Photo courtesy Nate Dunford Photography

February 25, 1974~July 3, 2010

Amy is a 36 year old mother of 6.

On April 15th, 2010, she was diagnosed with a rare and terminal cancer: Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma.

Surrounded by her family and friends, she is determined to face her future with faith, hope, courage and love.


Surrounded by her family, and with Gary by her side, Amy passed away in the early morning hours of July 3rd, 2010. Just a short 2 1/2 months after being diagnosed with cancer.

Wednesday, June 2, 2010

When You Wish Upon A Star

When you wish upon a star...


Makes no difference who you are...


Anything your heart desires will come to you!


If your heart is in your dream...


No request is too extreme...


When you wish upon a star, as dreamers do!


Like a bolt out of the blue...


Fate steps in and sees you through...


When you wish upon a star...


Your dreams come true...

When you wish upon a star, as dreamers do!


Special thanks to A Life's Wish and
Disneyland for truly making dreams come true.
To family and friends for making the trip a reality.
To Mel and Leslie for their help before and on the trip.

Tuesday, June 1, 2010

Monday, May 31, 2010

KSL News Broadcast/Link Added

KSL News (Channel 5) in Utah will be airing a story about Amy today, May 31, 2010,  at 4:00 PM.
After the broadcast, there will be a link to the video footage on the KSL website.  I'll post that link as soon as it becomes available.

Here is the link to the KSL story.
Thanks to KSL News, and Shara Park for covering the story!
Amy on KSL

Saturday, May 29, 2010

Update 5/29/2010

Amy finished her first round of radiation treatments! 
May 7th she had her final radiation treatment to her head/brain and a little over a week later, the treatment to her sacrum was complete. 
Side effects from the radiation have included: Hair loss, skin irritation and itching, fatigue, and changes in the way food tastes. 
Loosing her hair was a little difficult for her, but she has some amazing friends who helped her.  Her friend Andrea, helped her learn how to wear scarves, bandannas, hats and even a wig with spunk and style!  And Amy looks beautiful.
During the course of her first radiation treatments, a bone scan was ordered...and more bad news was delivered.   The metastatic bone cancer is quite widespread; sacrum and rib (we already knew about those), hips/pelvis area, the tops of both femurs, the left femur, spine, shoulder blade, neck and forehead.  Given the extent of the spread (both bone and brain) it is truly a miracle that she is doing as well as she is!
She is a trooper, that's for sure...
Amy is experiencing quite a lot of pain at this point, particularly in her hips.  It is very difficult and painful for her to move. 
She is taking a break from the radiation for a couple of weeks, so she can rest and take a little vacation break with Gary and the kids. Treatments will resume soon. 

Amy and Gary's oldest son, Scott was recently married, and Amy was able to attend the wedding and reception.  She enjoyed a dance with Scott and a heart touching dance with her sweetheart, Gary. 

We continue to be amazed by the outpouring of love and support.  We appreciate the kindness, love and generosity that has been shown to Amy and Gary and their family. 

Amy is amazing, and continues to reach out in love and service to those around her. She has touched many, many lives.
Tears, sorrow and pain are ever present for her, but so too are faith, hope and courage, with some smiles and laughs thrown in for good measure.

Monday, May 24, 2010

Pray, Pray, Pray

Hello Friends,

Tonight as I lay here in my bed my thoughts turn to one of the most important principles in my life, Prayer. Prayer has always been such an important part of my life. As long as I can remember, I have had a strong testimony of the power of prayer. Throughout my life I have received answeres to so many prayers. I have received strength, comfort and guidance through prayer. And my testimony has been strengthened through prayer. I love to pray and I share with you my advice to pray and pray often. Develop a habit of prayer. Learn to love to pray and learn through experience the value of prayer. Pray for everything and never stop praying. Pray, pray, pray... HE will never tire of hearing your prayers.

As you might imagine, as I lay here, frustrated that I am unable to do so many of the things that I used to do, I have spent many, many, many hours in prayer. Each and every day I pray for so many things. I pray for all those who have been so good to us that they may be blessed. I pray for people who are struggling or ill that they may receive strength and health. I pray for my children that they will be able to deal with what they are having to go through and to have the strength to carry on through life without me. I pray that they will be able to make good choices in life. I pray that my husband will have the strength to take care of me and lift me and that his back will be strong. I pray that he will have the strength to carry on and deal with the pain of loosing me and that his faith will not fail. I pray for my mother and my brothers and sisters that they may have the strength to endure through their trials. I pray for those family members who have struggled in various ways throughout their lives that they may be able to turn their hearts to their Heavenly Father and allow him to strengthen them and lead and guide them. There are so many things that I pray for for all of you each and every day.

I also however, pray for myself. I pray for my pain that it may be lessened or that I may have the strength to endure it. I pray that I may have more time to spend with my family. I pray for the strength to be able to walk again and to be more independent. I pray for comfort when everything seems too much to bear. I pray that my fears and concerns will be lessened and that I may find comfort in knowing that everything will be okay. Many times I pray just to have the strength to get through just another day. But most of all I pray that I may have the strength and faith to accept the will of my Heavenly Father and submit myself to it. I also pray constantly to my Heavenly Father and thank Him for all the blessings in my life. I thank Him for my husband and children and their love, I thank him for the gospel and my testimony. I thank him for this beautiful world we live in and I thank him for my understanding of the gospel and that families can be together forever.

As part of my testimony of prayer, I know that our Heavenly Father hears and answers all of our prayers, even though sometimes the answer is no, and many times the answer only comes after the trial of our faith. I know that our Heavenly Father Loves us and that he knows what is best for us. Though I don't always know his purposes, I know that his will is right. I also know that sometimes there are things that we need to learn or refining that must take place in our lives that can only happen by being allowed to pass through trials and difficulties in our lives. Sometimes there are things that we have to learn that we may not even understand and many times we simply need to show that we have the faith and courage to persevere even when the answers to our prayers are not what we want. This life is a test, we are not here to become spoiled by having everything we desire as long as we live righteously. We are here to prove that we will do what is right and endure regardless of what is given to us or heaped upon us... but we are not alone. He is as close as a prayer. and even though we may not always have our trials removed from us, He will give us the strength or send us angels to help us through our trials. Many of you have been those angels who have been sent to us to help us through our trials, and I thank my Heavenly Father for you each and every day. May God Bless each of you.

I love you all
Love, Amy

Wednesday, May 19, 2010

Pony Express Days Fundraiser

I just wanted to let everyone know that tomorrow morning, May 20th, Amy's cousin Mayor Heather Jackson of Eagle Mountain will be on B98.7 on the morning show around 8:20 am.

She will be trying to get pledges for Amy and our community hero's.

Mayor Jackson will be barrel racing for Amy and other hero’s battling cancer at our pony Express Days PRCA Rodeo on May 28, 29, and 31st.

 If she completes her ride in under 25 seconds all of the pledges will be collected and split between all of the families. Just thought you may want to listen.


Thanks,
Angie Ferre
Eagle Mountain City

Friday, May 14, 2010

Enjoy the Simple Things in Life...

Hello Everyone,

As I sit here in the early morning hours, I think of all the little things that I may have always taken for granted. These are things you never recognize until you come to the realization that the day may come soon that those little things may no longer be available to you to be a part of. This morning I spent almost an hour brushing and styling Lindsey's hair. I am sure that she probably hated almost every minute of it and the poor things hair really wasn't that fancy of a do, for having spent an hour being tortured. What she may never realize is how important that hour was to me and how much I appreciated being able to do that. It is incredible to me how important such a little task seems to me now as I am faced with the thoughts that I will not be here to do such simple tasks for my children in the future. My advice...

Enjoy the simple things in life... Every minute you spend with your children even doing the simple mundane things of everyday life is important... Take time to make the most of every little thing you do with and for your children. Enjoy time talking to and listening to your kids even when talking about the most simple topics. cherish every minute with your family. Never take for granted the little moments. We often remember and think about major moments and events in our families lives, but I am now convinced that it is a combination of all the little things, things that we do or say during everyday living, that make up what we really know and remember about each other. It is those things that really develop the relationships that we cherish. Consciously put to memory the little precious moments with each family member. Don't take for granted all the little things in life. Take the time to count your blessings, be grateful for every minute (even the hard ones or times when you may want to pull your hair out), take time to share your love with each of your family members, and Enjoy the simple things...