Goodbyes....We will Miss You Grandpa Bob

Above is a 4 Generation picture of My Mom, her Dad, Grandpa Bob Renkert, Caitlyn & I. Last year we were in Seattle with my Grandpa. He was in the hospital when we arrived. They didn't expect him to live and called the family in. Grandpa had not seen Caitlyn yet. I so wanted him to meet his Great Granddaughter. Chandler & Connor were praying at home. Needless to say, we arrived on Thursday and Grandpa went home on Saturday I believe. He told everyone it was his two Grandsons in North Carolina praying for him. Thankfully God gave him another year with us. And we are so grateful for that additional year. We were not always close to Grandpa when we were younger but the last 7 years or so we were able to have a relationship with him, he even came to NC several times. Where as before he had never really been anywhere outside of Washington state.


However on Wednesday we got a call the he was back in the hospital but not doing well. At first they said 1-6 months but Thursday, it was 2-3 days. Mom immediately made reservations to go say goodbye to her Daddy. She left at 6 am on Friday. I had radiation as usual and when I got out I called home to check on Caitlyn and while I was on the phone my Uncle Paul called to tell us Grandpa had passed. It was 10am our time but 7am in Washington. Mom was to land at 11am PST. Mom didn't make it in time to say GoodBye. She missed him by 3 hours. Just 3 hours. How often do we waste 3 hours watching TV, reading a book, driving etc. My heart broke for her. I can't even imagine not being able to say Goodbye to one of my parents. I cried out, "Why God??? Couldn't you let him hang on for just a few more hours?" Nothing. I mourn for the time we didn't get to spend with him because of distance & just life. I regret not calling him more and letting him know we loved him. Making more of an effort to visit. Probably all the things most people go thru when mourning. REGRETS!!!


Before he passed, Uncle Paul said the Chaplin was in praying and reading the Bible with him. As she walked away Grandpa Bob left this world peacefully. I pray he now knows the love, grace & peace that only God can give.


We are leaving for Washington on Wednesday and will come back home on Sunday. All of us Travis, Dustin, Yessie, Bella & myself are going. Shane will be home with the kids and working, Audra will be here to help him out with Caitlyn during the day and boys with their homework after school. I am so Thankful she will be able to help us out. Thank you so much Audra.


I know I have been really slack about updating my blog. Sorry. I have been really busy lately. Of course I have 3 kids, husband and a household to care for but I still am in Radiation and Mom and I are still helping our neighbor, Mrs. Linda, with redecorating her home. It has been fun and a good distraction for my mom. We have both really enjoyed doing it and helping her out. Mrs. Linda absolutely loves it. We have done the whole downstairs.


The boys are doing very well in school. Even Connor. LOL. He still cannot manage to get 5 green days in a row but he has not had even 1 red day this year. Thank you God. This year has been much more relaxed and easy going. Both teachers are awesome and work to help each child succeed. Neither one likes or sends home an abundance of homework. Yeah!!!! For all of us.


Bella is turning 1 tomorrow. They are having a costume party for her tomorrow afternoon. So it should be a lot of fun. The kids will love it. We are having Mexican food. Yummy!!!



I am feeling really good. I feel more normal lately than I have in a long time. I have not experienced any exhaustion from radiation at all. My skin is a little pink but nothing major. So that is awesome and a definite God thing. Who would have thought having Cancer could be this easy going. It is really crazy. But I am so thankful. I have been able to get a lot done around the house and such.



The fall weather has kicked in here in the Carolinas and I am LOVING it!!! It reminds me why I love it here. All the trees and leaves changing. It is absolutely gorgeous. If you have never seen a Carolina Fall you do not know what you are missing. The kids are outside most of the day now with the cooler weather. Especially over the weekends.


Good Night
Rachael



Please keep especially my mom but the whole Renkert Family in your prayers this week coming. His funeral is on Thursday at 11am. Thank you in advance.

Radiation has Begun

Well as you can see I have started the Radiation Therapy part of my recovery. They only radiate the left side that had the cancer. All of those X's on my arms is also on the middle of my chest and all down the left side of my torso. There are probably about 20+ markings. Thankfully nothing permanent. The process of setting me up and lining up all the markings with the lasers almost takes longer than the actual radiation. Crazy but they want it to be right on the exact spot. I have to have X-rays each week and see the doctor every Monday. They monitor my progress very carefully.

Radiation does not hurt at all. It is just like getting an X-ray. It only lasts a few minutes. You are in a fairly large room but it is all lead walls and the door is a vault door like at a bank. I think that is the eeriest part of it hearing that door close and lock. The radiation is done as soon as the machine turns off. So the techs are able to come right back in afterwards. It is not an internal radiation where you have to be isolated for a certain amount of time. So far it has been a breeze. I only have a small pink spot where one of the X's were. They put a clear tape over the paint marks and sometimes they have to be replaced. When they took the sticker off it left a pink raw area. Not to bad though. I haven't been tired at all so far. He said that will probably start this week. Other than that no side affects. God is good.

My final radiation day is November 9th and then about 4 weeks after that will be my surgery to have the implants put in. So hopefully I will still have "New Boobs" for Christmas.

We have all been doing good just busy with life I guess. Caitlyn has had the chicken pox and then Chandler got Bronchitis. Fun Stuff!!! Just another week in the Higginbotham household.

Also one of my neighbors is having some painting done at her house and she saw my house and wanted to know if Mom and I would help her decorate. So we have been trying to help her go thru all her stuff, organize & decorate. That has been fun but keeping us busy also. She has been having to go back and forth to Greensboro because her Dad's health is going down. He had one leg amputated in March and another a few weeks ago because of diabetes. Now his kidneys are starting to shut down. She is so upset as you can imagine. So Mom & I have been making ourselves at home and putting everything back together once the painters finish each room. It has been fun & given us a lot to do. But a lot of fun helping her. Please keep her father in your prayers this week.

I hope everyone has a great week and gets everything you need to accomplish done.

Love & prayers,

Rachael