One week of treatments behind him & look how great he looks ! ! !

Memorial Day Party at the Woollard's 5/24/08

Mom and Dad always look forward to the annual Memorial Day Celebration with their great friends and neighbors . . .the Woollards.

It is heart-warming to know that they are able to enjoy great food and great company with their friends. Thank you Ed, Ruth & Family.

Dad had his 5th Radiation treatment today and briefly saw the Radiologist. Tomorrow, Dad will have his 6th Radiation treatment - plus his second Chemo treatment - he will have blood work done as well.


Dad is feeling pretty good - his current symptoms are: irritated throat, his chest is sore when he walks a distance (to the mailbox) - Dad was given two different prescriptions to help with the irritation to his throat.

Praises & Prayer Requests:

• Dad started strong - please pray that he ends the treatment strong


• Pray that side effects will be minimal and that his throat and esophagus will not get too irritated


• Dad has been able to get outside to a few of Levi's ballgames, help the boys cut trees on Shawn & Becky's property and is working in the yard - pray that he is able to continue to do what he enjoys


• On Week 4 or 5, a new CT Scan will be done to see if progress is made in shrinking the tumor - pray that treatment is successful - better yet ...... pray that the tumor is gone!!!

First Chemo and Radiation Treatment Completed

Dad is a trooper!!! He received his first Radiation treatment this morning which lasted 15 minutes - he will receive the Radiation every day of the week - Monday thru Friday (no treatment on Memorial Day). He will have morning treatments until next week, at which time it will switch to afternoons (beginning on Wednesday).

After Radiation, he went to Oncology for Chemo. He received an Antihistamine by mouth as well as by IV, a bag of Anti-Nausea medicine and 2 Chemo drugs: Taxol (Paclitaxel) and Carboplatin. The total Chemo treatment took approximately 3 hours to receive by IV - he will receive this one time per week. His next Chemo treatment will be on Wednesday - May 28.

PRAISES:

• Cancer Services will be picking Dad up at the house and transporting him to and from his Radiation appointments 4 days each week. This is a huge blessing considering the price of gas!! This will only require them to drive to town one day per week - on Chemo/Radiation Day.
• Dad did not have any allergic reactions today - his vital signs were very good and remained stable throughout the treatment - He feels good this evening.

PRAYER REQUEST:

• Side Effects will be minimal
• Dad's Health remains strong
• Complete Healing of his lungs

Treatments Start Tuesday, May 20

Dad's treatment starts tomorrow morning - Tuesday, May 20, 2008

• 8:00 a.m. - Radiation of Left Lung
• 8:45 a.m. - Chemo

Pray for physical strength as he starts this aggressive battle

First Appointment with the Radiation Oncologist

Dad at Levi's (Great-Grandson) Baseball Game -

Levi is playing first base in the background - #11

For the first time in Dad's life, he received a tatoo!! The tatoos mark the treatment area - three spots that are smaller than a freckle!! This is called Simulation. These tiny spots will be a guideline for Dr. Mehta's staff as they administer Radiation in an attempt to reduce the size of the tumor on Dad's left lung. The following are specifics regarding Dad's treatment plan:

• Dad will return to the Radiation Oncologist on Monday, May 19 for more pre-treatment preparation.
• Radiation Treatment will begin Tuesday, May 20 at 8:30 as follows...

- 20 minutes of Radiation - Every Day - 5 days a week - Monday thru Friday for 7 to 9 weeks

• After the 4th or 5th week, a CT Scan will be repeated to see if the tumor has reduced in size
• If the tumor shrinks, a return visit to Dr. Jones will be scheduled to see if he can surgically remove the tumor
• Chemotherapy will be administered one time per week. This will be done at the same time as the Radiation. It will be administered by IV in Dr. Danso's Office (Oncologist). The first appointment is not yet scheduled - Dr. Danso's office should be contacting Dad tomorrow
• Mom and Dad received a lot of reading material today regarding the treatments, possible side effects, a glossary of terms, nutrition and how to care for the area that is being treated

Dad is healthy - his vital signs were excellent today - his attitude is great and is ready to get moving on the treatment.

Specific Prayer Requests:

• Side Effects will be minimal
• Dad remains strong - is able to eat the proper foods to maintain good health
• Spiritual Strength for Dad and the entire family as we look to God for our help in a time of need
• Pray for a Miracle - this is large tumor - pray that God will remove the tumor from Dad's Lung

Appointment with Radiation Oncologist Changed

The appointment originally scheduled for Wednesday, May 14 has been changed to Thursday, May 15 at 1:00 p.m. - a posting will be published after the appointment stating Dad's treatment plan and schedule.

Next Appointment

Dad's Cancer will be treated with a combination of Radiation & Chemotherapy. On Wednesday, May 14 at 8:30 a.m. he will have a consultation with a Radiation Oncologist (Dr. Rajnikant Mehta). At that time, they will discuss the plan for treatment and scheduling. An updated posting will be made to this blog on Wednesday regarding the plan.

Dad looks GREAT and is feeling pretty good. God is giving him strength and air to breath each day. Please continue to pray for a miracle, wisdom for the doctors and strength as he begins this battle.

Second Opinion from Thoracic Surgeon Received

Dad had an appointment this afternoon with Dr. Robert N. Jones, a Thoracic Surgeon. After reviewing the CT Scan and PET-Scan, Dr. Jones feels that surgery is not an option. The following summarizes the conclusion from his review of the scans and his recommendations:

• The tumor is large and involves the main blood supply to Dad's Lungs - Dr. Jones said Dad would not survive surgery. Not because of his emphysema but because of the size and location of the tumor.
• Dr. Jones felt he could not remove the entire tumor which would put Dad in a worst position than what he is currently in - delaying treatment as he recovered from the surgery.
• Dr. Jones also believes that after reviewing the CT-scan that more than one lymph node is involved which would increase the risk of the cancer spreading to other parts of his body.
• Mom asked about the new "CYBERKNIFE" - a new non-invasive option for inoperable cancer - Dr. said this is not an option for Dad as it is not a cure for incurable cancer
• Dr. Jones felt that the only alternative was to begin Radiation Therapy and Chemo
• He told us NOT to look at the statistics for survival

We will be contacting Dr. Danso (Oncologist) in the morning to begin treatment.

Praises:

• God is still in control
• The cancer is only in his lungs and has not invaded other parts of his body
• Dad is feeling pretty good right now - has a great attitude and is willing to fight this battle
• Dad has been putting on some of the weight he lost earlier (he lost approx. 20 pounds since January)

Specific Prayer Requests:

• Treatment can be started quickly and will be successful
• Dad will have the air he need to breath each minute of every day
• Dad will remain physically strong and will be able to tolerate the treatment
• God will be glorified in this process
• We still need a MIRACLE - Pray that God will remove the tumor!!

Lynette shared this picture and verse today.....

Matthew 18:20 - For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them.

Does this count?????

Great News from the Oncologist ! ! !

Dad's initial visit with the Oncologist was held this afternoon. Dr. Danso was able to give us VERY good news about the PET-Scan that Dad had last week. A whole body PET-CT was performed on Tuesday, April 29 which showed that the cancer is confined to the upper lobe of his left lung - one lymph node is mildly enlarged......but most importantly - there is NO EVIDENCE of cancer in the rest of his entire body - they looked at his other lymph nodes, his bones, his other organs - every other part of his body show no evidence of Cancer.

This is a HUGE answer to prayer!!!!!

We are giving God all the Glory

Praise His Name!!

What's next....

Dad has an appointment with Dr. Robert Jones to get a second opinion regarding surgery

• If surgery is possible and they are able to take out the upper left lobe that contains the tumor, then Dad will have "Chemo-light" treatments (because of the enlarged lymph node) - this would place him in Stage II
• If surgery is not possible, they will do radiation on the tumor to eliminate it and he will also have the "Chemo-light (because of the enlarged lymph node) - in this case, he would be in Stage III.

PRAISES:

• Obviously, all of the above - based on the information read about this type of cancer, the news received today is a MIRACLE - typically this type of Cancer spreads to other parts of the body before it is even detected in the lung!!!!!
• Dad has slept in his bed for the last 3 night rather than his chair
• Dad is coughing very little
• Dad walked quite a long distance at a pretty fast pace at the hospital without getting out of breath
• Dr. Danso was very clear in his explanation and gave Dad all the time he needed today to be sure his questions were answered
• The "ugly thing" they removed from his ear last Thursday is not Cancer
• Dad looks GREAT - he has been outside and actually has a little tan!!!!

Prayer Requests:

• The appointment with Dr. Jones (Surgeon) tomorrow (Thurs., May 8) will go well and Dad will be able to have the surgery - this would be the best solution - pray that his lungs are strong enough to go through the surgery
• Clarity when receiving information and that the information will be accurate!!!
• Dad will have the air he needs to breath each minute of every day
• God will be glorified in this miracle that he doing in Dad's life

More to follow tomorrow after the appointment with Dr. Jones.

Ephesians 5:19-20 - Sing and make music in your hear to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

HAPPY 76th Birthday Dad

We all LOVE You !!!!

Celebrating Dad's 76th Birthday

Dad is feeling really well. His attitude is very positive. Those that are in the area were able to get together to celebrate his 76th Birthday with a little cake, ice cream, a few presents and lots of hugs.

Specific prayers requests as we face a week with important appointments:

• Dad will have the air he needs to breath each minute
• Wisdom and patience for the doctors as they give us information
• Clarity and understanding as information is received
• Complete healing - we need a MIRACLE!!!

What is known today (5/1/08) and upcoming appointments

The following is a summary of the discovery of Bob's Cancer...

• 04/08/08 - Initial appointment with Family Doctor - Chest X-ray shows spot on his left lung
• 04/09/08 - Blood work and CT scan of the lungs
• 04/11/08 - Results of previous tests show a tumor is located on Bob's left lung (upper lobe) - The tumor is 8.9 centimeters in size (approximately the size of a baseball)
• 04/22/08 - A needle biopsy was conducted and the tumor showed positive for Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Lung
• 04/29/08 - PET-SCAN - To see if the cancer spread beyond the lung

Upcoming appointments:

• 05/07/08 - Dr. Danso - Oncologist - Discuss results of PET-SCAN, Staging, Treatment, etc.
• 05/08/08 - Dr. Jones - Pulmonary Surgeon - second opinion regarding surgery