The end of an interesting year...

I can't believe it's been almost a month since our last update!  It's been a busy month for the Wilson's.  December saw the continuation of Dad's treatments - two weeks on, one week off. The Lord provided a wonderful break early in the month when Dad, Mom, Cindy, Ken, and I had the opportunity to go to Williamsburg to enjoy the holiday decorations and some quality time together.  The decorations were as beautiful as ever, and it was a pleasure to enjoy them while the weather was in the 60s and 70s - a real treat!  Below is a picture of Dad and Mom enjoying our special family dinner at the King's Arms Tavern on Duke of Gloucester Street.

Another big event this month was the addition of Evangeline Naomi Kibler to the Wilson Family on December 5th.  Eva is the first great-granddaughter, joining great-grandsons Harry, Christian, Tyler, and her older brother Memphis.  Congratulations David and Brenda! 
   
We're wrapping up the month with the completion of Dad's fourth set of treatments.  He'll have another scan after the sixth set to evaluate the effectiveness.  The next stage of the treatment plan will be developed based on the results.  Options include continuing on a maintenance chemo regimen, starting another type of treatment, or taking a treatment break while monitoring for signs of cancer activity.  Each round of these treatments has been progressively more difficult and tiring, so we're praying that he can have a break to bounce back.  Whatever happens, we know that it will be in line with the Lord's will and direction.

As we look back on the year, we can't help but be amazed and thankful for what the Lord has provided.  This has been a challenging journey, full of ups and downs, with many unknowns remaining in the future.  The one constant has been your love and your support of both our physical and spiritual needs, holding us up before the Lord day in and day out.  We thank the Lord every day for you, and that we serve such a gracious God who walks with us through trials and tribulations, holding us close no matter what comes.  We wish you a happy New Year and pray that 2016 will draw you closer to our Lord with each step you take together.

The results are in...

The doctor reviewed the results of last week's PET scan...and the treatments are working!  Praise the Lord!  Since the PET scan is in line with effective treatment, Dad will continue on this regimen for another three cycles - nine weeks - before his next evaluation.  He received the next treatment today and will stay on the same two weeks on, one week off schedule.

Food Truck Review -  Cheese steak:  good.  Breakfast sandwich on bagel:  good.  Coffee:  excellent.

Please continue to hold Dad up in prayer as he continues chemo.  Many, many thanks to all who are helping out and supporting the family through action and as prayer warriors.  As we enter the Christmas season, join with us in reveling in the real reason for the season - the birth of our Savior.

Another week, another round goes by...

Dad had another treatment this week and the tough part of the round is over.  Dad's been extremely tired, but still managed to have enough energy to celebrate his 83rd birthday with the family on Thursday (11/19).  Happy Birthday, Dad!

After three rounds of treatment, the next step is to evaluate the effectiveness of this regimen.  We had good news about that - the insurance company approved the PET scan.  Dad will have the scan next week, then review it with Dr. Alley before the next treatment to discuss any changes or adjustments needed to the plan.

In case you're wondering...the schedule didn't work out this week so we don't have a Philly Food Truck update!  But I'm cautiously optimistic that the next visit will be more productive.  :)

Well, that's all the update for this week.  As we move into Thanksgiving, we are thankful for Dad, for the doctors and nurses who provide such excellent care, and that we have the ability to access it.  We are so thankful for faithful friends like you who support us in so many ways.  And, above all, we thank God for His gift of salvation and for being our shelter in the storm of life.  Enjoy your Thanksgiving and the many blessings we've been provided!

Oh, and if you get a chance...make sure to wish Dad a Happy Birthday!

Deja Vu - it's Round 2!

Dad started his second round of chemotherapy this week, same plan as the first round - two drugs, one drug, break.  Just to keep things interesting, the break week this time will feature a follow-up PET scan or MRI (depending on the whim of the insurance company) to evaluate the effectiveness of the treatments so far.  If this regimen isn't as successful as they'd like, no worries - they've assured us that there are still plenty of options available.

Once again, the highlight of the day was the food truck!  We have now confirmed that they have an excellent chicken salad sandwich.  But alas!  We still don't have any definitive confirmation on the tuna salad.  Stay tuned for more news on the tuna front... 

Please pray that Dad's side effects continue to be relatively mild as we move through this next round of treatment.

Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.  Romans 12:12

Is that the bell?

Did you hear the bell?  Yep, it's the end of Round 1 - and Dad is the clear winner!  The first round of the three-week regimen is over and Dad came through the bout with flying colors.  In this case, "flying colors" means minimal side effects from the chemotherapy.  Amazing what happens when you have God as your corner man.  :)  Everybody gets to rest this week (hmmm...what to do with that extra time?) and the next round will start next week.

Thanks for your prayers - it's great to have you in our corner!

Hi ho, hi ho, it's off to Penn we go!

It's Week Two, so we were off to Penn for the single-drug treatment.  Not only did Dad get his treatment, but we got our first Philly Food Truck experience at the same time!  I had it on good authority that the "food truck around the corner and down the hill" was infinitely better than the hospital cafeteria, and I have to say I agree with them. The scoop is that their tuna salad is amazing...we'll see if all of the glowing recommendations are enough to get fish to cross Dad's lips.   :)

It's been a few days and - praise the Lord - Dad seems to be doing pretty good.  He's definitely tolerating this therapy regimen better than the original treatment plan.  A few more days and we'll know for sure, but it's looking positive.  Next week will be his "rest" week, then we'll start it all over again. 

Mom and Dad would like each of you to know how much they appreciate your prayers, cards, notes of encouragement, phone calls, meals, and everything else you've done to support them.  Words can't express what it means to them and to the rest of the family to see and feel your Christian love in action.  Thank you for your faithfulness. 

And moving on...

Now that the radiations treatments are over, it's time to move on!  Or rather, move back to the original plan of chemotherapy.  Well, not quite the original - Dad had a skin reaction to the first treatment so we met with the doctor this week to discuss alternative options. 

The new therapy will still involve two drugs, swapping out the one that caused the issue.  It comes with a slightly different three week schedule: 

• Week 1:  Both drugs
• Week 2:  A single drug 
• Week 3:  Rest  

No prep medications/vitamins for this version and the expected side effect remain mostly the same and - hopefully - relatively mild, peaking 7-10 days after treatment.

We started Week 1 earlier this week.  Please continue to keep Dad in your prayers as we prepare to move into Week 2 next week.  Thanks to all of you who offer support through your prayers, kind words, and actions.  You are truly loved and appreciated.

10 Down & Zero to Go!

If we were talking about football, dad just got a first down. We've been counting down each day as he would finish a radiation treatment: "that's 2 down and 8 to go", "7 down 3 more", etc.  On Tuesday, Oct 13th, he finally finished up the course of radiation.

I'm thankful to report that he has experienced no side effects from the treatment. Best of all, the original pain that led the doctors to discover the spot on his femur has not made a return visit. We thank all of you for your prayers and especially our heavenly father for the mercy and steadfast love that he's shown through his healing hand.

Dad "Rings the Bell"

The staff at the Abramson Cancer Center in Chester have a ceremony that they go through for each patient as they finish their treatment regime...they call it "ringing the bell" and they have a little bell that the patients actually ring. Dad rang the bell on Tuesday and as small a thing as it might seem to an outsider, it's an acknowledement of all that's gone into completing the 10 day course. All the fear, uncertainty and doubt that goes along with having enough radiation shot into your loved one (or yourself) to kill the living tissue of the cancer is a giant weight on your back that you don't know is there until it's finally lifted when that bell rings. Celebrate this milestone with us.

Dad with the wonderful staff
at the Abramson Cancer Center

We also ask your prayers as we head into next week. Dad will be visiting his primary oncologist, Dr Alley, to resume his chemo. About 2 weeks after his last chemo (right in the middle of the trouble with his leg) he got a severe rash on his torso. While it wasn't itchy or painful  (thank the Lord!), Dr Alley believes it's a rare reaction to the chemo. The short story is that he's going to change the chemo regimen. To what we don't know, but we hope to find out during this visit.

Never let it be said that we live boring lives. God didn't promise that we would, but he did/does promise that those who wait upon him will renew their strength and soar with the wings of eagles. And so we wait.

but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.
Isaiah 40:31 (ESV)

Two down, eight to go!

Dad started radiation treatments on his leg yesterday, with the second treatment today.  So far, so good!  He'll have a total of ten treatments, every weekday through the 13th.  On the 19th, he'll resume his chemo treatments, possibly trying a new regimen with a different schedule.  He's steadily recovering from his "adventure" two weeks ago - thank you for your continued prayers!

Looks like we'll be holding the course for the next two weeks; if anything changes, we'll be sure to let you know.

A busy ten days...

Hard to believe that it has only been ten days since Dad came home from the hospital.  His leg hasn't hurt since, praise the Lord!

Dad has followed up with an oncology radiologist, as well as a surgeon specializing in bone tumors.  The surgeon gave him the all-clear to walk on his leg and doesn't feel that surgery is needed at this time.  Woo-hoo!  That clears the way for some radiation treatments to ensure the pain doesn't return.  The chemo should stop the tumor from doing any more damage, and the shot he gets with it will continue to strengthen his bones and hopefully prevent this from happening again elsewhere.  He's scheduled to see the radiologist on Friday to get all scanned, measured, and fitted with a "jig" to ensure each treatment pinpoints the exact location, then he'll be set to get started.

There's no reason Dad's pain should have stopped and not returned - except your prayers.  Thank you for your faithfulness in praying for Dad and for your support of the family.  Many thanks to those who brought meals, visited at home and in the hospital, and helped in a myriad of other ways.  The Lord has started us on an interesting journey and it is comforting to know that so many are traveling along with us.

Praise the Lord, Dad's home

We just returned from bringing Dad & Mom home from the hospital and they are looking forward to a restful night in their own bed. The hours since they finally made it to Penn Presbyterian yesterday afternoon have been put to good use. Dad saw no less than 7 different doctors and had innumerable x-rays. The consensus is that the spot that had been diagnosed as a fracture was really just a small tumor on the thigh bone which had not caused any significant damage.

Dad had been in a significant amount of pain when he & Mom arrived at the hospital on Friday morning and it persisted until Saturday morning when he had his last pain meds. Since then, his pain levels have fallen to zero! That bears repeating. Since his last pain meds at 7am Saturday morning, Dad's pain has dropped to zero and stayed there! Even after the moving around and jostling of the ride home via pothole ridden roads, he is still pain free. I  can't explain it any other way than an answer to all the prayers that you all have been offering on his behalf. Thank you all.

Dad has to follow up with an orthopaedic surgeon to see if they need to do anything to shore up the femur or if it will be good for the immediate future. He'll also be following up with an interventional radiologist to ensure that the pain won't return.

We continue to covet your prayers on our behalf and we can't begin to tell you how appreciated those you've already offered have been.

Finally...

Praise the Lord and thank you all so much for your prayers. They've been effective. Right now Mom & Dad are in an ambulance on their way to the ACE Unit of Penn Presbyterian Medical Center in Philadelphia.  After 22 hours of waiting at the Wilmington Hospital Emergency department, they were both thrilled to finally be on the road. The folks there were very kind and compassionate and we're all very grateful for the care they gave to Mom & Dad.

We're now looking forward to Dad being seen by an Orthopaedic specialist who can access the condition of his femur fracture and suggest appropriate treatment. Please continue to pray for Dad, Mom, Cindy, Kim & I along with the rest of the clan as we navigate the medical system. Pray that Dad heals quickly and is able to get back to his active schedule. Pray that Mom is able to get enough rest & recharging while she gives him support. And please pray that we all have the strength, patience and wisdom to support Mom & Dad through the challenges ahead.

The Wait Continues...

So dad is still hanging out at Wilmington Hospital Emergency department. It has been a challenging night as Mom & Dad have been waiting for a transfer to Penn Presbyterian hospital where his Oncologist practices. Unfortunately, the hospital has been full to capacity and the one time a bed became available, there were no ambulances available to do the transport.

Please pray with us that a bed will become available and transport will be available at the same time so that dad can get to the hospital and be evaluated by the doctors.  Please pray also for strength, patience and peace for Dad & Mom and for Cindy, Kim and I as we wait along with them.

An interesting morning...

Another twist on the journey.  Dad had severe hip pain overnight and the on call doctor at Penn recommended a hip x-ray.  A few hours and a CT scan later and it looks like there's an in line fracture in his upper thigh near his hip.

After consulting with the oncologist, we're transferring Dad from Wilmington Hospital to Penn to consult with an orthopaedic specialist.  Dad will have his first ambulance ride!

Keep checking back and we'll keep you updated.  In the meantime, please pray for Dad and the doctors.

Beginnings and Blessings

First, the beginning - today was the start of Dad's chemotherapy treatment.  Driving up to Philadelphia for an 8:00 a.m. appointment prompted Mom to say, "Wilmington traffic isn't looking so bad now..."  With our new-found appreciation for Wilmington, we got set for the first treatment.

It was interesting!  As we've found throughout the Penn system, the nurses and staff were nothing but kind and professional.  We went through the first round of what will most likely be the routine - blood counts, a kidney function test that takes about an hour, then the all-clear and the infusions.  Today, it was a bag of anti-nausea followed by the chemo.  Add in a shot to strengthen Dad's bones and a shot of B12 and he'd been thoroughly poked.  But as a positive, these nurses practice their needlework all day, every day, and made it look (and feel!) easy.  The treatments were made even more comfortable by the power-reclining, heated massage chair with attached television and complimentary drinks and snacks.  Only Dad got the souped up chair...but we all had a chance to visit the "Nutrition" room.

Suzie, one of the nurse practitioners, stopped by to check in.  She shared that the remaining biopsy sample wasn't large enough to perform genomic testing.  However, there's a relatively new blood test that can identify many of the most common gene mutations and avoids the pain and risk of another biopsy.  In fact, it is so new that Dad is their first patient at this location to get it!  Praise the Lord that there's an alternative to another biopsy.

Now, for the blessings....
Suzie also mentioned that she'd call for the results of Dad's brain MRI from Friday.  We stopped by after the treatment to see if she'd received them.  She had - and his brain is clear!  Woo-hoo!  Hallelujah!  While the gamma knife sounds amazing, I'm glad we get to be amazed from a distance.

All in all, a day of thankfulness as we start the next part of this journey.  As you join us in thanksgiving, please also pray that Dad has minimal side effects from today's treatments.

Praise the Lord! Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever! - Psalm 106:1

 Starting the first treatment!

 

The Man with the Plan

Yea!  We have a plan!

Today we saw Dr. Alley to discuss the PET scan and biopsy results.  First, the biopsy.  As suspected, Dad has lung cancer - adenocarcinoma, to be exact.  This is the most common type of lung cancer and because of that has the most treatment options available.  Next, the PET scan.  The cancer is also present in his bones, though surprisingly that isn't the cause of the shoulder pain that kicked off this journey.  The good news is that the treatment for the lung cancer is effective on all areas where the cancer is present.

So, what's the plan?  This specific type of cancer is prone to gene mutations that allow targeted therapies that are simpler and more effective.  The genomic testing takes about three weeks...but a lot can happen in three weeks, so we're starting off with one of the traditional chemotherapy medicines until the results are in.  There are few things to do this week to minimize potential side effects, then he'll have his first treatment next week.  The initial treatment schedule is every three weeks and coincides nicely with when genomic testing is back and we can reevaluate the go-forward plan at that time.

In the meantime, the doctor has ordered an MRI to ensure that he doesn't have any spots on his brain.  Dr. Alley doesn't anticipate any...but if there are, there's a plan for that, too!  He mentioned something called a gamma knife.  Does anybody else remember when the word "gamma" was only used in science fiction?  Cancer treatments have come a long way!  But Lord willing, "gamma" will not need to become part of our vocabulary.

Lots of information today, here's the short version of the plan:

• Chemotherapy starting next week, few side effects anticipated
• Genomic testing underway, results in three weeks
• MRI in the next week to evaluate the brain
• Back in three weeks for next treatment - either targeted treatment based on gene mutation or traditional chemotherapy, adding a second chemotherapeutic agent.

This is the plan...but we know that ultimately God is in control and directs both the doctors and how Dad responds to the treatments.

The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps.  Proverbs 16:9 

Thankfully, we know that the Lord is in control and we can place all of our trust in him.  Please continue to pray for Dad and the family as we enter into this next phase. 

Oh, and if you'd like to leave Dad a message, please feel free to use the "Comment" feature below.  Thanks in advance for your ongoing prayers!

Biopsies and Bubbles

Biopsy Day dawned bright - and early!  We were on the road at 6:30 AM, joining the herd of commuters on a decidedly uneventful commute into Philly.  We made it in plenty of time and were ready and waiting for the excellent staff at Penn to do their thing.

We had a chance to meet Dad's Interventional Radiologist before the procedure and were reassured by her calm confidence as well as her open honesty on the risks.  She patiently answered our questions, then whisked Dad off for his CT-assisted biopsy.

God created each of us as unique individuals...and apparently he did the same when creating biopsies.  Dad got his morning workout as he rolled and twisted, flipped and flopped as they searched for the perfect angle.  We may enter him in Men's Gymnastics at the next Olympics! Eventually, they found the ideal angle to get a good sample while minimizing risk - well worth the additional procedure time.

After the procedure, Dad stayed in a coffee-free zone as they monitored his lung for any complications.  They discovered a small bubble of air - no bigger than two fingers - that had slipped out of his lung along the needle track.  Bubbles can be fun, but not so much when they are floating around your body.  Dad spent the next few hours resting and having Bubble Evaluations by xray.  Finally, after the second xray, he was cleared to go home!

The coffee-free period ended around 3:00 and we were home by 3:30.  On doctor's orders, Dad's going to be on a bubble break for the next couple of days, taking it easy as his body absorbs the errant air.

What comes after the Biopsy and Bubbles?  Well, result time varies based on what they find and how many stains they need to run to identify it, but will definitely be back next week.  At that time, we'll meet with the oncologist and go from there.

Thank you for your ongoing prayers and support - they make a difference!  Please continue to keep Dad and the family in your prayers as we continue to wait upon the Lord.

Pray without ceasing; give thanks in all circumstances for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.  I Thessalonians 5:17-18

   

What's up, doc?

That's the question we're hoping to get answered soon.  The PET scan is complete and a biopsy has been scheduled for next Wednesday,  August 26th.  We'll meet with the doctor about a week later to review the pathology and PET results and discuss what the next steps will be.

What's up, doc?  We're not sure, but we do know this:
But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint. (Isaiah 40:31)

Thank you for your prayers and words of encouragement as we continue to wait upon the Lord.  We'll post an update next Wednesday following the biopsy.