Maxwell 58: What Will Anna Do? Plus Anna Marie Gives Birth

[Giraffe]

31 minutes ago, Bethy said:

I looked back on the blog posts and I can't find one where she says the specific type she has. There is a post from July 2020 (shortly after her return home from chemo on the west coast) where she mentions anti-HER2 therapy and the fact that she would be in a HER2 blocker through April of 2022. Mercifully I don't know enough about cancer to know whether this makes pregnancy particularly dangerous for her. 

In another post, while she was still receiving chemo on the west coast, she mentions having a brain MRI to establish a baseline because, while her type of cancer was regarded as "easily treatable" and less likely to return as breast cancer, it was more likely than some types to emerge elsewhere - such as in the brain. 

So someone who is at considerably higher risk of metastasizing to the brain is pro-life by continuing to attempt pregnancy because...Jesus? FFS, I just can't with this today!

[Xan]

52 minutes ago, Bethy said:

I looked back on the blog posts and I can't find one where she says the specific type she has. There is a post from July 2020 (shortly after her return home from chemo on the west coast) where she mentions anti-HER2 therapy and the fact that she would be in a HER2 blocker through April of 2022. Mercifully I don't know enough about cancer to know whether this makes pregnancy particularly dangerous for her. 

HER2-positive breast cancer is a breast cancer that tests positive for a protein called human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2).  It's more aggressive but there are a lot of treatments for it now.  Survival rates partly depend on whether it was caught before it spread.  And we don't know if she is estrogen or progesterone positive.   (I'm Her2+. ER+, and PR+.)

[Bethy]

39 minutes ago, Xan said:

HER2-positive breast cancer is a breast cancer that tests positive for a protein called human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2).  It's more aggressive but there are a lot of treatments for it now.  Survival rates partly depend on whether it was caught before it spread.  And we don't know if she is estrogen or progesterone positive.   (I'm Her2+. ER+, and PR+.)

She was kind of vague on whether it had spread. I know it was Stage 2A but she said the surgeon had taken some lymph nodes to test, and it seemed like it was "on the verge" of spreading to the lymph nodes but had not actually done so, and also they had clean margins, but they were small, in the lumpectomy itself, because of the tumor's proximity to the chest wall.

It really doesn't sound like a chance I'd want to take. Like, if Chelsy decided to chance a pregnancy because she always wanted a big family and she only has three, that would make more sense. NR-Anna already had six. I can't understand the logic behind risking one's life to have...more than six.

[Ozlsn]

8 hours ago, Bethy said:

It really doesn't sound like a chance I'd want to take. Like, if Chelsy decided to chance a pregnancy because she always wanted a big family and she only has three, that would make more sense. NR-Anna already had six. I can't understand the logic behind risking one's life to have...more than six.

A friend of mine was diagnosed with cancer at 26 weeks pregnant. Fortunately she was able to get to term, they did surgery, radiation, chemo. About 2 years later she announced she was pregnant again. Completely planned, they'd always wanted x number of children and this would bring that number to x. To say I was gobsmacked is an understatement. My first thought (not spoken) was "you know it's OK to change plans when circumstances do, right?" At that stage the time frame they were giving was that she would be unlikely to see this baby graduate high school - not sure if that prognosis is still the same. At this point she's doing well, but the after-effects of the tumour and treatment have been chronically disabling due to tumour location. I still wonder how much of it was whistling in the dark to stay brave in the face of fate.

[Brittany15]

For Anna, I don’t think too much of it is actually trying to have a baby. It’s more of the fact that she is out of the woods so to speak so any birth control (or simply abstaining) they were doing is not “allowed” anymore. It’s business as usual and leaving getting pregnant or not up to the lord. I don’t think they were “trying” to get pregnant, but ya know its gunna happen if you don’t prevent it 

[SPHASH]

Happy Halloween Steve!  And Happy Birthday Anna at college!

[Wolf in Sheeples’ Clothing]

16 hours ago, Ozlsn said:

A friend of mine was diagnosed with cancer at 26 weeks pregnant. Fortunately she was able to get to term, they did surgery, radiation, chemo. About 2 years later she announced she was pregnant again. Completely planned, they'd always wanted x number of children and this would bring that number to x. To say I was gobsmacked is an understatement. My first thought (not spoken) was "you know it's OK to change plans when circumstances do, right?" At that stage the time frame they were giving was that she would be unlikely to see this baby graduate high school - not sure if that prognosis is still the same. At this point she's doing well, but the after-effects of the tumour and treatment have been chronically disabling due to tumour location. I still wonder how much of it was whistling in the dark to stay brave in the face of fate.

Wait… So your friend deliberately got pregnant when she knew her cancer was back/going to come back/terminal?

[Red Hair, Black Dress]

Anna (at college) has a Halloween birthday?  Wow that must seriously chap Stevie boy's lips.

I hope that ABC has some clean Fall Festival/ Halloween fun, like bobbing for apples or something equally wholesome.. I also hope there is candy involved.

But mostly I really really really hope Anna's friends made a big huge deal about her birthday -- maybe an orange flavor cake with chocolate icing and singing Happy Birthday to her. and fun little silly presents.

[Ozlsn]

10 hours ago, Wolf in Sheeples’ Clothing said:

Wait… So your friend deliberately got pregnant when she knew her cancer was back/going to come back/terminal?

Not exactly. They knew not all of it could be removed due to location, and that it would likely continue to grow slowly. Which is no guarantee that it won't metastasise obviously, or mutate in such a way that things change. Everything was very uncertain at the time, but the doctors were saying she would very likely have another at least 15 years. She was assured by the doctors that it was unlikely that the pregnancy hormones would affect that kind of tumour.

It's still not the choice I would likely have made to be honest, assurances or not. She had 3 children, who at the time the youngest was born ranged from toddler to early primary school. Her youngest is lovely, and things worked out well so far, but I would most likely have changed plans (had already had to for other reasons actually).  I do get the need to defy fate and create life though, even though I wouldn't have myself.

I am hopeful that some of the newer therapies may be an option for her type of cancer, and will at least help her with some of the symptoms. 

[BeautifulSquirrelhood]

21 hours ago, SPHASH said:

Happy Halloween Steve!  And Happy Birthday Anna at college!

I know Maxwell birthdays were notoriously un-fun, one animal cracker per person type affairs, but I always feel so bad for kids that are denied Halloween in places where it’s celebrated widely, and I hope that having a birthday/sibling birthday/aunt birthday to celebrate on that day growing up made it a little less sad for the kids in the family growing up. And I hope Mary had an extra fun birthday this year.

[JermajestyDuggar]

I feel bad for kids not allowed to celebrate Halloween if they live in a neighborhood big in truck or treat. If a fundie family lives in the country, it won’t matter. But the Maxwells seem to live in a family oriented neighborhood. I bet there weee plenty of kids going around the neighborhood trick or treating. Did the max kids look out the window and get scared they might go to hell for wishing they could go with those kids? Or were they not even allowed to look out the window at all the wickedness? 

[Brittany15]

If I recall the maxwells halloween story is that when Nate was young they decided they did not want to do trick or treating. They decided instead he could pass out tracts and candy to other kids. But he was terrified of the kids in costumes. They didn’t hand out things again. They were very happy when Anna was born on Halloween so they could “close the shades and celebrate her birthday” instead. 
 

[JermajestyDuggar]

22 minutes ago, Brittany15 said:

If I recall the maxwells halloween story is that when Nate was young they decided they did not want to do trick or treating. They decided instead he could pass out tracts and candy to other kids. But he was terrified of the kids in costumes. They didn’t hand out things again. They were very happy when Anna was born on Halloween so they could “close the shades and celebrate her birthday” instead. 
 

I really really hope Sarah did at least Trunk or Treat for Halloween this year. And I hope Anna did something fun at college. 

[JermajestyDuggar]

This is kory and Sarah’s church! I bet Steve hates trunk or treat just as much as trick or treat! Lol.

[Maggie Mae]

15 hours ago, JermajestyDuggar said:

But the Maxwells seem to live in a family oriented neighborhood. I bet there weee plenty of kids going around the neighborhood trick or treating. 

Trick or Treating has changed a lot over the years. If I remember correctly, the neighborhood the mothership is in doesn't have sidewalks. Families in those situations- long driveways, huge front lawns, no sidewalks, tend to not get a lot of Trick or Treaters. Families either do the mall or trunk or treat, or they take their kids to more densely populated but wealthier neighborhoods, with sidewalks. 

[SPHASH]

Halloween night I went to the grocery store after work and there were stations set up with employees handing out candy, cookies etc.

[SPHASH]

If anyone wants a good laugh at the Maxwell blog posts regarding Halloween:

https://articles.titus2.com/halloween-2/

https://blog.titus2.com/2016/10/14/works-of-darkness/

https://articles.titus2.com/proving-opportunities/

 

[JermajestyDuggar]

21 minutes ago, SPHASH said:

If anyone wants a good laugh at the Maxwell blog posts regarding Halloween:

https://articles.titus2.com/halloween-2/

https://blog.titus2.com/2016/10/14/works-of-darkness/

https://articles.titus2.com/proving-opportunities/

 

Here’s the thing, they cannot shield their children from scary Halloween no matter how hard they try. Stores are filled with scary decorations. Neighborhoods are filled with scary decorations. Do they not leave their house the entire month of October? Of course not. So even if they aren’t participating in trick or treat, their kids will still be frightened. And isn’t that a good time to reach them that it’s all just make believe? That it’s all fake. That’s what I always did with my kids. Plus I have to say, 90% of the costumes I saw on kids were not scary at all. Kids don’t dress up scary that often. They seem to prefer superheroes, inflatable dinosaurs, Barbies, Disney princesses, Wednesday Addams, cute animals, firefighters, and Minecraft characters. The fact that Nathan was so scared really makes me wonder if Steve and Teri just instilled a constant fear in that poor kid. 

[hoipolloi]

Here Steve, howʻs this for an appropriate alternative celebration?

[Bethy]

1 hour ago, JermajestyDuggar said:

The fact that Nathan was so scared really makes me wonder if Steve and Teri just instilled a constant fear in that poor kid. 

I think they did in all of them. Didn't Sarah have some horrible, traumatic, life-scarring experience at a sleepover? I don't doubt that scary things COULD happen in someone else's home (for now, we are a "family only" sleepover home, so I know there are risks) but I have a feeling that Truth or Dare, clandestine makeup applications, or a few ghost stories would have been plenty to have Sarah running for the hills as a child. I can't find whatever post/article mentioned that, but there is a Dad's Corner from 2011 where he mentions banning all sleepovers for the reversals, to avoid the "bad fruit" that came from the OG Maxkids going to slumber parties.

[JermajestyDuggar]

I’m not against sleepovers in general. My 11 year old just had his first and my 8 year old hasn’t had one yet. I actually don’t think bad things are more likely to happen at sleepovers than play dates. However I do think they will stay up late and that’s a much bigger reason for me to keep them rare. I can’t stand when my kids get no sleep and are monsters the next day. 

[Jana814]

On 11/2/2023 at 8:37 PM, SPHASH said:

Halloween night I went to the grocery store after work and there were stations set up with employees handing out candy, cookies etc.

That’s so nice! 

 

Edited November 6, 2023 by Jana814

[Brittany15]

On 11/3/2023 at 8:11 AM, JermajestyDuggar said:

I’m not against sleepovers in general. My 11 year old just had his first and my 8 year old hasn’t had one yet. I actually don’t think bad things are more likely to happen at sleepovers than play dates. However I do think they will stay up late and that’s a much bigger reason for me to keep them rare. I can’t stand when my kids get no sleep and are monsters the next day. 

I totally agree… I’m not worried sleepovers are going to impact my kids in some horrible way; however, I know for a fact that the will impact the rest of our weekend in a horrible way. 

[JermajestyDuggar]

18 minutes ago, Brittany15 said:

I totally agree… I’m not worried sleepovers are going to impact my kids in some horrible way; however, I know for a fact that the will impact the rest of our weekend in a horrible way. 

I’m amazed my parents let me have so many sleepovers when I was a kid. I often had at least one every weekend at some points in my life. But that’s partly because one of my most common sleepovers was at my cousin’s house who was also one of my best friends. It’s harder to say no to sleepovers when its your parents’ relatives. I was a weird kid though. I didn’t need as much sleep as other kids. I could go to bed at the same time as everyone else but I was still always the first one up. And often at the crack of Dawn. 

[IReallyAmHopewell]

On 10/27/2023 at 3:05 PM, Foursquare said:

I keep hoping that they got some sort of approval from her doctors before they started trying for #7. 

They don't "try." The just don't prevent--ever. I was hoping they were done, but should have known better. This will be their "miracle"

Edited November 7, 2023 by IReallyAmHopewell