Update

Well, we have just gotten home from our appointment to review the PET scan and this challenge is far from over. From the doctor's mouth, "there's more good news than there is bad news". So, for the good news..NOTHING that we didn't already know about showed up. There has been no spread to other parts of the body. The bad news is that the "suspicious" spot that we talked about months ago on his C3 vertebrae appears to be "more intense" and grown a bit. That is a game changer in the plan. When he finished chemo, we decided to wait and see for this very reason. Had we chosen to go ahead and radiate the "stable" spots on his neck at that time we would have given up all chances to radiate the vertebrae if it ever came knocking. I am glad we waited because here we are. The other good news is that the cancer cells in the neck are all in a string just as they were the last time they checked on them, just a little more intense. The tissues on the other side, throughout the neck and throat all look great. That is HUGE. The problem is the location of the spot on the vertebrae. It is too close for comfort to the spinal cord. That being said, Dr. Hardacre is sending us to UAB on Friday to meet with Dr. Spencer (we've met with her before) to see if Dad is a candidate for the new True Beam Radiation Therapy. They are only one of 3 or 4 hospitals in the nation that has this technology. He plainly said, "if it were me or my wife, that is where I would go and I know all the options." This technology more precisely points the radiation beam down to the millimeter of where it should be going. Once the patient is locked in and ready to receive radiation, the machine actually does a quick CT scan to make sure everything is on point before the radiation is administered. This is amazing and we need to pray that Dad is a candidate. Our appointment is Friday at 2:30. Please be in prayer for this. If we can radiate it along with the cells on his neck, then it will be gone. The chemotherapy has done a great job keeping the cells from setting up anywhere else in his body. The downside of the radiation is that it will be every day in Birmingham. So, one day at a time and we will cross that bridge when we get there. We so cherish all of you...your calls and YOUR PRAYERS! We are called to pray for one another!

My dad is amazing. He is the strongest man I have ever known to face the things that he has faced and keep going! He never stops, his faith is always there. Of course he gets down when the news is not what we wanted to hear, but he gets back up and fights on every time! What a light for Jesus he is! It is what it is and God will see us through.

Love,
Michelle