I haven’t written about Sarah in a while so let’s do a little catch-up today.
Sarah was involved in the Memorial Day event our church hosted last Saturday. She loves getting to be a part of anything related to dance or drama.
Just a few minutes ago, Sarah and Steve left for Regent University so that they can tour the Communications Building (where she will have most of her classes), talk with a guidance counselor, see her dorm room, and accrue some driving experience on an interstate in a metropolis numbering 1.6 million people. (It is at this point in the blog post where I take a brief break to wring my hands in fine Worried Mama Fashion.)
Only ten more weeks before she leaves home. My brain just can’t grasp it yet.
Before they left this morning, Steve walked her through the Car Journey Stuff that every young woman should know.
Checking the oil. 
Checking the air in the tires. 
She and her dad make a great team!
After church on Sunday, Sarah and I will leave for Chapel Hill, NC and get a hotel in preparation for appointments at UNC and Duke Hospitals on Monday morning. We’re in the process of going through the final steps of getting her fitted with hearing aids. After Monday’s appointments are done, we will have to drive back to Duke one more time (six hours, round trip) in the next couple of weeks for the actual fitting. Sarah is very excited about finally getting those hearing aids in place.
The last couple of weeks have been a little stressful on the health front.
I took Sarah to an ENT two weeks ago so that she could have a flexible laryngoscopy to investigate some vocal challenges she’s been having. Turns out she has some thinning and bowing in her vocal cords and is supposed to go see another specialist for more testing.
When Sarah was weighed at the beginning of the visit, I was surprised to see that her weight was down a good bit from what I had remembered it being. When I asked her about it later, she pulled up some of her online medical charts and discovered that she has lost about eight pounds in the last couple months, putting her current weight at 92 pounds. Eight pounds isn’t a lot if you weigh 200, but if you only weigh 100 pounds to start with, then that is a lot of weight to lose without trying.
I’m sure you know how us cancer moms get when we’re faced with any health anomalies in our cancer-surviving offspring. I started looking up “unexplained weight loss” and of course was immediately informed by the famous Dr. Google that almost half the time, a first symptom of cancer (or relapsed cancer) is unexplained weight loss. To add to my concern, she had been looking a little pale and had had a few spells of light-headedness and dizziness.
Since being a survivor of Neuroblastoma (and all its accompanying treatments) significantly raises the risk of secondary cancers, that is where my mind first went.
It’s where Sarah’s mind went, as well. And that produced a few teary spells for us both.
Sarah contacted our family doctor to explain the situation and was told to come in for an exam and bloodwork.Her appointment was last Thursday; on Tuesday, we got the good news that her bloodwork is normal.
The bad news, however, is that we still have no explanation as to why she is losing weight. Her doctor put her on some high-calorie supplements and is having her return in three weeks to see what other steps may need to be taken.
I just know that Sarah can’t continue losing weight at this rate; we are praying that whatever is wrong will right itself so that she can head to college with no worries and in good health.
Speaking of college, most of you know by now that Sarah is going to be getting her degree in Cinema and TV. She is so excited about this course of study and can’t wait to get started! .
One of the things she will need to have in place before she starts this junior year of college is an editing laptop that is a good bit more powerful than the inexpensive 4-year old laptop she has been using.
Since Sarah is well able to express herself (an understatement!) I’ll just step aside and let you read what she has to sayon the subject. Here is the link to help, if you would like to be a part of this new chapter of her life.
I have always been a lover of stories. Whether on the printed page, on the silver screen, or told aloud, stories have always fascinated me. I started writing my own when I was about six years old. I have always loved writing and I always will, but in my young adult years, I have discovered a new form of storytelling that I am even more passionate about: Video editing.
I remember watching movies as a kid and whenever there was a scene with memorable music (whether a pop or classical song or a score unique to that movie), I would wonder what it would be like to be the person that puts the footage together and makes it work with the music for an emotional scene. That got me thinking further: someone takes all the footage filmed for a movie and puts it together to tell the story! I remember becoming so excited by this idea.
When I was about 14 years old, I discovered video editing for myself. I started out with the very basic program, Windows Movie Maker, using my trusty old Dell Inspiron 6000. I taught myself about types of video, how to arrange clips to make a cohesive whole, appropriate transitions, and the importance of timing. I had fun with it, but I was limited in my abilities.
About four years ago, I got my current computer, an ASUS Notebook K53E. Friends of the family heard about my developing interest in video and helped me purchase my current editing software, Sony Vegas 13. Since then, my horizons for editing have expanded tenfold. Sony Vegas has allowed me to learn about editing in multiple layers, text manipulation, and special effects.
Some videos I make just for fun, but I have also been able to use my skill to help my church with media projects and even run an online small business creating lyric videos for independent music artists.
This fall, I will transfer from my local community college to Regent University to begin my major in Film and Cinema Post-Production. I hope to use my knowledge and talent in church media and in education. My dream is to join a creative team and work on films or shows.
I want to continue to learn how to tell stories more effectively in this ever-increasingly visual culture we live in. My ASUS computer has served me well these last four years, but I will need a more powerful machine as I begin my education and career in video. I hope to purchase a Dell XPS 15 by July of this year. It will cost $1,880; I am hoping to raise about $1,500 of that and pay the rest myself. If you are able to make even a small donation towards my goal, or at least share this page with others, I would be very thankful.
As a pastor, my dad believes that storytelling is one of the best ways to convey the Gospel,since Jesus often used parables to make complicated topics easier to understand for his listeners. Narrative not only has the power to capture the imagination, but also to inspire others to greatness.
Stories of all kinds have had a tremendous impact on my life and I want to spread the joy of storytelling to everyone I can.
(Note: Athough her GoFundMe Page says this campaign is already two weeks old, we actually haven’t publicized it till today. Two weeks ago is when Sarah first built the page.)
Well, I think that just about sums up the recent doings of our gorgeous and precious gal. Thank you for being a part of her journey.
Becky, my first thought about Sarah’s symptoms are thyroid related. Possibly hyperthyroid. Have the doctors mentioned this possibility? Love keeping up with your family. Wishing Sarah the best at Regent and mom and dad the best at “empty nesting.”
Lora,
Thanks for your comment! I’m virtually certain that Sarah’s doctor did check her thyroid but she has another visit coming up shortly so I will make sure Sarah asks her about it.
Thanks for the empty nesting good wishes. I will need them!
Sorry to chime in again, but didn’t Nathan have a thyroid issue of some sort way back when? I vaguely remember you mentioning it.
Lesley,
Don’t ever worry about chiming in again! I always love to hear from you.
I hate to admit this as Nathan’s mama, but I think you have a better memory about him than I do. 🙂
Now that you mention it, I do think he had some “off” thyroid numbers when he lived at home. Can’t believe I didn’t remember that!
Very exciting for Sarah as she continues forward. 10 weeks mama! So hoping everything turns out OK in the weight dept. I remember after my freshman year of college I suddenly dropped 10 pounds, which was discovered during a weigh-in at school (to be sure I weighed enough to donate blood—which they decided I didn’t) My clothes were hanging off me. I took myself to the doctor and he told me that I had just dropped the ‘baby fat’ and not to worry. He was right. Hopefully, it’s something as simple as that.
Then of course there was my boys. Both were so busy in their late teen years that they didn’t take the time to eat. Weight was dropping off. Off to the doctor I went with each of them. The doctor put them on an antihistamine which has the side effect of increased appetite. He told me that if they didn’t gain weight after a month on the med, then there was something wrong with them medically and we would have to delve deeper. If they did gain weight, then they were just fine and just had to eat more. Both boys gained 10 pounds in a month because they were so busy eating, so the doctor took them off the med and I hounded them to eat for the next year or so. I remember my oldest standing next to the refrigerator after being on the med for a few days and him saying to me, “that medicine must be working because I am in the kitchen!” Haha.
Praying it is something as simple as that. The stakes are up for you though because she will be leaving soon and its harder to monitor her health/dizzy spells etc. Uggh.
Lesley,
Thanks for understanding how it worries a mama’s heart to see weight dropping off my girl. She even asked me to take her work pants to my seamstress to have them altered because they were hard to keep up.
Here’s hoping it’s as easily fixed as baby fat dropping off and/or eating a (whole lot) more. I have never in my life been told to try and gain; I think it would be a lovely change of pace! 🙂
Thanks, as always, for your interesting, lively comments.
Sarah, are you going through Dell for the computer or like a Best Buy, etc.? You sound super happy about your path! For now, I demand that you eat a gallon of ice cream, a bag of chips & a whole mess of chocolate! I know it’s easier said than done!
Jodi,
Sarah may see this and chime in but we’re not quite sure where we are getting the computer from yet. Don’t know if t would be cheapest to go straight to Dell.
She probably wouldn’t mind at all the eating prescription you gave her! 🙂
I remember being told a while back that some of the big box places give college discounts? I was curious because depending on where I’d just send her the donation so she got the entire thing since GFM deducts something like 5% off of each donation! Chime in if you want Sarah!
Jodi,
I think she was planning on ordering through Dell but we can sure check out a few big box places and see if they would give a discount. Every dollar saved makes a big difference! Thanks for making us aware of that.
Bless you Sarah for the work you want to do to further your life’s ambition. Praying the Lord will open doors for you, even when you are in college, to bele to use what you have learned. May the Lord touch your body and that He will help the doctor’s to know why you are losing weight. Thanks Becky for sharing!
Sharyn,
You are so sweet to be concerned on Sarah’s behalf Thank you for the prayers and the encouraging words!
I am hoping that Sarah’s weight loss issue is resolved nicely. Thyroid is an immediate thought I had as well as it is vulnerable in post chemo folks.
Calorie counting (in reverse from, ahem, many of us in purpose) to find out exactly what she is eating and not eating. My son lost a lot of weight due to a number of factors, but bottom line he was not eating. Not even aware he wasn’t eating. Not hungry, and would eat maybe a full meal and then just nibbles that added up to little during a day
Cath,
That’s the thing that worries us is that she eats her normal amount of food; she always eats a full dinner and often even gets seconds. I’ll have to check her blood work and see if thyroid tests are mentioned.
As yes, I am well acquainted with calorie counting–although never in reverse! 🙂
definitely praying that everything turns out AOK for Sarah health-wise.
Thank you, Mrs. Pam!
So proud of her. God has great plans for this young lady. Praying for health answers re weight loss and no health problems as she starts the next chapter in her life. Such an inspiration.
Thank you, Ann. We are so proud of her, as well.
Hoping to get to the bottom of the weight loss situation soon!
Did they check her thyroid, I know my daughter was diagnosed with hyPOthyroidism last October and has been putting ON weight because of it, some people with hyPERthyroidism lose weight….just a thought.
Dale,
I’m not sure on that. I need to look at her blood work report again. I have heard of thyroid affecting weight so I would think it would be something the doctor would check immediately but I’m not sure.
I know your daughter must have been thankful to have figured out what was going on with her!
How exciting for Sarah as she begins her further educational journey (literally and figuratively).
I was going to point out how tiny she looked in the photo of her with a woman in the USA t-shirts. I agree, 8 pounds is a lot to lose – is she stressing over college? I know I would be! I’m glad her bloodwork is OK and hope she can put some weight back on!
Stefanie,
I agree; she did look pretty small next to those other women. The women in the picture beside her (of the just the two of them) is a petite, very slender woman herself, so when Sarah looks small next to her, that IS something!
I’m pretty sure she’s not stressing over college; she’s really excited to be going. She’s started to drink some high calorie shakes every day; hoping to see her put some of that weight back on!