Rounds Inspirational Journeys

Well, I have been out of touch for a few days because my happy day took too much out of me and I crashed and burned. So, after three very bad days, I am finally getting back on my feet. Today was a better day, Leslie, Jeff, and the kids came over for lunch and my friends Rose and Haley brought and then shared dinner. These two visits really helped to lift my spirits. Please continue to send me e-mails with updates about you and your families, I know I have not been good about writing back (I have just been too tired), but I love to get updates about how all of you are doing; it is something I really look forward to each day! I wanted to share a new Sweet Pea photo. She is sitting with my mom, but I was not allowed to show her (she hadn't completed her beauty routine yet that morning : ) ). Love to you all. Keep the prayers coming, I really have been needing them! Nancy

Today is a happy day, a joy filled day. Today we got out the Fall decorations, my favorite! Though I am now hurting and exhausted, I can look around and smile at my pumpkins, scarecrows, and oh so sweet witches. It was SO worth it! I hope you all had a happy day too! Nancy

Hello friends! My last entry was kind of a downer, so I thought I would brighten things up by sharing about my special visits this week. Our Aunt Jan came for a visit over the weekend. She lives just outside New York City, so it is always a real treat when she comes. I enjoyed her visit very much! Leslie, Lydia, and Simon stopped over while Aunt Jan was visiting. I always love to see my cute niece and nephew. Lydia was recovering from a bee sting and Simon was into everything (I was informed by Hannah after school that he was not allowed in her room anymore!). My dear friend Ruth came for a visit yesterday and brought a decadent dessert that even I was able to eat. I haven't felt up to her Wednesday visits in several weeks, so it was a true pleasure to get a hug and catch up. I already shared that I ran into my friend Betty at K-Mart. So this has been a very social week for me, a great improvement from my hours of sleeping over the last couple of weeks. The fall weather has been ju...

"My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" In the last few days, Jesus' words from the cross have come to me over and over. How I want to cry out these very same words, even though I know, as Jesus certainly did, that I have not been forsaken; my God is with me always. Our human minds cannot possibly grasp the greatness and perfection of God's plan and often circumstances in our lives seem too difficult to bear, yet we must fight on. I received some discouraging news today. My dear friend Betty has been diagnosed with a brain tumor. Though she is not sure if it is malignant, it is certainly a possibility we must all face. She was kind enough to share this news with me herself, and was so calm and at peace as she told me. Any of you who know Betty realize that she is a true angel on earth and a woman of great faith. Even before our friendship blossomed, she always sent me cards when I was sick or in the hospital. That has been one of her amazing ministries, s...

Hello! I hope you all had a wonderful weekend. I wanted to thank those of you who have contacted us regarding the Buffalo news report about a new device that was used with a man with CF at Women and Children's Hospital in Buffalo (WCHOB). I actually was aware of the Medivent RTX, the doctor who worked to get this technology for the man in Buffalo, Dr. Joseph Cronin, has been my doctor for years. He had contacted Dr. Pilewski regarding this device for me and once it has been approved by the FDA, it may be an option that could assist me while I await transplant. I have attached a video (at the end of the posts) that explains how the RTX works (make sure you pause or stop the music player before you watch the video so you can hear it). I currently use a VEST, which offers a percussive treatment similar to that shown in the video. I want to congratulate Dr. Cronin and the staff at WCHOB on a job well done! He has always been so good at keeping up with all of the newest studies and te...

I am so happy to be able to let you know that I was able to attend Meet the Teacher night at Hannah's school yesterday. Though it took A LOT out of me, it was so worth it! Hannah's new teacher, Mrs. Bowser, seems wonderful. It was obvious she is excited about teaching and makes it fun for the students. We got to see Hannah's locker (4th Graders get their own locker!), her desk, some of the projects she has already completed, like her dream home (boy, I would love to see the price tag to build that creation!), and the brand new playground that we have been hearing tons about. It was also wonderful to see so many familiar and smiling faces from the Portville Community. Everyone seemed genuinely happy to see me and that really made my night! We are so blessed to have a terrific school and community. I hope you have all had a wonderful week and can enjoy a relaxing weekend! Nancy

Hello! Well, I think I am officially all slept out! After sleeping 20 hours on Tuesday, you would have thought I would be energized yesterday, yet I woke up tired and slept even more. I did start the IVs yesterday, and though it may be wishful thinking, I do think I am feeling a little better this morning. This evening is Meet the Teacher night at Hannah's school. I am really hoping to be able to go. Hannah had to make a terrarium that is due this evening at the event. What a great project! She and her friend Taylor had the best time gathering plants, rocks, flowers, leaves, etc. to make their terrariums, then Scott helped them put everything in big plastic containers. I love it when the kids can learn something and have fun doing it! Hopefully I will be able to let you all know what a great time I had meeting Hannah's teacher tomorrow! All my love! Nancy

Hello! It has been a rough day, I am really not feeling very well. I got up at 9:30, did my treatments and ate a little breakfast, then went back to bed at 10:30 and stayed there until 5:45. Luckily, they are going to put me back on IV antibiotics, so I should receive the new supplies tomorrow and hopefully start to feel a little better. Hannah is also sick, so I am trying to keep my distance, as difficult as that is. On a positive note, Jasper and Sweet Pea have finally decided to like each other, hooray! They are so cute sleeping and playing together!

Our Hickory Tree before.... and after. Last night Hurricane Ike BLEW through Western New York. As I lay in bed listening to the wind whipping outside, my heart went out to those in Texas and the South who continue to be hit year after year with these strong hurricanes. Having family and friends in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas, I know the hardships these horrible storms cause. We lost the top of our beautiful Hickory Tree last night in the storm and it was very sad to look out and see the damage this morning. I can only imagine what it must be like to return to a community that has been ravaged by a hurricane or tornado, or to wake up the morning after and realize your home is gone. For those of you in the South, please know my thoughts and prayers are with you and all of your family, friends, and neighbors. No medical news yet...stay tuned. All my love and prayers! Nancy

My new book is in the process of being edited and reviewed , but should be ready for publication soon. For a sneak peek, check it out at my website: http://www.nancyamatthews.com/ .

Hello! We got home from Pittsburgh yesterday afternoon. Between the humidity and the travel, I am shot, but am glad we had another safe trip! I wanted to introduce you to Kelly. She is the nurse coordinator at Dr. Pilewski's office and she has been SO GOOD to me! I have had the good fortune of having wonderful nurse coordinators, like Carol Wood during my Salt Lake days and my good friend Jeanne Smith at Women and Children's Hospital in Buffalo. I don't know if these ladies always get the credit they deserve, but they are the ones who have really kept me going all of these years and they deserve so much thanks and credit for a job WELL DONE! I was hoping to be able to post a picture of Dr. Pilewski , but due to scheduling conflicts, I was only able to see him briefly on Thursday. Hopefully next time I can share his picture with you. I was only able to see Julie for a few minutes yesterday morning before we left. She is hanging in there and it was good to see her and her mo...

Just a quick update. We had our appointment today and I really don't have anything new to report. They took some more blood and got a sputum sample, once those results come back, Dr. Pilewski will decide whether or not to put me back on IVs. I should know more by Monday. May we all take a moment to remember those who died on 9/11. Scott and I were discussing how much has changed since that fateful event. Remember the sense of community, the outpouring of love, and the national pride we all experienced? Cars and homes were flying our American flag and people were proud to call the USA home. It is unfortunate it took such a horrible disaster to make us all realize how lucky we are. With the upcoming Presidential election, it is often difficult to remember, we are not Democrats, Independents, or Republicans, we are Americans , and we need to stay united despite our differences. May God Bless the USA!!!!

In case any of you didn't believe the claims I made in last night's post, my wonderful husband was quick to provide picture proof this morning before he left for work. The following photos, though embarrassing do prove the following things: 1. I sleep A LOT and through just about anything (screaming children, booming thunder, my mom putting away the dishes...) AND 2. Sweet Pea not only adores me, but is my snuggle buddy in bed. I hope this lays to rest any doubts you may have had about my twisting of the truth or exaggerating. : ) Love to you all! Nancy (We all have to try to keep a sense of humor, don't we?) I had to include this cute picture of Hannah taken this morning. She absolutely loves 4th Grade, Hooray!

So many of you have been asking about Sweet Pea, I thought I should certainly give an update. As you can see, she no longer has her lampshade on and her boo boo has healed nicely. Thanks to her, I HAD to get out of the house today to take her for her shots, poor baby; I've never heard her cry like that, it broke my heart! As you can see from the pictures, she is my lap buddy a lot of the time, my bed buddy at night and in the afternoons, and all of the rest of the time a little menace (at least that is what our two boys, Cracker and Jasper, would tell you). But we all love her very much! I continue to sleep A LOT, it just doesn't seem like I can get enough rest. The good news is, I am still infection free and I am going on two weeks without IVs, boy my little body is fighting for all it is worth, GO ME! Although I am looking forward to seeing my friends in Pittsburgh on Thursday, I dread the trip, knowing how much it will take out of me. I am hopeful Dr. Pilewski might have s...

Hello friends, I am so excited to be able to post a video of Hannah dancing. She performed with the Olean Area Irish Dancers over the weekend at the Irish Festival here in town. I did not feel well enough to attend, so Scott took some video with our camera. I had no idea I could actually post this, but started playing and there it was. I hope you enjoy watching her dance as much as I did! I hope you all had a relaxing weekend and are ready for the start of a new week. Don't forget to live well this week, for me, but more for YOU!!! Love you all! Nancy

Hello friends! I have been trying to think of a positive way to explain how I have been feeling this week, but I honestly just don't know how. All I can think about is sleeping, from the moment I wake up until I go to bed at night. I have been trying to make myself stay awake for small stretches during the day, but this has almost become painful. I realize my body needs sleep now in order to maintain the energy to fight on its own, but it is discouraging to sleep each day away, especially when the weather has been just beautiful. I do a lot of praying, especially for others who I know are suffering. This gives me a purpose and a distraction from my own struggles. I would ask each of you to live for me, today, tomorrow, and next week. Enjoy the things you are able to do. Appreciate EVERYTHING, even that trip to the grocery store and cleaning the bathroom. What I wouldn't give to do those things again! Please do not feel sad for me, I am living the life I have been given a...

Hello my friends! As you can see, I have learned a few new blog tricks (adding music and a slide show ). I would love to tell you I did this for all of you, but I really did it for me. I have been VERY tired and could be sleeping all of the time, but have tried to keep myself awake for stretches of time and this was one of the things that kept me busy. I so enjoyed putting together the slide show , and I actually added photos today. I have had such a wonderful life, so far, with so many loving people to share memories with. Watching the pictures go by brought me a lot of joy and peace. I had blood work done yesterday, and my white count, though climbing, is still okay, so we are going to continue to hold on new IV antibiotics. This is good, yet hard on me, because without the IVs to help, my body is fighting so hard it can barely function. We go back to Pittsburgh next week, so hopefully I can at least stay infection free until then. Hannah had a wonderful first two days of sc...

Hannah headed off to her first day of 4th Grade. She seemed very excited this morning when she left for the bus stop. It is hard for me to believe she is in the 4th Grade, time goes too quickly! Yesterday, Scott asked me to go for a ride on his motorcycle with him. I don't remember the last time I rode and honestly didn't feel well enough to go, but knew it would make him happy. I took a pain pill, strapped on my oxygen, and we hit the road. I am so glad I went! It was a beautiful day, there was very little traffic, and we rode on some of the most lovely wooded back roads in our area. I felt so alive. While we were on that bike, all I could do was drink in the wonderful surroundings, feel the wind wash over me, and thank God for all that He has given me. I forgot how sick I have been feeling, how tired, how low, and basked in the glory of the day and the feeling of my husband close by and protective. I never wanted that ride to end. Please, take the time in your own lives to f...