A New Year Full of Hope!

Hello to any of my friends who may check in! Time management has never been one of my strengths - so I'm sorry so much time has gone by without updating this. I was contemplating how to "end" this blog. I'm not sure blogs ever end- maybe it's just a conversation that gets picked up where you left off the last time you visited your friend. I'm not sure. However, I don't want this to end on a low note, so I thought I would just post a few quick comments:

This photo was taken January 12, 2011. Tommy and I attended the PPAI (Promotional Products Association International) Show and Awards Banquet in Las Vegas, NV. Our company was nominated for an outstanding advertising campaign that won three awards: Silver, Gold and Best of Best. A wonderful honor to be there with Tommy to accept the awards and celebrate!

We are enjoying life to it's fullest - the kids are all in new phases as the time keeps ticking: Ben - turning 18 next month, Adelyn - 16 and driving, and Gretchen - going to be a teenager in two months. We are so blessed to have such awesome kids. Each of them are truly gifts from God.

Our business is keeping Tommy very busy and I continue to support our team with our Workplace Wellness program. I am feeling great and had another clear MRI at the beginning of January! This is nothing to take for granted and I am continually reminded of that as I see many less fortunate than me. I sometimes struggle with the fact that I'm doing so well and others are dying from the exact diagnosis. My heart breaks for their families & friends dealing with their loss. I have always been an extremely optimistic person, sometime to a fault - thinking anything is possible as long as you keep your chin up! I know that when we're faced with challenges we can always depend on God to show us the way. That is the greatest gift of pain - that it turns us towards God again, who will provide true happiness. I'm trying to wholeheartedly accept God's gift of time here on earth - I asked and I received! I am here to see my kids grow and to see my husband excel both in business and at home with his love of dogs. I am here to serve and to make a difference!

I have prayed for the Holy Spirit to show me a way to give back as I feel a great need to serve as words just aren't sufficient to say thank you enough for the gift I've received. I will never forget accepting the fact that my brain surgery could leave me paralyzed on my left side. I woke up from surgery and the first thing I did was look down at my left foot - point & flex - and smile and give thanks to God for leading me to Dr. Badie & City of Hope for a successful surgery! Earlier this month I heard God's voice chanting "Walkabout, Walkabout, Walkabout"...it kept on coming to the top of my mind. It sounds really far fetched, but it's true. I was curious - so I looked it up on Google and was led to The Walkabout Foundation. This is my new mission! I will be starting a midwest chapter for The Walkabout Foundation. Their mission is to provide wheelchairs to those that need them (for various reasons due to paralysis, etc). When you have time to look into this here is the website: http://www.thewalkaboutfoundation.org/ Our first event will be kicked off (one step at a time) with a walk in honor of my brother, Timmy, who depended on his wheelchair at the end of his life. Timmy died last year a few days after his 53rd birthday. His birthday was February 25th...so our event will be taking a one mile "Walk for Timmy" on his birthday. This is just a start to many other events. Remember to be thankful for your ability for mobility. It's nothing to take for granted!

My surgery has almost been two years ago now which sometimes makes me wonder why I'm still talking about it! I'm looking forward to April 14, 2011 (which is also Gretchen's 13th birthday!) as another milestone and I look forward to what the future holds!

Love & God's blessings,

Bridget

Life goes on~ Hurray!

Hi Everyone!
It's been a great summer and now we are well into fall! It is amazing how time flies! Tommy and I celebrated our 22nd wedding anniversary yesterday. It was a beautiful warm day. We went horseback riding and out to dinner. Perfect! I haven't been horseback riding for about 2 years so it was quite an accomplishment. I rode Chief - 25 year old reliable!

I had another clear MRI at the beginning of September! It's hard to express how thankful we are for this gift of life. I feel like the tension on my "line of life" has been reeled out a bit...I'm free to enjoy the fall and upcoming holiday season. It is truly amazing as I know a lot of people with this diagnosis do not do this well. I am grateful. My next MRI is scheduled for January 2011.

Enjoy each day ~ whether things are in order or not ~just enjoy!
Love & Blessings to all,
Bridget

Freedom!

To any and all of my friends who may be checking in~ HURRAY! Summertime and freedom are in the air~ I am SO happy! I want to celebrate life with all of you. My MRI was CLEAR last week and the radiology report stated that even the scar tissue was less intense as compared to the last MRI. I truly have received a miracle! Thank you for each and every prayer; they have been instrumental in my healing throughout the past year. I am so grateful. God Bless you! I am now on "surveillance mode" - just being watched over - no more chemo, no more radiation, nothing to worry about except having fun! I will most likely have follow up MRIs quarterly, but other than that I will just be sipping green tea! :) Enjoy your summer!
God is GREAT! Love, Bridget

Wow, How Time Flies!

Tom here, I ran into someone we know from church last night that had prepared meals for our family last year (still so thankful to her and others that did this) and she asked how Bridget was doing. That same day someone else who I had not seen for a while mentioned the blog had not been updated and was wondering how Bridget is doing, so it made me think we should post an update. Little did I realize that it was last October since we last did so!

As you can imagine we were so humbly happy to celebrate Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years, Easter, all of our family birthdays, and most recently Mother's Day all since the last post. What a very special day it was for us all to be together and celebrate the fact that Bridget is with us and recognize the outstanding Mom she is. The highlight of the day was a nice, long conversation we had with the kids that touched on many topics from thankfulness to spirituality to the importance of daily prayer, and taking one day at a time. We are thankful and greatful that our kids really seem to get it.

We took our first family ski trip out west for some spring skiiing in April at Beaver Creek, Colorado. We had a blast! Kids have been skiiing on our local Midwest slopes for years, so to get out on some actual mountains was a great experience. Bridget was so happy to be out skiing and keeping up after the thought that before her surgery, doctors had mentioned that she could experience some paralysis on her left side. She continues to wake up each day giving thanks for her ability to use her left side normally!

Bridget was honored last month by Envoy Medical for her part in the past with keeping her Dad's implantable hearing aid (now called the Esteem) going after her parents death in a car accident over 20 years ago. The device received FDA approval on St. Patrick's Day this year. Her Dad (and Mom) were appropriately recognized at the shareholders' meeting. Her brother Stuart, sisters Susie and Peggy were there as well to accept awards recognizing their Dad. The awards had harps on them in recognition of her Mom who was Irish and played the harp (FDA approval on St.Patrick's Day ties into that). At the meeting, we were able to meet patients who had the device implanted and hear first hand how it has completely changed their lives. The way they described how it worked completely echoed what her Dad said as to how it would work decades ago when it was just a concept. It was as if we could hear him speaking through them. He truly had great vision and we are still thrilled that this has come to fruition so it can change the lives of so many people in need of a better solution for hearing impairment. It also shows you how a life can continue to transform others in a positive way long after that life has ended on earth. Amazing.

Bridget is doing great and we continue to take one day at time. She continues to follow up with MRI's and will have another one at the end of May. We truly appreciate your thoughts and continued prayers. The Hanchette Family.

Return to the Nirvana of Normalcy

Several people have mentioned that we hadn't updated the blog recently and I understand that the lack of updates could be taken two ways. Let me assure you that Bridget continues to do great! She had her 6 month MRI a few weeks back and it came back all clear again!!! I cannot express the relief that came with that.

Our life has returned to a more normal routine with kids back in school, kids events, kids getting colds (and in Ben's case breaking a collar bone in soccer), work at the business ever present, and so on. Of course mixed in with that is Bridget continuing her chemo cycle of 1 week on, 3 weeks off and the physical and mental ups and downs that come with subjecting your body to chemo, but she, as always, is amazing in taking it all in stride and not letting it control her life. She has integrated all of this into her and our family's psyche in such a way, that it does seem at times to be just another part of the fabric of our life not unlike any of the other parts.

God is great! When you tap into the power of that love it is amazing what a sense of peace and calm you can experience despite everything that life can throw at you. In that way bad things that happen, things that we fear of happening and pray do not, can become the exact catalysts for experiencing God in a truly honest way. With your ego no longer in the way, suddenly there is God. I can see now why Jesus said (paraphrasing), unless you become as little children, you cannot come to be with God.

I want to tell anyone reading this how appreciative we all need to be of "normal every day life". That is where my mindset is at these days. Sweet, blessed normalcy! The stuff of every day life that we all too often take for granted and even despise, not realizing how much of a gift it really is. If we all just slow our minds down enough to finally be able to see the holiness, the true gift of our every day life; then all our lives would be transformed into a more fulfilling and thankful state of appreciation for things we so take for granted. Its hard to get into that state...prayer, meditation, (Bridget and I have been doing Qi Gong and Tai Chi while praying - wonderful stuff!), trying to put into practice an attitude of giving and acceptance in our daily lives, these are things that can help and that we are using to try to stay on this course of awakening and healing.

Thank you all for your continued prayers for Bridget and our family!

Tom

P.S. Picture was taken in August in Minocqua, WI.

Home Sweet Home

All of you have been so generous. Tommy and I want to thank you from the bottom of our hearts for everything. I feel very behind in sending notes of thanks out to all of you. However, please know that we appreciate all that you've done. We are getting back on track and hope to see all of you soon!

I woke up this morning and realized my brain surgery was exactly three months ago (Tuesday, April 14th). It has been quite a journey - one with many miracles and beautiful nuances along the way! Amazing gifts of humanity were bestowed on us through all of your love, prayers, food and support during such an unexpected and intense diagnosis. It's because of all of you that this was doable and I have thrived. Tommy and I truly cannot thank you enough for sticking with us through all of this!

Since returning home June 5th I have been resting and getting my energy back. I had no idea how tired radiation could make you! Coming home has been wonderful, don't get me wrong; however, it has also been a challenge trying to keep up with the normal pace of a healthy family household. I know it will come with time. All in all, it is going excellent. I had my follow up MRI and all was clear! (The brain tumor was completely resected - still a miracle that I never want to forget!). After a month off, I also started back on chemo (Temodar); only this time I just have to take it one week a month for 6 months or so. I am being closely monitored by a local Medical Oncologist with weekly lab work to insure my body is tolerating the monthly chemo. I am extremely blessed to be doing so well. Yes, I am mostly bald, however, in the spectrum of issues that could have happened, this is nothing. Each morning I wake up and point and flex my left foot and say "Thank you!" to God for Dr. Benham Badie! I am so grateful to be able to walk! Independence Day this year had a whole new meaning to me.

The picture to the left is of some flowers that had fallen off of a tree by our cottage at City of Hope...obviously they had some help from Tommy getting arranged into the word pattern you see spelling out HOPE. It was a beautiful message for me to see on my last day of radiation treatment out there. Tommy also mentioned that he hoped the teenage boy next door to us would see it on the way to his treatment that day. Its really a message for all of us to hold on to. No matter what is going on in your life - always keep hope alive and trust in God. There is always hope!

Sincerely, Bridget

Welcome Home Mom

Hey everybody! This is Adelyn and Gretchen speaking. We are sooo happy our mom is finally home. Mom and Dad got home at midnight on June 5 while I (Adelyn) was just getting home from my eighth grade trip to St. Louis, MO. Even the pets were happy to see mom return. My mom came home to a freshly painted bedroom, new curtains, bedspread, newly planted flowers, a garden, and a clean barn:) Thanks dad, for all your hard work and for getting everything ready for mom's homecoming.

My Mom is really happy to be home, and is enjoying the peace and quiet that is nothing like the bustling California. She's been resting a lot because she has been really tired. Yesterday she met with her new local medical oncologist, who she will be following up with monthly.

Now we're all just adjusting to having our mom tell us what to do again and getting everything back into order. We are all just so thankful she's home and now we are off to soccer and band practices. Talk to you soon!