You've got my prayers, Iris.  It's a punch in the gut to get a cancer diagnosis...I know...I was there last summer (colorectal).  I also know that prayer is powerful.  Just take everything a day at a time.  Chemo can be tough at times but it's doable.  Just focus on the goal, and try to find something to laugh about every day.  Please keep us posted.

Great news!!!  Power of prayer, absolutely!

You have definitely got my prayers, Iris.  While the news wasn't so good, how fortunate you are that they found it when they did.  Please keep us all posted.

I was diagnosed with Type II (more insulin resistant than Type II) a couple of years ago and attended a class at The Diabetes Store here.  I was tearing my hair out after reading Atkins and all the other low-carb diets.  These books offer a variety of menus but they rely on the use of fresh (vs. frozen or canned) ingredients, and I would have been spending a lot of money and throwing out stuff because it would go bad before I was able to use it all.  And frankly, I just didn't have the time to fix myself a mushroom frittata or some other such thing in the morning.

The class simplified everything for me -- no more than 15 total carbs per meal for 45 total carbs per day, and don't "save up" carbs for special occasions...if you are going out to dinner and want to indulge, don't skip lunch thinking you can have those extra carbs at dinner.  The idea is to maintain a level blood glucose reading.  It's the ups and downs that are unhealthy.  They said we can eat anything we want as long as we keep within the 15 carbs per meal guideline.  The instructor held up a plastic chicken breast, then a paper-thin sliver of chocolate cake and said it's our choice -- would we rather have a good-sized piece of chicken, or a sliver of cake?

Learn to read labels and know the amount of "effective" carbs.  If a food item has more than 5 grams of fiber per serving, then subtract the number of fiber grams from the number of carb grams -- that's your "effective" carb number.
 
Get a blood glucose monitor and check your blood sugar randomly three or four times a week -- once first thing in the morning, then within an hour after a meal.  If you have an iPhone, there's an app called "Glucose Buddy" (free!).  You can log in your readings and it graphs them for you.

Exercise, exercise, exercise.  I walked on my treadmill at home every morning, then again after noon at work (I'm lucky that the building my office is in has a fitness center).

I lost about 50 pounds and got my blood sugar (which was borderline high) well under control.  I slacked off toward the end of the year (holidays!) and over the course of a few months, gained back about 20.  Blood sugar is still in acceptable range but I need to get back to losing the weight.

Hope I didn't offend.  Photoshop is fun but I'm not good at it.  I guess the days of my taking two rolls of film just to get one useable photo for the Christmas card are too far gone.  Things are much simpler now.  The girls are beautiful, by the way.

Ummm, well, since you asked:

a)  Yes, it's obvious, and
b)  I prefer the original anyway.  The original smile is charming and, I suspect, more indicative of her personality.

That said, I don't care for photoshop except for funsies.  The intent of a photograph for me is to capture the moment, and the original photo does that very well.  Two different children, two different personalities.

I give the original a big 

http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2011/oct/22/ex-vol-locked-in-biggest-battle-yet/

Good luck tomorrow!  My c-section turned 17 today...tomorrow is the first day of her senior year.  It passes quickly so savor every moment.