I just wanted to give everyone a quick update... Sam began his fourth round of chemo this week, but with the addition of steroids to his drug regimen... and what a difference! He has had virtually no nausea, and slightly more energy. This is his double-chemo week, too, so we are curious to see how much better he is going to feel when he is only on one chemo drug next week.
When meeting with his doctor on Monday, it was decided that instead of going ahead with surgery after this fourth round, they are going to do a fifth round of chemo first so that Sam won't be having surgery around my due date. This makes everything a little bit easier to work around. I mentioned this to my doctors, who then scheduled me to be induced on October 1st, which will be the Monday of Sam's week off after his fifth round. Making this plan takes away so much stress! Plus, that's 8 less days of being pregnant! :) So the countdown begins... 4 1/2 weeks to go! Sam and I keep joking that we will have all of this planned to the last detail, and Madelyn will decide to come 3 weeks early, just to throw us off!
I will have another ultrasound on September 10th, to find out how Madelyn is doing with her kidney condition.
I am officially done with work until January, which has made things run much more smoothly at home. I am able to take care of Sam and Taylor, and still be able to get housework done. Unfortunately, Taylor seems to be giving up her naps lately... she couldn't have picked a worse time!
Taylor has been wonderful this week. She has been a joy to be around. She definitely has her 2-year-old moments, but has been SO imaginative, creative, and caring. She is always asking her daddy how he is feeling, and everything that he does she says "Oh dada, that will make you feel so much better!". She keeps saying she wants to be a nurse when she grows up... we are starting to think that it would be a perfect fit for her!
Just as a side note, we have had so many wonderful people supporting us in so many ways. We are very behind in our "thank-you's", but please know just how grateful, thankful, and touched we are by everyone's outpouring of support. We are so incredibly lucky to have all of you in our lives!
Thursday, August 30, 2012
Saturday, August 25, 2012
Culver's Night!
Last Thursday evening was our Culver's Night fundraiser in Minooka. Sam and I were so amazed, overwhelmed, and overjoyed by the incredible support shown by our friends, family, and community. From 4-9pm, Culver's was packed! We couldn't believe how many wonderful people came out to support us. We have so many people to thank, but where to start?!
First of all, we'd like to thank Culver's for allowing such an event to take place. From the beginning of the planning stage, we have heard that they were very easy to work with and receptive to any ideas that Erica had.
Thank you to everyone who came out to support us that night. We especially want to thank those who came from a long distance. We were able to spend the evening chatting with friends, family, co-workers, MCHS students, neighbors, and Minooka residents. We were even paid a special visit by the mayor of Minooka! We know how rushed a weekday evening can be, so we really appreciate everyone who took time to come out and show their support.
Thank you to everyone who made a donation into the donation jars. Most of the donations were made in cash, and so we will never know who you are... but please know that your contribution means so much to us. We are extremely touched by everyone's generosity!
There were quite a few wonderful people involved in the planning and execution of the event. We would like to thank Jen for putting together donation jars, and Elaine for setting up the raffle and making us the ADORABLE baby/toddler items!
Thanks to everyone who helped serve at Culver's that night: Erica, German, Adam, Tony, Jen, Elaine, Lydia, Ross, Tonya, Jackie H., Jackie K., Denise, Carli, Katie, Katie's friend (sorry I forgot your name!), Shannon, Julie, Amy, Christi, Renee, and Avery. If I forgot anyone... please forgive me and let me know that I forgot you so that I can edit this and add your name to the list! You all worked so hard and definitely deserve to be thanked by name!
And of course, the biggest thank you of all goes to Erica Martinez, for coordinating this event. Erica worked so hard in setting up this event, getting t-shirts made, driving around town to get gift card donations for us, setting up our fundraising website... the list goes on. You've been amazing to us during this difficult time. Truly, having you by our side during this whole ordeal has brought us so much comfort. You're an exceptional friend, and an even more amazing person, and we are so thankful to have you in our lives.
All in all, the event was one of the most incredible nights that of our lives. To be surrounded by so much love and support is something we never dreamed that we would experience. We were blissfully taking it all in that night, and will use the strength given to us by your support to get us through the rest of this ordeal. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts!
First of all, we'd like to thank Culver's for allowing such an event to take place. From the beginning of the planning stage, we have heard that they were very easy to work with and receptive to any ideas that Erica had.
Thank you to everyone who came out to support us that night. We especially want to thank those who came from a long distance. We were able to spend the evening chatting with friends, family, co-workers, MCHS students, neighbors, and Minooka residents. We were even paid a special visit by the mayor of Minooka! We know how rushed a weekday evening can be, so we really appreciate everyone who took time to come out and show their support.
Thank you to everyone who made a donation into the donation jars. Most of the donations were made in cash, and so we will never know who you are... but please know that your contribution means so much to us. We are extremely touched by everyone's generosity!
There were quite a few wonderful people involved in the planning and execution of the event. We would like to thank Jen for putting together donation jars, and Elaine for setting up the raffle and making us the ADORABLE baby/toddler items!
Thanks to everyone who helped serve at Culver's that night: Erica, German, Adam, Tony, Jen, Elaine, Lydia, Ross, Tonya, Jackie H., Jackie K., Denise, Carli, Katie, Katie's friend (sorry I forgot your name!), Shannon, Julie, Amy, Christi, Renee, and Avery. If I forgot anyone... please forgive me and let me know that I forgot you so that I can edit this and add your name to the list! You all worked so hard and definitely deserve to be thanked by name!
And of course, the biggest thank you of all goes to Erica Martinez, for coordinating this event. Erica worked so hard in setting up this event, getting t-shirts made, driving around town to get gift card donations for us, setting up our fundraising website... the list goes on. You've been amazing to us during this difficult time. Truly, having you by our side during this whole ordeal has brought us so much comfort. You're an exceptional friend, and an even more amazing person, and we are so thankful to have you in our lives.
All in all, the event was one of the most incredible nights that of our lives. To be surrounded by so much love and support is something we never dreamed that we would experience. We were blissfully taking it all in that night, and will use the strength given to us by your support to get us through the rest of this ordeal. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts!
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| Love you, Erica! |
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| Some of our amazing friends who came out to help! |
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| More amazing friends! |
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| ...And more amazing friends! |
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| These guys didn't stop working the whole evening! |
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| Special visit from the Mayor! |
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| My wonderful parents! |
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| 2 of my favorite girls, Erica & Jen! |
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| Raffle time! |
Wednesday, August 15, 2012
Our Newspaper Article!
We made the news once again! :) Below, I have copied and pasted the article from the Morris Daily Herald this morning. They came and interviewed us last week.
Forced to fight again
As Pavelkas await second child, Sam, 28, mired in second battle with Ewing’s sarcoma
By Jessica Cohea
- jcohea@morrisdailyherald.com
Created: Wednesday, August 15, 2012 5:00 a.m. CDT
Taylor
Pavelka, 2, of Minooka, reads her dad, Sam, a story while he rests and
recovers on the couch from his latest round of chemotherapy. (Herald
Photo by Lisa Pesavento — lpesavento@morrisdailyherald.com)
MINOOKA — Seven years after going into remission following his first
battle with Ewing's sarcoma, Minooka resident Sam Pavelka is now in the
midst of round two with the rare pediatric bone cancer.
"The first thing that popped into my mind was, 'Am I going to make it to
30?'" Sam, 28, remembered thinking June 5, when the cancer was found
for the second time on his spine. The other difficult thought Sam is struggling with is the fact that his
wife, Cheryl, is due to give birth Oct. 9 to their second daughter,
Madelyn. "Mentally, those are the two things that are hardest to deal with," he said.
Sam was first diagnosed with Ewing's sarcoma when he was 20 years old, in 2004. Going into his third year as a premed college student, Sam started experiencing some pains in his back. Since he was active in sports and a runner, he thought he may have pulled a muscle. After visiting the emergency room four times for the same pain, however, he asked for a magnetic resonance image (MRI). "They found it," Sam said. "It was as big as a grapefruit."
Luckily, the malignant tumor had not spread anywhere else in the body. It was on his spine. For the next year, Sam went through five rounds of chemotherapy, surgery to remove the cancerous tumor, and 25 radiation treatments. He lost all of the muscle in his legs and couldn't walk for six months. Physical therapy lasted 2 1/2 years.
Sam went into remission at the age of 21. He had regular checkups and body scans for five years.
"After five years, they stopped doing scans because if Ewing's is going to come back, it usually comes back within the first five years," he explained.
For the past two years, Sam was still been going in for checkups, but had not had a scan until June, when he felt an all-to-familiar pain coming back.
"I had just played basketball and golfed. I play hockey regularly, so I thought it was just a muscle pull," Sam said. "The pain went away after a week, but I called my doctor and said 'Can you give me a CT scan just in case?' And then they found it. It was Ewing's again."
This time, Sam will undergo 12 rounds of chemotherapy, but the drugs won't be as strong. Each round is three weeks long. For two weeks, he will have chemo once a day, Monday through Friday. The third is a week to recuperate.
He will have surgery again, as well, in between rounds four and five. The tumor is again on his spine, in the vicinity of the last one.
"My body doesn't react well to any drug. I'm very sensitive to drugs, so when I get the chemo, I'm very sick. I dread it," Sam said.
Sam lost 70 pounds in his first battle with cancer, a hazardous amount for his athletic build to withstand. So far, he has only lost three pounds, but he has lost his hair.
"It's been really stressful in the house," Sam said. "Cheryl has to do all the cooking and cleaning. She has to take care of me. She has to take care of (our 2 1/2-year-old daughter) Taylor, and a lot of time Taylor isn't the most cooperative," Sam said.
"We argue back and forth about who's got it worse," he went on jokingly. "She argues that being pregnant takes a lot out of her, but I argue that I'm sicker." Cheryl said she is definitely ready to not be pregnant anymore, but isn't sure if she's ready to have two kids yet.
Both Sam and Cheryl are teachers. He switched from premed school to pursuing a teaching degree after being diagnosed with cancer because he "didn't want to go into a hospital ever again."
Sam now teaches integrated science and geology at Minooka Community High School, while Cheryl is a first-grade teacher in the Oswego school district.
"I love working at the high school," Sam said. "I have a great group of kids."
With the diagnosis and pregnancy, however, Sam and Cheryl will be taking time off of work. Sam will try to make it to work during his off-weeks from chemotherapy, but Cheryl will be off the first semester of school.
"We deferred our student loans and did as much as we can, but grocery bills and trips to the hospital and paying for parking at Comer Children's Hospital at the University of Chicago is really expensive," Sam said.
To help the Pavelka's, a friend of the family, Erica Martinez, has put together a Culver's Night at the Culver's restaurant in Minooka. The event will be held from 4 to 9 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 23, in the restaurant at 2063 Ridge Road.
Ten percent of Culver's sales from that evening will be donated to the Pavelka family, Martinez said. There will be donation buckets on the counters for donations from open to close that day, too.
"She's in a high-risk pregnancy, he's battling for his life, and they have the sweetest little girl," Martinez explained. "I just thought, 'What can I do to help?'" She said she thought something like this would help them more than her first idea of preparing them dinner every night.
"I hope everybody knows it's going towards medical bills and I'm not going to be taking a vacation with it," Sam said about the donations he will receive from the Culver's Night.
"We are very, very grateful to Erica and anybody who's involved in the fundraiser," Cheryl said. "The one positive thing I would say that comes out of anything like this is that you really realize how much people care about you and how awesome your friends are."
Both Sam and Cheryl said they felt guilty when people started donating to them and stressed they do not want anyone to feel obligated to do so."That's the last thing we want," Sam said.
Martinez said Steven's Silk Screening & Embroidery in Yorkville will be donating T-shirts for family and friends to wear that evening with "Team Pavelka" printed on them.
A fundraising website has been set up for the Pavelkas. Anyone wishing to donate can visit www.giveforward.com/pavelkafamilymedicalexpenses to do so. The fundraising goal has been set at $50,000.
Sam was first diagnosed with Ewing's sarcoma when he was 20 years old, in 2004. Going into his third year as a premed college student, Sam started experiencing some pains in his back. Since he was active in sports and a runner, he thought he may have pulled a muscle. After visiting the emergency room four times for the same pain, however, he asked for a magnetic resonance image (MRI). "They found it," Sam said. "It was as big as a grapefruit."
Luckily, the malignant tumor had not spread anywhere else in the body. It was on his spine. For the next year, Sam went through five rounds of chemotherapy, surgery to remove the cancerous tumor, and 25 radiation treatments. He lost all of the muscle in his legs and couldn't walk for six months. Physical therapy lasted 2 1/2 years.
Sam went into remission at the age of 21. He had regular checkups and body scans for five years.
"After five years, they stopped doing scans because if Ewing's is going to come back, it usually comes back within the first five years," he explained.
For the past two years, Sam was still been going in for checkups, but had not had a scan until June, when he felt an all-to-familiar pain coming back.
"I had just played basketball and golfed. I play hockey regularly, so I thought it was just a muscle pull," Sam said. "The pain went away after a week, but I called my doctor and said 'Can you give me a CT scan just in case?' And then they found it. It was Ewing's again."
This time, Sam will undergo 12 rounds of chemotherapy, but the drugs won't be as strong. Each round is three weeks long. For two weeks, he will have chemo once a day, Monday through Friday. The third is a week to recuperate.
He will have surgery again, as well, in between rounds four and five. The tumor is again on his spine, in the vicinity of the last one.
"My body doesn't react well to any drug. I'm very sensitive to drugs, so when I get the chemo, I'm very sick. I dread it," Sam said.
Sam lost 70 pounds in his first battle with cancer, a hazardous amount for his athletic build to withstand. So far, he has only lost three pounds, but he has lost his hair.
"It's been really stressful in the house," Sam said. "Cheryl has to do all the cooking and cleaning. She has to take care of me. She has to take care of (our 2 1/2-year-old daughter) Taylor, and a lot of time Taylor isn't the most cooperative," Sam said.
"We argue back and forth about who's got it worse," he went on jokingly. "She argues that being pregnant takes a lot out of her, but I argue that I'm sicker." Cheryl said she is definitely ready to not be pregnant anymore, but isn't sure if she's ready to have two kids yet.
Both Sam and Cheryl are teachers. He switched from premed school to pursuing a teaching degree after being diagnosed with cancer because he "didn't want to go into a hospital ever again."
Sam now teaches integrated science and geology at Minooka Community High School, while Cheryl is a first-grade teacher in the Oswego school district.
"I love working at the high school," Sam said. "I have a great group of kids."
With the diagnosis and pregnancy, however, Sam and Cheryl will be taking time off of work. Sam will try to make it to work during his off-weeks from chemotherapy, but Cheryl will be off the first semester of school.
"We deferred our student loans and did as much as we can, but grocery bills and trips to the hospital and paying for parking at Comer Children's Hospital at the University of Chicago is really expensive," Sam said.
To help the Pavelka's, a friend of the family, Erica Martinez, has put together a Culver's Night at the Culver's restaurant in Minooka. The event will be held from 4 to 9 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 23, in the restaurant at 2063 Ridge Road.
Ten percent of Culver's sales from that evening will be donated to the Pavelka family, Martinez said. There will be donation buckets on the counters for donations from open to close that day, too.
"She's in a high-risk pregnancy, he's battling for his life, and they have the sweetest little girl," Martinez explained. "I just thought, 'What can I do to help?'" She said she thought something like this would help them more than her first idea of preparing them dinner every night.
"I hope everybody knows it's going towards medical bills and I'm not going to be taking a vacation with it," Sam said about the donations he will receive from the Culver's Night.
"We are very, very grateful to Erica and anybody who's involved in the fundraiser," Cheryl said. "The one positive thing I would say that comes out of anything like this is that you really realize how much people care about you and how awesome your friends are."
Both Sam and Cheryl said they felt guilty when people started donating to them and stressed they do not want anyone to feel obligated to do so."That's the last thing we want," Sam said.
Martinez said Steven's Silk Screening & Embroidery in Yorkville will be donating T-shirts for family and friends to wear that evening with "Team Pavelka" printed on them.
A fundraising website has been set up for the Pavelkas. Anyone wishing to donate can visit www.giveforward.com/pavelkafamilymedicalexpenses to do so. The fundraising goal has been set at $50,000.
Monday, August 13, 2012
Updates Galore!
We had a wonderful time during Sam's week off a couple of weeks ago. We were able to take Taylor to a splash pad park, and to the DuPage Children's Museum. The highlight of the week, however, was our Forst Family Vacation to Blue Harbor Resort in Sheboygan! My parents took us, along with my sister, Kim, and my brother Eric and his wife Krystle, and we all stayed in a villa close to the beach. We had a wonderful time and were able to relax and enjoy the lake, indoor water park, and resort amenities.
Sam Update:
Sam met with his doctor last Monday during his inpatient chemotherapy session, and we got some great news. The "slight decrease" in the size of the tumor actually turned out to be more significant than we thought - after 2 rounds of chemotherapy, it looks like the tumor shrunk about 25-30%! In addition to that, the tumor was much darker in the second scan, which means that it is much less active. We are so excited about that news! He did have a rough first week last week, but we are hoping that this week will be a little better. It didn't start off well though - while Sam was giving himself his hydration, he forgot to let the air out of the tube and hooked it to his port, causing an "air embolism". We had to go to the emergency room and spend a few hours there until it was resolved. It was quite a day!
Baby Update:
Madelyn still seems to be in good health, aside from her one enlarged kidney. The doctor did tell me today that he has seen worse, and that there is still a small chance that it might resolve itself. However, as we get closer to our due date, that becomes less of a possibility. Her fluid and bladder function still look normal though, so it is still looking like a blockage. She is measuring a whopping 4 pounds 14 ounces - she's already in the 78th percentile! The doctor said that, if I were to go to my due date, she would most likely be in the 8.5-9 pound range! I am really hoping she decides to come early!
Taylor Update:
Taylor is still extremely talkative and imaginative! She has been testing us quite a bit - we feel that she spends a lot of time in time-out lately! We know that it's her age, though! She is getting more and more excited about Madelyn's arrival. We went to our Aunt Maureen and Uncle Jeff's 25th anniversary party last night, and Taylor was quite the dancing queen! She spent the entire night on the dance floor, and had quite a few moves! She is becoming very outgoing and social. And, of course, she continues to amaze us and make us laugh on a daily basis. Here are some of our favorite Taylor-isms lately:
"Ohhh dada, you are so cute!"
"No, I can't grow up right now, I'm eating mac and cheese!"
"When Baby Madelyn comes, I will share my vitamin. She will eat this half, and I will eat the other half!"
"Mama, when I am older and I go on a school bus and go to school, I will be sad, because I will miss you."
Wednesday, August 1, 2012
Showing progress!
This morning, Sam had an MRI to check on the tumor, to see how it is responding to the chemotherapy. The nurse practitioner called this evening to tell us that there was a "slight decrease" in the size of the tumor, which means that the chemo is working! Considering the tumor was small to begin with, and this is only after 2 rounds of chemo, we are thrilled about a "slight decrease"! She also told us that the dye that Sam was given for the scan was not readily absorbed within the tumor, which is also very good news (we don't really know why, but we are willing to take their word for it!). There is still a chance that much of the tumor could be dead as well; we will find that out once he has surgery and they can run a pathology test on the tumor.
Monday, he will go back to the hospital for his first chemotherapy treatment of round 3, so he will speak to his primary doctor a little bit more in detail about what this all means, and what the plan will be from here on out. We will keep you all posted.
I also wanted to mention to everyone that our wonderful friend, Erica, has set up a Culver's Fundraising Night for us! Come out and have a nice dinner, and a percentage of the profits will be set aside to help us with medical bills. It will be at the Culver's in Minooka on Thursday, August 23rd from 4-9pm. Sam, Taylor, and I will be attending for as much of it as we can, and we would love to see anyone there who can make it! Thanks so much to Erica for setting this up, and everyone else who is involved in the planning and volunteering!
Monday, he will go back to the hospital for his first chemotherapy treatment of round 3, so he will speak to his primary doctor a little bit more in detail about what this all means, and what the plan will be from here on out. We will keep you all posted.
I also wanted to mention to everyone that our wonderful friend, Erica, has set up a Culver's Fundraising Night for us! Come out and have a nice dinner, and a percentage of the profits will be set aside to help us with medical bills. It will be at the Culver's in Minooka on Thursday, August 23rd from 4-9pm. Sam, Taylor, and I will be attending for as much of it as we can, and we would love to see anyone there who can make it! Thanks so much to Erica for setting this up, and everyone else who is involved in the planning and volunteering!
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