An Unexpected Phone Call....

That has rocked my world.

More on that in a minute. Let me just say thank you to everyone who read my last post and especially to those that commented on it. I cannot stress enough how important it is to get checked regularly. You will read why in a minute.

First, I figured out a way to get some of my pictures on here. My nice Sony camera is dying a slow death. First the LCD screen in Australia, now the flash is gone. But here you go:

I stitched this last year, it is a Bent Creek design. I stitched it on some kind of linen with DMC. I just finished it into my very first flanged pillow.....not thrilled with the draft stopper looking results (remember those things that you put in front of the door to stop the draft...yeah), but I figure that next year I can take it apart and sew some loops at the top and hang it from a dowel or something.

This is the baby blanket I crocheted. I used a basic granny square design in mind while doing it. I used a cone of the baby pastel and a cone of the white from Peaches ' N Cream (1# cones). I really like using the cotton yarns. Much nicer feeling than the old acrylic. This will be put away for a while since the baby won't really need it here as hot as it is.

I finished this quilt top a while ago. Mom sent me the squares for it, I just pieced it together. Easy peasy. It really made me realize how important seam allowances are though! (I think that I lamented about that a while ago) I haven't started basting it together or quilting it yet...not sure when I will do that, but it will probably be this year yet.

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Back to the phone call.
My Tuesday started out normal...nothing out of the ordinary. Then I got a phone call that changed that.

*ring, ring*

Me: "Hello."

Her: "Yes."

Me: *slightly confused since I don't recognize the voice and who the hell says "Yes" when someone answers the phone with "Hello"?* "HELLO".

Her: "I am trying to reach someone at this number for someone in Australia."

Me: *even more puzzled* "I am sorry, I don't know anyone in Australia." (besides Madeline the Koala, the Tricare Insurance Guy and Anne in Melbourne, but Anne doesn't have our number. Neither does Madeline the Koala.)

Her: "Ma'am, can you please tell me your name so I can check to see if the person on the other end is trying to reach you?"

Me: "Umm, okay. My name is Melissa and my husband is James." (Just incase they are really looking for him.)

Her: "Okay, please hold the line while I check."

Me: "Umm, okay." *at this point I started to think that this was a prank or some kind of reverse charge call where they try to keep you on the line for as long as possible and then you end up with a $999 charge from Bermuda or something for the call. I seriously was thisclose to hanging up.)*

Her: "Ma'am. The person on the other line IS trying to reach you. I am going to connect you now. Go ahead."

Me: "Uhhh...okay. Hello?"

Her # 2: "Missy?"

Me: "Yeah."

Her # 2: "This is Jill."

Me: "Jill? I don't know a Jill in Australia."

Jill: "Jill. You are Lauri's Mother."

Me: *slightly panicking now putting the name Jill with Lauri* "Actually I am Lauri's daughter." *At this point I have realized that Jill is Jilly...Mom's unofficially adopted daughter*

Me: "Jill...what is wrong? What is wrong with Mom?" *now thinking the worst, that her & Todd have been killed in a car accident or she is in the hospital in a coma...wondering why Jill would be the one to call me instead of my family*

Jill: "Missy, your Mom's doctor called her tonight and her cancer is back in both breasts and in her spine."

*******

That was all I needed to hear. I lost it. Seems Jill couldn't figure out exactly how to call Saipan and thought it was somewhere near Australia so she called an Australian operator to help her. And she thought that Mom was scared to call me and didn't want to stress me out before she went and saw her doctor.

I talked to Mom a while later. Her calmness is absolutely amazing. She does have cancer again in the chest where both breasts would be. She also has it in the lymph nodes under her collar bone on the right and all along her spine.

She goes to see her Oncologist on Thursday (mainland time) and we hope that she can start Chemo by the beginning of the week to help slow the metastasis to other areas.

Please keep our family in your prayers. There is no way that I can fly to Chicago (a 16 hour flight) right now, since I am 6 1/2 months pregnant.

And please go get checked before it is too late.

Peace.