Our Christmas card this year is a thank you note to all those who have helped us the past few months. While I tried to get it out to as many people as possible, the truth is that we have been helped by more people than I can count (and that I know addresses to). So this is my way of saying thank you for all the generosity and love, you have no idea how much it has meant to us.

Eat at Costa Vida to Support Janelle!!

Remember to go to Costa Vida in American Fork any time TODAY (and bring this flyer!!) to help support Janelle's Fight Against Cancer! 15% of sales generated by those who show this flyer will go towards Janelle! If more than 100 people show up, they'll donate 20%! Please help spread the word!!!

Also remember that we are still accepting donations online at https://www.giveforward.com/fundraiser/9983/janellescancerfund

Los Angeles Update:

We had a good week in Los Angeles last week. Besides a successful doctor’s visit, we were also able to have a little bit of fun, which was such a nice break to take my mind off things.

In Los Angeles, we met with one of the country’s leading experts in Carcinoid cancer, Dr. Wolin, at Cedars Sinai. Because carcinoid is so rare, many oncologist will not even see it during their career and unfortunately there are no specialists here in Utah for it. So I feel very blessed that we were able to see Dr. Wolin as I know it is something that not everyone gets to do. At Cedars, Dr. Wolin runs a carcinoid clinic as well as 10 clinical trials. It was a lengthy and informative visit and to be honest felt really good to talk to someone who deals with this on a daily basis.

While we were down there, we made another trip to the hospital to have some blood work done to start tracking specific markers in my blood. The details of the visit get quite technical, but what we settled on as the next step is to get another scan done. Dr. Wolin would like me to have what is called a 68-Ga DOTOTATE scan. This scan is part of a clinical trial and not yet approved by the FDA. It is only located in 3 places in the US, one being UCLA Medical Center. (While not approved sounds kind of scary, there are actually no FDA approved treatments for carcinoid cancer right now, mostly due to the fact that it is very rare so it doesn’t have the funding or large number of people for clinical trials that other types of cancers do). The awesome things about this scan, as opposed to the standard scans we have now, is that it can detect carcinoid as small as 2 mm in the body with a much clearer picture. Having read many research papers in school, it is a bit funny being on the other side of it now, but I’m grateful that we have new technology to catch things at the earliest onset.

So we will be heading back down to Los Angeles next week for the scan and a follow-up appointment. Our hope and prayer is that they find nothing on this scan and then we go from there to see what’s next. While this is not in my nature, one of the lessons I am learning from this process is to take life one day at a time because I feel like the plan changes each week.

I’m so glad that my family was able to be there with us (although the staff was a bit surprised by my entourage J ). I realize more and more that I would not be able to get through this without the support of my family and friends. I feel blessed by the donations that so many have made, which allow us to see these types of doctors and get the best care. I am also very grateful for all of my doctors, especially my surgeon here who made the referral to Dr. Wolin and continues to communicate with him and follow my treatment. 

Successful Fundraiser!

Here are some pictures from our fundraiser on Saturday! You can see the full album here: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.225861684257796.1073741829.210813409095957&type=1

We had a blast and raised money for an incredible family! It was the perfect way to start our Saturday morning.

Thank you to Jonathan Hardy for all of the wonderful pictures! http://jonathanhardyphotography.com/

Fundraiser!

Our fundraiser is in ONE WEEK! We are so excited for the big event! We have had people asking about shirts. You can buy them at the fundraiser, or reserve them by emailing janellesfight@gmail.com.

Let us know you're coming by RSVPing to our Facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/events/700604443284959/?ref_dashboard_filter=upcoming

Please help us spread the word this next week! We want to make this event incredibly successful to help Janelle and her family! If you're coming, make sure you bring a friend! Every little bit helps!

There will be a silent auction, raffle, bounce house, free food, a walk/run, live music, and more! It will be fun for all ages! Please help us continue to share Janelle's story!!

See you Saturday!

Heartbreak and Hope

I’ve been a bit quiet the past 3 weeks with what has been going on in my journey. To be honest, I wasn’t sure this aspect of it was something I was going to share as it is the part that is most dear to my heart. But I’ve come to realize that for me, this is one of the most important parts to share as I know there are many other women who have gone through this in different capacities.

After a lot of painful decision making, three weeks ago I decided to move forward with having my eggs frozen. It was not an easy decision. Some people have argued that it is not worth putting my body through more medications and procedures and delaying my treatment, which is a very valid point and something I thought about a lot. But when it came down to it, for me it was about Hope.

While I know that this sounds crazy, the most devastating part of my diagnosis was the idea of not being able to have more children. I could come to grips with having a big surgery, losing my lung, and even going through chemo, but this just pushed me over the edge emotionally. I am so grateful to have Audrey and if she was my only child, I would feel blessed for the rest of my life, but the idea of being able to have another child at some point gives me great hope for the future (something I really need right now).

It has been a relatively quick process. I met with the fertility doctor and less than three weeks later they retrieved my eggs. It is a very delicate process, something that I didn’t realize as I’ve really never spent any time looking into in vitro. My body was very sensitive to the hormone shots they gave me and as a result I have been going back and forth to the doctors every day for the past 2 weeks (including Saturdays and Sundays) for monitoring. Toward the end they had to take me off the shots completely for a few days because my levels were getting so high.

The doctor had told me before I started this that we needed about 20 frozen eggs for the odds of having two more children. This past Thursday they retrieved my eggs through a small procedure and got 20 eggs! I was thrilled and relieved. Today I received a phone call from the fertility clinic telling me that only 5 of those eggs have made it to be frozen, with only one of those being what they call a good quality. Heartbroken doesn’t begin to explain how saddened I feel about this. I guess I was just hoping for one part of this journey to go smoothly.

So this is where I am now. My fertility doctor recommends doing another round of this over the next few weeks which means more time, money, and trauma to my body. Those who have been through this know that egg retrieval/ in vitro is not something that is covered by insurance and costs thousands of dollars each time you do it, but when all is said and done, I need to do it because of that hope.

I have been so blessed through this journey and I have seen miracles of which I will be eternally grateful, so I hope this doesn’t come across as a big complaint entry. But the emotional side of this journey is very real as well and something I want to remember when I’m older. So while my heart is broken tonight, I am still hanging on to hope that those five little possibilities give me. 

Update from Janelle:

I got great news today!! Earlier this week I had another CT scan done to look at a couple lymph nodes in my neck that on previous scans were enlarged and active. The results today came back that the lymph nodes are back down to normal size! This is big news for me because if those nodes were still enlarged, it would have meant another surgery and a worse staging of my cancer.

It feels good to finally be getting some positive news and hope for more to come. Thank you for all your prayers and support.

Let us know you're coming to Janelle's Fight Fundraiser!! Follow the link below and click "going" if you can make it! https://www.facebook.com/events/700604443284959/?ref_newsfeed_story_type=regular

Can't make it to the fundraiser? You can make donations online at https://www.giveforward.com/fundraiser/9983/janellescancerfund or by going to any Wells Fargo branch and depositing into the Janelle Connell Cancer Benefit Fund.

WHITE OUT

We would like to make this event a white out to show our support! White is the "color" for lung cancer, and black and white zebra stripes is the "color" for carcinoid cancer. So, if you have a white or zebra striped shirt, sweatshirt, pants, hat, gloves, etc., make sure you wear them to the fundraiser! We are excited to see you there! Reserve your shirt today by emailing us at janellesfight@gmail.com!! Adult: $10 Youth: $8 

Help us spread the word!

We are so excited for our fundraiser!! We have a ton of exciting things to raffle off, including:

2 6-month Gold's Gym memberships

2 sets of eyelash extensions (over $100 value)

1 free night stay at the Hampton Inn and Suites in Orem

Gift cards to Chick-Fil-A

2 Dinner for two gift cards to Texas Roadhouse

Donated products from Home Depot 

Yogurt Bliss giftcard

Olive Garden gift cards

Giftcards and coupons to Forever Young Shoes

and more!! 

These are just a few of the many things that are a part of our raffle!

Everything at the fundraiser has been paid for by donations. Everything collected the day of the fundraiser will go directly to Janelle.

We are excited for our fundraiser on November 30 at Pleasant Grove High School in Pleasant Grove, Utah! If you are unable to attend, please feel free to donate online at https://www.giveforward.com/fundraiser/9983/janellescancerfund or in any Wells Fargo branch.

Contact us to reserve your shirt, or if you have any questions, at janellesfight@gmail.com

Donation Account

We have an account at Wells Fargo for people to make donations to Janelle. If you are interested, please contact us at janellesfight@gmail.com.

You can also go into any Wells Fargo branch and make a deposit to the "Janelle Connell Cancer Benefit Fund"

If you're interested in purchasing a shirt, please email us at janellesfight@gmail.com

Please indicate the quantity and sizes needed. We have adult and youth sizes available. Shipping is available to anywhere in the United States.

All proceeds go directly to Janelle.

ADULT: $10
YOUTH: $8

WE WOULD LOVE TO MAKE THE FUNDRAISER A WHITE-OUT TO SHOW OUR SUPPORT FOR JANELLE! 

**Reserve your shirt today! You can pickup your order at the fundraiser or have it shipped**

FUNDRAISER!! 11.30.13

We are having a fundraiser for Janelle on Saturday, November 30, 2013 at Pleasant Grove High School in Pleasant Grove, Utah from 9am-11am.

This will include a 1 mile walk around the track, live music, free food, games, a bounce house, prizes, and more! The cost for everyone ages 5 and up is $5. Please help us spread the word!

If you're planning on attending and would like to reserve a shirt, or shirts, please email us at janellesfight@gmail.com. Please include a name for the order, quantity, and sizes.

There is no need to register, you can show up the day of and pay there. We just want to make sure that we have enough shirts for everyone! 

If you cannot attend, but would still like a shirt, please email us and we would be happy to send it your way!

If you cannot attend, but would like to make a donation, please visit our donation site: https://www.giveforward.com/fundraiser/9983/janellescancerfund

If you have any other questions, please email us and we will get back to you as soon as we can! 

We hope to see you on November 30!

A little update from Janelle:

I am one month post surgery and healing well woohoo! Today we met with my oncologist and radiation oncologist and went through the upcoming treatment plan. We are waiting on hearing from a specialist in L.A. who is consulting with my doctors. I'm so grateful for these doctors who treat us like family and go above and beyond for us.

If you, or someone you know, would like to make a donation, please visit Janelle's donation site: https://www.giveforward.com/fundraiser/9983/janellescancerfund

Please visit and "like" our Facebook page to stay updated on Janelle's journey!!!
https://www.facebook.com/janellesfight

Please continue to share Janelle's story with your friends and family!! If you would like to donate money, please visit  https://www.giveforward.com/fundraiser/9983/janellescancerfund to do so. We are having a fundraiser in Utah County on November 30, 2013! Please mark your calendars and make sure you plan on attending!! We will have more information at the beginning of the week, so check our blog or Facebook page for updates!

Thank you so much for all of your love and support as Janelle continues on this journey! We had great success on Wednesday, and so many donations and people remembering Janelle! Please continue to keep her and her family in your thoughts and prayers. Along with obvious physical struggles, there also comes emotional struggles and decisions to be made. Please keep them in your prayers.

We raised over $1,000 today! Truly amazing! Thanks to those who donated, spread the word, wore zebra print or white, or even just thought of Janelle today. It is a beautiful thing to see people come together to support a courageous woman. Thank you all for your love and support!!!

Thanks to John and RaeNell for sending us their pictures from Las Vegas, Nevada!

Thanks, Heather, for sending us your extra cute zebra outfit today!! 

The Ponderosa High School Mustang Cheerleaders from Parker, Colorado showed their support today for Janelle during their practice! Thanks, ladies!

Katie and Oliver are joining the party! Thanks for the great pic, Katie! :)

Janelle's amazing neighbors decorated her yard for her birthday!! How awesome is her giant zebra ribbon?! So much love for such a special lady!!

Thanks for the great pictures of you all in your zebra print or white!!! Keep sending pics! #happybirthdayjanelle 

I can't think of a better birthday gift for Janelle than making a big dent in our donation goal. Please share her story with your friends, family, or even co-workers. She is an incredibly strong woman and deserves nothing but the best from here on out. She has and will go through an incredible amount of physical pain and exhaustion, but I feel that there are things that WE can help with, and that is her emotional health. Easing her mind about finances, or just letting her know that you're thinking about her, I believe, will help her in more ways than we can imagine. So for her birthday, please make a donation to her. It doesn't matter how big or small, it's the thought that counts. Also, remember to wear white or zebra print tomorrow in honor of her. Please tag your posts and pictures with the hashtag #happybirthdayjanelle. Let's make this the most memorable birthday for her! We love you, Janelle. Happy Birthday! 

We are hosting a fundraiser on November 30 in Utah County. (We are still working on some of the details!) We would love to have as much help and support as possible! If you're interested in volunteering and/or helping with details, please email us immediately at janellesfight@gmail.com. Once we have details finalized, we will officially announce it. Please mark your calendar and save the date! It will be a great event for the whole family, and it's for a great cause! 

Thank you, to the people all around the world, who have donated and spread the word about Janelle's fight. Please continue to share her story and help us raise money! 

Don't forget to wear white or zebra print tomorrow to show your support for Janelle! Post the pictures on our Facebook page or email them so we can post them here, on our blog! 

janellesfight@gmail.com

Update from Janelle:

Just wanted to say thank you to all those who have read our story, helped us over the past few weeks, donated, made meals, prayed for us, and the list goes on and on. I am feeling better each day and really could not have done it without all the support! We are planning to start chemo in about a month, once I am fully healed from the surgery.

Janelle's birthday is in 4 days (October 16) and we are asking everyone to wear white (for lung cancer), or black and white zebra stripes (for carcinoid cancer) to show your support for Janelle. Please post your pictures on our Facebook page so we can make sure Janelle sees them, and we would love to post them here on our blog! Also, we'd like to see how many people we can get to change their profile picture on her birthday (Wednesday) to the zebra striped ribbon picture. Please help us spread the word! We would love to get as many people on board as we can! Even if you don't personally know Janelle, please know she is a fantastic mother, a friend to all, a loyal sister, a sweet daughter, a hard worker, and she is someone who is fighting a hard fight. With the help of friends, family, and strangers, I believe that she will have greater success.

So please remember her every day, in your thoughts and prayers, but especially remember her this Wednesday, October 16.

Zebra stripes for carcinoid cancer.

Like 'Janelle's Fight Against Cancer' page on Facebook! Spread the word and help us reach our donation goal! 

https://www.facebook.com/janellesfight

Donations

If you'd like to make a donation, please visit: https://www.giveforward.com/fundraiser/9983/janellescancerfund

We are also in the process of opening an account at Wells Fargo. We will get the information posted once it is ready for deposits. 

Thank you so much for your love and support! 

Audrey's Visit

Sweet Audrey visiting her mom in the hospital after her big surgery. There is no medicine that could do more than what the love of a little girl for her mom can do. 

Our Cancer Story

These are updates from Janelle as she found out information. We will continue to keep you all updated as she starts the next step in her treatment with chemo and radiation. Thank you for your continuous love, support, and prayers on her behalf.

September 7, 2013

We have some many sweet family and friends who have been following our story and so we just wanted to give you all an update of where we are now. 

To give you a background of how this all started, in May I developed a chronic cough. Being a healthy, 26 year old, of course no doctor ever suspected cancer. For months we thought it was allergies, asthma, acid reflux, and pneumonia. We tried lots of prescriptions and remedies with no success. Finally about 3 weeks ago on  Tuesday night, I started coughing up blood. We went to the ER where they did a CT scan on my chest and saw a whole bunch of junk in my right lung. 

After meeting with a pulmonary specialist, he suspected that it was a tumor in my lung and performed a biopsy on it. The biopsy came back to show that it is a carcinoid tumor. We didn't think this was such bad news at first as carcinoid tumors don't usually spread, so we met with a surgeon to see about removing it. Our surgeon had a few suspicions about how my scan was looking and ordered a PET scan. 

Unfortunately, this past week we learned from the PET scan that along with with right lung, all the lymph nodes in my chest, my thymus, and a lymph node in my neck appear to be cancerous. This has thrown all my doctors for a loop as these cancers just don't act this way. My doctor actually said that there are no documented cases that have acted as mine, I'm one of a kind. 

The scary thing about this type of cancer is that it does not respond to chemo or radiation, so surgery is the best option for removing it. However, because it has appeared to spread, there are questions about whether or not it can all be removed with surgery. Because this is so unusual, my case will be presented at tumor board on Wed this week with all of the specialists. Unless something drastically changes, we are planning on surgery on Sept 17. The plan right now for the surgery is to remove everything possible with cancer, including my entire right lung. The surgery can take up to 10 hours, depending on what they find when they get in there. 

A lot of people have asked how this happened and unfortunately we just don't know. I do not have a single person in my family who has had cancer, I've never smoked, and they can't link this to genetics. We've had to just accept that this is where we are and not ask why. 

We have had a lot of scary appointments lately with ifs, possibilities, risks, complications, best case, worst case, statistics, mortality rates. To say the least it has been overwhelming. I am grateful for the wonderful support my sweet husband has been and that my parents have been able to be here for most of these appointments. 

Our best case is that they get in there and discover that the lymph nodes aren't really cancerous, but just inflamed from infection. The worst case is that they discover it is an untreatable type of cancer- Big spectrum! We are praying for the best case. 

We so appreciate all of the love and support we have gotten so far and continue to ask for your prayers. 

September 19, 2013

As many of you know, I did not end up having the surgery to remove my lung this week. After my doctor presented my case at two different hospitals, the decision was to first go in and biopsy the lymph nodes in my chest to really understand what we are dealing with.

So on Tuesday morning we went in to the hospital. The doctor made an incision at the base of my neck and went down into my chest and removed several of the concerning lymph nodes for further testing. After a few hours in recovery, I was able to return home.

One of the possible complications of this surgery was damage to my vocal nerve, which seems to have happened. So now I just have a soft whispery voice, but it's something that we can fix down the road.

Today my wonderful doctor called and told me that all of the lymph nodes are negative of cancer!!!! I can't even explain how much of a miracle this is. When every test, scan, radiologist, and oncologist said differently, I know that Heavenly Father stepped in to heal me.

We know that all of our family and friends of all faiths have been praying and fasting for us. I just know that a blessing like this would not have been possible without the faith of so many and the power of the priesthood. I know that I don't always have the energy to respond to every comment, message, or text, but please know that we are just so grateful to everyone.

The surgery to remove my lung and the tumor will now happen on Monday. I just can't wait to get this thing out of me. I will probably be in the hospital for 5 days.

While this journey has been a roller coaster, it is amazing to see the hand of The Lord in our lives and feel his love.

October 3, 2013

Well we've made it through the first week. As far as surgery goes, it went well. The surgeon was able to keep my top lobe on the right lung and had to remove the 2 bottom lobes.

All of the nurses and doctors told me that this is the most painful surgery they do in the hospital, even worse than open heart surgery, and I definitely believe them. There was one night in particular that I honestly didn't think I could make it through.

With lots of praying and support from family and nurses we made it through those days.

The only down side of the surgery is that they found 3 lymph nodes near the tumor that are positive for cancer (something I wasn't expecting and took a toll on all of us emotionally).

So for the next few weeks the focus is recovery and then will be looking to see if further treatment like chemotherapy is needed. We pray this is not the case and ask for your continual prayers.

We love The Lord and and are grateful our blessings.