The "Adam Bombs" - Blowin' Up Cancer!

Dear Friends, Family, & All of our Loyal Blog Readers ....

As most of you know, the end of 2009 was a difficult time for us when finding out that Adam was diagnosed with Thyroid cancer. In a time span of just a month and a half, Adam underwent surgery to have his thyroid removed, started radiation treatment, and had a body scan that showed the results of Cancer Free! It was an emotionally and physically exhausting time, but now the days ahead are looking brighter. Adam will have to go back into the endocrinologist every 6 months for a scan in order to monitor the remaining tissue in hopes that the cancer does not return.

This year, we have decided to form a Team for the Relay For Life of Henderson & VanZandt Counties in honor of Adam. Our team name is The Adam Bombs – “Blowin’ Up Cancer!” We will walk for Adam as a cancer survivor, but we will also walk in honor of my grandfather who has had cancer, Charles Zorn, and Adam’s grandfather, Charles Dickey, who is battling cancer right now. Our team will have different fundraisers leading up to the Event in order to raise money for the fight against cancer this year.

For those of you who are not familiar with Relay, please let me explain why it is such a special event. Relay starts with a Survivor Lap – an inspirational time when survivors are invited to circle the track together and help everyone celebrate the victories we’ve achieved over cancer. After dark, we honor people who have been touched by cancer and remember loved ones lost to the disease during the Luminaria Ceremony. Candles are lit inside bags filled with sand, each one bearing the name of a person touched by cancer. Participants often walk a lap in silence. Last, there is a Fight Back Ceremony, where we make a personal commitment to save lives by taking up the fight against cancer. That personal commitment may be to do something as simple as getting a screening test, quitting smoking, or talking to elected officials about cancer.

If you would like to donate to the American Cancer Society through the The Adam Bombs Team this year, please feel free to do so. Even a small gift of $5 would make such a huge difference in the lives of those who will have to face what we have just been through.

Any donation will be greatly appreciated. You can make checks out to the American Cancer Society and mail them to our office:

Attn: Theresa Bluhm
American Cancer Society
1301 S. Broadway
Tyler, TX 75701

Thanks & Love to all,

(Let it be a Sweet Sound.)

The two words that we heard yesterday are ringing in my ears, still today.

Cancer Free.

Oh give thanks to the Lord; call upon his name;
make known his deeds among the peoples!
Sing to him, sing praises to him;
tell of all his wondrous works! - Psalm 105:1-2

Beneath It All

Physical strength is measured by what we can carry; spiritual by what we can bear.
~Author Unknown

Treatment: Day 9

It still seems so surreal to me.

That we are here. That Adam is having to go through this.

We haven't heard back about the body scan yet. I knew that we would not hear anything before the Holiday, so we are expecting the news either tomorrow or the next day. I think I have prepared myself so much now, for the news that he is cancer free, that I almost can't imagine how it will feel if that is not the case. I don't want him to have to go through another treatment. I don't want him to have to miss Christmas with his family, or the birth of our new "nephew", Brady Kyle Vann, in December. I'm ready to know that he is healthy again.

It is kind of ironic. Although we really haven't gotten to spend a lot of time "together" during this treatment, we really have. Just me and Adam. The rest of the world has just kind of faded away. It has been really nice. It is definitely something positive that I can take from all of this.
Beneath all of the anxiety, fear and heartache, our love has persevered.

On Friday night we watched our wedding video for the first time in about a year. It was so great to go back and see how we felt on that day, and then realize how much stronger that feeling has gotten. My favorite part is when we read our written vows to each other. And it was just so nice to remember, that through all of this, we have each other.
In sickness and in health.

Here are the words that Adam and I wrote for each other on our wedding day, I thought that I would share them with all of you who could not make it to our beautiful ceremony, and have highlighted the words that I find appropriate for this hard time in our lives:

Adam's Vows -

I Adam, choose you Theresa as my best friend, my love for life.
I glorify and thank my God for you Theresa: for the beauty of your devotion to the Lord and your servant heart. I know that you are a gift from Him.
Today I rise to the challenge of being the spiritual leader of our home. I take the responsibility to be accountable to God for the direction of our walk together with Him. As our lives are woven together like the strands of a chord, he will be the unseen strand that holds us together. It is my prayer, as our hearts are drawn closer to Him through the years, that we in turn will draw closer to each other.
I will always love you, be committed to you, and support you.
Through the pressures of the present and the uncertainties of the future, I will be faithful to you.
I will give you my deepest love, my fullest devotion, my tenderest care. I will respect your unique talents and abilities, and will lend you strength for all of your dreams.
I will be here for ever and always. From this day forward, you will not walk alone. My heart will be your shelter and my arms will be your home. As I have given you my hand to hold, I give you my life to keep.
These things I give to you today and all the days of our lives.

My Vows-

I Theresa, choose you Adam to be my husband, my partner in life, and my one true love.

I could not be more proud of who you are and the man that I know you will become.
Every single ounce of pain that I have ever felt in my life,... you are worth every bit of it. I will try my very best to help bring you closer to Christ, I already see so much of Him in you. I will try every day to be the Christian woman that you so greatly deserve, and to be worthy of your precious heart.I will always be honest with you, kind, patient, and forgiving.

I will help ease any of our challenges, but through them I know that we will only grow stronger. I came to this place today, as a woman standing alone. And I will leave from it by your side. And that is where I will stay for the rest of my life.

I will encourage and inspire you. Laugh with you, and comfort you in times of sorrow and struggle. I will love you when our love is simple and when it is an effort. From this day forward, I will always be faithful to you, respect you, and cherish you.

I will trust you with my very life and will always hold you in the highest regard.

These things I give to you today and all the days of our lives.

I'm sorry for so many sappy posts in a row, really I am. I would say that I don't know what's gotten into me lately, but that would be a lie. Sometimes in life, you get dealt a hand that you really never expected or wanted. And all of the disappointment starts to set in. But then, because of this mountain that you now have to climb, you see everything differently. All of the struggle feels like a blessing. And all you can see anymore is how great your love is.

Record breaking love.

And sometimes, that's all you've ever wanted.

"I am no one special. Just a common man with common thoughts. I've led a common life. There are no monuments dedicated to me and my name will soon be forgotten, but in one respect I've succeeded as gloriously as anyone who ever lived. I've loved another with all my heart and soul and for me that has always been enough."

Before The Breaking Of The Human Heart...

Today I was thinking about how it must have been in the garden of Eden.
When everything was pure and innocent.
When it was just Adam and Eve and the presence of God.
Before there was any pain, sickness, sorrow, or death.

{In other words, before Adam and Eve had to go and mess things up for the rest of us.}
buncha jerks.

No, but seriously, it must have been amazing.

Treatment : Day 3

Things are looking up. Adam finally got to get off of his boring and bland no iodine diet today. He was so excited. The first thing I did when we found out was head up to the grocery store and buy him every delicious thing that I laid eyes on. My list included stuffed crust pizza, macaroni and cheese, french fries, chocolate chip cookies, and ice cream. Alan, his brother, said that I should have just put everything on top of the pizza and called it a day.

Tomorrow is the full body scan. We are both pretty certain that we will not be able to have the results of what that shows, tomorrow. It might take a few days or even a week. But if it takes a week to tell us that Adam is cancer free, then it is worth the wait. We go in to the hospital at 7 in the morning, so if you are up and having some quiet time, or saying your prayers for the morning, please remember us. We are hopeful.

Adam still hasn't had any side effects from the treatment. He is so fortunate. Besides having a sugar rush from constantly sucking on lemonheads, {and now from cookies and icecream} he is good to go. Today was a doozie for me, however. I call the doctor today to ask - "just how are we going to do this tomorrow? Since Adam can't be near people, but we have to come to the hospital?" And as this conversation progressed, I was made aware that we had received a set of instructions in the mail prior to the treatment on Friday that my sweet, stressed husband forgot to read. Oops. Guess as the sidekick I should have read them. So we realize that I have to go pick up a prescription at Wal-Mart that he has to start taking in the morning. So I run to the pharmacy to quickly pick this up. No problem, right?

So there I am, an hour and a half later, standing at the pharmacy window as the ladies behind the counter figure out why Adam's insurance doesn't have March 3, 1981 as his birthday, was I 'wrong about that???', {come on ladies, I think I know my husbands birthday} and if they have enough of the medicine to fill my prescription. After the wait, and I get the medicine, they proceed to tell me that they only have 6 out of the 60 pills that we need. And I will have to come back tomorrow for the rest. By this time I'm all frazzled and belligerent, and I get everything I'm purchasing and head to my car. The car by which I decide to slam my thumb into as I'm shutting the trunk. Seriously. Just give me some of the radioactive stuff. I need people to stay away from me for their own safety.

Oh and a breakthrough today! We discovered that if I sit on the side closest to the door in our living room, and Adam sits up against the fireplace, we can be in the same room at the same time.
Ahhh...
Bliss.
Yesterday he said the cutest thing.
"Baby, when I get all better, I'm gonna hold you and kiss you for 3 days straight."

No, I'm not testing your gag reflexes.
He said it. And it was adorable.
And it sounds like paradise to me...

Eat your heart out Adam and Eve.

3 days down. 4 to go.

Treatment : Day 2

Adam is still hanging in there and still very strong. The only side effect that he is experiencing even a little bit is some soreness in his salivary glands so he is continuously sucking on lemons or sour candy. Other than that, he is doing really good. 2 days down and 5 more to go when it comes to not being able to hug him.

5 days. That shouldn't be so tough, right?

5 Days
that
feel
like
an
eternity!!!

I think if I was on a trip and in a different city or something, it wouldn't be so bad. But because he is right here with me and I can hear his voice and see him, but still can't hug him... that's hard.

But we will survive. That is the important thing....
He will get through this.

Today was Sunday. So Adam did not get to come with me to church services today. He hated to miss it, but is so glad that he is not feeling any sickness or too much soreness.

Oh. And he hasn't lost his taste. So far, so good.
["Keep bringing on the steak and potatoes!"] -
{ followed by a deep and manly Tim Taylor grunt}

also:

we ♥ our Church Congregation SO MUCH.
Words can not even begin to express our appreciation and gratitude for all that they have done for us. They care about us like family. I know that is the way that congregations are suppose to be, and it is so good to experience that. I'm telling you, there is going to be an EXTRA SPECIAL place in Heaven for those people. You know, somewhere between my Papaw, and Tisha Young, and Candy Landis ...somewhere in there. ;)

As for me, I am off all this next week so I am excited for a little break.

Thanksgiving has a whole new meaning to me this year.

And our God is so good.

Treatment : Day 1

So far the radiation treatment hasn't shown any side effects for Adam. (Lets hope it stays that way!) We were instructed by the doctors to stay at least 5 feet away from each other at all times which means I can still be in the same house with him, but never in the same room. It is so cute that I have had friends and family suggest that I just wear a mask, but radiation can even travel through walls, apparently.

It is a good thing that I can be here with him because he was also instructed to not ever set foot in the kitchen. The radioactivity might contaminate all of our food. Our dining room is right there open to our kitchen, so he can't go in there either. So I am having to set his meals outside the door of the guest bedroom, back away, and then he opens the door and gets them. It is really rather sad. It is like he is a prisoner in his own home. [except for the fact that he is still getting steak and baked potatoes ;)] I have already started missing him and he is just a wall away. It is so funny, though, to listen to us trying to communicate with each other. Last night, I had pots on the stove boiling, the washing machine going, and the dishwasher running and we were trying to yell over everything to talk to each other. I think that as long as he is feeling good, I am going to try and get out of the house as much as I can between meal times just to be safe and get some fresh air.

There is definitely a Bright Side to this treatment, obviously, that it might already get rid of all of the remaining cancer before we go in for the full body scan on the 24th. That would be the greatest gift that we could receive over the Holidays. That my husband is cancer free.

It also has a couple of not-so-bright-sides, though, like the fact that Adam could lose his ability to taste anything at all, he will have to miss Thanksgiving with everyone this year, and the fact that we can not try to have a baby for at least a year after the final treatment. I think we can live with all of them, I mean, Christmas is right around the corner and he will get to spend time with everyone, and we weren't in any hurry to start a family anyway, we are still kinda liking our "newlywed phase", so it really isn't that big of a deal.... well... except if Adam loses his taste. He has already told me that would be the "worst thing ever".
{Kinda like pickle juice in your eye}

So, so far treatment has been alright for Adam. We really just miss being able to be close to each other and do things together. I also know that he is going to get so sick of staying cooped up in the house for 7-11 days. He can not be anywhere around his cell phone, [so if you have tried to call, he is not ignoring you..]and I also wanted to let anyone know who has sent us a card, we are working on getting those Thank You letters out! We have not forgotten you. It is just that Adam has gotten around 250 cards since this whole thing has started.

All in all, Adam is doing great so far. I am so proud of him! We are determined to be strong and keep pressing forward, waiting to hear those words next week....

Cancer Free.

Time Is All I Own...

So now we have to play the waiting game.

We went in to talk to the Endocrinologist today about Adam's full body scan and see if his cancer has spread to any organs. But he is not going to be able to do that scan, until he has been off of his temporary thyroid medication for at least 14 days. After those 14 days, that is when he will start his first dose of radiation treatment.It sounds like life might be really hard for him and a little bit hard for me too during this time. The treatment might make him sick, and it might also leak from his body, so he will have to watch where he sits, sleeps, take multiple showers a day, and so much more. They already have him on a no-iodine diet so that he can "starve his body of iodine" before the treatment. According to the doctor's handy dandy list that she gave us of things Adam CAN eat, there were pretty much 3 things. Poor Guy.

Also, during that time, he will be radioactive, so we will not be able to be within 3 feet of each other.

Seriously?... You're killing me Doc.

We won't be able to sleep in the same bed, kiss each other goodnight, or even hug. I'm really not sure how we are going to manage that. [refer to exhibit A. below]

Then after the first dose of treatment, we will do more blood tests and THEN the full body scan. And so we just hurry up and wait.

We also read that men taking radioactive iodine treatment might have problems with fertility later in life. So now, we are weighing our options about that and seeing if we want to take precautions so that we will have no problems getting pregnant when we are ready to start a family. Has anyone else ever experienced that before? I was wondering how expensive it is and what the "banking" process is like. So any feedback on it is welcome.

On a brighter note :

Adam is getting more fan mail than Hannah Montana.

I'm just sayin.

It really makes me happy, though, to know that so many people think the world of my husband. The picture that you see above is mail that we got out of the mailbox for 2 days. Imagine the pile we have here for the entire week. It's crazy.

And our friend Katlynn sent us these beautiful flowers when Adam got home from the hospital. It was incredibly thoughtful of her. Thank you, Katlynn.

A family from our church congregation made this sweet homemade card for Adam. The great art work is by an 8 year old boy named Jaden. Despite the size of that scary needle ... this card was very comforting! :) Thanks guys!

Again, thank you to EVERYONE who has emailed, called, texted, sent cards, and came by to see us. All we can do now is keep our heads up and wait for what is next.

I am so glad that Patience is a virtue, because we are about to get to test ours.

"Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us."

-Romans 5:3-5

Emanuel: God is with us.

Words can not express how proud I am of my husband.

Yesterday, our preacher and friend, Tye Power, came to our house to visit Adam. After talking and praying with Adam for a while, he left and wrote this on his facebook status:

"Visited Adam Bluhm just now. He is full of faith."

I've always hoped that if there was one thing that people could say to describe the man I marry, that it would be a statement like that.

Full of faith.

His strength amazes me. Through all of this, he sees the cancer as a way to grow closer to God and to me. He has more than just optimism, he has a Hope that endures and endures.

He might not realize it, but he is helping to strengthen my faith as well. I used to think that things didn't happen for a reason. That life was just one big game and whether you win or lose is all up to the decisions that you make. But this year I have changed my mind. I believe that people are placed in your life for a reason. That when you bomb a job interview and still get the position, that you get that position for a reason. And that when trials and hard times come into your life, you are given a blessing. You are given a chance to grow closer to God and to each other. And I used to think that I couldn't adore my husband any more than I do. But that was before I watched him go through one of the hardest things that you can face in life, and only grow more faithful.

Yep, everything happens for a reason.

I don't remember the exact date, but I do remember that it was a Sunday night. Somewhere between 9 and 10pm. I pulled my car into the carport of my house in Athens and turned my engine off. I remember praying that night and telling God that whatever he chose for my future was well with my soul. And I remember for once, not just saying it but truly meaning it, that if I never got married, I would be ok with it. [Yep, I was only 24 acting like I was 60 or something and had no chance of ever getting married, ...I'm so dramatic sometimes.] :)

But either way, I was ready to spend my life alone if I had to.

Just a few days later I remember getting a message from him on my social networking site. I had put a quote on there from a song that I love, and apparently, he was singing that song in his head and was at that exact part in the song when he opened my web page, and read the quote.

Serendipity.

This caused him to write me a message and let me know that this had happened even though we barely knew each other. From there, we hit it off. And today?
Well, I love him more than I ever believed I could.

And we are going through this together. And our hope endures.

... And God is with us.

(He heals the broken hearted, binding up their wounds.)

Life can change in the blink of an eye.

This week Adam went in for his surgery. We found out that he has thyroid cancer called papillary carcinoma and that it had spread to at least 7 of his 14 lymph nodes. We have to continue going in for further testing to see if it has spread to any of his other main organs like his brain or lungs, or gotten in his blood stream. Just 2 weeks ago I was sitting in Dallas for our Relay For Life Summit listening to people tell their stories of loved ones with cancer. I remember specifically thinking - " I wonder if one day I will have to be one of these people that tells a 'cancer story' of a family member." Little did I know that I would already have to tell 'that story' just 2 weeks later.

This is Adam before the surgery.

He was making me laugh a lot. Especially that morning at around 5am when he slid into the bedroom of our house from the bathroom with my purple hardhat on (it's a Relay thing), and stuck out his fist like a warrior saying - "Remember! Fight Back!! ... uh.... Remember!"

I guess he didn't "remember" what the other word was.
It's Celebrate.

And celebrate we will, when this is all over.

This is my sweet husband after the surgery.

It is so hard standing aside watching the person that you love go through something so scary and be in so much pain. You wish that you were the one who was going through all of it, you wish that you could somehow take their pain for them. I hate that feeling. He did so good though. He was so strong.

My Mom, Dad, Aunt, and Brother were all there for the surgery. Ten or twelve other friends from our church congregation were also there, cheering him on. We all did a lot of praying and waiting. Adam and I both had numerous co-workers and friends come. For all of you that did show up, we are so very thankful. Times like this in life really allow you to see just how much people care. We are very, very loved.

Adam is very loved.

"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God." - 2 Corinthians 1:3-4

I will keep you all updated when we know something more.

I open my lungs...

...to breathe in forgiveness & love.

Tomorrow will be an emotional day for me.

At 8:30am Adam will be taken to surgery and I will be in the waiting room with so much support, and so many people that love us.

Because of all of the amazing people that I have in my life, I wanted to take this opportunity to tell you about them. From the very moment that we announced that Adam had a mass in his neck and would have to have surgery, we have had nothing but constant love shown to us.
Love that I truly can not describe.

We have been given a drawing from a 6 and a 3 year old, and a note from them that said - "get better Adam". Those kinds of things are irreplaceable. It went on our refrigerator immediately.

We have been given a homemade book of encouragement with Bible verses, poems, and pictures from a sweet lady from our church congregation. On the front is a picture of sheep and the title says- "Ewe" are Loved.

I have had a friend that I haven't seen in years, offer to get me a massage because she knew how much stress I have been under lately. It really gives me hope that people who are considerate and kind are still out there. They are my friends. I really am blessed.

We have had more cards, phone calls, facebook messages, and texts than I ever expected. We have people praying for us across the state.

We have a preacher that took the time to read scripture with us, and pray with us, and even got emotional doing so. We were so moved with the fact that he has such a loving heart that cares so much for us and our well being. And his wife is coming to wait with me in the hospital tomorrow. She has been so uplifting and comforting through all of this. We love them both so much.

And we have tons of people, and I mean tons that plan on being at the hospital for Adam tomorrow. My parents, Aunt, and brother all took off of work to make sure that they get there before Adam goes in for surgery so that they can give him a hug and some words of encouragement to help him relax. We have friends from our congregation coming, friends of mine from work want to bring me lunch, friends from Athens that we haven't seen in a while and so many more people that told us that they wish they could be there, but just could not get away.


Everyone who has taken the time to call Adam just to say - "Hey, you are in my prayers, and I love you." Everyone who has written on his facebook and everyone who has written on my blog.

You ALL mean the world to us.

As time goes on and our memories fade, we will forget the presents that we were given on Holidays, the scores of games that we played, the funny things that the pets did that made us laugh, but we will never ever forget the love that was shown to us in times of need.

From the bottom of my heart,

Thank you.