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It's been three years since I heard the words "you have cancer."  One of the worst days of my life. 

Today, I'm feeling great and training for my first half-marathon. 

I am asking for people to help me help others by donating to the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund which provides funds for Ovarian Cancer research.  Ovarian Cancer is known as the silent killer because of its vague symptoms.  These symptoms don't allow for most cases of Ovarian Cancer to be caught in the earlier stages.  Catching Ovarian Cancer in the earlier stages allows the the chance of survival to increase from approximately 40% to >85% after 5 years.

Can you help me out?  I'm asking for people to donate $1/mile that I run in the half-marathon (13.1 miles) on September 23rd.

Thank you for your support!

Cindy

Help me raise funds Please!

Well, I have decided to run in a half-marathon in September of this year (2012).  My inspiration is a fellow Ovarian Cancer survivor, Jenn Sommermann.  She has dedicated 5 years of her life to raising $100,000 by running/participating in 50 triathlons (one is each state).  I have found a way to help her out.  I am asking people to donate $1/mile that I run in the half-marathon.  The link below will go directly to her cause (check out www.jennsommermann.blogspot.com for more info).

http://ocrf.kintera.org/CindySwift

Its almost 3 years since we received the bad news

Well, its been almost 3 years since we received the awful news that I had cancer. My follow up appointment is in mid-April 2012 and I am feeling great!!! Kyle and I are enjoying Knoxville and settled in completely now. We hope to go on our first scuba diving trip sometime late spring/early summer. I'm so excited to finally get to go diving again. When I received the news of my blood clot in my leg (prior to the news of my cancer) we had to cancel our scheduled dive trip. I'm sooo ready to go!! Happy Spring 2012 Everyone!

Merry Christmas Everyone

Kyle and I want to wish everyone a wonderful and safe Christmas.

We also have news.....we are moving to Knoxville, TN in early 2011! Our commute to the UT football games in the fall will be much shorter in the future.

Merry Christmas Everyone!!

GREAT NEWS!!

Well, I had my second post-chemo CT scan yesterday and received great news when I met with my doctor about an hour later. My CT scan is clear and my blood work says the same thing. I am officially in remission!!! YEAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Our prayers have been answered.

Finally Getting my Hair Back

Hello Everyone - well its been a LONG time since my hair has done anything at all. Its finally getting to where I can actually do a little something with it.

OK - I'm not sure how to re-size this photo.

We are doing really well. Kyle is traveling quite a bit with work and I'm keeping busy with various things around the house. We head to South Bend, IN for Olivia's christening the first weekend in August. I still can't believe that my "baby" sister now has two of her own.

Have a wonderful and safe summer everyone!

Has a new niece!!

Amy had her second child on June 21, 2010. Olivia Elizabeth - 6 lbs. 12 ozs. and 18 inches long. From what I've heard she has a head full of dark hair. Mom and baby are doing wonderful. They hope to be home on June 24th. I don't have any pictures yet

Our Vacation to Rome, Italy

Wow - what a wonderful vacation! We got back about a week and a half ago - took us that long to get over jet-lag and get pictures organized. We had a great time and saw lots of things - including a general audience with Pope Benedict XVI.

Below is a link to our pictures if you want to take a peak - lots of pictures. Enjoy!

http://www.kodakgallery.com/gallery/creativeapps/slideShow/Main.jsp

I also just had my second post-chemo follow-up appt. Everything is fine. My next follow-up appt./CT scan is set for August.

Hope everyone has a wonderful summer.

Cindy

Just Preparing for our Trip to Italy

Not much going on but preparation for our trip to Rome, Italy. I'm feeling stronger every day and most of the time I feel "normal" again which is great!!

Kyle is traveling quite a bit with work and we've introduced Abby to swimming over the past several weeks. She loves going to the park and getting to roam around. She has discovered swimming and loves the water....who would have figured since she is a Labrador!!

Wishing everyone a Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Cindy

Great News Today!!

I just got back from my first of many CT scans and my doctor told us that she found nothing there....yea!! My blood work shows that the tumor marker is the lowest its ever been as well.

I go back every 3-6 months for follow-up visits with my doctor and occasional CT scans.

Now my job is to get into some kind of decent shape for our trip to Rome, Italy the first week of May. I am sooooo ready to get out of town and go on a vacation.

I want to thank everyone for the continuous prayers for both Kyle and myself throughout my battle with Ovarian Cancer.

"And this too shall pass...."

Cindy

Happy Valentine's Day Everyone

After months of low energy and fatigued muscles, I am finally starting to get some energy back and start to get back into some kind of shape. My hair is starting to grow back so hopefully I will have enough hair by the beginning of May for our trip to Italy.

We are planning on a late spring week long vacation to Rome, Italy. We can't wait to go - at least I can't. I was diagnosed just before our yearly vacation last year to go scuba diving in the Cayman Islands and we had to cancel the trip. I'm ready to a change in scenery.

Kyle is traveling quite a bit in the next couple of months with work and I hope to start looking for a job in the next month or so - we'll see.

Abby is doing great - she is now 14 months old and still a bundle of never ending energy.

Happy Valentine's Day Everyone!

"And this too shall pass....."

Cindy

Two Weeks have gone by

Well, its been 2 weeks now since my final chemo treatment and I'm starting to feel good. Still don't have much endurance though as my blood counts still have several weeks until they recover. I'm getting a little restless around the house just not enough energy to go out and do too many things. Just laundry, sweeping floors etc.... until I go back to work.

Abby is still wonderful .... loves to play in all this mud we are having from the rain. Kyle is starting to travel a little more now that the new year has started.

I am soooo ready for life to get back to normal with me going back to work, etc....

I want to thank everyone for all their thoughts and prayers throughout these past 7 months. Just knowing that God has been by my side throughout everything has been such a comfort to me.

YEAH!!!!!!

OK - supposed to get 1-3 inches of snow tomorrow (1/7) but I'm not going to let that stop me from getting to my last treatment .... even if I have to leave 3 hours in advance to make a 15 minute drive normally.

"And this too shall pass....."

Wishing everyone a wonderful and prosperous 2010.

Cindy

Merry Christmas Everyone

We just wanted to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas!!

Cindy and Kyle

Last Treatment Scheduled - Yeah!!

Well - my last of 8 chemo treatments is scheduled for January 7, 2010 - YEAH!! I will begin follow-up appts. & CT scans after that on February 25, 2010. My doctor told us today that my blood work has shown that the cancer cells should be long gone by now and all should be well. I will have to follow-up and closely monitor things for the next several years as well (that includes blood work for monitoring any future blood clots).

Kyle and I received a wonderful Christmas present today with this news. The power of prayer is an extraordinary thing.

Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers ... you have helped us more than you know.

God Bless and Merry Christmas.

Cindy

#7 - DONE

Yeah - white blood count was up enough today so that I could go ahead and get treatment #7 done and out of the way. I haven't scheduled my 8th and final treatment yet since everything got postponed from last week. Should find out more on Dec. 17th at my next doctor's appt.

Wishing everyone a happy and safe Christamas.

"And this too shall pass....."

Cindy

Only on a Monday

Well folks my 7th treatment has been delayed and messed up my schedule for the holidays. My white blood counts were a little low, so my treatment has been delayed for a week. My 7th treatment is now scheduled for Dec. 7th.

The best laid plans always go awry!

"And this too shall pass......"

Cindy

Holidays are over and back to reality

Hi All - well it's back to reality tomorrow. The Thanksgiving holiday is now over. I am feeling pretty good and was able to go all the way to East TN to visit with my parents and my siblings (along with their spouses and all my nieces and nephew). We had a wonderful and busy visit - always seems to happen when 16 people are all in one house. Abby had a wonderful time roaming free in the fields at my parents - she roused a rabbit from its morning slumber and saw two deer running in the back woods. She slept the entire 7.5 hour trip home and will most likely sleep all of tomorrow as well.

Now we are back in Memphis and have to return to our "normal" life. My 7th treatment is scheduled for just after 8 AM tomorrow and I'm not really looking forward to this week as I will feel under the weather until around Friday or Saturday.

Have a wonderful and safe week.

Cindy

Another one bites the dust

To all my friends and family,

My 6th treatment was yesterday (Wed. Nov. 11th) and I only have 2 more to go.

I was able to have my port-a-cath (2nd one - other one had to be removed because it never healed correctly) put in yesterday as well and have the Hickman line removed - Yeah!!

I have also qualified for a drup called Aranesp which helps with the production of red blood cells - this will help eliminate some of the fatigue and light-headedness as well as help me become more ready for my next treatment. My next treatments are scheduled for Monday, November 30th and Thursday December 17th. I moved them so I wouldn't feel quite so bad for Christmas and New Year's.

We are having beautiful, sunny and warm days here in Memphis which lets me get out and move around with Abby as well as run errands without having to wear duck shoes. No rain for at least the last week - yeah our yard has finally dried out and Abby isn't constantly covering my kitchen floor with mud.

Wishing everyone a very Happy Thanksgiving and safe to all those that are traveling.

"And this too shall pass......"

Cindy

Week 17 & Alls Well

We are off to Knoxville for the weekend. I'm feeling pretty good, just a
little tired. My hematocrit is a little low but not low enough for a
transfusion.

We heard back from the geneticist this week. The good news is that I
do not have the BRCA 1 or BRCA 2 mutation (breast cancer genes). We
are now waiting to hear from the insurance to see if they will cover
one other test - looking for Lynch Syndrome. I should hear more in
another week or so.

My 6th chemo treatment is next Wednesday.

"And this too shall pass......"

Cindy