This is the bottom line….
I cannot wait to be a nurse, so I can save lives in my own way.
#ANewKindOfMommy
Month: September 2015
I wanted to share my post cancer battle. I know it will be mostly parents that will read this blog, so I wanted to share what I am going through. We are almost done with Childhood Cancer awareness month. Of all of the things I wish I would have known before the diagnosis and even during the battle, I wish I would have know what was happening to me. I remember thinking that everything is fine, so why can’t I put my life back together.
I had become a different person and a different kind of mommy. I am still trying to figure out this new me as I struggle to find the old me. I am working on accepting the new real me after getting my daughter through cancer treatment while smiling through it all.
I had no idea what smiling through it all was doing to me.
Yes, I am the mother of a cancer warrior and survivor.
This is My’isha. She was around 17 months when she was diagnosed with stage 4 high risk neuroblastoma. I stood by her side, solid as a rock. I didn’t want her to see me cry, but I couldn’t leave her side. It did not take me long to adjust to this new life. By the time her chemotherapy was done. I was able to leave to take care of other things, like my other 3 kids. I even started working for a local radio station doing promotional work while she was sleeping. I was able to be the rock I needed to be for my baby girl to get her through cancer. We sang and danced and smiled through it all. After a year and a half of treatments including radiation, surgeries, antibody and immunotherapy, My’isha was declared NED (no…
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Creations 4 Miracles 4 My’isha
I began by making shirts for Stevie Tre and My’isha on her first birthday. Thinking back, I had to have been inspired by the boutiques I was shopping at for My’isha in Oklahoma and Colorado Springs. I managed a Chuck E Cheese in Oklahoma City and I saw my fair share of SUPER CUTE birthday party themes, and I couldn’t go to my job with a lame party, right?
Here is the shirt I made for Stevie Tre’s birthday. I had so much fun! I met him choose the patch that he wanted and the style of number, and I did the rest with some help from my cousin Stephen Burke.
He loved the shirt and wore it many times after his birthday.
Here is the onesie I made for My’isha’s 1st birthday.
At this point, she had not been diagnosed with cancer, but we had recently found out about her 6q25.3 microdeletion.
She was already so much of a princess, turning warrior, by her 1st birthday.
By the time her 2nd birthday came around, she well into chemotherapy, and she received her stem cells from her stem cells transplant on her 2nd birthday. I HAD to make a onesie for that day!
I have made a couple of shirts for myself and friends for fundraisers and to send to folks who were able to donate a certain amount to My’isha’s B.M.T. Birthday.
I still have 2 of the shirts I made, one hangs above her bed, and the other is tucked away for safe-keeping.
My’isha and I had earned a reputation from a local radio station, called 1Blunt Radio, of Colorado Fans. They invited us out to a tail gate party where they were to dedicate their newly released, Colorado Fan, song to My’isha. Here are a couple of onesies I made for that season.
That was the year we went to the Super Bowl too. Go BRONCOS!
The actual shirts themselves are the most expensive part. I am willing to personalize gear the you already have or find something new. Also check out our handmade jewelery made by My’isha’s oldest brother Alijah.
All funds that are put into paypal.me/miracles4myisha will go towards obtaining materials to deliver to children who are inpatient during an event or occasion. I am looking to have a nice size delivery for the Children’s Hospital of Colorado by Christmas time. For more information please do not hesitate to email Miracles4Myisha@gmail.com or reach out to us via Facebook as well.
If you have been following us on Facebook, then you already know about our arts and crafts. If you are new to our story, please read on.
My’isha was a very special baby all the way back to when she was in my tummy. She is missing a piece of her 6th chromosome which makes her a special princess. She has also beat cancer, while she was learning to walk and communicate. That pretty much makes her a Princess Warrior.
I, am just her mommy. I do my best to support the amazingness this young lady brings into this world. When we entered the world of cancer treatment, I found myself researching and doing everything to keep My’isha happy and comfortable while not neglecting my 3 boys.
There came a point when my busy-body kicked in, and I had to do SOMETHING. I wasn’t leaving My’isha at the hospital for any amount if time, so trying to keep my mind occupied led to an awakening of my creativity.
So, Creations 4 Miracles 4 My’isha is a Facebook page for me to show off the creations I or My’isha’s brother’s, Alijah and Xavier, have made either while My’isha was going through her treatment, or afterwards trying to make money for my family.
I had to have something to do, all those lonely nights in the hospital. So, I rediscovered arts and crafts. It was probably one of the best things to happen to me over the past few years. I love to create things for people.
Here are some photos of the items I have left. I am putting them up for donations on Creations 4 Miracles 4 My’isha. All you need to do is comment on the photo of the item you want, the amount that you are willing to donate for them item. Then, you go to paypal.com/miracels4myisha and make your donations. Once your donation is received, we will send you the gift you posted on.
Funds from this fundraiser will go towards My’isha’s birthday party. Her birthday is a week before her brother Xavier, so it makes it a little tough to all of the things we want to do for them. All contributions will go straight to making sure they both get the birthday celebrations they deserve.
It is a little ironic that #ChildhoodCancer #Awareness month falls on My’isha’s birthday month. She will be 4 years old this month, and this is her last year of preschool before she moves on to Kindergarten. I am so excited for her!
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…or so I thought.
How long does a mommy wait to put her baby girl’s hair into pony tails?
I waited 3 boys and 10 years to finally have my baby girl. I had been practicing since I was a little girl for this moment. I could not wait to braid her hair and do pony tails…
…and then one day, she was staring Neuroblastoma in the eyes, in her piggy tails.
After her first cycle chemotherapy, things began to change. 
I was finding more and more of her hair in her bed. When she slept and played, it was like there was a long-haired puppy in the crib with her. It bothered me to see her hair all over the bed throughout the day.
So I talked with the nurse. She was starting to get small bald patches in her hair and I wanted to keep her curls and be able to share them with my mom and mother in law. This is her first haircut, right? It wasn’t like we could just go to a hair salon. So I started with the sides first.
Her top pony tail was just too cute too cute off. So I left it alone. However, the next morning was a reality check. I didn’t know if my cutting her hair triggered more loss. It was unlikely, but what I did know, was that there wasn’t much time to save what was left. So…
I cut it off… I cut it all off! I cried and I cried. I could not look at my daughter, my one and only, my long awaited baby girl, without crying. I felt awful for taking it all away. Taking away what we waited so long for. For the first time, I had to call my mommy. I really could not look at my own daughter without crying my eyes out.
I let go of the blame. I realized it wasn’t me that took her hair. It was the chemotherapy that took her hair. As cruel as it seemed, it was necessary to keep my baby girl alive. It wasn’t long before I realized, that her hair was just the beginning.
She soon lost her eyebrows and eyelashes too. Her whole head was baby bottom smooth. Her scalp was dry. The worst and most obvious part, was that now, she officially looked sick. She looked like a cancer patient. If there was ever a moment of reality, this was the first. I used a little oil to moisturize her scalp, but now…
…she really IS sick.
The chemotherapy is beginning to take it’s toll on her digestive system. She quickly loses most of her ability to taste, as well as the desire to eat, or even hold food down when she does want to eat.
Her hair quickly became one of the least of our worries.
Soon, her beautiful, shiny, smooth bald head was just another fashion accessory, along with her NG tube and my various tape jobs..
Thanks to another family Beth and Mia McDowell, we were inspired to embrace her new beauty!
That is how tattoos became a part of My’isha‘s therapy, and a fun hobby to bring more awareness to childhood cancer. Not to mention it stopped people from mistaking her for a boy.
We had such a great time with them! I appreciate the inspiration and hope the warriors at 10-Strong provide to families at the Children’s Hospital in Oklahoma City. They were just great, and I couldn’t imagine starting our journey anywhere else!
This was the first post I made on Facebook after receiving “the phone call”:
Aisha Sawyer added 4 new photos — with Brenda Bland and 28 others.
My’isha Dawn Amira Chavers
The sweetest most affectionate most cuddly precious little princess. PLEASE PRAY FOR HER. She has overcome so much in these short 17 months. She has already been diagnosed with a microdeletion of her 6th chromosome causing her developmental delay. She is ahead of the game when compared to other kids with this condition. She’s pulling herself up and cruising and waving and pointing and giving kisses and high fives. She is showing so much progress…and then this: She had what they thought was a blood clot that would dissolve. Instead, over the past 6 months it has been growing. The Dr. Called and said it’s either a tumor or cancer and it requires further testing. She’s already having at least 1 appt per week for her therapy plus checkups and testing. My baby girl…. My beautiful baby girl… Pray long and hard for this beautiful baby. If u know her and have met her your lucky and you can feel a piece of my pain. If you haven’t met her… When you do she will make your darkest night the brightest day with one smile and if you hold her the world will stand still for a few moments. She will take your heart away! Share her story and raise awareness of her personal triumphs. I hope that so many people pray for her that the lord gets tired of it and just heals her. I know that’s not how it works but a mommy has to hope for the best. I will keep you all posted. Thank you heart emoticon
Looking back and reading this post along with many others before this, I have to admit that I knew something was going on. I am sure many mom’s feel the same way. I had so many emotions going on at the moment. I just wanted to know as much as I could possibly know about what they were talking about, but as most of us know, and a lot less of us understand, it takes a while to take care of testing and results and treatment road maps and everything else they need to do before giving you answers. I spent the majority of the next 2 years waiting. Waiting for results, waiting for doctors or meds, waiting for the end… whatever that may be. It is terrifying to hear the words tumor or cancer. It is terrifying to watch your baby vomit beyond control and not be able to tell if they are in pain or they just simply don’t feel well. It is terrifying to think about having do to a funeral for the child you gave birth to. I did my best to prepare myself for the worst, but hope for the best, and we always tried to smile through it all!
Every parent was chosen for this battle just as their child was. Our battle is over… in a good way. Today, 7 children will lose their battle and gain their angel wings. Today, 14 parents will lose their child to cancer. Yet, of the total funding for cancer, pediatric cancers only receive 4%! It really makes no sense considering the amount of adult onset cancers that are due to lifestyle. When it comes to donating, it is hard to tell which group to support. I encourage you to do your research before sending your money to fund pediatric cancer research. Find out where the money is going.
A lot of people told me they didn’t know what to say to me when I said my daughter was diagnosed with high risk stage 4 neuroblastoma. I am not sure I would have known what to say. I would just say, “I am here for you,” and then REALLY be there for them. We always need help with meal preparation, clothes, fundraising, and mommy time is ALWAYS needed and not always taken. Not all of you reading this blog will be cancer mommies, some of you will be grandma’s, or sister’s, or aunts, or friends, please know, that cancer affects all of us. No one likes to see children suffer for no reason. Please, find a family and see what you can do to help. Just because the battle if over, doesn’t mean the dust settled.
To help Miracles 4 My’isha get ready for her 4th birthday at the end of this month, we have opened her fundraiser account on paypal again at paypal.me/miracles4myisha. If you would like to send cards or decorations or anything of the sort, please contact us on our facebook page http://www.facebook.com/miracles4myisha.
Thank you for reading and as always, thank you for your support!
Day one of treatment:
Today is My’isha’s first day of chemotherapy. I have been waiting for this day some I received that call. The call when the doctor said there was a mass in My’isha’s belly and it may be cancer. These past few weeks have been a roller coaster of emotions. Today, I woke up unrested and extremely anxious, butterflies, panicky, shaky, the whole 9… I was told yesterday my beautiful baby girl has high risk stage 4 Neuroblastoma. I wasn’t able to hold a regular conversation the rest of the evening. No matter how well Dr. Meyer prepared us, no matter how much research I did, I wasn’t ready for today. Just like I was expecting, stage 4, but after he said it, and explained the treatment plan, I wasn’t ready for the flood of emotions that rose so quickly I almost dint have enough time to get out the room before tears filmed my eyes. This morning I needed to reach out. I needed to know what to expect from a mother’s perspective. I couldn’t call me mom or dad as I normally do for support. No, that’s not he support I needed this morning. I needed the support of another mom whose baby has been through this. I text a mom from 10-Strong. 10-Strong is a group of moms who have formed a bond on this 10th floor of OU Children’s oncology floor. She told me she would come visit with me today and she did. She was one of the best things that happened to me today. She validated the emotions and thoughts I have had over the past few weeks. She helped me feel normal again. I keep getting reminded through other moms and resources that I’m not the only mom going through all of this and I’m definitely not the first. Other moms before me have set up the programs and groups I need so I can focus on getting My’isha better. I have to be strong for her. I have to get used to the cancer lifestyle for a while. It is our strength that is going to get My’isha better…
March 27th, 2013 on the 10th floor of OU Children’s Hospital
Miracles 4 My'isha
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