6/21/06. Hello everyone, As you are now aware mom was diagnosed with cholangiocarcinoma on 5/5/06. This was a complete shock to all of us, as mom was feeling o.k. and only requested the liver scan to keep check on her hemochromatosis. Everyone has been so very kind to call,write and visit mom to let her know how very,very much she is loved. However, her energy has been zapped quite a bit, so I thought we would create a blog for her so everyone can stay up to date and in touch even when she may not be up to talking. I am sooooo not computer savvy, so be patient with me on these postings. Eventually I'll ask Mike to post some pictures of mom & dad and all of us as well. Anyway, we are up against a strong enemy but we will give our all to beat it. With combined research efforts The Mayo Clinic seemed to give us our best odds so we consulted with them and mom agreed to a clinical trail of chemotherapy every 2 weeks. ( gemzar and alimta ). Since the Mayo Clinic has a Scottsdale facility mom can stay comfortable at home as much as possible. Uncle Duane has been so very generous and given mom use of his plane for these past few trips. June 13 was moms first chemo cycle and since she had the plane we were able to fly up that morning and be home by dinner. No 6 hours of traffic!! She has her second cycle on June 27. So far she has done o.k. However recent blood test showed that her white blood cell count was very low so Mayo will be giving her an injection of medicine that helps boost these counts on our next visit. Mom and Dad will be celebrating their 49th wedding anniversary this Friday the 23rd! Congrats!! They were able to spend a couple of days up in Solvang this week to celebrate. We want to thank ALL of you out there that have expressed love and concern for mom. Please keep up the prayers, good thoughts and encouraging words. Bye for now, Michelle