Trip to Minnesota

     The weekend of May 20th we took a trip back up to Minnesota.  It is always good to visit family and let the kids play together.  The main reason for the trip, however, was that we had a disturbing diagnosis for Mike's mom.  So with the hopes of finding out more of the story we made the drive up there.  Come to find out that what the doctors were expecting to find was that cancer was spread out more in her body, and with that in mind gave her a prognosis of only living a few more months.  With more tests they discovered that it was not as spread out, but there is still cancer in her brain and that it has spread into her bones.  It was probably about three years ago that all of this started.  She was initially diagnosed with Stage III breast cancer.  With radiation, chemotherapy, and eventually surgery the breast cancer was gone but not before it had spread to her brain in the form of two tumors.  Surgeons were able to remove one of the brain tumors but the other was inoperable.  They continue to watch it for growth and spreading which is in part what tipped them off to it spreading into the bones.  Anyway, so there is a little of the back story.  When we got up there and were talking about it, it turns out that it is not as far spread nor immediately terminal like they had thought.  Such good news to hear.  The bad part is that the University of Minnesota implemented a new hospital system and it seems to have created a lot of confusion.  So for now we are at a stand still with how they will treat the cancer.  She may or may not get a port and go through chemotherapy again.  We just have to wait and see.  I was hoping to make another trip up there this summer, but Mike says that he will be doing a lot of travelling for work and it might not make it possible for us.  It looks like for now we will just plan on being up there for Thanksgiving.  But on a much brighter front, this trip did allow us the opportunity to see our newest niece.  She was born back in January, but with Mike's school and work schedule this was the first time we were able to visit her.  She is such a cute little baby.    Oh, and we celebrated Noah's and our nephews birthdays {since they share the same day}.