Health Update for June 2018

I want to start this update by saying thank you for all the prayers, expressions of kindness, meals, gifts, and visits. We have been so encouraged by the outpouring of love that we have experienced from so many of you. We are thankful that the Lord has provided such an amazing community for us to be a part of—from our long-time friends, to our church family, and the company that I work for. This cancer journey has been physically and emotionally hard, but you have been used by the Lord to bring comfort, laughter and fun into our lives. So, thank you!

Things have been quite busy since my last update. The end of the school year was full of EOGs, end-of-year parties, and field days. Our school also celebrates graduations for 5th graders and 8th graders, which meant that both Ella and Reese participated in those ceremonies. It is hard to believe that Reese will be in high school next year, and Ella will be in middle school! Claire loved all the end-of-the-year fun, and she will be in 3rd grade next year. 

                                               

A couple of days after school let out, we headed to the beach for some much needed time away. We are very fortunate to have access to my parents' little "trailer by the sea", just south of Beaufort, SC, that we can use. Some dear friends from church were able to join us for the week, as well. A friend graciously allowed us to use his boat, so we were able to do some fishing, which was really fun for us. We didn’t catch much, but I love being out on the water. We were able to take the boat out at sunset and enjoy the beauty of creation and just relax together. 

That week, Jen and I also celebrated our 18th wedding anniversary! We were able to enjoy a nice night out together in downtown Beaufort. We went to dinner, walked around town, and had uninterrupted conversation with each other. As difficult as this cancer has been in our lives, it has also had a way of strengthening us as a couple and a family. 

After a fun first week in Beaufort, we headed north to Ocean Isle to spend the week with Jen’s parents, as well as her brother Elliot and his family. While there, we celebrated Reese's 14th birthday and the boys enjoyed surf fishing while the girls enjoyed the beach.  We enjoyed much time just hanging out and talking.  And once again, I was able to get out on the water to enjoy some more fishing, thanks to my friend, John Crutchfield, and his boat! We had a lot of fun and caught a lot of fish...enough to have a fish fry for dinner that night.

I have had some days here and there where I don't feel so well and need to rest most of the day. When I feel good, which is more and more, I have a habit of overdoing it. When I was having treatments, it was so hard on me and I felt bad all the time. I am so thankful to be feeling better overall and for my energy to be returning somewhat. When I have a good day, I make the most of it. Jen reminds me often of the need to pace myself, and thankfully, I haven't had any really bad days since the middle of the month.

This has enabled me to enjoy being back at work more. I have the most understanding co-workers, and I continue to be very thankful for their grace and patience with me in this journey. The kids attended and Jen served at VBS at church. I was able to join them for some of the week. I also have had the strength and stamina these days to still be a part of the production crew for our worship services on Sunday mornings. 

This month also means summer camp for both Reese and Ella. The student camp that Reese attended is about an hour or so away. Jen and I were able to head up there on Tuesday night to see Reese, as well as be a part of the worship gathering. The Lord has been so good to let me have the joy of  seeing my kids grow in their faith and love for Jesus. Ella's week of camp is the last week of June.

This month has already been pretty busy with family, church, work and life. Even so, I am still fighting against this cancer every day. I had a scan on June 11 to see the effects that the treatments had had on the tumor. Jen and I met with our doctor on the June 14, and received the good news that my cancer has not spread. It is still localized to the pancreas. It was hard for the doctor to tell if there had been any growth in the size of the tumor. The doctor was pleased, but thinks that we will get better results with another future scan. 

This month, I also added an integrated medical doctor to my oncology team to be a resource for symptom management. We had a very encouraging and helpful visit with him. He spent a lot of time with me and he is looking for ways to help me with better sleep patterns, nutrition and other facets of dealing with some of the symptoms that come with this fight. I really liked him, and I am happy that he is on my team.

Besides the few days when I was down, life has been pretty normal this month. When I am down, I suffer from a lack of appetite, cold chills, dizziness and extreme fatigue. It isn't unusual for me to sleep most of the day when those days come. I also try to take time to read, pray, or watch TV until my body starts to feel better and my energy begins to return. As physically draining as those days are, I have found them to be much more draining emotionally because what I really want is to have the energy to be with my family. My wife has been able to maintain such strength and understanding, and always seems to find a way to keep our family rhythm as normal as possible. Reese has become a young man, and steps in to help his mom however he can when I'm down. Ella usually ends up watching TV with me as I'm stuck in the bed, which always cheers me up. Claire will also sit with me, talk with me, and kiss me on the head. My family has been such a rock on those days.

As for what is next, I am scheduled to have a PET scan in two months, which hopefully will reveal more of what we are dealing with. I have actually been able to gain a little weight, sleep well, and my body seems to be returning to normal as the effects of the radiation and chemo treatments wear off. The battle is still raging, but the days of June have been such an improvement over the previous months. I praise God for that, and I know that God has chosen to show me so much grace in the midst of my cancer.

Thank you again for your care, concern, prayers, kindness and friendship shown to me and my family during this journey. Just knowing that so many are praying for me encourages my spirit and reminds me of how the Lord uses that to bring some comfort to us in the middle of this storm. Please continue to pray for us.