Our New Office -- Coming Soon

Quick little update of what's going on here at The Pink Ribbon Shop...

For the past several months, Danny and his Dad have been working on renovating a "shack" on our property that is to become our new office.  By renovating, I mean even replacing all of the studs, windows, doors, and making everything new except for the truss-style ceiling/roof structure.  I wish I had taken photos that accurately capture the dilapidated condition this building was in!  Termite damage, wood rot, mold & mildew, critter infestation ... it was quite a sight.  Not to mention it was filled with its previous tenant's moisture-soaked furniture and interesting "collection" of 80's headbanger records, memorabilia, and beer steins.  Aside from all that, it's been an exciting time for me, planning the space and all the details, even with our barebones budget.  Finally we can see the light at the end of the tunnel and it is all coming together nicely.  We hope to be moving in in the next couple of months, which means "Bye bye, mobile rental office trailer!"  Our 12x60 rental trailer was to be a temporary fix until our new warehouse/office could be built.  That was over 4 years ago!  As many of you know, stuff happens, and things don't always work out like WE have planned.  It's all in God's hands, and His timing, too!  Our new warehouse was not meant to be, at least not yet, and we settled into our small warehouse and made do with that and the "temporary" office trailer arrangement.  Once the new office is completed, we will no longer be paying rent, and our property will look SO much cuter without the big honkin' trailer on it.  Can't wait!!!

I will definitely post pictures of our new digs once it's completed and we are moved in.  :)

Fundraising Milestone and Great News!

Well, first things first ... Scans showed mostly "stable" findings.  There was slight increase in size of 2 nodules in the lung, but the increase was only about 2mm, which was considered insignificant.  All of the bone metastases, widespread though they are, appear to be just hanging out -- not going away, but not getting any worse/larger either.  The pleural effusion has not returned, and no enlarged lymph nodes are visible in my chest or other places.  Tumor marker (CA15-3) is holding steady at 12.something, well within the "normal" range of 0-25.  YAY ME!!!

I am approaching one year of being on Abraxane, and I guess you could say that it's been a huge success overall.  It's certainly not fun being on chemotherapy, and it has its ups and down, but knowing that it's working to keep me alive, makes it worthwhile!  The plan is for me to remain on Abraxane for as long as it's doing its job.  In the short term, that's at least another 3-4 months, after which I will have my scans and tumor markers repeated.

Speaking of being on Abraxane for the long haul, here's a funny story ... NOT!  A couple months ago, the receptionist at my doctor's office asked "You should be just about finished now, right?"  She was referring to my chemo course.  Most cancer patients go on chemo for a prescribed, set number of treatments or rounds, then they're done.  They "ring the bell" and celebrate being done with chemo!  Not the case with me, since I have stage IV cancer.  I answered something like "Actually, no, I'll be on this chemo until it stops working."  Then, with a big smile, SHE said, "Well I hope that happens real soon."  WHAT!?  That's got to be tops among stupid things to say to a cancer patient!!!  There is so much I could have said, but I just stood there, speechless, with my mouth open and my brow furled.  I very quickly determined that it would be futile to respond anyway to someone like this.  Danny and I got a big laugh out of that one.  Only it's actually kind of sad that someone could be that ignorant.  Especially someone who works at the patient reception desk at a cancer center!

More BIG NEWS  If you've been a regular reader here, you may know or remember that at the end of 2011, we established The Pink Ribbon Shop Fund for Breast Cancer Research at MD Anderson Cancer Center.  We are still working to find just the right breast cancer research study to fund, but until then, the Fund continues to grow.  We are VERY, VERY excited to announce that the Fund's balance is nearing $50,000!  We are simply amazed and awed at how God has worked through our little family-run business to make this happen!  We are so thankful to all of our customers who have helped us get this far!  Being so close to the $50K mark, we thought it wouldn't hurt to celebrate a little early and ask everyone to chip in and help us reach this milestone in a BIG way!  There are several ways you can help:

• Purchase our Funding the Cure with The Pink Ribbon Roundup bracelet bands.  Wear one, and give some to spread the word!  100% of your purchase goes to the Fund.
• Make a donation at The Pink Ribbon Shop's Pink Ribbon Roundup Donation Page.  It's an easy way to donate $1.00, $5.00, or $10.00, without feeling obligated to make a purchase.  Of course, 100% of your donation made here will benefit the Fund.
• Make a generous, tax-deductible donation of $25.00 or more at our MD Anderson MyGiving Page.  The money will go straight to our Fund, and you'll receive a nice thank you from MD Anderson.  (Note:  The MyGiving Page shows only the total amount donated via the the MyGiving page, and does not accurately reflect the Fund's actual balance.  At this time, the actual balance is approximately $10,000 more than shown.)
• Shop at The Pink Ribbon Shop and make a $1.00 donation using the "Donation Opportunity" checkbox @ checkout.  These $1.00 donations really add up!

THANK YOU, THANK YOU in advance for helping us reach the $50,000 mark!  We couldn't have done it without you.

And thanks for reading!