Dear Friends, sadly as most of you know, Cathy's fight against ovarian cancer came to an end on July 3, 2018. She passed peacefully with all of us by her side at 3:20pm. She fought a courageous battle for two and a half years with a positive attitude and always living life to the fullest. We want to thank everyone for their prayers, love, and support, going back to her diagnosis in late March 2016. She was an example of everything that is good on this earth. We are grateful she is no longer in pain and is with our Lord and Savior. This post brings the blog "Cathy's Journey" to an end. We will keep it up forever to remember her story. May the peace of Christ be with each of you. Thank you. Thomas, Emma, Abby, Candice, Austin, Kelly, and Kylie

Cathy Elaine Keller

March 19, 1955 - July 3, 2018

Wow, it’s been a while since I last posted in December.   Just to bring you up to date a little, in November I completed my heavy duty chemo regimen. Then I went on “maintenance” chemo every three weeks.  However, after only 4 treatments of this chemo, my CA125 started going up again....which means the maintenance drugs were not keeping the cancer at bay. So, we stopped that treatment and I had a CT scan. It showed some small areas of cancer but nothing measurable.  So I made the decision to stop treatment for the time being and repeat me CT scan in a few months. I had the scan last Friday and met with Dr.Walker yesterday.  It showed one tumor that is 1.1cm in size.  It is now measurable since it’s over 1 cm.  So, what that means for me is that I now qualify for a Phase I clinical study.  I will meet with another doctor next week to see what trials are available to me. So, this is good news because being able to participate in a study like this gives me an added option with which to fight my cancer.  Health wise, I've been feeling pretty good.  Some days are better than others but overall I cannot complain. 
Thank you for your continued prayers!
Love, Cathy

Wow, I cannot believe it's already December 1!  We've been busy the past two weeks.  Austin came home and spent a week with us.  We had a great visit and spent a lot of time together.  I wish he wasn't so far away.  Then, we spent the week of Thanksgiving in New York City with Candice, Abby and Kylie.  The weather was great while we were there, only a few days were a little chilly.  We did a LOT in 6 days - Rockettes' show at Radio City Music Hall, Museum of Natural History, Empire State Building, Statue of Liberty, 9/11 Museum, walk across Brooklyn Bridge, little Italy, carriage ride through Central Park, walk down 5th Avenue and seeing the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade balloons on Wednesday night. Candice was the only one brave enough to actually walk down to the parade that morning.  When she reported to us what the crowds were like, we decided to just watch it in the warmth of our apartment.  I was concerned before the trip that I wouldn't be able to keep up with all of them (walking all over the city) but I did just fine with the walking.  It was the stairs that about did me in.  Our apartment was on the 5th floor with NO elevator.  Then add to that all of the subway stairs we climbed every day!  I slept great every night!!  Also, Thomas, Emma and I went to see the movie "Wonder" while we were there. It is the best movie I've seen in years.  Loved it.  Emma wants to see it again.

As far as my health, here's what's been going on.  On November 8, I finished this last regimen of chemotherapy which I had started back in June.  I would have been done earlier, but I kept having to postpone treatments because of my platelets and neutrophils counts.  This past Monday I had a CT scan and then today met with Dr. Walker.  We got great news.  My scan showed no tumors and nothing to be concerned about on my liver.  Praise God!  Next week I will start "maintenance" chemotherapy and do it every three weeks.  It will only be one drug (Avastin) and the side effects of it are not bad at all.  Also, since I'm still having issues with my throat pain every time I swallow anything, I am going to do a swallow study and see if that tells us anything.

I am loving my part-time teaching job.  I only work 10 hours a week and my class doesn't start until 12:30 (which makes it very convenient for sleeping in).  I have 7 Pre-AP students and they are so much fun.  They come from different high schools but they have bonded with each other and with me.  I look forward to seeing them every Tuesday and Thursday!  When I got this job, I gave up my volunteer work at Children's Hospital.  Some day I plan on doing it again.

I didn't proof read this because I'm trying to get out the door to the PCN-PCW basketball game tonight.  So, please excuse any grammatical errors.

Thank you to those who pray for me daily.  The prayers are greatly appreciated and are working!!!!

Happy Holidays to you all!

Love, Cathy

P.S. Don't have time to add any pictures.....will do it later!!

Well, it's been a couple of months since I've updated my blog.  We've had a nice, relaxing summer.  Abby and Kylie were here until August 14.  The girls did a lot of swimming and playing together and really enjoyed each other.  We went to the drive-in movie one night, the movie in the park downtown one night and at home we watched Moana about 4 times!!!!  We love having them here with us in the summer and are always sad to see them go back to Idaho.

Thomas and I did manage to get away for 4 days to Cripple Creek, Colorado.  We stayed in the nicest cabin (was more like a small house) called The Williamsburg out in the middle of nowhere surrounded by aspen trees.  There was a rushing stream about 15 yards from the cabin.  The surroundings were just breathtaking.  We weren't that impressed with Cripple Creek....just a small town with a bunch of casinos.  On the way back to the airport, we discovered Manitou Springs which is a VERY cool little town.  It had lots of eating places, lots of little shops and the most awesome arcade.  It had every arcade game you could ever imagine and they were really cheap.  We also stopped at the U.S. Air Force Academy which was interesting.  Of course our flight was delayed so we got home a lot later than we were supposed to but all in all, we really enjoyed 4 days of just taking it easy.

As you may or may not know, I retired from teaching in May after 30 years.  Well, my retirement was short lived.  In July, I just happened to see on the Francis Tuttle website that they were looking for a "part-time" Pre AP Geometry teacher.  Geometry is my very favorite thing to teach and Pre AP....even better!!  So I interviewed and got the job.  I work Tuesday and Thursday, 12:30-2:00 and every other Friday same hours.  I have SEVEN students!!! It is the most perfect part-time job I could ask for.  It's almost like it was made for me.  In fact, this is the first year they've hired a part-time teacher for this class and I just happened to see the posting the day before they were going to close it.  The hours are perfect for me as I can sleep in if I want!!

A couple of weeks ago, Thomas and I went to Marlow for the day.  We drove around and took pictures of the houses I grew up in, my high school and the chapel where we got married.  I did some back-to-school shopping at the Shoe Bazaar and got a few things for the house at A Touch of Bliss.  We spent some time at the cemetery and stopped at one of the roadside fruit stands on our way back to OKC and picked up a Rush Springs watermelon.  Oh, and we had a wonderful Italian lunch at Giuseppe's.

As far as my cancer journey, I am still doing chemotherapy once a week.  My CA125 is now down to 24 (it was 222 when I started these treatments in June).  Dr. Walker says it is "coming down beautifully" and she is pleased with those results.  I do chemo on Wednesday and usually Thursday I feel pretty good.  But by Friday, it hits me and I am down for at least two days.  I just have no energy or stamina and all I can do is sleep off and on.  My platelets and neutrophils are down this week so I have to postpone treatment until next week.  I should be done with treatment sometime in November.  Lately I've also been dealing with sores in my throat from the chemo so it makes eating and drinking very unpleasant.  I did get a prescription for a liquid that I can swish and swallow which deadens my throat some so it makes eating not quite as painful.

Fall is our favorite season around here so we are looking forward to the Oklahoma State Fair and some Oklahoma State football!

Later,  Cathy

P.S. Let me apologize in advance.....these pictures are a hot mess!  I just can't seem to figure out how to add the pictures to my blog.  Sorry!

 Drive-in movie-Guthrie

Movie in the park.

Me and my Kylie!

Our cabin!

First house in Marlow - 206 East Comanche

My house 1st-6th grade - 809 W. Cheyenne

My grandparents' house - 701 W. Chickasaw  

               

My house 7th-12th grade-501 W. Chickasaw

 

My alma mater! Love this school.

Red Bud Chapel!

Well, so far my treatment is going very well.  I have felt as good the past few weeks as I have in a long time.  I did blood work on Monday and my platelets were down, which is normal for the type of drugs I am getting this time.  They were 40,000 and should be 100,000 or higher.  I repeated blood work yesterday and they were up to 42,000.  Dr. Walker said that was great as she had expected them to drop even lower.  My CA 125 this week was 84, compared to 222 when I started chemo this time.  That is great news!  I also found out yesterday when I saw Dr. Walker that I will NOT lose my hair with the chemo regimen that I'm on this time.  I am thrilled about that!!!

Emma and Kylie are having a fun summer so far.  They have been swimming a lot, went to the zoo one day, played in a box and have had lots of snow cones!  Wednesday evening we did "Movie in the Park" downtown.  It was fun and there were way more people there than I thought would be there.  Next time we will get there earlier to get a better seat and take our bug spray!  We are going to the drive-in movie this Friday night in Guthrie.  Emma has also been doing tennis every morning.  She loves cooking with Granny. And she spent the last three days at Vietnam Camp here in OKC.  We also spent several evenings with the Bond's from Dallas who come up for this camp every year.  They have Danette who is Emma's age and adopted from Vietnam and also Austin, who is 6, adopted from Korea.  We always look forward to seeing them every summer.

I've been staying busy too.  I had lunch last week with some of my former co-teachers...Lorie Kennedy, Betty Mise and Tricia D'Amico.  Fun time!! My volunteer job at Children's Hospital is going well.  I always look forward to getting there and cheering up some sick children.  This past week I got to be "crafty" and make some name signs for several of the kids' rooms.  The hospital has a room with every kind of craft supply imaginable!  I've also been in a "sewing" mood lately at home.  I've made a litter bag for my car, laundry bags for Emma and her friend, Kallie.  They will be going to camp Kanakuk in a few weeks.  My next project is curtains for our bedroom.

Next month Thomas and I are taking a little getaway trip to Cripple Creek, Colorado and staying in a cabin.  I've checked the weather a few times and it's been in the 50's.  I cannot wait!

This is all for now.  See you later,
Cathy

 

 

 

 

 

Last Thursday was the last day of my 30-year teaching career (as a full-time teacher).  I plan on subbing some in the future.  I don't think it has hit me yet that I'm retired.  I imagine when August rolls around and everyone starts getting in their back-to-school mode, I will realize it then.  And, I will probably be a little bummed.  But, getting to sub will help me not be too sad.  My co-workers at Project HOPE gave me and Bob Patton an awesome retirement party.  It was way more than we ever expected and they definitely went above and beyond.  Bob and I taught together at Putnam City North back in the day and then both ended up at Project HOPE to end our careers.  We both graduated HS in 1973 - me, a Marlow Outlaw, and Bob, a Chickasha "Fighting" Chick.  I will miss working with Bob and the other teachers/staff/subs at HOPE.  They have truly been like my extended family this past year during my cancer battle from taking on extra duties, covering my classes during doctor appointments, taking me to my chemo appointments, and so much more.  I can't thank them enough.  Oh, and a special shout-out to Betty Mise for stepping up "out of retirement" last April to take over for me until I returned to school in October.  We also taught together at PC North and she is a dear friend.

Well, it's summer and that means Kylie and Abby are here with us again.  Every year, we look forward to this time when they come back to stay with us while Abby helps us with the pool business.  Kylie got to help Emma light the candles at church a few weeks ago.  I can't believe she will be starting kindergarten this fall.  Even though there's a 5-year age difference between her and Emma, they LOVE playing with each other.  They get along so well and are never at a loss to figure out something to do or pretend.

Last week I got to go to Chickasha America to see my awesome friend, Tessa, get married.  It was the sweetest wedding and reception.  Tessa was a stunning bride and Daniel looked very handsome!  Tessa's daughter, Korbyn (her mom's mini-me)looked beautiful as well.  Congrats Tessa and Daniel and wishes for many years of happiness!

Yesterday was my first day of volunteering at Children's Hospital as a "baby buddy".  I thoroughly enjoyed it and will look forward to doing it every Monday!

And, today was my first chemo treatment.....AGAIN.  I will be doing 18 weeks this time.  Good news is that I will do two weeks and then be off a week.  I'm getting three meds this time, one of which I had last year and two new ones.  Today's treatment took about 4 hours (long one) and Candice was my chemo buddy!  About 30 minutes into my treatment, I got a text from my Marlow bestie, Becky Lightner.  It started out like this, "Had you on my mind today."  She had no idea I was even starting treatment today.  I don't think that it was a coincidence-I think it was a God thing!

Candice and I met a young girl today who was doing her very first treatment for cervical cancer.  She is from out of town and has 3 young children.  She will be doing treatment 5 days a week for 8 hours a day which includes chemotherapy and radiation.  Her husband had to give up his job to be here with her for the two months of treatment.  They will be staying in a hotel with their youngest and luckily will be able to go home on the weekends and spend time with their other two children.  I cannot imagine how hard this is going to be for all of them.  I'm sure they would be grateful for any prayers on their behalf.  Just when you think you have it really bad, you meet someone with many more challenges of their own.  I'm counting my blessings tonight.

This is all for now.  Cathy

                                                       

Here's a brief update on my health status.  The last time I posted in March, my CA125 was 75.8.  When I had it checked in April it had gone up to 111.1.  So, the fact that it is increasing means that more than likely disease is present again.  But I do have good news.  Originally I was scheduled to have my next CT scan in June, when school was out.  However, I have been experiencing off and on pain in my upper right abdomen (where the tumor is located).  So, Dr. Walker decided to go ahead and have me do a CT scan last week instead of waiting until June.  The conclusion was that there is "no new measurable disease", which means it hasn't changed since the last scan. Yay!!!  Also, my chest scan was clear.  So, for now, since I'm feeling relatively good, I'm going to hold off on chemotherapy. 

We had a wonderful Easter. this year.  Emma won the prize basket during the Easter egg hunt at church.  But Easter Sunday was especially special for us this year as Emma accepted Christ as her Lord and Savior.  Her Nana, Granny and Papa Ed were there to see her get baptized.  It was a glorious day!

I have 14 days of school left with students.  Then June 1 will be my last day of school.  I'm excited about my retirement and I look forward to doing things at home that I've been putting off.  I have plenty of stuff to do around my house to keep me busy for a while.  I plan on going through our two attics and our entire house and getting rid of stuff we don't need/use anymore.  I know I said my last garage sale would be the last one I ever do, but I think I will have one more big one once I clean house!

I'm also going to volunteer at Children's Hospital to be a "baby buddy".  I will get to hold/play with babies that are 1 year old and younger.  I've already completed the training for it and done my two rounds of TB tests.  I plan to start volunteering this summer.

My hair is finally long enough that I have somewhat of a normal hairstyle.  It's nice to not be bald and not have to wear a wig!  When I was bald, my head was always cold.  When wearing a wig, my head was hot!  I like having my own hair!

A few weeks ago, I participated in Carepacks and Cocktails.  It was a fundraiser for the Tenaciously Teal organization that gives care packs to people undergoing chemotherapy.  We did a fashion show and got to model two outfits each.  My two outfits came from Milo and Lily, a cute little boutique in the Collonade Shopping Center on May Avenue.  It was so much fun.  As we walked down the runway, there were lots of people on both sides cheering for us, taking pictures and giving us high fives.  Many of the models were survivors and some of us are still fighters.  It just gave me a very warm feeling inside to know that the people there, total strangers, were proud of us for fighting this horrible disease and wanted to show their support for us.  It was an amazing evening!  Thank you Tarah Warren for all that you do for cancer fighters/survivors!

We celebrated my mom's 81st birthday last week.  We played the clothespin game (Russ's favorite!!) and mom won the sudden death match!  We had a great time together.  I'm so thankful that my mom is still healthy and young at heart.  Many of my high school friends have already lost one or both of their parents.  I just feel so lucky to still have both of mine.

So, for now, that is where I'm at.  I will update when I have news to share.  Keep the prayers coming.  They are working!

Love, Cathy