Tara Pearce is our daughter and lives in Breckenridge, Colorado. She is also our webmaster and designer for the Regal Homes Website. Tara is also the apple of her daddy's eye and the sweetest girl in the world.  When she's not helping me out,our 31 year old is a manager at the Breckenridge Brewery, a popular place for skiers and visitors to the mountains of Colorado. Her significant other is Jake Wisner and who is into extreme sports and putting a huge smile on our daughters face. 
 
January second of this year we found out that a mole on her back had melanoma and it had gotten into the lymph nodes under her right arm. Colorado has a huge number of melanoma cases because of the sun and altitude. Fortunately, the University of Colorado Hospital has specialized in treatment of this cancer and she is under their care.
 
The treatment program involves going into the hospital for five straight days of bio-chemotherapy. She then goes home to rest for two weeks and back again. She has finished two rounds of treatments and will have surgery on March 20th to remove her lymph nodes under her right arm. In early April she will start another two rounds of bio-chemotherapy. My wife, Jeannie, goes out to help her in the hospital and with her post-chemo recovery. Needless to say this is hard on Tara and Jake and all of those who love and care for her. Her friends have been filling in for her at work and have been a godsend to Tara and she loves them dearly.
 
Thousands of you around the country are praying and thinking of our daughter. We thank you for these thoughts and for the help it has provided. One of former framers is a Cherokee Indian Dancer and has performed the healing dance for her. Tara's doctors say she is doing so much better than expected and we are confident that this episode in her life is just a blip and that she will be cancer free soon.
 
We thank you again for your help, cards, prayers, etc. and ask the Good Lord to bless each one of you daily.
 
Thanks,
 
Tedd and Jeannie Pearce

 

Tara had surgery on March 20th to remove the lymph nodes under her right arm. The surgery went well and she is recovering from it. Had a lot of pain at first but she has bounced back and is off the pain medications.
 
Now for the good news!!! Her surgeon called her March 27th to tell her that the lymph nodes pathology report showed no sign of Melanoma.
 
We are obviously excited about this news and so is she.
3/14/08
3/28/08
Tara is still at home and is awaiting the start of her next round of bio-chemotherapy. She is having trouble with the recovery from the removal of her lymph nodes. There is an infection and it is giving her a slight fever and continuing to drain. They are having to delay future treatments until she gets the infection out of her system and the drainage considerably reduced. She is feeling discouraged as she just wants to get done with the treatments and get back to work. This is a minor setback after a long series of minor miracles and her exceptional reaction to the treatments,the surgery, and the news that they found no further evidence of cancer when they examined the lymph nodes.
 
I want to thank all of you again for keeping her in your thoughts and prayers. We are so thankful for all that has been done by her friends and for all of those who are remembering our daughter. Please continue to do so.

4/11/08

Dear Friends and Family,

 
Jeannie is flying out to Denver on Sunday to be there to help Tara as she starts round three of the bio-chemotherapy. Tara is anxious to get these last two rounds finished and is strong and has a good positive attitude. Tara starts chemo on Monday and will finish up sometime late Friday night. I wish words could explain how much strength she gets from your thoughts and prayers. She is absolutely convinced that this is why she is doing so well compared and defying the doctors who expect her to be much sicker. So with gratitude, I ask that you continue to remember Tara as she continues her treatments. Despite how weak the treatments make her, we have had nothing but good news from the pathology reports and feel that the melanoma will be eradicated from her body. Our family continues to keep all of you in our thoughts and prayers also.
 
Tedd Pearce

4/18/08

Dear Friends and Family,

Tara has had a rough week. The holiday from chemo because of the surgery has made this third round of bio-chemo pretty rough on her. Jeannie is out with her and staying with her at night in the hospital. She has had a lot of different problems like nausea, restless leg syndrome, and severe headaches. The good news is that today she will finish this round of chemo and Jeannie will take her to the hotel tonight for rest and then she can go home to Breckenridge Saturday morning. After that, she gets two weeks to recuperate and then the last round of bio-chemotherapy will start on May 13th.   We are so grateful for the good care and help she receives at the University of Colorado Medical Hospital and that these treatments are available to her. We are also grateful to all of her friends who have stood by her and helped her at work and at home making this ordeal the best it can be. These young friends of Tara are really amazing people. I am glad to have met several of them. Continue to remember Jake (her very significant other) as this has been hard on him also.
 
Tara and her family continue to thank all of you for your thoughts and prayers in her behalf. Continue remembering Tara. She's a great daughter, sister, worker, and friend. She has always been the apple of her daddy's eye.
 
Best Regards to all of you and we continue to pray for all of you too.
Tedd Pearce

4/25/08

5/2/08

Dear Friends and Family,
 
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TARA!!! Wednesday, April 30th was her birthday and she was able to enjoy it with Jake, Jeannie, and several of her friends who visited her.
 
Another week has gone by and Tara is showing steady improvement from her last series of bio-chemotherapy.   Jeannie told me last night that even though Tara had a really bad week at the hospital during treatments, Tara is getting her strength back really quickly. She gets her blood tested today so we are hoping her white blood count is back to normal. All in all, she is doing as well as possible.
 
The hospital has set Tara up to return for trea t ments on May 12th and God willing, that will be the last of it. Jeannie is flying home Saturday to spend the week with us and getting us boys back on track. Seth has his eighteenth birthday on May 11th, Mother's Day, so we have a busy weekend coming up. Jeannie will fly back out to Denver on May 12th and spend two more weeks with Tara.
 
You have no idea how much we appreciate peoples thoughts, prayers, and the help and visits of her friends. It means so much to Tara and to all of us. I know so many people who are fighting health or personal problems right now and I know that just having people care is a huge part of getting through things and I want each of you to know that you matter and we keep you in our thoughts and prayers as well.
 
From the bottom of my heart, I profusely thank all of you for caring about Tara,
 
 
Tedd Pearce
Dear Friends and Family,
 
Hope all of you have a wonderful Mother's Day!!!
 
Tara's blood count is back to great and she is anxious to get back to the hospital in Denver Monday the 12th of May to start her last week of bio-chemotherapy.  She really wants to finish up and do what has to be done so she can get back to work and to life as normal. At this time, the doctors are not indicating that they intend to do any more treatments. Monitoring of her will continue for a long time, I am sure.
 
Jeannie (Tara's Mom) is flying out Monday to help her for the next two weeks. We have enjoyed having her home and filling up the refrigerator for us guys to survive on.  She tried so hard to get us healthy food to eat. The entire Pearce family is looking forward to getting back to some semblance of normal again soon.
 
I want to tell you a neat story. My best framers are a family of Cherokee Indians. Joey, one of the cousins, used to work on the crew when Tara helped me out years ago. He is a Cherokee tribal dancer. He was in Florida recently for a gathering of 800 dancers. After all of the 800 dancers had done their purification ceremony, they stepped into the dance ring and brought Tara's name before them for her healing. Now that is cool.
 
Obviously, we appreciate all those like Joey who are remembering our Tara and who are keeping her in their prayers. I don't think our family could have gotten through this nor do I think Tara would be doing so well without all of your involvements. We continue to remember each one of you and are grateful for you thoughts, prayers, and comfort. We also thank all of you in Colorado who are helping Tara. I know all of her friends have busy lives but they find time to help Tara out and we are grateful to them too.
 
Take care,
 
 
Tedd Pearce

5/8/08

Dear Friends and Family,
 
Today will be a great day for Tara as she completes her bio-chemotherapy. This is fantastic for everyone involved. As usual it has been a tough week for her. It seems like each round of chemo brings different side effects and the wonderful people at the hospital try everything they can to negate these side effect. I have learned to have so much empathy for those who are undergoing cancer treatments. It is such a terrible disease and it affects not only the individual but also friends, family, and co-workers. Wednesday night I told Tara I was so sorry she was having so much trouble but Tara told me not to worry as it has to be done and it's almost over. She is strong willed and that is a blessing.
 
The week started Monday with the hospital scrambling for a bed and Tara didn't get her chemo started till evening. Her friend Elissa spend several hours with her until Jake got to Denver to spend the night with her. The first night is always the worst. Jeannie got into Denver late Monday night as she stayed home Sunday for Mother's Day and our son Seth's 18th birthday. She has been with Tara all week and will spend next week with her in Breckenridge helping Tara to get her strength back.
 
Tonight Jeannie and Tara will leave the hospital for the last time and go to the hotel for the night. They will head back to Breckenridge Saturday morning after Tara gets some rest. From now on, Tara just needs to keep regular checkups and monitor her time in the sun.
 
Jake and Tara had some good news this week also. They have been trying to purchase a home in Fairplay, CO which is down the mountain from Breckenridge and they have an accepted contract now. They have buyers for Tara's townhome so things are working out good. They are excited to have more room and a couple acres in the woods and trees to enjoy. When our kids were younger, we would stop in Fairplay for breakfast on our way to Breckenridge to ski. We started Tara out when she was three and she was so cute in her little pink ski outfit and her tiny ski's and boots.
 
What can all of us do in the future. Obviously, Tara wants everyone to be more cognizant of the dangers of the sun and to watch out for signs of abnormalities on their skin.  Skin cancers do not have to progress to Melanoma if we are diligent. See a dermatologist or a doctor on a regular basis to check out your skin. I also hope that all of us will do what we can to help out all cancer organizations and support the myriad of fundraising efforts. We have come so far in cancer treatments and it has been because people like you and me taking the time to help them and support them. Tara would have no future if it wasn't for the generosity of people providing research monies. It seems to touch almost every family.
 
I probably sound like a broken record but all of us want to thank you for your thoughts, prayers, gifts of time, and encouragement on behalf of our beautiful daughter,Tara. Many of her friends and co-workers have helped her so much and Tara is so grateful. Continue to remember her as she recovers and for the future that cancer will never come back to haunt her again.
 
Have a great day!!!
 
 
Tedd Pearce
 

5/9/08

5/16/08