Update 7/26/25: CT Scan

Psalm 34:4 “I sought the Lord, and He answered me, and delivered me from all my fears.”

Psalm 106:1 “Praise the Lord! Oh give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; for His lovingkindness is everlasting.”

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The past week has been a whirlwind of doctor appointments, tests, and surgery. Between all the running around and jet lag, it has been challenging adjustment back to reality.

On Monday, Sophia had surgery for her ACL and meniscus. She is a trooper and is doing well healing and managing her pain. Shan was a great support person and came with me to the hospital. The relationship Shan and Sophia has is very special.

They had Sophia in PT the next day. It was a little rough, but she got through it and is working hard on her home exercises.

On Tuesday, there was a lot of running around. Wayne and I had to clean our Airbnb and then run to Lexington for my CT scan. It’s crazy how one test can send you spiraling into fear. If you know someone who has had cancer, give them hugs. Living with the fear of cancer coming back is not fun. But as a Christian, we aren’t supposed to live in fear. So how do you reconcile this? I think fears are a normal part of the human experience. It’s what we do with those fears that matters. I reached out to a few friends to pray over me when the fears started to feel out of control.

Honestly, the fear was starting to steal my joy during my time with my sisters. It was amazing to feel peace finally as I went to sleep Thursday night. Friday afternoon I received a message that I had a new test result. I was terrified to open it, so I deleted the text message and pretended I didn’t know about it. While my sisters and I were sitting outside, my phone rang and I saw my doctor's number. I figured it was terrible news since they never call me. My sister, Rachel, checked my messages and then played it for me. We are praising Jesus for a clean scan!!

Nasty drink I had to consume before my CR scan, as well as IV contrast.

After getting through my CT scan, I was able to pack for my trip to Boston to celebrate my sister Rachel’s upcoming wedding. We had an amazing few days together with beautiful weather in York, Maine. Each time I visit New England, I fall more in love with it.

God’s creation was showing off while we were there. The water was freezing though. I put my feet in the water and they went numb. There were crazy kids jumping into that freezing water!!

Lobster!

Sisters 🩷

I managed to eat a lot of seafood while in Maine…lobster, oysters, clam chowder, and haddock. There is nothing like fresh seafood!!

Morning views for breakfast.

We went out on the ocean to catch some bait fish. We caught 12 mackerel, but we weren’t able to catch any bass with the bait. 

The sunset on our last night was gorgeous. I was able to snap some pictures and then my sister Sarah got some great photos of me and Rachel. 

I love my two beautiful sisters!! It was so wonderful to spend quality time with them that didn’t involve cancer or kids. 🤣

We visited this beautiful park in York. We learned the amazing history behind the man that donated the land for the park. The family showed us the old pictures of what it looked like before the homes were torn down. Hartley wanted others to be able to enjoy the beautiful views. What is crazy is that Wayne and I visited this beautiful park two years ago during our trip to Maine. 

We had such a great time celebrating my sister. She is marrying into an amazing family that showed us sweet hospitality. 

Update 7/13/25: Celebrations

Psalm 13:5 “But I have trusted in Your loving kindness; my heart shall rejoice in Your salvation.”

We arrived safely home last night around 6pm! It was a long few days to get home, but we are thankful to be home now!!

Summary of Our Trip:

45 days, 2 countries (Taiwan and China), 14 provinces, 3 major cities (Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong), 9 bullet trains, 6 flights, numerous subways and buses, and countless miles of walking/hiking (about 470,000 steps).

Major rivers seen on this trip: Yangtze, Yellow River, Li Jiang, Leshan, China River, and Sichuan River.

Gallons of tea drunk, 3 tea house experiences (the best was in Tulou where we learned the process from start to finish). We drank black, green, oolong, Taiwan high mountain tea, herbal tea, and gaiwan tea with chrysanthemum flowers. Tea was served at every restaurant!!

Animals we saw: water buffalo, pandas, cormorant birds, black praying mantis, Asian toad, Taiwanese macaque monkey, wet market animals (many), and black swans.

Unique foods eaten-wouldn’t eat again unless trying to not offend host: 

* sea cucumber

* tusun jelly (sand worms)

* chicken feet

* century eggs

* stinky tofu (wasn’t the worse-I would eat again, Shan and the girls would not)

* fish eggs

* pork fat

* seaweed

* snails (Shan)

* raw fish (Shan)

* duck blood (accidentally ate in some soup)

Unique foods we would eat again:

* tea eggs

* drinking out of a coconut

* Peking duck

* a million different types of mushrooms

* squid

* quail eggs 

* tofu in many different forms

* lotus root

* fruit mochi

* fruit: yellow watermelon, lychee, dragon fruit (white and pink), guava, mango, apple bananas, wax apples

* clam soup 

* fresh sushi and dried fish 

* dumplings (many different kinds)

* sacha noodles

* shibuya toast

Items We Recommend for Travel:

1) Easy to roll suitcase that isn’t big-easier for traveling on trains

2) packing cubes (helps with organization)

3) portable fan - we also got cooling wipes in Taiwan that were amazing

4) life straw water bottle so you can drink water in country without any worries

5) update your phone and skip bringing your big camera (too heavy and new cell phones take great photos). Most of our photos were cell phone!

6) get a country package with your cell phone carrier

7) small backpack for day trip that can carry your water bottle and snacks

8) passport holder

9) if traveling to China, download WeChat and setup credit card in wexin pay to make it easier to pay everywhere

10) portable charger for phone (make sure you put it in your carryon/personal item on plane)

11) document your trip daily so you don’t forget any details

12) pack of cards-you never know when you might get stuck somewhere and need some entertainment

13) travel pack of wipes, antibacterial wipes, and Kleenex (if traveling to China, take extra for when there isn’t toilet paper available)

14) bring every type of medicine you may need - we brought a little of everything and used at least one of each of them

15) first aid kit

16) hiking shoes

17) pack less clothes then you think you need-most hotels we stayed at offered free washers and dryers, so we could have packed less

18) Foot hammock for airplane!!!

Hong Kong airport security-kind of freaked us out!

14.5 hour flight. We watched the moon rise and the sun rise. 

My friend Terri picked us up from the airport. First meal in America: Chick-fil-A and ice cream from Plush Horse. We slept like babies after my friend Susan stopped by to say hello. 

We stopped to pick blueberries on our way home since we missed blueberry season in KY. Great snack to keep me awake on our drive home. 

We are recovering today from jet lag. We went to church and then celebrated Wayne’s 49th birthday. 

Tomorrow we jump right back into our crazy lives. Micaela and Joella have orthodontist appointments. I have my oncology and immunotherapy appointment Tuesday, followed by an appointment on Thursday with gastro. We are one week away from Sophia’s surgery, so we are full swing back into life…ready or not! I appreciate prayers for the upcoming appointments. 🩷🩷