Drew lost his courageous battle to cancer on Wednesday. He will be forever loved and forever missed. Drew fought until the very end and he will always be with us. Thanks to everyone for their kind words of support and love, it means a lot to our family.
We will be a having a memorial service on Monday May 2nd at 10:00 am at Plantation United Methodist Church. The address is 1001 NW 70th Ave., Plantation, Fl. 33313. In lieu of flowers we are asking that donations be made to Ronald McDonald Children's Charities.
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Drew
Unfortunately Drew took a turn for the worst on Sunday and we brought him to the hospital yesterday. His kidney's are shutting down along with a few other problems and things are not looking good. He is going to be in hospice today and it looks like he is losing his battle. Drew has been such a fighter and continues to fight for our family but it is time to let him go. This is the hardest thing I have ever had to do and I love him with all my heart and soul and I don't want him to suffer anymore. I can't believe I am putting this on my blog but it is the only way I know how to let everyone know what is going on. Aubrey and Quinn are coming to see him this afternoon and hopefully he will be able to interact with them somewhat. I am so thankful that we have two beautiful daughters and they will somehow get me through this difficult time. This is so unfair
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
2011
I can remember sitting in the oncologist office on December 21, 2009 when we were told that Drew was had no evidence of disease or "remission". It was a wonderful Christmas present and we were very hopeful for 2010. 2010 started off great, but it was short lived. In February we went on a cruise to the caribbean and had a fabulous time. Looking back I am so grateful we took this trip and that is was just the two of us. It was the last time where things would be care free. During the cruise Drew was having back pain and on the last day of the cruise his stomach was bothering him considerably. I was starting to get nervous that things weren't as good as they seemed, but I didn't want to think about it. In late February we got the news that the cancer was back and I immediately sent all his paperwork to 8 docs who perform the HIPEC procedure. We were hopeful that this procedure was Drew's cure or at least it would give him a year or 2 of being cancer free. Unfortunately the past 10 months have been a rollercoaster. As soon as Drew starts doing well, something else goes wrong and we are 2 steps back again. 2010 hasn't been a good year, but it did bring us Quinn. It is hard to believe I was pregnant during all this chaos and that I gave birth to a beautiful healthy little girl. I have to admit, I am scared as to what 2011 will bring but my daughters give me strength and peace in a time of chaos and uncertainty. We live each day for today and not for tomorrow, we are as positive as possible and take things one day at a time. I hope for a miracle, but I am also thankful for each day and try not to look to far into the future.
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Merry Christmas!
I am happy to report that we had a wonderful Christmas this year and made a lot of great memories. Drew gave me quite a scare two days before Christmas and I thought we were heading to the hospital but somehow he pulled through. Then on Christmas Eve morning he gave me a huge scare and I thought for sure we were headed to the hospital but he was able to pull through again. He even was able to make it to my grandparents for Christmas Eve to celebrate with the family. I know he didn't feel well when he was there, but I think he enjoyed himself and was glad to be there. We woke up Christmas morning and Santa completely spoiled Aubrey. She was so excited about all her presents and the baby slept through the whole thing. Mid-morning we went to my parents to open presents and had a great time. Drew had a rough patch mid-day but luckily it wasn't bad like the previous couple of days. That night Drew's mom came over and brought us dinner along with Drew's stepmom. Aubrey was super excited to get even more presents.
This past week has been very emotional for Drew and I. He had 3 episodes that were horrible and he was in excruating pain. It is so hard to watch him go through it because I can't help him and everything is out of our control. We have done a lot of crying together over the past few days because it really did feel like things were going from bad to worse in just a short time. He has been doing better lately and has spent a lot of quality time with Aubrey playing with her new toys. Drew also has spent a lot ot time with Quinn feeding her and loving her. Today is chemo day and our hope, as always, is that the chemo will help him feel better and take away some of his pain. We always hold on to that glimmer of hope that Drew will be able to wake up one morning and feel like himself again and be able to do whatever he wants to.
This past week has been very emotional for Drew and I. He had 3 episodes that were horrible and he was in excruating pain. It is so hard to watch him go through it because I can't help him and everything is out of our control. We have done a lot of crying together over the past few days because it really did feel like things were going from bad to worse in just a short time. He has been doing better lately and has spent a lot of quality time with Aubrey playing with her new toys. Drew also has spent a lot ot time with Quinn feeding her and loving her. Today is chemo day and our hope, as always, is that the chemo will help him feel better and take away some of his pain. We always hold on to that glimmer of hope that Drew will be able to wake up one morning and feel like himself again and be able to do whatever he wants to.
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
Life with Two Kids
It has been a little over a week now since I have been a mother of two, and so far things have gone much smoother than expected. Every time I say that I am scared that I am going to jinx myself, but Quinn is such a wonderful baby life with two has been good. Quinn sleeps a lot, so that has given me a lot of one on one time with Aubrey and I think it has helped her to adjust. Aubrey also loves being a big sister so whenever Quinn is awake she is all over her wanting to play, hold her, feed her, etc. Quinn has been sleeping all afternoon today so I am a little nervous she will have me up all night, but so far the nights haven't been too bad. She is so different than Aubrey. Aubrey was always ready to play, even at a week old. She rarely napped at this age and was always on the go, it is very strange having a newborn that acts like a newborn. I am grateful my second child is the easy one and not the other way around.
Drew has had a few rough patches over the past few days. He had an adrenaline rush when Quinn was born and went non-stop for 4 days so I think over the weekend he crashed and burned a bit. I am very thankful that he was able to be with me when Quinn was born and that he was able to spend so much time with us at the hospital. Drew loves watching Quinn and of course we think she is just perfect in every way, she is such a blessing. Today has been a very rough day for Drew and we are hoping he will start feeling better this evening and tomorrow, but it has been a bad day. He had a doctor's appt. yesterday that was a little rough and he is feeling the effects of it today. Drew says he is starting to feel better, so my fingers are crossed. We really don't want to be heading to the hospital over the holiday but we will somehow find a way to make it through. When Drew felt so good last week we were hoping it would continue at least through Christmas, hopefully he will come around.
Drew has had a few rough patches over the past few days. He had an adrenaline rush when Quinn was born and went non-stop for 4 days so I think over the weekend he crashed and burned a bit. I am very thankful that he was able to be with me when Quinn was born and that he was able to spend so much time with us at the hospital. Drew loves watching Quinn and of course we think she is just perfect in every way, she is such a blessing. Today has been a very rough day for Drew and we are hoping he will start feeling better this evening and tomorrow, but it has been a bad day. He had a doctor's appt. yesterday that was a little rough and he is feeling the effects of it today. Drew says he is starting to feel better, so my fingers are crossed. We really don't want to be heading to the hospital over the holiday but we will somehow find a way to make it through. When Drew felt so good last week we were hoping it would continue at least through Christmas, hopefully he will come around.
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Baby Quinn is here!
Drew, Aubrey and I are happy to announce the birth of our daughter Quinn Elliot Armstrong. Quinn was born on Monday December 13th at 9:41am. She was 6 lbs 15 oz and 19 in. The birth was fairly easy and the recovery so far has been better than I expected. We gave Quinn her Daddy's middle name (Elliot) because we know she is going to be a strong, brave and courageous person just like Drew.
I had a c-section because I had an emergency c-section with Aubrey and this time around things have gone a lot smoother. Drew was with me during delivery and meeting his daughter brought him to tears. He was able to go with Quinn to the nursery, cut the umbilical cord and introduce her to our parents for the first time. Everyone was overjoyed, especially Aubrey. So far she is very excited to be a big sister. Aubrey came back Monday night to really see her sister for the first time and all she wanted to do was hold her and play with her. It was such a wonderful thing to see. Unfortunately Aubrey was sick over the weekend and is still fighting some sort of cold so she hasn't gotten to see Quinn as much as we would like. Now the goal is to get Aubrey 100% better before Quinn and I come home tomorrow. Quinn seems to be a very calm tranquil baby. She doesn't cry much at all and pretty much just sleeps and eats. She has been a wonderful baby and is truly a blessing. We have had a lot of visitors and so many of people have reached out to us to say congratulations. Thanks to all of you, it means a lot. Drew and I overjoyed to have Quinn here before the holidays and we look forward to bringing her home.
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Thanksgiving
We had a great Thanksgiving this past week and we were all able to enjoy ourselves over the nice long weekend. We usually go to dinner at both my family and Drew's family's, this year we decided to take it easy so we just went to one. We spent the day at Drew's mom's house and had a nice quiet day. Aubrey and I spent the morning making pies and Drew took it easy before we headed out to the festivities, overall Drew had a really good day. Drew's brother was also in town for the week so he helped Drew do some projects around the house and put our Christmas lights up outside.
Aubrey also had a very busy weekend. We visited with lots of family and friends from out of town and she had a blast playing with her cousins and my friend's children. She even went to the Broward County Fair with her grandparents and I think she tired them out more herself.
As always I am very thankful for my family and friends. I honestly don't know how to show my appreciation to all of you. So many people call, text, email all the time just to say "thinking of you" and everyone always offers to help. It means so much to us! Friends bring us dinner, people offer to watch Aubrey, go to the store, etc. and just knowing that there are so many people out there who care gives us comfort. I know I don't take many people up on their offers, I get spoiled with my parents being right here, but I know I can count on you if I need you and we are so lucky to have you. We are also so thankful that we work for family and that we don't have to worry about Drew losing his job or any financial stress. For me, being able to work from home and be home with Drew is a blessing, I don't know how anyone would do this otherwise. If we were still in Orlando, I don't know how we would do this from a job or childcare standpoint, we are very grateful to our family. This Thanksgiving I am very thankful for all of you and my wonderful husband. Drew has been through so much, continues to go through so much, and fights so hard for Aubrey and I. I am so thankful he was able to enjoy Thanksgiving and has had a decent week. Each day he has been able to do a little more and we hope that it continues.
Aubrey also had a very busy weekend. We visited with lots of family and friends from out of town and she had a blast playing with her cousins and my friend's children. She even went to the Broward County Fair with her grandparents and I think she tired them out more herself.
As always I am very thankful for my family and friends. I honestly don't know how to show my appreciation to all of you. So many people call, text, email all the time just to say "thinking of you" and everyone always offers to help. It means so much to us! Friends bring us dinner, people offer to watch Aubrey, go to the store, etc. and just knowing that there are so many people out there who care gives us comfort. I know I don't take many people up on their offers, I get spoiled with my parents being right here, but I know I can count on you if I need you and we are so lucky to have you. We are also so thankful that we work for family and that we don't have to worry about Drew losing his job or any financial stress. For me, being able to work from home and be home with Drew is a blessing, I don't know how anyone would do this otherwise. If we were still in Orlando, I don't know how we would do this from a job or childcare standpoint, we are very grateful to our family. This Thanksgiving I am very thankful for all of you and my wonderful husband. Drew has been through so much, continues to go through so much, and fights so hard for Aubrey and I. I am so thankful he was able to enjoy Thanksgiving and has had a decent week. Each day he has been able to do a little more and we hope that it continues.
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