Today began like any other day in our house. We were racing around, such an average morning in a house full of toddlers. Exhaustion that no amount of coffee could resolve painted all over our faces. We are convinced that somehow our children have been plotting against us in the night, and have taken over our bed yet again. Once the chaos of my morning came to pass, a quiet gratitude in my heart surfaced. It was in this moment that my heart whispered a prayer of thanks that our life has somehow suddenly returned to normal. I can’t even count the amount of prayers that were whispered to return Carl back to “normal.” Words cannot express to all of our prayer warriors our gratitude for all their dedication, and just how much being in this new normal state means to Carr, Cate, Layla, and I.

Thirty-three years ago today my sweet husband was born into this big world. I was thinking back about his birthday last year, and how we were just weeks away from the most devastating news of his cancer. Life can change in an instant, any mother or father has been witness to this. The life of Carl, in just thirty-three years, has impacted so many. It was a blessing of cancer, to witnessed just how much impact one life can have on the world. It is a blessing that I am able to celebrate Carl’s life… today, and everyday as we go forward. Happy Birthday Heart. May we be hand in hand for many more birthdays. My wish today is the same as the very first birthday we shared together, and that is that we grow old together.

Today I want to share with our bloggers a little story about a big love. Two lost hearts found each other, and realized that together they were complete. Life made sense. Together they created a simple and beautiful life, with so much love and laughter. Together they were stronger than all of their weaknesses, and anything seemed possible. Kindness and respect, growth and change, hand in hand we traveled along. Weathering the storms, your heart always bigger than mine, protected me through it all. Baby feet, and little curls, life took on new meaning. Love grew, and created more love than we ever dreamed possible. Quietly, I thank God for you, my heart. For I know that the kind of love we share is special, and not often found in this world. On your birthday candles a silent wish whispered that our hearts forever stay as one. The gift of life is yours, and I pray that you are able to show the world all the talent, passion, and spirit that I am witness to every single day that we share together.  My heart, which is your heart, is thankful for your life, for our life, and for the two little lives we created together.

Happy Birthday Carl,  

Love Always

Alix

3,2,1…..Happy New Year! Could it be true, that this is finally coming to end? It appears that our prayers have been answered, we are medically in remission!!!!! A clean MRI of the brain, two clean CT scans, and a PET scan that our physicians are positive is clear (results pending). All a day before the rest of the world begins their resolutions, we have but just one, FAITHFULLY LIVE EACH DAY with MEANING and PURPOSE!!!!!

Our eyes wide open with the reality that life is a gift, one that was threatened so gravely this year. I will never lose the images of Carl fighting that endotracheal tube post surgery. I will never be able to describe the fear in my heart as I waited for 12 hours as he lost his organs. It was more than that, these were the parts that make up much of the man that I love, the person that so many if you love! His stomach is his world, his passion, his career, his life, and most of it has been lost. After stepping away from professional cooking to fight cancer, Carl learned the joys of stay-at-home parenting, and how to slow way down!!!

There have been more recent days where I cried those tears of relief, finally finding some peace as I realize that we actually won this fight! Tears because there are so many people who are not as lucky! I cannot begin to tell you how much I have learned, but most of it amounts to little things in life. The important ones are
Counting our blessings, and slowing down to see all the beauty in our life. For me, remembering to never take for granted the magic of a hug from my husband, because there were months where it was too painful for him to be touched. Or to feel the joy while watching him toss our children, because it too was something that was once taken from him. The sheer magic in praying together as a married couple, knowing and believing that God has you in his arms, and through him all things are possible. I am especially grateful to all of the angels God sent us throughout our journey. Big and small reminders that God’s love is all around us and never-ending! I will think about all of the patients in the Chemo unit, and how their lives are consumed with the fight, praying that they too feel the same love and support that we have been blessed with. I am writing this as Carl is getting his last PET scan. We have one more holiday together before his big return into the working world, where yet again his stomach ( a much smaller version of itself) will be in charge!!! The best is yet to come. A New Year, A New Life, A New Us! The more grateful and faithful us!!!!! Cheers to good health, family, and life!

Life is a gift! It is not to be taken for granted! Today, I proudly announce, is our last day of Chemotherapy!!!!!! This will technically end Thursday with the removal of the pump of the 5FU that runs two days after they administer the chemotherapy.

I must say that God has me up early this morning counting my blessing and honestly making me giggle at the irony of life. My sweet baby sister has had a little boy early this morning, reminding me that the gift of life is something to be celebrated. I am up (PROUD NEW AUNTIE) and off to train clients, and empower their health. I am feeling more alive then ever in my life. Carl is sleeping with Catherine all tucked in next to him. Our life still here. This statement is so relieving to say! Our life still together!!!  We have come through so much on this journey together. I told my mother that to sum up this last year, this has been our worst best year.

Carl and I want to thank so many of you it may take a lifetime. There have been prayers daily said in his name, that have worked. We cannot technically say remission, until we do a full body scan in 6 weeks, but it appears to be just that.

We have learned so much through this journey. It has strengthened our faith, family, marriage, and our love for New Orleans and all of our beautiful support team. I am tearing up as I write this because there was a time when I was not sure if we were going to make it through this, well actually a few times. Yet here we are, life still intact, and somehow better than before!!!! It seems nearly impossible.

If you learn to look at what matters in your day-to-day, and look at those people who are close to you, and somehow imagine life without them, it changes your whole way of thinking. I am blessed that God made us stop and learn this at 32.  Life is gift, it is to be taken care of, and to be cherished. I have never been more proud, excited, and relieved to say WE KICKED CHEMO IN THE GUT!!!!!!! The future is unknown, but I (with much help from my therapist and many of Carl’s doctors) have finally learned how to live one day at a time. Today my friends is the most beautiful day!!!! Merry Christmas and  CELEBRATE YOUR LIFE!

longer post to follow soon!

Love Carl and Alix

I am feeling so blessed tonight. Although exhaustion has taken on a whole new meaning, a recent ladies event has recharged my spirit and my heart. I feel compelled to write about my experience, because as crazy as it sounds, I think God wants me to.

When you are faced with tragedy and loss, you often feel as though you just got the wind knocked out of you, and down you go. I have realized through this journey, that when you are this far down, you are forced to look up. This total loss of control in your life, somehow allows you the freedom to fall right into the arms of God. It is there that you spend many hours talking, praying, and waiting for answers. I feel that I heard some answers for the first time.

A dear friend of mine invited me on a bible study outing, where a group of women pray and study to prepare for the Christmas season. I honestly had very little energy, and considered not going. It was only a few hours, so I put on makeup for the first time in months, and off I went. Although, I like to consider myself a good Catholic, I have never been to a bible study. I had no idea what to expect, and Carl laughed at me as I fussed over what to wear to the prayer group.

I arrived and found myself surrounded by women from all walks of life. As the day unfolded I felt as though God was speaking to me through these women! There was a lady who approached me and knew that Carl was sick. She told me that doctors told her she had 6 months to live, and that she went back a month later to discuss a plan for her care, and was spontaneously cured. 16 years later she was cancer free and telling me of her faith in God. We talked about fear, and how it can consume you. She eased my fears in a way that I will never be able to explain.

Not knowing what the future brings for your husband is the hardest part of this cancer journey for me. I have to rely on medicine and my faith in God so that I won’t have to raise my two children without the only other person in the world that will love them the way that I do. The only other person that I want to spend the rest of my life with. He is it for me, in terms of love❤️. So there you have it, faith in his plan is what I cling on to. 🙏

Yet another women heard me speaking of Dr. Richard Awtrey, and how wonderful he has been to my family, and what an incredible G.I. Specialist he has been ( going above and beyond by calling and checking on us ever since the diagnosis). This woman tearfully hugged me and said her husband has been really sick and that she was praying for an answer and was calling this doctor as soon as possible. It was so strange to connect with these perfect strangers, and to become aware of all the prayers answered.

As word got around about Carl, this room full of 25 women, that I just met, held hands and prayed for his healing. It was so humbling, and brought me to tears in an instant.

Over the course of a year, I have seen the power of prayer unfold, and I know that God is with me no matter what. I have held hands with Carl many times and prayed for God to keep our small little family together. So far these prayers seem to be working!

I felt the need to write about this because after leaving this spiritual day, I realized that we are all struggling in one way or another, carrying our own cross. This was visible as different women’s tearful intensions were said aloud that day. Suffering is something that makes us human, and we all experience it. It is through suffering that we are able to find God. So I continue to look up from our down, and feel God’s love shining on me through the smallest miracles. We have one more chemotherapy treatment to go. The Schaubhut Family is celebrating the Christmas season and thanking God for all of our blessing.

I feel incredibly blessed today to celebrate Thanksgiving with my family. Chaotic as things are when we travel, there is always a level of excitement that comes along with this many O’Neil’s in one destination. My sister Vicky is hosting, and everything she touches becomes the most beautiful Pinterest board you could find. My mother, with her wisdom, heart, and hands full of grandchildren. My sister Lindsey’s sweet growing belly carrying Cate’s best friend! It’s a GIRL!!!!!

With life all around me, I am able to thank God for opening my eyes this year. I once read an ancient proverb stating, “happiness is not having what you want, it’s wanting what you have.” Seems simple. Cancer has allowed me to actively live this proverb. I am thankful for what I have today. Waking up with my sweet husband, arms wrapped all around me. Hearing all the giggles as Carr says yucky Daddy as he gives me a morning kiss! Catherine babbling as if she is having a full conversation. This is my life, it is so full of love. Simple, honest, love.

This year I have prayed the hardest for God to change Carl’s condition. It seems as though our prayers will be answered. Fear occasionally creeping in as I watch Carl sleep. Wondering in fear what a holiday would be without him. What would it be like to have had a reveal party for my sister, and not have had him to share all the excitement of the next big thing. I can’t go there too much, because the pain becomes too intense. I pray that God let’s us grow old together.
Despite the fear that comes and goes,
I am so grateful that cancer has embedded in my heart and soul that tomorrow is not guaranteed, and that today is a blessing. I am so thankful for today, for sweet Carl and for my family! Gratitude for what we have today, though it may not be easy, perfect, or even what we planned, we are giving thanks for a life together! Happy Thanksgiving to all of you! Cheers to health and life!!!!

The results are in, and nothing but good news! It appears the fluid collection is the only thing that is visible on the scan!!!! It is likely that scar tissue within the surgical field is the cause of the abdominal pains. God is good. Thank you for all the prayers, we are so blessed to have all of you on our side!!!! This will truly be the happiest Thanksgiving of our lives!! We are blessed for the continued good news of what appears to be a cancer free husband!!!!

I just wanted to write to all our prayer warriors out there and give you an update. Sunday morning Carl was having severe acute belly pains that worried me to the point of calling his doctor. She wanted us to go to the emergency room, but my tough little cookie was determined to wait it out. Understandably so, ER co-pays generally being large sums of money, and likely result in the scheduling of further testing likely done at a later date. So, come Monday, when the belly pains had been on and off through out the night his doctor ordered a new scan to see if there have been any changes. Carl has what appears to be a fluid collection near his pancreas, that is a common result of such a large surgery. It has not changed in size on the previous two scans. This among a few visual markers on CT have lead the doctors to be very sure that it is just a benign fluid collection. These collections can sometimes cause pain. Worse case they may require surgical draining.

I cannot tell you how or why these tests unravel your nerves the way they do, but they surely do for me. Carl is calm as a cucumber. He shared with me his thoughts while laying completely still on the scan table yesterday. It was such a lovely and yet painful thought, that I must share. Carl said he that while he was laying there praying to Mary ( as he always does, sweet catholic boy that he is), a thought entered his mind about all the thousands of people that had previously laid on that very same table. He thought about those people being alone and all their prayers being whispered to save their lives. Much like his very same prayer that day. It was powerful to think about all those prayers being lifted to God!

Hope and prayer have become two very powerful words to our family this past year. The prayers of hundred flooded in on social media, via phone, and in person yesterday. We are as always so humbled by the love of our prayer warriors. Perfect strangers praying for us all morning at the beach!!!! Receiving loving cards from friends old and new praying for our fight! It is amazing to know that all these people care about your life!!! I often think of those close to me that have committed suicide, who were hopeless, and alone. If they could have only seen the outpouring of love that really existed for them in the world, could that have saved them. It is hard to say.
Hope, prayer, and love. Those are things that keep the soul alive. As we wait, I pray for all of you! Your love and prayers have taught us both how good the world really is!!! Thank you!!! As I watched from afar another cancer wife lose her partner this weekend, I realized that life on this earth is not permanent for any of us. That wife in particular, loved everyday like it was her last! It was a lesson I will take from her journey and carry in my heart, as we fight on! No matter what the outcome of the test today and those to come in the future, love, prayers, and hope will always be in our hearts. Keep y’all posted. I have not waited by the phone this much since I first met Carl 😊🙏!

Well…I know it has been a while since I have checked in on the blog.

We are moving through chemotherapy, with every-other week being quite a challenge. Recently Carl had a clean scan, revealing that there appears to be no cancer in his body. He did have a spot on his pancreas, but it appears to be a fluid collection that has remained in the last two scans and its unchanged size is somewhat encouraging that it is benign (non-cancerous). We will do more diagnostics after chemotherapy is finished to be certain that it is nothing more.

Carl will have his 5th chemo treatment today. With each treatment the side effects seem to increase. He is unable to drink, eat, or touch cold objects. It is more physical this round than it was for the first. He is nauseated, tired, and weak the after his chemotherapy treatment. The recent victory of removing his feeding tube was a huge milestone for him. Now we have to focus on balancing the weight-loss battle daily. It is strange…I never thought I would be telling my chef-husband to eat more!!!!!

This is hard to admit, but it has been a struggle for me to write down my feelings.  At this point I feel a silent victory appears to have been won. However, when we received the news of the clean scan, neither Carl nor I, felt the rush of relief that I assumed would accompany such news. Maybe the fear of the reality of his cancer, will keep us constantly on high-alert and unable to totally relax from a diagnostic stand-point. As if we are forever waiting for the other shoe to drop. It is odd to find that at this point in the process, I feel the most afraid, the most alone, the most emotional and the most exhausted. My strength, as the care-taker, seems to be weakening. The role of the wife in the battle to beat cancer is one where you storm through…fighting so hard to keep high moral in the home, to maintain whatever semblance of normalcy you can, that you often bulldoze right over the fear that lies in the deepest chambers of your heart.

That fear surfaced for me in a very real way last week, as I stumbled upon another young mother and wife fighting a very similar battle. Her husband was cancer-free for 9 months. They too have a baby,  an incredible loving support system. Just like us. With cancer, it is dangerous to compare yourself to another, because no two cases are the same. This wife and husband team, have not been as lucky in their fight. He is, as we speak losing his battle with his wearisome fight.I pray for comfort for her and her daughter. When I read through her blog (cocktailsandchemo.com), it unravelled me to the core. I could not get enough of her poetic words, and at times felt as though I was reading my own thoughts. It was as if she was I, and to hear their victory and then see the loss that they are now facing…it pushed me into a mental space that all wives of cancer bury deep inside and try to avoid. Her words surfaced my ultimate fear…maybe every family faced with cancer’s ultimate fear…

That after all this fight, you lose.

Since the beginning I have buried that fear. It would surface every time things would get really scary, but I then I would bury it deep down once again. I thought that I had dealt with the thought of raising my children alone, but after reading her story, it hit me like a Mac-Truck that I surely had not. Alone…a word I now feel daily as my partner battles his own demons. And then, after reading her story, it occurred to me just what alone meant, as simple and very self-explanatory as it is, and the permanency of it all washed over me like the ocean waves, took me down emotionally.

These are the things I forgot to think about, these are the things I know I would ache for, God forbid, I ever am truly alone. My fears are now more real as I watch another’s loss. And our victory has left a bittersweet taste in my heart.

I have almost found away to live in the lonely world of co-habitation that happens through the long haul of chemotherapy. Weeks go by where Carl is in out of sleep. Then he wakes and is so present, it is as if he does not have cancer at all. It is a bipolar world of symptoms and a roller-coaster of emotions…anger vs fear vs sadness vs love. My closest friends remind me that I cannot think worst-case scenario, and to a certain degree they are correct. However… What if fear becomes so real, that I am actually forced to live my life as though I am not guaranteed tomorrow? What if my fear of losing my best friend, makes me a better mother, a better wife, a kinder  person…the kind of person God intended me to be? What if fear makes me live my life with more purpose?

Then maybe living in fear is exactly where I need to be.

I pray to God every night that I can live in that heightened state, so that I fear now and have no regrets later should this story take an unexpected turn. That blog, as much as it hurt me to read, as much sorrow I feel for this woman and her baby, it opened my eyes to the reality of cancer. Their story may not be our story, but we don’t know what lies in store for us. And God, I pray that our’s is one of victory. It is hard to imagine, what her week has been like. How does a husband say goodbye to his wife and baby… Do you lay together and talk until your voice is hoarse? Or do you lay there silently letting all of the unsaid words be swallowed up by the pain?

These are the thoughts that are running through my head and however unhealthy they are, they force me to think about fear and its ability to push me towards living each day to the fullest. Please pray for this family, and pray for mine, and all the other families out there fighting this fight. It is never really over, fear and love never really leave your heart. My vow is to cherish each moment with my husband, because I am blessed to have the opportunity to do so, while so many others have lost this battle.

We are fearfully and lovingly moving forward, always together in our fight.