quick update

This is gonna be short, but loaded. Sean has had his biopsy turned brain surgery and is recovering amazingly. The doctors determined that it was scar tissue from the radiation Sean had years ago that was acting up, so rather than performing just the biopsy, they removed 80% of the effected tissue in the cerebellum. He is doing awesome and came home today after surgery on Monday.

In other news, my beloved grandmother passed away yesterday morning. She was at peace and my grandfather and my dad were there with her. We spent the whole day together as a family, and it was quite a nice day, reflecting and remembering how wonderful she was.

This morning we received word that my grandmother's sister, who has been fighting illness for about two years, passed away also. They were very close and we like to think that they are somewhere together having a drink and playing cards!

I also started school on Monday, and quickly got kicked out by my fantastic teammates yesterday when they heard about my grandmother. They have taken my class and split them among themselves for the remainder of the week so that I can tend to family matters. I could not ask for more caring and wonderful individuals to spend my days with.

SO needless to say it has been a busy week and will be an even busier and emotional weekend. But we are managing quite well. But for now I am off to spend time with my amazing husband whom I haave missed very much this week.

mixed news

Today Sean had an appointment with NIH. The news we received was mixed. On the less sunny side of things, there is more growth in the usual spot in the brain stem and there is a new, unclaimed spot on the cerebellum...which leads to the good news, strangely enough. The good news is that the doctors may be able to perform a biopsy because the new spot is close enough to the surface. This is something that Sean was never able to have before so all of his diagnosis and treatment to this point has been almost guesswork. This biopsy could open many doors to new treatments and a lot more information about what's actually going on in that head of his. So his docs at NIH will be reviewing the case with the top two neurosurgeons next week and we should know mid-week if they will be able to perform the biopsy and when. We are definitely looking forward to that.

new little emery

We officially have a new addition to the Emery clan! This is Nicholas James, born August 8th! Terry and Judy, my aunt and uncle, have been waiting to adopt a baby for a while now and their baby has finally arrived. My uncle is still in Ohio with the baby waiting for paperwork to be processed and they will be home this weekend! Nicholas is the first baby in the family since my sister Courtney, who is now 11 years old. Everyone is super-excited and cannot wait to meet the little guy!

more photos from the weekend

photos from the weekend

another one bites the dust

Sean's brother Conlon was finally taken off the market this past Saturday! He and Tracy Ann were married in Montauk, NY in a beautiful secluded location surrounded by family. We were fortunate enough to be able to join in the festivities and had a great time. Tracy Ann was a lovely bride and Conlon, Sean, Brian, and Tracy Ann's brother Robert were all decked out in uniform. We finally got to meet Tracy Ann's mother and brother, who are wonderful! It was a warm, but fantastic weekend. The kids got to dress up in costume for the wedding, so we were joined by a pirate David and Princess Emma. They looked great and had a very good time.

This week for us, looks somewhat uneventful (thank God). I will be getting ready for school with a few meetings and hopefully some time in my classroom. Sean will be relaxing after a few busy weeks.

An update on Grandmom: she had her biopsy, bloodwork, and CAT scan last week and according to the scan the tumor is not decreasing in size, and is possibly larger, despite the fact that the swelling in the leg has gone down and she is feeling okay. They are having another family meeting with the doctor tomorrow so hopefully we will have more information and a plan by tomorrow evening.

same, same

This week everything has been pretty stable here at home. We are preparing for the weekend, our trip to East Hampton for Conlon's wedding! So we have spent the few days that we have been home running errands and trying to re-coop. Sean had an oncology appt. Monday to check out some of the exhaustion and low-energy issues he was having on the trip. His doctor put him back on low-dose steroids for a short period of time. They have since made a big difference, thankfully, and he is feeling much better now.

It has been around 100 degrees all week and I am looking forward to fall's cool weather more and more everyday! Hopefully this weekend it will be a little cooler and more pleasant.

I will be heading into my classroom next week when we come back from NY. Yay! I did some shopping for my room this week at Learning How and got to spend some of the gift certificates I have been holding on to. Super excited about starting, and a little nervous and anxious. But more excited, I think.

Just a quick update on my grandmother: The swelling in her leg (which was caused by a bloodclot caused by the tumor) is completely gone and the leg is back to its normal size. She is also walking around the room with no help and without using the walker. So she had a cat-scan today, which I am not sure if they found out anything from, and she has the biopsy on Friday, which should be very telling. So continue sending prayers and good thoughts, the entire family appreciates all of the support we have received. Thank you all.