"This Woman's Work"-A tribute through Dance to those amazing women that battle breast cancer!

YouTube - SYTYCD 7_22_2009_ Melissa and Ade #2 - This Woman
PLease click on link above

This is from So you think you Can Dance, my mom watched this and told me about it and so I thought I would share it with those who are still keeping up on the blog.
Mom said this dance made her cry. The words to the song are "just make it go away". It is about a women who is fighting breast cancer, and her partner her support. This dance is breath taking and so poinent. Mom said to me that when she leap into her partner's arms with no holding back, that was like mom. She had to leap into God's arms and trust that God is not going to leave her hanging but catch her in mid air.
The song is very meaning for mom as well, just make it go away, I remember chatting with mom before her surgery and she just wished that God could by some miracle just make the cancer go away so she did not have to face the treatments.
I hope it works and you enjoy it as we did!!


Alida, Wilma and Family

The return of Hair!

Mom is doing very well in the recovery process. She has been keeping herself busy, but today just enjoyed her Saturday by lounging! Mom phoned me today admist my removal of JUNK from my house, just to tell me that it had snowed in Calgary, she said she had to make my day. It did! :) I think it was a good saturday in Calgary to just stay in Bed!
I was wearing shorts and a tank top, and working hard, in the sun! he he he. sorry but I just had to rub it in...
Mom is planning on going back to work for 2 days next week and see how it goes. Mom also has informed me that her hair is starting to return, it is a little thin yet, but it is growing in! I am so proud that she is ready to go back to work, she is my hero, a warrior in faith, and a woman of prayer!
It has been a long journey but we are standing in the light, and the Son feels awesome. I thank Christ For His Love, strength, and I thank him for carrying mom through this really hard time. The day that mom went for Surgery Oma read from the Bible, "Though you walk through fire you will not be burned". Mom with Christ went to battle against Cancer, and the Chemo was horrible, and the idea of cancer sickening, but the support, the encouragement, the prayer kept mom from loosing heart. You will not be burned. The fire is Hot, But God gave mom a fire retardant cloak, and went about snuffing out the fire of Cancer. Keeping Praying Warriors!!

Thanks and God Bless

Alida, Wilma and Family!

On the Mend

Mom is doing really well, although fatigue is still the major problem she has been doing really well. She told me that she did not get accomplished all that she wanted to while on sick leave, but I think she accomplished what she was on sick leave for, what to kick Cancer in the butt!! It is our prayer that mom will continue down this road of recovery and that she will be returned to full health in short order. Mom is hoping to return to work the week of June 8, which is amazing, she will be going back slowly, to see how she handles working. It is our prayer that she does really well.
Oma and mom cleaned out mom's kitchen cupboards, she has been making cards, x-stitching up a storm, and catching up on things that she has not been able to do in a long time.
Praise be to God that the Chemo treatments are done and mom can go on living in the new normal of regular check ups, and just taking good care of herself.
Please continue pray for mom, and the family!

God Bless

Alida, Wilma and Family

GONE TOTALLY PINK!

This Is the Picture Story of Friday!! GOING PINK FOR CANCER!!!

WAY TO GO PHILIP AND LUKE!!!

This is Phil Before the Whole deal!

Bleaching First!

Than Came the PINK!

One Proud Mommy!

All for a GREAT CAUSE

The PINK TEAM!!!

WAY TO GO GUYS and GALS!!!

PINK HAIR EXTRAVAGANZA!!

IT's A BIG HAIRY DEAL!!

This Friday May 8th, 2009, Philip Van Hooft, and a friend from school will be dying thier Hair Pink in support of my mom and thousands of other Canadian women battling cancer, and are also fund raising for Breast Cancer Research. If you would like to make a donation to this fun and worthy cause please Contact Wilma by e-mail vanhooft@telus.net they will be collecting donations after thier hair is pink as well. I want to ask for support for this cause, because we need to make cancer a part of the past and not a fear of the present or the future.

Thanks so much!!

Alida, Wilma, and Family!!

Kermit the Frog!!

I talked to mom last night, and about an hour before I talked to her she was feeling pretty good, but then an hour later, mom was feeling like Kermit the Frog again. Right now she is dependent on the anti nausea medication to take care of the Kermit the frog feeling. Mom is grateful that she has such meds to help alleviate some of those symptoms. Mom has also been given some medication to help aid in sleeping through the night. The next coming weeks will be a challenge for mom to get through but the light at the end of the tunnel is in sight.
The biggest thing will be keeping mom healthy and away from colds and flu's. We all know about the swine(H1N1 Influenza A) flu, but mom is much more likely to catch something else, from some one that did not wash their hands properly. We will continue to pray that such nasty bugs will stay away.
So I know that mom being the nurse that she is would approve on some tips for washing your hands and keeping yourself from getting sick as well.

Remember to wash your hands BEFORE YOU EVER EAT ANYTHING!

1.)Use warm to hot water, it washes away more bacteria

2.) Use SOAP and SCRUB!!

3.)Wash your hands and sing the WHOLE alphabet song before you even start to rinse off your hands, that is about as long as you should be washing.

4. Do not touch the tap with your hands to turn the water off, use a towel or a paper towel or your sleeve. When you turned the tap on, your hands were not clean, if you touch the tap again, they still will not be clean :~(

5.) When leaving the washroom, especially a public one, DO NOT TOUCH THE DOOR HANDLE!!! Use your sleeve or paper towel...There is more bacteria on door handles and taps in a public washroom then most places on earth!

6.) Use Purelle or hand sanitizer if you have it, after you use a public bathroom, or even at home, kill the buggies dead before they get to you and your family!!

Please Help to keep Yourself and people like my mom safe from getting sick. With mom's weakened immune system, a simple cold can be deadly!! Please Keep praying for my mighty mouse. Thanks again so much for the continued support!!

Alida, Wilma and Family

Round 4

I know that I have not written on the blog for quite a while, but I do have to say that no news is good news. I have to admit I have forgotten to ask mom about her furnace, but she has not said anything so I hope that it is back to working condition again, seeing as the weather in Calgary is being not so hospitable lately. I won't tell you about our 25-26 degree weather here in the east this past weekend. oops...to late.
Today mom had her final round of Chemo therapy. We are celebrating, and we are praying all at the same time. I just got off the phone with mom, and she is not feeling all that well right now...she feela like kermit thee frog.
The chemo treatment went well, mom said that Sandy the intern ministry worker came to see her and that she was grateful for the visit. Also we need to continue to pray for mom's white blood cell count, mom was at 1.2, one point less and they would have had to postpone the treatment; but because it is still very low, mom will not be able to be around to many people, and get exposed to bag buggies. Oma is very happy that Chemo is now done, now comes the recovery part of the journey. Chemo remains working for the next 3-6 weeks after Chemo. Fatigue is still one of the greatest side effects that mom has been feeling, she feels exhausted a lot of the time. At the beginning of mom's treatment, she received a prayer shawl, and after every treatment, mom has felt very cold, and that shawl is one of the first things that she puts on.
After the treatment today mom felt very weak on her legs, and had to walk holding on to Oma's arm to steady herself. This being the 4th round will most likely have more side effects, and the fatigue is going to be kicking in more as well. We need to pray for healing strength and also pray that the chemo would remove and destroy all of any cancer cells that may have been left behind post surgery.
Mom had a lot of mixed emotions about this final round so excited that it is almost over, but not excited at all to go through the coming days as the chemo sets about doing it's job. She will continue with follow ups with her doctors this summer, and after to make sure the cancer stays away.
Tonight Tom and I went for a drive, and went down a road called Harmony road, and it made me what harmony really means, and how God is in control and there is harmony in all that He does. We just don't see the big picture but God has it covered and there is a Harmony, far beyond what we see and know.
It is my prayer that mom finds harmony in her heart with what she has been through, and that she will always know that God has her in his hands, no matter what.
This has been a very challenging journey but God has been with us through out and will be with us on the upside too.
We all thank all those that have helped in any way with mom's journey.
Please continue to lift us all up in prayer.

Alida, Wilma and Family.