Creative Catering by The Farinas

11/08/2018

Thank you if you are coming to this site for the first time, looking for information on our services. Unfortunately, after 29 years of being in business, we had to shut the doors back in 2016. Sorry, I've found it difficult to take down this site....to many wonderful memories. Plus, a number of people have been able to pull off helpful information in the planning of their event. I'd like to inform those reading this that as of this October, 2018, a new catering company has begun doing business in our area and operates out of the same store front space we had occupied. They have chosen to go by the name, Creative Catering. Just so you know, I have NO affiliation with this new catering business what so ever. My wife and I, and our staff worked very hard of those 29 years to make our name in this community. Thank you again, and don't hesitate to contact me with any questions you might need answered. You can contact me on my personnel FB page under Bill Farina. Grace and Blessing's

01/25/2017

Hello facebook world and Creative Catering fans. I apologize for not taking down my Catering facebook site. There has been a few of you who have sent messages, inquiring on our services. For those of you who don't know, due to illness, after 28 years of business, Creative Catering By The Farinas closed it's doors as of June 2016, However, I do plan on keeping this site....there's just to many great pictures of so many wonderful events we did over the years. Thank you Brevard county for your many years of support.

11/18/2015

What a day here!

T-1 was Bill's Total Body Irradiation day and Will's harvesting of his stem cells, his gift of a lifetime for Bill's transplant. The transplant will be on his birthday tomorrow, Day Zero! It gives new meaning to Thanksgiving.

Yesterday, Will finished his series of four Neupogen injections to push his bone marrow into overdrive, growing as many cells as possible. He had a challenge with resulting bone pain, fever, nausea and headaches, but was helped a little with prescribed medications. Will endured the suffering with grace and good humor, a gift of self~sacrifice for which there are no adequate words of thanks. Today it took six hours of lying absolutely still with his arms outstretched. The machine drew blood from the left arm, extracted stem cells and plasma, and then circulated back through his right arm. Ultimately it yielded a hefty bag of cells, which Bill will receive on his 59th anniversary of entering the world.

Thank you for your continued prayers and thoughts! Please pray over the picture of the stem cell bag especially, so that it can be blessed to provide the new, healthy system in Bill's body which will then be equipped to produce mature, disease~fighting cells to last him for a long life to come.

Blessings and Love,
Cathy, Bill, and Will

10/13/2015

Super big thanks to Claytons Seafood, who held there annual festival this past Saturday. They had a raffle for the Doug Flutie Jr. Autism foundation, and graciously included myself in there raffle proceeds. I'm sorry I wasn't able to attend, however my parents, Lois & Bill Farina, pictured here with owner, Jan Walker, and manager, Rick Madrigal, were there on my behalf. Thank you all for your thoughts, prayers and support......Bill

09/24/2015

Hi everyone, as you can see from these 2 photo's, we were on our way out of the hospital yesterday, after my week of chemo. Thanks to all the 10th floor nursing staff, and of course, our un-believable staff of doctors. God continues to put us in the best of hands! It was a successful week, and now it's home for a few weeks of rest, while my little "minions" do there work. Thank you all for your continued prayers and well wishes.
PS. Yes, there is a story behind the shirt & headband, and no, the hospital doesn't hand them out. Maybe next post, I'll do some explaining. Hint though....for many of you who may have spent multiple days in a hospital,....what 2 questions are you, as a patient, asked at least 4 times a day?

09/17/2015

Dinner for 2, FL hospital style. Thanks for the dinner Mom, and thanks to all our family, friends & prayer warriors, we are very blessed that all is going great! Preparing to do battle again,....will be starting our 2nd consolidation chemo treatment for a week. As for how I'm feeling, to quote Dave Ramsey, better then I deserve. It's difficult not looking to far ahead, and wanting to just jump up and be done with everything,.....not gonna happen.....so it's back to my montra, one day at a time. It's hard to not be in charge of the plan, but oh so comforting, knowing who is....GOD is good! Thanks everyone, I miss you all. Bill

09/01/2015

Hello team Farina....well, we've arrived at the end of our 1st week home, following week number one of consolidation chemo. Thank you everyone for all your continued support and prayers. It's great to be home, even if it's a short stay. All is going really well, as I continue to just take it one day at a time. The doctors have decided that I will need a bone marrow transplant, in the coming months. My sister Donna, was hoping and praying that last week's blood test would prove to be a great match. It came close, but not the 100% match the doc's were looking for. However, I'm very blessed that to date, all the chemo and care I've been receiving, has been very positive, so we'll just keep heading down this consolidation path...staying healthy, and counting our blessing everyday. Thank you everyone........Bill

08/26/2015

Hello Team Farina!
Sorry for the lack of information this past week. Cathy and I will make sure to send out updates in the next few days, but all is very good.
I just wanted to post this very special "thank you" to our long~time friends Larry and Beth McIntyre and his company Clear Channel Outdoors. Hope you can see from this photo: Larry has designed and graciously donated airtime on Clear Channel LED billboards throughout Brevard County to put a couple of local faces on the issue of leukemia and other blood cancers. The need is great for blood and platelet donations and BeTheMatch bone marrow registrations, and if my ugly mug can help others in similar situations, it will be one way to pay forward all your prayers and gifts of support.
Larry, we are overwhelmed by your big~hearted generosity! ("overwhelmed" is our state of being for the last six weeks, wish there were better words to express the overpowering emotion)
With Humble Gratitude,
Bill

08/21/2015

Message from Bill..

"Well, here we go... chapter 2 of a very long novel has begun. After being released and sent home for a few days (re energizing my battery with being surrounded by my children and grandchildren....the best medicine ever!! )...it's time to turn up the heat on this pot, and get down to business . I must admit though, being home gave me a lot of time to realize the magnitude of it all. I'm not going to lie, it's pretty scary. My mind goes in a hundred different directions, when I'm not just thinking of what needs to be done one day at a time. I cannot begin to express how humbled both Cathy and I are with the outpouring of support. Because of each and every person that has continued to support us through well wishes, the hundreds of cards and letters, countless prayers on our behalf and financial support, you have given me such piece of mind to fight this battle head on. I am truly blessed and will continue to fight this with all I have. As for the short term plan, chemo for the next 7 days, followed by 3 weeks at home, during which time we pay 3 weekly visits to the clinic for blood work. On week 4 we start again with 1 week of chemo. This back and forth schedule is projected to go for 5 to 6 months. In the meantime, just this morning we were given the news that the doctors have changed their mind, and now feel I need a bone marrow transplant. Oh well, what's really important here...FAMILY, FRIENDS, GOD, and LIFE!! I choose to have them all…. everything else will just need to take a backseat."

08/21/2015

We are asking for prayers of strength and healing; Bill has started round 2 of chemo. Although his prognosis is favorable the unknowns are daunting and reality of how forever changed our lives are is registering. We have a long road ahead of us and ask that all of our prayer warriors unite; we truly are blessed to have such amazing friends and family!

http://www.gofundme.com/a2a2a2a2a2x7q

A few weeks ago, on Friday, July 10, life, as they knew it, changed in an instant for the Farina family. Routine blood work during his annual checkup showed that Bill Farina had Acute Myeloid Leukemia. Shortly after receiving his diagnosis, Bill’s doctor sent him to Florida Hospital in Orlando,...

08/11/2015

What a beautiful day for us here at Florida Hospital! On the eve of our 36th wedding anniversary, Fr. Peter Henry, just back from Ireland, came from St Ann's Catholic Church in Debary to be with us as we renewed our wedding vows! Fr. Henry was there the night we MET forty years ago, celebrated our Sacrament of Holy Matrimony, and baptized our Laura, all at Holy Name of Jesus Catholic Church in Indialantic. Bill was surprised beyond belief! Our wonderful nurses decorated the "chapel" at the end of the unit hall with pennants and Happy Anniversary wishes. They moved the stair master and treadmill from the spot so we could stand together with a beautiful view of the sunny afternoon on the lake. Our "bridesmaids in blue scrubs" are lifesaving angels! We love each and everyone of them! Antonio with FH Music Ministry was heaven sent to bless us with song for the surprise! Boy, did our vows have deeper meaning this time we made promises!! Thanks so much to the whole wedding party for making it so very special for us today!