Update on Daddy

Photo taken July 4th, 2007..my Daddy trying very hard to look angry : ) Isn’t he the cutest!!!

Some of you are aware that my Daddy was recently diagnosed with cancer. For those of you who didn’t know, I wanted to share this news with you, and update you on his progress. Instead of trying to figure out the words, I thought I would share an email he sent to friends and family. My Daddy writes so eloquently…and he is a true believer in what will be, will be. However, his positive attitude has astounded me, and I am so very happy to report that his first chemotherapy treatment today went very well. He felt fine following treatment..his exact words were “I feel the same as I did yesterday!” A special thanks to the fine staff at the Cancer Centers of the Carolinas, who treated my Daddy with the utmost care and concern. I continue to pray he handles the treatment well, and that his health will improve…and that God will let me keep him for a long time : ) Here is his email:

Some of you already are aware of the fact that I have metastatic cancer, some of you are not. Over the past several weeks I have had numerous procedures to determine the current state of my health. About three weeks after the death of my wife Patricia I began to have a feeling of abdominal discomfort after eating. I thought that this was probably stress related following the loss of my wife and I began to use over the counter remedies to reduce the discomfort. I told my friend Dr. Robert Mahon that something was wrong, that I was having symptoms which were not relieved by the most common OTC drugs.

Dr Mahon ordered blood work and a CT of the abdomen. The blood work revealed nothing and the CT was unremarkable except for a few spots on the lungs.

Monnie noticed a yellow cast to the sclera of my eyes. Dr Mahon sent me for a CT of the lungs and ordered more blood tests to check for elevated bilirubin. The CT showed numerous nodes on both lungs which appeared to the radiologist to be possible metastatic lesions.I was then evaluated by a gastroenterologist who did an endoscopic procedure to look at the ducts of the liver and pancreas. He found a tumor of the ampulla which was blocking the flow from the liver and pancreas. He placed a stent in the ampulla and took a tissue sample from the tumor and confirmed that the tumor was malignant.I then had a biopsy of one of the nodules in the lungs. This biopsy showed a malignancy of the same type.I was then told that I have an incurable cancer which could possibly be controlled by chemotherapy. Monday, July 28th I had surgery to place a port into a vein in the chest, after which chemotherapy will begin. It will either offer control of the cancer or it will not, only time will tell. At any rate that is where things now stand and you know as much as I do about the outcome.

Please know that I am not depressed, I do not feel like poor, poor pitiful me. What will be will be. As a believer in the saving grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, I know that I will be united some day with Him and with Pat; that will truly be a wonderful outcome. So please do not grieve for me but celebrate the wonderful life that I have been granted.

Tony

This entry was posted on Monday, August 4th, 2008 at 8:53 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

2 Responses to “Update on Daddy”

Stacie Bartro Says:
August 6th, 2008 at 6:20 pm
Give your Dad a hug for me!
Meredith Says:
August 8th, 2008 at 12:17 pm
Monnie,
It was a pleasure getting to meet your dad yesterday. He looks great and I hope and pray that he continues to do well with Chemo. He, as well as you, are in our thoughts and prayers.

Update on Daddy

2 Responses to “Update on Daddy”

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