FUN, RELAXING DAY!

Getting some R & R~
That is exactly what mom did today! We all had fun waking up this morning and going straight to mom's big King size bed!!! All the girls got in bed with her as we let Claire watch "Strawberry Shortcake"! How fun! Brooke and I got mom all ready for the day and even fixed her hair! She felt soooo good afterwards! We all ate breakfast from McDonalds and drank McCafe coffee's! Yum... Mom's favorite coffee! Decaf of course. Brooke and I got on a major cleaning kick after we ate. Mom rested in the living room while the guys watched sports-of course. :) Brooke and I got ready for the day and headed to Walmart to get some groceries, etc.

Let's just say Walmart has issues with their card swipers - It did not like us at all! It took us 4 times to finally pay! See, dad had given us some cash so we used that and then we used a gift card (which worked fine) and then we had a remainder of $10.28 so I was just going to pay for that with my check card (didn't work), credit card (didn't work), Brooke's check card (didn't work), OMG - finally I wrote a check! Whew.....If that didn't work we were fixing to just yell "does anybody in the store have $11 we can borrow!" hahahaha! It was so aggravating but funny!

We got home and had the boys unload the groceries and we all put them away. The other Forrester crew came by to visit while we were at Walmart. We just missed Ross and Hannah but got to visit with Uncle Donnie and Aunt Ramona! We love you all!

Mom took a couple of naps today while we were cleaning and at Walmart. She is doing so well though getting around and talking. Praise God! She can read cards, newspaper, etc. almost perfectly! We have had such a relaxing day getting to spend with her and dad. It's nice to get to hold her and hug and kiss her. It feels so good to have your mom hold onto you. Oh, how we've missed her!

Claire has kept us entertained all day playing with her new singing/dancing dog that MiMi and Poppy had for her! She has also been playing with her miniature golf set Aunt Ramona got her! She's the future "Little Miss Tiger"! We hope! :) Brooke and I will be cooking some dinners tonight for mom and dad to have during the week. We are going to make several so they can freeze them and warm them up when they want!

Thank you to everyone for all the cards, phone calls, and gifts! Our community is so incredibly supportive and we can't thank you enough! Every one's faith, prayer, love, and support continues to give all of us strength! God bless you!
The Forrester Family

I am going to add a link: This is from Ryan's "Aunt" Lana from Palestine, TX. She wanted to share this and said, "It is a beautiful testimony to the love that the Lord has for us."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XZ9ZNwWehPk

Nana Banana visits!

Hi everyone,

Grandma (gigi) stayed with mom today and they had visitors....mom's mother, aka....Nana Banana and Grandpa Carl (her husband) and mom's Uncle Harold drove them up to Stigler. They had a good time being here and left early afternoon.

All the "kids" made it home safely to Stigler to be with mom this weekend. We gave her the Brighton items for a belated Valentine's Day present, and she immediately had to put them on with a huge grin and said, "oh, how cute, I love them". :) We've also enjoyed the cards/letters from her kids at school....along with the Girl Scout cookies. Yum! You can never go wrong with some GSCookies! The article in the Stigler Newspaper was great, thank you Mrs. McAdoo! To the others who contributed to the article, thank you as well. It was inspiring and an honor to read an article to celebrate mom and her soon-to-be next accomplishment.....brain cancer survivor~
Love, The Forrester fam

Back to work dad goes....

Hi! Dad went back to work today and grandma (gigi) came over to stay with mom. Grandma helped out around the house doing cleaning, laundry, and visiting with mom. Dad said his day back at work was good. His co-workers and clients were all so nice and showed such wonderful concern.

Hillary and I went to mom's FAVORITE jewelry store tonight....
We got her a cute necklace and earrings, that should make her smile this weekend along with having Claire there, I'm sure of that!! :) We'll all be going to Stigler this weekend to be with mom. (sorry to the Cariker's to miss Emily's wedding....we had planned on being there, we know it will be wonderful and she'll be a stunning bride--CONGRATS!!!!)
Love, the Forrester's

HOME at last!!!!

Home sweet home....Stigler at last!

Mom and dad made it from Houston to Stigler today around 5:30 p.m. They said they had breakfast at the hotel, their friend Janis Hawkes picked them up, they went to the airport and flew home around 12:25 p.m. today. Breck and Claire met them at the airport (everyone else had to work), then they came over to our house in Broken Arrow. I was able to leave work early around 2 p.m. so I could come home to see mom and dad and to get ready for my Teacher of the Year reception for Union Public Schools. GiGi and Gramps drove up to be here and Greg Kasbaum (Breck's dad and mom's former boss...aka "Popsicle") came into town to see her and be at the T.O.Y. reception. Missy and Richard (Grammy and Bub to Claire) and Hillary were also there as well to support us all! :)

We all visited and loved on mom and dad before they headed back to Stigler. Mom looked good! She had a cute head wrap thing on to cover her scar and her bruising/swelling looked great! They got home safely and mom was pretty tired. Dad said they took it easy the rest of the evening. Aunt Ramona and Uncle Donnie (dad's brother) fixed a yummy dinner for them...THANK YOU for doing that. Keep them in your prayers because this will be a road we will continue down for however long it takes! :) Love to all! The Forrester's

Here are some pictures of us today at the T.O.Y. reception, mom and dad couldn't be there and we were missing them bunches, but we all understand and we know that mom can't be around a lot of people right now due to possibilities of infections, etc....we all know that if it's anything to do with teaching, school, and/or family mom would've been their in a heartbeat! :) You were there in spirit mom and dad, we love you!

Grammy& Bub--Claire enjoyed the balloons so much, she was almost "carried away" with it...literally! :) Also, thank you for the flowers and card of encouragment. We love you and are blessed to be so close to you here in Tulsa for your continued support.

GiGi and Gramps, thank you for the steak dinner tonight, we all had a good time of food, fun, and fellowship! Thank you for driving up today to see mom and to be there for the banquet. It is always fun being with you. We love you and look up to you both for your Christian like spirits and your constant faith in the Lord.

Greg, thank you for being there to see mom, she thinks SO highly of you...not only as the former superintendent of Stigler schools (her boss), but as a friend, mentor, and a part of our family. We loved you being there to support mom and encourage her today. Did you see how she teared up when you came in??!! Awe!! Also, thank you for being there to show support for me today at the reception. Love you!

Friends and co-workers at Saint Francis Non-Invasive Cardiology!!

Wow! Where do I even begin! Let me just say that I am incredibly blessed to have such amazing fellow echo techs: Krista, Dennis, Jen, Ai, Jill, and Ben, nurses, doctors, and other staff members in my life! You all have prayed so much for mom and my family! I even was given a PRAYER CLOTH that had been prayed upon and passed around in one lady's church! How precious is that for me to give to mom to hold on to and keep with her wherever she is! There have been so many hugs and gracious acts given to me during this life changing experience! Norma - I am so blessed to have you! You have gone through this exact same experience with your son and have comforted me all through my experience and I know you will continue to! You are my "guardian angel" who always looks out for me no matter if it's work related or personal! I love you! You have supported me so much through this and will continue to I know it! Thanks again for all of you who have given me gifts! You have no idea what all of that means to me! I love you all very much!

Here are some pictures of some of my staff and teammates at Moore Elementary . I love you all and cherish our friendship. We are so blessed to work for such an amazing school. Thank you for the support for our family, you have wrapped your arms around mom through me and I truly, truly, truly am honored and grateful. Just like members of Stigler community and the schools as well as dad's co-workers....everyone has just been so amazing and rock solid through this with us. Thank you for all your shoulders to lean on, tissues to cry in, and hugs to be shared for days/weeks/months/years to come! Thank you for helping us smile and still "CELEBRATE" our daily life!

T-Shirts!

Hi everyone, The above info is a t-shirt order form to raise awareness for mom's type of brain cancer. The Stigler New Century Club will oversee this project in honor of mom. Thank you to all who put forth the effort to get this idea started, implemented and now another method to help raise awareness for brain cancer. Thank you all again, you have been so wonderful!!! The link below will take you to this flyer if you want to print it or post it at your workplace, etc.... Thank you again to all involved and all who want to buy a shirt already! :) Love, the Forrester's

http://mail.unionps.org/exchange/kasbaum.brooke/Inbox/Emailing:%20Doreen%20Shirts%20Flyer.EML/1_multipart_xF8FF_2_Doreen%20Shirts%20Flyer.jpg/C58EA28C-18C0-4a97-9AF2-036E93DDAFB3/Doreen%20Shirts%20Flyer.jpg?attach=1

Oncologist meeting....

Hi all!

Mom and dad met with her oncologist today and they are going to do her treatments at St. John's in Tulsa. It will be approximately a six week treatment of radiation 30 times and chemo (by pill form). Her blood platelet count has to be higher before she can start chemo though.

They were having lunch around 3:00 when I talked to them, so I'll keep you updated on what they did later in the day this evening. Thanks and have a great day! :)

UPDATE @ 10:35 p.m.---Later in the day they rested, dad went to Target to get more of mom's prescriptions, walked around at the hotel, and then dad asked her if she was hungry....she said no, but soon decided that a SONIC burger and milkshake sounded delicious! :) Too cute!! Dad of course was happy to do so, and got his sweety what she wanted....awe!

**They will be flying home TOMORROW! :) Please pray for their safety coming home.

Love to all and thank you for your persistant prayers, they ARE and will continue to make a difference! -The Forrester Family

Discharged and in a hotel....

Hi there everyone!

Mom and dad were able to be discharged today around 11:00 a.m. from MD Anderson. They had to wait on her prescriptions for over 2 hours. EEK! All was good after that though....

The hotel shuttle came to pick them up and take them to their hotel for the next few nights. For most of the day they just relaxed, rested and took a few small walks. Mom will meet w/ her oncologist tomorrow and we'll see what her treatment plan will consist of.

We're SO thankful that she's doing well enough to come home soon and know that she'll heal and feel more comfortable here at home. :) Thanks for all the support and prayers once more....keep them a comin' :)

Love and good night, the forrester's!

Strolling down the Sky-walk

Hi all followers!

Mom got to get up and stroll around again today. She wanted to go outside, but with it being a little chilly, they weren't able to. Dad said they went down the "sky-walk" which is a long sky bridge to another building at MD Anderson. Hillary and I went down it one of the days we were there. It's very wide and long. So long actually that they talk you by cart to and from because it is around 1/2 mile (that's what we were told anyway). They were walking along and guess who they ran into!!?? Dr. Rao....I'm telling you, that man is everywhere! :) He was all smiles and chatted away with them. He said as of today, everything still looks great enough for discharging her tomorrow! She'll meet with her oncologist Tuesday and they'll stay a few nights at a hotel close by the hospital.

Some long time friends dropped by today to visit mom and dad that now live in Houston....Janis and Steve Hawkes. Thanks for coming by! Mom and dad appreciated it and were happy to catch up on things! :)

**As your probably noticing, mom and dad will probably be coming home mid-week this week and a lot of people have been asking us about visitors and meals being brought, etc....as of now, due to doctors orders (Dr. Rao said that since the flu is going around and mom's immune system is lowered right now...), please no visitors for a little while until her body can build back strength. We'll keep you posted on days/times it will be good to drop by or bring food. THANK YOU again for all your sweet support and prayers! We hope you understand.

Love, The Forrester Family :)

Music added to the blog....

Hi everyone!

Thanks to close friends of ours, we've added a "playlist" of tunes. I never knew how to do this, but it was very simple to follow the directions online. Thanks Christen!! These songs have touched mom or our family in many ways, hope you enjoy listening to them. They will shuffle automatically, but if you want to see/hear es while you're on the blog it will play songs we've chosen you can do that as well. Scroll down to the VERY BOTTOM of the blog (past all the slideshow and pictures) and you'll see the playlist. Turn music on or off while you're on the blog. Hope you enjoy it as much as we did picking out the songs!!!

(Jackie B.--what's the Janis Joplin song mom would lip-sinc too?? I didn't know so let me know and i'll put it on there) :) Love, the girls

Outside stroll....

Hi everyone!

Talked to both dad and mom this morning and they both sounded great! Mom wants to go outside today, I'm assuming the weather is nicer down there than here in Tulsa...it's cold today here! Dad said that she won't be able to walk that far, so she'll be chauffeured by dad in a wheelchair. Fancy!!! There is a little "park" area outside of the main building that has benches and lots of flowers and shrubbery. I told them to take some bread or crackers because of the pigeons that stroll around. Mom loves flowers and gardens, so I'm sure she'll like this area too! Dad said he goes down there to have some "alone time" in the mornings after he eats breakfast and while the nurses are attending to mom.

They'll probably be returning home this week sometime, so that will be good for them to rest and heal at home.

I'll update more later.... :) Have a great weekend!

UPDATE @ 8:20 p.m.---mom called us in the afternoon! It was fun to hear her voice feeling pretty perky and upbeat. She talked to Claire and told Claire that she had a suprise for her when she gets home! That was fun, Claire was so excited about that!! She also told me that she "baked a cake" and then she giggled and said, "oh, that's not what I mean" with a smile in her voice!!!

She's had her ups and downs today dad said (emotionally that is), but that will be our "normal" for a while. We have all had those kinds of days....but we know that in the end, God is GOOD and has blessed us, so just like the above picture....we're too blessed to be stressed! She said she enjoyed her nature time today. They also said that they got three more flower bouquets so thank you again for those, mom and dad said they were so beautiful....even the nurses were commenting on them! :) They're excited about coming home soon too. Please pray that all goes well over the weekend and with the therapists and her upcoming oncologist appointment.

WE have also grown as a family through this blog. It has been a wonderful, theraputic outlet for us, but we have appreciated and been humbled by this. We all love reading the comments and I know a lot of you who read this want to comment, but don't know how too....no worries, I don't either!! hee hee!! Also, I've even printed these blogs for family members that can't get online so they have a way to feel a "part" of this entire situation. We appreciate the prayers you're sending up because THAT'S what's important!! So, thank you all again for being YOU and loving mom so much that you take the time to check this blog or contact us in all sorts of ways--we can feel the love, support, friendship, and prayers.

Love, The Forrester Family

Beauty shop day!!!

Hi everyone!

Today mom did well. She has been up walking around 3 times with dad and really enjoyed going down to the hospital's "beauty shop" to get her hair shampooed and fixed a little. She's still doing her therapies and her occupational therapist is now coming by to do "every day activities" with her such as walking up stairs, brushing teeth, etc....

They are talking about releasing her on Monday and she'll meet with the neuro-oncologist on Tuesday morning. Dates of when they return are still up in the air right now due to when her radiation and chemo starts....

Below is an "inspirational Quote" video that I found on the web from You Tube....enjoy! Good music with it!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Bcxwhzyh7c

She got flowers, fruit baskets and cards from lots of friends and loved ones. Thank you so much for your kind hearts and giving spirits. Love and good night! the Forrester's

weaker today, but good improvement--

Hi!!!

Today dad said mom was a little weaker than yesterday, I'm sure she's still tired from her walking around and all the testing their still doing on her. He did say that her rehab therapist said that she may not need as many days because of her good progress. She'll be getting her stitches out in the next few days and Dr. Rao said that she's doing "great"!

Mom's been doing well enough to try to talk on the phone to family members too! I know her mom, "nana banana" loved talking to her. It made her feel much better to hear her voice.

Well, not much info or news for you all today, but sometimes....no news is good news right! :)

**Keep prayers lifted for my friend Beth's dad, Dale, he's had a little better day today....but not out of the woods just yet.

Thank you all for your love, support, prayers and new ideas you're coming up with! More info to come about that! Love and good night--The Forrester's

doing better today...

Prayer When a Loved One Is Ill
With God all things are possible.—Matthew 19:26

God, my loved one is ill. I ask for your healing power to come upon them. You give us life and you have the power to renew life. I believe in your power to heal. Open my loved one to what ever form your healing power takes. And help me remember that, no matter what happens, you are the same yesterday, today and forever. You are always with us. Amen.

Mom is doing much better today dad said. She ate a breakfast filled with pancakes and blueberries! They feed them well there :) She also started spelling and reading some things on the wall (nurse charts, etc.). I talked to her on the phone earlier and she sounded pretty good. She was a little mixed-up on Claire's name and she kept trying to figure it out, so she's really trying hard to get all her brain functions back in a row.

She also got to get up and the nurses helped her shower. I'm sure she enjoyed that and felt much better! :)

***Side note....one of my favorite friends that I teach with (she's on my multiage team with me and teaches right beside my room), Beth Grounds. Her dad was diagnosed the same exact day that mom was with cancer, how weird is that??!! Anyway, he is at KU med center and not doing very well at all. Please keep Dale Flaxbeard in your prayers. Here's their blog site if you want to read and keep up with their family.

http://dsflaxbeard.com/

Thank you for caring so much about mom that you'd continue to pray for Dale as well. Love to all! Brooke

UPDATE around 7:45 p.m.--talked to dad, he was going to the hotel to get his things to check out of there. The nurses said that he could stay at the hospital with mom and just do everything there because he's there all the time anyway. This will save money and time traveling back and forth too. Dad said that the nurses got mom up to walk around today and she "took off" and they had to slow her down...she did get tired after they tried it a second time, but that's great progress! She's doing better at trying to remember things and working on strengthening her motor skills again.

For those that read the above part about my friend Beth's dad....they got better news this afternoon. His lung opened partially (when it was collapsed) and he's only using 80% oxygen level instead of being on it 100%. He has an aggressive type of lymphoma and is still fighting, so your prayers helped today! Keep it up for Dale too!!!!

Love, the Forrester family

more testing & contact info...

"Once you choose hope, anything's possible." Christopher Reeve

This afternoon consisted of x-ray of chest, ct scans showed that the swelling had gone down :) super!! Physical therapist and speech therapist will be working with her for the next 7-10 days. She's staying positive and trying to eat on her own...dad's been great with her because she gets so frustrated at times, but he is very gentle and loving and helps to try to explain what she's trying to say to the nurses, etc....He's been going to the hotel to shower and rest during his 6-8 p.m. break. We brought pictures, cards, and a few decorative things people have given her like crosses, etc....to decorate her room with. I know those mean a lot to her and make her feel more comfortable and "at home".

Some have asked how to send cards. I found this address from MD Anderson's website. Please only mail her letters/cards, no phone calls right now please. Thanks for understanding! :) See you soon and continue to comment and send me things I can post (like http:// links for inspirational movies or pictures....) love you all! --The Forrester's

Patient MailPatient mail is delivered to inpatient rooms.
The mailing address is:

Patient name (B. Doreen Forrester)
Patient room number (807)
M. D. Anderson Cancer Center
PO Box 300206
Houston TX 77230-0206

**Also, thank you to the friends, families and community members who have sent us gifts of love, we were able to use a lot of that to help us along the way to Texas and for other trips to and from....

Room 807!!!

Hi!

Mom is now in a room, room # 807. Dad said she had a rough night last night. The dr's came by and checked on her, she's still having trouble remembering, understanding, and communicating. Hopefully with time that will subside and she'll be able to be her self again. :)

She does have a blood clot in her left arm. They can't give her any blood thinner medicines because of her surgery. When that heals up more, then they can. That's about all I know as of now. Keep praying and we'll keep you posted! :) Love, the kids

No room in a "regular" room....

Hi there! (the above picture is from a friend that sent me some very inspirational quotes/slides...I'll post more on other days...)

Well it was very hard to leave dad and mom, but we had to get back to our homes for a little bit to finish taking care of jobs and other business.....we'll be in touch w/ dad many times throughout the day/week and we'll probably be going back every weekend until needed. There's plenty for dad to go do at MD, but he's staying close by mom's side. :) He's made a few new friends of other families and husband's....some have even had similar experiences with brain tumors and I think he has enjoyed talking with them about things.

Grandma (gigi), Virgil (gramps), Hillary, Ryan, Breck and I all made it home safely late last night. Hill and Ryan went the OKC way and picked up their dog, Chip. GiGi and Gramps made it back to Stigler after following Breck and I up until Eufaula area on HWY 69 after some stops along the way. Even though we were down in Houston for some a difficult reason and some scary moments...we couldn't help but have some laughs along the way and during our stay. When mom was giggling about things, we knew all was better and she was going to continue to improve. She says, "It'll be slow, but I'll get there." What wonderful words to hear coming out of her mouth! :) She has been eating real food now and doing great with that! Dad said she ate a great dinner last night and had a good breakfast this morning. She's been wanting to sit up in a rocking chair to eat as well, so she's getting up more. They haven't tried to walk her around just yet.

Dr. Rao came by already this a.m. and told dad that there are no "regular" rooms available so mom will be in ICU still until one comes available. They're keeping a wonderuful watch on her anyway in ICU. She also got her bandages off today and he said that looked good. Mom's a miracle already and we'll continue to keep praying that the fluid/swelling is absorbed and that a room comes available for her. Thank you all for staying posted with this blog. We all have enjoyed writing it and sharing mom's success! Keep in touch and thank you all again for everything. We'll keep you updated later.....The Forrester Family

Here is a picture of Claire in her "cowgirl" outfit that mimi and poppy just HAD to go get her from Country Boy in Warner, OK right before they left for Houston. It's so adorable and Claire is always running around playing dress up. She yells "yee haw"!!!

UPDATE around 3:45 p.m.--dad called and said that mom was doing good today. He said that a speech therapist came to work with her for about an hour today. Also, she was off her oxygen most of the day! :)

Another day in ICU....

Hi everyone!

Mom had a great night last night and she's been upbeat and having more of her "normal" personality back with her! :) yea!!! She's still getting some things confused (dates/numbers) are the most difficult for her right now.

She was even able to be moved to a comfy rocking chair in her ICU room so she could do her respitory therapy and she kept working hard on breathing better. She's a trooper! She asked her sweet nurse if she could have food yet and we were told that she'd still have to wait until the dr. ordered a regular diet....well, luck has it that he came by and said she could have "real" food again! She was happy about that and very hungry.

Doctor Rao reported to us that she looked great and he did some neuro questioning with her....which she understood most and was just mixed up with her days, etc....she does have a little bruising on her eye and upper face area, which is very normal after brain surgery. He said that they plan on keeping her in ICU one more night and then moving her to a room maybe tomorrow. All of the family (except dad) will be going back to Tulsa and Stigler today, so please pray for us to have safe travels back home....we really all still want to stay, but we have to get back....love you all and we'll chat later!--the forresters :)

Valentine evening...

Hi all,

This afternoon mom's been doing much better as far as responding, etc....so that's a great thing! She did have some swelling in her left arm/hand. They paged the dr. because they didn't think that it was her IV leaking, so they are thinking that it could possibly be a blood clot, so they're going to do an ultra sound on her left arm tomorrow morning sometime.

We had some special visitors suprise us today. They were Ernie Renfrow (friend from Stigler) who was down here visiting his son in Houston. He also brought us some treats for our family and mom's FAVORITE fruitcake from Corsicana, TX (Collin Street Bakery). After Ernie left, mom asked how big the fruitcake was! :) ha!! I'm thinking that when she can eat it, she'll want the whole thing :) thanks Ernie and family!!! (sorry I didn't get your picture taken today :()

Also, Janet (Wood) Attisha (from Stigler) and her family (husband Wally and new 8 week old baby Roman). They only live about five minutes away from MD Anderson. Janet had made us some yummy chocolate chip and cheesecake filled muffins...yummy!! It was great to see familiar faces today, catch up on things and thank you again for coming up to visit!!!!

Until tomorrow....Love and good night from Houston! :) Hope you and your family say a special prayer tonight for mom because we all love her soooooooo much! --The Forrester Family

Happy Valentine's Day

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!!!
Hope you and your family celebrate this day in a loving way! :) We're all together today here at MD. Mom's still in ICU and she was having some mini-seizures earlier this a.m. The doctors and nurses were concerned because mom was not responding like she should be throughout the late night/early a.m. around 3:30 a.m. or so. The neuro's on staff during the night (Dr. Rao had gone home for the evening before all of this), thought that they should do another CT right then and called Dr. Rao in for mom. After around 4 a.m., the CT showed no changes, and that is a good thing. Evidentally it was a kind of stressful morning for everyone.....

She started responding more after they changed some of her medicines and she's on a new anti-seizure medication. They have to be careful about all her medicine's due to her heart condition.

Dad stayed with her all night and was worried earlier about mom and all the commotion they were hustling and bustling about trying to get things taken care of with mom. He said they were quick to respond and take action on everything. We've all met amazing people here dealing with the same or similar situations.....dad found a friend who has gone through his own struggle with two brain tumors and now he's here because his wife has cancer and is in ICU. He's from Louisiana and has talked to dad about hunting and fishing, dad has enjoyed that too.

We all got here earlier today (grandma, virgil, ryan, hill, breck, brooke)....we went straight to check on mom. She has been much more alert and talkative to us. She's remembering more things...still struggling with numbers and dates....but all in all, MUCH better!! We all are just taking turns attending to her and talking with her, if she's awake. We're all supposed to be waking her up to talk every 30 minutes. Grandma said a beautiful prayer when she came in to see her....mom had her eyes closed (so sometimes you think she may be sleeping), but after grandma said "amen" mom repeated her...amen! Mom also is looking forward to going to Brighton (her favorite jewelry store) and getting something special. Today, Hill and I will be going to get her something special :)

When Breck and Ryan went to go see her.....Hillary said, "Mom...look who's here!" and she opened her eyes really big and kind of waved a little. She said, "OH!! Finally, finally you're here!!!" :) Smiles!! She was happy to see her "boys". That's what she's always calling them. :) Too fun! We're all just going to stay here and help out any way we can. Hope you all have a great valentines day!! We'll update later! Pictures of us and all our men!! :)
The Forrester Family

update since CT scan

Well, results are back from the CT scan. She still has fluid and swelling along the area where the tumor was, which is still normal. She has been given platelets and plasma this afternoon to increase blood count levels. Her vitals still look good. Dr. Rao came in to talk with us again and there will be one more CT scan first thing in the morning. Hopefully the fluids will disappear and they will move her to a "regular" room. Pray tonight for her to get a comfortable nights rest and that her fluid/swelling on the brain will have disappeared!

Side notes: Dad got to go to the hotel to freshen up and rest a bit, since he's spending the night w/ mom in ICU room. Grandma and Virgil met up with one of Virgil's friends he met while serving in the Korean War. Breck and Ryan are still traveling down here to be with all of us. This place is wonderful....lots to see and do here! Beautiful aquariums, cafe's, etc.....

Mom really wanted some apple juice and ice cream, but she can't have anything except ice chips as of now....we're going to get her the biggest ice cream cone after she gets out of here! :)

Love and prayers--the forrester fam

Recovering in ICU.....

Hello to everyone this morning! We can not tell you all enough for the many prayers and support we receive!! We love everyone so much!

Last night - Mom did not get into an ICU room until 1 am. Wow, I know ICU was completely full...Dad stayed with her all night while the rest of us went back to the hotel around 10pm. They said she responded well after surgery and Dr. Rao continuously checked on her. All of her nurses have been so incredibly awesome and so fun!

This morning - Dad called around 8 am and told us visiting hours were over from 6-8am so they could take care of her. Dr. Rao was there to look at her incision and make sure everything was healing properly. Dad came to the waiting area and Dr. Rao talked to him there. He did say she wasn't responding as well as he'd like but it's very normal after surgery. She was very lathargic acting and wouldn't talk much so he figured she still had some swelling and fluid. He ordered a CT at noon and we are waiting for the results.

Later this morning/early afternoon - Once the daughters got in the room, mom opened her eyes and started smiling and talking to us. Dad told us the first thing she asked for this morning were "her girls"!! how awesome! We miss our mom too! It's so good to see her awake and cutting jokes of course! oh yes, she was! Dad took a break before the CT was performed and Dr. Rao had come back - yes, for a 3rd time already today - (he rocks! and cares so much) to check on mom. He asked her some questions and she responded quickly! Great!

We will have more visitors soon!! yay! - Breck (brooke's husband) and Ryan (hillary's fiance)! They will be here around 8 pm so pray for their safe journey!

We will post again later when we get the results from the CT! Keep sending up the prayers!
We love you all!

Happy early Valentine's Day! **SEE NEW LINK added to the right side of the page called "The Joy Movie". It's so inspirational and motivating! thank you audra for sending it to us. we loved the sayings, pictures, and music while we're sitting here in the waiting area.

The Forrester Family

Out of Surgery.....IN RECOVERY!

MOM'S DOING GREAT!!! SURGERY WENT WELL!!!

Hi everyone....
Dr. Rao came out to talk to us just a little bit ago, so it was around 3 1/2 hours or so....much quicker than expected. He said that mom was in recovery and doing super. All her vitals look wonderful and the cardiologist was turning on her defibulator right then.

He said he removed as much of the tumor as he could see. She was able to do commands for him such as squeeze her hands and wiggle her toes so that was good that she could understand that and then complete that task. He said that it's too early to tell about her speech, it may/may not be affected...time will tell. Next step, she'll receive her radiation and chemo (pill form). There still may be possible tumor cells left behind on blood vessels, etc...we'll find out more info tomorrow after she does more testing. He did say that these tumors are still the most aggressive, so she has to be scanned/watched closely for months and possibly years ahead. Her tumor was approximately the size of a tangerine and she'd still have some swelling for a little bit after surgery (very normal to have that). She'll stay in ICU tonight to be monitored and hopefully in the next day or two she can move to a regular room.

THANK YOU to everyone who has prayed for mom and our family. We knew this morning that God had a plan and had the right place, right doctor and staff in place for her. We all were thankful, grateful, "everything"-ful that it all went smooth and that she's now finished with that part and ready to move on to seeing more rainbows ahead.

Prayers, hugs, and lots of FAITH-HOPE & LOVE,
The Forrester Family

Surgery day...

Hello friends, family, and prayer warriors...

Funny thing about later last night after I posted the blog, we all had the best time laughing when the lights went out! We haven't all (4) been in the same hotel room in years!!! Hillary and I were like little kids again and mom and dad laughed and threatened to send us to Grandma and Virgil's room upstairs! :) ha! (before lights went out though we had a wonderful family prayer for mom)

This morning is the day of mom's surgery. We all got up early and ate a quick breakfast at the hotel and headed to the hospital. They have a valet service for parking so that's what we did so she could get up to the surgery floor. We all chatted and laughed about fun things before they came to get her to take her back. Dad got to go with her and she started being prepped for surgery.



We will be updated approximately every 20 minutes in the waiting area about mom's progress so I'll update this post during the day today. Continue to pray that God guides the Dr.'s and assistants hands during this procedure! :) Talk to you later....b



Here's a picture of Hillary, Grandma and I after mom went back (notice our gray ribbons :))

UPDATE @ 2:00 p.m.--mom didn't get into surgery until around noonish time. The doctor said it would last approximately 6 hours or so....keep praying and thank you for the comments already. we are loving reading them while we're sitting here waiting to hear any more news. we'll keep updates coming all day! :)

Doreen's Rainbow...we're not in Oklahoma anymore...

Somewhere over the rainbow.......

Hello there....well we started off early this morning picking up GiGi and Gramps around 6:40 a.m. and then started driving from Stigler to Houston, TX. It was raining a little bit and when we got towards the McAlester area we saw the most beautiful rainbow in the sky! It was in the west and it was a full and complete rainbow (see Sharlette's comment too about this). We thought the same thing when we all saw it and had to take a picture! Man, what a wonderful sign from God to know that it will be ok and it was a wonderful sign. See this wonderful page a friend/co-worker of mom's (Mrs. Henderson) and a former teacher of us girls (Brooke & Hillary)...she put a wonderful "rainbow" poem and comment on the Stigler Public Schools website that I had to share......awesome!

http://www.stigler.k12.ok.us/

click on the "Doreen's Rainbow" words

We made only a few stops along the way for lunch and gas fill ups. Mom and Dad said they were busy with more scans (echo's and one more CT scan). The doctor will do surgery tomorrow morning. She has to be there to check in at 8:30 a.m. so the surgery will be sometime that morning. Please pray that all goes well tomorrow morning. The doctor told dad that she will have the tumor removed as much as he can without doing any damage. We know that you all will be on your knees. :)

The drive was great down to Houston. No more rain and it was sunny and when we arrived it was 71 degrees! wow! Very nice down here. Funny story....just to foreworn you I blame it all on the GPS system.... :) Ok, we got through Dallas traffic and on to Houston just fine. It's pretty much a straight shot right??!! Well, I thought the GPS was already programed to take us straight to the hotel, it was NOT and it took us to MD Anderson, which is good anyway, now we know exactly how to get there tomorrow! :) ha! So....we took the "scenic" route needless to say. :) smiles!!! We made it to the hotel just fine and then dad, gigi, & gramps went to grab dinner while Hillary and I hung out with mom. Dad brought mom something back to eat...awe, he still spoils her :)

I'm also posting some pictures below from our camera today and from Audra Cole a friend from Stigler who's helping get a "gray matters" brain cancer awareness and helps people think of mom by putting gray ribbons around the city. We had ribbons to wear today and ribbons were tied around mom and dad's mailbox, on their house lights, around town on doors/offices/columns, etc....it was so overwhelming to see a community come together in times of need. Thank you all again. Also, the comments that you all leave are just so special. mom is loving reading your sweet words, it encourages her and empowers her to keep her chin up! :) I'll keep you posted later on! Mom is already talking about how she enjoys meeting new people down here too that have tumors/cancers, etc. like her. I think it helps to be around others going through this as well and seeing how they are LIVING examples of God's miracles...just like mom will be.

Much love, hugs, and prayers! Brooke & Hillary

Cardiologist meeting...and updates, info....

Hi everyone,

MD update from mom and dad today (Tues). Well it seems that her meeting with her cardiologist went well today. They liked him a lot and he'll be there during her MRI (IF she has one...not sure yet still). She'll have tons of tests and scans run all day tomorrow. She will have more CT's ran, prepped for surgery, etc....

Hillary and I made it down to Stigler tonight and we're staying at mom and dads. Crazy weather we had to drive through....thought we were going to get swept right up by a tornado!! We were driving 30 mph at one point on the turnpike! Wild! God was watching out for us though. We made it here safe and sound.

When we drove into Stigler we saw gray ribbons on the church columns, office doors, and on our parents mailbox and house lights. Word got around that there's one on her school door too! :) Thank you Audra and other "volunteer angels" for doing this for mom. She'll love it and think it's so special. We also got the bag of ribbons to wear on our clothes as well.....we love it!

Some have asked about mailing her cards and emails for her to get during her stay at MD....I'll have to wait until we have an official room number to give you so you can send it.

We'll be leaving early tomorrow a.m. and driving all day down to Houston. Please pray for our safe travels and mom's tests to go well.

Hillary said to tell her friends THANK YOU for the fun books, gift cards/money, etc. for her to use while we're in Houston. Brooke wants to say THANK YOU to all her friends that have given the family gift cards to use as well. Also, to Mrs. Kasbaum's (Brooke's) kids at school...I'll miss you and be good for your substitute while I'm gone.

To Mrs. Forrester's class: She misses you so much, wishes she could be there teaching you right now, and wants you to know to continue to learn and be good for Mrs. Bratton and Ms. Weaver.

Love and good night! Brooke & Hillary

Met Dr. Rao-Neurosurgeon....

Hello friends and family!

Today dad said they had breakfast and then headed on over to the center so they could walk around, meet people, get information, etc...then at 2:00 p.m. they met w/ Dr. Rao, mom's neuro-surgeon. He said that they will be performing surgery probably on Thursday. She'll need to be at the hospital at 5:00 a.m. for preping, etc...
Dad said he was very nice and talked with them for about an hour. They'll have to talk with the cardiologist tomorrow and see what the final plans are. I know tomorrow she meets w/ the cardiologist and Wednesday, she'll have another CT scan and possibly and MRI done...depends though because of her heart defibulator.

Mom's just doing great, very upbeat and dad's right by her side! Hillary and I will leave tomorrow afternoon to head to Stigler and then caravan with GiGi and Gramps down to Houston early Wed. a.m. to be with mom and dad from then until possibly next Monday....

To the city of Stigler...I've heard that you all are starting a gray ribbon awareness in honor of mom. She'll just love that and appreciate all the prayers! Also, Stigler Grade School faculty, staff, and students...THANK YOU for holding a "moment of silence" in honor of mom today. That was so kind and honorable towards her. She loves you all and misses everyone so much.

Here are the pictures we took yesterday at the airport..."the girls"--Hillary, Claire w/ Mimi, Brooke and then a far away pic of mom and dad heading into their boarding area sorry it's a dark picture.

Headed to Houston....

Hi everyone,

Off they go! Today is Sunday, Feb. 8th. This weekend was a blurr. We all got up today pretty early so we could make sure everything was finalized and ready for their trip down to MD Anderson. Mom was energized and very peppy! I think she's so ready to get down there and just get it all done and ready to move on to the next step.

We had breakfast, finalized certain organizational things, took care of things at the house, etc....then Uncle Donnie, Aunt Ramona and Hannah (my dad's brother & family) came over along with GiGi and Gramps to see her off. There were a few tears shed, but only because we're so thankful that we're finally going to get something accomplished with this tumor and so mom can maybe get back to feeling a little more like her "normal" self.

We left Stigler and on the way out of town on the Main Street Baptist Church sign (our family's church we have attended for years in Stigler) was this: "Doreen, we're praying for you and we love you" (or something close to that...) We were speechless and had a lump in our throat because we knew how many people have thought about mom and are praying for her and the family and even the community of Stigler, America. Earlier we got a phone call from one of mom's best friends, Jackie Bryant, who lives in Porum so we were going to pass her house while traveling to Tulsa. She told us that she had a suprise and we needed to look towards her house when we drove by....well that wonderful girl had posted a sign on top of her own family sign by her house right off of the highway that said "Pray For Doreen" so all could see it that passed by. Maybe you saw it today??! :) Thank you Jackie and the family of Main Street Baptist Church, you made her morning so special and we are all so grateful of your extra effort for mom to know how much you love her and the encouragement you give.

Around lunchtime we made it to Tulsa, we ate at McAlister's Deli and enjoyed soups, salads, and sandwiches. After eating we drove to the airport. At the airport we were met by some more family to see us off....thank you Wendy, Shane, Brooklyn, Sonny & Mary, that was so sweet of you to come by and give her big hugs before they left. I know that meant a lot to them. We hugged and kissed a few more times before they went to board their plane. Hillary and I knew we would see them in just a few short days, so i'm glad mom and dad will have a few days down there to get familiarized and just enjoy one another before we come. We all watched as they went through security check and walked towards their gate area. I post a few pics of us later from the airport...I don't have my cord w/ me right now to hook my camera into the computer, sorry.

*They made it down to Houston just fine and are settled into the hotel... :)


Love you all and good night. Please continue to pray and tell a friend about mom. She has an "un-invited guest" (as Brother John Pruett-Pastor at Main St. Baptist Church) so wonderfully puts it and we need to give it an eviction notice immediately! :) love and prayers, Brooke

Weekend before MD....

Hi! sorry i didn't write yesterday :( Long day and we didn't get to Stigler until about 9:45 p.m. last night.....so here's the scoop.

Friday-Feb. 6th: Mom stayed home with dad and she talked him into taking her to Country Boy shop over in Warner, OK. It's such a fun little place. Lots of things to see and it has a "western" shop attached to it with lots of boots, etc....when we were there over Christmas break '08 this year, mom found a cute little cowgirl (real leather) fringed vest and skirt but it was fairly expensive being that it was real suede/leather and I didn't want mom to buy that for Claire when she has so much already....long story short....she called me today on my lunch break and said "Brooke you need to bring Claire's horse down and her other cowgirl things". She meant her cowgirl hat and boots, but her pink cowgirl boots don't fit her anymore so we'll make do with other shoes. I was laughing and asked her, "Mom...you didn't go get that cowgirl outfit for her did you???" She answered back, "yes I did and I made your dad take me over there to get it because mimi can get it for her" :) I was just smiling all over! :) Too cute!

That evening Hillary and Ryan (along with their dog, Chip) and Breck, Claire, and I (along with our dog, Cooper) all left to drive down to Stigler to be there over the weekend. This morning we all got up and had breakfast. Dad and Breck went to get mom a coffee from McDonald's...she loves those! I'm thinking she'll have lots of visitors today again. She has a really cute poster/banner from her kids at school. Today's plans are to clean the house, do all the laundry, make sure mom and dad are packed up because they'll fly out tomorrow at 3 p.m. from Tulsa.

Here's the MD update as of Friday: She'll meet with her neurosurgeon, Dr. Rao, at 2 p.m. on Monday and then a cardiologist at 1 p.m. on Tuesday.....no date set for surgery yet, they are "thinking" possibly Thursday???? We'll keep you posted! I'll write later to let you know how are day goes today! --Love you all and thank you for your prayers....GOD hears YOU! Brooke

LATER TODAY....well, we enjoyed family time and visitors. We made sure things were ready to go for their stay in Houston. Four wheeler rides, cleaning up the house and packing were all things that were done today. We had a great day, the weather was beautiful and we ended our evening with a family dinner at Uncle Donnie's house (dad's brother). It was delicious and we topped it off by playing the Wii games! So funny. Until tomorrow....

Note: Mom and dad THANK everyone for all their love and support through this journey ahead. It has been overwhelming and gracious and we all thank you so much. So tonight, say your prayers for mom and their safe flight to Houston tomorrow. Love and good night! Brooke

****NEW!! Scroll down to see the new slide show put on by Hillary :)

Summer Fun -2008

Summer Fun- Turtle Races, Stigler Reunion Days, Riding rides, and being with mimi in Tulsa

Today....

My dad's mom (Charlene Forrester-Vaughn...Claire calls her GiGi--see picture) came over to watch mom today and I guess kept GiGi pretty busy! GiGi had to run around practically chasing mom and GiGI doesn't have the best knees either. It sounded like they had fun! They drove around town a little bit to get out of the house, mom had lots of visitors today, meals being brought, and at one point I think GiGi had a panic attack because mom was "gone"??!! She had gone outside and went into my dad's big outdoor shop/garage. You've got to watch her right now, she's a fast one! :)

I called a little bit ago, spoke to dad, and mom had new company over, so i'll talk w/ them later tonight and see if there's anymore info.

They will be flying out on Sunday afternoon to head down to Houston. Hillary and I will drive down Tuesday late evening due to work events we are committed to. We will be staying down there with dad, GiGi and Gramps (Virgil Vaughn) will maybe be going too??? Not sure about their plans yet. Dad said they told him at MD that it'll at least be a 10-14 day stay. I'll let you know more info soon! Love you all and thank you for commenting and the prayers of support, love, and encouragement!

I spoke to some of my staff, kids' parents today after school, and Hillary tells me of people constantly asking and praying for mom too. Everyone is so awesome and we want to THANK YOU so much for all you've said, done, and the faith you have as well. Keep passing this on to others to share mom's testimony! Love and prayers, Brooke

Appointment moved up!

Hi all!

Well, we have new news today. Dad called and said that MD Anderson called him earlier today to let him know that mom's appointment was moved up to next Monday instead of Tuesday at 2 p.m. She also has a different doctor now.

Her new Doctor is: Ganesh Rao, M.D.Assistant Professor

http://www.mdanderson.org/departments/neurosurgery/display.cfm?id=67673560-3c3a-4094-88c6c4e6bf42dedc&method=displayfull&pn=e7dc2468-803e-11d4-aec800508bdcce3a88c6c4e6bf42dedc&method=displayfull&pn=e7dc2468-803e-11d4-aec800508bdcce3a

I had left Stigler yesterday to come back home to Tulsa since we knew that her appt. wasn't until next week. We figured it would be best if I could go back to work with my students, be a mom again to Claire and wife to Breck these next few days before I left again. So today (wed.) I asked dad how it all went without me being there....

Dad went back to work today as well so my mom's mom (Nana Banana as Claire calls her) came up to stay all day with mom. Mom insisted that they go to Wal-Mart to get her kids (she's a first grade teacher) something for Valentine's Day....of course, Nana didn't put her foot down and wound up taking her to Wal-Mart! Ha!! They stopped at McDonald's to get a cup of coffee and had a great visit all day. It sounded like they laughed a lot and had good "talks" as mom said. :) Too cute!
Nana Banana and Claire-Dec. 08

This morning as I got back to work at my school with my adorable multiage (1st and 2nd grade) students. We were all teary eyed to see one another. I missed them so much and they came in with lots of hugs and even asked how my mom was doing! How adorable! One more thing about our morning at school....as we had our "moment of silence" during our morning announcements that are broadcasted daily school-wide, one of my kids said...."Mrs. Kasbaum, can we think about your mom right now?" Oh my goodness!!! I about lost it! Amazing how even the tiniest hearts sometimes are the biggest.

I can't believe how much this blog has affected people. We have had such positive responses from this! I'm glad you all enjoy it as much as I enjoy writing and doing the postings to keep you informed. Today I was overwhelmed by all the emails and comments people have shared with us about their own family members and close friends who deal and are still dealing with this disease called....cancer. I think there is a hidden meaning in this word though.....CANcer. We CAN do it and we'll help mom survive it no matter what! Thank you all again for your encouragement and support system you have in place for mom and our family. Keep writing because she's checking it with dad. Yesterday before I left Stigler to head back to Tulsa I was reading her the comments that you all are making.....wow. We laughed, cried and hugged. Here's how powerful and faithful mom is.

"It's not sad....it's just so overwhelming of all the support people are giving and I'm happy" she said.

You all take care and have a wonderful night. Pray for mom before you close your eyes! Love, Brooke

Tulsa State Fair Fun!

Mom, Dad and Claire having fun at the Tulsa State Fair. Claire loved riding the rides, eating funnel cakes and being with mimi and poppy!!!

Mom and co-workers-Thanksgiving time!

Mom, Lana, Michelle, Phyllis & Traci at school on Thanksgiving Day 2008. GOBBLE-GOBBLE!

mom's appointment....

Hi everyone,

Well we heard back today around 3 p.m. that mom will not be able to get her first appointment until next Tuesday....it's all about the waiting game again. We do not even have a specific time of the appointment yet, but when we do, i'll post it so you can pray at that exact moment. This first appointment will be her consultation and exam and she'll be meeting her neuro-surgeon, Dr. Amy Beth Heimberger, M.D.Associate Professor (See link below to view the doctor).

We've had so many people helping us through this trial. Thank you to all the families that have "been there done that" or are currently going to and from MD Anderson. Also, we have had so many people help us with referrals, references, traveling arrangements, and things just "to know" when you get down there. Hearing from you all helps mom know that there are so many who are praying for her and thinking of our family. Thank you again for all staying in touch through this blog. It has been great to start it and it will hopefully be helpful to you to keep in touch with mom's journey! :) As my friend, Christen G. said...who has also dealt with cancer and sickness with her own little twin boys, this blog will be theraputic for us all.

love, hugs, and prayers--Brooke

http://www.mdanderson.org/departments/neurosurgery/display.cfm?id=1b8132ba-bdb6-4fb8-84d956e03c022ad0&method=displayfull&pn=e7dc2468-803e-11d4-aec800508bdcce3a

Our MOM!

Hello everyone,

If you know our mom, then you know she is one incredible woman! If you're reading this blog, then you are either a family member, friend, friend-to-be, or faithful follower of the Lord because we are now telling a testimony that will be worth hearing and telling about! :)

Well this entire journey has been an experience in and of itself already....mom was living her normal daily life of being an awesome mom, wife, daughter, friend, teacher, church helper, community involver, ...etc...you name it, mom does it! :) when all of a sudden, we got news....

Two years ago we found out that she needed a heart defibulator due to a genetic heart defect. She had that put in and all was well again. Last February it went off one morning because of a faulty valve in the defibulator. She had those leads replaced and once again, back to her good 'ole self!

One random day in October, she had a little "spell". She was at our house (daughter, Brooke and Breck's) in Tulsa one day and playing with Claire when she started saying some words that were sort of confused/mixed-up a little bit and she had to sit down because she didn't understand what she was feeling. We just shook it off because there was no other signs of anything else and it was just one instance.

Last week at school she was having headaches off and on all day on Thursday and Friday but no one knew. I spoke to her on the phone after school on Friday, Jan. 23rd and she was not sounding like she felt good. Very tired sounding, her speech was "confused" and she couldn't say what she was trying to get to come out. I told her that they needed to call the doctors. My sister, Hillary and her fiance' Ryan were headed down to Stigler that weekend anyway so I let her know what she was doing and her and dad were going to watch her and keep us posted in Tulsa.

Saturday and Sunday her symptoms were similar and then progressed on Sunday afternoon. Mom said she couldn't swallow very well during lunch and her lip started to droop on the right side. We all decided to get her to the ER room at St. John's Hospital in Tulsa just as quick as possible. They brought her up, we got her admitted, and life changed at 7:30 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 25th for our family, friends, and community.

They ran a CT scan on her head and we were all thinking it was probably a small stroke, but when the doctor came in and reported that he had bad news, we never thought it could be a tumor. The doctor told us that there was no easy way to say this, but mom had a golf ball sized tumor on the upper left lobe of her brain. We were all in a state of shock and tears rolled down our faces. We all grasped hands around mom's bed in the er room and prayed a prayer that will be answered for her to be healed.

We spent the week in the hospital with mom. Dad by her side night and day. He's been an amazing support for her and we've all become closer to the Lord because of this. We continued to play the "waiting game" at the hospital. She'd have more CT's ran, doctor's visits, reports, etc. and finally her biopsy was done on Thursday. That afternoon we found out from her neurosurgeon at St. John's (Dr. Woosely) that she had a malignant brain tumor. He said that we'd get the pathology report the following day and we'd then find out that it was a stage IV glioblastoma multiforme brain tumor. He said that it's probably been there a while now and that he couldn't believe how mild her symptoms were for that kind of a tumor.

We have been researching everything possible this entire week. From brain tumors/cancer, to institutes, doctors, medical/natural research....everything possible, we've been trying to learn more so we know what to do and expect next. We asked about getting her care down at MD Anderson and her doctors told us that it would be best if we sought out care to MD Anderson, being that they are superb in all they do for cancer and cancer treatment. Since mom has other factors involved such as her heart defibulator, they thought that would be best.

A stumbling block happened again when her insurance denied the claim for her to go to MD Anderson in Houston. We had many people fighting to help us get that petitioned to be appealed and that battle was WON! We were approved on Monday morning, Feb. 2nd for her to seek care down in Houston! Hoorah!! Thank you to all the friends, family members, community workers, doctors, state senators and legislators that were involved in all of those referrals/letters/emails!

Today we've been waiting on getting her appointment date/time set. We'll be headed to MD Anderson just as soon as we know and we thank you all who have been supporting us through this journey. Thank you for all the visits, emails, letters, cards, text messages, notes in the hospital, flowers, gift baskets, gift cards, food, snacks, money, and especially the prayers.

God only gives us what we can handle and we can handle this because we all have faith and so many friends, family, and churches are supporting us in prayer!

Mom has tried to not miss a beat! She continues to get up with a smile and she wants her "face done" every day. She wants to be all beautiful, as she always is, and she wants me to do her hair and make-up, she's so fun! Yesterday we rode four wheelers slowly, but we wanted to go fast, fed the horse, played with Claire, visited with lots of friends and family members, ate food and watched the super bowl. We're enjoying every millisecond with her and having a great time. She get's frustrated sometimes when she can't get her words out correctly and has lost a little use of her right hand, but man...what an inspiration she is to all. She has faith and knows that God has a plan for us!

Love you all and keep those PRAYERSFORDOREEN going strong! Send this blog to people you know who are also prayer warriors because they need to pray with us so we can fight this cancer together!

Love, Brooke Kasbaum & Hillary Forrester (daughters)