| Heide's Status |
Heide Update 1-24-09
It's been quite a long time since my last update and there are many things that have happend that I need to write about. I know many
of you are keeping updated through direct emails to Heide and via facebook so I've given myself a pass on not writing as much. To
start, in early December a Fun Run for Heide was organized and it was a wonderful success. The rainy weather moved it from Houge
Park to Farnham School's cafeteria, but the enthusiam was not hampered. There were so many people that participated in the
organization of the event that it is impossible to name them all, but I hope to express that it was excellently run and people still
comment on how much fun it was. There are great pictures on the site and we hope to add more. The next week was a tough time for
Heide with the final treatment of targeted radiation on her spinal cord and the continued treatment of Chemo. This caused her to be
very weak and required much sleep. This did not stop her from planning a memorable Christmas for the girls. We tried not to spoil
them, but due to the circumstances we could not resist to indulge them a little. Heide's parents John and Mary were in town during
this time and helped in the Christmas planning. I did get it on video that Genevieve squealed "Best Christmas Ever!" - unsolicited. My
Dad also visited from Colombia and spent some good bonding time with the girls. His Christmas present was an album of the past
year's events. Needless to say it was a full house for the holidays at the Medinas.
New Years was rung in at exactly at 9 pm PST/ 12 pm EST with pan banging, trumpet tooting and loud whistles. Both Heide and I
were trumpet players in grade school - another serendipitous moment in dating. We had to lie to the girls that they did stay up until
mid-night which they called us on in the morning. We quickly blamed them for not knowing how to tell time and get bamboozled so
easily. Parental Poetry. John and Mary left on the 12th and Margie came in for a short visit. The girls love their Aunt Margie and it was a
fun couple of days having her as we were able to visit the Monterey Bay Aquarium.
Heide's treatment has been happening as scheduled and last Tuesday we got some good news that the cancer tumors in her lungs
and liver have shown signs of decreasing. This was great news and much needed. We are continuing with the current chemo and
are hopeful of continued good news. We celebrated Ava's 5th birthday this week with a party at Pump it up. What a great place - can
you imagine a warehouse full of jumpy houses & slides for your jumping and sliding pleasure. Nothing but hopping for two hours
made for tired happy kids.
I'm on family leave currently from Intacct and I've been able to spend more time with the girls than I would normally be able to. After a
year and a half of disruptions both of them are asking more questions and connecting the dots. They are very direct in their questions
and we are truthful in our answers and keep things positive for them, always expressing that they are loved and not alone. We are
very thankful for the ability to have this full family time and all of the support from Heide's army allows this to continue. We are grateful
for your continued prayers and thoughts.
- Ric
November 15, 2009,
Dear Family and Friends,
October and November have given us a mixture of emotions. We spent three glorious days in Disneyland. My mom spent three
weeks with us and my brother, Andrew came to also visit. I'm telling you Genevieve and Ava were in heaven jumping on Uncle
Peewee. We took him to the Pacific Ocean for the first time, We took Ric's convertible Cadillac to the beach. We had a fun-filled
obnoxious Halloween. It was so fun being part of the Fruit of the Loom gang. Thanks to to my mom for making most of the costumes.
I had many scans and tests...non with any positive results. My brain scan showed a few more small tumors. I also had a CT scan,
which showed bigger tumors in my lungs and liver. This means another new chemo. I also had a bone scan, which also showed
more tumors. Because there is a tumor at the end of my spinal chord. The good news is that I don't need surgery. Instead, I started
10 rounds of radiation for my spinal chord. Hopefully, this will stop any nuuero. problems. As you can imagine, it takes some time to
digest, process, and share the news.
We were also lucky enough to visit with Denny, Monica, Aiden, Jordan and Cassie. Margie also came for another visit. She left this
morning and we miss her already. My parents are flying in tonight for a visit. Yeah!!!!!! We are looking forward to hosting Thanksgiving
(don't worry, friends are cooking/cleaning). Started Christmas shopping, which I love to do. I hope we have GOOD news on our next
update. Your love and support is still so much appreciated.A
LoVe,
Heide
9-28-09
Dear Friends and Family,
We realize that it has been awhile since our last update. No news is good news. I will have a brain MRI in about 3 weeks and a CT
scan in about a month. For now, ignorance is bliss. We are enjoying the beautiful. hot fall. I'm still on steroids which has it's pros and
cons. Pros: good appetite (too good at times), more energy. Cons: puffy face (horrible for someone as vain as me), weight gain (ditto
on the vain remark). Let me focus on the fun, positve things I get to do. Walk Genevieve to school. She has two awesome teachers
that are making her first grade year experience wonderful. Ava started a new preschool. It is so nice to be able to drop her off and see
her play with her friends and see her projects. She is "writing" and sounding out words. Makes Mommy very proud. In Sept.,
Genevieve turned 7. We celebrated up at Garrod Farms, She was in heaven with her two best friends and the horses.
We had Auntie Margie this past weekend for a visit. We had so much fun getting pedicures, going to lunch, chatting. Genevieve and
Ava were in heaven with their auntie! They got pedis as well. Margie bought them sassy shoes. What more could a girl want?
The girls are busy with swimming lessons on Saturdays. Again, it makes me so proud and happy to see them improving and loving
the water. The most exciting news we have is that we are going to Disneyland in two weeks!!! We will have lots of pictures to share
with you. We are so appreciative of all the meals that continue to made for us. I actually cooked a meal the other night and, boy, do
you save me a ton of work.Your prayers and well wishes are still appreciated. When we have news, we will share it with you.
Love,
Heide
Heide Update - 8-25-09
We had a busy week the last week and a half with a couple of second
opinions and next stage planning. As I wrote earlier we are nearing
the end of what is FDA approved and have not yet found a treatment
that is stabilizing Heide's cancer. We did visit both UCSF and MD
Anderson and we were happy to hear that Stanford's treatment regiment
was re-enforced by these organizations. We also picked up several
clinical trials that could potentially help and we are working with
another oncologist to help us review all trials and determine what is
appropriate.
We stayed with Becca & Cliff in Houston and I was able to go to
Aaron's Bronco football scrimmage against the Bengals. Aaron did a
fantastic job as an outside linebacker following in Cliff's footprint.
We arrived home on Friday for our normal Saturday soccer practice and
we met Genevieve's new first grade teachers at a Houge Park picnic. We
are very excited to get Mrs Stone & Mrs. Wooster to take Ms. McCoy's
young legacy and mold us a 1st Grade school lover. Ava will be
starting her new pre-school Growing Footprints and will be re-united
with her little girlfriend Linley who Ava says is her best friend.
Ava and Linley were born two days apart at our local Good Sam Hospital
- we were leaving the front door and the McMillans were coming in the
back door.
I want to thank everyone for their messages of hope and encouragements
and for the constant reminders of prayers being said.
--
Regards,
Ric Medina
Heide Update 7-27-09
Just the facts. We are worried about recent developments that can be
post surgery related with continued swelling in Heide’s brain. It
could be radiation necrosis or surgery related pressure so we
undertaking a MRI to learn the cause. We need to learn why some
seizures are continuing and why the sporadic dizziness. The cough
that was the catalyst of this adventure has continued and we learned
that there are some fibrous strings that have developed in the lungs.
The tumors in the liver and others have grown so the latest chemo is
not working. We are looking at two possible Chemo treatments and
based on the results of the brain MRI it would direct us in one or the
other direction. We are in the process of looking at a tumor board
review (2nd opinion) at UCSF & possibly MD Anderson.
The above is the recent activity since Heide got back from her 3 week
visit in North Dakota. The trip on the other hand was everything we
had hoped it would be. She needed to feel the red earth of Tara -
anyone under 35 might need to google this. It started with a three
day family reunion that culminated with a big gathering at the
Rutten-Murphy farm house on the 4th. Note to self: Don’t buy $120
worth of firecrackers for your two daughters that are scared of loud
noises just to watch your in-laws kids burn them up in under 5
minutes. There are too many names to name, but there is a statistic
that the Rutten clan is 1 baby short of 25 second cousins. The
following weekend was the class of 1989 DLHS 20 year reunion. There
was a big turnout for the kick off event at The Cove, which was a
family event and delivered pontoon rides on the lake; Devils Lake.
The next day had a golf tournament, a coffee social at the Liquid Bean
and a tour of the High School. In walked the 1989 Satans to the lair
of the 2009 Firebirds. Ohhhh Scary. In the evening the festivities
moved indoors with a party at Proz’s. As a sheltered catholic high
school graduate and outsider it was fun hearing stories about the
under age drinking, the pre-marital hook ups, near death driving
exploits and weekend hockey fights. The party continued late in the
evening and sadly Heide had to leave early, but her best women Margie
continued in a pair of miss-matched sandals. Fashion faux paux.
There were many firsts for the Medina Girls which included tubing,
fishing (worm drowning), ear piercing, a missing toof, and no fights
to name a few. G lost a toof and the toof fairy dropped off a note
and $1.00 even before she got to bed. It doesn’t get dark until
10:30pm and the fairy needs to sleep. Ava loves the speed of tubing
and putting a frog on her head. That same frog was saved from being
an astronaut on a July 4th rocket as suggested by one of Liz’s girls.
Genevieve and Ave met their cousins and played wonderfully with Will &
Peter, Ellie, John & Tommy which was great to watch.
We have a couple of Dr. Appointments this week to learn more and I
will update accordingly.
Regards,
Ric Medina
6-15-2009
Hello Heidelovers,
We are just around the corner from the 1 year anniversary from when
Heide was diagnosed - June 23. It's been a roller coaster of year as I
looked back and re-read all the updates. Watching Heide today you
could not imagine that just over a month ago she had undergone brain
surgery. The only effect left over is a small speech lisp which only
gets worse after a couple glasses of wine or a later than normal
night. The extra energy, appetite & weight gain have also disappeared
since steroids are no longer needed. Its a shame too since she was
quickly approaching Barry Bond's home run record while on the juice.
Heide is still getting Chemo, but only once a month and we should test
for the results of this series in August.
We are travelling to North Dakota (Fargo & Devils Lake) for the 4th
of July weekend and Heide's 20th High School reunion. I want to hear
her classmates yell out their cute and cuddly mascot name and spell -
Gimme an S, Gimme an A, Gimme a T, Gimme another A, Gimme an N, Gimme
an S - What does that Spell - SATANS. That's right folks they were
the Devil's Lake Satans. I don't make this up. The only things
scarier are the Maori's doing the Haka before a Rugby game. Heide's
been keeping tabs with people on Facebook so its going to be a fun
time rehashing some of the old stories.
Last Friday Genevieve graduated from Kindergarten which was fun to
watch. It was just yesterday when her entourage escorted her for day
1. Life move fast. It was a moving last day with some class songs,
each child talked about what their favorite memory was, and what do
they wanted to be when they grew up. Genevieve's favorite memory was
when Heide helped in class and she wants to be a horse trainer,
because she loves horses. Genevieve mentioned that she wanted summer
to be over so she can start 1st grade. Ava will be going to a new
preschool in Sept and she is super excited. She is also super excited
about playing soccer and swimming lessons. After all those years
watching Genevieve do things she is finally able to participate and
she has an older sister to show her the ropes.
You might see us out and about since we are trying to make date nights
more frequent. Thank you for all the love and support that you are
sending our way via prayers, emails, cards and phone calls.
Love Ric
Dear Friends and Family,
I got home on Saturday. Wow! Two days after going through a craniotomy. That is something I'd never thought I'd have to say. I want to
thank God for His healing and answering mine and so many other's prayers. My neurosurgery team and nurses gave me truly
amazing care at Stanford Hospital. Having Ric, my mom, Michelle, Sydney, and Flo as moral support was good for my soul. We found
some things to chuckle at...mostly my speech and my bad jokes. Everyday my left hand and speech are improving and getting
stronger.
Before the surgery, I was trying to be positive and optimistic that everything would be o.k. That is easier said than done. I've spent
many moments thanking God for allowing me to experience the "little things" since coming home. Some examples: watching Ava
lovingly arrange flowers in the bug box as beds for the snails she's found in our backyard. Genevieve jumping on her bed, "rockin'
out" to the Hannah Montana Movie soundtrack while singing with Ava as backup "It's s ho-down..." Watching Ava sing and write the
alphabet. Listening to Genevieve read is true magic for me. She does it effortlessly and she loves to curl up with a Junie B. Jones
book. Here's another thing I'd thought I'd never say. I happily unloaded the dish washer because I could! Last, but not least, Ric and I
spent a few moments sipping on our coffee/tea this beautiful, sunny morning on our patio. A perfect start to a day.
I would like to thank some friends who helped out with Genevieve and Ava while I was in the hospital. Knowing they were being so
well taken care of, put my mind at ease: Kirsten, Silvia, Maria, and MIssy.
A huge thank you to Stacy and Erin for organizing the delicious Dream Dinners. We appreciate the participation from the families of
Genevieve's Kindergarten class!!
Much love and many hugs to you!
Heide
Heide update 5-1-09 late night edition
In one of my most recent posting I jokingly suggested a new form of
messaging through the use of a limerick. Well the limerick contest is
open for submissions and the bar has been set very high. We may need
to start a new web page if this catches on. Here is the first
submission and Enjoy.
There once was a fine fellow named Ric
Who suggested a new limerick
Well here's one that's mighty
For our awesome Heide--
We all want her want her well
And damn quick!
- Bob, Caryl, Lucas, & Logan Rutten
Love, Ric
Heide Update - 5-1-09
Today has been an easier day on the supportive visiting side now that the surgery is out of the way. I want to thank everyone for their
positive messages. The flood gates have been opened and the messages have been coming in steadily. Mary and I spent the last
hour reading the messages to her and its' wonderful to see the sparkle back in Heide's "baby blues". She is alert, asking questions,
telling stories, making jokes and is very happy that John McCain won the presidential election. The nurse wakes Heide up every hour
and asks "What year is it? Whats your last name? Who's president? We have not told her that Obama won for fear of the shock. (I'M
JUST KIDDING for the blue staters). The nurse warned not to joke or it will lead to more testing, poking & prodding,
When I arrived home last night, I got to hear Alexandra Stracey read stories to Genevieve & Ava. Alexandra had to negotiate them
down from 20 stories to just 4 books. Once they went to bed they were out sleeping within seconds. You can hear our baby
rhinoceros Ava sawing logs.
Thanks for your prayers and well wishes for our Heide and our family. I ask that prayers be added for the people that did not get good
news in the ICU and for the innocent kids that roll by in crib gurneys. It is hard to hold back tears.
Love - Ric
Regards,
Ric Medina
4/30/2009
Hello All,
This is Ric writing and sorry Margie for hi-jacking your list. Today was a long day and thankfully we had good news to share. Mary
and I visited with Heide several times during the afternoon and each time we were pleased that she was more lucid than the
previous time. The effects of the drugs takes time to fully get out of the system.
During all that waiting I saw a lot of facebook and personal messages coming via her email account, but I noticed that the web site
forwarding was not working. If you sent a message via the web site it was lost, but that is now corrected. These messages give
Heide strength so I hope that you would not mind recreating those again. This will give you an opportunity to correct those spelling
errors and add that extra line that you wished you wrote. Rhyming not required. Limricks get extra points.
Both Mary and I know that when we are sitting in the waiting room we are not alone, we are really like that goofy Verizon guy with the
army of people in support. Heide's Army.
Thanks,
Ric
Hello,
Thank you for your well wishes and support you have given Heide and our entire family. She had the surgery early this morning. The
doctors were able to remove 100% of the tumor and feel they got 100% of the cancer cells. The ominous white circle surrounding the
tumor on the MRI tests was found to be scar tissue (not new cancer growth). This is the good news we were hoping for.
Heide has been slowly coming out of the anesthesia. Her speech and alertness has been improving all day. A CAT scan was done
this afternoon which showed normal results. Heide will spend the night in ICU and will be transferred to the medical floor on Friday.
It is anticipated she will go home on Saturday. Heide will continue chemotherapy, when able, to target the bones, lungs, and liver......
KEEP THE PRAYERS COMING!!!!!
We all appreciate your well wishes and words of concern. Forward your messages to Heide at www.forheide.com
Love to all,
Margie
Hello Everyone,
It's Thursday morning which started at 4 am with a dark trip to Stanford for the surgery. At 10:30am, Dr. Harsh came out an gave us
the news that the surgery was successful and that 100% of the tumor was removed. The outer edge of the tumor was radiation
"scarring" which is good news, and there were no active cancer cells found. Everyone's prayers and well wishes were heard and
Heide will be home on Sat morning.
Thanks to everyone that called, emailed, texted, sent care packages and thought of Heide and the family at this time. Heide is a
fighter with strength drawn from all her friends.
- Ric
Dear Family and Friends,
The sunny, warm weather have made spring bring our back yard to life.
The hummingbirds, butterflies, and bees are back. Ava loves to cut her
own bouquets. So there's never a shortage of flowers in our house!
We've had a busy few days. The fun started last Thursday when my
friend, Kirsten, took Genevieve, Ava, her son, William, and myself up
to the San Francisco Zoo. The weather was perfect. Our favorite
exhibit were the baby giraffes. On Friday, Genevieve and Ava started
their soccer. Nothing better than sitting in the sun, chatting with
friends, and watching your kids have a blast.
Friday afternoon, Jordan Sabo, his girlfriend, Cassie, and their 3
month old son, Aiden arrived at our house for a long weekend visit.
Jordan is the reason I moved to California 17 years ago (time flies!).
I was his nanny. They now live in Visalia, CA. Aiden is a cutie and a
very easy baby. His smiles and coos warm up my heart. We spent
Saturday afternoon touring Los Gatos. Saturday night, we had the
"gang" (Jordan's parent's friends) over for pizza so they could meet
Aiden.
By Sunday, I was tired out. While Ric took the girls to the pool for
the first time this year, I sat in the back yard and soaked up some
sun and finished reading a book....yes the temperature was in the
90's. Sorry to my North Dakota support...I hear you got snow this
weekend and it was parka weather.
Well, onto the "fun" stuff. On Easter morning, I had my second
seizure. Ric and I spent most of the day in the ER. Last Tuesday, I
had a brain MRI and met with my radiation oncologist and a
neurosurgeon. After reviewing my case with a team of specialists, it
was decided that removing the tumor is the best option. The tumor is
on the right side of my brain and is causing a lot of swelling. It is
probably the reason for the second seizure. The good news is that as
far as they can tell, the tumor itself has not grown and there are no
new tumors in my brain. We'll take the small victories! My surgery is
scheduled for April 30. Margie, my sister and my mom are arriving next
week. We hope to squeeze in some fun before the 30th.
Thank you for your continued prayers and words of encouragement. Enjoy
life's small moments and go give your spouse, loved one, and/or kids a
hug and tell them you love them.
Much love,
Heide
3-24-09
We need to crank up the prayer machine and make more bubbles. We had a meeting with Dr. Carlson yesterday and were told that
although the majority of the tumors are under control that a couple have grown and new ones have been detected in the liver. It was
tough news to hear and it took us by surprise. Cancer has the tendency to mutate and become resistant to the chemo that is being
administered. We had very good results with Navelbene, but next week will be on a new regiment with a new chemo to control the
new growth. The silly part (as in crazy, no rhyme or reason) is that Heide has been feeling very well and full of energy the past few
weeks. There's been more time playing with the girls and staying up late watching American Idol. After the news Heide was feeling
"Sad, Mad & Scared" which were old emotions from early in our journey. After absorbing the news, her spirits are still strong and
determination is rock solid.
The house is a little quieter since John and Mary left and they are very much missed. We've had many friends assist with day to day
activities and the house is still operating with the efficiency of a swiss watch. They are probably excited they went home just in time to
to get busy sand bagging for the upcoming North Dakota floods. My Mom spent her vacation here last week chasing her grand kids
and planting flowers, special thanks.
Heide continues to receive emails and cards with best wishes that helps her stay focused. Thanks to Silvia, Michelle, Shelley, Kirstin,
April, Erin, Lori, Jen M, Stacey, Jen W for helping keep a standard routine for Genevieve and Ava the past week.
Love - Ric
3-16-09
HI friends and family,
I had an MRI on my brain on Tuesday, and again received good news, and there are no new tumors. A few more have gotten smaller.
What a relief! My prayers were answered. There does seem to be some swelling around the largest tumor. My doctor has put me on
steriods to decrease the swelling. I'll have another scan in a month to see if this helps. If it doesn't, surgery may need to be done.
We'll cross that bridge when we get there. I have a CT scan on Friday to check my bones and lungs. I'll probably get those results
next week.
Margie has told me that many have asked how I'm doing. I can't tell you how much I appreciate all of your well wishes and especially
prayers.
Many thanks to:
Kelly Fiorentino, owner of The Shampoo Lounge in Los Gatos: thank you for hosting the Cut-a-thon in your salon. Although we have
never met, It never ceases to amaze me how giving and loving strangers are!
Much Love,
Heide
3-4-09
The pre-Ides of March have rolled in and we've been pretty much on auto pilot for the past several weeks with very little, close to none,
to report. Our two North Dakotan snow birds are still with us, but sadly they will be retuning back to the tundra mid-march. They will
arrive just in time to catch the pretty brown left over snow. I know that Heide has been keeping up with people on Facebook of all
places. I tried to register, but at 43 years old it wouldn't allow me to subscribe as being too old. The actual phrase was "you're too
old, go and typewrite someone a letter!" So I gave up. Heide has been doing very well and goes to Stanford every Tuesday. Her
activities are limited due to medication that make her drowsy and naps are an essential part of the day. We have been able to get out
a few times which I will detail below.
Next week we will meet with Dr. Gibbs for our 3 month brain check up which has us hopeful of either more improvements or no
change since last December's MRI. Heide continues to get acupuncture treatments twice a week and we've attributed it to her not
getting any of the colds/flu that continuously flow through the house. It is hard to keep healthy with two "germs" running around the
house. Heide's hair is growing back and too her excitement its a new color, a light brown, tannish, silver blend under the light. No one
has seen her real hair color since the 6th grade when she got the "Dorthy Hamill" bell cut, which is the guys version of "Adam Rich's
hair in "8 is enough". Google it.
Our most recent outings have been ice skating and a short weekend with snow sledding at Lake Tahoe. Check out the most recent
photo's. Skating was Rod & Mia Teague's idea which Heide jumped on immediately. She fondly remembered the days of skating
backwards, doing cross over corners, checking out the hockey players, weaving in and out of slower traffic, and listening to loud Night
Ranger's Sister Christian on overhead speakers. Well, those days are long gone and she was with me shuffling robotically
complaining about weak ankles. Genevieve and Ava picked it right up for CA kids. They really didn't need the buckets, but they didn't
want to show off since Jim Bennette had to use them to keep up-right.
Sledding in Tahoe was a lot of fun and thank you to April & Andre Walewski for allowing us to use their cabin "winter palace". We
went up with Cara & Kenneth Demarse and their two girls Addison and Alexa who are Genevieve's and Ava's age. It's funny that it
does not take too much snow to have fun as kids. I tried to teach them the two rules of sledding - 1. when you are done with your ride
look up the hill, because that is the direction the next sled that will hit you is coming. 2. Hold on tightly to the sled when you climb up
the hill, because it will come loose once you are more than half way up. Needless to say Ava got run over and I had to run down the
hill to fetch several loose sleds.
We'd like to acknowledge the following people/school for their contributions and support:
Heide's Message:
Carla Anderson, thank you for your ambitious fund raising while you ran your first marathon. Having done a marathon myself, I know
how llllooooonnnnnggg and painful they can be. Congratulations on every step of your 26.2 mile journey!
Grace Breyley, thank you for sharing the profits from the sales of your beautiful artwork. To see Grace's talent, go to www.Keska.etsy.
com
Many thanks to the students and teachers of Blossom Hill School. Having been the Literacy Teacher for the past 4 years,your support
through the Read- a-Thon is both so touching and impressive. Reading is one of my favorite hobbies. My six year old daughter,
Genevieve, is learning to read and it is so exciting to see the "magic" unfold.
Thank you everyone for your prayers, your constant reminders of your love for Heide and your many ways of support. Next update to
come next week.
- Ric
1/28/09
Dear Friends and Family,
Things are going well. I received chemo today after having to wait two weeks for my white blood cell counts to get high enough. I've
been very blessed in that all the colds and coughs that made their way through our house skipped over me. I think it was the
combination of Chinese herbs, acupuncture, and luck. As you can see from the pictures, we had a wonderful Christmas. Ric's dad
visited from Columbia for a month over the holidays. Genevieve and Ava were lucky to have all 4 grandparents here to spoil them!
One of the highlights were our reindeer hats. All who sat at our Christmas Eve and Christmas dinners were lucky enough to have a
custom reindeer hat waiting at their seat. All made with love by Genevieve, Ava, and Nana. As you can see, Papa John was "thrilled".
We have a new member in our family, a HUGE stuffed Saint Bernard named Clifford given to Genevieve and Ava from their Uncle
Lou. The darn thing even sheds. The girls love to flop on him and sleep on him.
We celebrated Ava's 4th birthday with a carnival themed party in our back yard. We had games, balloon animals by Nana, face
painting by Ric, "pony" rides, a pinata, and everyone was a winner! Ava especially loved playing with all of her buddies.
We hope my healthy streak continues as I've gotten to enjoy outings to the park and San Francisco, picking up the girls from school,
getting together with friends, and yes, even cleaning out closets.
We are forever grateful to all of the meals that have been made for us, all of the rides to my various appointments (as I can't drive
since having the seizure), and the love and prayers being sent.
Love,
Heide new photos
Update 1/1/09
Who's already broken one of their NY's Resolution? I have much to report so I will begin with what Cara wrote in the last update.
Some of Heide's brain tumors have shrunk and the smallest ones have "disappeared". The largest one (Right Front Lobe) is
hollowed out in the MRI images and this is a good sign. The full brain radiation has done its thing and we are expected to see
additional shrinkage, but we are not out of the woods. We will continue to monitor the tumors and treat them with targeted radiation if
they show signs of changing. You can imagine the relief everyone felt hearing this news and this tee'd up a more relaxed Christmas
and festivities.
Christmas was a lot of fun and it started with Christmas Eve Children's Mass at St. Francis Cabrini, which is around the corner from
our house. My brother Lou had stopped by earlier and dropped of the a 5 foot long, 3 foot wide stuffed dog which the girls named
Clifford. This thing is huge, it sheds and will soon be up for sale or free to a new home. Christmas day started in the early morning
with the pitter patter of feeties on the hardwood floors. Genevieve was heard saying that "it was the best Christmas ever". Dinner
included reindeer hats that the girls made a couple of days earlier and everyone had to wear one to get fed. The festivities lasted for
several days and everyone was tired by Saturday night, exhausted. On Sunday morning all was normal - Mary got up and made
coffee, John walked to get the paper, the girls turned on the morning cartoons and Heide was getting breakfast. I just got home from
an early morning golf outing and was sitting reading the paper when Heide called out from the bathroom. When I arrived she was in a
full seizure of both sides of her body and face. While Mary dialed 911, I set Heide on the floor to keep her safe and waited for the
paramedics who arrived very quickly. It felt like several forevers before Heide had regained control and had relaxed. She was able to
talk to the medics, while she was being strapped to the gurney, for our trip to Stanford. At Stanford there were many tests done and
we spoke to Doctor's from Oncology, Neurology, ER & others and the consensus was that their were several inducing factors with
fatigue being the biggest catalyst. She is now on Anti-seizure medicine, and we truly hope it was our one and only seizure she will
have to experience. So our new motto is Good News celebration in moderation and no more 4 day benders.
On Monday we had the CT Scan to learn about the progress to her lungs and bones and we had a meeting on Wednesday (New
Years Eve). We received Great News from Dr. Levy that the scans showed that some of the tumors on her lungs had shrunk in size.
There was improvements from 30% - 50% of tumor shrinkage. This means that Navelbine (Chemo) has had a good effect on
Heide's cancer and we will continue this regiment. This is a relief since we now know the type of chemo that is having good results
for Heide. The scans will continue every three months. We'll continue praying for good news.
I'm writing this on New Years day and thinking.....Goodbye 2008 you will not be missed and hello 2009 and the prospects of
continued good news. We would like to express our love and thanks to everyone for their prayers and support to Heide and our
Family. May the New Year also bring good news and continued good health for you and your family.
- Ric
--
Regards,
Ric Medina
It's been quite a long time since my last update and there are many things that have happend that I need to write about. I know many
of you are keeping updated through direct emails to Heide and via facebook so I've given myself a pass on not writing as much. To
start, in early December a Fun Run for Heide was organized and it was a wonderful success. The rainy weather moved it from Houge
Park to Farnham School's cafeteria, but the enthusiam was not hampered. There were so many people that participated in the
organization of the event that it is impossible to name them all, but I hope to express that it was excellently run and people still
comment on how much fun it was. There are great pictures on the site and we hope to add more. The next week was a tough time for
Heide with the final treatment of targeted radiation on her spinal cord and the continued treatment of Chemo. This caused her to be
very weak and required much sleep. This did not stop her from planning a memorable Christmas for the girls. We tried not to spoil
them, but due to the circumstances we could not resist to indulge them a little. Heide's parents John and Mary were in town during
this time and helped in the Christmas planning. I did get it on video that Genevieve squealed "Best Christmas Ever!" - unsolicited. My
Dad also visited from Colombia and spent some good bonding time with the girls. His Christmas present was an album of the past
year's events. Needless to say it was a full house for the holidays at the Medinas.
New Years was rung in at exactly at 9 pm PST/ 12 pm EST with pan banging, trumpet tooting and loud whistles. Both Heide and I
were trumpet players in grade school - another serendipitous moment in dating. We had to lie to the girls that they did stay up until
mid-night which they called us on in the morning. We quickly blamed them for not knowing how to tell time and get bamboozled so
easily. Parental Poetry. John and Mary left on the 12th and Margie came in for a short visit. The girls love their Aunt Margie and it was a
fun couple of days having her as we were able to visit the Monterey Bay Aquarium.
Heide's treatment has been happening as scheduled and last Tuesday we got some good news that the cancer tumors in her lungs
and liver have shown signs of decreasing. This was great news and much needed. We are continuing with the current chemo and
are hopeful of continued good news. We celebrated Ava's 5th birthday this week with a party at Pump it up. What a great place - can
you imagine a warehouse full of jumpy houses & slides for your jumping and sliding pleasure. Nothing but hopping for two hours
made for tired happy kids.
I'm on family leave currently from Intacct and I've been able to spend more time with the girls than I would normally be able to. After a
year and a half of disruptions both of them are asking more questions and connecting the dots. They are very direct in their questions
and we are truthful in our answers and keep things positive for them, always expressing that they are loved and not alone. We are
very thankful for the ability to have this full family time and all of the support from Heide's army allows this to continue. We are grateful
for your continued prayers and thoughts.
- Ric
November 15, 2009,
Dear Family and Friends,
October and November have given us a mixture of emotions. We spent three glorious days in Disneyland. My mom spent three
weeks with us and my brother, Andrew came to also visit. I'm telling you Genevieve and Ava were in heaven jumping on Uncle
Peewee. We took him to the Pacific Ocean for the first time, We took Ric's convertible Cadillac to the beach. We had a fun-filled
obnoxious Halloween. It was so fun being part of the Fruit of the Loom gang. Thanks to to my mom for making most of the costumes.
I had many scans and tests...non with any positive results. My brain scan showed a few more small tumors. I also had a CT scan,
which showed bigger tumors in my lungs and liver. This means another new chemo. I also had a bone scan, which also showed
more tumors. Because there is a tumor at the end of my spinal chord. The good news is that I don't need surgery. Instead, I started
10 rounds of radiation for my spinal chord. Hopefully, this will stop any nuuero. problems. As you can imagine, it takes some time to
digest, process, and share the news.
We were also lucky enough to visit with Denny, Monica, Aiden, Jordan and Cassie. Margie also came for another visit. She left this
morning and we miss her already. My parents are flying in tonight for a visit. Yeah!!!!!! We are looking forward to hosting Thanksgiving
(don't worry, friends are cooking/cleaning). Started Christmas shopping, which I love to do. I hope we have GOOD news on our next
update. Your love and support is still so much appreciated.A
LoVe,
Heide
9-28-09
Dear Friends and Family,
We realize that it has been awhile since our last update. No news is good news. I will have a brain MRI in about 3 weeks and a CT
scan in about a month. For now, ignorance is bliss. We are enjoying the beautiful. hot fall. I'm still on steroids which has it's pros and
cons. Pros: good appetite (too good at times), more energy. Cons: puffy face (horrible for someone as vain as me), weight gain (ditto
on the vain remark). Let me focus on the fun, positve things I get to do. Walk Genevieve to school. She has two awesome teachers
that are making her first grade year experience wonderful. Ava started a new preschool. It is so nice to be able to drop her off and see
her play with her friends and see her projects. She is "writing" and sounding out words. Makes Mommy very proud. In Sept.,
Genevieve turned 7. We celebrated up at Garrod Farms, She was in heaven with her two best friends and the horses.
We had Auntie Margie this past weekend for a visit. We had so much fun getting pedicures, going to lunch, chatting. Genevieve and
Ava were in heaven with their auntie! They got pedis as well. Margie bought them sassy shoes. What more could a girl want?
The girls are busy with swimming lessons on Saturdays. Again, it makes me so proud and happy to see them improving and loving
the water. The most exciting news we have is that we are going to Disneyland in two weeks!!! We will have lots of pictures to share
with you. We are so appreciative of all the meals that continue to made for us. I actually cooked a meal the other night and, boy, do
you save me a ton of work.Your prayers and well wishes are still appreciated. When we have news, we will share it with you.
Love,
Heide
Heide Update - 8-25-09
We had a busy week the last week and a half with a couple of second
opinions and next stage planning. As I wrote earlier we are nearing
the end of what is FDA approved and have not yet found a treatment
that is stabilizing Heide's cancer. We did visit both UCSF and MD
Anderson and we were happy to hear that Stanford's treatment regiment
was re-enforced by these organizations. We also picked up several
clinical trials that could potentially help and we are working with
another oncologist to help us review all trials and determine what is
appropriate.
We stayed with Becca & Cliff in Houston and I was able to go to
Aaron's Bronco football scrimmage against the Bengals. Aaron did a
fantastic job as an outside linebacker following in Cliff's footprint.
We arrived home on Friday for our normal Saturday soccer practice and
we met Genevieve's new first grade teachers at a Houge Park picnic. We
are very excited to get Mrs Stone & Mrs. Wooster to take Ms. McCoy's
young legacy and mold us a 1st Grade school lover. Ava will be
starting her new pre-school Growing Footprints and will be re-united
with her little girlfriend Linley who Ava says is her best friend.
Ava and Linley were born two days apart at our local Good Sam Hospital
- we were leaving the front door and the McMillans were coming in the
back door.
I want to thank everyone for their messages of hope and encouragements
and for the constant reminders of prayers being said.
--
Regards,
Ric Medina
Heide Update 7-27-09
Just the facts. We are worried about recent developments that can be
post surgery related with continued swelling in Heide’s brain. It
could be radiation necrosis or surgery related pressure so we
undertaking a MRI to learn the cause. We need to learn why some
seizures are continuing and why the sporadic dizziness. The cough
that was the catalyst of this adventure has continued and we learned
that there are some fibrous strings that have developed in the lungs.
The tumors in the liver and others have grown so the latest chemo is
not working. We are looking at two possible Chemo treatments and
based on the results of the brain MRI it would direct us in one or the
other direction. We are in the process of looking at a tumor board
review (2nd opinion) at UCSF & possibly MD Anderson.
The above is the recent activity since Heide got back from her 3 week
visit in North Dakota. The trip on the other hand was everything we
had hoped it would be. She needed to feel the red earth of Tara -
anyone under 35 might need to google this. It started with a three
day family reunion that culminated with a big gathering at the
Rutten-Murphy farm house on the 4th. Note to self: Don’t buy $120
worth of firecrackers for your two daughters that are scared of loud
noises just to watch your in-laws kids burn them up in under 5
minutes. There are too many names to name, but there is a statistic
that the Rutten clan is 1 baby short of 25 second cousins. The
following weekend was the class of 1989 DLHS 20 year reunion. There
was a big turnout for the kick off event at The Cove, which was a
family event and delivered pontoon rides on the lake; Devils Lake.
The next day had a golf tournament, a coffee social at the Liquid Bean
and a tour of the High School. In walked the 1989 Satans to the lair
of the 2009 Firebirds. Ohhhh Scary. In the evening the festivities
moved indoors with a party at Proz’s. As a sheltered catholic high
school graduate and outsider it was fun hearing stories about the
under age drinking, the pre-marital hook ups, near death driving
exploits and weekend hockey fights. The party continued late in the
evening and sadly Heide had to leave early, but her best women Margie
continued in a pair of miss-matched sandals. Fashion faux paux.
There were many firsts for the Medina Girls which included tubing,
fishing (worm drowning), ear piercing, a missing toof, and no fights
to name a few. G lost a toof and the toof fairy dropped off a note
and $1.00 even before she got to bed. It doesn’t get dark until
10:30pm and the fairy needs to sleep. Ava loves the speed of tubing
and putting a frog on her head. That same frog was saved from being
an astronaut on a July 4th rocket as suggested by one of Liz’s girls.
Genevieve and Ave met their cousins and played wonderfully with Will &
Peter, Ellie, John & Tommy which was great to watch.
We have a couple of Dr. Appointments this week to learn more and I
will update accordingly.
Regards,
Ric Medina
6-15-2009
Hello Heidelovers,
We are just around the corner from the 1 year anniversary from when
Heide was diagnosed - June 23. It's been a roller coaster of year as I
looked back and re-read all the updates. Watching Heide today you
could not imagine that just over a month ago she had undergone brain
surgery. The only effect left over is a small speech lisp which only
gets worse after a couple glasses of wine or a later than normal
night. The extra energy, appetite & weight gain have also disappeared
since steroids are no longer needed. Its a shame too since she was
quickly approaching Barry Bond's home run record while on the juice.
Heide is still getting Chemo, but only once a month and we should test
for the results of this series in August.
We are travelling to North Dakota (Fargo & Devils Lake) for the 4th
of July weekend and Heide's 20th High School reunion. I want to hear
her classmates yell out their cute and cuddly mascot name and spell -
Gimme an S, Gimme an A, Gimme a T, Gimme another A, Gimme an N, Gimme
an S - What does that Spell - SATANS. That's right folks they were
the Devil's Lake Satans. I don't make this up. The only things
scarier are the Maori's doing the Haka before a Rugby game. Heide's
been keeping tabs with people on Facebook so its going to be a fun
time rehashing some of the old stories.
Last Friday Genevieve graduated from Kindergarten which was fun to
watch. It was just yesterday when her entourage escorted her for day
1. Life move fast. It was a moving last day with some class songs,
each child talked about what their favorite memory was, and what do
they wanted to be when they grew up. Genevieve's favorite memory was
when Heide helped in class and she wants to be a horse trainer,
because she loves horses. Genevieve mentioned that she wanted summer
to be over so she can start 1st grade. Ava will be going to a new
preschool in Sept and she is super excited. She is also super excited
about playing soccer and swimming lessons. After all those years
watching Genevieve do things she is finally able to participate and
she has an older sister to show her the ropes.
You might see us out and about since we are trying to make date nights
more frequent. Thank you for all the love and support that you are
sending our way via prayers, emails, cards and phone calls.
Love Ric
Dear Friends and Family,
I got home on Saturday. Wow! Two days after going through a craniotomy. That is something I'd never thought I'd have to say. I want to
thank God for His healing and answering mine and so many other's prayers. My neurosurgery team and nurses gave me truly
amazing care at Stanford Hospital. Having Ric, my mom, Michelle, Sydney, and Flo as moral support was good for my soul. We found
some things to chuckle at...mostly my speech and my bad jokes. Everyday my left hand and speech are improving and getting
stronger.
Before the surgery, I was trying to be positive and optimistic that everything would be o.k. That is easier said than done. I've spent
many moments thanking God for allowing me to experience the "little things" since coming home. Some examples: watching Ava
lovingly arrange flowers in the bug box as beds for the snails she's found in our backyard. Genevieve jumping on her bed, "rockin'
out" to the Hannah Montana Movie soundtrack while singing with Ava as backup "It's s ho-down..." Watching Ava sing and write the
alphabet. Listening to Genevieve read is true magic for me. She does it effortlessly and she loves to curl up with a Junie B. Jones
book. Here's another thing I'd thought I'd never say. I happily unloaded the dish washer because I could! Last, but not least, Ric and I
spent a few moments sipping on our coffee/tea this beautiful, sunny morning on our patio. A perfect start to a day.
I would like to thank some friends who helped out with Genevieve and Ava while I was in the hospital. Knowing they were being so
well taken care of, put my mind at ease: Kirsten, Silvia, Maria, and MIssy.
A huge thank you to Stacy and Erin for organizing the delicious Dream Dinners. We appreciate the participation from the families of
Genevieve's Kindergarten class!!
Much love and many hugs to you!
Heide
Heide update 5-1-09 late night edition
In one of my most recent posting I jokingly suggested a new form of
messaging through the use of a limerick. Well the limerick contest is
open for submissions and the bar has been set very high. We may need
to start a new web page if this catches on. Here is the first
submission and Enjoy.
There once was a fine fellow named Ric
Who suggested a new limerick
Well here's one that's mighty
For our awesome Heide--
We all want her want her well
And damn quick!
- Bob, Caryl, Lucas, & Logan Rutten
Love, Ric
Heide Update - 5-1-09
Today has been an easier day on the supportive visiting side now that the surgery is out of the way. I want to thank everyone for their
positive messages. The flood gates have been opened and the messages have been coming in steadily. Mary and I spent the last
hour reading the messages to her and its' wonderful to see the sparkle back in Heide's "baby blues". She is alert, asking questions,
telling stories, making jokes and is very happy that John McCain won the presidential election. The nurse wakes Heide up every hour
and asks "What year is it? Whats your last name? Who's president? We have not told her that Obama won for fear of the shock. (I'M
JUST KIDDING for the blue staters). The nurse warned not to joke or it will lead to more testing, poking & prodding,
When I arrived home last night, I got to hear Alexandra Stracey read stories to Genevieve & Ava. Alexandra had to negotiate them
down from 20 stories to just 4 books. Once they went to bed they were out sleeping within seconds. You can hear our baby
rhinoceros Ava sawing logs.
Thanks for your prayers and well wishes for our Heide and our family. I ask that prayers be added for the people that did not get good
news in the ICU and for the innocent kids that roll by in crib gurneys. It is hard to hold back tears.
Love - Ric
Regards,
Ric Medina
4/30/2009
Hello All,
This is Ric writing and sorry Margie for hi-jacking your list. Today was a long day and thankfully we had good news to share. Mary
and I visited with Heide several times during the afternoon and each time we were pleased that she was more lucid than the
previous time. The effects of the drugs takes time to fully get out of the system.
During all that waiting I saw a lot of facebook and personal messages coming via her email account, but I noticed that the web site
forwarding was not working. If you sent a message via the web site it was lost, but that is now corrected. These messages give
Heide strength so I hope that you would not mind recreating those again. This will give you an opportunity to correct those spelling
errors and add that extra line that you wished you wrote. Rhyming not required. Limricks get extra points.
Both Mary and I know that when we are sitting in the waiting room we are not alone, we are really like that goofy Verizon guy with the
army of people in support. Heide's Army.
Thanks,
Ric
Hello,
Thank you for your well wishes and support you have given Heide and our entire family. She had the surgery early this morning. The
doctors were able to remove 100% of the tumor and feel they got 100% of the cancer cells. The ominous white circle surrounding the
tumor on the MRI tests was found to be scar tissue (not new cancer growth). This is the good news we were hoping for.
Heide has been slowly coming out of the anesthesia. Her speech and alertness has been improving all day. A CAT scan was done
this afternoon which showed normal results. Heide will spend the night in ICU and will be transferred to the medical floor on Friday.
It is anticipated she will go home on Saturday. Heide will continue chemotherapy, when able, to target the bones, lungs, and liver......
KEEP THE PRAYERS COMING!!!!!
We all appreciate your well wishes and words of concern. Forward your messages to Heide at www.forheide.com
Love to all,
Margie
Hello Everyone,
It's Thursday morning which started at 4 am with a dark trip to Stanford for the surgery. At 10:30am, Dr. Harsh came out an gave us
the news that the surgery was successful and that 100% of the tumor was removed. The outer edge of the tumor was radiation
"scarring" which is good news, and there were no active cancer cells found. Everyone's prayers and well wishes were heard and
Heide will be home on Sat morning.
Thanks to everyone that called, emailed, texted, sent care packages and thought of Heide and the family at this time. Heide is a
fighter with strength drawn from all her friends.
- Ric
Dear Family and Friends,
The sunny, warm weather have made spring bring our back yard to life.
The hummingbirds, butterflies, and bees are back. Ava loves to cut her
own bouquets. So there's never a shortage of flowers in our house!
We've had a busy few days. The fun started last Thursday when my
friend, Kirsten, took Genevieve, Ava, her son, William, and myself up
to the San Francisco Zoo. The weather was perfect. Our favorite
exhibit were the baby giraffes. On Friday, Genevieve and Ava started
their soccer. Nothing better than sitting in the sun, chatting with
friends, and watching your kids have a blast.
Friday afternoon, Jordan Sabo, his girlfriend, Cassie, and their 3
month old son, Aiden arrived at our house for a long weekend visit.
Jordan is the reason I moved to California 17 years ago (time flies!).
I was his nanny. They now live in Visalia, CA. Aiden is a cutie and a
very easy baby. His smiles and coos warm up my heart. We spent
Saturday afternoon touring Los Gatos. Saturday night, we had the
"gang" (Jordan's parent's friends) over for pizza so they could meet
Aiden.
By Sunday, I was tired out. While Ric took the girls to the pool for
the first time this year, I sat in the back yard and soaked up some
sun and finished reading a book....yes the temperature was in the
90's. Sorry to my North Dakota support...I hear you got snow this
weekend and it was parka weather.
Well, onto the "fun" stuff. On Easter morning, I had my second
seizure. Ric and I spent most of the day in the ER. Last Tuesday, I
had a brain MRI and met with my radiation oncologist and a
neurosurgeon. After reviewing my case with a team of specialists, it
was decided that removing the tumor is the best option. The tumor is
on the right side of my brain and is causing a lot of swelling. It is
probably the reason for the second seizure. The good news is that as
far as they can tell, the tumor itself has not grown and there are no
new tumors in my brain. We'll take the small victories! My surgery is
scheduled for April 30. Margie, my sister and my mom are arriving next
week. We hope to squeeze in some fun before the 30th.
Thank you for your continued prayers and words of encouragement. Enjoy
life's small moments and go give your spouse, loved one, and/or kids a
hug and tell them you love them.
Much love,
Heide
3-24-09
We need to crank up the prayer machine and make more bubbles. We had a meeting with Dr. Carlson yesterday and were told that
although the majority of the tumors are under control that a couple have grown and new ones have been detected in the liver. It was
tough news to hear and it took us by surprise. Cancer has the tendency to mutate and become resistant to the chemo that is being
administered. We had very good results with Navelbene, but next week will be on a new regiment with a new chemo to control the
new growth. The silly part (as in crazy, no rhyme or reason) is that Heide has been feeling very well and full of energy the past few
weeks. There's been more time playing with the girls and staying up late watching American Idol. After the news Heide was feeling
"Sad, Mad & Scared" which were old emotions from early in our journey. After absorbing the news, her spirits are still strong and
determination is rock solid.
The house is a little quieter since John and Mary left and they are very much missed. We've had many friends assist with day to day
activities and the house is still operating with the efficiency of a swiss watch. They are probably excited they went home just in time to
to get busy sand bagging for the upcoming North Dakota floods. My Mom spent her vacation here last week chasing her grand kids
and planting flowers, special thanks.
Heide continues to receive emails and cards with best wishes that helps her stay focused. Thanks to Silvia, Michelle, Shelley, Kirstin,
April, Erin, Lori, Jen M, Stacey, Jen W for helping keep a standard routine for Genevieve and Ava the past week.
Love - Ric
3-16-09
HI friends and family,
I had an MRI on my brain on Tuesday, and again received good news, and there are no new tumors. A few more have gotten smaller.
What a relief! My prayers were answered. There does seem to be some swelling around the largest tumor. My doctor has put me on
steriods to decrease the swelling. I'll have another scan in a month to see if this helps. If it doesn't, surgery may need to be done.
We'll cross that bridge when we get there. I have a CT scan on Friday to check my bones and lungs. I'll probably get those results
next week.
Margie has told me that many have asked how I'm doing. I can't tell you how much I appreciate all of your well wishes and especially
prayers.
Many thanks to:
Kelly Fiorentino, owner of The Shampoo Lounge in Los Gatos: thank you for hosting the Cut-a-thon in your salon. Although we have
never met, It never ceases to amaze me how giving and loving strangers are!
Much Love,
Heide
3-4-09
The pre-Ides of March have rolled in and we've been pretty much on auto pilot for the past several weeks with very little, close to none,
to report. Our two North Dakotan snow birds are still with us, but sadly they will be retuning back to the tundra mid-march. They will
arrive just in time to catch the pretty brown left over snow. I know that Heide has been keeping up with people on Facebook of all
places. I tried to register, but at 43 years old it wouldn't allow me to subscribe as being too old. The actual phrase was "you're too
old, go and typewrite someone a letter!" So I gave up. Heide has been doing very well and goes to Stanford every Tuesday. Her
activities are limited due to medication that make her drowsy and naps are an essential part of the day. We have been able to get out
a few times which I will detail below.
Next week we will meet with Dr. Gibbs for our 3 month brain check up which has us hopeful of either more improvements or no
change since last December's MRI. Heide continues to get acupuncture treatments twice a week and we've attributed it to her not
getting any of the colds/flu that continuously flow through the house. It is hard to keep healthy with two "germs" running around the
house. Heide's hair is growing back and too her excitement its a new color, a light brown, tannish, silver blend under the light. No one
has seen her real hair color since the 6th grade when she got the "Dorthy Hamill" bell cut, which is the guys version of "Adam Rich's
hair in "8 is enough". Google it.
Our most recent outings have been ice skating and a short weekend with snow sledding at Lake Tahoe. Check out the most recent
photo's. Skating was Rod & Mia Teague's idea which Heide jumped on immediately. She fondly remembered the days of skating
backwards, doing cross over corners, checking out the hockey players, weaving in and out of slower traffic, and listening to loud Night
Ranger's Sister Christian on overhead speakers. Well, those days are long gone and she was with me shuffling robotically
complaining about weak ankles. Genevieve and Ava picked it right up for CA kids. They really didn't need the buckets, but they didn't
want to show off since Jim Bennette had to use them to keep up-right.
Sledding in Tahoe was a lot of fun and thank you to April & Andre Walewski for allowing us to use their cabin "winter palace". We
went up with Cara & Kenneth Demarse and their two girls Addison and Alexa who are Genevieve's and Ava's age. It's funny that it
does not take too much snow to have fun as kids. I tried to teach them the two rules of sledding - 1. when you are done with your ride
look up the hill, because that is the direction the next sled that will hit you is coming. 2. Hold on tightly to the sled when you climb up
the hill, because it will come loose once you are more than half way up. Needless to say Ava got run over and I had to run down the
hill to fetch several loose sleds.
We'd like to acknowledge the following people/school for their contributions and support:
Heide's Message:
Carla Anderson, thank you for your ambitious fund raising while you ran your first marathon. Having done a marathon myself, I know
how llllooooonnnnnggg and painful they can be. Congratulations on every step of your 26.2 mile journey!
Grace Breyley, thank you for sharing the profits from the sales of your beautiful artwork. To see Grace's talent, go to www.Keska.etsy.
com
Many thanks to the students and teachers of Blossom Hill School. Having been the Literacy Teacher for the past 4 years,your support
through the Read- a-Thon is both so touching and impressive. Reading is one of my favorite hobbies. My six year old daughter,
Genevieve, is learning to read and it is so exciting to see the "magic" unfold.
Thank you everyone for your prayers, your constant reminders of your love for Heide and your many ways of support. Next update to
come next week.
- Ric
1/28/09
Dear Friends and Family,
Things are going well. I received chemo today after having to wait two weeks for my white blood cell counts to get high enough. I've
been very blessed in that all the colds and coughs that made their way through our house skipped over me. I think it was the
combination of Chinese herbs, acupuncture, and luck. As you can see from the pictures, we had a wonderful Christmas. Ric's dad
visited from Columbia for a month over the holidays. Genevieve and Ava were lucky to have all 4 grandparents here to spoil them!
One of the highlights were our reindeer hats. All who sat at our Christmas Eve and Christmas dinners were lucky enough to have a
custom reindeer hat waiting at their seat. All made with love by Genevieve, Ava, and Nana. As you can see, Papa John was "thrilled".
We have a new member in our family, a HUGE stuffed Saint Bernard named Clifford given to Genevieve and Ava from their Uncle
Lou. The darn thing even sheds. The girls love to flop on him and sleep on him.
We celebrated Ava's 4th birthday with a carnival themed party in our back yard. We had games, balloon animals by Nana, face
painting by Ric, "pony" rides, a pinata, and everyone was a winner! Ava especially loved playing with all of her buddies.
We hope my healthy streak continues as I've gotten to enjoy outings to the park and San Francisco, picking up the girls from school,
getting together with friends, and yes, even cleaning out closets.
We are forever grateful to all of the meals that have been made for us, all of the rides to my various appointments (as I can't drive
since having the seizure), and the love and prayers being sent.
Love,
Heide new photos
Update 1/1/09
Who's already broken one of their NY's Resolution? I have much to report so I will begin with what Cara wrote in the last update.
Some of Heide's brain tumors have shrunk and the smallest ones have "disappeared". The largest one (Right Front Lobe) is
hollowed out in the MRI images and this is a good sign. The full brain radiation has done its thing and we are expected to see
additional shrinkage, but we are not out of the woods. We will continue to monitor the tumors and treat them with targeted radiation if
they show signs of changing. You can imagine the relief everyone felt hearing this news and this tee'd up a more relaxed Christmas
and festivities.
Christmas was a lot of fun and it started with Christmas Eve Children's Mass at St. Francis Cabrini, which is around the corner from
our house. My brother Lou had stopped by earlier and dropped of the a 5 foot long, 3 foot wide stuffed dog which the girls named
Clifford. This thing is huge, it sheds and will soon be up for sale or free to a new home. Christmas day started in the early morning
with the pitter patter of feeties on the hardwood floors. Genevieve was heard saying that "it was the best Christmas ever". Dinner
included reindeer hats that the girls made a couple of days earlier and everyone had to wear one to get fed. The festivities lasted for
several days and everyone was tired by Saturday night, exhausted. On Sunday morning all was normal - Mary got up and made
coffee, John walked to get the paper, the girls turned on the morning cartoons and Heide was getting breakfast. I just got home from
an early morning golf outing and was sitting reading the paper when Heide called out from the bathroom. When I arrived she was in a
full seizure of both sides of her body and face. While Mary dialed 911, I set Heide on the floor to keep her safe and waited for the
paramedics who arrived very quickly. It felt like several forevers before Heide had regained control and had relaxed. She was able to
talk to the medics, while she was being strapped to the gurney, for our trip to Stanford. At Stanford there were many tests done and
we spoke to Doctor's from Oncology, Neurology, ER & others and the consensus was that their were several inducing factors with
fatigue being the biggest catalyst. She is now on Anti-seizure medicine, and we truly hope it was our one and only seizure she will
have to experience. So our new motto is Good News celebration in moderation and no more 4 day benders.
On Monday we had the CT Scan to learn about the progress to her lungs and bones and we had a meeting on Wednesday (New
Years Eve). We received Great News from Dr. Levy that the scans showed that some of the tumors on her lungs had shrunk in size.
There was improvements from 30% - 50% of tumor shrinkage. This means that Navelbine (Chemo) has had a good effect on
Heide's cancer and we will continue this regiment. This is a relief since we now know the type of chemo that is having good results
for Heide. The scans will continue every three months. We'll continue praying for good news.
I'm writing this on New Years day and thinking.....Goodbye 2008 you will not be missed and hello 2009 and the prospects of
continued good news. We would like to express our love and thanks to everyone for their prayers and support to Heide and our
Family. May the New Year also bring good news and continued good health for you and your family.
- Ric
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Regards,
Ric Medina
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Collective Healing For Heide Medina