Memorial for Tiffany's Hawaii Ohana

Memorial for Tiffany Lynn Capps


Please come and join Tiffany's Hawaii Ohana for a memorial on Sunday June 7th at the Beach in Kailua. 4:30 pm


Kalama Beach Park is located at 248 N. Kalaheo Ave.


Follow the Pali road into Kailua town, head straight down through the lights, past the Kailua road turn, past the library and police station. At the end of the road is Kalaheo Ave. Turn left. Follow the road till you come to the beach park on the right hand side. There is plenty of parking.


Please bring a pupu to share. Non-alcoholic beverages will be provided.
any questions, please call or email Kate Butler 497-1313.


Mahalo

Information for Tiffany's memorial

In memory of Tiffany Lynn Capps, there will be a memorial service at 9:00AM on 16 May 2009 at the Little Creek Chapel located through Gate 5 on the Little Creek Amphibious Naval Base, Norfolk , Va.

Guests that do not have access to military installations should email their full name and the full names of all members in their party to Karen Moore at gkmoorex5@yahoo.com no later than 4:00PM on 14 May 2009. Providing this information shall ensure easy access through the security gate. The approved list will ONLY be available at Gate 5 (Gate 5)a valid picture I.D (Drivers license for the driver) is required to be shown to the Sentry upon arrival to the gate.

Family requests that in lieu of flowers, that a donation be made to Susan G. Komen for the Cure® in memory of Tiffany Capps.

There will be a Memorial Reception following the services to celebrate Tiffany's life. The reception will be held at 441 Dauphin Lane , Virginia Beach , Va. 23452 Refreshments will be provided and local guests are encouraged, if able, to bring an appropriate covered food dish and/or an appetizer to share at the memorial reception.

If there are any questions or concerns please contact Mrs. Karen Moore at 757-263-4007 or gkmoorex5@yahoo.com

Update on Tiffany 5-10-09

Tiffany lost her long battle with Cancer this morning at 8:33am EST.


Memorial arrangements will be announced later.


Please keep her family in your prayers through this difficult time.

Update for Tiffany 5-8-09

Tiffany is still resting comfortably. She is in and out of coherent state. She has had lots of visitors.




Thank you all for the emails, text messages, and phone calls/messages. They have been seen or listened to and Steve will try to respond to everyone of them as time permits.




If there is an emergency or a need to get ahold of them right away you can either mark an email as urgent or call me(Karen) 757-263-4007.

Update on Tiffany 5-7-09

Tiffany got home yesterday and is resting comfortably. She had many, many visitors yesterday that was quite a positive experience for us. Visitors are welcome at any time. Unfortunatley she is not able to take phone calls. But we would like to thank you all for your thoughts and prayers.

new update for Tiffany

From Steve:




New update from the doctors Tiffany probably only had 3-4 days left. Nothing is certain but that is their educated answer.

Update for Tiffany

From Steve:


Tiffany's liver has officially stopped. She is not expected to make it more than a week. She will be going home tomorrow Wednesday 5/6/09. She will have home hospice. Visitors are welcome anytime. There is no need to call just come over if you would like to per Steve.


When the time comes. There will be a service in Virginia Beach. Location to be announced later. Final resting place will be in Clear Water, Florida.


If anyone would like to send flowers/condolences they can be sent to their home.
441 Dauphin Lane
Virginia Beach, VA. 23452


If lodging is a burden for anyone coming from out of town please let us know. Our home is always open and many friends have offered as well.

Update on Tiffany from Steve

Tiffany has been admitted to Portsmouth Naval Medical Center due to liver failure and altered mental status. Her prognosis is days to weeks.

Radiation Therapy next

Hi friends & family-
I was in the hospital Monday, April20th-21st to rule out breast cancer that has spread to my brain. Needless to say, it has. The lesion's are small, under 2cm, but there regardless.

I started whole brain radiation today, and will eventually have ten cycles of radiation (9 to go!!) As of right now, my first day, I feel fine, just a bit tired, but that is normal daily living for me. I'm usually only good for about 8hrs a day, and then am ready for bed! Sorry isn't it.

As far as chemo goes, it is on hold, because its to toxic to do both at the same time. The total break from chemo will be three weeks, instead of two, because I'm currently Neutropenic, and my lab values are to low to receive treatment. I should maybe re-start chemo around May6th, give or take.

So that is the latest and greatest news around here, and with me. Steve couldn't be any better of a husband throughout this whole thing. Now that I have brain cancer, he's even more caring and concerned for my well fair. I couldn't have asked for better. He deserves a lot of praise just for loving & supporting his wife.

Hope all is well with each of you? I sure would love to hear from some of you sometime. Take care my friends, and know your friend Tiffany cares about each of you.

Tiffany is in the hospital

Tiffany is in the hospital again they are trying to rule out brain metz.

Easter

Happy Easter to my family & friends!

I plan on spending the day at peace; going to church, lunch with friends, and dinner with my mother. All the while, never forgetting the reason for this special day.

I hope each of you have a peaceful Easter Sunday...Tiffany

Day after chemo

Just wanted to share with you all that I slept 18hrs yesterday after receiving chemo! I think it's funny because it has been some time since I've slept that long after infusion.

Yesterday was a two combo day. Avastin which isn't a chemo, but a biological that helps chemo, and Taxol that I have been since January 29. I was, but am no longer on, Zoloda but my body could not metabolise it. Eventually, even on a reduced dose Zoloda put me in the hospital last week for five days. I still have some slight symptoms, but nothing to keep me laid up in the hospital, and not severe enough to delay yesterdays chemotherapy treatment, and my much needed 18hr nap! It was a much needed equalizer!

Anyway, I'm feeling good today, the sun is out and I am well rested. I don't feel strong, but I've got strength today, so I feel good.

Hope you all feel good too! Thanks for all the postings, phone calls, and text messages. You just don't know how much you help me daily. Take care.....

Out of the hospital

Hi all-
I'm out of the hospital, and feel slightly better. I'm sorry I wasn't able to blog sooner, but time gets away from me, and internetting is the last thing on my mind.

I still have some of the symptoms, but way reduced, and still healing.

I wanted to say thank you for the phone calls and text messages I have received; your support helps me get thru each day. I don't know if you all believe those words, but I have bad days daily. They might not last all day, but that is because someone will somehow cheer me up. You folks help me get thru this.

Thank you for your strength..

new update for Tiffany

Tiffany's white blood cell count is low and she will be staying in the hospital until they can get those numbers back up. Hopefully that will be later this week.

Update for Tiffany

Tiffany has been admitted to Portsmouth Naval Medical Center due to complications from the side effects of her Chemotherapy. She is expected to make a full recovery and be released within the next few days.

Friday

Hi-
Just wanted to tell you that I'm okay, after Wednesday's chemotherapy. I'm really tired, sleeping 18+hours a day, but am able to "enjoy" what little time I have awake with Steve and friends. These aren't ideal hours in a day, like most of you keep, but it's all I can muster up currently. I'm hopeing that once the weather is warmer, the sunshine will give me a boost of energy.

Today, I'm pain free, and trouble free. I am having a good day, regardless of it being just two days since chemo.

I hope each of you are good, and having pain free days! Thank you for still staying in touch after all this time; it means the world to me, and I'm very appreciative.

Take care-Tiff

Another update

Just wanted to give everybody an update on how things are going. The latest rounds of Chemotherapy are proving to be effective. It appears as though the disease in my liver has improved by approx 25% while my bones are arguably stable. I do however have some new nodules in my neck that are a cause for concern. As a result of the new lesions in my neck the plan is to add a THIRD agent to my cocktail of crap I get infused with. Oh well I do my best to stay positive and try and get the most out of each day. The support I get from everyone is amazing and appreciated more than you can ever imagine.
I am however sore as hell today from trying to do some hard-work this weekend and walking/jogging one mile yesterday. I think I might be paying for this longer than I had hoped. Just trying to be normal as you can imagine and need to heed Steve's words telling me to take it easy so I am not so tired and sore all the time. I am sorry for not blogging more often. I know lots of you check the site often and are concerned and I do appreciate it. I am at the point where it is hard to find the words and sometimes even harder to be positve. I will do better from now on. PROMISE.
Thanks again....take care

Another week

Hey,
just a quick note to say that I'm okay. I miss my hair, but wont dwell on that.

I'm feeling no mouth sores, or joint pain. My feet feel like I've walked across hot pavement, but that is my only aliment. I'm sleep fairly well, on less pain medications daily.

I've had a head cold this last week, so my pill intake has increased, but that will soon go away. I've been trying to stay active with a girlfriend who has recently moved here from Hawaii. We've been painting; well, I've got the small stuff anyway. I have purpose other than getting up everyday and fighting cancer. I'm going to start walking on the treadmill next week, in hopes to build up strength. Not to loose weight, because this new cocktail of drugs I've been on, has kept me slim & trim, skinner than since my 21yr old was born. No tan though.... (thats for Jill)

Good news, to report to you, I suppose. Any time I can write to you, is good news!

Taxol & Hair

Taxol made my hair fall out in clumps over the past several days. Tonight, I had to shave my head (actually, Steve did it for me)(god bless him).

Anyway, thought you folks would want to know.The mouth sores are starting to resolve. I've only got them on one side of my mouth currently.

If it wasn't for the hair, or the mouth sores, I'd feel super good----almost like my old self. Every now and again, I have pain or am uncomfortable from the chest tubes or the chemo, but those days are getting rare; especially with me wanting to get past it all.

Thank you for all the support, as usual.....Tiff

Post

Hi-
Not much to report. I'm off chemo this week, and I need it. Nausea, vomiting, and mouth sores are my problems this last week, and boy, am I suffering. We fixed the first two issues with drugs, but the sores, dont go away with a pill. These puppies need to heal; which I've been told they will with the break in chemo.

I'm starting, slowly, to loose clumps of hair. Hair like when I had really long, but while its this short, I'm starting to worry. You can't tell, YET, but its starting. Please pray, that I get to keep my hair..... I hate to be that vain, but I've already been cue-ball bald, it is someone's turn now.

That's all I got. Thanks Gloria, Madison, Sandy and the many others who write messages to me regularly! Take care...

Weekly blogs

Hi all-
I'm sorry that I can't keep up with weekly blogs. As you know, I receive chemotherapy each Wednesday. I'm usually asleep, or feverish, or plain ole recovering the next two days. However, I've tasked myself with getting up, dressed, and out as soon as I possibly can. If I laid around recovering from chemo, I'd never live, never get to enjoy the day, or what it has to hold. Steve has me "rest" a lot, which I reluctantly give into. This seems to give me more time in the day to be up & enjoy.

However, keeping up with the weekly blogs, is nearly impossible for me. Surfing the web, is one of the last things I think of doing, which means my website, and friends suffer. I'm sorry for this. With all the support everyone has blessed us with, keeping you in the loop, is very importat to me......just in a less than timely manner! Truely, I hope this is okay? If not, you can send a personal email, or text to give me a hard time!

Last Wednesday, 1/28/09, I started two new chemotherapy drugs. Taxol & Zoloda. The Zoloda is a by mouth pill that I take twice a day in the comfort of my own kitchen. This is easy to keep up with, because of all the other drugs I already take. Taxol, is a once a week infusion at the hospital. I wasn't happy when the doctor wanted to put me on this drug, because the side effects aren't 'pleasant'; I've only been on 'pleasant' chemotherapy drugs since October. However, since doc is very worried about my liver disease, he wanted Taxol. I'm okay, and have been since only starting five days ago. In another week, or two, once the Taxol is in my system, I might have to change my tune. Until then, I'm okay.

I want to say "THANK YOU" for still keeping up with my saga for these long 18months. Every message, or comment you leave for me, is still just as important as the very first one I received. Your friendship, prayers, support, guidance means the world to me, and lifts my spirits everyday. I am blessed to have so many of you on my side, rooting for me, praying for both, Steve and I.

Thank you again....

Bittersweet:More of the same news

Just a quick update on my cancer. I still have it, and I'm still fighting. I have my up and down days, and the day's I choose not to even think about my disease. Those are the good days, me feeling almost "normal" (at least in my head!)

The bad news is that, cancer has invaded more of my bones, to include my total spine, long bones, short bones, all of them. Also, my liver is so diseased now, that my Oncologist is making that his priority. I"m not jaundice, but odds are that might be the case soon.

The good news is that, my lungs are totally disease free. No metabolic activity what's so ever! The many lymph nodes through out the body, that once were growing out of control, and completely gone as well. But the best news of the year, is that I'm no longer in need of oxygen. I can walk around and my oxygen saturation level stay in the mid 90's! Compared to late November, or even December, this is huge!

I'm still sore, and need to take lots of pain meds, but I'm making the best of each day. I choose to be happy, and durn it, cancer isn't going to take that away!

First day of the New Year

Hi family & friends!
I hope this note finds each of you happy & healthy on this first day of 2009. Since I received chemo yesterday, I slept six hours prior to the midnight count down. I didn't have to set an alarm because I just wasn't sleepy. (Steve was out & I had to wake him up a few minutes ahead of time).

The sleeping after chemo seems to work. I sleep past any nausea or vomiting, usually waking up just a tiny 'normal'. I'm thinking the best way to handle Navalebine, is to rest constantly.

While getting my vitals taken, yesterday, Steve & I thought to test what my oxygen saturation level would be, without oxygen. With oxygen, the levels are anywhere from 99%-100%. Without oxygen, and taking 5-6 steps, my level drop down to the mid 80's. Proving, that I still need to remain on oxygen. I still have "slight", I mean super small, crackles in my lungs, but nothing to impair me. In fact, I eat with no oxygen now (tubing gets in the way), and during the middle of the night, I often wake up with the oxygen & tubing on the floor. Wonder if that's why I'm waking up, because I need help. Steve & I often think I'm doing better daily, especially if you take into account where I was a month ago. Yesterday's check, just showed us, that we are getting a little bit ahead of ourselves, due to being eager! I don't think anything is wrong with wanting to be eager, wanting to be back to 'normal'.

Officially knowing that I"m not 100%, is when I get upset, even mad at what was done to me. Then the snowball starts rolling down hill, when I think about EVERYTHING that happened to me. Since being that angry doesn't do me any good, I focus on remaining positive. After all, I'm alive, and that almost wasn't the case.

On that note, I want to thank my husband & son publicly, for saving my life! Listening to the story of what happened, it was their constant vigilance & encouragement& plain ole will power, that saved me. There are a lot of friends to thank as well, (some drove hours, two different days in a row to see me), but I was either intubated, or so drugged up that I don't remember them coming to support, or even give Steve a cup of coffee. (Can I share with you that, I don't even remember my father being here; he was here two days)I really am thankfully for my friends! I know all your prayers have helped, so if you can, please continue to remember me in them.

I reckon I got a bit off subject! I apologize for that. With the new year, first day of new beginning, I can't help but feel blessed, thankful, and encouraged. That's probably why I got off subject, because I ended 2008 needing to thank EVERYBODY, for rallying around me and my family.

I plan on waking up everyday, in 2009, appreciating the fact that I even woke up! I hope you have a blessed 2009.