatin (1 of the 4 chemo drugs I’ve been taking) would make such a difference when it was decided I’d had enough. I had oxaliplatin for 9 treatments, which is more than enough to reap the benefits of what it was doing to combat any cancer cells I may have left from my surgery. So, that is such good news.

After my last treatment, we will schedule another PET scan, and then if it’s clear ( which is what my doctor expects) I’ll go to having blood drawn every 3 months, and I’ll get my port removed. Yippee! I’ll be glad not to have my blood taken ever week since Aug 10 & I’ll be happy to get that port out of my body. It bugs me when I sleep.

So, all in all, I’m anticipating & looking forward to a much better 2021 for me health wise. My aunt who is a retired oncologist, told me when I left the hospital after my tumor was removed, that I was going home healthier than I had been in years. Boy, wasn’t that the truth!

Thank you to all my family & friends who pray for me so faithfully. I know I say this a lot, but there’s no way I could’ve made it without your prayers, love, friendship & support.
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Treatment #10, which means I only have 2 left on Dec 29 & Jan 12. So glad the countdown is getting lower & lower.

Just found out that we are dropping one of my chemo drugs, oxaliplatin, because it’s causing severe neuropathy in my fingers, hands, feet, teeth, tongue, lips, etc. It’s very hard to describe, but everything feels electrified. Very strange.

So, that means I shouldn’t be as sick, 🤞 which would be such a blessing. We will see.

Back in Oct, I really didn’t believe I’d make it to Dec. Those treatments in the middle were so hard, I honestly didn’t think I was going to survive. Thankfully, it was just my thoughts, and wasn’t the truth. Sometimes, it can be hard to tell the difference, because feelings & emotions are so powerful. It really is surprising to me that I’ve made it to Dec. Chemo is so hard. Chemo sucks!

But, many thanks to all of you for your faithfulness in lifting me up in prayer. What would I have done without such wonderful family & friends who care so much to pray for me? I am always overwhelmed when I think about all those praying for me. You have helped me so very much. There are no words.

I hope y’all have a wonderful week, and get lots done in preparation for Christmas!
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Look at the view from my hammock. Beautiful. Not a cloud in the sky.

We tried a new med this week for nausea, and instead of being in bed 6 days straight, I was only in bed for 2 days. What a huge difference. Wow! (Of course, I’m still doing a lot of resting/napping.)

The chemo still makes me sick, but this was such a nice change. I really hope that it will continue for my last 3 treatments.

Thank you for continuing to pray & lift me up. It’s definitely helping me & my medical team to think of other options. Thank you! 💙🙏💕💙

Here I am, waiting to be hooked up for treatment #9, which means I’ve got 3 left after today. Dec 15, Dec 29 & Jan 12. I’m waiting for the yucky 🤢 to start. Joyous.

I’m really struggling this morning. I cried more on the way here than I have before. My nurse kindly reminded me that chemo is doing things for me & but also doing things to me. I have to take the bad with the good. Sounds like life sometimes, doesn’t it?

Chemo is the hardest thing I’ve ever experienced, and I know there’s no way I have made it this far, or there’s no way I’ll continue to make it without the prayers & love of God’s people.

Thank you to everyone who has already prayed for me, and who will pray for me today & throughout this week. I can’t thank you enough for holding me up in prayer. It’s a tremendous blessing & encouragement to me to hear that you’re praying for me. I’m amazed at how you’ve been here for me “for such a time as this.” The Lord knew I would need each of you.

I’m 2/3 of the way through this, and I’m looking for that light at the end of this tunnel. I’m so thankful for how the Lord has carried me through this thus far. I know that He will carry me all the way. How else could I make it through this without Him? Impossible!

I’m here for treatment #8, which means four left after today. My previous treatment, which was on Nov. 3, I stayed in bed until Mon., Nov. 9. On Monday, I walked out of my room, and sat in my recliner in the living room. That’s the longest I’ve ever been in my room.

Obviously, the toxicity is building up, which is what I was told would happen. Last night, I was really struggling, crying, not wanting to come today. It just makes me feel so so awful. My doctor told me today, that it seems I’m highly sensitive to these treatments. Yes, that is true.

Thank you for continuing to lift me up in prayer. I know that the only way I’ll make it through these last treatments is from the prayers of God’s people.

I have 3 treatments in Dec, and 1 in Jan, and then, Lord willing, I’ll be done. I’m trying to find that light at the end of this tunnel.

I’m so thankful for my husband, and the care that he is taking of me. Everything I ate & drank the week I was in bed, he brought to me & made for me. The kids help, too, cleaning, doing my laundry, cooking & baking, etc. I am literally doing nothing. Tor really comforted me last night when I was so upset about having to come again today. I am truly a blessed woman, and I’m so thankful for my husband & kids.
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Literally rolled out of bed this morning to get my vote in before my 7th treatment today. That means I’ve got 5 treatments left, Lord willing. I planned my treatment for later this morning, so I could be sure to have time to vote.

It was exciting to me to get to vote! It is such a privilege to vote, and I hope I never take it for granted.
USA 🇺🇸 USA 🇺🇸 USA 🇺🇸 USA 🇺🇸

Happy to be feeling fairly decent. Thankful to feel like eating out with my amazing husband who’s taking such good care of me. I am one blessed woman. And I love, love, love the southwestern egg rolls at Chili’s. One of my all-time favorites! 💙🙏💕💙

I have a new side effect. For the first time since starting chemo on Aug 10, my skin had blistered where the dressing had been in place for 48 hrs, because of my portable pump.

The nurses said, skin blistering & becoming burnt was a side effect of chemo, the longer it goes on. Wow. That’s wonderful. First time I’d heard that.

So, next week on Nov 3, I have to let the nurse know what happened to me this week, and they will try a different dressing & hopefully, my skin won’t blister & burn.

The nurses also told me to get some neosporin & apply it until my skin heals. Tor got me some on the way home, and I’m using it diligently.

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I’m home. The nurses said if I were going to have a reaction to the nausea steroids, I would’ve already had one. So thank you for praying. I am extremely nauseated & tired, and I’m in the bed & going to sleep. I’ll take nausea over my horrible reaction to steroids any day of the week.

Thank you again for praying!




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I had a long (and good!) talk with my PA about the steroids (decadron sp?). They are given to help counteract any reactions to the chemo. They are giving me Benadryl & extra fluids, instead of decadron today. If I have a reaction, sudden warmth, or I start turning red, or feel weird in any way that’s different, then they will have to give me decadron. But instead of giving me 12 g per usual, they will give me 6.

Please help me pray I won’t have a reaction to the chemo drug, and that the Benadryl will work, and I won’t have to have decadron. That would be such a blessing to me. Thank you for praying for me!



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Well, what can I say? I’ve basically been bedridden since Wed pm, with another reaction to nausea steroids. I am letting my caregivers know (again, in no uncertain terms), I can not handle steroids in any form.

I’m finally feeling a little better, but still am not comfortable anywhere except in/on my bed.

Y’all have probably figured out by now, if I’m not posting, then I’m having a rough time. That has definitely been true for me this week.

Thank you for all the prayers & encouragement. I am deeply grateful to each of you for your thoughtfulness & kindness. 💙💕🙏💙

I’m here getting “Data” removed. This ends my 5th cycle. So, my 6th cycle (Oct 19th) will mark halfway through these six months. Wow! I can’t believe it, and then I can believe it.

This has been a rough Wed for me as well. Normally, Wed have been decent for me, but not this week. I plan to go home and go back to bed.

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I made it home. The nausea hit about 15 min away from my house. I’m going to nap for awhile, and lie very still. Thankfully, “Data”, (my portable infusion pump, doesn’t make a lot of noise. 💕🙏💙💙🙏💕

Well, here I am, waiting to get hooked up. I’ve only got 2 chemo treatments for October, so after today I just have one. I literally can’t look at it any other way. The smaller the number, the easier it is for me to face it.

So, that’s 2 in Oct, 2 in Nov, 3 in Dec, and 1 in Jan, and then I’m done! ✅

I did have this thought when I was getting ready this morning:

“Well, for the rest of my life, when I dread something again, at least I can say, ‘well, it won’t be as bad as chemo’!” 😜

Thank you for praying for me, and I hope you have a wonderful Monday! 💙💙💕🙏💙💙💕🙏💙💙

I’m starting this page for my family and friends who want to follow my journey through chemo. I’m finding that chemo is a completely different experience than my diagnosis & surgery. It is an absolute rollercoaster🎢 of extreme high’s & low’s, and there is nothing fun about it. 💙🙏💕

I was diagnosed with colon cancer 💙 on July 10, 2020, after being hospitalized on July 7th with a hemoglobin of 3.9.

I was completely unaware I had severe anemia, even though, I had all the symptoms. I explained the symptoms away thinking it was something else. (I’ve decided from now on.......no more self-diagnosing! I am not a medical professional.)

After receiving 3 units of blood, a stool sample was taken, and a microscopic trace of blood was found. I had an endoscopy, and then a colonoscopy, which showed the cancerous tumor. That’s where all my blood had been going for approx. five years.

A right hemicolorectomy was performed on July 15, and I went home on July 18, after spending 12 days in the hospital.

I had zero symptoms of colon cancer, no family history, and because I was only 49 1/2, I had never had a colonoscopy. The pathology report stated that my tumor was large, and was categorized as Stage 3C. The tumor had already come through the colon wall, and was literally a matter of days/weeks away before it would have metastasized.

After my surgery, I recovered amazingly & surprisingly well, and was really feeling good.........

Until I started chemotherapy. Then, I wasn’t feeling good. At all. I was feeling really terrible & really sick. This experience is completely & categorically different from my diagnosis & surgery. These two events cannot be compared.

I wanted to start this page so people who were interested in what I’m experiencing can check in with me. I’m going to try & document what I’m experiencing day-to-day, because every day is completely different from the day before. There doesn’t seem to be any rhyme nor reason to how I’m going to feel, and I can’t predict how I’m going to feel until I wake up in the morning. Sometimes, halfway through the day, everything changes. It’s really crazy.

And, I need all the support, encouragement & prayers that I can possibly get. There’s no way I can make it through this experience alone. The Lord had been incredibly real to me during my stay in the hospital. That is another experience I need to share, and will at some point in time. The Lord is still with me during this chemo experience, and it is such a comfort to know that when nobody else can know exactly what I’m going through, HE does.

Thank you for joining me on this unusual & strange journey, and thank you to every one who has prayed even just one prayer for me. Hearing & seeing you tell me that you’re praying for me, lifts my heart & encourages my spirit more than I can ever convey.