Beginnings

(Sept. 11, 2007) (This is a letter Shelby sent out to our family) I thought I'd drop a note before the family rumor machine gets up to full speed and people get the wrong information. Over the past few weeks I have had some chest pains when i overexerted
myself. It wasn't so bad, but it started happening more and more
often. When i was in Arizona for Bazzill's weekend getaway thing, I
had a real bad night on Thursday and then when I got to melanie's
house on Saturday night it became unbearable. She took me to the ER
at about 2 am. (If you have to go to the ER, she's the one to have
take you.) It was fun. I told them that my heart felt too big for the
space it was in. They thought it might be a clot. I got a CT scan and an x ray. Melanie and I were spooning on my cot (it was very
cold) and laughing our heads off when a doctor came in and told us
it's time to get down to business. He said I have a mass in my chest
and fluid around my heart. That part wasn't as fun. They transferred
me to another hospital. They told me there that it was quite a large
mass - about 8cm across and that it was either a benign mass or one
of 2 cancers. Jaymee flew out and talked them into letting him take
me back to his hospital. We are here at the Siteman Cancer center -
barnes-jewish hospital in St. Louis. I had a biopsy today and the
preliminary results indicate that it is cancer, we're just not sure
what kind yet. It's either lymphoma or thymoma. We'll find out over
the next day or two.

So that's the real story. This has already been an amazing experience
and I see lots of ways this will be a good thing for me and for my
family. I am happy and feel so much peace. Jeff gave me a great
blessing and he said i'd have an extra abundance of the Holy Ghost
and he couldn't be more right. I have already felt my dad near and
feel blessed to have someone who knows what this is like cheering for
me on the other side, too. I am not scared. I know it'll be a
sometimes-yucky journey, but I'm not worried about it being anything
more than that. I'm not going to die from this. I am going to grow
closer to my Savior and to my family and come out a better person
when it's over. I'm going to read books and take naps and eat
whatever i want. I know it was no that I got to be with Melanie when this all happened . She is such an amazing person and
she has made this so much easier to deal with. My mom has been very
strong and positive and wonderful and is coming out to help - even on
a plane for more than two hours!

I love you all. Please keep my little family in your prayers.

(Sept. 12, 2007)( Shelby)
here's what i know right now:
it looks like i will be out of the hospital this weekend. hopefully they will tell me what it is this morning and we'll make a treatment plan. i am having a pet scan and a bone marrow biopsy today so we can see how advanced it is. Mom is coming on thursday. I'm not sure what her plan is as far as how long she is going to stay. It looks like i'll have about 12 weeks of chemo (yes, i'll be bald in 2 weeks! Oooh - i'm totally gointo be an eagle for halloween!) and then i'll have a couple week break and then start radiation for about 4-5 weeks. my radiation oncologist is really really really good-looking, so i'm almost looking forward to that part. He could please use your prayers, too. He's having a hard time. Turns out, he loves me very very much.

Chris Price - Sep 12, 2007
Is there just any way to tell you how much we love you and what a giant you are in all of our eyes? You are just the best and bless your heart for working so hard to make all of us feel better.

Shel7by Stroud - Sep 12, 2007
hey everybody. here's an update: tomorrow i have to go under anesthesia and get a better biopsy. that kinda stinks, but it's ok because i'll be sleepy. They did 2 bone marrow biopsies today and that was weird. i had some vercet and i would come out and see what was going on and one time i really thought the doctor was jumping on my back and it hurt like crazy so i went back under. when it was over it sounds like that's kind of what happened. i gpt a pet scan today and the cancer is in a three nodes but not anywhere else in my body.. which means it probably hasn't matasticized... however you spell that. I am still happy and fine. Jaymee had a blessing last night and he was much better today. thanks for your prayers. you guys are all so awesome.

(Sept. 14, 2007) (Shelby)
they are almost sure it is hodgkins. phew! thanks for your prayers. i think i'm finally getting hit with the tired stick and should sleep good tonight.