I just updated from Angela and Mark's wedding.... go to June 20th for all the good details.

This is my friend Ashley. I'm sure you've heard me talk about her. I have copied
a article about her from the Peoria Journal Star.
_____________________________________



Survivor is 'a walking
miracle'

Morton woman, 25, keeps beating the odds in her 3-year fight with leukemia

June 23, 2004
By HYACYNTH FILIPPI
of the Journal Star

MORTON - Ashley Meyer's doctors joke that she has nine lives.

"They say they just don't know how many of them I've used up," said
25-year-old Meyer, laughing on the phone from M.D. Anderson Medical Center in Houston during her daily blood transfusion.

Meyer has beat the odds more times than her doctors or family can count during her three-year battle with acute mylogenous leukemia. And Saturday, she is going to take the first step in returning to a normal life, as she plans to come home to Morton for the first time in seven months.

It's people like Meyer whom Friday's Relay for Life benefits. It gives them hope.

It's been a rocky road to healing since she was diagnosed with AML in November of 2001, said her sister, 29-year-old Cortney Vlahos.

"At first, doctors kept telling her it was the flu," she said.

After two weeks of not feeling well, Meyer went to the emergency room. While she was there, she hyperventilated, prompting doctors to do blood work. And then the news no one expected came - she had leukemia.

After two months at OSF Saint Francis Medical Center, where she received two rounds of chemotherapy, she went into remission. Then Meyer had the option of either a bone marrow or stem cell transplant. She chose the latter.

"We knew we could always do the bone marrow transplant because I was the perfect match," Vlahos said.

After the stem cell transplant, Meyer's white blood cell counts never recovered. In August 2002, she relapsed. "Then they told us our only hope was a bone marrow transplant," Vlahos said.

Within one day, Ashley Meyer and her parents, Jacqueline and Douglas

Meyer, flew to M.D. Anderson Medical Center in Houston for chemotherapy and a bone marrow transplant. In October, her sister followed.

"I'd do anything for her,"Vlahos said. "You feel so helpless when someone's sick that you love, and it was something I could actually do for her."

And it worked. Meyer went into remission for the second time and returned home.

"2003 was the best year for us," Vlahos said. "She was recovering, she was barrel racing. She got her hair back."

Meyer even returned to work part time at Caterpillar Inc.

While she wishes the story ended there, Vlahos said the worst was still to come.

On Nov. 11, 2003, exactly two years from the date she was first diagnosed, Meyer and her parents traveled to Texas for routine blood work and found the cancer was back. About a week later, doctors said she'd need another bone marrow transplant. They gave her an initial round of chemo, which sent her into remission,
Vlahos said. And as if things couldn't be any worse, Meyer got a fungal infection in her lungs, which quickly spread to her brain.

"If you think cancer's horrible … ," Vlahos trailed off. "I've never seen anything like that in my life."

Meyer's health continued in a downward spiral, as she suffered three mini strokes and one major stroke. The fungal infection left her with blurred vision, but it did not alter her attitude.

"When she lost her eyesight she just said, 'Oh well, at least I'm still here.' … She is just never down. She never complains, " Vlahos said. While the doctors wonder how Meyer pulled through, Vlahos said she has a pretty good guess.

"I honestly think it was her attitude and God," she said. "Everyday I pray that the blood work comes back clear. All I can say is she's a walking miracle."

__________________________

Support Ashley.... she's a fighter!

So I had the worst week ever that was followed-up with a great weekend.

FRIDAY: It was a tiresome week. I didn't want to go out, or at least I didn't want to. I basically was out everynight. With softball on Monday, don't know what I did on Tuesday, Wing Wednesdays at Crusin's, and Poker with the boys on Thursday.... I didn't really want to go out and drink anymore. I wanted to make sure that I was well rested for Saturday.

SATURDAY: I thought that I was going to wake-up early. I did, but fell back asleep. Birds chirping and all, I finally get up around 10AM... I still had to pack... still had to shower... still had to drive 3.5 hours after getting the directions to Ang's wedding which was at 2PM. I hope you see the dilemma. I quickly showered and shaved, made a CD for the road while getting directions, decided what to wear and packed.... by 11ish, I was on the road going as fast as I felt I could legally go. I was screwed! I could only think... 3.5 hours to O'Fallon... and I had 30 minutes extra to get to the south end of town.. and to top it off... I had to get more gas...... so I, easily rounded, had a 4 HOUR drive!! I tried to call the hotel to ensure that I would have my room for the night because I was going to be late to the wedding. They said it would be there, but that didn't help Sally (a friend who was going to get ready in the room! m before the reception). I really messed stuff up now! Sally wasn't going to be able to get ready, I wasn't going to make the ceremony... what a terrible day this was turning out to be!!! After passing 8000 cars and topping of what seemed like 95 Mph (in my smooth riding car)... I get to O'Fallon around 1PM. Yeah, 1PM it had to have been some sort of record (350+ miles in 2 hours?) I found the church and noticed no one was there, so I tried to check into the hotel.... the room wasn't ready, but they let me check-in anyway (and leave a key for Sally). I even had enough time to go to get another card because I left the other one in Peoria. The best thing, I was early to the wedding, by 20 minutes! It was going to be the best time ever!!!!! Wedding was really laid-back, the reception was awesome... I seriously miss the old gang of 4Andrews (Andrews Hall 4th floor). With Sally being there to surprise Angela (Sally was Ang's old RA from Andrews Hall), and being able to see all the ! old freiends.... it couldn't have been any better. Thanks for ! everythi ng everybody. Such good times... such good times. (Click here for more...)

After Party Story #1 - The Party Crowd
The wedding was over at 2:30ish. The reception didn't start until 4:00. The wedding party drove around for a little while in the limo drinking their 2 cases and bottles and bottles of Champaign. If I heard it right, the limo stopped about 3:45ish at liquor store for a Beer-Run!!

After Party Story #2 - Bryan's Night
Bryan supposedly was still hungry after we left TGIF. After ordering the pizza he fell asleep. Nikki couldn't finish the pizza by herself so she called up Eileen. After eating a marker is pulled out and Bryan had some new tatoos of "I love Eileen". Supposedly, there are some photos with a small garden Gnome, with his mustashy-beard and pointy hat. Right now, I'm laughing so hard, I can't remember the rest.

SUNDAY: Woke up at 6:00AM and couldn't sleep anymore. So Sally, Nikki, and I went and ate breakfast right as it opened. We were only down there for 15 minutes before we get a surprise from Ang and Mark (Bride and Groom)! Why are they up so early? Ang was showered and her hair was dry... they must have been up for a long time, I'm sure. We just liked giving them a hard time. After hearing about all the crazy "After Party" stories (some noted above), I had to get back on the road. I wasn't going home, I was wanting to go to my Aunt's for Father's Day. My grandparents were there and I hadn't seen them since Thanksgiving. It was a good to sit-back and relax with "The Fam". Perfect end to a most wonderful weekend.


Life is good when you get to relax and visit with family.

Another Great weekend.... What else is to come?

So I had the worst week ever that was followed-up with a great weekend.

FRIDAY: Tim's cookout for Becky. We hungout in his steamy hot house. Later that night we left to go to a house party a couple blocks away. Tim decided that he didn't need shoes. The party wasn't as much fun as anticipated.

SATURDAY: My friends, Allison and Jamie came to visit me and see my new place. It was really good to see them. My brother even came up to hangout for the night too. After getting un-lost, we ate at Old Chicago on the patio all day with McVicker and Bill. A bunch of the Bradley kids came from the previous day's cookout. I basically knew almost everyone on the patio. We stayed there until dark and then went over to the "Boy's Place" (Mark, Matt, Todd and Al's apartment). We played drinking games and watched Comedy Central. I got pictures. (Click here for more...)

SUNDAY: To work off the hangover, we went to eat at Fiesta Ranchera. Fiesta is the best Mexican food in Peoria. We ate about 30 pounds of chips and 20 liters of salsa before our food came. Kate got lost. We had to wait for her. We stayed there and talked almost all day. I was say to see Jamie and Allison leave. They promised to come back and visit. I hope its soon... cuz I'm holding it to them.

Life is good when you get to relax and visit with old friends.

WHIT'S WEDDING PAGE IS FINISHED: I am really really behind on this. I have lots to add, a whole lot. I've been keeping rough notes though. For now, I have finished a web page (now that I have more space) from my friend [Chris] Whitaker. We all call him Whit though. I had to leave out some pictures, but you get the jest of the fun we had. I know, I know, you're jealous that you weren't there. You missed some crazy-crazy stuff: Ruben (the big Mexican) wore a peach/salmon shirt, which we gave him a lot of crap for; Holly, a random friend of Whit's that I don't know, dancing with everything that moved; and Lane dancing his hear out. All in all it was a fantastic night.

Life is good when you get to see to friends make a commitment for life and they buy drinks too! (Click here for more...)