I am a Disabled American Veteran from the Air Force.  I was an aircrew member on AWACS for 4 years and then worked at Malcolm Grow Medical Center for 2 years, and I was blessed to admit our POW's, while I was pregnant with Christopher (now 18) .  My enlistment was up a few months before Joshua was born  (he was 16 years old, last year - passed on September 18, 2008 after 3 years of healing opportunities with cancer.  I had a great desire to be with my children, after serving my country for 6 years.  As I was getting out of the Air Force I noticed a huge lump, which later proved to be breast cancer stage 3A, while I was still pregnant with Joshua.  I had 2 sessions of chemo, while pregnant with him.  Then, 5 weeks before he was due, we induced labor (for 3 days), so he would not have to go through another session.  He was thin (6 lb 1 oz -Christopher went full term and was 7 lbs 3.6 oz), had not put on body fat, but was healthy.  A few months after his birth I had a double mastectomy, and finished chemotherapy.

Fast forward 12 years (in those years between I changed my diet, used food and herb to cleanse and purify my body, took a course on Micorcosmic Science, and learned so much from the Saint Germain Series of books, which continuously nourish my mind & soul today, Maryanne Williamson, Bernie Siegle, Dr. Wayne Dyer, & recently, Echart Tolle and more.)  When Christopher was 13 he was diagnosed with Osteosarcoma (Bone Cancer) in his left humerus, and metastasis in the lungs.  We were in Maryland at the time, and the doc there only solution was to amputate his whole arm.  I refused to let him do it, & by the Grace of God we were led to Vanderbilt Children's Hospital and the doctor there offered a donor bone option which has been a miracle for him to this day:-)  When we were still in Maryland, he would have chemo hospitalizations for a week at at time, my friend Marjay would take care of Joshua when I stayed with Christopher.  Christopher had a bi-lateral thoracodmy (the equivalent of half a lung removed from each lung) the day before Thanksgiving 2004.
We moved to TN in February of 2005 where he continued his treatments had the bone replaced.

In May of 2005, 8 months after Christopher was diagnosed, Joshua was diagnosed with the same type of cancer, but in his femur.  He stared chemo therapy, and had surgery to replace the femur.
As they were both going through chemotherapy and surgeries, the stress of it all, not sleeping & eating horribly, I had a recurrence of the breast cancer & had to have surgery to remove it.

I was always with them when they were hospitalized, and learned many ways to assit with nausea, pain etc and would bring food they could eat etc.  Sometimes they were hospitalized at the same time.   The boys were the cover story on the Vanderbilt Children's Hospital's publication "...On Their Way"  winter 2006  They are the cover photo & 1st story "Family Ties"  http://www.vanderbiltchildrens.org/interior.php?mid=2799

In May of 2007 I had a reoccurrence because of distress trying to get a divorces, and horrible things don't wish to go into.

A few months later Joshua had a recurrence of the cancer, this time in the soft tissue of the upper, inner left thigh. He had surgery to have another  med-port implanted & started chemotherapy again.  During the the first hospitalization, I could tell the chemo would  kill his physical body faster than the cancer would and I took him to a Doc in PA.  I didn't have the money to do that.  I had been living within our means, using a credit card to pay the bills and every month when I got my disability from the Air Force I would pay the card off, and repeat each month.
Long story short on that is  that credit card got up to its limit from traveling to the doc, supplements everything needed Joshua. I had to get 2 other credit cards to keep us going, and paying as much as I could on each one.  The major one at that time was close to it's 12,000.00 limit, the other to their limits too.  2 months ago the $12,000. one assessed a $400.00 finance charge, which took it $300 over the limit, & reported to credit bureau ( I had great credit until that point) and within the last 2 months has charged me close to $1,00.00 in finance & other fees.  My my other credit card company saw the report, even though I had been current with them, took my limit from $3,200.00 to $2,300, so now I have pay the difference or start getting charged fees.  My goal is to have everything paid in full, in advance today and forever & do everything on a cash basis :-)

Joshua went though so much and in April 2008 around his 16th birthday, 6 months before he passed on, had to have his left pelvis and leg amputated.

In August of that year (2008), after 2 years in remission,  Christopher had  a recurrence of the bone  cancer in his left femur & started chemotherapy, again.  In December, a little over 2 months after his brother passed on, he had the lower half of his femur bone removed as well as the top part of his tibia and had a Mega Endoprosthesis implanted. and in the months that followed, had recovery and rehabilitation & chemotherapy.

I had a recurrence of the breast cancer before Joshua passed, but couldn't get it checked until February of the next year (this year, 2009)  because of taking care of Joshua and then then everything after he passed on, then Christopher's surgery etc

In Feb of this year I had the cancer removed & scans on my birthday, showed the cancer had metastasized to my sternum.
Scans done 2 weeks ago (September 2009) show that it still seems to be in my sternum and has metastasized to my T-9 vertebrae.

I have been trying to take care of my self, haven't' had the time, energy or money to pursue the divorce (been separated for 2 years) and am the sole support my family, of now, Christopher & myself.

My "bliss" is capturing magical moments, through nature photography. It puts me "in the moment", bringing healing, peace, joy & centering me. I get even greater joy when I am able share that feeling with others, through my photos. I have been doing what I can to have this as in income stream. www.photoenlightenment.com        I have also been a associate with Prepaid Legal & ID Theft Protection & Restoration services since 2001, www.blastofftowealthnow.com  and would really love to get that going, but concentrating on healing and taking care of us has to take precedence - and really don't seem to have the energy to do much of anything at this moment in time, dealing with pain and a lot of other things.

I am so grateful, every day, for both my boys, that I was privileged to be Joshua mom, even if only for a little while, and that Christopher is still here and such a wonderful, amazing young man. I thank God for every moment :-)

Teresa Rose
615-720-2646

  iamopulence@gmail.com

This is what I did, the first 4 years, when I was in the Air Force... http://www.af.mil/information/factsheets/factsheet_print.asp?fsID=98&page=1

• Master of Pharmacy;
• Doctor of Science;
• Doctor of Medicine;
• Professor of Medical Chemistry and Pharmacy at Montpellier;
• Fellow and Professor of Physics and Toxicology — Strasbourg Higher School of Pharmacy;
• Professor of Chemistry at Strasbourg;
• Professor of Biological Chemistry and Dean of Faculty of Medicine of Lille;
• Chevalier of the Legion of Honour;
• Commander of the Rose of Brazil

Joshua, me and Christopher in 2005

 The following is a letter read to the TN  representatives in D.C. Feb 2009...

Christopher Corey, who recently turned18 years old, in September of 2004, at age 13 was diagnosed with osteosarcoma in his left humerus, which soon metastasized to his lungs.  Two months after the initial diagnosis he had a bilateral thoracodomy (the equivalent of half a lung was removed from each lung).  Four months later he had a resection of his humerus (a donor bone replaced his bone).  After over a year of surgeries and chemo treatments he was declared to be in remission.  He began his Tae Kwon Do studies again, and had gotten back to the rank of purple belt, and two and a half years after being declared cancer free and in remission, had a recurrence of the osteosarcoma in his left femur, close to the knee.  He started chemo again and a few months later had the lower half of his femur removed and a Mega Endoprosthesis implanted into femur and tibia of his left leg (God bless Dr. Herbert Schwartz).  He has been undergoing aggressive physical therapy is still has 6 more months of chemo planned.  He has always met these healing opportunities with a powerful inner strength, dignity and love for others, and is a strong, and wonderful individual.

Eight months after Christopher's initial diagnosis, his brother Joshua, a year younger than he, was diagnosed with osteosarcoma in his left femur.  So at this point both boys were undergoing surgeries and chemotherapy treatments, which entailed hospitalizations for each treatment.  Joshua had a resection of his whole femur (replaced with a donor bone).  He underwent a lot of physical therapy and, thereafter, walked with a limp.  His desire, during that process, was just to be able to ride a bike again.  About a year later he had recurrence of the cancer, not in the bone, but the soft issue around the donor bone and had to start using crutches again, .  He had started chemo therapy again, but we could soon tell, the chemo and it's side effects would kill his physical body quicker than the cancer, and searched for other forms of care for over a year.  Five months before he passed on, he had a hemipelvectomy (his left pelvis and leg removed). Joshua was a budding artist, and a very loving person, who deeply cared for others and made people happy, just by being in their presence.  He had dreams of growing up, getting married and having children.

I am the mother of these two extraordinary individuals, Christopher still here, and Joshua who passed on four months ago, September  18, 2008, at age 16, after a courageous 3 year battle. I had breast cancer when I was pregnant with Joshua, and then, 13 years later when they both were in the midst of their healing opportunities I had a recurrence as well, and surgery to remove it.

We hope for more funding for research, and when those dollars are used to, expand the search for the cure; to include the rest of the world, see what is working everywhere else and incorporate those things into the great things which are discovered here. I write this to you, today, so that a brother, mother or other loved one doesn't have to cry because they miss the one who has gone on, so that mothers and fathers may be around to enjoy their grandchildren, and their children, and so everyone can enjoy their time here and contribute to a better world :-)

We put drugs of which we know little, into bodies of which we know less, to cure diseases of which we know nothing at all --Voltaire--

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I got a call from my local doctor, as I was sitting with Christopher, (Feb 4, 2009), when he was getting his chemotherapy), it seems as though I  have had a recurrence of the breast cancer (it was there before August 08 (the year and half before that  I was mostly on my own, taking care of Joshua's getting him to doctors and people who could work with him, getting him supplements and traveling across  states to pursue those things, and taking care of Christopher too (which still have my credit cards max out).   After August 08, Joshua required full time care & at that point & until he passed on September 18th 2008, we had hospice with us)

The cancer that was in my chest wall seemed to be localized and small, so that was good .  I had that removed at the CTCA in Zion IL, where, through scans, they found that it seems the cancer  went into my sternum .  So lots and love, healing energy, and prayers will be lovely and so appreciated! - just been so busy and with all that's gone on, a bit challenging to take care of myself too :-)

I'm working on it

- now working on the situation with my sternum, and with Christopher's needs:-) I am grateful for all I have learned thus far and hope to actually implement a lot of it.

FYI: 

This photo was taken 5 months after the hemi-pelvectomy surgery,  just a few days before Joshua seemed to be to week to leave the chair, then the bed.
Mr Turner, a black belt from Franklin Tae Kwon Do, and our neighbor, noticed that Joshua did not have his yellow belt in the collection that he had earned - got lost in the move.  So Mr Turner, gave Joshua his yellow belt to add to his wall of belts.
Thank you Mr Turner :-) 

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This photo was taken in May of 2004 - Joshua kicking and Christopher sitting :-)...

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Hola!

Okay, so I'm learning Spanish with Christopher right now, so I know a little bit more Spanish than that, and am grateful to have wonderful friends who are patient and let me practice on them :-)

I've written something about my experience with breast cancer,  You can read it, & hopefully benefit from some of the other websites links here at http://www.makingpeacewithdestiny.com/myexperiencewithbca.htm

I am so grateful for every moment we (my family - and our precious friends ) spend together.

I hope to assist others with all the things I've learned over the past 16 years

You may share this with anyone you feel would benefit, now or in the future :-)

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 Joshua, before surgery

April, 2008

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Joshua at his 16th birthday party ( June 5,2008 - finally, a party - after 2 years) after eating ice cream without a spoon (his had dropped to the floor :-)

(His birthday is April 25th)

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May 20, 2008

 Mr. Gregory and Joshua   Joshua's "leg through the table" trick

 

http://www.makingpeacewithdestiny.com/franklintaekwondo.htm 

 

 

   Cara's graduation party :-)

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Christopher at tournament :-) 

photo by 

 Nelson Vieira

 

   

                             Joshua took the above photo 

 

Photo by Amanda :-) 

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People ask how they can help;

There is an interactive, online calendar, that if you'd like to assist us in the following or other ways, you can go to: http://www.livestrong.lotsahelpinghands.com/c/604772/calendar/view/event/id/806817/?z=/y/2008/m/5/d/29/

 

(this is a great thing to do for someone in a situation, similar to ours)

We can use assistance every day of the week, except Friday :-)

We can always use help juicing  We usually juice carrots and apples!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (if possible 3 times a week)
Publix has 20 lb. of Organic carrots for $16 or $17, and 3-5 lb bags of apples (pinkish gold ones)

Assist in cooking, chopping, food preparation.

Also if anyone is at the store (Whole Foods, Kroger, Pubix etc.) or knows they will be going that day and can call me,  It is a great help if they can pick things up for us & I can reimburse them when they get here.

If anyone would like to assist by cleaning any part of the house, or folding towels and laundry, vacuuming, sweeping etc.

Teens coming over to watch movies, or play the wii, play board games, sit on the deck or play basketball outside, with Joshua :-)

Can use assistance unpacking boxes, putting books on shelves ( and organizing the ones already up :-)

       If anyone compost their veggies etc, and can pick up mine, anytime, that would take that off of my concerns and out of my freezer :-)

 

 If you are able to bring a meal over, that is always a welcome sight. We have a Vegan Vegetarians (no dairy or eggs) diet and the boys do not like onions, garlic nor asparagus- Christopher doesn't like bell peppers and Joshua squash.

 

MacroMobileMeals can also be ordered form the Ki of Life Center in Franklin,TN  ((615) 646- 2841 ex 2)for Tuesdays & Thursdays. (they also deliver it :-)

 

You may click on the donate button, if you'd like to assist with all I've had to get for Joshua in his alternative / integrative healing, over the last year, and other things I am still doing and getting for him:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Thank you :-)

*

Thank you :-):-)

 

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                                            A Year of Great Transition

This seemed to be a year of great transition for our family

To see photos of the kids during this time go to:  http://www.makingpeacewithdestiny.com/beforejoshuasdiagnosis.htm