Okay. Here's the deal until I can figure out a better way to do this..... Please leave a comment the way you always do with your thoughts or memories of Mom and I will be collecting them for Dad. Please also remember that this is a surprise for Dad for Christmas. I would really appreciate it if you could keep from saying anything!! If you for some reason are unable to post a comment, please feel free to e-mail me tarahooper@sbcglobal.net or if you are an avid facebooker you can find me there and message me that way as well. Please spread the word to others that I have been unable to reach. I would like to gather as many as possible by Christmas. I know this will bless Dad in so many ways and I am excited to read the stories and memories as well. Thank you all so much for what you have done for the Hooper family in the last 9 months. You all are appreciated so much more than you will ever know.
Blessings,
Tara

Mom's Memorial Service

I forgot to mention that Mom's Memorial Service will be next Saturday, October 24th at 11:00am here in Jackson at Grace Fellowship. If you need directions please ask for them by e-mailing me tarahooper@sbcglobal .net
or you can get a map online
The church's address is
8040 S.Hwy 49
Jackson, Ca. 95642
Thanks.

Mom has gone home........

I don't know how to begin this. Tears fill my ears as I type. Everything I can think of to describe the woman Mom was does not pay her attribute. So I am going to steal Leanne Christie's post from Facebook..... her words were great.........

Maxine is clothed with strength and dignity, and she laughs with no fear of the future. When she speaks, her words are wise, and kindness is the rule when she gives instruction. Maxine carefully watches all that goes on in her household and does not have to bear the consequences of laziness. Her children stand and bless her. Her husband praises her; their are many virtuous women in the world, but you Maxine, surpass them all!

Mom passed away this morning at 11:10. We all stood by her bedside singing her favorite songs she used to sing to the grandkids. Harmonies filled the air and peace was around us all. I truly felt the Lord's presence as he came to take his child home with him. Michael led us all in "How lovely is you dwelling place. Oh Lord Almighty." As we sang the chorus, "Better is one day in you courts, better is one day in your house, better is one day in your courts, than thousands elsewhere." She took her final breath. It was so very peaceful. I am so incredibly thankful to have known and call her mom for the last five years. She really was the perfect Proverbs 31 woman.
Mom, if you could read this, I would want to say thank you for blessing my life, giving me such an amazing husband and family to be a part of. You always had a song to share with the kids and I believe you will be looking down on all the grandkids, placing songs in their hearts for many years to come. I love you so much and wish I could have said that to you more often. But I know you know how much you were loved. Love is what held you here and loved is how you went home. Save my spot next to you in Heaven. I can't wait to meet with you again.

So close now........

This is the blog I have been dreading. I don't even want my fingers to type these next words. Mom has hours left now. She is transitioning quickly. Her lungs are starting to fill with fluid and her breathing a bit more labored now. I look at her now knowing these are the last few days with her and I just fall apart inside. We all stood around her bedside tonight and sang her the song she always sings to the grandkids. I wish I could sing it for you all. Maybe some of you have heard her sing it.......
We love you
We love you
Sing to (insert grandchild's name) we love you
We love you
We love you
Sing to (name) we love you
We also went around and each of us mom's recited the little "poem" she also made up for each one of our kids. So in turn, we made one up for her tonight. This was a happy time. We all laughed and it was fun. After we were done, some stuck around her bedside and cried. My son was one of these. Reality is setting in with some of the younger kids. Warren (Mary's son) was also there with Mary crying. My heart broke for my son and for Warren. It's a rare thing to see these two cry.
As I write this, some of us are taking shifts to stay awake with mom and let the rest of us know if anything changes and we need to come back to the house.
Monty's three girls will be here Thursday. I pray mom can hold on until then so they can say their goodbye's.
I'm sorry if this is scattered. My thoughts are not together and I'm having trouble writing this. I apologize. I will post more as things progress.
Tara

So Sorry

Hey everyone-
So sorry it's been so long. Mom and Dad just move over here from Garden Valley on friday. So far, it has been great to all be together. Monty flew out from Oklahoma on Tuesday, Mark Hooper flew in Thursday and Matthew and Sheela drove up Friday. Mikala has extended her stay until next weekend and with that, all seven kids (plus spouses and children) are here! It's amazing to see all of us together, in one place for a common reason....... to spend what time we have left with mom.
Mom isn't doing well. Her breathing has become labored, we made the decision to put her on oxygen last night to help her with that. Sheela has been such a blessing..... for those of you who don't know, she is a nurse! Having her there has been a huge help for those of us who don't know what to do! mom is sleeping for the most part of a day most days. She is exhibiting beginning signs of her internal organs and system shutting down. Blue spots are appearing on her feet and legs which tells us things are shutting down. She's not eating a lot, and sometimes doesn't respond to questions or comments made to her unless you repeat them multiple times.

Watching this unfold before my eyes is so very difficult. As I was there with everyone last night, I stood by mom's bedside and stroked her hair. I watched everyone talking, the kids running about and thought to myself, "Wow, my kids really don't know what's going on. That they are losing a grandmother." Tears came to my eyes and I had to quickly push that thought aside. But throughout this, the closeness of the family is so vital. I realize I am blessed to be apart of the Hooper family. As I was leaving, I was saying my goodbye's and sought out Morgan, Makenzie and Bethany. I found them in a separate room, practicing a song. I was invited in and they sang a three part harmony song Morgan has been writing for Jama. I stood in amazement, listening to my nieces sing harmonies that are beyond them vocally and was wow-ed by the lyrics and feeling that came from within each one of them. As we drove home, I thought to myself, what a testimony Maxine is leaving behind. She has touched so many, taught us all so much and we all have a part of her within us. I am most grateful for this.
So, if you haven't come up to see mom yet and would like to, I encourage you all to do so now. it is my belief that she doesn't have much more time here with us..... a month at best. Thank you all again, for your prayers and thoughts for the family at this hard time. But we all know that Christ has used mom in ways we will never fully comprehend.
Blessings,
Tara

New News

Well,
Mom is not doing well. She is slowly getting a little worse every day. We were there on Saturday visiting and she slept basically the whole time we were there. She woke just in time as we were preparing to leave. She struggles get around and is very limited. Mentally she has deteriorated much and stares blankly around alot. This is very hard for me to write. I don't want to admit all this but also feel I need to be honest with everyone so no one is mislead.

Dad has made a decision to move over to Jackson to allow us to help him and so we can all spend what time we have left with her. A very nice man in our church (Grace Fellowship) has offered Mom and Dad his house while it is on the market to sell. I spoke with this man last night and we will be getting Mom and Dad over here by the end of the month. This is exciting but hard at the same time. All I can ask is that you all continue to pray like never before. Please pray for strength for us all as we embark on this new season. Once Mom and Dad get over here, I will post more.
Love you all,
Tara

Lending a hand....

Hello all,
I thought this would be a good opportunity for all of you who continuely ask, "what can we do to help", here is were you can come in! We are all getting together as one unit to help Dad clean up the house and the property. This is something that is a bit overdue but now is as good a time as any to start.
This weekend, a few of us will be going over to Garden Valley to start what will be a big "clean up party." This might not be for everyone but I thought I would throw it out there to see who responds. We could use all the help we can get and don't worry, this weekend will not be the only time it will be happening. So, if you would like to volunteer some of your time, please let me know. You can email me: tarahooper@sbcglobal.net or you can call our house (209)223-2219. Dad and I will be making up a list of things to do there and I would be more than willing to go over them with you through either of these methods of contact. If you can't come, you can still continue to lift us all up in prayer and for others to come forward and volunteer! That would be much appreciated!
As for those of you who contributed to the scrapbook I made by leaving comments, Mom and Dad were truly touched as well as other members of the Hooper Family. Thank you so much for touching Mom in this way. We love you all. Thank you again.............
Tara

I had to say it....

Of course, because I said in the last blog "that unless anything dramatic happens, I won't be writing again for two weeks." Well it did and here I am blogging about it. I should know better than to open my mouth.

Mom went for her Chemo treatment yesterday and was doing fine until she was ready to leave. Dad was wheeling her out to the car in a wheel chair and Mom started to shake. She was having a seizure. Dad said her eyes rolled into the back of her head, she was foaming at the mouth and she shook so violently that she completely fell out of the wheel chair. Dad had a "grinch moment" where he lifted Mom up off the ground and put her back into the chair and rushed her back into the hospital. Thank God for the little things.... they had not left the hospital parking lot! So they admitted her and kept her until about 10:00 last night and then released her to go home. She is currently on anti-seizure meds and is at home resting.

That's pretty much it for now. As of right now, Mom and Dad plan on coming over to Jackson on Saturday to spend the day. We are all going to get together at my parents house and have a huge Thanksgiving dinner........ just for the heck of it. Yes, we realize it's only August! But we are taking every opportunity to get together these days and just celebrate all of us..... family.

I will update this again this weekend after we have our "big dinner". Hopefully I will be able to post some pictures as well. We will see! I will be starting the journal for Mom of all of your comments. So if you would like to get anything else in please do so before Friday. I would like to give it to Mom on Saturday when she is here. Thank you all!
Love,
Tara

Tuesday

Hello everyone!
I talked with Mom yesterday and she and dad have decided to go with one more round of chemo. This came as a suprise to me as they seemed so set on not going through with any more. But with much prayer and consideration of Mom's last MRI, they decided to go with one more treatment, have another MRI done two weeks after the treatment and see what that says. Of course, we are praying for God's intervention in this! We want to see Mom have more time with us!
I just wanted to let you all know to be praying tomorrow. I believe her appointment is at 10:30. Unless anything dramatic happens in the next two weeks, I will wait to post anything until her MRI and results come in.

I thank you all from the bottom of my heart for your prayers for Mom, my Dad and our house. Some small, good news is that we finished the floors in all three bedrooms! Now it's time for cleaning! I was unable to clean the house for three and a half weeks! As for my Dad, he will be having a pace maker put in sometime in the next few months and will then be medically retired. Please continue to keep him in your prayers along with Mom.
Thank you all so very, very much.
We love you all.
Tara

Hello everyone-
No worries, I'm still doing the blog. Michael and I have been busy with our house issues! For those of you who haven't heard our horrible tale.....
Two weeks ago, Michael went to Reno for Hot August nights for work and stayed up their the entire week. The 2nd night he was gone I found worms (larvae to be exact) in the carpets of all three bedrooms! SO GROSS! They were everywhere and I immediately gathered the kids and fleed the house! All that to say, we just moved back in last night and we still aren't done! Who ever made up the saying bad things come in three's must not have ever had anything like this happen to them!

Onto the news............
Just got off the phone with mom and both mom and dad have decided to delay the next treatment of chemo for now. She was supposed to go in this morning for her next treatment but Marty woke up this morning and felt as if they should wait upon the Lord. Grandma Payne called mom this morning after they had decided this and Grandma Payne said "Well, this will give God a chance!" Words of wisdom from Grandma!

So mom sounded good this morning. She was hopeful and glad to be back home. She had been staying with Mark and Martha for three weeks while Dad was on his trip. We faced many trials while she was here but nothing we couldn't handle. Having mom here in Jackson was a blessing and a bit challenging at times but we are glad Dad is back to help out!

Please join Mom and Dad as they continue to seek the Lord about what to do with her treatments.There are good and bad things about stopping or continuing her treatments as you might realize.Mom might be taking over the blog for a bit while she is up to it and while Michael and I get our house back into working order! We love every one of you who diligently read this and pray. We could never say thank you enough!
Until next time..........
Tara

Sincere Apologies!

Let me start off by saying I am so sorry for not updating this as often as you all would like. But I will say that I am now also dealing with my own side of the family and health issues. I will quickly ask for prayers for my dad as he begins his battle with heart issues. He is looking at possible retirement, medically, at the end of the year. He will more than likely have a pacemaker put in soon which would medically retire him.

Anyway, on to Maxine.

Mom is now up here spending time with all of us as Marty is away in Africa. So far so good. She is enjoying spending time with everyone. She started her IV treatment last Tuesday which went well. She had a bit of nausea (which is to be expected of course) but it quicky went away. She is also on a steroid and that is actually what is affecting her. Due to the steroids, mom is dealing with bloating in her face and a bit of acne..... and she thought she was done with that part of her life! HA! Her next treatment is next Tuesday on the 11th. This appointment might be pushed back a week if possible so that Marty can be here and take her. He returns on the 15th.

Overall, it seems as though Maxine is doing as well as can be expected. She still has her good and bad days. She's still pretty tired and requires rest more frequently with every passing day. For now she is going for treatments every two weeks. We don't know how long this will last and really don't have a lot of information about much else. If you have any specific questions, I will try and answer those. For the most part, we are in a hurry and wait peroid. I believe with every passing treatment, we will know more. Pray, Pray and Pray......... that's all I can say. Thank you all for your support. Again, I apologize for not updating this sooner. I will try harder! Good Night!
Love,
The Hooper Clan

Results are in, but.....

Ok, this is hard. The results are in and we still have questions to ask. So I am reluctantly posting the results but would like everyone to keep in mind there are alot of unanswered questions still. Mom plans on calling tomorrow morning and asking the questions she didn't have the chance to ask yesterday. What I will tell you is prayer is needed more than ever. The doctors told her that after the first rounds of chemo and radiation, the tumor is still there. We aren't sure to what extent but the PET scan revealed the tumor is still in her brain. Please keep Mom in your prayers and I will be posting more after she has had a chance to ask the appropriate questions.
Thank you all who have been leaving comments and emailing me with your notes. I plan on putting together the scrapbook soon!
Love to you all....
Michael and Tara

Friday!!!

Ok, I told everyone I would let you know when the PET scan was and it is this Friday, July 10th @ 5:30. It is a 2 hour procedure! I told Mom that she should ask if she can take some dinner in there with her! We will all be very anxious to see what the results turn up. So again, please keep mom in your prayers. This is a difficult prayer for us to pray right now. We all want the cancer to be gone but, we also want anything to show up that needs to be looked at. So, mixed feelings on this one but the Lord knows our hearts.

We also have family staying at Mom and Dad's right now. Maxine's 98 year old mother flew out from Oklahoma to come and visit. Yep, I said 98 and she is still as spry as ever! It's amazing. Mom's niece and nephew, Robin and Chris are also there helping with Grandma Payne and Mom. Mikala has also extended her visit to Northern California to help out. You could imagine the help that is needed as Mom and Grandma are there. Please also keep them in your prayers.

Sorry this is so short but that's all I have to post at the moment. The next post will be with the results..... not sure when those are supposed to be in but I will let you know.

Thank you all for your comments you've left and the emotion-felt e-mails I have received on Mom's behalf. I will be making a journal for mom soon with all the comment and e-mails I have received. I'm sure she will enjoy reading every one. So, if you would like to contribute something to the journal, leave a comment or e-mail me! Mom would love to hear what you have to say.

Blessings,

Tara

Hello everyone!
Wow, what a busy week! We just got home from "Kuzzins Kamp" and we are pretty tired! But we are still going strong! Summer is a busy time for us but in a good way.
So, Mom got her results from the MRI and it didn't show anything we didn't already know. Take that as you may. They did however order a PET scan which scans your entire body for any cancer cells and the cells would then show up on this scan. Now you may be like me and ask yourself, why wan't this done before? I asked myself the same thing! However, it did show swelling in the area the tumor is/was in. The doctors weren't sure if that was from bleeding, growth or something else. Hence, them ordering the PET scan. A little frustrating but I guess they have some order they do things in..... I don't know!
So no date has been set for the PET scan as of yet. We are all hoping for sometime in the next week, possibly two. When Mom received the news she sounded encouraged, as were all of us. Our hope is that if the tumor was growing back, it would have shown on the MRI. None of us want to "jump the gun" but things might be looking up! With all that said, we still need to be praying like crazy! Pray that the Lord would continue healing her and that this next scan would show no cancer cells what-so-ever in her body! We all know and believe the Lord is capable.
So that's it for now. Once the PET scan is scheduled, I will let you all know so we can be praying on that date. Once again, thank you all for your prayers and support of the Hooper family. Please feel free to contact me with anything further or if I failed to put information on here that you would like to know about. Thanks again and Happy 4th of July! Let us also keep our troups and veterans in our prayers as well as Maxine!
Blessings,
Tara

Nothing.....

Just wanted to let you all know that nothing has been relayed yet. Sorry, I'm sure this is just as frustrating for you all as it is for us. Mom and Dad are having a great time at Family Camp and I think it has been good for Mom to be around old friends and loved ones.

So, the next post will be the results. Hopefully it will be soon but if a few days go by, know that I have not gotten word. Let us all make this our prayer:

Phillipians 4:6

"Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God."

Blessings,

Tara

So Sorry!

I know you all probably logged on here tonight hoping to find a new entry and were disappointed! We still have not heard anything from the doctors. They did not contact mom today so I am going to encourage her to call tomorrow.

Mom, Dad and the rest of the Hooper clan are at Family Camp in Santa Cruz this week. I talked with Martha today and she said mom was doing okay. She was tired, like she has been lately. I ask that you continue to pray for her.

Hopefully, by tomorrow night, I will be able to post news about the results of the MRI. Maybe this is God giving us one last night to send our prayers!So let's do that! Until tomorrow...............
Blessings,
Tara

Nothing Yet....

Mom had her MRI yesterday and they were hoping to give her the results right away but.... no luck! They told her to call on Monday morning and hopefully they would have them for her then and go over them with her on the phone. I know many of you are eagerly awaiting the results as are we! We just continue to pray that the Lord would prepare our hearts in the meantime.

I spoke with her a few times yesterday. For those of you who have not spoken with her in the past few months, it is becoming more evident in her speech about what is happening in her body. She is slow to speak at times and has a hard time following the conversation. It can be heartbreaking but I try and remember that the Lord will AND IS somehow using this. If it touches only one life, (which we all know is more like a million lives!) I know mom would say it was all worth it. I continue to urge you all to lift up the family in yours prayers nightly. As every day passes, I am beginning to see the affect it is taking on everyone, especially my own immediate family. My kids are starting to ask questions and I can't quite find the words to explain what is happening to Jama.

So, until Monday, please pray for Maxine. My prayer is and will continue to be that the Lord touch her body and take the cancer away. I know He is able!!!! Praise God for that!
Blessings,
Tara Hooper

It's Tara again.........

Hello everyone, it's me again! I think I will be taking over the blog spot again as Mom is getting a little worse with every passing day. I don't believe she is able to do this anymore and I would like to keep it going so you all can stay in touch with what is happening.

Mom has a doctor's appt today with the oncologist for a check up and another MRI tomorrow to see if the cancer has truly spread to the left side of her brain. This comes as a result of her last MRI which was done back in April or May.... I can't remember. When Maxine finally was able to get ahold of the doctors, they didn't sound too hopeful and finally the famous "Dr. Shock-your-body" told her he thought it might be spreading to her left side. Of course we are all praying that this isn't true. The results from this MRI tomorrow will be very insightful to us all.

You can also be praying for us all as we are getting prepared for our annual "Kuzzins Kamp". Summer is such a busy time with the Hooper family as many of you know. The week before Kuzzins Kamp is Family Camp down in Santa Cruz at RCP (Redwood Christian Park). It's a fun time of gathering with other families and relaxing for a week. But if your a Hooper, Johnson or Wheat, it's time to work! We are all very involved at the camp and it makes for tons of fun! Michael and I are unable to go this year and are bummed! But we look forward to Kuzzins Kamp and the precious time there with "Jama", as the kids tenderly refer to her.

I would like to make my e-mail available to everyone for any further insights or questions. tarahooper@sbcglobal.net
Please feel free to contact myself or Michael at this address.

We look forward to the next few busy weeks and pray that the Lord would bless our time with family. I will keep this updated as often as possible with any new news that comes forth. Again, thank you all from the bottom of our hearts for your prayers and support.
Blessings,
Tara Hooper

Hello again everyone and thanks for all your prayers.

We had a fantastic visit with my two brothers. John and his wife Dorthy from Tulsa, OK. and Pete from Amherst, TX. Then their daughter Heather from Ft. Worth came for one day and it was good to see her, since it had been 4 years. They left here and went to Las Vegas and spent almost 1 week with all 4 of their kids. Jeff lives in LV, Rob came from Albany, NY. and Jenifer and her husband came from OK. They are all back home now but said they had a great time. My brother John turned 76 on May 15., so from now and until Dec. 13 when I have my next birthday, we are exactly 10 years apart. The rest of the year, we are 9 and 1/2 years apart. This is the only way I can remember how old we both are. We were both born in during the depression years. John in 1932 and myself in 1942.

My neice Robin and her husband Don are coming for a visit in JUne. they are on their way to Oregon to look for a piece of property to build their retirement home on. I was hoping they would move closer to us. They are from Lubbock,TX.

I stayed up way to late last night so I definitely need to go to bed earlier tonight. I've actually been dozing while checking my e-mails. One of these days, I am going to fall out of my chair and hit the floor.

Please keep the prayers going. We know they are working. We love you all.

Hello: It has been awhile since I updated this blog. We have had a lot of company which we have totally enjoyed, but it did not leave me time to post. My brother Pete from Texas was here for 4 days, then my brother John and his wife Dorthy from Tulsa, OK were here for a week. It was great having them here. We had not seen them in almost a year.

I finished my radiation treatments on May 12, and I am completely done with radiation. We will take a break from chemo as well for about 5 weeks.then I will have an MRI on May 21 then meet with my primary oncologist on June 16 to go over the next step which will be a regimine of 5 days oral chemo every month then nothing the rest of the month. Dr. Hui (Huey) said this round of chemo will be stronger and might make me sick. I will still have Zofran available to take if I need it, which I probably will since I am such a wimp when it comes to throwing up. I hate it. She also said that my energy level should come back slowly. Yeah, Yeah, Yeah.

It is late and I am getting sleepy, have not stayed up this late in awhile, so goodnight and I will update later. Thanks again for all the prayers. We love you all, Maxine

Hello Everyone:

If this is your first time on the blog, I would like to suggest that you go all they way back to the very first post that was written in March, that will give you all the details of everything that happened. Read the comments too, I have been so blessed by those.

I just returned last night from a wonderful weekend at the Spring Ladies Retreat at Redwood Christian Park. We had a fantastic time, Martha, Mary, Mikala and Ashley, a friend of Mikala's that she met when she was in England a few years ago) and Vicky Murphy, a friend of Martha's from her church in Jackson. All of us led worship for the retreat. I was so blessed to be able to do this with my girls. Hopefully next year, Tara and Sheela will be able to be with us. The main speaker was Judy Hampton from So. Cal. and she was absolutely great. She had us laughing, was encouraging and also challenging. However, I am extremely tired today. In fact, I may go to bed real soon here, it is only 7 p.m.

Mikala flew back to No. Carolina today. I will miss her. She was always very quick to be right at my side if I needed assistance or help.

We met with my oncologist today and she said everything is looking good. My white blood count is good, s0 you can pray for that to continue. Love to everyone, Maxine

Hello Everyone, New news after all this time!

All is going well here at the Hooper household. We were blessed last week to have Matthew, Sheela, Annie. Breeana, Mark and Mikala here for a week. It was wonderful having them here. I don't know how much they enjoyed it since they all got sick and had to go to urgent care in Folsom. Annie was sick when they got here with an ear infection but the medicine the Dr. in So Cal gave her was not working so they took her first then on Wed. Matthew, Mark and Sheela went back to get medicing for themselves. It sounds like they are all doing better now.

Wed. after my radiation treatment, Martha, Mary, Mikala, Sheela, Tara and myself were blessed with a night of luxury at the Foxes Inn in Sutter Creek. The owners are friends of Mark and Martha and she gave this to all of us as a gift. If you ever want to go to a great B & B and be treated like royalty, go there for a night or two. I had never been to a B&B so it was great fun for me. It was awesome and the food was fantastic.

I have had 3 blood draws and so far my white blood count is good. So that is how everyone can be praying is that my white count does not go down.

I am really excited, my two brothers John (and his wife Dorthy)and Pete are coming to CA to see us the first part of May. John & Dorthy are from Tulsa, OK and Pete is from Amherst, TX which is very close to Lubbock. My mother has decided not to come. She will be 98 in August and the trip would be really hard on her.

Thank you for all you prayers, it is working. I have not had nausea, but am extremely tired all the time. God bless you and keep you in His care. We love you. Marty and Maxine

HELLO TO ALL OF YOU:

I AM REALLY DOING GREAT! HAVE HAD 5 DAYS OF RADIATION AND CHEMO AND SO FAR SO GOOD. THE ONLY THING I AM FEELING IS TIRED. FRIDAY MORNING ON OUR DRIVE DOWN TO RANCHO CORDOVA FOR MY TREATMENT, I FELT A LITTLE TWINGE OF NAUSEA AND TOLD MARTY IT FELT LIKE I USED TO WHEN I WAS PREGNANT. IT LASTED ONLY A FEW SECONDS WHICH I WAS GRATEFUL FOR. OH, THE OTHER THING I HAVE NOTICED IS THAT I HAVE A HUGE APPETITE, WHICH I DON'T REALLY NEED, I WAS ACTUALLY HOPING I WOULD LOSE SOME WEIGHT THROUGH ALL THIS. OH WELL, WHEN I AM ALL DONE WE WILL WORK ON THAT. I HAVE NOTICED THAT SOME SMELLS IRRITATE ME, MAY NEED TO STAY AWAY FROM THE ONES I CAN IDENTIFY.

I'VE HAD VISISTS FROM SOME VERY SPECIAL FRIENDS THIS LAST WEEK, WHICH WAS WONDERFUL. SHARON FRY AND BARB CURRY CAME ON FRIDAY AND STAYED OVER TO SAT. IT WAS GREAT HAVING THEM HERE.
WE KNOW THEM FROM REDWOOD CHRISTIAN PARK. BEFORE THAT, ON MONDAY, JENNIFER EASON LANG AND TWO OF HER SISTERS, PEGGY AND MAGGIE CAME FOR A VISIT. JENNIFER WAS ONE OF THE GIRLS ON MY CHEERLEADING SQUAD AT COLFAX HIGH SCHOOL BACK IN 1986-88. WHAT A REMARKABLE YOUNG WOMAN JENNIFER HAS BECOME, I WAS AMAZED.

CARDS, ENCOURAGING WORDS, E-MAILS AND PRAYERS KEEP COMING AND I AM SO BLESSED. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU ALL!!!

I AM LOOKING FORWARD TO THIS WEEKEND AND NEXT WEEK. THE SAT. BEFORE EASTER SUNDAY WE HAVE ALL OF MARTY'S SIDE OF THE FAMILY HERE FOR A HOOPER FAMILY EASTER CELEBRATION. ALSO, MATTHEW & SHEELA, MARK AND MIKALA WILL BE HERE FOR ALL OF NEXT WEEK. THE LAST WEEKEND OF THIS MONTH, MARTHA, MARY, MIKALA AND MYSELF ARE GOING TO A LADIES RETREAT AT REDWOOD CHRISTIAN PARK IN BOULDER CREEK, CA WHERE THE HOOPER GIRLS ALONG WITH A FRIEND OF MIKALA'S, ASHLEY COROTHERS, FROM IRELAND,WILL BE HELPING WITH LEADING WORSHIP. WE HAVE DONE THIS FOR THE PAST FEW YEARS. IT HAS BEEN A REAL HONOR AND PRIVILEGE TO BE INVOLVED IN THIS WAY. MARTHA AND I HAVE BEEN ON THE PLANNING BOARD FOR THIS RETREAT FOR ABOUT 10 YEARS. APPROXIMATELY 400 WOMEN COME TO THIS RETREAT.

I WILL FINISH MY TREATMENTS ON MAY 12 AND BOTH MY ONCOLOGISTS SAID IF I FEEL OK, THERE IS NO REASON WHY I SHOULD NOT GO TO CHINA MAY 18-28, SO I AM PLANNING TO GO. I KNOW I WILL NEED TO PACE MYSELF WHICH I THINK I CAN DO.

MAY GOD CONTINUE TO BLESS YOU AND KEEP YOU. I LOVE YOU, MAXINE

TO ANYONE WHO WANTS TO CALL, OUR HOME PHONE # IS 530-333-0828 AND WE LOVE TO HAVE VISITORS.

HELLO EVERYONE -- THIS IS MAXINE WITH THE NEWEST UPDATES.

We had an appointmnet with our general oncologist on Tues. She was very nice and answered a lot of our questions. What she could not answer she said she would try to find someone who could. She took a lot of time with us and was very pleasant and helpful. She gave us the number for the radiation oncologist and we called when we got home and made an appt. The soonest they could get us in was April 7. Which we were a little concerned about as there was so much time between my surgery and that date.

We took Chris and Linda to the airport on Wednesday and on our way home we were talking about calling to see if we could get in sooner. When we got home we had 3 phone calls from Kaiser, one was with radiation oncology for today at 1:30 one was from Dr. Hui for me to have blood work done ASAP and the other was with a neurologist as some of the questions Dr. Hui thought they could answer. We thought the message said 10:45 this a.m. and after rushing down to Sac it was actually for 10:15 so we missed that one. In actuality, the radiation oncologist answered most of the questions

We met with him this afternoon and he was very nice as well and answered most of our questions. He went over the side effects of radiation and told us that some people breeze right through when others really struggle. I had a CT scan and they marked my head for the radiation treatment which begins next Wednesday. April 1. I will have 6 weeks, 5 days per week, Mon through Fri. I'll have Sat. and Sun. off. and I will have the oral chemo at the same time. He said some people do get nausea from the radiation, but some don't. Each treatment will take about 15 minutes. We will need to drive down to Rancho Cordova for these treatments. All of the people in the radiation dept. are very nice. There is a 91 year old woman who crochets hats and donates them for people to use while losing their hair. Both oncologists seemed to think it would be OK for me to go to China in May, (the 18-28) It all depends on how I feel, I told Marty that I would love to go, gut if I am not feeling OK, I won't go.

Last week I received a package in the mail and it was a beautiful lap quilt made by the women at the Sparks United Methodist Church. They do this through an organization called prayers and squares, and everyplace it is tied they said a prayer for me. Isn't that awesome. I love it. There are so many things we can do to help others instead of just thinking about ourselves all the time.

Tomorrow we are going to Jackson, it is grandparents day at Makenzie Johnson's school and it is a fundraiser. These are always fun. Marty will share a little in the service on Sun. a.m. about his trip to Bangladesh. We will come home on Sun. evening after we go to a healing service at the Penryn Faith 4 Square church. This is where Bob and Kay Owens serve. Bill and Barbara Seal worship there also.

We have been out running around everyday this day this week and let me tell you about 3:00 p.m. I hit a wall and I am done. As soon as I finish this, I am going to bed.

Keep up the prayers and I love the comments. Love to all of you, Maxine

Dear ones:

Just wanted to let you know that I did a no-no this morning. I was curious to see what the American Cancer Society said about what I am going through and I wish I had not clicked on that web-site as it was not very encouraging. I told Marty that maybe I have been in some denial because it really hit me that this is very serious.

Then I got to thinking about the actress Natasha Richardson that passed away today and realized how fortunate I have been, she was not able to get her heart right with the Lord, unless she was a believer and she did not get to say goodbye to her children and family. How sad. My family means everything to me.

I know that my great physician can override any doctors verdict and report and when He feels it is time for me to come home, He will take me. I AM READY. I PRAY THAT IF YOU HAVE NOT GIVEN YOUR LIFE TO JESUS YOU WILL, DO NOT WAIT ANY LONGER, DO IT NOW, NATASHA DID NOT KNOW THAT WHEN SHE WENT TO TAKE THAT SKI LESSON IT WOULD BE THE LAST DAY OF HER LIFE.

When Marty and I drove to Chico on Sat. we saw several crosses along the roadside which usually represents someone died there. I told Marty what was so ironic was that here I was going through this but we could have a car accident and it would all be over in seconds.

JESUS LOVES YOU AND SO DO WE, MAY THE LORD BLESS YOU AND KEEP YOU IN HIS CARE. TODAY IS THE DAY OF SALVATION. II Corinthians 6:1-2 Maxine

HELLO EVERYONE! THIS IS MARTY. I HAVE BEEN READING YOUR COMMENTS AND MY HEART IS OVERWHELMED WITH THE BLESSING OF YOUR LOVE AND JUST HOW BIG OUR FAMILY IS AND THAT WE ARE GOING TO BE TOGETHER FOREVER!

Coming home to this was such a surprise for me and it simply illustrates a verse that I have read so many times from Proverbs 27:1, "do not boast about tomorrow for you do not know what a day may bring forth." Wow! How true. Also, I have been singing all over the world, "The joy of the Lord is my strength" and now I have the opportunity to see how true that is. Some have been calling me THE APOSTLE OF JOY so now I can see if that is really true in my own home.

Maxine is so strong and it really helps me when I get shakey. Her faith has been such a testimony to me and I praise God for it. It is helping me. How thankful I am for the regular discipline that has been a part of my life for several years of reading at least five chapters from Psalms a day and then one chapter from Proverbs.
Without fail the Spirit of God has spoken to me the very words that I have needed for that day. With what Maxine and I face I know that we must have our lives anchored in the word of God. How wonderful to be encouraged to believe that God is in charge and that He and His word are eternally powerful and even in the midst of circumstances we can stand with confidence in our God and His promises. Again, how wonderul it is to have people of LIKE faith who believe in the power of God. James says that the "prayer of faith will heal the sick". THAT IS OUR CONVICTION. THAT IS WHERE WE STAND. And we are so thankful for so many others all over the world who believe and stand with us. God's presence is so real for us each day and how thankful we are for that. It makes me think of the statement by Fenelon who said,
"He prays well who is so absorbed with God that he doesn't realize he is praying." Isn't that beautiful? Paul said it in 1 Thess. 5 to pray without ceasing. Yes, it seems that is becoming more and more a way of life for us.

THANK YOU FOR CONTINUING TO PRAY FOR US AND WHAT JOY COMES IN KNOWING THAT WE ARE LOVED NOT ONLY BY OUR HEAVENLY FATHER BUT BY SO MANY OF YOU. MARTY

I wanted to add one more thing. A number of years ago I met an older woman(in her 80's) named Jean at the church where Mark and Martha are. She had cancer of the stomach and the doctors had given her only a couple of months to live. If I remember right, she lived for about 5 years longer. She was an encouragement to many people. She gave me this poem that I have carried in my Bible ever since and have shared with many people.
WHAT CANCER CANNOT DO!!!

cANCER IS SO LIMITED

It cannot cripple love
It cannot shatter hope
It cannot corrode faith
It cannot destroy peace
It cannot kill friendship
It cannot suppress memories
It cannot silence courage
It cannot invade the soul
It cannot steal eternal life
It cannot conquer the Spirit

AMEN!!!

Hello again Everyone:

First off, Tara is our precious daughter-in-law, wife of Michael and mother of 3 of our 14 grandchildren, Michael John, Taylor and Tyler (born Dec. 23). She is a blessing to our family. We are so thankful for Tara, Sheela (Matthew's wife), Mark Johnson (Martha's husband) and Brad (Mary's husband). We have been blessed to have such wonderful son's and daughter's -in-law. And we look forward to Mark finding a wonderful wife and Mikala a wonderful husband. When they get married, there will be 29 in our family until more grandchildren come along. Ifeel truly blessed among women.

All is going well here at the home base. We drove to Chico on Sat. to a wedding of some dear friends and then stopped by to see Dana and Cindy Hagman on our way home. That was fun, but after we left there, I told Marty that I was done, and needed to be in bed. I came home, took a Vicadan and went straight to bed. I have been sleeping great, get up maybe 2 times to go to the bathroom. One of the things that has been affected by my surgery is that when I need to go, I need to go and should go ASAP. If I wait too long, I take the chance of not making it. I am wearing depends a lot of the time.

We are so excited, my nephew Chris Anderson and his wife, Linda, are coming in from Lubbock, TX on Thursday night and will be here over the weekend. His sister Robin called today and they may come in June. My oldest brother John and his wife Dorthy may come in May and bring my mother. My brother Pete may come also in May. It will be great to see all of them. Please keep my mother in your prayers also, she will be 98 in August and has already lost 2 of her children to cancer. My sister had breast cancer and passed away in 1990 and my brother Paul passed away last year with a brain tumor, the same kind I had but it was in a place where they could not operate.

I have truly enjoyed reading the comments in the blog, some of the scriptures that have been shared have been a great encouragement. Keep them coming. I especially like Isaiah 46:3-4. Jer. 29:11 is a good one also.

I better go and get in bed it is getting late. We are thankful for all the prayers that are going up on our families behalf and all the love we feel from so many. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU. MAY THE LORD BLESS YOU ALL ABUNDANTLY.

HELLO EVERYONE!

I am so thankful for my family -- and especially Tara for setting this up for me. I had planned on updating sooner but decided to wait until we went to see my Dr. on Thurs. 3/12. Had a good visit with him, his name is Dr. Shakrabarti, pronounced (schockrabarti) He is from India, very congenial and up front. He told us that the pathology report came back just as he thought it would. I had a glioblastoma, (look this up on webmed, it is very interesting). and it was a stage 4 malignancy, which they feel they removed 98% of the tumor. This is the same kind of tumor my brother Paul had, the difference is that mine was in a spot they could easily operate on, his was not. This is a very aggressive tumor and can come back so radiation and chemo will be necessary to totally zap it. He told us many people go through the surgery and then decide they do not want to go through radiation and chemo and the tumor comes right back. I plan on taking the radiation and chemo. We have an appointment on the 24th with the oncologist who will then map out my treatment. They cannot start radiation until my scar heals really well, so that is what we are waiting on right now. The doctor said if they start radiation too soon before the incision heals, it can cause problems with the incision which we don't want, it is big enough now. It starts at the beginning of my hairline right in the middle of my forhead, goes back about 6" then curves down to my right ear. I cannot wear any wigs or hats until it heals well, don't want it to keep moisture in the scar. It looks pretty ominous right now but is healing well, (itches a lot)
The doctor took me off the seizure medicine, have not had any seizures. He said most people if they are going to have seizures, have them in the first week after surgery. He was very pleased with my progress and told me I could do anything I wanted, of course, still get lots of rest which I am trying to do. The first few days after coming home from the hospital, I could not seem to stay warm. Marty's sister was here and went home and brought me back an electric blanket, which I have used every day and night since.

I have been extremely blessed by my family. Our children have been so helpful. Today at our worship service we were talking about thankfulness and I tought of so many things I am thankful for. My children's persistance, the fact that I live in a country where they can do this kind of treatment even though many say our health care is lacking, I am thankful for what I do have,and I am thankful for Marty. He is doing a great job taking care of me and comes at my beck and call.

Sometimes you wonder, do I really have friends, going through this, I have realized how many wonderful friends I have. People have been bringing meals which have been fantastic, we have received lots of words of encouragement and cards and offers to do anything that needs to be done. One young man has come and worked outside for many hours, so Marty can be in the house with me. We truly feel blessed and loved.

I have decided to not answer the phone everytime it rings, but that is so hard especially when it is someone I have not heard from in a long time. I have a hard time letting the answer machine take it, but I am trying.

We will try to keep you posted as to how my progress is going. I really do feel quite great now. We are going to a service on the 29th at a church that Bob and Kay Owens work with, they have a healing service the 4th Sunday of the month. I am looking forward to this. Love to all of you, keep us in your prayers. I have heard mixed comments on radiation and chemo. It depends on the person, I guess. We will see how I respond and how I can handle it. Someone sent this scripture to me. Isaiah 46:3-4 God says he knew me before I was even conceived, isn't that awesome and that He has carried me since I was born,and will continue to do so til I am old and gray. WOW, WHAT A SAVIOR!!

Well......

Hello again-
Mom had her appointment on Thursday and spoke with Dr. "Shake your booty". Another great nick-name for the good doctor. So, he confirmed what we all pretty much knew. Mom's tumor is cancerous and is in what they call Stage 4. It is very aggressive and will grow back. Radiation will be about 6 maybe 8 weeks long. She should be starting this withing the next two weeks. She is scheduled to meet with the oncologist on Tuesday the 24th. This will give us a much better idea of what it to come with the radiation process. That is pretty much it for now. Mom is going to be getting on here herself in the next few days and give a longer, more detailed update. Look for her to get on and enjoy the fact that she will be writing and not me! First hand info!
Thanks everyone for your support. We love you all.
Tara

Tomorrow, Tomorrow!

Hey everyone-
Just wanted to let you all know that Mom has an appointment with her Neuro-Surgeon or affectionately referred to by some of us as Dr. "Shock your body" (pretty much because we can't pronounce his real name that sounds like the one above), tomorrow at noon. We are hoping that mom will get her results from the tumor whether or not it is cancerous. So please be in prayer around that time tomorrow. I believe in the power of prayer and that the Lord is faithful to answer!
So I will be posting the results from her appointment tomorrow sometime in the afternoon. Other than that, she is doing well. Things are somewhat "back to normal", if there is such a thing. Matthew, Sheela and Mark are back home. Mikala flew back home to North Carolina yesterday. Mary and Martha have been going over to the house to help out this week. Michael and I haven't been able to make it but plan on going over on the weekends when we can. Our family who lives over in the area have been great, stopping by and helping when they can. Thank God for large families!
Also, a huge, ginormous thank you to those of you who have been making meals and bringing them to the house. You all know who you are and I'm sorry I can't list all of you! So until tomorrow...............keep the Hooper family in your prayers and know that God listens and answers in His own way.
Blessings-
Tara

Hello Everyone!
So Sorry I haven't been able to write anything for a few days! But here we go!
Mom is doing well. We just spent the weekend with her and all the Hooper family! It was a little crazy(normal) but great! We all spent time working around the house and doing things we could to help out. A big thanks to Macy from our church (Grace Fellowship) for coming and doing yard work around the house. He was such a HUGE help! We all had a great time together and mom is making progress everyday. She is up walking when she needs to and doing some physical therapy at home with dad and whoever is there to help. Her left side is still a little weak but she seems to be getting stronger all the time. She's looking forward to going to the doctor on Thursday and hopefully getting the results from the biopsy the doctor's took of the tumor. We are all praying that it is benign. She should be meeting soon with the Oncologist and beginning some Chemo and Radiation if the results come back malignant. We ask that you all just continue to pray for the family. Mom remains in good spirits and is enjoying all the time spent with kids and grandkids.

A little update on the account that has been set up for donations for Mom and Dad. If you would like to send donations, you can send them to:
El Dorado Savings Bank
P.O. Box 1091
Georgetown, Ca. 95634
Please write on the envelope or in quotation somewhere on your check:
Marty & Maxine Hooper Donation Fund.
The Hooper family would like to express there sincerest regard to everyone one of you who have been holding them up in prayer. We all love everyone of you and rejoice that we have so many close friends who we can rely on in times of need!
Thank you from the bottom of our hearts!
Tara

How can I help?

Some of you might be wondering how can I help or what can I do? Well it's your lucky day! We have come up with some ways for you to contribute. A big thanks to Debbie Hamilton for setting this up for us. Debbie and her family have been a huge help to us. This is from Debbie:

We know all of you love Marty and Maxine as we do. They have touched all our lives in such special ways through the years that we want to give you an opportunity to help them now in their hour of need. We are assessing what those needs are on a daily basis and the immediate need at this time is to bring meals into Maxine and the family. Most likely she will be released from the hospital today. We will start providing meals for the family this evening. If you would like be on the list for bringing meals to them please contact;

Mary Hershey @
jmhershey@juno.com or
Phone 530-389-2628

Another area of concern we have identified for the days and weeks ahead is the extra financial burden that comes from this kind of situation. We are in the process of setting up the best way for people to give money for the pertinent financial needs as they arise. The information will be available on this blog site as soon as we have worked out the details.

Now the body is not made up of one part but of many....
If one part suffers every part suffers with it,
if one is honored every part rejoices with it.
1 Cor 12:14,2

If you have any further questions you can always email me at tarahooper@sbcglobal.net
and I will find the answer!
Maxine should be coming home today and we praise God for that! She is making strides to recovery every hour of every day. She is looking forward to bringing you all up to date on this blog when she is able. We ask that you continue your prayers now as she comes home and starts this new "venture" with Marty. Pray that Marty has the strength to help her in every way possible and that the help from others would be overflowing!
Thank you all again for your support.
Tara

Latest news about Mom!

Hi everyone... Michael here. Today was another eventful day. Martha, Mikala, and I left early this morning to go to the hospital to be with Mom and Dad. We found Mom doing well and making more positive strides as she recovers from her surgery. Praise the Lord for how well Mom is responding from the removal of the tumor. The surgeon who performed the operation visited us and confirmed that Mom is doing very well. They were able to remove 98% of the mass and from the post-op MRI there is nothing they can see as far as significant swelling or bleeding. The doctors are pretty certain though that the tumor is malignant and Mom will start cancer treatment in two weeks. We will find out the results of the tests hopefully by the end of this week. I asked the doctor today if there was a chance that the tumor might not be cancer which would then make it unnecessary for Mom to need chemo/radiation... His response was that there is always a chance. But again they are all insisting that that chance is very slim. Monty and Mary joined us later, as well as our Aunt Veda(Dad's sister) and Uncle Dick. They live in Garden Valley near Mom and Dad. We are so blessed by how available both sides of the family have been. Thanks to all of you who have been by our sides. And to those of you who can't be here physically we know you are here in spirit. The physical therapists also came and spent some time with Mom and Mary trying to walk and see how Mom could handle more movement. She did pretty well but is lacking strength and coordination on her left side. Her peripheral vision on the left side is also weak. WE BELIEVE... that as we plan for the worst potential outcome that our great God could do otherwise according to His perfect will. We know that He is able and Mom is is in His hands. We are praying and trusting that God will be glorified in the midst of all of this. We all have something to learn about our faith and daily walk with Jesus experiencing this with Mom. She is a great blessing with her attitude and her consistent desire to lift up the name of the Lord as her strength. Already we have had numerous opportunities to be an encouragement to those serving Mom at the hospital. Everyone can see that there is a peace in Mom's spirit... We are at peace as a family too. Yes we have many things that we are uncertain about, and yes we are grieving. But we serve the God of all creation. HE IS KING! We met as a family tonight to discuss the road ahead. Our time together was sweet and there was great unity. Mom should be going home either tomorrow or Wednesday... She is excited to be the one keeping you all updated with this blog so keep checking in. We love you all and appreciate the prayerful support. More News Tomorrow!

Sunday night

Hi everyone-
Just returned home from visiting with Mom tonight. She is doing so much better. She was so glad to see everyone and the kids! Mom didn't get moved yet to a different room but she will tomorrow. When we were leaving tonight, I asked Mom what she would like me to put on here tonight. She wanted to express how in awe she is of everyone's support and prayers. We are hoping for her to go home in about two-three days! Can you believe it? That was such great news to hear that she could actually be out of the hospital so soon! When she is feeling up to it, I will have her take over the blog and she will be communicating to everyone herself.
She showed all of us her incision tonight. I have to say, it is gnarly! It lookes like a backwards question mark or a kidney bean. I wish I would have had a camera when she showed some of the grandkids. Their faces were priceless. All of them had a look of disgust but totally intrigued! She was so happy to see the grandkids.
That's it for now. We hope to have good news from the doctor tomorrow morning and I will be blogging again tomorrow night! Until then................

A small update

Today, Monty flew in from Oklahoma. We are all so glad that he is here! Mom is continuing to make small steps towards recovery. Today she was able to get up with some assistance and walk to the bathroom with a walker. She then walked back to the bed with the walker. This might seem small but in reality is a huge step.
She also will be moved out of ICU tomorrow and down to a post surgery room. This is also a good step towards her recovery. We are all pleased with her progress thus far and pray that she will only continue to make these small improvements.
The family is still planning on meeting with Mom's primary surgeon on Monday. We all hope this meeting will reveal what her recovery process will en-tail so we can start making plans. Tonight we all sat at Mark and Martha's and talked of the things to come over the next 6 months. This was a good conversation among the 10 of us. Much input was given and received by all. I am so blessed to be a part of the Hooper family where we can all share our hearts and be received so well without fear of judgement! God has truly blessed us. My prayer is that through all of what Mom is going through and is about to go through, that God may been be seen in her every moment and others will ask what is different about Mom. I pray that that would be a way to share the word of Christ with others who can relate to her story.
I hope to blog again on Monday after talking with the doctors. So please look here again Monday night!
Tara

A little background info.....

It was brought to my attention that not everyone knows how things came about with mom's tumor. So I thought I would give everyone the "background" on how it came to be known.
As all the brothers, sisters and their spouses have been talking this week, we have all begun to put the pieces of the puzzle together. As far as we can tell, her symptoms started around mid-January. Dad and Mom took a trip down South to spend time with Matthew, Sheela, Annie, Breeana, Mark, and Mikala. On the way there Mom had mentioned to Dad that she was having some headaches off and on. They thought nothing of it then. While at Matthew and Sheela's she was still complaining of headaches and Sheela was also noticing that Mom's behavior was not right. She told Matthew this but again, it was somewhat "put on the back-burner". They came back and Mom seemed to be a little better. Dad soon after left for his recent trip to Bangladesh on Feb.11th and as she always does, came over to Jackson to be with her precious grandkids. She stayed that Sunday with Martha and Mark and it was then we all started noticing little things that weren't quite "right". Little things she would do (or not do), or say were out of character for mom. She left Wednesday to go back home and still at this point none of us said anything to anyone about what we were all starting to notice. She came back again he following weekend to stay with us all. She spent one night each with Martha, Mary and then here with Michael and I. She stayed here Monday night while she, Mark & Martha, the girls and Michael and I all watched our favorite obsession, 24! While watching the show, she was holding Tyler, (our 9-week-old) and again she just wasn't right. It was almost as if she didn't know she had him at times. Tuesday morning started the chain of events which lead Michael, Martha and I to believe she needed to go to the hospital and be checked out. She had been complaining of pain behind her eye anyway so she went with Martha at mid-night Tuesday night/Wednesday morning. It was then Martha INSISTED the doctor order a CAT-scan of Mom's head. Upon much resistance from the doctor, they agreed and obviously found the tumor. The doctor was very apologetic and mom sat and waited to be transfered to where she is now.
You know the rest of the story and hopefully this is helpful to those of you who wanted to know more of how this all came about. We all love the comments that are being posted and hope to make mom a little scrapbook of them along with e-mails and letter we have received. So please keep posting comments, mom will eventually read them herself. Thank you all again for your love and support. Until tomorrow's blog....
Tara

Friday night 7:30pm

We just got home from the hospital where we have spent most of the day. Maxine has been in and out of sleep for most of the day....understandably. We were all able to go in and visit with her a few times during the day. Most of the day was spent sitting out in the waiting room, talking about what the next steps would be for her to come home. 

She was able to sit in a chair (with the help of Mark and Michael) and be upright for the afternoon and into the evening. She had been complaining of her back hurting from laying in a hospital bed for three days! 

She is much more aware of her surroundings today. She knew where she was and why she was there. Before the surgery, she thought she was in her house, in her bedroom and that the nurses has transformed the house into a hospital. She would ask some of us to go get different things in the house and we just played along for the moment. She is now very aware of where she is and what is happening. We are very thankful even for the smallest of things!

Just before we all left the hospital tonight, the doctor came in and spoke with everyone. He performed some tests to make sure she could feel her feet. He touched the bottoms of her feet and she would then tell him which foot he touched which she passed. He then asked her to hold her arms up as if she was holding a pizza. She did but her left hand was noticably lower than her right. This is to be expected because they went in to the right side of her brain. She is also leaning to her left when she is upright. He concluded that she was doing fine and will slowly get better.

She had another MRI done today at about 10:00am. We weren't expecting to hear anything today but when the doctor came in, he wasn't able to say much (he isn't her primary doctor) but did say that the results looked good and there was no new growth or anything else to be worried about. So with that said the night ended on a good note for us to go home. 

Again, thank you to all who are praying and lifting Mom up at this time. Please continue to do so and keep checking back here for more updates. I will try to post things every day. 

Tara

Maxine's Post surgery update

Friday morning: 8:30am

I just got off the phone with Dad (Marty) and things are looking good!Sugery started at 4:00 yesterday afternoon and ended about 8:30 last night. As soon as 9:00, Marty was right there with her and she was responsive, holding Dad's hand. Although her eyes were closed, she was already telling Dad that she was here to stay; reassuring him with her touch. 

Dad returned the notion and stayed by Mom's bedside all night, not leaving once. She awoke this morning to find him next to her, snoring I'm sure! If you have ever stayed at Marty and Maxine's house, you know what I'm talking about! 

I spoke with Dad at 8:30 this morning abd was reassured by Mom's voice in the background that she was doing as well as could be expected. She has a slight headache (to be expected) but has not accepted any pain medication. As I was talking to Dad, he said she was very lucid, wanting to brush her teeth and go shopping for wigs! (Stay tunned for later pictures of wig possibilites!) I aksed her what it was like to be bald and she said she wasn't sure yet but wasn't looking forward to it either. I told her now would be a good time to go for a different look, maybe a red head or even a blonde! To that she tried to laugh....... it was a good sign to me that she will slowly return to herself. 

For those of you who aren't quite sure what took place with the surgery here it is:

The doctors cut through the front temporal region of her head. Basically where your hairline begins and back a few inches. They went in to the temporal part of the brain which is what controls your emotions/ personality behaviors. Once inside, they began the tedious process of removing what they could of the lemon-sized tumor. They were able to remove about 70-80% of the tumor. She has what is called a glioblastoma. This definition is taken from wikipedia:

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is the most common and most aggressive type of primary brain tumor, accounting for 52% of all primary brain tumor cases and 20% of all intracranial tumors. Despite being the most prevalent form of primary brain tumor, GBMs occur in only 2-3 cases per 100,000 people in Europe and North America. 

Treatment can involve chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and surgery, all of which are acknowledged as palliativemeasures, meaning that they do not provide a cure. Even with complete surgical resection of the tumor, combined with the best available treatment, the survival rate for GBM remains very low. However, many advances in microsurgery techniques, radiotherapy and chemotherapy are slowly increasing the survival time of patients diagnosed with glioblastoma.

We are pretty hopeful knowing that she is awake this morning and are now waiting to meet with the doctors to hopefully give us their opinions of what happened during the surgery and what to expect now that the surgery is done. Please continue to pray and look here for further updates. I hope to update this if not every night then definetly every two days. Thank you for all your prayers and concerns for the Hooper family at this most crucial time. We are faithful that God can and will bring her through this. Praise be to God for His mercies!

Tara Hooper