Headed in the right direction....

Tomorrow Janeen will be transported to MD Anderson in Houston, Texas, to begin radiation and further rehab.

A very special doctor was able to contact MD Anderson and within hours’ time Janeen was admitted and under the care of Dr. Charles Conrad, one of the best Neuro-Oncologists in the country.

Janeen remains strong and is holding her head high. She is anxious to arrive so that she can begin treatment and complete her road to recovery successfully and return home as soon she is able. We are told that treatment and rehab could take as long as 7 weeks.

Your thoughts, prayers, emails, comments and messages will continue to lift Janeen’s spirits and provide encouragement, so please keep them coming! We will update you with her temporary address and more information as soon as it becomes available.


It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect. He makes my feet like the feet of a deer; he enables me to stand on the heights. He trains my hands for battle...
-Psalm 18:32-34

BOUYA!

Prayers have been answered!! Janeen’s test came by clear!!
The way it has been described by one of her doctor’s would be "BOUYA"!

The results being clear means there are no cancerous cells found in the fluid in the spinal cord or surrounding the brain.

Though this is one step in the right direction Janeen and her family will meet with the Doctor to discuss her plan of further treatment.

Thank you truly does not do it justice to express to each of you how much your prayer and persistent encouragement means to Janeen and her family. With this type of strength behind her, no one can fail!

Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. -Isaiah 40:31

The next step.....

“God didn’t promise days without pain, laughter without sorrow, sun without rain, but He did promise strength for the day, comfort for the tears, and light for the way.”— Author Unknown

The day before yesterday Janeen was told of her diagnosis.  Her tumor is, in fact, malignant…. Brain cancer explained as Medullabastoma. This type of cancer is mainly found in children, except for the special cases found in adults. For all of us it feels like we just got the wind knocked out of us. However, Janeen’s reaction with unspoken words was much different.  Her facial expressions and body language did the talking, as she adjusted her seated position to raised shoulders, conveying a sense of strength. It seemed she was really wanting to say, “What a relief to know!  Now let’s get going, because it’s go time!” 

Tomorrow morning Janeen will be undergoing crucial tests to determine the course of her treatment going forward.  At this time it’s important that we focus our prayer in the next 24 hours for positive test results and clear direction.

Here is one of Janeen’s favorite Bible verses which is comforting and encouraging her each day:   
“I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.  You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart."
 
Now, more than ever, Janeen and her family ask for your positive thoughts and powerful prayers. We will keep you updated as more information is received.
 

Janeen wanted to share this...

I showed this to Janeen tonight as I was reminded of it this weekend when I was at a wedding (Thanks Gunter). She said "Put this on my blog" and then "Play it again"

Please continue to keep her in your thoughts and prayers...
Trey

Patient and Peaceful

Janeen is in full swing of Rehab. By her facial expression and very soft but short spoken words it is quite certain she would much rather be at home with her family. However that time will come as soon as she can walk herself out the door on her own.

Cox rehab facility is working with her everyday on a regimented schedule that consists of physical, occupational, and speech therapy. Due to her busy schedule visiting hours have been restricted. During this time it is important for her to focus on a successful recovery.

Your positive thoughts and powerful prayer have allowed Janeen to remain patient and peaceful during her stay, knowing that in time she will be exactly where she wants to be.

Please continue to pray for her patience and endurance during this strenuous recovery process.

The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. -Deut 30:14

One step at a time...

Janeen's list of To Do's may be longer than she would like. Doctors, nurses and loved ones are encouraging her each day to push herself one step further along the road to recovery. Her speech is a bit strained while she continues to work through it each day, and her movement as far as walking is a definite work in progress. Through it all, however, she can still manage a beautiful smile and a good ole belly laugh every so often.

Tomorrow Janeen will probably be moved to Walnut Lawn in preparation for rehab. It is the best kind of "medicine" (aka therapy) to get her walking on her own, and for her to find strength within herself to proceed with her everyday activities.

Every now and then we have been able to update Janeen with your blog comments and Facebook messages. The tears of joy she sheds is sure indication of how much she greatly appreciates each and every one of you.

Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be afraid , for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my victorious right hand. -Isaiah 41:10

You are our sunshine.

Each day the light seems to be getting brighter in the life of Janeen Rheinecker. Today she took very short but successful steps and has been indulging in some of her favorite foods. We thought you all might enjoy a few pics of her doing just that! (Thank you Gary!)

Resting Comfortably

We have good news to report! Janeen’s MRI came back clear, which means Dr. Strang got all of the tumor. She continues to improve daily, though she has a long road of recovery ahead of her and she still needs a lot of rest.

As we all know, Janeen has been through a lot these past few days. Though she is making progress and is now out of ICU, the move has worn her out. Though before her surgery Janeen asked many of you to visit her during her hospital stay, it would be in her best interest to give her a chance to rest and recover for a few days so she will be able to return home as soon as possible to be with her girls. Due to the activity she has already experienced this morning and the plans they have for her to begin physical therapy, her family has requested that she not have visitors outside her family for a little while longer.

We truly thank you for your loving support and your constant prayers. We will continue to keep you updated on Janeen's progress.


"The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still." -Exodus 14:14

The sun is shining!

Her smile is bright, her color is glowing and her spirits are high!! Janeen is improving as expected,and the mood of the room is picking up.

She a ran quick errand today to get an MRI. We are still waiting on the results.

It is truly amazing how much Janeen is loved. Your support and prayer continues to encourage her on the way to recovery.

"Have no fear for what tomorrow may bring. The same loving God who cares for you today will take care of you tomorrow and everyday. God will either shield you from suffering or give you unfailing strength to bear it. Be at peace, then, and put aside all anxious thoughts and imaginations." -St. Francis de Sales

Peaceful Recovery

Janeen is feeling all your powerful thoughts and prayers for she has been resting soundly as she recovers.

Though you are all anxious to see her, we greatly appreciate your restraint and leaving her to a quiet, speedy recovery, as the doctors have requested. When she is ready and able to receive visitors I know she looks forward seeing you all and cannot wait for that day to soon come!

We will keep you all updated as we receive more information.

Again thank you so very much for all the outpouring of love and support Janeen and her family have received during this time.

Recovery Update

Though the road to recovery after brain surgery is not always the most pleasant time, Janeen remains stable. While experiencing expected nausea, she is responding in all the ways requested of her.

Dr. Strang has stressed the importance of quiet surroundings and much needed rest during this extremely important time of recovery.

Janeen will most likely remain in ICU throughout the weekend so she is assured as much attention and rest as need be.

We will keep you all updated....

Thank you all so much for all your thoughts and prayers during this time, they have done wonders for her and her family.

RECOVERY

The Dr just informed us the surgery went well!! They are taking all precautionary measures that come with post op brain surgery, though yet again she is in good hands. We will not know the status of the tumor until at least 5 to 7 days, maybe more. As soon as we receive more information we will let you all know.

Please keep the thoughts of Janeen thriving with the persistent power of prayer!!

I know she could not be more appreciative of each and everyone of you.

Update

Dr Ferguson came out of the OR and said everything is going as planned. So far so good!


We will post more information as we recieve it.

Update

Wanted to let everyone know that Janeen's surgery did not begin until about 3:30. The procedure could take as long as 3 to 6 hours.

We will keep you updated as we receive more information.

Update

The procedure is underway, Janeen's surgery began around 1pm and could be as long as 3 to 6 hours. We will keep you updated as we receive more information.

Please keep Janeen in your thoughts and prayers throughout the course of the day.

John 14:27

Peace I leave with you; My peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

Keep the Prayers Coming!!

Hello Everyone....

I want to thank all of you from the bottom of my heart. First and foremost, I want to thank my very special friends and family for your prayers, love and support! Your texts, e-mails, and special notes have meant more to me than you'll ever know. I feel so loved! I truly have such a wonderful group of people surrounding me, and it has lifted me up and carried me through these trying days. Due to the overwhelming support that I have recieved, I'm unable to respond to each one of you. Please understand how grateful I am and know I honestly appreciate all the thoughts, notes and powerful prayers.

I want you all to know how amazing Dr. Strang is. Not only do I feel safe and secure, I also feel very blessed that God brought him into my life. I have all the faith in the world in him and feel so lucky to have such a skilled surgeon performing this procedure. Not to mention the fact that he has sweet hair....what is my obsession with hair lately??? :)

We all know how powerful prayer is! Keep 'em coming!! Please leave a comment-I'll look forward to reading them and hearing from all of you. Also, my dearest friends will keep you updated on my progress and I will be back soon.

Much Love to you All,

Janeen

"If God brings you it, He'll bring you through it"

Some Wisdom from a Wise Soul

I want to share with all of you something that was sent to me from my actual first love, my Dad. I refer to this often for guidance and hope when it comes to living life, in general.

Written by Regina Brett, 90 years old, of The Plain Dealer, Cleveland, Ohio :

To celebrate growing older, I once wrote the 45 lessons life taught me. It is the most-requested column I've ever written.

1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.
2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.
3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.
4. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and parents will. Stay in touch.
5. Pay off your credit cards every month.
6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.
8. It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it.
9. Save for retirement starting with your first pay check.
10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.
11. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.
12. It's OK to let your children see you cry.
13. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it.
15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don't worry; God never blinks.
16. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.
17. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful..
18. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.
19. It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.
20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.
21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a special occasion; today is special.
22. Overprepare, then go with the flow.
23. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.
24. The most important sex organ is the brain.
25. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.
26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words 'In five years, will this matter?'
27. Always choose life.
28. Forgive everyone everything.
29. What other people think of you is none of your business.
30. Time heals almost everything. Give time.
31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
32. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
33. Believe in miracles.
34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do.
35. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.

36. Growing old beats the alternative -- dying young.
37. Your children get only one childhood.
38. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.
39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.
40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back.
41. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
42. The best is yet to come.
43. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
44. Yield.
45. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift.

Announcement Letter

Hello everyone. I'm sorry that I didn't have time to call each and every one of you, it's been a crazy couple of days-especially the last 24 hours.

They found a place on the MRI i had this past week. It is unanimous, I have a brain tumor that has to be removed by surgery this Wed. Though they don't know the specifics about this tumor, they know it could be 1 of about 5 things. Unfortunately, where this tumor is in my brain, there is no chance to biopsy or test it in any way without doing the surgery.

Time is of the essence. I don't have time to go around and find "the best". I believe I already have found him :) i saw 2 neurologists, Dr. Sami Khosyomn at St. Johns and Dr. Rob Strang at Cox. They are both amazing and I feel 1000% confident that either of them would complete the job no question. I went with Dr. Strang not only because many people around me trust him, but because what my gut tells me.

Within a matter of minutes of being diagnosed, my dad had John Ferguson on the phone (he's vacationing in Colorado) and we had a second opinion in the works. I was in the room when Dr Workman read my MRI. Dr. Strang came back to his office just to see me after being in the OR that day. I have a feeling I wouldn't have been able to get into anyone that quick, especially at 5 pm on Friday of Labor Day weekend! Right now, I'm more upset with the fact that I may have to drop my classes this semester and I haven't had my hair done and it's been 8 weeks! Not that big of problems as it relates to life, but that's how confident I am that I will be back to normal in no time, quickly scheduling a girls dinner.

I am going to need a lot over the next month (at least). However, all I'm asking from you all is to keep me in your hearts, minds, and prayers during this very difficult time. More than anything, please remember how precious life is and it's supposed to be fun.

A couple of quotes I love:

“My WORRY shows my lack of FAITH in God. If I really give it to HIM, then I don’t have to worry!!”

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart." -Jeremiah 29:11-13