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Jack and Racheal

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Maybe Baby Contest with 97.1 ZHT & Reproductive Care Center

Maybe Baby Contest with 97.1 ZHT & Reproductive Care Center

St. George + Zion National Park

St. George + Zion National Park

The Second Surgery + Ugly Crying

The Second Surgery + Ugly Crying

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Maybe Baby Contest with 97.1 ZHT & Reproductive Care Center

Hello friends! We are SO excited for this new opportunity and we can’t wait to share it with you! We recently discovered we’d have to move from IUIs straight to IVF due to previous health issues (ahem…cancer…farewell, right ovary). This journey was bound to be emotional, exhausting and expensive! While we’ve been saving for the procedures, this contest opened up! We quickly created a video telling our story that you can preview here and below! We’d love your help as we attempt to get #babyNeiger here to join our family!

Voting starts August 12th! We’ll post a link when you can start voting!

  

You can follow our journey on Instagram, Facebook, or by subscribing to our YouTube channel!


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St. George + Zion National Park

zion-national-park, st-george, what-to-do-in-st-george

Hi all! We had the best weekend! San had a very special birthday, so we all traveled to St. George to celebrate him! It was a very adventurous weekend with lots of hiking and exploring. I’ve literally never packed a suitcase full of workout clothes before. I only brought one outfit for dinners and traveling, which means I wore the same dress…oops! When we arrived we played a couple of games and relaxed in the condo. Once all the couples arrived for the night, we fell asleep in preparation for a day of fun! Or so we thought.

While everyone was getting ready and waiting for the Salmons to arrive, Jack and I thought we’d quickly run to Walmart for a few supplies we had forgotten to pack. Everything was going well until we were headed back and spotted a flighty looking dog wandering in and out of the road. I’m in the habit of stopping to ensure all dogs cross the street safely, so I pulled over and beckoned the pup to safety. He picked something up from the gutter and ran over. Phew! He was safe and sound. As he was running around both cars, I realized what he had picked up: a dirty diaper. Yup. His owner pulled up immediately after we did, so we were getting ready to leave when I realized that animal had jumped inside our car. I stared back and forth between the the smiling dog (who was flipping his new toy around through the driver side window) and my dear husband who had his door wide open. I barely got the words out (“Poopy diaper! In his mouth!”) as I ran over to try and evict said Poop Dog. Once he was out, I tried to warn his grumpy owner who muttered, “…in the car!” But he completely ignored me as he drove away with his creature.

We spent the next thirty minutes locating a car wash & cursing the person that threw their diaper out the window. After an extensive search of St. George, we found a place that thoroughly cleaned the seats and interior. I just couldn’t even believe what had happened. We were both extremely overwhelmed and stressed when we met up with everyone else at Cafe Rio. Lesson learned? Never leave your doors open when attempting to rescue a hound.

Zion-Park1

Zion-Park4

The rest of the trip was delightful and fun! We wandered through Pioneer Park for a few hours, which was perfect for picture taking!

zion-national-park, st-george, what-to-do-in-st-george

The next day was spent exploring Zion National Park! Both Jack and I are bad Utah residents and this was our first visit. We loved it!

zion-national-park, st-george, what-to-do-in-st-george

zion-national-park, st-george, what-to-do-in-st-george

zion-national-park, st-george, what-to-do-in-st-george

Thanks for reading! Hope you get to plan a trip to St. George or Zions soon!

xo


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Cancer Things Life Update

The Second Surgery + Ugly Crying

Ready for part 2 of the cancer saga? Once we found out that the tumor was cancerous, my doctor gave us the news: I’d need another surgery. Ideally, this surgery would be done laparoscopically and would be substantially easier than the first. As we expected, there were lots of scary warnings. If I wasn’t sufficiently healed from the first surgery (or if the scar tissue was extensive), the doctor would need to reopen my first incision. He informed us that this would mean a repeat of the initial healing process and an increased risk of infection. Oh joy.

We arrived at the hospital at 5:00 a.m. (rude.) to begin the check-in process. Oddly enough, seeing all the other people there for same-day surgery was slightly comforting. It was reassuring to know that surgery is pretty commonplace and there are so many successful cases every single day.

We were having a great time snapping photos of weird signs and the stylish mesh underwear stacked in the room. I was deliriously happy, since you know, it was freaking 6 a.m. All the hilarity & joking flew out the dirty hospital window when the nurses opened the door and said, “Ready?” I wanted to yell, “No!” and run back to the car, but it’s imperative to act like a grown up in these situations. I opted for a Kim K ugly cry.  My brave husband stroked my head and told me he’d see me soon.

After countless silent prayers, a soft-spoken medical student came and stood by my bed. I was apparently trembling uncontrollably because he rushed to get a few blankets. He engaged me in a bit of conversation that forced me to focus on what he was saying. He was from Orem and went to Orem High, so he tried to find a friend connection. Five minutes later, I realized that I was no longer thinking of the worst possible outcome. The rest of surgical team were all so kind and optimistic. The last thing I remember was hearing one of the nurses say, “We’re going to take good care of you.”

I woke up in the recovery room and the first thing I remember was not feeling the searing pain from the first surgery. I couldn’t wait to see Jack and find out what had happened. Did they have to re-open my original incision?! When I found out that everything was performed laparoscopically, I leaped out of my bed and started jumping up and down! Haha. Just kidding. I wish. I think I managed a drowsy fist pump. But really, I was so happy and grateful! I tried to get up to go to the bathroom and had some intense pain throughout my abdomen. It subsided a bit once I was stopped moving, but ugh. I could tell I was in for another couple of weeks of excitement.

Oddly enough, the recovery from this surgery was more unbearable than the first. The pains were sharp, centralized and crippling. What luck! I got through each day by working from my bed and taking short walks around the house. For a bit of variety, I’d lure Bella to hang out with me with bits of cheese and beef dog biscuits. She’s a fair-weather loyal friend.

Two days after my surgery, we received a call that came earlier than expected. That night, I had missed a call from my doctor’s office. I got the familiar stomach-dropping sensation when I listened to the voicemail. “We wanted to discuss some pathology results with you…” The well-meaning voice informed me that their office was now closed and I’d have to wait until Tuesday. Why would you call me and say that before the weekend?!

I called them back twice in succession. No answer. After my fifth attempt, I gave up and went back to my work. When I picked up my phone 20 minutes later, I saw that I had another missed call. Of course I missed it. But there was another voicemail! I nervously pressed the little blue play button and waited. “Ms. Neiger, listen…everything is great. I wanted to tell you before the weekend…all your biopsies are negative. And it’s great news. Call us Monday.” My awesome doctor had just delivered the best news of all time. Miraculously, even though the gigantic tumor had touched nearly everything, the cancer hadn’t spread. Anywhere. We hugged and cried and hugged some more. We genuinely couldn’t believe it.

I continue to be so grateful and so happy. Although they keep saying doctor things like, “We can’t say cure, but the chances it will come back are very low,” this situation that could have ended much worse will be over (*fingers crossed) in about 8 weeks. After I receive the minimum courses of chemotherapy and lots of nausea, I should be done. Here’s to the completion of the second part of this three-part journey and ideally, getting classified as cancer free! Stay tuned for the misadventures and delights of chemo! #baldness

xo

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Life Update

Hey Cancer, You Can’t Sit With Us

R+J 114Hey friends! So have you heard? I’ve been diagnosed with cancer. Ovarian cancer to be exact. Sounds awful, right?! It definitely hasn’t been ideal. Cancer is a total bully.

Our cancer adventure began on September 30th . The week prior, we traveled to Lake Powell for an end-of-summer celebration and I was shocked, appalled and horrified when I looked at our pictures. I looked at least six months pregnant! Oh joy. Throughout the trip, I kept grabbing Jack’s hand and forcing him to feel how hard my abdomen felt. I assumed that if it was the result of fries and cookies, it wouldn’t feel like I’d swallowed a watermelon. I somehow survived three days of wave running, boating and sleeping on a foam pad before we headed home. Sitting was quite impossible–I had a weird pain in my upper abdomen near my ribs. I brushed it off as an unfortunate result of our road trip diet.

Once we got home and the pain intensified, I started piecing everything together. We had been exercising frequently throughout the summer and had stopped eating sugar and fries, but my belly was still getting bigger. I just continued to live my life assuming my metabolism was dying a slow, age-induced death. I also noticed that I hadn’t been able to eat more than 5-10 bites of food per meal for the past 3 weeks. I had an appetite and was hungry, but when I ate I felt bloated and full really quickly.

The next day, I was at work and could hardly walk or stand up straight. The pain was terrible. I was in the break room with two of my friends discussing what was happening and getting their advice: primary care physician the next day or Instacare immediately? While we were discussing, another co-worker came in and asked if we were okay. We gave her a brief summary and she said, “If you were my daughter, we’d already be there.” That was enough. I headed to Instacare and told them the problem. The doctor said that he was honestly hoping it was a gallbladder infection or a baby. The tests he performed ruled out both. He suggested I meet with my doctor as soon as possible.

The next day I had an appointment and was planning on using my lunch break to see the doctor. It’s a well-known fact (and mild joke) that our family goes to the doctor for every little ailment. Seriously. When he doesn’t see us for more than a couple weeks, he says, “I haven’t seen you in awhile!” He is well aware of my self-diagnosis: hypochondria. He always smiles, does the routine tests, then assures me I only have a cold and/or other virus. This time was much different. After showing him my adorable (not) pot belly, he pressed around and said, “I think you need to get a CAT scan today.” In a short, single sentence, everything I had most feared was becoming my new reality.

I got the order for the scan and walked to the next building to check in. I wandered in the check in office with tears in my eyes and saw my cousin! I had no idea she worked there, but it was so comforting. She gave me a hug and took me next door (she couldn’t check me in since we’re related). I silently handed over my paper that read “abdominal mass” and the kind lady said, “I’m sure this is scary–I’m so sorry.” The next hour was a strange blur waiting for my family. My dad arrived first and sat with me as I drank that disgusting, CAT scan prep juice. Jack arrived a few minutes later. The scan itself was terrifying–I sobbed the entire time.

My doctor told me to come back to his office after the test. They brought me in to a room and we waited. And waited. They told us the images were taking a bit longer than expected. After maybe 45 minutes of stress and more abdominal pain, the doctor came in and said, “I talked to the oncologist and…” The oncologist?! I immediately stopped listening for the next ten seconds. How was this even real? He gently informed us that I had a massive tumor that definitely wasn’t supposed to be living inside me. It was taking up nearly all of the right side of my abdominal cavity. We both stared at the screen as he pointed out the reasons for all my symptoms: the tumor had compressed my bladder basically in half, my shortness of breath was the result of the beast pushing against my lungs. My lower back pain? The gigantic tumor was sitting on my lower vertebrae.

He gave us the name of the very best gynecological oncologist who had recommended we get the tumor out as soon as possible. I agreed. We left the office holding hands and silently absorbing everything we had just been told. How will we tell our families? Would I get fired? Will I make it to Christmas? Will Bella remember me if I die? Who will Jack’s new wife be? All highly important questions. Obviously.

The very next night, I was doubled over and crying like I’ve never cried before. We rushed to the emergency room and they gave me pain killers to make it through the night. I pride myself on my pain tolerance and yet, this was unbelievable. There was nothing to be done except whisper constant prayers and stay as still as possible. The next morning (Wednesday) I was flat on my back. The oncologist had scheduled me for surgery on Monday and I was supposed to be taking it easy while awaiting my surgery. Where did we end up that night? Back in the ER! #lucky. We had driven up to LDS Hospital in case I was able to see the doctor. We ended up spending the night and the doctor agreed to do my surgery the next day.

On Thursday afternoon, the doctor came in to discuss the surgery. He warned me that if he saw anything suspicious, I should be prepared for a hysterectomy and the removal of one or both ovaries. I was inconsolable for several minutes as I internalized what that meant. How was this happening? Why now? The last thing I remember saying to the resident was, “Please take a picture of it!”

When I woke up from surgery (14 pounds lighter! Take that diet + exercise), I started yelling and thrashing. The pain coming from my abdomen was the worst thing ever. And I thought it couldn’t get any worse! The nurse rushed over and loosened the abdominal binder and gave me a pain killer. Um, by the way…major shout out to drugs and nurses. I can’t even begin to imagine that experience without them.

The next two and a half months were hard. Like really, really hard. Walking was next to impossible and part of my incision didn’t heal. Awesome, huh? Although every single day was a major battle, I realized every minute that I have the best people in my life. I’ve never been more grateful for my family, friends and my incredible husband. This experience is far from over, but I’m grateful for the progress I’ve made and that I no longer have a 14 pound tumor living inside me. Gross.

Stay tuned and keep in touch! My bed-ridden self is the most overjoyed when I get uplifting texts, links to cat videos or emails of my favorite things. And if you’d like to see videos of me on hospital drugs, come visit. I apparently entertained a great many patients and hospital staff with a hobbling, semi-conscious version of the Whip/Nae Nae. #GoMe


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About Us

We love each other and we insist upon adventure. We long for London, enjoy Disneyland and have fun exploring new places. Welcome! We can't wait to get to know you.

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