the secret of being happy

I have learned the secret of being happy 

at any time in everything that happens.  Phil 4:12

Hi there Team Kelly :)
Thank you all for praying for Kelly yesterday.  Unfortunately it was a no go on chemo again.  Her counts were too low, so she will get 3 days worth of shots to boost them back up and will try again next week.  She is scheduled for next Wednesday.  I know we are confusing the heck out of ya, but Tuesday is her birthday and she did not want to be sick that day.  Can't blame her one bit!!!

After leaving the chemo lounge yesterday, she was not feeling well.  Not sure if it was anxiety on top of allergies etc.  But your prayers comforted her and she is feeling much better today.  

from our devotion~
Rejoice in Me always!...This is the secret of being content in all circumstances.  So many people dream of the day when they will finally be happy: when they are out of debt, when their children are out of trouble, when they have more leisure time, and so on.  While they daydream, life is passing them by.  Life is today, not "when..."  If your life is going great, be happy and enjoy my blessings.  If times are tough, be happy because you know these problems will go away.  And don't forget this either: you have the promise of a problem free life in heaven - forever - with Me.  Don't wait to be happy.  Come to Me and I will show you how to be happy today.


What she sees in that, is she doesn't want to wait until she is cancer free to be happy.  She wants to be happy today while going through treatment.  Even after the discouragement of not getting treatment yesterday and not feeling well, she was able to have lunch with us girls plus a couple of mom's BFFs. (Love you Shirley and Susan).  
Her happy yesterday was: 
-spending time with her sisters, mom , Shirley and Susan
-coming home to greet her kids after school
-seeing Ben's first middle school football game
-hearing Jen speak Whale on her voicemail telling her to just keep swimming like Dori :)
-getting a card in the mail from Shannon...one of her biggest prayer warriors
-being told that Hayden was singing the Team Kelly song yesterday before school
-getting a text from Penni telling her she saw the first 4 out of 5 middle schoolers in the carpool line were wearing TK shirts!!
-getting an early birthday gift from the "awesome A's"...love that purple purse!!
-Jason being by her side...always

What is going to be your happy today?

This shirt was sent to her from an old high school friend, Jon, and his wife Michelle

 Christian brought her a TK mug and necklace he made at art camp this summer :)

Thank you Lord, for all the happy's you bring us each day!

And Thank you, Team Kelly, for your incredible support!  Let's keep those prayers circling Kelly.  

Don't forget to wear your shirt next Wednesday :)

oops sorry mom!!!

We wrote a whole blog post about our mom and then cut her out of the picture.  We hope this makes you laugh as hard as it did us :)

sorry mom ;-)

the queen of strong...

Good morning Team Kelly :)
Because of the holiday weekend, the chemo lounge was booked Tuesday.  She had her routine appointment with Dr. Savin this week.  He said her numbers are great, she looks healthy, and she is responding really well to the treatment.   She could have had treatment this week, but he told her it was fine to wait a few extra days so she can get back to treatments on Tuesdays, which work better for her schedule.  However, next Tuesday is booked too...so chemo is set for next Wednesday ;-/

Kelly, Kim and I were talking the other day about the women in our family, my mom's side in particular.  The Biggs women...there are six in all...5 sisters plus Granny.  They are all very strong woman and we are so very proud to come from these incredible roots.  Between the six of them, they have conquered diabetes, polio, alzheimer's, uterine, ovarian and breast cancers.  I think I can speak for all of us cousins when I say...we all look up to them and love each one of them dearly :) ...

Granny Biggs

Aunt Gwen

Aunt Ann

Aunt Ruthie

Aunt Linda

And our mom, Paula

Bare with me, Kelly and I are talking on the phone while I write this.  Here is a little back story of our sweet Mom...She was first diagnosed with breast cancer in her early 40s.  She had a mastectomy and was able to go home right after surgery without any further treatment. That was a HUGE blessing back then when 'cancer' had very little research, very few resources and no specialized hospitals like MD Anderson etc.  We were all so scared...I was 10, Kelly was 13, and Kim was 18.  But our incredible mom beat it!!

About 20 years later, she was diagnosed with breast cancer again.  This time they did a second mastectomy but found tumors in her lymph nodes.  We watched her go through chemo with an amazing amount of strength and grace.  With a lot of prayers and support, she beat it again!  We were so proud of her.  During this time, we were informed about genetic testing.  It was very controversial at the time.  But her doctor encouraged her to take the test.  She found out she was a carrier of the BRCA 1 mutation (breast cancer gene).  

We didn't really understand what this meant at the time.  And we were all just really grateful Mom made it through this ordeal.  She went for scans every 3 months until she was cleared cancer free.  She came upon the 5 year mark of no new cancer.  She felt sure it was gone and now she could move on.  She went for her yearly scan and they found tumors everywhere.  Her abdomen lit up on the PET scan.  They were sure the breast cancer was back and had metastasized.  Surgery was scheduled right away.  Her doctors did not sound very encouraging and of course we all thought the worst.  But during surgery they discovered it was not breast cancer, it was ovarian cancer.  Fortunately they were able to get it all.  However, it was a long road to recovery with a lot more chemo treatments.  Thank you, Lord, for saving our mom again! When her doctors came into the waiting room to give us this amazing news, we all decided to get tested for BRCA 1.  Unfortunately, Kelly and I carry this gene.  But information is power and we were glad to know that would could be proactive because we sure didn't think we could go through what our Mom had endured.  Kelly has often said there is no way she could do what mom had done.  But here she is fighting with incredible strength because she doesn't have just ONE yucky gene from mom, she has all her SUPER STRONG BIGGS genes too :)  Our mom really is the "Queen of Strong!".  Kelly is now following in the footsteps of our mom and we are going to watch her beat this too!!!

Kelly is so grateful for...
daily cards of encouragement in my mailbox
"YOU CAN DO THIS" cards
a sweet book mark from Tara
flowers from friends that brighten my day
a cute new hat from Sheila
Frisco YoungLife committee
encouraging facebook messages (I love reading them)
Jack Hovings bracelets...super cute...let me know if you want one
Lots of laughter and smiles this week
All of Team Kelly circling me in prayer
Nurse Tammy checking in on me when she's not even at work
For Glenda...thank you for reminding me how strong my mom is
For Granny Biggs
For Aunt Gwen, Aunt Ann, Aunt Ruthie and Aunt Linda
And for my mom...the Queen of Strong!
For Jason, Will, Ben, Sam and Ella...always!

Here are a few more pics of her TEAM that make her smile :)

Sam in 4th grade...Ella in 3rd

Will in 8th grade...Ben in 7th

the Fleetwoods at the best ice cream place on the Cape :)

the Robisons and the Bobos in Gulf Shores, Alabama

 Hayden and Katelyn

 the Dill family in Destin, Florida

Molly in Costa Rica :)

Preston with a custom TK shirt at Six Flags

 kim, carol, kelly and paula :)

 us girls with Granny Biggs

 Aunt Gwen, Aunt Ann, Aunt Ruthie, Aunt Linda, and Mom

with Pa-Paw and Granny 

One last thing, Team Kelly...let's all wear our shirts next Wednesday...cuz' WE GOT HOPE!!

His promise of a miracle...

Hi there Team Kelly :)  Just wanted to give you a quick update.  About a week after her last treatment the fog lifted.  Monday of last week she could barely get out of bed, but by Friday she and Jason took the family plus 10 fourteen year old boys to Six Flags.  I know...she IS crazy.  But that is just Kelly.  When she is feeling good, she is full throttle.  Other than Ella forgetting her shoes and not realizing until pulling into the Six Flags parking lot, it was such a great way to end the summer :)

Kim and I took our family TK pictures on our vacations also.  Let me tell ya, it made us appreciate you so much!  Organizing your family on when and where to take the best picture with a bunch of hot, sweaty, tired and grumpy kids (and husband) was no easy task!  We have an even greater appreciation of all of you taking time to share your vacations while supporting Kelly.   

tatum, jill, kim and cate in durango, colorado

cate and kim

praying for kelly on top of the colorado rockies!

blake and cole in the texas hill country

 carol and meg in jonestown, texas

 hookem' TEAM KELLY!

cindy and taylor in hawaii

alexa sent this big smile to brighten kelly's day

kristy's hilarious gift that made us all smile!

austin's fortune cookie he sent to kelly...love!

jack and his cousin designed and made these for TK :)

some sweet girls left their artwork on her door one day :)

the kids' back to school TEAM KELLY gear :))

will ben and sam got some sweet TK kicks from nana!

kelly's kids TK'd their notebooks :)

dalton's composition notebook :)

Ok...so I just got a call from Kelly.  GOOD NEWS!!  She had blood work done today.  Her counts are high enough to receive treatment next week!  What a blessing!  But that's not all...remember Austin's fortune cookie YOU WILL SOON WITNESS A MIRACLE? Well here it is...her tumor marker is at 29!!!!  If you recall, when this whole journey began for Kelly, it was at 8800.  Normal for you and me is 1 to 35.  Thank you, loving Lord, for this miracle.  I can't type the way I feel right now.  This answered prayer is a huge comforting hug directly from Him telling us He is with us every second.  Jason and Kelly were driving home tonight and saw a double rainbow as many of you did I'm sure.  They stopped on the side of the road and thanked Him for his promises that He continues to keep. 

One of her BFF's sent her this Psalm...
My soul will be satisfied as with fat and rich food,
and my mouth will praise you with joyful lips,
when I remember you upon my bed,
and meditate on you in the watches of the night,
for you have been my help,
and in the shadow of your wings I will sing for joy.
My soul clings to you;
your right hand upholds me.
Psalm 63:5-8


Much love to all of you, TEAM KELLY!  Thank you for always praying, praying, praying!

a quick update...

Kelly was able to get treatment yesterday!  She is home resting with a 48 hour drip.  She gets the drip taken out on Saturday.  Our biggest concern right now is hydration.  Since she had treatment Thursday, she will have to wait until Monday to receive more fluids intravenously.  That's two days longer than usual.  It's going to be a long weekend for her.  She was saying to us in the chemo lounge how when she knows she's about to get treatment, she feels physically sick, nauseous, anxious.  The anxiety is overwhelming.  And when they tell her she can't have treatment, her nausea disappears while her thirst and appetite instantly reappear.  The anxiety is still there as she wants to get treatment so she can fight.   But this harsh chemo just knocks her flat and squashes her spirit.  I just hate this for her.  We all wish the circumstances were different for Kelly. Again our devotion speaks right to us.

From today's entry~
Find Me in the midst of the maelstrom.  Sometimes events whirl around you so quickly that they become a blur.  Whisper My Name in recognition that I am still with you.  Without skipping a beat in the activities that occupy you, you find strength and Peace through praying My Name.  Later, when the happenings have run their course, you can talk with Me more fully.  Accept each day just as it comes to you.  Do not waste your time and energy wishing for a different set of circumstances.  Instead, trust Me enough to yield to My design and purposes.  Remember that nothing can separate you from My loving Presence; you are Mine.

An old high school friend, Kevin, posted this on Kelly's facebook.  She loved his words and wanted to share them...
There isn't much I'm good at, but I can pray and use my little spot here on the interweb to remind friends throughout the years to do the same.

God and me kinda have a relaxed reverent relationship...I've known him so long that I think he hopefully enjoys/puts up with my banter prayer style, and he never tells me to get to the point or wrap it up or gets mad when I start, fall asleep and reboot t

he conversation the next day.

I'm not a thee and thoughest kinda guy, I talk to him like I'm talking to ya here. (Isn't it amazing how many words I can use to make a simple point? I know!)

Here's a couple of absolutely, amazing lovely ladies to keep in your prayers and/or thoughts today, because you do actually have the time to do it if you've read thus far!

Kelly Prewitt Stewart and family (SGHS Class of 90) resumes chemotherapy today for pancreatic cancer. Expect a miracle. Pray like a warrior.

Ashley Smith Moore and family (SGHS Class of 93) tiny twins Griffin and Georgia were welcomed to the world very,very early. The twins grow stronger, but with good and bad days. Pray like a warrior.

In fact we all have 'life stuff' going on, so pray specifically and pray generally for everybody you know, because we're all blessed to be here through the good and the bad.

Don't take it for granted. life is precious...even when a homeless guy flips you the bird for not giving him money and tells you where to go and how to get there....well, 5 hours later, I think I'll pray for that dude too! Happy Tuesday everybody.

Thank you for your continued prayers and outpouring love and generosity, TEAM KELLY!