1945 Oklahoma field
Nice, soft, and warm corduroys. This is one of my favorite photos of Mom.
1946, the time of measle outbreaks, so Mom (chin on railing) couldn’t go in the water. One of the rare photos where I think I resemble Mom.
Look at that hair!
Digging Mom’s pedal pushers for the church picnic!
A commercial photo for the family Christmas card in 1948
Sandbox
Julie Roxburgh (standing, holding sax), the Wing Commander’s daughter, Mom (braids) & best buddy, Jimmy Sturdevant, preacher’s son.
Uncle Bill's plane
“Uncle Bill took me up in his plane, and when we got back down, I got spanked for not asking permission. Conrad did not go up.”
Plotting her escape
Grandmother and Mom on a hot summer day in Oklahoma.
Nurse
WWII nurse with Red Cross kit (gauze, bandages, iodine, etc.) ready to adminster aid.
An update from Mom:
“On October 1, 2011, I made the decision to go into hospice care. I’m sending love and warm greetings to all of you, dear family and friends.”
Swing
Swinging in 1940, sporting two braids
Oklahoma Frontier Days
1941, Oklahoma Frontier Days, posing by the ‘Woodie’ station wagon. Note Mom’s high tops!
House remodel
Spring, 1941. The photograph is a take off on “Shelter Magazine”, with the end of the house removed.
Microscope
1941, with Conrad. “Despite his expression, eleven years later he would graduate phi beta kappa from Harvard.”
Toddler
Mom thinks she was 15-18 months old in Miami, Oklahoma on her family’s six acre farm near the local country club. Wearing hand-me-downs from her brother Conrad.
Probably age two, “Finally got some hair.” This one reminds me of Kate.
Spring of 1939, Mom in a hoodie, Conrad wearing a Boy Scout hat, and Mammy sporting a ladies fedora.
Mom, the baby with the square head
Recently, I was passing around my iPhone, sharing family photos from the 1970′s, and my friends marveled at Mom’s teased hair, Dad’s sideburns and Kate and my long hair (hair down to our waists!) It made me think about how versatile Mom’s hair has been (mine has been very boring) over the decades.
Mom has resumed chemotherapy infusions, returning to the Carbo/Taxol combo that she received during season 1 & 2. This particular drug is very effective at removing hair, so knowing that Mom’s hair will be falling out soon, we’ve decided to post photos of Mom’s hair styles from over the years.
As far as we know, the photo above is the first one taken of her. It happens to be Kate’s favorite, since Mom’s head is square, and it makes me chuckle at the adorable baby looking at the camera. Enjoy!
Patient of the week
From Mom:
“During the week of July 11-15, I was making an effort to be the patient of the week at St. Joe’s with three hydration infusions, one CT scan, and a paracentsis — coming to the Short Stay unit for four days out of five.”
Translation: Mom’s latest chemo drug, Etoposide, made her incredibly nauseous, even when accompanied by a strong anti-nausea drug. As you might expect, this impacted Mom’s desire for food or beverages, which lead to her being really dehydrated. In talking to her, it sounds like she felt hung over for about 18 days, while on the drug. She’s stopped taking the drug, and is taking a break to rest and get her strength back.
Interesting side note (at least to me): when talking about how the drug made her feel, I discovered that Mom has only experienced ONE hangover in her life, back in college.
Mom, Mel and Dad
Hope you all had a lovely 4th of July! Kate worked her usual magic and dazzled us with lemon-ginger scones for breakfast, and pulled-pork sandwiches and an asian coleslaw for lunch. Mom’s birthday celebration was a low-key affair, but she was inundated with birthday cards, email messages, Facebook comments, phone calls, flowers and a few friends that visited.
The new chemotherapy drug that she is on does make her quite woozy, but she’s started a new anti-nausea drug that helps a little. Her energy level is low, but she keeps busy with her Kindle and iPad.
A couple of months ago, Mom’s oncologist decided to decrease the dosage of her chemotherapy (Doxil) drug, due to some of the side effects Mom was experiencing. The side effects simmered down a bit, but Mom’s CA-125 marker started to go back up at the beginning of June. Her final Doxil treatment was canceled, and a search for another drug was on.
So this week, Mom starts a new drug – Etoposide. She will be taking it in capsule form, every day for three weeks, then one week off. It has many of the same side effects as her other chemotherapy treatments, but we are hoping none of them make an appearance.
One of the possible side effects is a reduction of white blood cells, which would weaken her immune system. Also, she may become anemic and be more susceptible to bruising and bleeding. So, if you are visiting Mom, make sure you are healthy, and no boxing!
Fun fact: oysters are a very iron-rich food. If you see Mom cruising Chuckanut Drive, she might be partaking in the local oyster selection!
Photo: Mom and Dad’s front yard is packed with peonies, evidently the deer do not enjoy them.
Peonies
Mom completed her fifth of sixth scheduled Doxil (chemotherapy) sessions on Monday. Her hands were pretty warm after the Doxil infusion (despite holding an ice pack in her hands for an hour), so she humored me with a quick visit to Dairy Queen, so we could cool down by holding ice cream in our hands. As you may have I guessed, I graduated fom the Good Humor Nursing School.
Mom’s CA-125 marker continues to drop (yippee!) and is at 26, down from 144 three months ago. So, the Doxil is working on banishing Mom’s cancer, but it is also depleting her energy. She is pacing herself very well, but does tire easily.
We are looking forward to late June, when we can celebrate Kate’s 50th birthday on the 19th, as well as Father’s day, and Mom’s sixth (and hopefully) final Doxil treatment on the 20th. SO much to celebrate!!!
Mom
