Happy Birthday

Sunday May 31, 2009- Today was Michelle's 34th birthday. She told me she wasn' that excited about celebrating her birthday, not all that uncommon. I think most women feel the same way. I know Michelle is tired and fighting through some of the side effects of her latest treatments, but I think she looks beautiful. Michelle has always been a gorgeous girl, but in the last couple of years, her inner beauty is almost (and I emphasize almost) surpassing what she has on the exterior. I see her battling each day with something most of us will never comprehend until we are much older. She told me today that she can't wait until she feels her age. Right now she feels much older physically than what she is. I know that will happen for her. She also says she feels very blessed. I know Heavenly Father watches out for her every day. We love you Michelle and we look forward to 35 and beyond. Joana

Memorial Day

Tuesday May 26, 2009

The family finally got to see Michelle and Mom at the Memorial Day barbecue. Of course the talk of the family wasn't how great Michelle looked but Danny's hat. What is up with that Danny??? If nothing else, he always gives us something to laugh at. Too bad we weren't there, I would be doing the splits in the front. Michelle looks awesome, she still needs her rest but that is expected. Remember Michelle's birthday is coming up on May 31st. Send gifts right away.....she is going to kill me for saying that. Love you all.....Joana

Welcome Home Mommy

The girls were so excited to see Mommy. Great decorating!

Welcome Home

Sunday May 24, 2009.....Mom and Michelle are finally back home. As you can imagine, the girls were so excited to see Michelle. What great decorations on the front porch. I talked to Michelle this morning, she is still tired but in good spirits. Her doctor says she will be pretty tired for the next week and half. Michelle will be recovering at home with medications for the next 6 weeks, then Jenisse and I will head back to Mexico with her at the beginning of July. Keep the positive comments coming, they really help. Love you all. Joana

Goodbye Mexico

Say Goodbye

It is almost time to say goodbye. I have talked to my Mom and Michelle almost every day over the past few weeks and I have to say it has not gone by fast. But I know Michelle needed to be there and I was happy she went. Down below are some comments on the last day by my Mom. Remember to save the date August 1st for Michelle's fundraiser at Hidden Valley Park in Sandy. I will be sending out e-vites and posting info on this blog sometime next week. Joana

Friday May 22- Mom writes: Today is our last day in the Clinic and Michelle finally caught up with some treatments. She felt dizzy and sick to her stomach by lunch time. Thank goodness she is done with IV's. We already had Dr. Lopez come in for the last visit and we talked to her about medication and side effects(the one's she is taking home for 6 weeks). Also, they have a follow up program and will be calling Michelle on a regular basis to check on her. Michelle cn also call at any time to talk with Dr. Lopez. Well, everything is in place and we will start packing. In the kitchen they will prepare a vegeterian sandwich for Michelle to have on the airplane. They care about the patients here, not only about the cancer. We were talking with Michi and she said she is so greatful for getting to know all these wonderful people from Ireland, Colorado, Los Angeles, New York, Canada, etc. We are both sod greatful to our Heavenly Father for this expererience that enlarged not only our health but also our eternal perspective. MOM

Favorite Nurse

This is Michelle's favorite nurse at the Oasis of Hope. Her name is Dalila.

Almost done with round one

Thursday May 21st
Only one more day to go on this first round. Michelle had her stem cell procedure yesterday. Mom says she is a little pale today but doing well. She also got some IV treatments today. They purchased all of the medications she will need when she goes back home. Dr. Contreras has ordered Michelle to really take it easy the next six weeks at home. He wants her body to heal.
My Mom says they did a fiesta Mejicana in the cafeteria and they sang the song " the prayer" in spanish and english. Anyway is fine what you posted. They say the food was really good.
To help with the costs of treatments and medications, we have opened up an account. Deposits can be made at any Wells Fargo Bank nationwide. If anyone would like to donate, make checks payable to the "Michelle Corpuz Fund". Any help is so greatly appreciated. Also, we are planning a fundraiser event for Michelle on August 1st in Salt Lake City. I will be sending flyers out by e-mail. It will take place in the morning so please save the date. Thanks for all your prayers and support. Joana

Stem Cell Procedure

Wednesday May 20, 2009

Today Michelle underwent a stem cell procedure, where doctors took bone marrow from her leg and reinfused it into her blood stream. This procedure is supposed to jump start her immune system so her body is strong enough to fight the cancer. They use it not only for cancer but for M.S., diabetes, cardiovascular disease and autoimmune disease. It sounds complicated but it is a very normal procedure at the Oasis of Hope. The surgery took 45-minutes. Michelle was put under and is still recovering and resting in her room this afternoon.

This morning, before the procedure, Michelle was doing great. Mom and Michelle went to a nutrition class. Watch out, she is going to turn all of us into vegans, you too Doug. The vegan diet is working for Mom, she has more energy and she says she feels more alive. We all could use a little of that. Only two more days to go on this first run. Mom and Michelle will return to Salt Lake on Saturday, just look for the two ladies in Mexican hats. Ariba......Ariba. Signing off for now.....Joana

Our gorgeous, always stylish, Michelle, with "THE" Dr. Contreras who runs the clinic.

Week two at the Oasis of Hope

Hello all, this is Joana, Michelle's sister. Thank you so much for all your comments and support, it means this world as I keep this blog going for my family. Down below is a recap of the last two days from my Mom.

Mom writes.....Sunday May 17th... After breakfast we did have some spiritual services with hymns and spiritual messages. The only thing we missed is the sacrament. Michelle said : “I realized that other children of God tryto worship the best they can and they are loved by Heavenly Father” . We really felt a great spirit of love and brotherhood in these services. After this event Michelle went to the room and the nurse that she trusts placed the needle in her port-a-cath. At 1:30 pm we went to the Market were they sell crafts. The driver from the Clinic took us in the Oasis of Hope van. We went with about 7 patients and and their companions. It was great to get out.

Monday May 18th.... Michelle started with the treatments again and it was very intense since the were about 6 IV’s. We had a class with the psychologist about the connection of mind-body. It was a great learning experience and we came to understand the importance of physicians treating not only the body but most importantly the mind and spirit of the patient. Also we learned different ways in which we can change things that are happening in our bodies by changing the way we think, talk and behave. Later on we went for a walk and came back in time for dinner. Everytime we have meals, our conversations with all the patients last one to two hours. It is very therapeutic for everyone. We said goodby to a couple from Syracuse who are leaving in the morning at 7 AM . It’s like saying goodby to our family ( Bob and Beth). It is amazing the great friendships you make in this place ; there is so much love and compassion..... it’s hard to believe .
Signing out for the night.

This was taken over the weekend at the beach with fellow patients.

On day one of Michelle's treatments, she writes...."1st day- Was a bit of a culture shock but overall people here are very nice. I start treatment tomorrow we will see and hope for the best. I KNOW I will be healed while I am here."
On day 6 of treatments Mom writes......"It's a very interesting day, cloudy, depressing and also Michelle misses her daughters and husband. Since she didn’t have IV treatments we went to the gym and had 30 minutes of exercise and we are now feeling much better. In this Clinic we are learning to be more positive in our thinking and there are activities to help. Hopefully we will remember to put it in practice when we come back home.

Joana, Michelle's sister writes....Michelle is almost done with her first weekend at the Oasis of Hope. I talked to her for 45 minutes on Friday night and she sounded wonderful. She is helping other patients through their struggles which is something I believe Michelle needed. She is such a gentle, nurturing person and I am sure that is very healing for others. She has recently met a patient who just flew in from Chicago. A mother, going through a divorce that just found out she has melanoma. The girl was still in shock mode and Michelle helped her walk through the emotions. Michelle says that most patients there have had time to deal with their diagnosis. I am sure it is very hard at the beginning and Michelle was able to help someone through it.
In terms of Michelle's treatments, they are going well. She had a little trouble with low blood pressure and the needle in her port. She and Mom say these problems are all minor and that overall, they are happy she is getting the treatments.
Mom and Michelle were able to go to the beach with a couple of other patients as you can see in the updated photo. They also went to the gym to work out for 30 minutes.
Michelle sounds like she is healing so many aspects of herself that needed attention. She sounds happy and she makes me laugh when she says, " I have the best form of cancer here." She says she is the heathiest one there compared many other patients. I asked her if she has ever asked "why me?" She responded with "why not me." I learn from her every time we talk. Thanks for your positive comments please keep writing. Joana

Here is one of Michelle's latest photos from the hospital. It looks like they are making some new friends. If I remember correctly, the mother to the left is a patient from Colorado and she is there with her two daughters.

Michelle was really tired yesterday. Apparently some of the medications are lowering her blood pressure. Mom says she won't receive any IV treatments over the weekend, so hopefully they can go walk on the beach. Signing out....Joana

Hello everybody, down below is a recap of Michelle's second day in Mexico in my Mom's words. It sounds like things are very positive. You go girl! Joana


Today is a great day. Michelle is so happy and right now she is with her Ipod while receiving treatment. This day has been wonderful so far. We had a lecture with Dr. Contreras and not only we learned a lot but also he answered all Michelle's questions with love and concern. They assigned Michelle the doctor she requested (Dr. Lopez/women). She sat by Michelle and talked to her while holding her hand. Her nurse is very profesional and it was amazing how she placed an extension in her port with sterile technique. The patients get together for meals and they are all like our family already. Most of them are from U.S.A. and had similar experiences with doctors just like Michelle. Some are here today just for a day. We met an 18 year old from Texas that the doctors gave him 3 weeks of life last year and he is doing great, he came with his Mom to the 6 month evaluation. All these experiences have been INCREDIBLE !!!! for Michelle. She is smiling all the time even now that she is in bed getting 1 of the 5 treatments she will receive today. Now she is writing in her journal. Everything in this place (after the shock of the change (it brings memories of our dear Colombia) is positive, caring, tender, loving and profesional. MICHELLE'S HEALING IS GOING TO BE GREAT!!!!. I'm glad I came with her this first time because I talked with the nurses, doctors and others and explained very well the condition of her veins (destroyed by chemo) and other things. Next time is going to much better since they will be familiar with her and even Michelle will know how everything works.
The food is all vegtables, fruits and some carbo, soy milk, whole grain bread and honey. Also everyday natural juices from different fruits (I love it, it is like in Colombia). They have a green drink of vegtables that is the only one I cannot drink.We talk a lot with each other and everyone in the Clinic. There are activities all day long and they are posted in the morning.
People come from all over the world and the majority of them are successful or live well many years depending of the severity of the cancer when they come to the Clinic for the first time. I can see how patients get better because it is not only the physical treatments but also the emotional support that is so important for healing. Doctors listen to the patients, amazing isn't? I think Michelle feels hopeful for the first time since she was diagnosed with cancer. I also feel a peace inside that was hard to feel after the diagnose of bone cancer. My mind thinks as a nurse above anything else but this place has given me hope and peace of mind for our dear Michelle. It is worth all the money in the world. Love you all,

MOM.

Michelle's first day in Mexico

Mom and Michelle have settled in at the Oasis of Hope in Tijuana Mexico. She met with one doctor so far, who did a thorough examination. She has already started on medications. When I talked to her last she was enjoying a lunch of tofu and organic veggies. Mom and Michelle sound in good spirits. Joana