2nd Fundraising Garage Sale

Last weekend we had another very successful garage sale.  Thank you so much to everyone that donated and helped out.  My parents did so much work!  They deserve an extra special thank you!

Here is a picture of Hope and Jayden helping run the sale.  Hope was making duct tape bows to sell and help raise money for her daddy. 

Another big special thank you to my sister Chelsy and her husbnad Jay.  They helped also so so much with the sale.  They live right next door so unfortunately they couldn't get out of it. lol  And sweet Ella was such a good girl like always.  She loves her uncle Justin too! 

And heres my sweet hubby having his share of the sale in the heat.

So all in all it was another very successful sale!  Thank you Jesus!  But the most exciting thing happened when I got home that night and read on facebook that my sweet cousin, Amy, in Indiana and her two kids, John and Kate, had a garage sale also in Indiana that day to help raise money for Justin.  You have no idea  how much that touched us.  Unfortunately we aren't as close as we'd love to be with them just because they live so far away.  We basically keep in contact through Facebook.  I think she has only  meant Justin once on a trip here to Florida a few years back.  So all that to say that she barely even knows Justin but her big, sweet, heart still took a full saturday of her own time and many hours before prepping to get ready for the sale.  All for Justin so that she could send us a check to help out.  You just have no idea how much that touched us!  Thank you so much Amy, John and Kate!  We love you!    

       

Another picture of them in their clean garage!

And now the update on Justin.  This past Wednesday, August 31st, he had another surgery at Moffit to remove two more spots that they are concerned about being Melanoma.  We get the results for those next week.  And than after the surgery he had his first shot of Interferon.  So the poor guy had a rough day.  But rough doesn't even begin to explain how he felt once the Interferon hit him about 6 hours after the shot on Wednesday.  It was a hard night Wednesday night.  I got only 2.5 hours of sleep and I think Justin got even less than that.  I think he experienced every side effect possible for the drug. :(  Around 2am in the middle of the night we were both feeling that this treatment might not work and that we may choose to quit. 

The next morning we had an appointment with Dr. Young, the holistic doctor.  We basically were going there to beg for his help and see if he had any answers for us on what we could do to help relieve Justins side effects.  He told us that he has only had 2 people he knows that have made it through the whole treatment of Interferon because its such a beast.  (At that point we were NOT going to be #3 either) But he said that he could give Justin an IV drip for about an hour of nutrition and vitamins and fluid; all stuff that would help relieve some of his symptoms.  At this point we were willing to do anything.  They hooked him up and we sat and waited.  Let me tell you that Dr. Youngs IV is heaven sent!  It helped Justin soooo much!  He was able to eat a little and keep it down and able to carry on a conversation.  His symptoms became manageable!  Dont get me wrong he has still been sick, but its been a manageable sick.  In other words he doesn't think he's going to die.  And we also feel confident now that we will be able to carry on with his year treatment if we can continue to get the IV from Dr. Young.  Now unfortunately its another expense that is costly.  Dr. Young recommends getting his IV drip 3 times a week; but we are going to try to do it once a week.  Most likely the same day he gets his Interferon shot to help offset the terrible side effects that first day or two.  And let me tell you another God story!  Justin had the miracle IV drip at Dr. Youngs office on Thursday, another expense that we weren't expecting but went ahead with it anyways.  And that afternoon a dear friend of ours sent a card with cash in it.  The amount of the IV treatment that he received earlier that day!  God is good!

Justins eating a little bit here and there and will have some really good moments and than bad ones also.  I asked him earlier what he feels like and he says it feels like I have a really bad case of the flu.  His tummy is nausious and his body aches something terrible.  I've been giving him neck massages but his younger brother Jameson came to his rescue this morning and gave him a long massage.  Thank you so much Jameson!

But lifes exciting. (Hardly! lol)  He moves from the recliner, to the couch, to the bed, and back again.  We are anxiously waiting each new day hoping that it will bring a little bit more relief....at least until Wednesday when he has his next shot. :(

I think one of the hardest things about Justin being sick is that he's going to be missing out on lots of family activities.  Hope had parents night at gymnastics last night.  She did so great!  But after her second routine she ran over to me in the stands and whispered "I wish daddy was here to see me." :(  And tonight we celebrated my 30th birthday at my moms house (even though my birthday isn't for another 10 days).  It was hard not having my best friend, my hubby, at my birthday dinner.  :(  Something I never want to experience again.  But I made it through the night with only one break down in tears. :/

All in all life sucks just about now.  I'm not going to lie.  I'm struggling a lot.  I'm selfishly mad and angry that I have to go through this with my husband at such a young age.  I wish we were going to Labor day parties or trips this weekend instead.  I'm upset that I know the birthday money I got tonight will be going towards something for this family to stay afloat or towards a treatment for Justin; and not a new outfit.  But all these feelings are selfish of me.  I am so incrediablly blessed to even have such an amazing husband who loves me so much to be able to share this trial with him.  I'm so blessed to have such an amazing support system from family, to friends, to even strangers that have touched our lives.  I'm blessed to have Justin here today and 3 healthy precious beautiful kids.  I'm blessed to have a home to live in and not out on the streets this week when its been so rainy and gloomy.  And i'm blessed to have eternity!  And thats what I have to choose to keep refocusing my thoughts on!  So today I thank him for this!

Happy Labor Day weekend!

xoxoxoxoxo