Not too long ago, I was thinking I "should" stop writing these updates but as usual, things move quickly around here.

Shortly after my last message, we lost Trooper. He'd started having horrible seizures and on our 14th wedding anniversary, we had to say goodbye. We were so blessed to have had 16 years with him, especially with all the challenges he faced. But that only made it that much harder. If you know anything about us, you know how much we're bonded with him and it's been crushing without his companionship, especially since the last few years of his life revolved around my cancer. And then if you'd have told me we'd wind up having 3 puppies only 2 months later, I never, ever would've believed you ... but we've been so heartsick and truly believe Trooper led us to them. So let me introduce you to Sable, Daisy, and Nugget! They've been keeping us busy of course but the joy they've already brought us has been so helpful for our broken hearts.

But as far as my health, I also had a seizure a few weeks ago and Brandon had to call 911 after I was unresponsive for a couple minutes. After talking with my oncologist, she referred me to a neurologist but it's going to take too long locally so I'm hoping to get a referral for Stanford when I'm there for my follow-up imaging next month. My meds have also really stepped up their side effects the last few months and the joint pain and fatigue are off the charts. If I'm not with the puppies or at the ranch, I'm napping and overall, I'm not thrilled with my quality of life right now. Thankfully, I'll be done with my 2-year Verzenio regimen in December and even though I'll still have 8 years left of monthly injections and estrogen blockers, I really hope the side effects become more tolerable with one less medication in the mix.

On that note (and most importantly), do you or someone you know need part-time virtual help? Data entry, social media management, etc? The ranch is also destroying my body and what was supposed to be a flexible job with animals while my health recovered has turned into something completely different and now I'm having a hard time getting paid too. Add in a mystery seizure and I can't keep doing this to myself, for minimum wage no less, or we're never going to get out of the financial hole that cancer created. Plus, the startup company Brandon was working for isn't going to be viable long-term so while he continues working construction side jobs in the meantime, he's looking for work too (full-time / benefits / remote, preferred). We are both hard-working (to our own detriment) and just want / need something stress-free that we can both rely on while we try to heal from the relentless trauma of the last few years. If that even exists right now, I'm hoping someone in our community can point us in the right direction.

Endlessly grateful for any guidance you can offer and I'll keep you posted after my upcoming medical appointments.

Thanks again,

Linz