Happy Turkey Day!

Hello all,

Can you believe that it is Thanksgiving already? The older I get, the faster the time flys! Either way, I find myself feeling thankful for many things this Thanksgiving, not the least of which is all of my wonderful friends and family. Although 2008 has been a very different year than I orignally planned, when I think about what has transpired over the last 11 months, I am amazed at the great good fortune that has come my way.

Now that is not to say that I haven't had my struggles, and have at times even felt a little bit sorry for myself. However, every time I was faced with a challenge, the support that I received from friends and family was more than I could have ever dreamed or hoped for. In addition, I can't help but be thankful for the fact that I have been blessed with best possible outcome in each of the treatments/surgeries that I have undergone.

The past months have made me realize more than ever that life is about how we overcome the obstacles we are presented with, and the folks who are there to give you a boost when you just can't quite get over those obstacles on your own. So that being said, I want to thank each and every one of you for being there to give me a boost when I needed it most!

As you can see from the above picture, Jessica has been hard at work painting my head yet again! I am also posting a something that was sent to me by my sister in law, Paula, which really says it all. I hope you all have a happy and safe Thanksgiving and "I wish you enough".

I wish you enough sun to keep your attitude bright no matter how gray the day may appear.

I wish you enough rain to appreciate the sun even more.

I wish you enough happiness to keep your spirit alive and everlasting.

I wish you enough pain so that even the smallest of joys in life may appear bigger.

I wish you enough gain to satisfy your wanting.

I wish you enough loss to appreciate all that you possess.

I wish you enough hellos to get you through the your final good-byes.

Much love,

Shannon

Color me confused .............

Hi all,

Well, it has been an interesting couple of weeks in regard to my ongoing treatment. As you may recall, the primary reason for having my ovaries removed was that Dr. Muss, (he's the guy who gave me the second opinion), advised me that, in his opinion, overy removal would eliminate the need for hormone suppression therepy (Tomoxafin), but would not eliminate the need for chemo, as I had originally thought.

His notes and evaluation of my condition were then sent to my Oncology Doc, who you would think, would then tell me if she had a differing opinion. Wouldn't you? Well, that was not the case! My Doc decided to wait until after my ovaries were removed, and chemo was completed before advising me that she did not agree with that course of treatment and feels that I do need to take Tomoxafin. Fine time to tell me!

So now, I am back in research mode. I have scheduled another appointment with Dr. Muss, to have him once again explain to me his thoughts, as well as what studies he based his conclusions on, so that I can understand (hopefully) why two well respected doctors, are offering 2 differing opinions. I will then meet with my Doc to hear what she is basing her recomendations on, and try to make a decision about what is best for me.

I unfortunately find myself very concerned and confused once again. Having spent many hours reading just about every clinical study done on breast cancer in the last 10 years, I still find that the conclusions they come to, say that ovary removal (Ovarian Ablation) in women my age, is a valid replacement for chemo! Nowhere do I find that it can be considered a replacement for hormone suppression therepy!

So yet again, I am in a decision making process and although frustrated, am at the very least thankful that I have the ability to seek 2nd opinions, and that ultimatley, I am likely receiving the best care possible. However, as I have said before, it goes to show you that if you cannot be your own advocate, it behooves you to have someone in your corner who can.

I have also set the wheels in motion to have my port removed. That's the little gadget that was implanted under the skin near my right shoulder, through which the chemo was administered. It means yet another minor surgery, but am very excited to have it out, as it really will mean that the chemo phase of my treatment is over. I am hopeful that the surgery will be scheduled for sometime in the second week of December. Good riddance!

Last but not least, Tony is still hunting, but as of today, has been unsuccessful in his quest for the elusive white tail. He is coming home Sunday, but will then head back to Bradford on Tuesday to continue the hunt. If perserverance has anything to do with it, then he will surely be successful before the season is over.

Today, I am posting the picture of Uncle Kenny and his son Michael that was taken last Sunday when he got his deer. As you may recall from the last posting, Michael got a 7 point buck opening weekend, and since he and his Dad are both awfully handsome, and because his success is part of the ongoing Munn legacy, I want to share it with all of you.

Much love.

Shannon

Radiation and Opening Deer Season

Hello my friends,

Well, the past week has been a busy one, filled with doctor's appointments and more hunting. As many of you know, this past weekend was opening deer season in Vermont, so I was in Bradford cooking for Heidi and the boys. Yes, Heidi hunts too! And the Munns are grinning ear to ear again, because our nephew, Michael, had a successful hunt on Sunday afternoon and bagged himself a nice 7 point, 125 lb buck!

Yet another example of what great hunters these guys are! They have spent a lifetime in those woods, and a successful hunt doesn't happen without time and effort. Unfortunately, Heidi and I had already left, so did not get to take part in the traditional gathering and the telling of "the story", but we will all be together again the weekend after Thanksgiving, and who knows, there may be a few more stories to tell by then.

Now about me! It is my blog after all! As you know, I have finished chemo, and have also completed all the preliminary work needed to begin the radiation treatments. I begin radiation on Dec. 1, and will continue treatment for 6 and 1/2 weeks; treatments being daily - Monday through Friday. I am however, quite frustrated because although I requested morning appointments, the only time they could fit me into the schedule was at 8 o'clock at night! @#$*%@. Yes, that is me cussing! No surprise to most of you!

It seems that because the hospital only has 2 machines, and so many folks (unfortunatley) need their services, their day time schedule is full. Now, I hate to be a whiner, but jeez Louise, who wants to go out every night at 8PM to be radiated? The good news is, that as people cycle out of the schedule, by week 3, I may be able to get an earlier appointment.

Although I am doing the best I can to accept the inconvenience of going to the hospital every evening, as you can tell from the above narrative, I have yet to fully come to terms with it. Either way, I remind myself that this is just one more step in the process, and this too shall pass.

Now for some good news. I feel terrific! The worst of the chemo side effects are over and I am starting to get my energy back. My legs still bother me a bit, and I still have some residual skin problems, but other than that, I have no complaints. My hair is even starting to grow back! Although it is only ablout 1/4 of an inch long, and still patchy in places, when I take my hat off, I can feel the wind in my hair. Now, that doesn't mean you'll be seeing pictures of me with my hair blowing in the wind anytime soon, but it's a start! Can't wait though, because I'm kind of tired of hats.

So, all in all, it has been a good week, and I have a couple more weeks before I have to think about radiation so I guess I'll just enjoy the respite and get on with life. I don't have any pictures for you today, but the next several weeks promise to be eventful and so will have more for you on future postings and one day, in the not too distant future, I'll be able to post that picture with my hair blowing in the wind!

I love you all,
Shannon

The 5th Generation of "Munn Hunters" is successful!

"The Munns always get their deer!" Never has a statement been more true! It is with great pride and love that I announce that Ian "Munn" Hrynyszyn, had a successful hunt over youth weekend and with the help of Grandpa, Mom, Steve, Uncle Kenny and Cousin Phil, bagged himself a nice, 101 LB, doe!

What an amazing and wonderful experience this past weekend was. As you know, it began on Friday morning with the news that Cousin Paul bagged a 6 pointer while muzzle loading in N.H, and so it was with great anticipation that we all converged upon the house on Goshen Road, Friday evening to hear "the story" and share in the joy of Paul's success. Now, "the story" is Paul's, not mine, so I won't recount it here, but suffice it to say that there was much laughter, excitement and back slapping as Paul elaborated on the highlights of his hunt.

As we all stood within the glow of the fire, the light from the shed shining on Paul's "plump, alfalfa fed, 145 LB, 6 pointer", I saw Ian's face and the the look of hope that he too would be standing in that same shed, telling his story soon. As I watched and listened, I was awed by the fact that the history of this family and traditions that began with Ian's Great, Great Grandfather, Waldo, were still being honored and appreciated by all of the generations. The comradrie, the stories from years past, the love of family and friends, this was their legacy and gift to Ian.

And so began Ian's journey to becoming one of the "Great Munn Hunters". It was not any easy hunt for our boy, because as is the case with so many hunters, he missed a deer early Saturday morning due to a case of "buck fever". However, he perservered and was on stand with Grandpa the remainder of Saturday, and was up at 4am on Sunday morning, excited and ready for day 2. And what a day! At 8:45 A.M., the unlucky doe, having been pushed through the woods by the rest of the gang, bounded into Ian's sites and with one shot, he had his first deer!

Let me tell you, it was one very proud family that stood at the checking station while Ian claimed and weighed his very first deer. Then it was off to the house for pictures and of course the tradition of gathering around for "the story". I will never be able to convey accurately, the joy and pride in Grandpa's face, or the just how brightly Ian's face shone as he told his tale, but I can assure you it was priceless! The bonds of this family were once again cemented because they had all shared in the hunt and Ian's ultimate success.

It is one very proud and thankful Nana that shares with you the pictures of Ian, the Munn family and of course the deer. The whole family is headed to Bradford again this coming weekend for opening gun season and a continuation of the traditions that began so very many years ago. The legacy continues.........................

Much love,

Shannon

A good omen for the weekend........

Hi All,

I wasn't going to update the blog today, but I got a very excited call this morning from Stephanie, to let me know that Paul was successful this morning and bagged himself a nice 6 pointer, while muzzle loading in New Hampshire. Now given we are headed to Bradford today in preparation of Ian's first "Vermont Youth Day", I just can't help but hope that maybe, just maybe, this is a good omen. One of Ian's ground stands is on Paul's Vermont property, and in fact is the same location that Paul got his very first deer back when he was a young boy. And since our Paul is one of the most successful hunters I know, we may just be celebrating again tomorrow. Man I think I would pee my pants, if only he could be that fortunate!

Whether or not Ian is successful tomorrow, we are always happy for any one of the Munn boys when they get a deer, so tonight will be a huge night in that Paul will have his deer hanging in the shed and we will all be anxious to share in the fun as he tells the story of his successful hunt. This is all part of the learning process for Ian as well.

As I may have mentioned in past postings, hunting has been part of the Munn heritage going back many generations when they had to hunt to put food on the table, and although there is obviously a great deal of excitement when one of the boys is successful, it is really more about the comradrie, remembering family members who unfortunately are no longer with us, and the continuation of the Munn traditions, and the history that we are all so very lucky to be a part of. This is what we all hope is being passed on to the next generation, which of course is Ian! So as you can see, we will be greatful for the meat as we all love venison, but in the end, it is really about family.

Love to all,

Shannon

One and done, baby!!!!!!!!!!!!

What a day! My last chemo treatment, finally! I cannot tell you how very excited I am about this mile stone in what has been a very long road. If the past treatments are any indication, I should be fortunate in that I will likely have a few days of minor discomfort and lethargy, but then, things are looking up!

I have been thinking a lot this week about everything I have experienced this past summer. It started with a lumpectomy on July 18, and Tony and the Goose Family by my side, and as Goose said in her posting, ended with all of us doing the "Happy Dance" as we discovered that the cancer had not spread to my lymph nodes. I was so fortunate, because I was able to recover and go to Aunt Vera's birthday party the following day. How lucky was I?

We then progressed to ovary removal on August 12, (Tony, Goose and Brian were there too) and again after only a couple of days of discomfort, I was recovered and running at full steam again. I must admit that the hot flashes I now experience aren't much fun because they disturb my sleep, but yet again, given the alternative was to take Tomoxifen for the rest of my life, I can surely live with the hot flashes!

Next was my first chemo treatment on Sept 4. Man was I scared! (Goose and Tony were there) However, as has been the case for me, I was so very fortunate in that the side effects that I experience are relatively minor and although I am getting a little tired of being bald, as I have said before there is also something very freeing about it. Having always been a kind of vain person, ( I like being cute), there is no longer anything to be vain about and getting ready in the morning is surely a whole bunch easier. Again, in the end, a relatively positive experience. Besides, I loved seeing all of my brothers and my nephew Josh with their bald heads. How's that for support and love?

As I get ready to head to my appointment this morning, I find myself excited and looking to the future. I have my first radiation appointment of November 13, at which point they will do what is called a mapping and place a small tattoo on my breast, which will be used to direct the radiation on future treatments. I am expecting to start the actual treatments on the 17th, if all goes as I hope. Radiation will be 5 days a week for 33 treatements, and then I am done! So aside from the inconvenience of having to go the hospital every day, and a few minor side effects which include discomfort at the site, and a little bit of lethargy, nothing really to get my pants in a bunch about.

As of this morning, I find myself thankful to be taking this next step, and I know that I would not have been anywhere near as fortunate if not for all of the support and love I have received from my wonderful family and friends. So in the end, instead of being scared about my final chemo treatment, I am so very excited because in Bob Seager's words and as my friend Goose (Linda) always says, I am going to "turn the page"!

I love you all!

Shannon

Home again, Home again......

Hello my friends,

This is gonna be a long one folks! What a wonderful vacation! It's amazing how invigorating sunshine, good friends and family can be. Our friend Nicolle moved from Vermont to Florida about 5 years ago, and so we catch up with her every time we go down. The 3 of us spent Saturday on the boat, fishing and sunning ourselves and also went to lunch at a restaurant right on the water. You just pull the boat up, tie it off and head to the patio for a pitcher of beer and some great seafood. OK, so maybe we had 2 pitchers of beer, but we were on vacation after all! Anyway, it was wonderful to see Nicolle, and the good news is that she is planning to move back to Vermont in the next few months, so we will be able to spend a lot more time together.

On Sunday, Heidi, Steve, Ian and Shannon arrived at noon, and we bee lined it for the condo to change from winter clothes into swimming suits and shorts, and then off to the boat again. That first day together on the boat was absolutely amazing, as it seemed that the stars had all aligned themselves in such a way that the ocean and all if the creatures in it, had decided that Ian, Shannon and all of us would have the experience of a life time.

We weren't on the boat more than 15 minutes before the we started seeing entire schools of Dolphins. Now, Tony and I have always seen Dolphins, but this time several of them swam up right next to the boat; you could almost reach over the side and touch them! And if that's not enough we then saw them feeding in some of the more shallow areas, and believe it or not more than once they actually jumped right out of the water, and we even saw one do a flip! It was as if they were performing for the kids!

Well, Grandpa Tony also knows that where there are Dolphins, there are also other fish. We dropped an anchor and got the kids set up with their fishing poles and sure enough, we started catching fish right away. I no longer remember who caught the first fish, but the competition for who could catch the most and biggest fish quickly began. Both kids quickly became adept at baiting their own hooks with shrimp, and casting because they were so sure that they were going to catch the next big one. I really am not sure who ultimatley won the competition, but I know that both kids will tell you it was them!

Later in the week Heidi and I took Shannon shopping for her birthday, while Grandpa and Steve took Ian golfing. Ian drove the cart and aside from a couple of close calls, he didn't actually wipe out, so we figure he did a good job of it. The kids also got to go the Florida Museum, where they saw the oldest living Manatee at something like 62 years old. I guess that Manatee only live to be about 7 or 8 in their natural habitat, and man is their only predator. Kind of sad, isn't it?

In addition to the above, we spent an evening at the local roller skating rink. Although Grandpa Tony and Nana weren't the fastest or smoothest skaters, I think the kids were impressed with the fact that we at least got out there and gave it a try. We paid for it the next day though with sore hips, and stiff legs, but we wouldn't have missed it for the world.

The end of the week was again spent on the boat. The weather changed mid-week and became quite a bit cooler, so we didn't do as much swimming and playing in the water as we would have otherwise, but none the less were able to walk in the shallows, collecting shells for Shannon and discovering hermit crabs, sea urchins and the like. The fishing competition also continued, and both kids easily caught 20 or 30 fish each day, varying from Grouper, Red Fish and Pompano Jack, to a few Cat Fish and Lady Fish. All in all, we were six very greatful and contented people. Both kids even agreed that this vacation was better than their trip to Disney a couple of years ago. Just try to wipe the smiles off of Grandpa and Nana's face!

So now it is home again and preparation for my last chemo treatment and Ian's first deer hunt. My treatment is on Thursday, and although I have been very fortunate in that I have not had any terrible side effects, the treatments do have a cumulative effect on me, and I am definitely anxious to be done with them and start feeling like my old self again. Old perhaps being the operative word, but none the less more like myself.

The week ahead holds many things, but perhaps most importantly we head for Bradford on Friday in preparation for Vermont's Youth Day, which is the weekend before deer season actually opens. We are all so excited for Ian's first hunt, and Grandpa, Mom, Steve, Uncle Kenny and cousin Phil will all be there, ready to drive the deer to Ian in his ground stand. Grandpa will of course be by his side as he is not yet old enough to be in the woods with a gun by himself, but the bottom line is, there still has to be a deer within range, and Ian still has to be the one to shoot it. Fingers crossed, because it ain't that easy, and disappointment may be the outcome, but that's all part of being a sportsman.

Either way, we will all be there to give him the full experience, which includes opening morning breakfast at 5am, stories of years gone past and the comradrie of the wonderful Munn family. I must admit though, I hope he has his own story to tell the following weekend when the rest of the family heads out for their opening day. Wouldn't that be something?

So yet again, as I write this rather long winded posting, I find myself reminded of how very fortunate I am. The week just past was one I will remember for the rest of my life, as I can still see in my minds eye, Ian and Shannon next to Grandpa reeling in a big fish and the smiles on all of their faces, or the look on Ian's face as he drove the boat and learned about the channel markers from his Grandpa. I can still hear the shared laughter as we all danced to the music on the boat and simply enjoyed being a family. What more could a girl ask for?

Hugs and love to all.

Shannon