Tiffy

2010-04-23T16:55:00.000-07:00

I know it has been forever since I've updated my blog! Sorry about that for all my blog followers.. In the time since I last updated I have been continuing chemo treatments almost every week. But when ever I've had a break I've been fortunate enough to be able to pass the time by going somewhere away from home. I went to St. George and spent time with my friends there and then went again with the fam. We were bad at taking pictures so I don't have any to show. Then my oldest sister Michelle let me go with her and the American Fork High School cheerleaders to their National Competition in California. We got to go to Disney Land and with me in a wheelchair we got to the front of the lines which was awesome:) I definitely recommend it haha. In the middle of my last two treatments my sister Jackie and I decided to go visit one of my other sisters in Arizona for the first time( I've got lots of sisters:)haha) Luckily Kimber and Jackie were good at taking pictures so I actually have proof of our trip! It was about 85-95 degrees the whole time we were there and my goal was to come back the tannest cancer patient at PCMC:) When I told my doctor my goal she said.. "oh so having cancer twice already isn't enough for you yet? Your going to try and get skin cancer too??" haha good point.. so I was really good about wearing sunscreen for the first time in my life haha.. enjoy the pics:)

More Pics

2010-04-23T15:35:00.000-07:00

Latest Update on Treatment..

2009-12-11T15:37:00.001-08:00

I don't have many pictures of treatment so I figure I'll just write a bit to get everyone caught up on whats going on. Treatment has been going good.. no complaining here! I actually was really lucky because over Thanksgiving I had my first week off of chemo to get ready for scans. So since I had a break with nothing to do, I decided to throw a surgery in there haha. On Tuesday before Thanksgiving, I had surgery on my mouth. Lets just say... chemo has a way of screwing up just about everything! The surgery went good and I was even able to eat on Thanksgiving:) I just had and MRI, CT Scan, and PET Scan done this last week and the results from all of them were positive! My doctors can't see anything in them to worry about which is great to hear. This week I just started Irinotechan for my 3rd time. I get this chemo 5 days in a row and its a little bit tougher on me than the usual but its going good so far. The picture of my swollen arms above is from the MRI. The nurse put the I.V. for the contrast on the side of my wrist after 2 other tries in my arm. Once she put it in my wrist she kept shoving the needle in further and further and I could feel her popping the vein. I got in to do the MRI and the guy injected the contrast into the I.V. and it literally brought tears to my eyes. I couldn't figure out what the pain was but by the time I sat through a 45 minute MRI with my arm feeling like it was going to explode I kinda freaked out haha. So we went to get the I.V. out and I looked down at my arm and it was HUGE! The nurse had infiltrated my muscle tissue with the IV contrast! Anyways.. long story short, we won't be going back to that hospital! haha the other pictures are just some random ones. Me, Cam, and Crew are showing the manicans at Forever 21 what we are made of... The smiley face in pills is just the amount of pills I take at one time on a normal day:) I've learned you have to find happiness in small things! love you all!!

Angel's Wedding

2009-12-11T15:31:00.000-08:00

Me and my cousin Mckenzie were bridesmades for our cousin Angel's wedding. This is the first time I put on my wig in a long long time! Mckenzie and I had a little too much fun with the camera as you can see! It was way good to see everyone at the wedding and the temple. Congrats Angel & Kurt!!

Horrible Blogger!

2009-12-11T13:42:00.000-08:00

Well it's official.... I'm a horrible blogger! haha After getting chemo every week and the same things happen, you don't feel the need to keep blogging about it haha... but since Halloween there have been some fun things that happened. I got to go to St. George again to see all my friends and watch the Rebelettes dance:) It was a blast, my family and I feel like it's some dang good medicine for me to get to go down every now and then!! While I was in St. George this last time the only thing stopping me from having a good time was this massive radiation burn! I did radiation for 6 weeks every day and about half way through treatment you could start to tell that it was getting some serious damage to the area. But of course we had to keep going... it started out as a little blister but once it popped the skin just kept peeling back more and more. Everyday I would get radiation another layer of skin would just disinigrate. So in the end it was this massive burn about 6 inches long by 5 inches wide.. and it didn't start getting better till about 2 weeks after I was done with radiation. I was hobbling around like a 95 year old woman for quite sometime! Here are some pics of St. George and the burn. Sorry if the burn pictures are a bit explicit haha parent supervision is advised:)

HALLOWEEN TIME!

2009-11-05T10:53:00.000-08:00

Halloween this year was the bomb haha! I usually don't get all into Halloween but with a bald head I decided to milk it for all its worth:) my brother-in-law Matt is an artist.... ( his blog is on my page.. go check it out!)..... and so I asked him if he would draw a sleeve of tatoos on my HEAD :) It turned out so good that when I went out people actually thought they were real. I had to correct them that they were fake and no I did not shave my head for Halloween haha. My family is so awesome when Halloween comes around because the all dress up.. even my 2 day old niece Jane had her princes costume on:)

ST. GEORGE....:)

2009-11-05T10:34:00.000-08:00

Sooo what happened was I was really sick for like 2 weeks and so they figured out that I needed more blood... Before I got the blood I could not even walk in the hospital without stopping every few steps to sit down. It was amazing to me how weak I got. So the possibility of going to St. George was looking very slim. I got the blood and I literally got up and walked out of the hospital without taking a break. It was so crazy! I also hadn't eaten hardly anything for the whole time I was sick.. and after I got a bit of a threat from my nutritionist (saying she was going to feed me out of a tube if I didn't start eating haha) I decided to give it a try. So long story short I ate a whole Jimmy Johns sandwich hahaha its amazing what a little blood can do!! So since I was feeling great, my mom, me, Michelle, Jackie, and baby Olivia loaded up and drove to St. George for Mallory's wedding, to see all my besties, and to get away ... far away from the hospital:)

Blood, Blood, and More Blood...

2009-11-05T10:21:00.000-08:00

Here are a few pictures of me just loving life while having to get blood transfusions:) I have had 3 so far and more are expected. Me and my mama have to sit in these beautiful blue chairs for about 5 hours, so you can imagine why I get a little upset everytime I find out I have to get another one...I usually handle blood pretty well but there is something about a bag of blood going into you that makes me feel a bit woozy. They usually cover it for me so i don't have to look at it.. but looking at blood is alot better than smelling the nurses food when I'm already trying my hardest not to puke in the first place... oh the joys:)

The Week!

2009-10-02T00:00:00.000-07:00

I don't have pictures to post but I thought I'd tell you all a little bit about my week. From the chemo I got two weeks ago now, my blood counts have taken a serious downfall. I've had to get I.V.s and shots and meds and all that, but the real treat was when they told me I was going to give MYSELF my own shots until my white blood cell count came up.. how could I be so lucky?? haha.. and they weren't kidding. Today I gave myself my 13th shot in a row. My mom has had to help me out a few times because I just can't get myself to jab myself with the needle! Unfortunately along with that, my red blood cell counts nearly diminished too! I was planning on just going in on wednesday for the normal chemo that I get and they called us early the morning of and said I need to come to primary childrens right then to get blood! Man I can't tell you how fun that day was. I think me and my poor mom sat in the hospital for over 9 hours. I kept telling my mom that for the first time I was just pissed off... and to top it off.. the blood made me sicker than I've felt almost this whole time. But the bright thing is that the color came back into my face and I had a bit more energy than before. Its amazing what happens when your blood is dead haha. The next day I went to the IMED in Murry to get needle biopsies... sounds fun right? ... wrong! I didn't realize it was a legit procedure.. hospital gown... sedation.. the whole package. They only knocked me out enough to keep me calm so I clearly remember all 3 of the 8 inch needles that went in my leg.. needles don't normally scare me but that was a bit much for me. I also got all set up for the radiation that I will start next week. I never thought I'd be one to get a tatoo... but I got 5!!! haha (they tatoo little dots on you to line you up to the radiation machine perfectly). They also do that with needles. My home health nurse is so sweet but she can't seem to hit my veins. She pokes me over and over again.. and finally today I told my mom... ENOUGH WITH THE NEEDLES! haha but I know I have much more to come! Anyways it's been a fun and exciting week.. and believe it or not I'm happy to be here! love you all!

2009-09-22T22:28:00.000-07:00

Wayne called me to come over one night to Shave his head bald! I was so nervous because it was my first time bicking someones head.. his life was literally in danger! As soon as we started Wayne's new hair due, Aiden, my 5 year old nephew was sure that he wanted to do it too. And then came Carson to the party so by the end of the night all 4 of us were bald. Brock joined the bald crew the next day and to see more cute pictures go to Michelles blog, her link is on my page.

2009-09-22T21:54:00.000-07:00

Once Kristie started shaving it all off... I started to get a little sad.. so I started singing.. and if you watch the video long enough, you'll hear all my sisters join in with me. Thats what I call love:) We are not very good.. but it is my favorite song, and after we slaughtered it with our amazing voices, it remains a top favorite!!

2009-09-22T21:38:00.000-07:00

HAIR CUTTING TIME!

2009-09-22T20:38:00.000-07:00

I finally decided after many other hair pulling out incidents like my video below that it was time for the hair to go. So my family being the coolest people ever that they are, decided to make a family event out of it haha. We all got together over at Jackie's house and not only shaved my head.. but all the guys went through it with me:) first we cut it into a baby looking haircut... i was sooo not cute ha.. and then onto the MOHAWKS! I definately found my inner punk once I got the haircut I've been too scared to get but always wanted to try. My families sense of humor makes it so much easier for me to keep my own sense of humor up and running through the tough times. Without them, this would be so much harder. I love you guys!!

Kristie's Favorite Looks

2009-09-10T20:45:00.000-07:00

Wigs, Hats & Scarves!

2009-09-10T20:32:00.000-07:00

Well if I've learned anything, it would be that theres a first time for everything. I never pictured myself actually going wig shopping or looking for hats and scarves to cover up my bald head.. But as usual, life never goes as planned. So here I am documenting my experiences. First we hit up the wig shop, and if I was worried before we got there, it was nothing to how worried I was once we finished. At the first wig shop I tired on everything... red wig. long wig.. short wig... blond wig.. and NOTHIN! I did finally find a cute wig at a different store that you will see me in from now on so i'm not going to ruin the surprise by posting pictures ;) My next experience was with my too fabulous sisters and my mother. We hit up about every hat and scarf store in the mall and these were the best we could come up with! haha jk not for reals.. but like the wig, those are a surprise:)

This was performed on SYTYCD right after I found out I had cancer.. I can't watch it without crying!! Its dedicated to people struggling with cancer!

2009-09-09T22:32:00.001-07:00

Apparently this is normal... :(

2009-09-09T22:08:00.000-07:00

I don't recommend you try this at home.. its quite disturbing, even when your expecting it!

Hospital Time!

2009-09-09T21:08:00.000-07:00

As soon and my doctors at Primary Childrens Hospital got a better grasp on what was going on, they decided to start me on a "high risk protocol".. this meant 54 weeks of chemo, and Radiation starting at 20 weeks. The drugs they planned to use were really strong and have major long term side effects. This was scary to me, but like the side effects I obtained from the first time around, you just learned to work around them and live your life the best you can. I went in on Friday, August 21st for surgery to get a port put in my blood stream, which is where the chemo and all my drugs are put into my system. During surgery they performed a bone marrow biopsy, and if I have one thing to say about it, it is- i'm so sorry if you ever have to have one! haha.. Right after surgery I was admitted for a possible 5 day stay in the hospital where I recieved my first 5 rounds of chemo. I didn't know what to expect and I don't remember a whole lot, but I do know that the minute the chemo was in my body, my entire stomach jumped to my throat and it was all I could do to not throw up and that feeling hasn't quite gone away yet 2 weeks later. The hospital stay wasn't as bad as I worked it up to be in my mind, but thats because I had amazing family and friend visitors and my mama didn't ever leave my side! I had awesome nurses that taught me all about how to handle cancer and take care of my port and my nutrition plan. The most amazing part about it all is that I have some of the same doctors and nurses that treated me 20 years ago! I love Primary Childrens, if I have to be anywhere, I would choose to be there. Since I came home from the hospital I've had 2 more chemo treatments. There really is no way to descibe how chemo drugs make you feel, so I'm not going to try, but those of you that have had it.. you know... IT SUCKS! haha but the constant support, love, prayers, and visits that I get help to make it through. My mom always says to me, you just have to take life one day at a time, and thats just what I'm doing:)

How it all started...

2009-09-09T20:27:00.000-07:00

Well as many of you know I had Rhabdomyosarcoma cancer as a 5 1/2 month old baby. I went through chemo and radiation at that time and they considered it completely cured. I had checkup for the following 15 years and still no sign of it. Then 20 years later, I was at home in P.G. going to school at UVU but about to return to Dixie State. I felt a lump the size of a marble on the front of my hip and with my history we were quick to get it checked. We were told it was a swollen lymph gland and that it wasn't threatening. When I moved back to Dixie the thing just kept growing and growing and to be honest I was a little freaked out. It wasn't until I was dancing one night for Misty's Adult Company and rolled over the top of it and thought i POPPED whatever it was, that I decided it probably wasn't normal to have a lump the size of a golf ball on my hip. I went home the next day and had an ultra sound and then went back to Dixie because I had alot to do. I was teaching the Snow Canyon Drill Team when my nurse called me and told me it was a possibility of cancer again. I'll be honest, I didn't take it seriously, so instead of going home immediately and getting it removed I went to Rebelette Camp in California with all my best friends! I'm so happy I got to go because it was my last time dancing.. I'd imagine for quite awhile. Once I got home, the doctors knew it wasn't something to mess around with right away and they moved very quickly. Within a day of meeting my surgeon I got the tumor removed and the next week was filled with hours at the hospital getting every test you can think of done. They knew right away that we were dealing with Rhabdomyosarcoma again. My doctors were completely baffled at my case because they don't believe that this is a re-occurence of the first time. The odds of me getting a rare childs cancer twice, and it coming back in an adults body is almost unheard of. Rhabdo is also a tumor of the muscle, and amazingly enough it found its way into my lymph node. Also they were questioning treatment because I'm not the typical cancer patient. I have heart problems and other issues from the chemo and radiation 20 years ago that make it really difficult for them to treat me like a first time cancer patient. It took a few weeks, that felt like years, of waiting to finally figure out what was going to happen. The whole time I was just thinking NO WAY! This can't be for real, but at the same time it never really hit me till later in my journey that it was for real. So there it is, thats how it all started! My friends and family have been amazing. My mom is amazing, it was pretty hard for her in the beginning to think about going through this a second time, but she is really just an amazing person! I love you all!

Saying Goodbye For Now..

2009-09-09T15:11:00.000-07:00

The hardest part about all of this cancer stuff is having to move home from Dixie. I have amazing friends there! The slide show below shows only a few of them. One of the hardest parts about leaving was saying goodbye to Super Steppers and Misty. I have learned so much from her, she is amazing! At the performance I lucky to run into Heather who has taught me in dance for the past two years. I was so lucky to be able to see the Super Stepper girls perform for one last time before I moved back! Thanks for everything, you guys are amazing!

2009-09-09T14:25:00.000-07:00

Dance for Tiff!!

2009-09-01T12:58:00.001-07:00

Good Quote!!

2009-09-01T12:35:00.000-07:00

The most important thing in illness is never to lose heart. ~Nikolai Lenin

Tiff we know you'll never lose heart cause you have so much to give:)

Cancer Awareness

2009-09-01T12:33:00.000-07:00

Cancer has stricken nearly every family in one way or another. Our talented amazing teacher Tiffanie Shoell, was recently diagnosed with Rhabdomyosarcoma, which is a type of aggressive cancer. She had surgery this past month to remove the tumor they found, but she will be receiving chemotherapy for the next year. Tiffanie was a big part of the dance community in St. George & especially here with the Super Steppers. Throughout the year we will be honoring her and remembering the many who struggle with this vicious disease, on a daily basis, by paying tribute to them in various events. We hope that you will keep Tiffanie & the many cancer patients fighting with her, in your thoughts throughout this challenging time. We have also created a support blog for Tiffanie and would love for you to keep up with her progress on her blog or her website