Happy 14th Birthday Adam!!

HAPPY 14th Birthday my sweet Adam!!!
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Sometimes it seems like yesterday I was carrying you like a HUGE watermelon in my belly and now you are a TALL young man. I love you so much and interested to see where you let God take you with your life!!
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Adam's collage of his first year. Birth, 1 month, 3,6,9 and 15 months.
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One of my favorite pics of Adam when he was younger. He reminded me of Harry Potter with those glasses. :)
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Adam now. Hanging out at In and Out.
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Today the boys dad said he might take Adam somewhere.. We'll see.. Im trying to see if our church is still having our barbque at the lake or not or if I'm going to take the boys somewhere for his birthday.
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We leave Thurs am I think for Family House in San Fransisco. Adam, Noah and I have derm appts on Friday at UCSF. I'm hoping we can schedule surgery or something on Adam to get his skin cancer down. Especially the ones on his face around his eyes. He WONT cooperate so it will be a challenge. Noah wont either, but is easier than 6 ft tall Adam. We will be back Saturday I think.. Maybe Sun am.
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Well it's almost 2:30 am and I NEED to get to bed. Nathan left for the night and left his puppy here and I know she wants to go potty and will be up early to go again... uggg.. I want to sleep in. lol
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PLEASE remember to pray for everyone. Those on here and those who aren't and yet need prayer. We ALL NEED prayer no matter what right now... Love you all and praying for all.
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Blessings,
Gina Marie and boys

A lil boy gets his wings and a doctors writings....

I went to sweet lil Joshua Nelsons (pictured above) http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/joshuacalebnelson celebration service Monday. It was beautiful ( was beautiful as funerals can be). The church was FULL. Lil Joshua was so loved and cared for. It was neat hearing all the different memories of him. They called him "General" like Joshua and Caleb in the bible. :o) He definitly was a FIGHTER!! It was nice to see Vanessa, Fred, Peleke, Nathan, Angelica and Caleb again tho would have been funner under better circumstances.
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The boys started school Monday. Well they went to SOME of school on Monday then we left for the service. Noah is in 6th grade now but in same K-8th grade. So they are rotating classes btwn 6-8th. This year the 8th grade teacher USED to be the Kindergarten teacher for the past 12 yrs. Now she is 8th. lol Adam is a Freshman. Him and Caleb go to the charter school so its a lot smaller. They dont have Adam's computer classes set up yet so he is just working on Math (which he hates). lol
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We head to UCSF (San Fransisco) next week for our Derm appts. Tho the boys were suppose to be using Aldara these past 3-4 months but we just got the med this past month and haven't been able to put it on Noah each night. Adam wont let me put it on like he told them he would. Typical for Adam and his moods. He has so many skin cancers around his eyes and face also. :o(
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I'm trying to sign up for some college classes. School already started so it all depends if the instructor will let me in now IF they have room or not. I want to take a Sign Language class on Tues nights, An internet course for Microsoft Word, Excel and Access and possibly a beginners Piano which is Tues and THurs mornings. I'm not sure if I can do all those and go to church, keep all our appts, and keep up being Chairpersonand parent rep for our small schools district for our CAC (special ed). But we wil see. Most of the classes are to help my church and others (well the sign language is). The piano and sign language can help our church.
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BTW.. Yes Donna!! I DID get approved for disability!! That started last month. Which reminds me.. I need to send the lawyer a check still.. I finally dont have to fight that fight anymore!! :o)
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I know this is kinda long but I wanted you all to read this post from a friend who is a doctor and she has blogged all thru her medical school and now she is a doctor. She writes awesome stuff and a lot of have told her she should write a book.. But this one I wanted to post and I hope you see it like we did... Her name is Danielle.. Some of you know her also from her being on our other sites..
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Please Don't Make Me Sing This Song
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In some of my weaker moments, as a human being, I have gone to great lengths to avoid other people, specifically, public masses. I have, on more than one occasion, been known to go up seven flights of stairs, just to avoid the human contact on the hospital elevator. Or "Tuberculosis Express" as we used to refer to it in medical school. Crowded patient elevators at lunchtime are pretty much disgusting petri dishes of deadly germs. Don't offer to push the button, I implore you.

On the rare occasions I do choose to ride the 74 Express to The Swine Flu, I have either regretted it, or fallen madly in love with another passenger. The first occurs regularly. The later will be saved for my memoir.

Between the 8th floor and the 5th floor, I learned that my 12-year-old, spiky-haired, documentary-loving cancer patient had died, just like we told her she would. I was carrying a giant box of leftover donuts, and in rush to make it to my clinic on time. "She didn't make it to camp," he said. Which was all he needed to say, because I understood. Someone sneezed, and a stroller bumped my foot. My throat went dry, or, it was already dry and I just noticed it acutely. He pushed himself passed an obese woman wearing a tie-died t-shirt. "Shit." I said under my breath, because sometimes cursing is called for, and I had nothing else to say to him anyway. The obese woman turned around and glared at me. He lowered his head and exited the elevator. I thought about the water, and how I couldn't breathe.

As the doors started to shut, a frantic, well-manicured hand jetted in between the inevitable closure. "Hold it for me!" she said, as the stroller once again backed over my foot. I knew that voice and that hand, and just like they do on TV, I averted my eyes, held the donut box up high over my face and willed her not to look my way. Why can't my elevator encounters include Patrick Dempsey?

We made it to the 1st floor, and people slowly filed out. I pushed my way to the front, and started to walk FAST. "Daneeeyaaail!" I heard, in her pseudo-Southern drawl. It was the mother of another cancer patient. "Long time no see! Can you buh-leave we are back here again? Oh, you have to come see her! Mah whole family is up there. She's gettin' her chemo in Room 19. Come on back with me! Do you have time?"

"No. Sorry. I really don't. I am on my way to clinic..." I said, sorrily.

"Oh."

"You know what, I can be a few minutes late. I'd love to see her. Let's go."

"Great!"

But in my head I was pleading, "Please, please, PLEASE don't make me look at her." She has the same type of cancer that my little documentarian had. The chemo is rough. It does terrible things to little bodies. Please don't make me look at that right now. And I was right. She did. The baby looked absolutely horrible. What we do to kids would completely astound you. She looked like death, and I couldn't help to think that It was coming for her.

I was late to clinic, and another mother was annoyed. She had brought her healthy 6-month-old in for a check-up. I hurried the exam along, and could have been more outgoing, but I just felt weary.

Sometimes, people ask me what I want others to get out of reading these stories. One of my main goals would be for you to realize that doctors are people too. And even though the gravity of these things we go through will never, EVER compare to the personal struggles of the families we care for, the tiny twinges of pain we feel, multiple times a day, every single day, over and over and over again, eventually add up.

If your doctor is terse with you, if he doesn't take enough time to explain things, or if she seems to be constantly in a hurry, maybe sheis just a jerk. Or, maybe, she's just one elevator ride away from losing the scramble to keep her pieces together. One heartbeat away from being completely crushed.
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Well its almost 12:30 AM and I still have to make a gallon of Sweet Tea so Adam and Caleb can take some in their lunches tomorrow (Later this morning).. Hey... Dont be a stranger... Stop by and visit and say HI. :oP lol I am praying for all of you. Even if I haven't been able to stop by your sites. HUGSSSSSSSSS

Blessings,
Gina Marie