Upload your Kitty picture for Purina and raise money for Komen

Hey everyone,

I was just contacted by the Purina people and told we are doing more Purina Cat promotion stuff September 30th in Chicago (ready for 2 visits in one month Jessica and Joe??)

I think we were supposed to go to New York, but now we're going to Chicago, which is fine with me. This time I think I get to choose if Chloe travels with me and I think I might let her stay home in peace. She's not a huge fan of changes of scenery.

Anyway, they sent me the link www.catchow.com/pink where my story is as well as Missy and Lara's story (the two wonderful survivors I was able to meet for the filming.) You've probably already seen mine, but their stories are really good.

Purina wants people to post a picture of themselves with their cat (no need to be a survivor, just a cat lover) and for every picture posted they will donate $1 to Komen. So why not throw up your picture on the site? I want to go on there and see some familiar faces. Once you post a picture, leave a comment on the blog, so then we can search by name and see you. You can see mine on there.

Let's raise some money for Komen by uploading a picture. Get going!!!

I have to get going to the Dave Matthews Band Concert. : )

- Enjoying summer - Shannon

Bras for a Cause - Tickets on Sale Today!!!

http://www.brasforacausemichigan.com/

Check out our latest Art Bra made by Johs from Brown Dog Welding (who will also be selling art at the show). This bra is amazing.

To say I have been busy would be an understatement. I have been planning and recruiting and calling and emailing and selling and organizing and sewing all for the big fundraiser we are holding for Gilda's Club Metro Detroit. The event is called Bras for a Cause (as you can see with our super cool logo)

I've poured my heart and soul into this event. It means so much to me since Gilda's Club has been a place of support to me since I moved back to Michigan re diagnosed with stage IV cancer, completely bald, in the middle of chemotherapy and all alone with no other survivor friends. I was able to walk into Gilda's Club and see a bunch of faces who understood what it was like to be in my shoes. Their services are completely free to all members, and they rely on people like us to be generous to keep them going.

Here are the event specifics:

Bras for a Cause benefiting Gildas Glub

Royal Oak Music Theatre ***TICKETS ON SALE TODAY 3p.m.***

Saturday September 12th 6-10pm

Art bra fashion show (with survivor models)/silent and live auction/food/drinks/music and fun

Hosted by Dave Coulier of Full House

TICKETS ONLY $35 ($40 DAY OF EVENT)

Tickets available from any consignment seller or from the Royal Oak Music Theatre box office
http://www.romtlive.com/
800-919-6272
318 West 4th Street
Royal Oak, MI 48067

Consignment sellers:
(****ALL TICKETS PURCHASED FROM CONSIGNMENT SELLERS OR PHYSICALLY AT THE BOX OFFICE AVOID ALL SERVICE CHARGES****)

Gilda's Club Metro Detroit

3517 Rochester Rd
Royal Oak, MI 48073
248-577-0800

A Woman's Image

43273 Garfield Rd
Clinton Township, MI 48038
586-286-1277

Individual Consignment sellers:
Shannon Watson
Kevin Watson
Sara Angelini
Catie Hormel
Nancy Armstrong
Edie Watson
Alyson Thrift
Karen Coulier

You can also donate online to the event at

http://www.firstgiving.com/brasforacausemichigan

Join us on Facebook Facebook Group:

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=94471492004&ref=search#/group.php?gid=102370210669

Facebook Event: (To RSVP for event)

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=102370210669#/event.php?eid=94471492004&ref=search

This is my MSU bra I created. I am hoping some U0fM grad takes it upon themselves to make a UofM art bra. We shall see.

My old manager, Mark Engelhardt made this Spartan Head made of copper. MSU is representing in this Art Bra Show.

Hope to see you all there!!!!!! I'll be speaking up on stage. That might be worth the ticket itself.

Shannon : )

Kevin and I are going to London and Dublin soon. Soooo excited. We leave August 6th!!!!

PET Scan Results

We got a Picture of Kevin and I. Finally.
Well, My PET scan results came back Friday and I learned a few things.

First, that my mind is a powerful thing.

Second, that the hormone therapy I am on, Femara, can cause pain especially in the bones

Third, that I am not supposed to die soon, like I have been thinking in the back of my head where that evil little part of my brain lives

On Friday my doctor called me and I frantically dropped my sister's call to switch over and get the news before the weekend. I first ask her the overall impression of my scan before we get into specifics. That way, I can pay attention to her details before I'm trying to figure out if the cancer has spread like wildfire through my body as she talks about one detail at a time. All in all she said she was pleased with the results. As the weight of the WORLD seemed to slip off my shoulders, I asked for the details.

I had just started feeling some painful spots on my spine I was very concerned about. Every time I have a scan I start aching all over my body pinpointing where possible new tumors could have grown. I do have a couple active spots on my spine(not masses, but just where there is possible cancer activity), but we have known about those for a while and they never had pain. Like I said, there is no hiding from PET scans. They show where tumors could form before it even happens. Anyway the point is that there were no NEW spots on my spine and the old ones are actually doing less than they were before which is great. The glucose uptake is half what it was the last time I had a PET scan. There was absolutely no activity on these new sights of pain on my spine I have been noticing.

My liver had developed new spots a few months ago at my last imaging. We don't really know when these appeared because they were found on an ultrasound and not CT scan which might have missed them a few months before that. (did they appear before or after my last CT scan we will always wonder) The hormone therapy can sometimes cause growth first and then actually start working, so those new spots could have been a result of starting hormone therapy. Anyway, those spots were still there but they were less active too. Once again the large (original) liver masses have shrunk and decreased in activity significantly.

But this good news has to come with a drawback. There is one spot on the right side of my liver that is very active. I don't know why everything else can be less active and smaller except one mass. My doctor said you can sometimes get a mixed response from treatment. Of course the next night of sleep, when I usually feel and focus on all of my pains, I didn't notice the spine pain anymore, but right side of my abdomen hurt right where my liver is. The mind is a VERY powerful thing and mine seems to have a tight grasp on me lately.

I know a lot of the pain is in my head. I am ALWAYS focusing on it at night when I lay there trying to fall asleep.

Femara (my hormone therapy that gets rid of estrogen in my body) causes bone pain. Zomeda to help my bones grow also causes bone pain. It's nice to know this so I don't always have to think "TUMOR!!" when I have a pain in my bones. I try to tell myself this all the time, but it's hard when you are having aches all the time.

All in all I am happy with my PET scan results. I really slacked on the whole health regimen for a while when my grandpa was in the hospital and everything. I am getting back on track now. Back to the juicing, sprouts, enemas, supplements, sauna and exercising and all all the other stuff. The physical stuff is easy. What I really need to start focusing on is my mental health. Kevin has told me I have been pretty negative lately (I think I've improved since I got my results). I've been worried about my health a lot lately with really bad expectations. That negative thinking goes against everything I try to focus on mentally. It's hard to change though. Fear is a powerful emotion. I'm ready to stop living in fear and focus on what I can control. What am I doing worrying??? Accomplishes nothing and makes life suck while I'm doing it. Someone needs to slap me in the face and say snap out of it. I need to get a grip on my mind and release the grip it has on me. Good test results can help with that so I will start from there.

Here's to more stability in my life. Thank you a for listening. Another PET scan, and yet again some results I am happy with.

Shannon

Married to Kevin for 2 years

A little birdie told me I was WAY overdue for a blog. The birdie was right. Sorry I have been M.I.A. everyone.

I think everyone should buy bulbs in the fall and watch flowers like these come up in the summer for a beautiful surprise. I was so excited when these bloomed.

Kevin and I just celebrated our 2 year anniversary this past Monday July 6th. 2 years married already!! It's been an incredible two years jam packed with adventures. Our marriage has been tested, tried, and celebrated. We have grown ever stronger through the good times and the bad......I'm leading into a trip down memory lane...........

Over our two years of marriage (NOT IN ORDER):
I've done a combined 18 month of chemotherapy (9 months of Taxol, 3 months of Xeloda, and 6 months of the clinical trial on the Parp Inhibitor flying back and forth to MD Anderson in Houston every month)
I've now done 4 months of hormone therapy
I had my port put in (right after the honeymoon)
And then I had the infected port removed that was the worst infected port my surgeon has ever seen who surgically removes them for a living.
I let Kevin fill the flaming red infected wound with gauze. I think that was enough to test our marriage alone.
On to better memories; we went to a honeymoon in St Lucia, New Orleans twice, Chicago Twice, Boyne Mountain, Cedar Point, the Grand Canyon, Sedona and other beautiful places in Arizona
We sold our house in Austin
We moved to Michigan into an absolutely beautiful house
Had a nephew and niece born
I completed the 3 week course at Hippocrates Health Institute
I passed my two year since diagnosis mark
We went skydiving
My Honda Died
We got a new JEEP Liberty
We realized that we are crazy about the card game UNO and we love UNO tournaments
We got through the tragic death of my grandfather
Kevin won a trip to Ireland and we added on a 5 day stay to London (going this August)
We've been planning a HUGE fundraiser for Gilda's Club (more info coming soon)
We finally got an HDTV and had a T.V. tech upgrade (then we bought another HDTV)
I built a beautiful relaxing garden.

Oh, we have done a lot. I love Kevin more today than I did yesterday. We had an incredible anniversary day. We rode our bikes up to Spencer park and went swimming in the lake. The lake was warm and clean. The scene there was beautiful. Then we got home and watched Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. Yep, that's how much Kevin loves me. He watches Harry Potter movies with me. He knows how excited I am for the 6th movie to come out. Kevin knows me and loves me exactly as I am (including all my baggage and mental issues). I love him unconditionally as well. I am proud to say he is my husband.

Anyway, I'll leave you all with a health update for myself. My blood test this past month went up some. That's not good, but my doctor wasn't worried because it wasn't that high. I do have a PET scan tomorrow and naturally I am having aches and pains all over my body. I honestly have forgotten what it is like to have aches and pains on your body and not conclude that it could be a tumor growing somewhere. Sad huh? I'm hoping it's my nerves though. I really hate getting PET scans. You can't hide anything from them. If there is active cancer, the PET scan will find it and expose you.

Wish me luck and I'll be blogging again soon
Lots of love
Shannon

I realized while putting pictures on this post that we don't have many pictures of the two of us that are recent. That will be my goal for the next month.

Of course I took a Chloe picture. Here, she's about to try and jump through the screen to get a bird.

Here is Kevin, my little sister Paige and Chloe relaxing.

Okay, bye