Tuesday, March 11, 2014

3/11/14 "March"ing onward...

Dear family and friends,

I'm sorry I haven't written since January!  I have been busy savoring time off from work and the joy of fully immersing myself in the gift of each new day.  When the Psalmist says "this is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it," believe me, I have learned to thank God for the good, bad, and ordinary days, realizing any day I am given is indeed a gift.

As you recall, I left my job at SPU on January 9th and had planned to begin a new job for the UW School of Medicine today (March 11).  Instead, I felt led to turn down the wonderful offer from my colleagues at the UW in order to have more time off to make memories with family and friends.  It's  a very strange crossroads in my life where I feel as if I have one foot at the gates of Heaven and one foot on earth.  I have no idea if I will live one year or thirty years (though the odds are pretty strongly stacked against the latter).  In addition to more time off to make memories, I need to figure out what type of work would best support my health concerns.  Probably that means part-time and less stress.  The UW job would have been a high-stress job, raising big money.  And while I love doing that, it is indeed very stressful.  So I am praying now for the right part-time thing to come along when the time is right.  And in the meantime, boy, am I making having fun and making memories.  Here are a few (photos at end):

1)  Valentine's Day was so much fun.  We had Daniel and my dear friend, Maribeth, join us for a delicious dinner of homemade ravioli and fierce rounds of Canasta, with the most decadent chocolate dessert ever--an Ina Garten recipe called "chocolate blobs."  (I think that's right--ask Daniel!)

2)  My birthday was Feb. 18th and during the day, Renee and Riley took me to a Mexican lunch (ok--I had to have a b-day margarita even though it was only noon) and then the three of us had "girls day" at Ladiewells spa in Greenwood.  Pink sea salt sauna where you lay on sand, dry sauna, steam, hot pool, tepid pool, cold plunge, then drink herbal tea while hanging around on rope swings reading good books.  So relaxing and fun!  Then that evening, Daniel made "my favorite protein" for dinner--salmon!  And of course, chocolate cake from Simply Desserts for dessert, along with another favorite card game, Estimate.  I don't recall if I won or not...but I hope I did, since it was my b-day after all. And some of you know this about me--I LOVE to win!!  :-)   I also enjoyed NUMEROUS b-day celebrations with girlfriends and so many lovely cards in the mail.  Thank you all!  You bless my life in ways too numerous to list on a blog post!!

3)  I enjoyed a Valentine's/B-day trip with Steve to our favorite romantic spot--The Stephanie Inn at Cannon Beach.  It snowed three inches!  I have never been in the snow on Cannon Beach--what a thrill!  If you have a special someone and haven't taken him/her to The Stephanie Inn, get on their mailing list and watch for the $199 specials.  You will thank me for this advice!

4)  Then Steve and I could barely keep up with dear friend, Frank, who at 80, can out-snowshoe us both.  We had a couple of feet of new snow to enjoy, a picnic lunch, a hot thermos of herbal tea, and fresh chocolate chip cookies.  Perfect!

5)  At the end of February, Steve and I headed off to Rancho La Puerta in Mexico for ten glorious days of hiking, swimming, dancing, circuit training, spa cuisine, and laying in the sun by the pool reading good books!  Well, I read good books while Steve studied for his Family Practice Board exam which happens but once every ten years and is next month.  We met lovely people there including the top designer for Marc Jacobs and Bill Moyers (and wife Judith) from PBS.  Bill asked me what it was like to get my cancer diagnosis and prognosis and I told him about how my faith in Christ is the only way I got through it.  I quoted the Scriptures I relied on and told him how they aren't just verses you memorize in Sunday School but real promises that God will be there and help us through whatever it is He calls us to.  Bill served as Press Secretary for Lynden Johnson and has interviewed famous people all over the world for television and books.  I never dreamed in a million years that he would "interview" little old Gabrielle Dudley from Seattle, WA in Mexico and give me the opportunity to share how faith makes ALL the difference.  What a joyous and God-ordained appointment that was, and he is the MOST wonderful, humble man.  Just a dear, kindred soul, as is his lovely wife.   

6)  Next week Daniel and I take off for Scottsdale for his spring break for five days.  More sunshine and of course--our beloved MINI-GOLF!!!  Some hiking and Mexican food will also be on the agenda.  Cantina Larredo is calling, with guacamole made in a stone bowl at table side.  Can't wait!  (Recall, of course, that Renee got a trip to Kauai in December so now it's Daniel's turn for some sun with Mom.)  :-)

My next CA-125 test and visit with my Oncologist is April 11, one month from today.  Please pray with me that my count will still be normal!  The verse I am clinging to is this:  "I will not die, but live, and will proclaim what the Lord has done."  Psalm 118:17  Let's cling to it together, shall we?!

Love,
Gabrielle

Renee and Riley at my b-day Mexican lunch.  I think that's my margarita in the foreground!

Daniel in front of the perfect salmon he grilled for my b-day dinner!

Fresh beets I picked from the organic gardens at Rancho La Puerta!  What pretty colors!

Me in front of the Stephanie Inn--getting ready for a walk in the SNOW on Cannon Beach!

This is the meal we made in our cooking class at Rancho La Puerta.  The class was called "Tacos, Tacos, y Mas Tacos!  Yummo!

Me holding up my fresh pineapple salsa at cooking class!

OK--So is Steve the BEST husband in the world to get his first pedicure with me at Rancho?  Every man reading this better give him a hard time!!

Snowshoeing with Frank and Steve east of Snoqualmie Pass.  Such beauty!

Out of order, but here is a view of the grounds at Rancho La Puerta.  Those hills in the background are where we hike--up and over them to wonderful views.  We saw a wild mare and foal a few feet from us on one hike!

Lastly, I was invited to be a cheerleader for Daniel's first year med school men's volleyball team at their Championship game.  They made it to the final two and sadly, lost to the dumb ol' Aeronautical Engineers.  But when they huddled and cheered, their cheer was "GABRIELLE!"  Their team name is "Bro-B-Gyns"  :-)


Thursday, January 16, 2014

1/16/14 Happy News!

Dear Friends and Family,

This is just a quick note to tell you that I had my quarterly CA-125 ovarian cancer tumor marker blood test today and it was normal again!  As a reminder, a normal reading is anywhere from 0 to 30, and mine was 12.8. 

We are rejoicing over this good news and in fact, are about to go rejoice over a plate of spinach enchiladas to celebrate.  News this wonderful might even require a side of guacamole and chips, don't you think? 

Thanks be to God for all the prayers that He answered for me through this great test result, and thanks to all of you for praying!  Fifty-three and cancer free--that's me!  :-)

Love,
Gabrielle

P.S.  Daniel was interviewed and photographed for a story that will appear in the Seattle Times either tomorrow (1/17) or Friday (1/18), so if you get the Times, look for his picture! 

P.P.S.  Go Seahawks!

Saturday, January 4, 2014

1/4/14 Happy New Year!

Dear Family and Friends,
Happy new year to you all!  I'm sorry I am so late with this blog post.  After rejoicing over my great CA-125 score in late October, we threw ourselves with gusto into making memories in November and December. 
November brought Steve's 57th birthday, celebrated with carrot cake from our favorite bakery, Simply Desserts in Fremont. And our counter is now totally overcome by his b-day gift--a fancy 14-cup coffee maker.  I thought that he wanted this just for "entertaining," but alas, he loves his new toy and does not want to put it away.  Then we hosted Thanksgiving for Steve's family, where a good time was had by all.  And Daniel's chocolate chip pecan pie with bourbon whipped cream was a huge hit.
One week later, Steve, Renee, and I took off for Kauai for 8 nights of heaven!  We had not been to Kauai since our honeymoon in 1982.  On that honeymoon trip, the island had just been devastated by hurricane Eva and our trip to Waimea Canyon was hindered by fog.  On this trip, the weather couldn't have been more perfect and Waimea Canyon was one of the most beautiful sights I've seen, as were the beaches and mountains of the north shore.  We swam in the ocean, pool, and saltwater lagoon at our hotel, snorkeled, read good books, and had deep and wonderful conversations.  Oh--and Renee and I took an intro to SCUBA diving course.  She was a natural--a true fish, like her dad. 

I was also blessed on this trip to meet three women on their own cancer journeys.  One woman at our hotel, about 35 years old, was struggling to walk up the path from the pool to the lobby.  Her head was bald and she had little strength or breath.  We spoke and I learned she had just finished chemo.  This was her celebratory trip.  I encouraged her, I hope, that just months after chemo ended, I had hair and energy, and told her she would too.  I told her she was doing GREAT!  Then at the top of the water slide, I met a 29-year-old bald woman and her husband.  I learned that she had just had chemo to shrink her tumors and that in three days time, she would return home to a double mastectomy.  She has a baby boy.  She is a strong Christian and I was able to share more words of encouragement and hope.  We had a great hug.  Lastly, I met a woman about my age as we were both gazing at an endangered monk seal napping on the beach (there are only about 1,000 of these left in the world!).  We got to talking and the next thing I knew, she showed me her breast surgery scar and said her chemo would begin in January.  She was also a Christian with whom I exchanged words of assurance that God would help her through.  We hugged and committed to pray for one another in the year ahead.  What a joy to play a small part in comforting others with the comfort I myself have received from God in my cancer journey. 
December 18th brought our 31st anniversary, which we celebrated at Canlis.  Daniel's friend Kyle, who is a manager there, made our evening extra special.  This was our "do-over" from the Valentine's Day Canlis trip we had to cancel last year as I had just finished double chemo!  Later in December, we arrived home from a movie with Renee to a dark house.  As we entered, lights flew on and many of our dear friends yelled "surprise--happy anniversary!"  We could not have been more shocked!  A perfect surprise party, complete with some good friends, tasty appetizers, fun games, and lots of hugs and smiles. 
On Christmas Eve, we went to a Mexican restaurant near our house, Puerto Bonito, for a new favorite tradition--Feliz Navidad dinner.  Check out the photo below to see the mammoth amount of food I enjoyed!  Oh man, does it feel good to be able to eat after starving with nausea for half of last year.  We also enjoyed a wonderful Christmas Eve church service at Ballard Lutheran church, complete with a live nativity acted out by the kids in the church.  When we walked up to look at a real "baby Jesus" in the manger, he was sound asleep, sucking his thumb.  His real-life mom, playing Mary, smiled at me and said "this is a true Christmas miracle!" 

Christmas day brought few gifts to the Dudley tree.  We decided this would be "homemade" Christmas, since money has been a bit tight after cancer, med school, Kauai, and a master bath remodel.  This simple Christmas was one of our best ever.  We hosted Christmas dinner for my mom and aunt and uncle, Julianne and Oliver, as well as Renee's girlfriend, Riley.  Daniel and I treated everyone to a choreographed dance we had worked on to Mariah Carey's "All I Want for Christmas is You."  So much fun!  Then on the 26th, we celebrated with Steve's family at an amazing dinner hosted by Steve's mom at Anthony's restaurant in Kirkland.  Once again, there were lots of smiles, hugs, good food and more Christmas memories to cherish.  It was extra special since Aunt Peggy made a special trip to be with us all the way from Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. 
To work off some of that Christmas food, Daniel and I headed to Snoqualmie Pass for "snowshoeing."  Alas, we needed only boots.  The ski area was closed due to lack of snow.  But we did enjoy a snow "hike," with a little bit of snow, here and there. 
On New Year's Eve of 2012, I just lay on the couch with severe stomach pain and was unable to eat any of the king crab leg dinner Steve had made.  We had no idea what was about to unfold just a week later with my cancer diagnosis.  Well guess what?  On New Year's Eve 2013, I ate three king crab legs!  I was overcome with memories of all we went through last year and how faithful God was to provide strength, peace, hope, expert care, loving support, and ultimately, healing.  My heart is full of love for God and for all of you, who were the hands, feet, and voices of God (in prayer and words of encouragement) for us. 
Now it's January and though it's only the 4th, a lot is happening!  First, we resolved to learn to make homemade pasta and practiced last night before a debut dinner we are hosting tonight.  It turned out GREAT!  So much fun and so much better than store bought pasta!  Second, we (Steve, Gabrielle, Daniel) are having "no sugar January," to make up for all the excesses of Daniel's baking while he was home for Christmas break.  Day four and so far, so good.  Next, I am leaving my job at SPU on January 9th after seven years of joy serving my alma mater.  I will have a few weeks off then will be heading over to the University of Washington.  I hope to give you more details on that as they develop. 
Please enjoy the photos below and please, would you pray with us that my CA-125 test on January 17 will be normal?  Thank you!!
Love and hugs,
Gabrielle

Renee and Steve take a dip, Kauai, Dec. 2013

Steve and Gabrielle enjoy 31st anniversary dessert at Canlis, Dec. 18, 2013





Steve and Gabrielle at Feliz Navidad dinner, Christmas Eve, 2013

Renee and Daniel enjoying happy hour at Sunshine Tavern, Portland, Dec. 2013

Gabrielle on our "snowshoe" hike, Dec. 2013

New Year's resolution--learn to make homemade pasta!






Friday, October 25, 2013

10/25/13 Giving Thanks!

Dear Friends and Family,

Gabrielle here.  Our hearts are overflowing with joy to tell you the news that my five-month CA-125 test today was 12.5!  That is DOWN from the July test number of 13.4!!  As you will recall, the normal range for any healthy woman off the street is 0 to 30.  I am below the middle of normal.  We are so relieved and thankful to God! 

I have been feeling really great lately.  I have good energy (about 90% of pre-cancer energy) and am able to exercise at my pre-cancer levels.  Some of you know that I am a fast walker and recently, my friends have been telling me to slow down.  What an amazing thing this is after earlier this year I could barely walk up and down the stairs in my house a couple of times a day.  And on November 1, I will be returning to my 80% work schedule at SPU, working full days Mondays through Thursdays.  This past two months I've been at 70% time. 

Next month I have been asked to speak and give my personal "story of thanks" at SPU's all-campus Thanksgiving Chapel.  I wish I could speak for an hour because I have so much to say on this subject!  Unfortunately, they only gave me six minutes.  What were they thinking??  How can I condense the last year's worth of my thankfulness into six minutes?!  I will do my best.  If any of you would like to attend this Chapel, it will be held on November 26 at 11:00 AM in the First Free Methodist Church main sanctuary.  Free hugs afterwards for anyone who comes!  :-)

Thanks be to God for wanting to keep me around a bit longer (!) and thanks to all of you, my dear friends and family, for your continual prayers on my behalf and your frequent inquiries into how I am doing.  We love you all.

"Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ."  Eph. 5:19-20

Love,
Gabrielle

P.S. Thinking of making music in our hearts to the Lord, here's a fun video from pre-cancer days--Daniel and me dancing to "The Monster Mash" while Renee films on her phone and laughs!  :-)

http://vimeo.com/24887010




Saturday, September 21, 2013

9/21/13 Happy Fall!


Dear Family and Friends,

Well, the gray skies arrived today, after a most beautiful summer and early September, as we welcome in the first day of Fall tomorrow.  After a very active summer, I am ready for the cooler days, big pots of soup, and curling up with some good books.

After my GLORIOUS normal CA125 blood tumor marker test in July, all four Dudleys had a fun trip to the San Juan Islands on our boat in August.  We spent one night with friends, Howard and Nancy, having fun eating great food and fishing, and then explored on our own for a couple of days, with hikes at Sucia and Jones islands.  Last weekend Steve and I went to Crater Lake for the first time.  Below are some pictures from that trip.  We were blessed with nice weather and we SWAM in that cold lake, jumping off rocks into the cleanest, clearest water we have ever seen.  You can drink the lake as you swim!  It's that pure.  You can't look at Crater Lake without seeing the majesty of God's design and creativity.  It was spectacular. 

The final picture below is of my one little inch of new hair.  Man--I never knew how slowly hair grows!  It is growing in thick, and brown (not gray!), but totally straight.  My previous hair had been kind of wavy.  But believe me, I don't care at all.  To have any hair is a wonder to me and I will try to never complain of a bad hair day ever again!

In other Dudley family news, Renee is interviewing for jobs with nonprofits in town.  Please pray she will get just the right one.  She is pretty awesome at interviews and already got offered one job.  Unfortunately, after learning more about it, she needed to turn that one down, as it didn't feel like the right fit to her.  And Daniel is already in his fourth week of medical school!  He had a huge anatomy exam yesterday on everything you can find in the head and neck.  I guess there is a LOT of stuff in there!  Afterwards, the school hosted the first year students for a pizza party to celebrate their survival of that exam.  So it's off to the races for junior doctor Dudley. 

As to my health, I am feeling pretty well, overall.  I am at about 90% energy, and have been so delighted to be able to hike and swim and travel this summer.  Thanks be to God!  Though I'm physically doing well, emotionally, the post-chemo days have been pretty rough.  Once you quit chemo, and there are no more drugs killing cancer cells, you begin to fear that any "chemo-resistant cancer cells" that might be in there are beginning to grow again.  Every ache or pain you experience, you get a pang of fear that cancer is returning.  It is a constant psychological and spiritual battle EVERY day.  I tell myself "you don't have cancer TODAY."  "You are not going to die TODAY, so quit worrying and enjoy the day."  And of course, I pray continually and ask God to help me "run with perseverance the race marked out for me, looking unto Jesus..."  It always comes back to "eyes on Jesus" to get through each day.  And of course, I am fully engaged in looking for joy in each and every day, and with seeing each day as a total gift from God.  I hope you are too! 

My next CA125 test is October 25.  Please pray for another normal test and for continued remission.  Thank you!  May God bless you and hold you close through whatever trials you are facing.  If I can pray for you for something specific you are going through, I would be honored to do so, as your prayers and support were such a lifeline for me.  Just let me know!

Love,
Gabrielle




Steve on the rocks at Crater Lake.  Chilly, refreshing and so pure you can drink it.


Toketee Falls, along the North Fork of the Umpqua River.  Many people think this is the most beautiful waterfall in Oregon.  A "must see"!


Some guy I met on the crater rim drive.  He offered to show me a good time.  Wizard Island in the background. 
A few of the many pinnacles we saw along one of the drives just below the rim.  They are actually fossilized fumaroles.  Has something to do with steam vents when the volcano erupted.  They are hollow inside and the most bizarre things you could ever imagine.  We thought we had stepped into a Dr. Seuss book and kept looking for some guy named Sam I Am holding a plate of green eggs and ham.


I love my hair!  Sure beats the "fresh from chemo" look!  It is coming in straight, a little lighter and not one gray hair in the bunch (but if there was, I wouldn't tell).  But, boy does it grow slowly!  Anyone got some Miracle Gro I can try?

Saturday, August 10, 2013

8/10/13 Dancing the coast of Maine

Hello! This is Daniel. I just want to say thank you once again to all of you out there, some of whom I know, some whom I may never know, who have kept my mom in your thoughts and prayers this year. I am convinced that this loving support and consistent prayer has played an instrumental role in her healing journey. You have all given our family hope, joy, laughter, support, sympathy, and compassion. Thank you for being with us through the darkest hour, which at the time seemed like it would never pass. Now we can all celebrate together, because my mom is healthy, happy, and cancer-free! To celebrate her victorious completion of 19 weeks of chemotherapy we went on a celebratory trip to the coast of Maine, where none of us had ever been before. It was truly a wonderful time to relax, and play, and celebrate the wonderful Gabrielle! We saw lots of amazing lighthouses, ate lots of lobster (it's so cheap over there!), and of course we did some dancing! If you have ever worked with Gabrielle, you probably know she loves to dance, and of course it has rubbed off on the rest of us. I hope you like this video I put together, "Dancing with Lighthouses".
Thanks again for your love and support! Praise the Lord for my mom's healing! -Daniel 

Dancing with Lighthouses



Tuesday, July 23, 2013

7/23/13 July 2013 Update: First post-cancer CA125 results!

Dear Family and Friends,

It is with a smile on my face and immense gratitude in my heart, to God and all of you who have prayed for me, that I report my "passing grade" on my first post-cancer CA-125 test!  As you may remember, the "normal" scale for the ovarian cancer tumor marker in a woman's blood is 0 to 30.  My score yesterday was a 13.4!!!  Smack dab in the middle of normal!

This first test score weighed heavily on our family's minds and hearts because you don't know what will happen once you no longer have the weekly chemo that has been destroying your cancer cells.  Did it miss a few?  Are they multiplying like crazy again?  This great score tells us my cancer remains firmly in remission, and allows us to relax, breathe, and live each day to the fullest for another three months until the next test comes along. 

Since we last blogged, we "took a break from cancer" to celebrate the end of the long surgery/chemo journey.  The four of us enjoyed a wonderful trip to the coast of Maine where I believe we saw just about every lighthouse and ate just about every lobster and gourmet ice cream cone on that 350-mile stretch of coast we covered!  If you love sandy and rocky beaches, quaint little towns and coves filled with fishing boats, and the aforementioned lighthouses, lobster, and ice cream, then go to the coast of Maine!!!

Last weekend Steve and I travelled to San Diego for our nephew's wedding.  It was a beautiful wedding and great chance for Steve and I to go on walks and lay on a sandy beach in the sunshine doing absoultely nothing (didn't even bring a book to the beach).  We also hit the pool with enthusiasm as we are both training (along with Renee) for a Children's Hospital fund-raising swim on Aug. 25.  It is 1.4 miles across Lake Washington and I am up to 45 minutes of continuous swimming so far.  Need to get to one hour, 15 minutes before the race (I think I can, I think I can...).

I have also returned to work at SPU!  Just three days a week to start.  The first week back, I would get home from work and collapse on the couch before I could even think about helping with dinner.  Did you know that if you remain collapsed on the couch long enough, your husband, son, or some other kindly person visiting your home might end up making dinner for you?!  ;-)  But each week I feel my strength returning, about 5% per week, I would estimate.  By September, I hope to be strong enough to resume my normal four-day work weeks. 

I can't tell you what joy it brings me to go to work, ride on an airplane without getting sick, to work out again to near my previous levels of fitness, and to EAT all the foods that I couldn't tolerate during chemo, including last night's splurge of king salmon with some friends...king salmon being my all-time favorite protein.  It was also a joy to go crabbing and to catch so much that we could give crab cakes away to family and friends and take a crab meal to a family just beginning their cancer journey (surgery over, but chemo yet to start).  To be able to give again, and not just be on the receiving end of so much love and kindness, is both humbling and heart-warming.  Thank you, Lord!

I will try to get Daniel to add some photos to this blog post later this week and then we will blog again in August.  Until then, bless you for your continued prayers for the nerve pain in my feet (a long-term side-effect of chemo) and that my cancer will remain FIRMLY in remission.  I hope you are having a wonderful summer, wherever you live, and that you will find moments (or big huge hunks) of joy in each and every day of your life this summer!

Love,
Gabrielle