First Treatment

Today Dad went for his first radiology treatment. He said it wasn't that bad (although I bet he could probably think of a million or so things he would rather be doing!) He was pleased that it is very quick and he was in and out of there.

One down and 31 more to go! Please continue to keep Dad in your prayers and thoughts. We look forward to completion of the radiology treatments and positive, clear reports from the scans to come.

Update on Radiology

Today Dad had an appointment to get his "mask" and "mouthpiece" made at the oncology center. He also had a CT scan to make a model of his head so that the doctors can direct the target location of the radiation. He will go back next Tuesday for an X-ray to make sure everything is directed in the right place. After that, his first radiation appointment is scheduled for next Wednesday, Dec. 17. Please be in prayer for the long 6 week duration he will be facing. He is in such good spirits and his attitude is awesome. He is a walking lesson and testimony for all of us!

Let our prayers be prayers of thanks. God is so awesome and good. I thank Him for getting Dad this far so good. I thank Him for the doctors and the amazing surgery that was performed to get the cancer out. I thank Him for the tests that showed us we need more treatment. I thank Him for the peace that we have and most of all, I thank Him for the hope. After our thanks, please pray with me that the radiation goes smoothly and that the side effects be minimal. Pray especially for his remaining teeth and the new bone, that they remain in good shape. I will let you all know how it goes next week.

Radiologist Appointment

Dad, mom and I went to meet with the radiologist this afternoon. It was a VERY informative and thorough meeting. We talked with Dr. Hardacre for nearly two hours. He amazingly explained to us every step and exactly what was happening with Dad's treatment. For the most part all the information was positive and again we praise God for everything. Dad's situation keeps falling in that "thank you God" category!

For now, Dad is 5 weeks out from the surgery and in cases like his they usually wait anywhere from 6 weeks to 3 months to start the radiation therapy. He has healed so well up to this point that they are ready to start the process to begin radiation in the next two to three weeks. He has a planning appointment this coming Tuesday to do a CT scan and make his mask and mouth guard. Based on the scan, the doctors will then take a week or two to develop his plan. After that he will start radiation and go Monday through Friday for about 6 1/2 weeks. Each visit will last 15-20 minutes. Dr. Hardacre explained that the side effects are different for everybody and we will hear stories from "that wasn't so bad" to "it was the worst thing I ever did". So, we are prepared for some uneasy weeks ahead, but ready to face it. Please pray for God's continued blessings on Dad and this radiation process. The good news is that since Dad's tumor was confined to one side of his face and had not crossed over the mid-line in the head and neck area, he will only be treated on one side! This is awesome in that the side effects will be lessened and only occur on one side of the face and neck instead of all over. Yeah!! We also learned that the side effects occur gradually and he probably won't have any problems until about the 3rd week or so. This is good, as Christmas will fall in the time before all the "yuck" sets in.

I know this is a lot of info for one post, but I was bombarded with tons this afternoon. I am sure I forgot something, so I will post again soon. Please continue to pray for Dad and our family. We are so thankful for you all.

Love,
Michelle

Dr. Holmes follow up appointment

We have just returned from Dad's follow up appointment in Birmingham. Dad had a picture taken of his mouth and evaluated by Dr. Holmes. The flap is doing very well and healing as it should. The sutures are falling out naturally as they should and the swelling shrinks daily, again, as it should. He checked out the new bone and assured dad that he had "good bone" to attach the teeth to. Very nice! The arm cast came off and...well, lets just say "it wasn't pretty", but also healing very nicely and Dr. Holmes was pleased. He gave Dad a few exercises to help strengthen the bone back and some ointment and gauze to help new skin continue to heal. I think Dad was shocked at how painful just doing little things (like picking up a tea glass) could be once the wrist support was taken off. Dr. Holmes said that it would take about 12 weeks for the bone to completely heal and strengthen.



We discussed the pathology report and Dr. Holmes explained that they took a good parameter around the tumor and that part looked good. They did tell us at the time of surgery that they would take several lymph nodes as a precaution and PRAISE GOD that they did! When reviewing the pathology report we found out that one of the lymph nodes taken out did show evidence of cancer. At this point, Dr. Holmes explained that many had gone through this before him and left it at that, but if it were him, he would consider radiation to make sure there are no more cancer cells hanging out in that area. It took no discussion on our part. Radiation it is! We had already expected this anyway so here we go. We are going to meet with the radiologist here in Decatur some time before the end of the week to go over the pathology report and plan the radiation treatments. So please, please, please pray that that was all there was and radiation will be the end of it! Papa is in good spirits and just ready to get it done. Pray for radiation itself, that it be as easy as it possibly can and for the doctors that they are knowledgeable and do the right things for Papa. Above all, praise God for all the He has done for us so far. We are so blessed and so thankful. Our entire family is especially thankful for all of you. All your concerns, love, friendships and prayers!

I will post again once we meet with the radiologist.
Michelle

Update

I have had so many requests to keep updating the blog. I do apologize for those of you who check it often to see how things are going. Since the last post, Papa has been continuing to do well. He has been going to work every day until about lunch and even going out to some job sites with Stephen and/or Shawn tagging along to "supervise". Each and every day the flap site improves and it looks as if it is healing nicely. The inside of his mouth has now completely turned the same color as the rest and other than a few missing teeth and some sutures hanging around..it looks FABULOUS! Looking at him, you would never know what has just taken place if you didn't know ahead of time. The cast on his arm is extremely annoying now because he feels better and wants to do more but can't because of that silly cast. We go to Birmingham tomorrow to see Dr. Holmes. I called today to see exactly what the appointment was about and they told me it was just a post op and Dr. Holmes would take a few pictures, check things out and probably remove the cast and staples from his arm. I will post after the appointment to let you know what all we find out.

Thanksgiving went really well! Papa was able to eat almost everything. He ate all the soft foods as well as some chopped turkey. I assure you he didn't miss out on very much. Maybe the pecan pie, but other than that he was full and satisfied like the rest of us!

I forgot to mention that he went to church yesterday! What a testimony! 4 short weeks since major surgery and he wanted to go to church. (or very long weeks, depending on who is talking :) It was great to see so many who were thrilled to see him and to see the evidence of prayer and God's hand at work. Awesome!

Thanks to so many!

On behalf of my family, I would like to thank SO many of you for all the cards, phone calls, visits and FOOD! Dad has loved it all! As I said earlier, he went to work on Monday and continued to go each day the rest of the week. He only went for a few hours each day and then home for lunch. He actually went out to eat (with some of the many sweet gift cards he has received!) two times this week! He enjoyed soup at Panera Bread and pancakes and eggs at the Cracker Barrel. It seems soft foods aren't so bad after all! I cannot even express in words to you how God has taken this whole situation and handled it in HIS way! I stand truly AMAZED and remain incredibly blessed each and every day.

We are all going to be here for Thanksgiving and we surely will be thankful. The next couple of weeks remain the same....resting, healing and slowly getting out. We have nearly 3 weeks until we see Dr. Holmes again. Until then, keep Papa in your prayers as we await the next step.

He said he would do it.....

Today is Monday, November 10 and Papa went to the office for 3 hours! He said he would be back in two weeks and he went back in 11 days. Granted he was not dressed for the occasion and only lasted a couple of hours, but he went. Stephen drove him there and he checked messages and returned phone calls, went on an errand or two and back home for lunch. Good medicine!

Saturday, November 8

Several of you have asked Mom if I would keep updating the blog. I will certainly keep you all posted as we go through this process. It may not be as often, but certainly check back for updates as we go along. For now, we are focused on nutrition, healing and waiting for the next step. As I mentioned yesterday, Dad has his next appointment on December 2. Hopefully he will get the cast off his arm and find out exactly what our plan is. He is healing great. The swelling is way down and he is eating well. He still has some annoying pain, but after last week, it most certainly is bearable. Several of you that have come by are just as amazed by the way he looks as we are. Isn't it great? We are so blessed!

Today he stayed up most of the day and a bunch of us graced him with our presence to watch the Alabama game. It was fun and exciting and completely wore him out! Its all good!

Back to Birmingham today!

We made the trip to Birmingham for an 11 o'clock appointment with Dr. Holmes to get the packing out and check the flap. He did great! They put him in "sleepyland" while they removed the packing and trimmed up the flap a bit from the surgery. It only took about 45 minutes total and he was ready to head back home. Dr. Holmes said that everything looked great and to just keep doing what we are doing. He upgraded his food intake to just about anything that doesn't require chewing. PB & J, grilled cheese, pasta etc. (small bites of course). That is good news for the hungry! He feels SOOOOO much happier just to have that packing out. I can't even imagine. I am still amazed at how he is doing just one week after such an extensive surgery. Those of you that have come by will surely agree. God is awesome! I was worried about today's appointment. I just wanted him to feel okay during the drive and the wait for a mid day appointment. I wanted to know that the packing wouldn't hurt coming out and that it wouldn't bleed afterwards and that the flap was doing what it should be doing. Once again, our prayers were answered..he breezed right through the day. We didn't talk about the tumor/pathology reports today..just wants him to continue recovering and he will see him back on December 2!
Pray for continued healing. Thank you all!

Thursday morning

I cannot believe it has been one week from surgery! (Although when I really think about it, it seems like a month!) He slept well again and is doing just fine. I am sure he is ready to have a little more to eat rather than all these liquids, so hopefully Dr. Holmes will let us graduate after the appointment tomorrow. I told him this morning that he only had two more weeks before he could go to the office and once again he corrected me and held up 1 finger. I have decided he is going to work NEXT WEEK! Yeah Papa! Pray for our appointment tomorrow. I will let everyone know how it goes.

Love,
Michelle

Doing Good!

Papa's first night at home was good. He took all of his medicines by mouth (instead of IV) and did well. He slept very well and got up about 4 to move to the recliner (which is a good place..doctor wants his head propped up) and slept till around 7. Being at home is obviously good medicine.

Home Sweet Home!

Well, Dad is on the couch in his own pajamas and his own blankets and unattached to any wire! What a great feeling that must be. Words cannot even express how glad we all are for him to be home. He has felt good since he got home and has gotten down the liquids he needs to keep his nutrition up. I cannot tell you how much your thoughts and prayers have helped our family during this past week. We are amazed! We pray for a smooth night tonight and lots of rest for both Mom and Dad.

He has to go back to Birmingham on Friday and be sedated in Dr. Holmes office to remove the packing from his nose but he is ready and willing if it means that stuff coming out. I told him today that in a few weeks he would be up and about. He just smiled and held up two fingers. I guess he intends to be out in two weeks. Sounds good to me. Spirits were good today. He joked and commented about everything just like Papa always does. You should have seen him try to give me directions on how to drive home from Birmingham! :) I just let him think I didn't know how. Hee Hee!

Please keep the prayers coming..we are home and the big surgery is over, but we still have a long way to go. I will continue to keep you posted on his healing process.

Tuesday, November 4

This morning Dad is feeling about the same. He did actually sleep last night! We prayed all day for some rest. Guess what? Dr. Holmes just walked in and said....YOU ARE GOING HOME TODAY!!!!!! Praise God! He is putting the paperwork in right now and he has to finish his IV medicine, but we are on our way. Lets pray today first of all, our thanks for His grace and love before, during and after the surgery. Lift up your praises for God is good! Dad has come out of a major surgery to remove a pretty big cancer and we are going home.! Pray specifically for his comfort and healing. He needs all of our prayers to help his attitude. Just pray that he keeps looking forward and be as positive as he can be. Mom needs prayer for strength and health as she will be administering lots of home health care! Of course all of us will be there to help. I will post this afternoon letting you know how things went getting home, etc. It is exciting but a little scary knowing the nurse isn't just right outside the door. Oooh..I am so excited, can you tell?

I do know that Dr. Holmes is going to see him Friday to remove the packing and check the flap. Once that packing is gone, I KNOW Dad will feel better. The cast on his arm is there for 3 more weeks and it won't come a minute too soon.

Until this afternoon...
Michelle

Finally..an Update

Dr. Black came to see Dad today around 1:00 or so. He just sat down on the couch and asked dad how it was going. Dad just looked at him with "that look" as if to say..how do you think its going guy?" He told Dad that although he knew he didn't feel like it, he looked great from a surgical standpoint. It has been 72 hours and he looked at the flap, quickly removed his gloves and said, "it's perfect!" That is definitely good news. We asked him several questions and concerns that had built up over the weekend and he covered most of them and things are still moving right along. Of course, Dad feels like a truck just ran over him, but he is doing good. Still very low blood oxygen so he is having to take iron every 8 hours. He hates it! From the smell of it, it must be horrible. The nurse told him that he better take it because he is really low---she's talking " borderline transfusion". Pray for those levels to rise over the next day so we can avoid that. Dr. Black mentioned that we would talk about Dad going home when he gets a little more calories down. He eats, just not very much or for very long at a time. He gave Dad a little pep talk about keeping his spirits high and not getting blue. He explained that he does about 100 of these surgeries per year and that young, healthy men are always hit the hardest by the surgery. Meaning they are active, healthy enjoying their lives (and good food) and then this hits them like a curve ball. He was really sweet and told Dad that he knew he felt right now like he had no idea what had just happened to him and that he would never live life the same or eat the same again, but he wanted to reassure him that those thoughts were just not TRUE. He said very clearly...you will be fine..just hang in there. He has been sleeping better today ( I am beginning to think the surgery turned him into a newborn who has his days and nights mixed up) and hopefully that means he will sleep better tonight. On a scale of 1-10 he actually rated his headache as a 5 today and his overall pain as a 3. That is the best so far.

Monday Morning

Good morning. We are still waiting to see Dr. Holmes and/or Dr. Black. Surely they have some news and new information for us. Getting through the weekend without seeing many doctors is not fun. Dad had a rough night just not being able to sleep. He is sleeping now so that is good. I will post any new information when I hear from the doctor. I am looking forward to that!

quick note

Several of you have called or emailed and said that you were unable to leave a "comment". I had never tried it before so I did. I think if you check "anonymous" but just sign your name on the message, it should work regardless of what service you have. But who am I when it comes to computers? NOBODY! :)

Sunday Evening

We had a pretty good day (at least from my stand point..I am sure he would beg to differ). Since the Mt. Dew and moving to Tylenol instead of all that morphine, he has been more alert and moved around a bit. He sat in the chair several times today and visited with Jordan, Patrick, Patton, Callie, Smith, Sam and Penny. They each brought a smile and even a giggle at times! They are so honest and loving and carry on with him as if he didn't have any problems going on at all. All Penny can say is "papa..boo boos". Mom and I are in here with him tonight until we feel comfortable that he is resting. Mom may have to stay in the room another night, but we'll see. Night time seems so much harder for him, so pray that he gets some rest.
Thank you all!

Love,
Michelle

Sunday

It is about 11:00 and it has been a busy morning. Mom stayed in the room with him last night just to help with the little things since he is now in a room without a one on one nurse. He didn't sleep much, but who would having had that kind of surgery. I would say today is a little bit better than yesterday but still kind of rough. Every time they come in to clean him up he looks better and better to me. He actually saw himself in a mirror last night and would not agree with us, but from our eyes he looks great. Dr. Holmes came in this morning and said everything was good. Dad was actually up in the chair and able to carry on a conversation with him. He went over all the things that are hurting and/or bothering him and all were normal and to be expected. He showed us exactly how big the tumor was and said that it was what he had expected as well. Of course we have to wait a few days to hear from pathology to know more details about that. We pray for a good report and clear direction as to the plan from here.(radiation,etc.) Dr. Holmes kept reminding him that he felt this bad because he was supposed to! He just had major surgery! Dad replied, "I've got to be at work on Monday". Dr. Holmes smiled and said, "well, your not going to make it, but ask me again in two weeks." That made him happy. He is a little anemic this morning and they are giving him some iron. If that is our only problem...we'll take it.

The best moment came when Dr. Holmes asked, "Is there anything else I can do for you?" Jokingly, Dad said, "bring me a Mt. dew". and he replied, "I don't care if you have a Mt. Dew!" We all scrambled as if we couldn't believe our ears. Shawn had a fresh, cold one in his hand so Cheryl grabbed a syringe and started shooting Mt. Dew down his throat! He was so happy. I bet that was a new one for the nurses...Mt. Dew through a syringe. Who cares...Papa got his Mt. Dew!

Room 451!

It is about 4:10 and we are settled in our room! Hallelujah! He has had another somewhat unpleasant day with the headache and hunger issues being main complaints. Finally, they brought him some chicken broth and a Popsicle. He saw Dr. Black (on call for Dr. Holmes today) around 11:00 and he is still very pleased with everything at this point. Great news. Dr. Black then ordered him to go straight to a regular room and skip the "step down" room. Dad perked up immediately at the thought of finally getting out of ICU and that HOT room! They took one of the IV lines off and the drainage tube out and he is also free of the catheter! MUCH BETTER! He walked from the wheelchair to the bed almost all by himself. He is resting now and looking forward to the headache disappearing! His food intake has been promoted to liquids and protein shakes. A better menu than ice chips and water from a spoon! We are thrilled to have a room where we can stay with him anytime we want and just pray that his head gets better!

Good Morning

It is Saturday morning and Dad is still in ICU. The nurse said he had an okay night and they were able to keep him sleeping a bit. We haven't seen him yet (that part is getting OLD) but hope to get in soon. Shawn, Cheryl and the kids are headed back right now and they are bringing Jordan too. Heather and Dave are headed in a couple of hours and Stephen is bringing my kids in just a bit. (Yipee!) Don't know what we will do with all of them, but we are here to love Papa!

9:00 pm Friday

Well, another night in ICU....not necessarily because of dad's progress, but because there is not a room in "step down" where he is supposed to go according to Dr. Holmes' orders. So, visiting hours ended at 9 and we said good night to him. The nurse is to call us IF he gets in a room during the night so that we can come see him early. Otherwise, we are not allowed back in ICU until tomorrow morning at 9:30. As our second full day comes to a close, we continue to praise God for all that he has done and lift up prayers for dad's physical and emotional healing. Good night....

Friday afternoon

We are still waiting to be moved to the "step down" room. St. Vincents is a great hospital with great doctors but obviously very full. Although we are growing weary of this waiting room and "visiting hours", we know that ICU is a great place for him to be. Mom and I just left him and he is having a rough day. He doesn't feel well at the moment (he has a really bad headache and is very nauseous) so we requested that the nurse call Dr. Holmes. She did and he sent orders for some different medicine and he is trying to go to sleep. I can't even begin to imagine how miserable all of that must feel. A new nurse came in to give him the meds and she could not believe that his surgery was just yesterday! She asked us if it was true..she thought the papers had the wrong date. She said she had never seen one of those surgeries look so good on the second day! She said, "it must be his skin" and I said..."oh no! It is prayer!". We can see he is feeling pretty yucky right now but we are so happy to know that we obviously have the best case scenario at this point and it could of been a lot worse. Please continue to pray for healing and especially for Papa. He is now realizing what has really just happened and he is feeling a little blue about it. It was to be expected, but he needs our constant prayers and support. I will talk to you all soon.

Love,
Michelle

Friday Morning

Good morning to all. Thank you for all the comments. Every time we see Dad he wants to know who all we have heard from so keep those phone calls and comments coming...they make him feel SO good! (us too!) We all got to sleep last night and we feel good today. Dad was cared for by his own two nurses all night and they promised to call us if they needed us. Of course they didn't (thank goodness!) and we rested well. We saw him this morning and he is making the best of it. His arm is really sore and he complains about it more than the removal/reconstruction site. I think today may be his worse day because he is coming off all the meds and really waking up. You could tell he doesn't feel well but he smiles when we talk to him and he is hanging in there. He told us that when we see Dr. Holmes to please tell him he needs a Mt. Dew! That and an air conditioner! (patients with a neck dissection have to have a room with the temp between 70-75 degrees and it is miserably HOT in there!) The doctor came by and looked at the flap again this morning and all is still well. We have to get through the 72 hour period to be clear and know that it worked. His transport orders have been put in so whenever a room opens up he will be moved to a "step-down" room for the rest of the day and then hopefully to his regular room. Whew...it has been a long day and a half but I have such joy that the surgery is over. We have a long road ahead but we can do it! Your prayers are so evident! The doctors, nurses and even the anesthesiologist are constantly saying how amazing he looks and how good everything went yesterday. They thanked him this morning for being such an easy patient. We are waiting for the nest visiting hours and/or his transport to another room.

7:15 pm

Dad has finally been moved up to ICU. Heather and I are still waiting to see him, but mom has been for just a few minutes. She actually spotted him coming down the hall as he was being taken to the ICU and ran out in the hall. The nurses stopped so she could see him. (Thank goodness!) He SMILED when he saw her and you could tell he was relieved! Mom was so overwhelmed with joy all she could do was and cry. She was super strong! The sweetest nurse came in and told mom how good he had been all day and that he never complained. (It obviously was a zoo here today as many patients are without "rooms".) She told us all about the bandages, etc. so we would know what to expect. Shawn needed to leave because of kids and work so the sweet nurse (sorry, I don't know her name) actually snuck Shawn back there to see him before we were "allowed". He said he was talking and asking Shawn questions about the incision and seemed really curious about what everything looked like. We get to go as soon as he is set up in the ICU room and the shift change is complete.

As I was posting, Dr. Holmes just came by to go and check on him. He is an amazing doctor! He treats us like we are the only people in the world right now and that dad is top priority! It is very comforting. He came in to the waiting room just smiling and said "he looks good!" He said the flap looked good and is doing what it was supposed to be doing.

We have definitely felt the prayers today. God has just wrapped dad in his arms and He has control of this whole situation. We have such joy. It is only through HIM that we could make it through this day laughing and smiling along the way.

I am hoping that we will get in to see him soon and then leave him to rest for the night. We are just staying right here in the Lodge so we can be here in a minute or two if needed and we have the comfort of calling anytime all night to check on him. Good night and thank you!

4:00 update

Would you believe it if I said...WE STILL HAVEN'T SEEN HIM! We have been constantly updated and assured that he is doing fine in recovery. The doctor just visited him and said everything is going great. He is now in a holding room waiting on an ICU room. Apparently, it is crowded up there because they won't even let mom up. They are being SOOO nice though..we are all good..just a little tired of waiting. Mom just wants to see him so bad. The nurses keep telling us that he is doing fine. I think it is kind of funny now because they have said it so much and I wonder if we asked him personally how he felt if the answer would be "just fine!" :) Hopefully he is getting lots of sleep and rest which is what he needs to be doing.

Many of you have called and said that you have tried to leave comments on the blog and were not able to do so. I think I have changed the settings so that it is possible to leave them now. I hope so anyway because they make us feel so good! Thanks!

12:20 He's out!

We just came from the family consultation with the doctors. The surgery is over and he did great! We have not seen him yet and probably can't for about another 2 hours but our hearts are praising God. All we could of hoped for so far is happening! No tracheotomy! He is already awake...his breathing tubes are out. Dr. Holmes told us that the cancer was big but he got it out and took some parameter too. The pathologist supervised that as well. He will be in ICU tonight until mid day tomorrow. Dr. Holmes wants very little "action" tonight so dad can rest. The next 72 hours are critical for the success of the flap. After that time, Dr. Holmes will know if it took and the blood is flowing to the new bone and gum line. 98 out of 100 of these surgeries are successful so please continue to pray! God is good and we praise him!! I will let you know more when we get to see him in a couple of hours. Your concerns, phone calls and prayers are awesome!

11:00 Update

The surgery receptionist just called mom up to the desk to tell her that surgery had called down and wanted her to know that "everything is going good". They reassured her that it is long and slow, but going well. We all feel so much better at least for the moment. I am assuming that he has been in there between 3-4 hours and hopefully well in to the entire process. It is good to hear that all is going well.

9:30 Update

The standard update time from the hospital is every two hours. We left him at about 5:45 and hadn't heard yet so I went to ask. They explained to me that he went in the operating room at 6:30 but that did not guarantee that the surgery started right then. The sweet receptionist called to check for me and they sent word that the surgery had started and patient was doing well. We are looking forward to the "official" (more specific) update which should be soon. He was in good spirits this morning, but very nervous as you would expect. He brought in his cell phone, day timer and computer and told us to keep it because he would need it by Sunday! I love it and hope he's right!

6:30am Update

We just gave our hugs and kisses and he is off to surgery. He actually went back about half an hour ago and we are just waiting. Everything is going as we expected and we hope to hear from the doctor after an hour or so. I will let you know. Keep praying!

Backing up....

Wow! You guys are amazing! I have had so many positive comments about the blog..it is so encouraging to know so many people love and care for us! The blog has been forwarded to several people, SS classes, etc. and many have asked me to explain what it is exactly that Papa has been diagnosed with so here goes...(thanks for asking!)

About a month ago after several attempts to clear up what he thought was an infection or some gum problem, Papa was diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma. This type of cancer arises from the surface lining of the mouth, throat or other areas just as it can arise from the surface of the skin or other parts of the body. If it were to go untreated the tumor would grow and eventually shed cells to other parts of the body and therefore it is a malignant cancer. This cancer tends to spread through the lymph nodes. Dad had a PET scan and the report indicated that the cancer is localized in the spot of the tumor and there was no evidence of spreading. (PRAISE GOD!) Therefore the surgery was scheduled to remove the tumor.

The surgery is very extensive. It will take about 4-6 hours to remove the tumor and reconstruct the defect. Dr. Holmes does both the removal and reconstruction at the same time. He will use tissue and bone from his left arm/wrist to reconstruct the jaw/mouth. Dad is expected to be in ICU overnight on Thursday to recover and have some "one on one" care. We are thankful for that. Hopefully we will be in a room by Friday as planned.

Thanks again for all the prayers and well wishes! I will be in touch tomorrow morning!

Pray

Today is Monday and we (the entire family) are making plans and preparing for dad's surgery. I have created this blog in hopes that our family, friends and church family can log on and receive updates while we go through this endeavor. I hope to be able to update it at the very least daily. Thank you all for your prayers and thoughts. Please pray specifically for dad, our family and the doctors. Dr. Jon Holmes is the surgeon performing the surgery and reconstruction along with Dr. Sheldon Black. While we are all worried and scared, I have a peace and comfort knowing that God is in control. We pray for a successful surgery and complete recovery. Dad seems to have a positive outlook (as positive as could be expected!) and he is ready to be back at work soon. That is good!

We (the family along with mom and dad) are going to Birmingham late Wednesday afternoon and spend the night at the Centennial Lodge located at St. Vincents. Mom and at least one of us will spend the entire week there. I am so thankful that there is such a nice, convenient place for us to stay during the surgery and his hospital stay. As of now, the surgery is planned for 6:30 am Thursday (10/30) morning. Until then...as my husband would say...

In HIS grip,
Michelle