The Messsage

A couple of days ago, I said that by today there would be big news from Peach and there is.  Unfortunately, it's not the way I had hoped it would be, but I'll do my best for her.

I think I may have said...or maybe not...that she was recently diagnosed with brain cancer.  She spent several days in the hospital during which she had an amazing experience that she wants to tell the world about.  She was directed to post a video about it on October 1, and for the past 2 weeks we have been working together to get her script written.  It's been a sometimes frustrating collaboration and finally a few days ago, after some 70 emails, I told her I thought the script was exactly the way she wanted it to be and she should go ahead and record it as is.

They made the recording yesterday, but nobody had a way to upload it to YouTube, so they were going to send it to me and I would upload it.  Unfortunately, I only received 53 seconds of the video.  It is probably at least 5 minutes long.  I have requested that they re-send and if that doesn't work, I'll see if I can help them upload it directly.  But I know it was very important for her that her message get out on this day, so I'm going to copy it here.  I'm cleaning it up just a very little bit to make it a bit more clear, I hope, but this is almost exactly the way she wanted to tell her story.

If anyone wants to see the short video, it is here, on YouTube.  The tumor is affecting her eyesight, among other things, so she is reading the script but is having difficulty with it, though I printed it for her bold, in large print.

Hi, my name is Carolyn and I have brain cancer. I’d like to tell you my story.

Bob Tucker, my husband, had 3 brain bleeds at the end Oct of 2013. My daughter and her husband thought it would help all of us if we were to rent a house right across the street from them in New Hampton, Iowa so they could help us. I thought it was a great idea.

We got Bob to a Dr Cherril and she took good care of him.

It was a cold old winter in New Hampton that year and we had difficulty taking care of the house. We moved to Mallard Point, a senior living facility, in Cedar Falls atthe end of. February. My son paid for Bob's bath on Tuesday and Thursday from Comfort Care in Mallard Point.

In mid Sept of 2014 I found a lump in my breast. I went to Cedar Falls Arrowhead Clinic to get checked out. Things went too fast, I felt like I was on a running train. Next I was in a doctor's office at Covenent Clinic in Waterloo , just me and the Dr.. He checked the X-rays, came over to me and said you have breast cancer in,your right breast and we're going to have to take it out. I had 2 lumps in my breast and one lymph node was affected, though they removed 8 nodes. None of the others were affected

I went to Covenant Clinic Hospital in Waterloo right away and met with another doctor. He knew exactly what to do, Next step, surgery

I had surgery on my right breast , had it taken off. My other daughter came from Mexico to help take care of me, only the lump and a node and my breast were gone, I felt disfigured. I went to see Dr Nadi at the Covenant Clinic in Waterloo. He opted for all three chemo treatments at one time for several weeks.

After the first chemo nothing helped, I was sick, lost 15 lbs and kinda turned gray for awhile. All the residents at Mallard Point where we stayed said so. (It’s a great place to live, it's all done for you, check it out under Holiday Retirement on its own website.)

In Nov of 2014 Dr Nadi started me off with 3 different kinds of Chemo, the bad kind, I started the treatment. The following week I went in to see him, I was gray and sick. So back to Dr Nadi, I listened real hard, and me and the family listened hard and we all decided it's the Quality Over Quantity is the best of both worlds right now and I knew I had to be with Bob the whole time till we got it fixed. And I could not be with him if I was going to be so sick from the chemo, so I opted for no more Chemo. Dr. Nadi said the cancer would come back.  We just didn't know where yet.

Things went fine for several months, then on July 3 my dog Sophie needed grooming, I took her out the back door with her leash, introduced her to the groomer who she knew and then I said "let's go get into the cage" She walked the other way I turned and tried to grab the leash. Well as I did, I lost the leash, spun around to get it and I fell on the right side of my head, which hurt, and I saw my wrist popped out of place, I grabbed the wrist and Prayed a few minutes. Patrick Kane the Mallard bus driver, took me over to Arrowhead Clinic. They put me to sleep put my wrist back together with a brace till the following Monday when I could get to the doctor to get some help. Even though I told them at Arrowhead, they never checked out my head cause there was no blood I guess, so Sophie got to the groomer and I went to the clinic. They gave me hydrocodone for the pain that weekend till it calmed down.

The following Monday, I went to the hospital for surgery (it was all happening too fast) I had a white cast on and scheduled an appt on the 26th for cast and pin removal.

On Aug 20th the pain didn't hurt any more so I stopped taking the Hydrocodone, next I got the heaves bad, almost every hour on the hour with chills. When I went to the ER and they told me it was because of the hydrocodone that I was going through withdrawal from the hydrocodone.

On Aug 24 I was still vomiting at the home of my daughter and son-in-law till Aug 31st. I had an appointment with Dr Sandell. She said my potassium was low enough to get me into the hospital.
On Sep 1 I tried to be brave and do it alone, I got on the porta potty. I got up to get back in bed and fell to my side, hit my head and they immediately did a CAT scan and an MRI. They found a large tumor in the cerebellum and a few other spots. I was shocked it was all a big blur to me.

The Dr decided that I would have one radiation treatment of 20 minutes and 4 five minute treatments on Sep 3rd.

We finally went to the Covenant Clinic Hospital on Monday to get the pins put in my hand and a new red psychedelic cast on for all the Mallard Point to see!

On the weekend I couldn't stop throwing up - everything, my daughter brought me to her house while I was throwing up all the time, no matter what I ate. I even fell on the floor, hit the top of my head, and her husband put me back to bed. I stayed from the 23rd of September till the cast came off
I knew that my blood pressure was at 190, plus I was still throwing up. Here it gets a little fuzzy, I think I went to the hospital for 7 days, my blood pressure was high, 190' my potassium was way low. On I think it was the 3rd day in the middle of the night I heard this song.  (on the video she sings this)

Here I am lord,
It is I lord
I have heard you calling in the night
I will go lord
If you need me
I will hold you closer to my heart

The next morning my blood pressure went down to 141 and my potassium went to normal. I knew exactly what to do, God had told me. He even gave me the names of people who might win football. And the people who would help me. He told me a name and a date.  He said I have way too much work to do before I'm finished with this life, he really needed me, my castle is not all fixed yet.

It was a religious experience for me, never had one before. I feel meek with power what ever I do now, God talks to me in many ways. I know stuff I shouldn't know, but I accept what he's telling me. I do what He wants me to till He is finished with me

Only one other strange thing that happened while my daughter Karen was with me. Around 7am we saw the blessed mother that my best friend named Burt Marshall gave to me when she died. I don't know if belongs to the Church or not, will find out, anyway. On the top of her head there was a huge aura, I asked Karen to take photos at least 5 and one for my grandson so he would have one. All the photos are ~ NOT ~ there, they disappeared forever. I told Father Mark from St Joseph in New Hampton, Iowa that I was still waiting to see her again.

God bless the Pope for helping me know what God said to me without him knowing it, he blessed me all the while he was here and I knew what to say he will know what I'm to say on the appointed date