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