One Hard Week at the Whitesides

Since this is the news-good and bad- of the Whitesides fam, I wanted to tell of a hard experience this past week.  I found a lump in my breast and  it was removed last friday.  I found out on this past monday that it was cancerous.  It was a small lump-1.2mm or 1/2 in. The reports also show that it has estrogen hormone receptors.  The size of the lump and that is has estrogen receptors are good news and all that I know for now.  I will know more next week after surgery to either remove more of the lump area and some lymph nodes or a mastectomy, it is really up to me which I chose.  If I go with a lumpectomy then I have an automatic 6 weeks of radiation if I have a mastectomy then no radiation.  I will only have Chemo if it has metastasized. As you can imagine the first couple of days were extremely hard, but now I am optimistic and feeling good. I don't have any pain and have good energy. I have learned that cancer is not an event it is a process and all I can do is deal with what I know now and put the rest in the Lord's hands. I have seen his His hands working miracles already, for example, I found the lump, and as far as I know there is no others.  If the lump would have been anywhere else, like any place deeper, then I may not have found it becuase the recommended age for mammograms is 40+.  If I would have waited 5-10 more years to find the lump I think I would be in a lot bigger trouble.  I am grateful for Mike's job which allows him to be very helpful and supportive with hours off in the middle of the day to come home and help when I need it.  Before I knew about all of this I started babysitting a little boy which will help to cover some of the cost of medical treatment.  I know that the Lord knows us and loves us, He is mindful of our needs and wants.  I have felt him near me throughout my life and I know this will be no different.  I would love for you to include my family and myself in your prayers and even your fast this next sunday.  I am praying for a full recovery, and what direction on what surgical path to take.  I know this sounds kinda silly but I am looking forward to the strength and unity that this will bring my family and the strengthening of our testimonies.  If it helps strengthen any of these areas for my family, then whatever I go through is well with it. 

The Mike and the kids are doing well.  Mike and I didn't like leaving each other's sides for a couple of days, but we are feeling more optimistic now, but still not going too far away.  The kids are doing great they are our joy and strength in times like these.   

I will keep you informed as much as I know.  I am really sorry to worry anybody.  We love you all and feel your love from a distance.   

Jeni and Family

Monday NRD Skiing

Yesturday was National Rights Day and the kids had no school, so our family thought we could give the best thought to equal rights by going skiing :) It was a totally amazing day, the temperatures were 45-50 degrees! We were skiing without our coats on the top of the mountain! Here is a summary of a great time: Cami's skied for the first time! She had a smile on her face the whole time! I wish I had a picture- next time for sure. She felt so big, and had so many stories to tell us of her trip down the mountian. Cami even got to go on the ski lift with the big kids, she was in heaven. Nathan took a pretty nasty spill and Brittany can get on and off the lift all by her self. Brittany has now been on the big people ski lift , Dreamcatcher, 6 times (but Brittany isn't counting) and almost beats everybody down the mountain. she is an amazing skier. Kayla is the beautiful pro-skier in our family, she makes it look so easy, and well Mom is still working on the making it down the hill without her legs feeling like rubber from "pizza-ing" all the way down the hill. It was nice to get outside in the SUNSHINE and see the absolutly beautiful world we live in.

Kayla's Young Women Recognition Award

Kayla was very excited to received her Young Women Recognition award today at church. This is a program set up through our church that the young women ages 12-18 can earn. Kayla had to accomplish goals and projects in each area of faith, divine nature, individual worth, knowledge, choice and accountability, good works and integrity. This takes a lot of time and is equivalent to an eagle scout for boys. Today was her special day, Dad bought her flowers and we made her favorite dinner-chicken alfredo, and peanut butter brownies. We are very excited for her and excited to see the wonderful young women she is becoming, she is amazing! We love you Kayla!

Christmas Turned New Year Letter

Intro: This is our Christmas turned New Year letter. I took a Statistics class up on campus this past sememster and it took every bit of extra time I had up until December 12th. What this meant for our family is that anything Christmas waited until 2 weeks before Christmas-UGH!Our Christmas letter unfortunately got put as last priority and did not get out until after Christmas. But atleast it got out.....

2008: The Whitesides Year of Many Firsts...

Kayla (13) started Junior High this year. She also started taking piano from a professional piano teacher. It is fun to see her develop her piano skills. Kayla started learning ballroom dance and loves it. She loves playing with her younger siblings and wearing her “feet jammies.” She loves to wrestle with Dad and is now a significant challenge for him. She almost got straight A’s this past trimester; something she worked hard to achieve.

Nathan (9) started swim team this year and still loves soccer and skiing. He is the first one to cheer when it snows which means much rejoicing lately. Nathan and Mom went on their first mom-and-me camp-out this summer. We had lots of fun kayaking and eating over the fire. Nathan loves life; he is one to always look at the bright side of life and thinks that “if your not having fun then its your own fault.” Nathan is playing piano and sang “Believe” for our families Christmas CD.

Brittany (6) started Kindergarten this year and always comes home with a smile. She learned how to ride a two-wheel bike this year and found that a sucker dipped in chocolate fondue tastes pretty good. She learned how to ski this past season and giggled all the way down the mountain. Brittany started taking piano lessons from Kayla and loves to play jingle bells.

Cami (3) is always doing something new whether it is trying out new recipes with random ingredients or seeing if my cell phone can be cooked in the microwave. She cut her own hair 5 times! (I promise I put the scissors up!) Cami loves helping Mom cook and playing princesses with her friends and sisters and of course anything pink.

Emily (1) is a so fun to have around, a complete joy. She has us all wrapped around her finger. It is amazing how well she keeps up with all her siblings. She has the cutest smiles and giggles. It is fun to see the personality of this little person develop. Emily is our smallest baby by far she only weighs 19 lbs! Emily is our little “monkey” because she is so light- weight and is always crawling and climbing.

Mike is enjoying working with the students on campus at BYU-I. He also qualified for triathlon national championships in his age group this summer. We had a great time meeting many of our family members in Portland and cheering Dad on. Mike is teaching Gospel Doctrine (the adult Sunday school class) at church. He is really enjoying learning and teaching about the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Jeni went back to school this past semester, starting with a challenging but fun statistics class (this is why our letter turned from a Christmas to a New Year letter). Jeni also ran her first half-marathon (13.1 miles) this summer on behalf of Hope Arising, a non-profit organization that is building water lines for people in Ethiopia. The Mesa Falls Half was beautiful for the first 4 miles, then the hills started and they didn’t stop! Next year Jeni is thinking that a “flat half” sounds really nice.

As a family we had many “firsts”. We purchased a family season ski pass at our local ski resort. Skiing really helped us to embrace the cold weather a little more. We got to have almost the whole Whitesides family spend a fun weekend with us skiing before Justin and Jenni went to Poland to teach English (we miss you!). We were able to attend the dedication of the new Rexburg, ID temple for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. After the winter thaw we held our first Whitesides family triathlon. We were brave this summer and went camping for a whole week at beautiful Jenny Lake,WY and Yellowstone. We feel blessed to have been able to visit with family a lot this year and to have Paul, mike’s dad, living close.

We are so blessed to have you as part of our lives. We are grateful for the person this holiday season centers around. What wonderful gifts our Savior brings to our lives. We truly hope you have a wonderful Christmas season and a joyful year to come.


With Love,
Mike, Jeni, Kayla, Nathan, Brittany, Cambria, and Emily