Viola (Backstrom) Reardon: 12/28/2006; 11:00 PM E.S.T.

Deb's brother Jimmy has posted this note on the passing of their grandmother, Viola on December 27th, 2006.

Amy and Brian were honored to have Viola attend their wedding in September 2005, where she thoroughly enjoyed herself and danced with everyone especially Deb and her family. We send them all our deepest sympathies on the passing of this remarkable and wonderful woman.

Requiescat in Pace.

Hi Folks, This is Debbie's brother, Jimmy. I just wanted to add some detail to the passing of our grandmother. I've included her obituary, below, so that those who knew her can have the opportunity to pay their respects. Thanks again for all the support!

Viola (Backstrom) Reardon
Visitation: Tuesday, January 2, 2007, 5-8 PM Service: Wednesday, January 3, 2007, 10:00 AM At: Dahlborg-MacNevin Funeral Home, Brockton, MA.

Viola (Backstrom) Reardon aged 94 years of Mattapoisett, MA died Wednesday, December 27, 2006 at St. Luke’s Hospital in New Bedford, MA after a brief illness. She was the wife of the late Stuart F. Reardon. Born Thursday, August 15, 1912 in Brockton, MA. She was the daughter of the late Charles Backstrom and the late Anna (Johansen) Backstrom. Viola was educated in Brockton Schools and had lived in Brockton until moving to Mattapoisett 25 years ago. She was an active member and volunteer at the Mattapoisett COA and is a member of the First Evangelical Lutheran Church in Brockton. She is survived by two sons Robert S. Reardon and his wife Elizabeth of Marion, MA and Bruce M. Reardon of Mattapoisett; four grandchildren Daniel R. Reardon, Amy R. Doherty, Deborah L. Reardon and James S. Reardon; 6 great-grandchildren; a sister Lynnea Worral of FL; a niece and a nephew. She was also the sister of the late Hilma Nieminem, Olympia Dodd, Lillian Smith , Elizabeth Littlefield and Axel Backstrom. A funeral service will be held on Wednesday, January 3, 2007 at 10:00 AM in the Dahlborg-MacNevin Funeral Home, 647 Main St. Brockton, MA. Interment will follow in Melrose Cemetery in Brockton. Visitation will take place on Tuesday, January 2, 2007 from 5-8 PM in the Dahlborg-MacNevin Funeral Home, 647 Main St. Brockton, MA. Arrangements are by the Dahlborg-MacNevin Funeral Home, 647 Main St. Brockton, MA

Deb Update: 12/28/2006; 2:00 PM E.S.T.

I hope everyone had a great holiday and has some nice plans for New Years Eve! My dad and I spent Christmas Eve at my CA parents' house (the Gilfillans). It was a really nice time, great food and of course we played Uno (I'm hooked since I was playing that often while I was in the hospital!). On Christmas day my stepbrother Cliff and his wife Christina came over and we had a nice time... good conversations and food!

Last week was tough for nausea (and sometimes vomiting) but I finally decided that I would stop taking the Kytril (the anti-nausea pill) since it didn't seem to stop the throwing up or nausea! So, since each day was different I have tried to come up with the possible reason that I had nausea... interestingly enough I came up with a reason that my radiation oncologist agreed with: eating too much food for dinner the night before, I can have major nausea in the next day after chemo and breakfast! So, as you can imagine, since I had been eating holiday food/major meals, that probably made me have my morning nausea! So, I basically have started grazing all day and have not had any nausea for the past 3 days... YEAH!!!

I just took Day 15 of my chemotherapy so I'm now on week 3... I basically don't have any major side effects (now that I am eating correctly) which is good. I guess each week may be different as I get more into the treatment but my hope is that nausea doesn't come back! Basically it may be my fatigue and energy that may get decreased...but maybe I will look normal to the doctors since they don't know that my energy is 3 times the normal person!

I am also on week 3 of radiation therapy as well. I meet with Dr. Ahn (radiation oncologist) once per week to talk about how I'm doing as we are deeper into the treatment. Interestingly enough we met yesterday and I learned that I could still eat major sized meals for dinner! Here's the way to do it in his opinion: Have the Kytril one hour before the night meal and also take it before the chemo in the morning. So, on New Years Eve, I may just try that since it's a good night to eat!!! Stay tuned... Another interesting topic that we talked about was hair loss due to the radiation. He asked if I had that, I said "NO" and he was happy... his concern is that it may happen because my dose of radiation is very intense (most likely because I'm young and can handle it). I was thrilled that I am doing that right too..... until last night! I was starting to feel some soreness on my scalp in a few areas (behind and below both ears near my neck and also just above my left ear near the scar). It basically feels like it used to feel when I had my hair/head french braided! BUT........ I started to touch is and rub it and I had quite a few pieces of hair come out into my hand! Ugghhh.... I'm hoping that the hair loss stays in that area only. Stay tuned...

So, I am wondering if any of you think I may look good in a mohawk if I lose lots of side head hair!? I'm not thinking so, but I guess it'd be good out here since it's not as cold as Connecticut!

Another tough thing that has happened since I wrote the last list is that my Gram passed away yesterday. She was 94 years old and was an amazing grandma (my father's mother)! She had been having dialysis for about a year but was doing pretty well for her age. Unfortunately she had a major stroke on Dec 24th morning/afternoon and her left side was affected. She was put in the hospital and was not in any pain but was having a difficult time talking due to the stroke as well. Yesterday she passed away in her sleep which is what she always hoped would happen since it is a peaceful way to pass on.

On a positive note... my friend Al is here from Connecticut since my dad has gone home. Dad was done with his 6 week visit so it's nice for him to head home. So far Al has made the living room ottoman that I was going to make and now asks what else is on his list of things he can do for me! The worst part is I have put "paint my bedroom furniture" on the list.... that's a major list item!!! He has always helped me paint stuff in my CT house so I am confident that it's not that bad :-) I'm hoping that the Feng Shui lady will like the paint job that he does! She'll be back as soon as I finish the list of things she wanted me to change so that she can finish Feng Shui-ing the house...stay tuned.

Here's hoping that 2007 is a good year! I wish you all a wonderful New Years Eve.... my plan is to go to Disneyland here in CA (if I'm feeling good...) so I'll probably have some good stories after that if it happens. From the bottom of my heart, thank-you all for your continued support... it's truly amazing and helpful to me!

Debbie

Deb’s Update: December 20, 2006 8:15 AM P.S.T.

So far this week Monday has been awful! I was basically vomiting and wasn't able to eat or even drink anything. That sucked! So, I pretty much laid on the couch, slept and watched HGTV all day. You know me, I love to watch that channel with the house stuff in case I need to learn how to do something to MY house!!! I know, I need to relax and not try to come up with the next plan of what to do in the house, but you know me, I can't give up!

Tuesday was okay. I had an appointment with the surgeon at Cedar Sinai for a follow-up and hopefully a removal of the two stitches they put back on the top of my head for the scar. The scar wasn't that good looking when they took the staples off so they stitched it back up. Of course they say I am allowed to wash it so I'm okay with the two blue stitches! I actually wore a nice outfit (of course!) and put on just eye make-up before my trip to Beverly Hills/Hollywood so believe me, Dr. Yu thought I was very healthy looking! Funny... One bad thing.... I threw up twice in the car on the way there so I was pissed that I was going to be sick that day too! However, after vomiting #2, I felt better so I decided that after I took the chemo (at 8 AM) and waited the hour (per the instructions!) that I would try a bagel without cream cheese or anything else on it. I ate a third of it just to make sure it didn't make me sick.

Since I didn't get sick with the bagel, I decided I'd try to eat a small amount of stuff at a time so the next fabulous item: A bowl of Pfish food ice-cream from Ben and Jerrys. YUMMY!!! No nausea.... so, I was very happy about that! Next, I told my dad I wanted a taco from Taco Bell on our way home from my radiation... so, I just got one soft taco without anything major on it... another YUMMY! Plus, no nausea!!! So, I ate Chinese food that came the night before during dinner... success! No more vomiting yesterday. I am hopeful that today will be the same. So, as soon as I can eat (1 hour after chemo that I don't take until 8 AM) it's a Ray's Bagel time!!! I love those bagels... You should try them if you never have, you won't be sorry. Check them out in the freezer section of the grocery store. You cook them in the oven for 7 minutes and the outside is crunchy with the inside being soft and warm! YUM...

This past weekend was good too. I was feeling great actually. Maybe because I didn't have both chemo and radiation.... just chemo on the weekends. I actually did some stuff in the house to put things away and organize my closet in my bedroom. My dad helped of course so we were able to put together the shoe rack and organize all of the shoes. Much success since they were all over the floor in my closet! We also brought lots of stuff either out to the garage for storage or the trash for removal from me! Felt good, believe me. I feel good today so I think I'll figure out what we can do today. I really feel like the house needs to be organized since it was never happened officially because I only lived here for about 3 weeks before my hospitalization. Of course, since I wasn't feeling well, not much had been done during those 3 weeks.

I am also trying to figure out if I can actually have my dad clean the house! That may not be a possibility so I will probably order a cleaning lady to do that sometime soon. It's time, believe me!!!

After today's radiation at 2:45 I will be meeting with the Radiation Oncologist to talk about how it is going. I will also make him finally give me the name of the Oncologist that I will see here weekly as well. Of course it'll be that person that'll be sure to make me get a weekly lab and will review the lab results to make sure they're okay. I will need to go all the way back to Cedar Sinai next week as well so that Dr. Yu can take the stitches out and see me again. I think they are interested in staying in touch with me so I can join their study (after the 6.5 weeks of radiation) which has to do with new Glioblastoma subjects. The basic purpose of that study is to determine whether vaccination with my own immune cells (called dendritic cells) can activate my immune system to fight my glioblastoma area. They will be adding proteins to my dendritic cells and giving them back to me by re-injecting them in my body. I am hopeful to participate in this trial since it is interesting.

Since the next update won't be until after Christmas, I want to wish everyone a great Christmas! My dad will still be here so I can spend that holiday with a family member. I will be heading to Kimmy's parents (who I call my California Mom and Dad since they are great!) on Christmas Eve to enjoy a dinner and good company. On Christmas day, Dad and I are finally going to cook dinner for Cliff and Christina (my stepbrother and his wife who live out here about 25 minutes from me). Hopefully it'll turn out okay. I plan on using my Crock Pot... those of you who know me big time knows that I can really use that Crock Pot successfully!!! Of course Cliff said he will bring lasagna as well... He's probably worried!

Anyway, Merry Christmas!! Thank-you all again for your support, it's keeping me going with a positive attitude.

Debbie

Message from Deb: 12/14/2006, 10:30 AM, E.S.T.

Well, today is day 3 on the chemo.... in fact, I just took it 5 minutes ago but have to wait and hour to eat breakfast so I figured I'd use this time to send email! I have also had 3 days so far of radiation...that appointment is always going to be at 2:45 PM which is why the radiation oncologist wants me to take the chemo in the morning. So far, I have no issues with the chemo.... probably because I take an anti-nausea pill at the same time. I will be trying no anti-nausea Kytril one day to see if the chemo actually would give me nausea... not that excited about that day but I will do that next Monday.

As far as the radiation goes.... it's not bad at all (YET!). It's basically just a 10-12 minute thing so that always feels good! The mask is a bit annoying since it's so tight and they basically tie your head to the laying down thingy (can't think of that word!). Usually I have dots on my whole forehead and face for an hour since it's tight! That's a bit embarassing especially since I like to do errands after the radiation appt... Apparently I was told that the first few weeks there aren't that bad but that the area on my head where the beam is hitting may get a loss of hair... I guess the left side of my head will just look thinner... the top stuff will obviously grow so it can cover the missing side area (if it happens to me!).

My older brother has been here since Sunday and has done lots of stuff in the house for me. He moved both bedrooms (mine and the front guest room) based on what the Feng Shui lady told me to move.... He's also done several things that I would have done myself since I'm usually a major house person! I've thanked him WAY MORE than I can imagine since he's making me happy!

I have to tell you all about the Feng Shui lady that came here on Sunday... I didn't know what to expect but I figured I'd just wing it and do whatever she wants me to do in this house. Interestingly enough, the minute she came in the house she said the house's issue was 'sickness'... hhhhhm? Interesting, huh? She said, "we'll fix that, dont' worry". So, five hours later, she and her other Feng Shui woman (also Margaret and my real estate agent helped thankfully) moved living room, kitchen and dining room furniture around. It looks awesome which I never would have guessed. It feels good but I could never have figured out what to move where. I obviously do have some things that still need to be done (or bought) but that may take time. Here's an interesting one: I have to paint the dresser, bedside tables and armoire in my bedroom ivory instead of the wood color they are! I also have to buy a wooden headboard that is rounded (NO POINTY STUFF)... so, that's a big thing but my friend Al said he'll paint all the furniture and I'll look on-line to try to find an ivory king sized headboard...

Thank-you to everyone that has prayed for me and has a positive attitude about how I'll do in this tough situation.... you guys are the best! My attitude is still positive and I'm convinced that of all people, I think I'll beat the odds and will do well for YEARS to come!!!! I will continue to put details about how things are going onto this blog site (Thank you to the Mannings who I send my details... they post it for me on the blog site!).

Love,
Deb

Direct from Deb! The Top 10 Issues at Home Sweet Home: 12/8/2006, 9:00 AM E.S.T.

10. Thank God I finally don't have to take the verbal/psychological tests in the rehab area at Cedar Sinai (come on, I have a psych degree and I know exactly how annoying those tests are!

9. I can finally wash my hair and put my curly hair stuff on it (had to keep my hair dirty for two weeks due to my surgery scar!)

8. I can finally eat ANYTHING that I want at home instead of the hospital food

7. I have lots of CA friends trying to find the fake hair dying products that I am allowed to use... I'm hating seeing this gray hair!!! (not allowed to dye at the hair dresser per the doc until mid January!)

6. I can finally put lotion on my entire body at home so that my crazy itching from the medication allergy on my body can go away... you'd be shocked if you saw all the dry skin on me!

5. I allowed myself to paint my nails finally.... time to get back to my beauty products including make-up I hope!

4. My energy is finally getting back as I keep walking around the house getting my strength back... I may even take Nala on a little walk down the street today since it'll be warm (in the 70s!).

3. I can't wait to start getting my muscles back.... I asked the surgeon Dr. Lu if I could do my Pilates DVDs and of course he said "yes".... I think he's always surprised about my energy!

2. I am finally getting to understand how wonderful that all my friends and family are which nearly makes me get tears in my eyes ( you know that hardly ever happens to someone like me!!!)

1. I am finally thrilled that I can talk to and email anyone and get my word problem issues solved (you know that I'm hating that since I am a major talker!!!)

Thanks for putting this on the Blog!!!
Debbie

Deb Home! 12/05/2006, 11:00 AM, E.S.T.
Great news! Deb was discharged from Cedars Sinai yesterday Monday and is now resting at home in Thousand Oaks. Thanks to Kimmie for the updates and tales from Cedars! More details soon.

Fund for Deb/Lotsahelpinghands - Important Notes: 12/3/2006, 11:00 AM E.S.T.
Amy Doherty (Deb's sister) and Jimmy Reardon (Deb's brother) have asked us to post the following messages.

______________________________________________________

From Amy Doherty

Re: Fund for Deb

I have been getting several emails from people about sending checks again. Please add something to the blog to let people know that we couldn't do the tax exempt corporation, so they can either contribute by:

• (1) picking a task from the lotsahelpinghands.com website.
• (2) writing a check payable to Debbie and sent to Debbie Reardon, 657 Paige Lane, Thousand Oaks, CA 91360
• (3) writing a check payable to Amy R. Doherty and sent to 53 Westview Terrace, Westwood, MA 02090 and Amy will deposit the money into Debbie's account.

If you've already sent a check payable to the "Fund for Deb" please email Amy.

Thank you all so much for your love and support for Deb.

Amy

_______________________________________________________

From Jimmy Reardon.

Re: Lotsahelpinghands website

Hello All,

This website is designed to help us help Debbie. My sister Amy and I have put it together in the hope of making Debbie's life a little easier upon her return home!

Included in the volunteering and support options:

1. Ordering meals to be delivered to Debbie's home
2. Taking her out or visiting her for a day
3. Cleaning her house (either yourself or by hiring a cleaning company).

There are plenty of options to help for both those who are local and those who are not. Of course, we're always happy to hear any suggestions as to what else you think might be beneficial to add to the site...keeping in mind that we shouldn't feel restricted or limited to those tasks on this site.

It was our hope to provide some structure for folks to contribute in an organized way. Thanks again for all your thoughts and wishes. Debbie has been overwhelmed with the level of support and friendship that you have all shown! Lets keep it going, as the next few months will be challenging for her. We know that she'll be strong through the chemo and radiation, but it can't hurt to take some of the daily grind way!

Thanks again!

Debbie's brother Jimmy

Welcome to "Do it for Debbie!"! This community web site helps organize local volunteers.

If you haven't signed in yet, use this link to get started:

http://www.lotsahelpinghands.com/c/12076/login/reset/0eb80c7da269a4766ddf682eadcd7558/

This will let you choose a new password for your first sign-in. If that link doesn't work, try this one:

http://www.lotsahelpinghands.com/c/12076/login/reset/

and when it asks for the code number, enter this: 0eb80c7da269a4766ddf682eadcd7558

If you have any difficulties, contact a web site coordinator at:http://www.lotsahelpinghands.com/c/12076/contact/

Regards,

Jimmy Reardon

Important Note:The sign-in link provided in this email will only work *once* for the original member to whom it is sent. If this email was forwarded to you by another member (rather than your receiving it directly from Lotsa Helping Hands), you will not be able to sign in.

In that case, go to: http://www.lotsahelpinghands.com/c/12076/ then click on "Contact a Coordinator" and request to be added to the community. After a coordinator adds you as a member, the system will send you an email with your *own* sign-in link.Finally, please DO NOT FORWARD THIS EMAIL TO ANYONE ELSE - they will only be confused and frustrated when they encounter an error message trying to sign-in.

Weekend Release Delayed: 11/30/2006, 7:00 PM E.S.T.
We just spoke to Deb's mom Dianne. Deb had a very uncomfortable night, (last night, Wednesday). After several tests Deb was diagnosed with a pulmonary embolism (clot on her lung) and was moved back to the Neurology floor so that a "filter" could be placed in a vein close to her heart to prevent a recurrence. They think the rash (caused by an allergy to Dilantin) is subsiding but that the clot could be related to an additional allergy to heparin. The implantation of the filter is not a major procedure and shouldn't produce any further complications.

The family would like to thank everyone for their very kind donations and ask you to continue to keep Deb in your thoughts and prayers. We'll provide further updates over the course of the weekend.

Debbie's release date - this Saturday!! 11/29/2006, 7:20 PM E.S.T.
Deb's on the rehab floor and doing well and she's looking forward to getting home. Her headache is completely gone but she still has the rash (mentioned by Dianne in yesterday's comments) caused, the Drs believe, by an allergy to one of her medications. Deb is up for chatting on the phone and so if you wish to call her, feel free. She is, however, very busy with her appointments with therapists and other doctors so you might not be able to get in touch with her straight away.

Amy, Deb's sister is working on getting the "Fund for Deb" established. It may not be possible with the current IRS code to make it tax-deductable but we'll try to let everyone know as soon as possible as we're approaching the holiday season and the end of the fiscal year.

That's all for now. We'll let you know if any changes with her planned release date.

Debbie's day out; 11/27/2006, 6:00pm EST

Deb is officially on the rehabilitation floor of Cedars, and today went for a visit to her treatment center in Thousand Oaks. For the first time in a few weeks she's out of the hospital and should even have time to swing by the house and see Nala (dog) and Joey (cat). She'll be headed back to Cedars tonight and should be there for a few more days - then home to her house in Thousand Oaks. As we told you yesterday Deb had a nice thanksgiving dinner with her family and friend Jodie. I've got a picture of them courtesy of Jim; Deb's looking gorgeous! From the left-hand side, Bob Reardon (Dad), Amy Reardon-Doherty (sister), Deb, Jody Pysher (friend from DE), Jim Reardon (brother) and Dianne Reardon (Mom).

Deb moves to the rehab floor: 11/25/06, 3:15 PM E.S.T.
I spoke to Deb's mom yesterday. Deb and her family had Thanksgiving dinner together in Deb's room. Jodie from DE flew in for the day so that she could be with them too. Everone is in good spirits and are ready for Deb to start her treatment. She'll be moving to the rehabilitation floor at Cedars Sinai today. She'll be a therapists dream: there's nothing Deb loves more than to have someone set the bar and try her damnest to jump over it. If all goes well she may even return to work on a part time basis during her treatment.

Wednesday Update: 11/22/2006, 5:05 PM E.S.T.
Deb had her chest tube removed this morning but unfortunately still has a 5% lung deflation and will need to remain in hospital over the holiday. She will be moving to the rehabilitation floor of Cedars Sinai for approximately 5 days to 1 week. She'll meet with the medical team who are coordinating her follow-up therapy in Thousand Oaks on Monday and will most likely begin her chemo/radiation therapy sometime after the 29th of November.

Deb has been receiving regular print-outs of all your blog comments from Dianne and her family and is very much enjoying hearing the messages of encouragement from all her friends, co-workers and relations.

We'll keep you posted if anything major happens over the holiday period.

Letter from Deb: 11/22/2006, 5:00 PM E.S.T.
Hi Everyone,
I'm in shock at the level of support I've been getting from everyone as I go through this difficult time. I want everyone to think positive thoughts for me because even though I'm facing a fight against the worst kind of cancer, I know I'm going to beat this thing. The more positive everyone can be, the happier I will be. After I get through all of the treatments, I'm going to live a very long time and I want everyone to have this thought.

After facing this challenge, I have learned that life is too short to leave out the fun stuff. Going forward, I'm going to spend more time meeting new people, having fun, and, being a happier person. I expect to be able to say more witty things soon!

I want everyone to know that all of your concerns, thoughts, prayers, and support have meant more than you will ever know. Keep thinking of me and praying for me. I'll see you all soon.

Love,
Deb.

Deb's treatment begins Monday: 11/22/2006; 9:00 AM E.S.T.
Yesterday (Tuesday) Deb was out of bed and walking around her room and even participated in a game of cards with Dianne. She's doing much better and will have her chest tube removed today prior to being released today or tomorrow in time for a turkey Thanksgiving family dinner!

Deb will begin her 6 week regimen of chemotherapy on Monday and will be remaining on the west coast for the time being. The family would really appreciate any volunteers to help bring Deb to and from her treatments as she can't drive. Please contact Amy by email if you are available to help. We'll let you know as soon as she's released from Cedars.

We'd like to thank everyone for your contributions & suggestions for the blog and want to wish you all a very peaceful and relaxing Thanksgiving. We'd also like to share one special part of Deb with you too; the beautiful quilt she made for our new baby Andrea born in October.

Monday update - Pathology results: 11/20/2006, 6:30 PM E.S.T.
Dianne called us to let us know that Dr. Yu had the results of the pathology and he confirmed the initial findings of a Class IV Glioblastoma Multiforme (GBM). As everyone will be fully aware by now this represents a very serious diagnosis, therefore the family will be taking some time to come to terms with this, and determine the most appropriate path forward. One possibility is that Deb may come back to the east coast so that family and close friends can support her on a full-time basis. In addition, Deb had been complaining of chest pains for the past few days. CT scans today showed she had a partial pneumothorax (collapsed lung) which required the insertion of a chest tube. This has made her feel more comfortable. Deb's been told of her diagnosis (but not the severity of the classification) and has been working on her physical therapy, and making sure she is getting as much rest as possible so she can ready herself for the next phase of potential treatments. We understand that this is not good news and will take some time to fully absorb. Deb has a major fight ahead of her and will of course need our help. We remind you of the "Fund for Deb" that has been established for her. We'll also keep you informed as to other ways you can help.

Donations for Deb; 11/20/2006 10:10 E.S.T.

In response to the many many requests to provide financial support for Deb and her family to help defray costs associated with her illness and ongoing treatment, Deb's family have agreed to establish a "fund for Deb". The fund will be set up as a 501(c)(3) charitable organization by Amy Doherty, Deb's sister who is an attorney-at-law.

Amy is currently with Deb in LA and upon her return to her home in MA will establish the fund. In the interim, if you wish to contribute please mail your donations to the following address:

Amy R. Doherty, Attorney,
53 Westview Terrace,
Westwood,
MA 02090

You may email Amy for further information. Once the fund is registered, all donations will be elgible for matching company contributions and will be tax-deductible.

Thanks to everyone for your incredibly kind offers of support, prayers and well wishes.

Letter from Dianne Reardon (Deb's Mom); 11/20/2006, 11:00 AM E.S.T.

Hi All,
It is Sunday November 19th, 2006. I only know because they keep reminding Debbie of the day, date and year. I also know that we are at Cedars Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles, CA (I know that but Deb can't quite remember that.) My family and I want to take this opportunity to thank "ALL" of you for your best wishes, thoughts and most of all for your prayers for Debbie. I and my family did not realize how many friends she has, and how many lives she has touched. Again, thank you all from the bottom of my heart, keep those prayers going so we get the results we would like. Debbie is giving it her all!

Thank you again.
Dianne Reardon

P.S. Deb says "hi".

End of first week - Sunday update: 11/19/2006, 10:00 PM E.S.T.
Deb has been moved out of I.C.U. and on to the general floor of the hospital and will soon embark on the next phase of her treatment. Tomorrow we'll have a message from Deb's mother and also details on how you can help out Deb in a tangible manner as so many of her friends have requested.

We've also had several readers send in this photo, taken not on a sun-kissed Cali beach but actually back in New England shortly before Deb moved out west. Kudos to Al for catching Deb and the dogs in such a memorable pose.

Saturday Update: 11/18/2006, 3:00 PM E.S.T.
Deb was delighted to welcome visitors from her former home in Connecticut over the past few days including Al (dog photographer to the stars!) and her former work colleagues from Pfizer along with Amy (the blog maven herself.) Despite the affects of the pain medication Deb was conscious if tired this morning and was feeling hungry; always a good sign although she complains about the hospital food. She's lost about 50% of her curly locks and her vision is blurred due to some post-operative cranial swelling, but is in good spirits and looking forward to possibly getting onto the general wards and out of ICU today or tomorrow, depending on the availability of a room that fulfills her needs.

Her family want to thank everyone again for the kind wishes and messages of encouragement that have poured in from all across the USA and as far away as Ireland and Italy. Leaving a message is simplicity itself. Just click on the "comments" link below any post and a pop-up window will allow you to compose your message to Deb. You can sign as "anonymous" if you don't have a blogger ID (you don't need one but it's free if you sign up), and you can also click the "other" button to leave your name, but please sign your post in the text box so that Deb and the family know that it's you. If you have any problems using the posting comments box, you can always email Brian and we'll get it posted for you. By the way all posts (even if written by family members) will by default say "posted by Brian & Amy Manning" but the family indeed can post their own updates, so do look out for them.

Friday Update: 11/17/2006, 4:30 PM E.S.T.
Deb passed a comfortable night in the ICU and hopes to be transferred to the regular floor over the weekend. This should make visitation less of an issue but please try to coordinate with family by calling the hospital ward beforehand. Deb is being seen by physical and occupational therapists and is awaiting her final pathology report over the weekend prior to hopefully being released sometime next week to go home for Thanksgiving.

Great piece of advice from Ant in her post to park across from the hospital at the Beverly Center rather than the Cedars parking lot.

We do hope to have more updates over the weekend. Again, please do post your comments or email to get them up on the blog.

THANK YOU!!!

Hello All,
This is Debbie's brother, Jimmy. I'm writing to thank you all for your incredible support during this very difficult time. It really helps! I also wanted to thank the Mannings, Amy and Brian, for their timely updates. Keep up the great work!

I've attached a picture of Debbie with my older son, Augie, just a couple weeks after he was born. He seems to be cracking a little smile, like we all do when Debbie is around!

Update on the dogs: Thursday 11/16/2006 8PM E.S.T.
As many of you know the loves of Deb's life in addition to her family and friends are her dogs Radar and Nala. We received this great photo from Deb's former Pfizer manager Barbara Baris who wants to share the story on how she found her special friend, Barney.

• I found Barney thru the Pfizer classified ads – there was no picture, but he was described as a lab mix – clearly from the photo he is everything but lab. A whole crew of us left work early to go and see him (what a good manager I am huh?) – me, Deb, and our friends/colleagues Jennifer, Anita and Joyce. I took him home with me that day and Deb would have taken him if I had not – this she told me later. Bottom line, we were not leaving there without him. I thought she might like to see him and how he has matured from the young dog we saw that day. - Barbara.

Encouraging news from Cedars: 11/16/2006, 7:40 EST
Following Deb's second operation the surgical team were confident that they had in fact removed the targeted portion of the remaining tumor they were going after. She's awake, coherent and back to her feisty and funny self, and, her spirits are upbeat; glad that the surgeries are behind her. The surgeons were proactive in taking a small part of Deb's grey matter as a precautionary move. Now Deb may only be twice as smart as the rest of us ; )

The Doctors are so impressed with her progress that they are talking about discharging her as soon as the final pathology report comes back so she will not have to spend the upcoming holiday in the hospital. Something we can all be thankful for.

This weekend many of Deb's friends will be in LA to see her in person. We'll keep you updated as to the treatment options for Deb as things develop, and let you know how you may be able to help during the long road ahead.

Deb's out of surgery and doing well: Thursday 11/16/06 15:36 EST

The surgery took about 5 hrs but she's out and looks like she did fine. No other details to report just yet but thought you all would want to know.

The second surgery is under way: Thursday, 2:00 EST

Here's a quick update to let you know that Deb's in surgery now to remove what we hope to be the last of the tumor. Dr. Yu told her family to expect it to take 3-4hrs.

Also, the preliminary results of the pathology have come back; the tumor is an Astrocytoma with an abscess (infection). We don't know the class of Astrocytoma yet. We're hoping for a class 1 or 2; a class 4 is the Glioblastoma, so we'd like to avoid that one if we can. Deb was a bit uncomfortable last night and they think that could be related to the infection, so they will be starting her on antibiotics as soon as she's out of surgery.

We hope to have an update mid to late evening EST tonight.

P.S. Radar (the Briard) was delivered safely to AZ by Deb's mom on Monday and is waiting there for Deb to get better and come and get him.

Another day, another surgery: 11/15/2006, 19:11 EST
Based on the most recent MRI, Dr Yu and his team have decided to operate on Deb again tomorrow, where they will go after what they hope is the remaining 5% of the tumor. In addition, we are still awaiting the findings of final pathology report. By all accounts Deb is doing well and is in good spirits, and, we have some great first-hand updates and further details from Kim (see comments from the previous posting).

We're still working on a non-family visiting hours schedule for this weekend. In principle, ICU restricts to one 15 minute visit per hour for up to 3 visitors. We hope to be able to organize 2-3 slots of non-family visitations per day depending, of course, on how Deb is feeling. We do hope everyone will get a chance to see her, but stress the need for everyone to be flexible and understanding.

Antonietta, Deb's college friend from Fitchburg State and herself an ICU nurse, will be staying with Deb tonight so Deb's mother can get some rest. From what we hear, Deb has been keeping the nurses on their toes and has even petitioned for longer beds to comfortably accommodate someone of her stature.

We'll keep you up to date on the progress of Deb's surgery tomorrow. We encourage everyone to read the comments (especially for valuable extra information from Kim and family members) and do of course leave messages of encouragement for Deb (please sign your posts so we know who has visited). While Amy (the blog-maven) is visiting Deb this weekend, her lesser half will be home alone (with new baby Andrea for the first time!*$#!) and also be doing the updates. Please feel free to email Brian with any information, and do send in any photos you'd like to see in the blog. Thanks!

No news is good news: 11/15/06, 12:31 EST

Hi everyone, We don't have any updates yet, but remember it's early in LA and I'm sure yesterday was a long day for everyone. At this point, no news is good news.

Thank you for all of the calls and e-mails. Deb's got an amazing group of friends and we're getting her your thought as soon as we can. Also, I know that many of us are headed over to LA to see Deb this weekend. We may need to coordinate visit times so that we don't overwhelm the room and that the family can have their time - it will also depend on how Deb is felling. I'll see if I can get some timelines posted.

Keep positive and check back here at Deb central.

Post-Op Update: 11/14/2006 20:00 EST
As we mentioned previously, Deb made it through surgery and while still sedated did manage to give the nurses "thumbs-up" when she was been taken back to the recovery ward. Her family (Bob, Betty, Jimmy & Amy) is on the way from MA to LA to join her Mom and her college friend Antonietta will visit from San Francisco tomorrow. Deb really appreciates all your thoughts, prayers and good wishes and please do sign the comments so she knows everyone out there is pulling for her. We should have further updates as the day progresses tomorrow.

Deb is out of surgery: Tuesday, 11/14/06 10:58 EST

I've just got the update from Jim, Deb's Brother. Deb did fine through the surgery and is in recovery. Unfortuantely the tumor was not encapsulated and at first look it apears to be a Glioblastoma. Now all of you with medical or oncology study background know how hard it is to write that. A Glioblastoma is the most agressive type of brain tumor. We'll have to wait for the pathology to come back to make it offical but we need to prepare oursleves and be strong for Deb and her family. The good news, if there could be any, is that Dr. Yu has a cutting edge trial going on with bone marrow-derived neural stem cells to treat these types of tumors and Deb has been accepted into that study. She will be getting the best treatment there is and we are going to fight this for as long as we need to. She's going to need our help so stay tuned for what you can do.

Breaking News 11/14/05 7:52 EST - Deb is in surgery now to remove the tumor.

Deb had a hard day yesterday 11/13/06. Dr. Yu and his team decided they needed to get the surgery underway now and not to wait for the MRI that was scheduled today. Deb had become unresponsive over the day and as you can guess that's not a great sign. I had a chance to talk to her briefly yesterday morning and she said that the medication/pain killers were making her very drowsy and that she just wanted to sleep for awhile until she felt better. She didn't know how right that idea was; she spent most of the day sleeping and now when she wakes up we can tell her the surgery is all done. No more waiting, no nerves before they go in, she took a nap to feel better and Dr. Yu will do his best so when she wakes up she won't just feel better she'll be better! Because as I've been saying all along - get that damn thing out of her!

Now the last thing Deb said to me before she hung up was "don't forget to keep your fingers crossed for me". And I said, " we're going to do more than cross our fingers" - so I'm picturing that Dr. Seuss story about the little world in the elephant's hand. It's our job to get a big loud cosmic "We Love Deb" message out there. In other words call your priest, rabbi, shaman, or witch doctor, get on your knees, count some beads or do a few oums but I want all the karma and good will we can muster for Deb and her family. Don't make me write a cheer to get you motivated...and don't' be shy, we all love Deb, and we all need to show it right now.

I'll keep you updated. That's all for now.

Hi everyone,
We're putting this Blog together to keep the information flowing. With everything that is going to happen this week it may be hard to talk to Deb or her family directly, so check this site for the updated news. Please keep in mind that things are moving quickly so things may change at any point; take these postings in context of when they are posted.

As of right now Monday, 11/13/06 Deb has been moved to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center to be treated by Dr. Yu and his team. They are monitoring her closely and are running a few more tests before they perform the operation to remove the tumor. At last report, the tumor was the size of a small plum (2.5 cm by 2.5 cm by 3.5 cm) and located over her left ear. The mass is a medium darkness and is apparently not attached, so is operable. The surgery is scheduled for sometime on Wed. 11/15/06. Right now, Deb's Mom, Diane is with her. Over the past week Deb has had lots of visitors, including her brother Jim from MA, Kim from CA, Jody from DE and lots of folks from "City of Hope" and Amgen. Her spirits are as high as you could expect under the circumstances and the nurses are keeping her as comfortable as possible.

As we get closer to the surgery keep the thoughts, prayers and well wishing coming for Deb and her family. Please use the comments link below to leave your messages which will be relayed to Deb.