COME SEE ME HERE!

Hi, it's laura.
i haven't been here in awhile. i am very healthy now, and the thoughts of coming back to were i was sick is very daunting. i'm not sure i could read through those posts anytime soon. but they are there to help others who are fighting for their lives as a way of support and information.

So, find me here at facebook - i am laura reese slocum. send me a message that you saw this here and you want to friend me if i dont' know you. i think my photo albums are public anyway. (i havent' been private to this point - why would i start now??)

i'm going to post a few pics of me now!! i'm doing great, started teaching exercise classes again and putting my life back together. not an easy thing to do.

thanks for following. xxoo laura

12 days hospital/surgery + 11 days of not eating = 8 pound weight gain......PRICELESS

HEY ALL! I missed you, thanks so much for stopping by. As many of you know i made another trip to the ememergency room at the end of April.... UGGHH! I had surgery, this time cut open, to remove 3 inches of my small intestine and remove some various scar tissue and adhesions that were deciding to dwell in my abdomen. You know i love my graphic photos........sorry and thanks for playing along... haha.
Happy to report the staples are gone and i'm doing well (and yes, lost the 8 pounds plus a little more - i was REAL hungry for most of those 11 days.. not an easy feat!) My pathology report once again came back all negative for cancer. Thank God for that one! I'm supposed to get back on track with my maintenence chemo, which i'm now behind in. I had trouble with the first dose, so i'm going to try breaking it down to 3 times a month instead of once a month and see if that helps. It's messing with my brain, and i really need every brain cell i can manage. Also, i'm in the process of trying to move my chemo closer to home, so i'm still working on that. I'll post that info when i know i'm going again.

Second 2 pictures are from Mother's Day. My older son, Drew, didn't get home - he'll be home this weekend, but Alex came home and i think... got his haircut to look just like me (no, probably not). But, i thought I definitely have to post this picture and you can decide who has more hair! (except he has no grey) Bartt wins the most hair contest... but also the most grey........... - i wonder who made him so grey...... probably me and all the fun i've been this past year......haha!

You're not going to be able to see, but i'm wearing a necklace by Peggy of thebeadaerie.etsy.com and a bracelet from amy from adornbyamysingley.etsy.com. They are both ovarian cancer colors with ribbon charms and just so cute!

my new quicky chemo!

Hey there kids! I had my first round of maintenence chemo, taxotere, today, and it ain't no april fools joke... i have pics to prove it. Well, instead of it being like 6 or 7 hours, it's now only 2.5 to 3 hours......that's a nice change. I haven't had chemo since the begining of Feb. - so i was catching up with some old friends today and everybody seems to be doing good. Pictured second is my friend, Judy, who is very crafty and very talented when it comes to home improvement projects. She made her own kitchen cabinet doors for her kitchen and tiled.. and painted... and counter tops. Whew - i needed a nap after listening to her. She is one month ahead of me, so she's like my 'chemo mommy' and i always email her with the laundry list of questions! She's very helpful, especially that her journey is similar to mine. She's been luckier in the hair department than me! If you look REAL REAL hard, you'll see i have a little crop of hair coming in and finally got eyebrows back this week, so i'm not using a pencil anymore and i don't have to worry about them rubbing off.....at least for the time being.

Pictured first is my Dad, Jim Reese, and his friend Rosemary, they were my drivers today. She is also going thru maintenence chemo- and her hair is coming back in and is cute as a button! She is fun (just like my dad) has lots of energy and my family just loves her!!!

Drew and Alex will be in very quick and back to school Sunday afternoon. Looking forward to some extra laundry.

Thanks for checking in and a very Happy Easter to all - i'm hoping not to be 'tossing' up my dinner or peanut butter eggs..... laura XXOO

Look who I met at chemo!

Lynn from Unaodd...from UnaOdd.etsy.com. She lives 10 minutes from where i do my chemo so she came to meet me and visit! It was so nice having her come!!!! Lynn had a very similar surgery as me, also in May, and she's lucky to escape chemo - Yay!!! Lynn is such a beautiful person and very talented. She's a mom to a first grader and a fourth grader and she took jewelry making in college,... and she paints, too! If you have never been to her shop, you need to see it! She's part of teamepe and she's officially the second Etsy person that i've personally met.......Kendra (teamzvonik and greenpost) being the first! I go for my next dr. appt on 10/21 and Jenn and I are going to meet Lynn for lunch! If you are in the Allentown PA area that day, you can come meet Lynn, too! She really made my day!

oh... and round 4 - a thing of the past! I start up again on 10/26, so i need to get myself up and running! love you guys. laura XXOO

CUTE AS A BUTTON

Hi ALL, I've been teaching aerobics classes since 1999, and was teaching at Misericordia University, in Dallas, PA since around 2004 (also at Shapes, Dallas and Greenbriar Nursing Home). I've met some wonderful people along the way and have a very special group of people that are dear friends at Misericordia that I wanted to tell you about. They are always there for me for love and support and also a very dedicated group of exercisers, I might add! They just got together to make a button shirt for me.....(and a button card, too). The bottons are "hugs and kisses", prayerfully placed with love by my exercise friends. (I just want to know if they missed their warmups since they were all sewing at class......??)
Now, I wore my button shirt on this past Wed. when a fellow instructor, Holly Daubert, drove me to my chemo appointment. I just had to show everybody my new shirt as well as a picture of my friends at a recent dinner we had! I'm happy to report that I was well enough on Friday to go to their class and actually exercise! It was so fun being with them.............Love you guys! Laura xxoo

PS: The fourth pic is of my chemo friend, Judy, that still has her "stinkin" hair after 3 months/treatments!! I lost my hair in 2 weeks. Judy knows i love her - i hope she can hang on to it as long as she can! I'll take a new pic of her in Sept., ........SO STAY TUNED!

Tattoo from the heart

My sister, Tracey had some ink done two weeks ago...
An Ovarian Cancer Teal Ribbon in memory of our mom,
Loretta, who passed five years ago, and in honor of me.