We're Back!

It's been a busy 6 months! I've been updating Caringbridge for Mom, but not the family blog. Priorities I guess :)

2010 So Far:

January:

Eric took his snowmobiling Trip to Michigan with his Dad (Snowmobiles held up & John got to play on his New sled!) Eric & I had the opportunity to go to Vegas and we went! We got to see A LOT and it worked out that Jamie was already living there! She was able to show us some great eats, drinks, and music! It was a very nice get-away this Winter.

At the end of January, Mom had her double mastectomy. It was a tough road for Mom, but with all the support and prayers that came her way, she survived!! I spent the time with her in the hospital, and the night that Eric decided to stay and keep Mom and I company, he got the stomach flu, which I had to take him home and take care of him then...Oh the preparation for motherhood :)

February:

Eric and I enjoyed some weekends in Mankato and catching up on some cleaning and relaxation.

March:

Eric and I had company! Pamela and Drew came to visit...It's always so nice to have family come and visit, but it makes it harder to say "Goodbye" and not knowing the next time you're going to see them. Hopefully it's sooner than later ;) wink wink.

April:

This was a busy month! I had made many trips home to help with Mom's benefit that our Family and friends were putting on April 17th. One of those weekends that I had made a trip back home, Dad convinced Eric and I to make an addition to our family! His name is Toby. A 3 month old Yorkie! Mia has a new playmate and a little brother! They play all the time and cuddle just as much!

The Benefit was a BIG success!!! I don't think there was one time when I looked at my Mom or Dad and they didn't have a smile on their face. We had some entertainment at the end of the night. Ike & Tina, Donny & Marie, Elvis, Micheal Jackson (Thanks bodyguards!), Girls with their fishing rods!! It was a very very fun night and one that my family will remember forever!

Eric's parents & sister came to visit the weekend after the benefit and helped cheer Eric and I on while we ran a 5k race for Scheels in Mankato. It benefited LEEP-where I used to work and coach Special Olympics. It was a gloomy day and cool out, but perfect weather for running!
May:

Eric went on his annual fishing trip for the Wisconsin opener and brought back some great fish to fry!
While Eric was fishing, I was at the hospital with Mom, as she got her reconstructive surgery. This surgery went well and Mom and I found ourselves bored at the Hospital. We caught up, watched some good movies, and when we needed a laugh, we watched YouTube videos of Will Ferrel. Mom's healing fast and is excited for Perky!!!!

And here we are...already May! Eric and I have many plans this summer to go camping, traveling, and weddings with friends and family. We'll keep you posted!

Xoxo,

Eric, Carrie, Mia & Toby

"Your Gonna Miss This"

"You're gonna miss this, You're gonna want this back, You're gonna wish these days hadn't gone by so fast, These are some good times, So take a good look around, You may not know it now, But you're gonna miss this." Trace Adkins

You never realize how well you had it until those times are gone. This is what Eric and myself are going through right now. We want more, we want to be somewhere else, we want, want,want. But when we look back, all we can think is how we miss "those days". We haven't even lived half of our lives yet, but yet we think we have seen and gone through so much. We only get one life to live and we all need to slow down and enjoy the day. No more living for tomorrow...Carpe Diem! I was looking up the lyrics to make sure I got the Trace Adkins lyrics right and after that song played, Sugarland's "It Happens" lyrics came up. Coincidence?

"Ain't no rhyme or reason, No complicated meaning, Ain't no need to over think it, Let go laughing, Life don't go quite like you planned it, We try so hard to understand it, Irrefutable, indisputable, Fact is, IT HAPPENS"

Matectomy Law

Proposed Mastectomy Law Change (written by a surgeon);

I'll never forget the look in my patients eyes when I had to tell them they had to go home with the drains, new exercises and no breast. I remember begging the doctors to keep these women in the hospital longer, only to hear that they would, but their hands were tied by the insurance companies.

So there I sat with my patient giving them the instructions they needed to take care of themselves, knowing full well they didn't grasp half of what I was saying, because the glazed, hopeless, frightened look spoke louder than the quiet 'Thank you' they muttered.

A mastectomy is when a woman's breast is removed in order to remove cancerous breast cells/tissue. If you know anyone who has had a mastectomy, you may know that there is a lot of discomfort and pain afterwards. Insurance companies are trying to make mastectomies an outpatient procedure. Let's give women the chance to recover properly in the hospital for 2 days after surgery.

This Mastectomy Bill is in Congress now. It takes 2 seconds to do this and is very important. Please take the time and do it really quick! The Breast Cancer Hospitalization Bill is important legislation for all women.

Please send this to everyone in your address book. If there was ever a time when our voices and choices should be heard, this is one of those times. If you're receiving this, it's because I think you will take the 30 seconds to go to vote on this issue and send it on to others you know who will do the same.

There's a bill called the Breast Cancer Patient Protection Act which will require insurance companies to cover a minimum 48-hour hospital stay for patients undergoing a mastectomy. It's about eliminating the 'drive-through mastectomy' where women are forced to go home just a few hours after surgery, against the wishes of their doctor, still groggy from anesthesia and sometimes with drainage tubes still attached.

Lifetime Television has put this bill on their web page with a petition drive to show your support.. Last year over half the House signed on. PLEASE! Sign the petition by clicking on the web site below. You need not give more than your name and zip code number.

http://www.mylifetime.com/community/my-lifetime-commitment/breast-cancer/petition/breast-cancer-petition

Family Times

This weekend my family came down to visit Eric and I in Mankato. Friday night we had some plans to attend a house warming party when I got a call from G-pa, wondering if my parents were on their way down. It was planned that the rents were going to come down on Saturday morning, but now I got skeptical! I called and called my parent's phone but no answer. When I finally got a call back, my Mom was appalled that my g-pa would call and ruin the surprise. My parents arrived in Mankato at 10:30pm Friday. It takes them 3.5 hours to get from Menomonie to Mankato which is only a 2.5 hour drive. ha. I don't care how long it takes them to get here, as long as they make it safely.
Saturday morning we all got up and enjoyed a pancake breakfast and coffee on the deck. Mom & Dad got a taste of some high speed Internet and caught up on their facebooking! It was Eric's idea to take my family to Hazzards bar & grill. There were no daisy dukes but every one enjoyed their food and Mom enjoyed 2 beers! She was good to go for the day :) We then made a stop at the Scheels in the mall where Mom and I purchased matching pink sweatshirts to sport our fight with Breast Cancer.


When we returned home, Mom and I made some delicious chiscabobs while the guys napped. Of course they all woke up once they smelled the food on the grill. It felt great to cook and serve a meal to my family at my house instead of always getting served at their place.


WWE Wrestling was on Saturday night in Mankato. Luke was excited but a little disappointedWWE shows when they are taped and there's much more show then there was on Saturday night. Luke still got to see some great matches. He purchased a program book with some great pictures of his favorite wrestlers and a very big chain "John Cena" necklace. He was very proud of it!
Mom, Dad, & Luke headed out on Sunday around 1:00pm and made it home safely. It's always sad to say goodbye and not know the next time I will see them. But we all went back to life.


Mom has surgery on Wednesday to take some Lymph Nodes out and put in a port for her Chemo treatment. Her set date for Chemo is now August 27th. We are all keeping strong and reading up on certain diets she should be on and how to cope and support her through out this. We have all had such great support so far during this journey and will be holding on to that support through out. Thanks to all!
to since we are used to going to

Life is Like a Box of Chocolates...

So here we are, a family that's fighting Breast Cancer straight on. Mom seems to be down in the dumps each time I talk to her. She's being brave but at the same time expressing nervousness in her voice. I received an envelope in the mail from my mom with a "Mammograms save lives" bracelet and a pink ribbon sticker. At this time I realized I woke up from the dream and life's looking me straight in the eyes. Times like these make you live day by day differently. I never go through a day without the thought of my Mom.
It's the hardest for me right now is to keep living life and going to work every day when I know I should and want to be home in WI. It's only going to get harder. As I have done my whole life, I've envied my Mom and how strong she can be. She's been back to work, camping, and is still planning on coming to Mankato this weekend to visit and have Luke go to WWE with Eric and I. So this weekend will be a great weekend. I will make it a great weekend.

Speed Bump

My Mom, Lori Leohner, found out 2 weeks ago that she has Invasive Lobular Carcinoma (aka Breast Cancer). She has been keeping up on her yearly exams and went in after she noticed one of her breast taking different shape. They performed a biopsy and concluded the diagnosis of Breast Cancer. The Doctors have been conversing and trying to determine if Chemotherapy or Surgery will be the first to do on my Mom. She had an MRI on Monday and an ultrasound today. They determined that the Cancer has not spread into her lymph nodes and/or her Chest Cavity. The tumor that is in my Mom's breast is 5cm big. It is localized so they should be able to remove the breast or shrink the Tumor through Chemo.

As we all know, my Mom is one tough cookie. She has been the rock and glue to my family and everything we have went through already in life. Now it's time for my Dad, Luke, Jamie, Joel, and I to be the strong ones and pay my Mom back. The shock is over and it's time to fight this thing. My Mom is looking forward to uploading skits from Comedians like Dane Cook and some off of Bob & Tom Show to get through the Chemo Treatments. So if anyone has suggestions, please share!

Please keep my Mom and family in your thoughts and prayers while we start this long journey.

Weekends away

The past few weekends we've been in WI camping and visiting family. Last weekend we went Air-boating and camping with Grandma & Grandpa Cotts at the "Bottoms". We made our way to the sandbar that we were going to sit at all day and Grandpa had to take the air-boat back to get something and the darn thing wouldn't start. So with Eric and Grandpa in the middle of the river looking at the boat, they determined the fuel pump went out. So, grandpa takes the cell phone out to call my uncle to bring a pump and grandpa's cell phone was water-logged. He had put the cell phone in his shorts and when he was in the middle of the river it got wet. Grandma heard the news and wasn't too happy. The grandkids all had a good laugh when grandpa took the cell phone apart and laid it on the cooler to dry! All in all we had a great day on the water and in the sun.