Its been awhile...

Since we've been in touch! First we want to take a moment and wish everyone a joyous and happy holiday season. We especially thank you for all your care and concern for our family this year. You don't know what you need until you need it....and having so many good friends to carry us through has been such a blessing.

Now for the health update. Things have mostly been status quo for awhile now. The swelling of my Dad's eye is an ongoing issue that remains bothersome. So much, that a trip back to see Dr. Kersh, the Oncology Radiologist, was made to determine if there was something wrong. My Mom and Dad have a great rapport with their medical team and the visit to see Dr. Kersh was well worth it as he was very reassuring about my Dad's progress. He thought that my Dad looked good overall and was pleased to see that the left temple area had decreased in size, which he sees as a further sign that the radiation is working and shrinking the tumor. The swelling around the eye is most likely caused by a lymph node damaged during the radiation process, and could continue on for awhile. So, the dreaded prednisone is still a must for the time being to help with the swelling. However, my parents left the Doctor's office feeling very encouraged and relieved that the swelling is not indicative of something far worse than a damaged lymph node.
The next scheduled tests are on January 8th. They are for a PET scan to check if the cancer has returned anywhere, and a MRI to determine the shrinking progress of the tumor. Then, in February my parents will finally get to go on the Hawaii trip that had to be cancelled when my Dad was first diagnosed. They are pleased to have been able to reschedule the trip and are very much looking forward to it.
Lastly, if anyone saw the Budweiser horse commercial that was posted to the blog - that was a homework project gone awry. It was supposed to have downloaded to another place on the computer.... but as Jacquie said, I could have just been trying to symbolize my Dad's perseverance! Anyway, just a funny little oops....
Merry Christmas! Love, the Daniel family

Fun in Hilton Head

Jack and I have just returned (11/7) from a restful week in Hilton Head, SC, where we were also joined by Jack's youngest brother, Robert and his wife Trudy. We like staying at Marriot's Heritage Club which is part of the Marriot Vacation Club timeshare organization. The weather was just okay--but was glorious the day before we came home! Jack and Robert played golf, and Jack played plenty of golf before Robert arrived. Jack's energy level is very good and the activities were good for him. I think the only negative reaction he has from his tumor is that with extended activities, the left eye begins to swell a bit more. But rest, and no golf for a day seems to take care of that. His vision is good and on the drive back said that he could see very clearly. That is good news! The medical appointments are not quite as frequent at this point, except for the doctor that helps us with his diabetes and blood pressure. Jack is scheduled for a second PET scan after Christmas, and it appears he'll have one every three months. This particular scan doesn't really show how much the tumor is shrinking, but does tell us if there are any cancer cells growing within the rest of his body. Another MRI will be done sometime this winter to determine the percentage of shrinkage of the tumor that the radiation has provided. We want to know right now but that's not the way radiation works for this type of tumor.

Jacquie participated in her 60-mile cancer walk which began on 10/31. The walk was broken up into 3 20-mile days. While in training for this wonderful event, she began having blisters, and they were painful. But they improved somewhat, and off she went for the walk. These walks have lots of medical personnel to assist the walkers and she used them! They'd pop the blisters, rewrap her feet, and send her on her way, probably amazed that she was still walking. All the participants slept in pink tents!

We continue to be grateful for all your prayers and love. We are blessed to have such great prayer warriors! Thank you so much. We ask that you continue to pray that this tumor will shrink by at least 80%; that the cancer will not recur within his body; and that God will give us patience as we await the PET scan and MRI! We love each of you very much!

Karen

Waiting

It's so awesome how faithful you all are in checking in to see how my Dad's battle is progressing, and we felt it was time for an update. He is mostly in a period of waiting between appointments these days. The next MRI to check on the tumor behind his eye has not been scheduled yet as they are still waiting to give the radiation time to do its job. Unfortunately he continues to need the prednisone to help keep the swelling around his eye down. He has made several attempts to wean off of it, but within a day, the swelling flares back up. So for now, he continues to take daily doses of prednisone. The struggle to keep his blood sugar levels in balance continues and this is frustrating for both my dad and my mom.
In the meantime, we all continue on with a variety of activities. My parents will take a trip to Hilton Head in a week to enjoy a vacation at the timeshare they had to cancel this summer. Sandi's family stays busy with the many sport and school events they are involved in. Jon continues to assist my parents with their business and provide helpful errands that come with the territory of living the closest to my mom and dad! Jacquie's 3-day breast cancer walk is right around the corner, and the girls and I are gearing up for another Canadian winter - hopefully one with less snow this year!
We say it a lot, but we really do appreciate the many, many prayers over the past several months. During this wait and see period, please continue to intercede on my Dad's behalf by praying that the swelling will reduce, the diabetes would stabilize and most importantly, that the cancer stays away.
Always grateful ~ Tami and family

Back from vacation

What a great vacation! On 9/28, we embarked on to the Caribbean Princess out of Brooklyn, and sailed leisurely up towards New England and Canada. We were with our dear friends, Don and Mary Nelle Cummins, who made this vacation extra special. I noticed in the last post Tami did that she referred to a statement Jack had made about the 4 of us being quite a foursome with our individual health issues! Well, I'll have you know, we all did just fine, thank you! A special highlight was visiting in Boston with Jack's cousin, Becky (nee Floyd). The ship stopped in Newport, RI, Boston, Bar Harbor, ME, and then on to Saint John in New Brunswick, and finally ending up in Halifax, Nova Scotia. At Bar Harbor we went whale watching, on a catamaran, which did sway a bit as we went out about 25 miles to find these whales! There were these cute blue envelopes that held motion sickness bags, and I thought I might have to use one! However, all was well, and I brought that blue envelope home for our cruise scrapbook! We have lots of memories to cherish, and already miss being with our friends.

Jack is doing quite well. He had some increased swelling in the left eye area before we left, so the Prednisone dosage was upped a bit, and that took care of that problem. He really did okay with his diabetes, when I was watching. But, he'd get up around midnight, and stroll around the ship & would find his way to the 24-hour buffet. We won't show his blood glucose log we keep to the doctor! He had a 6-week post op visit with the kidney surgeon and all is well there. So, we just kind of wait for the tumor to decrease in size.

We are so grateful for the many blessings we have, and we cherish each one of you. Please continue to pray that the tumor will decrease in size that will thrill us all (that's 80%) and that the cancer will not come back. Thank you so much for your faithfulness in praying with us. God is awesome, and He shows us that each and every day.

Love, Karen

Welcome Respite

We haven't posted much lately because frankly, there hasn't been a lot going on! The swelling around my dad's eye remains under control, his vision has vastly improved and while they haven't hit a perfect balance with his blood sugar, things are much better in that respect as well. Overall, he is feeling pretty good and doing well. A recent visit with his oncologist indicated that his doctors are "cautiously optimistic" and we'll take that for sure!
It's nice these days to see some normal activities resume - my parents were able to travel up to Northern Virginia to visit with Sandi and her family on Sunday. They had a good time seeing the grandkids, watching Carsyn's soccer game and hearing about school and gymnastics and all the numerous other Quackenbush activities!
My mom had posted awhile back that they were going on a New England/Canada cruise with some of their dearest and oldest friends, and they head off on that adventure this coming Sunday. All four of them have or have had various health issues. You know my Dad can't miss an opportunity to crack a joke, and he has been predicting that they will be quite the foursome!
Down in Florida, Jacquie is busy with her final push of training for the 3 day Breast Cancer walk. At the end of October, she will walk 60 miles over the course of three days with thousands of others. She has agreed to raise $2200.00 in donations that will go toward supporting breast cancer research, education, screening and treatment through Susan G. Komen for the Cure and the National Philanthropic Trust Breast Cancer Fund. We are very proud that she is participating and are amazed at the commitment and effort she has put toward this. Jacquie hasn't quite reached her fundraising goal, and while she might fuss at me for doing this without her permission, (it wouldn't be the first time I charged ahead with one of my "good ideas" :o) I thought I would post the link to her donation site and ask for others to help us support Jacquie and this worthwhile cause. http://www.the3day.org/site/TR/Walk/TampaBayEvent?px=1630848&pg=personal&fr_id=1190&et=jzThlUNbKQ_XvDNc5QlXog..&s_tafId=6181 You can email Jacquie at jrachal425@verizon.net if you have any questions.
All in all, we are happy to be able to report that things are fairly stable and that there are fun and exciting things happening in our family. Thanks for checking in and continuing to pray that the cancer stays away!

Peaks and Valleys

Well what a difference a few days makes! First the swelling -- the prednisone has kicked in and has brought the swelling way down around the eye. It has made such a difference in vision and outlook (ha ha pun intended). But truthfully, my Dad's spirits have been greatly lifted. The increase in the insulin has brought the blood sugar back into acceptable levels and so that is good as well. The PET scan was able to go as scheduled Monday morning and a phone call this afternoon brought the news that there is NO SIGN of cancer anywhere else. Because the swelling has reduced significantly, they were able to see on the scan that the skull bone that had been eaten away by the cancer has begun to regenerate itself.
Clearly we are ecstatic over this news. My Dad has appointments with the Oncologist and the Opthalmologist later in the week and we'll see what the next steps from here will be. Some times these updates are hard to write, but I take great pleasure in being able to share this news! Thanks a million for your prayers and constant concern -- Tami and family

Update to yesterday's post

My Dad had a CT scan, ordered by the opthamologist, to determine if the tumor is growing. Unfortunately the results indicate that the tumor has grown slightly larger. However, there is evidence of cells in the middle of the tumor dying off, which is a positive sign. Because the radiation is still a work in progress, there is hope that further necrosis will be occuring. For now, the current plan of giving the radiation another month to continue its job is still in place. Needless to say, the growth of the tumor was upsetting news to us, but we are holding on to the hope that the tumor will continue to die off. The adage of taking one day at a time is so on point, and that's what we are striving to do - although some days it's easier said than done!
It seems that every time you turn around, someone else is struck with this horrible disease. The Stand Up To Cancer campaign and its goal of enabling cutting edge research to find a cure for all types of cancer is certainly meaningful to our family and many others. Oh how we pray for those great minds who are working away to find the cure.

Busy Days

The days seem to be consumed with many, many Dr. appointments. Some appointments bring good news, others cause concern and apprehension. To say it's a roller coaster would be an understatement. Recovery from the kidney surgery continues to be on track and all is going well there. Blood pressure seems to be good. Swelling around the eye, not so good. Blood sugar levels, not so good.
My Dad was weaned off the prednisone, in hopes that the swelling around his eye would naturally be decreasing and that his blood sugar would become more stable. Unfortunately, neither thing happened. One of his Doctors expresses concern over this, another one says its too soon to sound the alarm. Because of the continued swelling, his opthamolgist believes that the tumor is growing. On the other hand, the radiation oncologist says that he does not believe that the tumor is growing. His assessment is that the area surrounding the tumor is just really inflamed from the radiation, making the eye remain swollen, and it will probably be another month to a month in a half before we will be able to tell if the tumor has shrunk. The radiation fails ony 5% of the time, so we remain hopeful that the results will show that the tumor in fact has shrunk.
So the new game plan -- its back on a high dose of the prednisone to get that swelling down with an increase in the amount of prescribed insulin plus an additional oral medicine to keep the blood sugar at a stable level throughout the day.
In my previous post, I had mentioned that there would be a PET scan performed this week to determine if the cancer has metastisized to any other areas. However, prior to the PET scan, an injection of a glucose solution that contains a radioactive tracer is given. You may guess where I'm going with this...because my Dad's blood sugar level was too high, they were unable to inject him with the solution and the scan could not be performed. The PET scan is now rescheduled for Monday morning - which will be after several days of the increase in the insulin dosage, and at a time of day when the blood sugar is typically at a lower level. Hopefully it will go off without a hitch this time and the scan will not show any spread of the cancer.
A kaleidoscope of emotions seem to have become our new kind of normal. We try not to careen out of control over a set of results or the lack thereof, but sometimes its just hard to remain calm, cool and collected! Thanks for checking in and supporting us in thought and prayer.

No immediate follow up treatment

All cancer is terrible, and kidney cancer is a particularly tough form of it. While often cancer surgeries are followed up with chemotherapy or other treatments designed to knock out any lingering cancer cells, we have learned that these type options have proven to be ineffective in treating metastatic kidney cancer. So now that the kidney and its tumor are out, and the radiation to the skull tumor is complete, this leaves us in a wait and see mode. Full body scans will be done every three months to determine if the cancer has recurred. If the cancer comes back, the primary treatment option is an oral medication that works to slow or eradiacte the progression of the cancer. It's difficult to sit and wait to see if it will crop back up and we wish there was an additional step that would take care of any potentially missed cells. I am mindful though that there is a greater plan in all of this and our proactive treatment will be to continue to rely on everyone's constant prayer that the cancer simply stays away! That would be the best outcome of all. We will remain ever vigilant with my dad in this ongoing fight and watch for signs like loss of appetite, pain, weight loss etc. in addition to the quarterly scans.
Some further news is that the recent MRI of the skull was inconclusive. There is so much inflammation and fluid build up right now around the area that they were unable to get a good read on what's going on with the tumor. We had been worried about all the swelling, so it was good to hear that this is not unusual and that it will eventually subside. Another MRI will be done at a later date once the swelling has gone down.
The life of a cancer patient is filled with Dr. appts and my dad is no exception. In the next few days he has a PET scan (this will be the first repeat full body scan since this all started and will be the basis for the quarterly schedule), and a number of various other appointments that I couldn't begin to remember what they all are. It goes without saying that this is a difficult time for my dad, but please keep my mom in your thoughts and prayers too as she takes back over the role of primary caregiver and strives to be organized and upbeat. Dealing with the emotion of the situation and the task of keeping all the information straight is difficult to say the least. She is a tough solider, but it takes its toll...
Over the years, and especially now, so many people have noted how fortunate it is that I belong to such a close and loving family. I couldn't agree more and while we lean on each other, we are so privileged to have our extended family and friends involved in helping us navigate through this perilous time. Thanks for caring about us. ~ Tami and family

One week later

and we've come a long way! Its amazing how well the recovery process is progressing. Today the sutures were removed at the Urologist's office. His incisions are healing and he can now drive, but its still another two weeks before he is "supposed" to swing a golf club. So far he has behaved and only putted...
The Urologist also had the pathology report and he shared the results with my mom, dad and Jacquie (by the way, we've had another change in sisters, Sandi is gone and Jacquie is there now until next Wednesday). Things were pretty much as expected. The report did confirm that the tumor was confined to the kidney, which is good news. Having said that, and knowing that the cancer had already moved to his skull, we aren't exactly sure what that means. So that's one of several questions on the list for the oncologist. As previously mentioned, that appointment is scheduled for Tuesday. Another big day coming up is the MRI on Monday and we'll be anxious to hear how much the skull tumor has shrunk.
Thanks for checking in, and we'll be sure to provide an update as soon as we know more!

Recovery is going great

Jack is recovering very well from his surgery, and we might have to tie him down in a day or so! He has gone with Sandi when she takes our pooch, Snickers, for a walk, albeit they're not gone too long. He even drove the golf cart today! But he may have discovered that the golf cart bounces around a bit. He's sleeping well--for a few days he had his days and nights mixed up and would be wide awake at bedtime. Sandi drove him out to our cabinet shop yesterday where he just wanted to see what was going on; and today, she took him to the bank with her and to a sporting goods store! It is wonderful to see his strength returning. We have been so blessed this week with wonderful meals, cards and visits. I am unable to completely explain how happy we are to have the radiation and now the surgery behind us. And now we're preparing mentally for whatever treatment will be recommended, based on the pathology report.

Tami organized a 3-ring binder for us while she was here and this will assist us in keeping our medical records, etc. straight. There was a small voice recorder with it--that's so we can record what the doctors are telling us. Every once in a while we've been noted to have not heard the same conversation! Sandi is a good worker and organizer, too. I'm afraid we'll become too accustomed to all this pampering, but for now, we'll just enjoy every minute of it.

As I look back over the past 3 months, I marvel at what the experiences have been and what all we've learned, let alone the wonderful medical care that is within our community here. We know God has a definite plan for Jack and we're ready to follow His walk, having the confidence and hope that God is equipping us for the rest of this journey. There is a passage in Ephesians, Chapter 6, which we refer to as "putting on the spiritual armor of God." The Message Bible refers to this part of that chapter as A Fight to the Finish, and that's how I would categorize this journey we've been given. God wants us to be strong and to use all the "weapons" he has provided so that we will be able to stand up to everything this cancer throws our way. I've paraphrased this, of course!

Please continue to pray with us for complete healing and that the cancer will stay away.

Love and hugs to all of you,
Karen

Shift Change

This morning I left my parents in Sandi's very capable hands. They will enjoy having her there to keep them entertained with her silly sense of humor. Every day my Dad seems to be doing a little bit better. The last few days his blood pressure and sugar levels have been pretty good. He is moving arould fairly well, although he is still pretty sore at his incision sites. He is actually starting to get bored, so we take that as a good sign!

SUNDAY - SO MUCH BETTTER

Today was a much better day - some of the pains from surgery have started to dissapte and it was so good to see my Dad up and about and eating and enjoying watching TV! We are thankful for a better day :)

Saturday -- Home Sweet Home

My Dad was discharged from the hospital this afternoon and is so glad to be back home! Although, he is definitely feeling the effects of having had surgery and is not feeling very well :-( He is sore and tired. His blood pressure medicine has been changed and that has helped bring his pressure down some. His blood sugar remains high, and he will now have to take insulin shots to help control it. That was discouraging to him as prior to his cancer diagnosis, he was controlling the diabetes really well with diet and exercise. At this point, however, the steroids have just made it impossible to control the sugar levels with diet alone. He had a crash course today on monitoring and administrating the insulin doses and as he is tapered off the steroids over the next few weeks, he hopes that he might be able to get back to controlling the diabetes via diet. He will visit with his primary care doctor either Monday or Tuesday to ensure that his recovery is on track, and he sees the surgeon for a follow up visit on Friday.
We are being blessed with yummy dinners from my parent's church family. It is nice not to have to worry about cooking as we get prescriptions filled, schedule and attend Dr. appointments, keep the cabinet shop running and process all the information pertaining to what treatments are next. All the love and support that have been showered on us is just amazing. Your calls, cards, flowers, prayers, visits and hugs are much appreciated. The last three months have been difficult, but its nice to have that part of the journey behind us. We know that there is more ahead and we ask that you continue to pray that we will have a clear idea on how to proceed with beating this terrible disease.

Friday Evening

Hello again after another long day. Things are for the most part still going well. They were able to remove the catheter today and start my dad back on some food. He was also up and walking around some as well. His appetite was huge, but the food didn't end up sitting very well on his stomach, and has caused him some discomfort. He probably ate a little too much too soon. His blood pressure fluctuates, but still remains on the high side. We are hoping that it will settle down by tomorrow. He is tired and sore, but all in all he is doing OK. He kicked us out early tonight so that he could get some good rest with an eye toward us bringing him home tomorrow. We're keeping our fingers crossed that he can get home where he will be more at ease and comfortable! ~Tami and family

Late Thursday update

My mom and I just returned from the hospital after a very long but productive day! My Dad is doing quite well. He has a moderate amount of pain that is being controlled with demerol. His blood pressure and blood sugar levels have both been on the high side throughout the afternoon and evening, so this is cause for a bit of concern. They will be monitoring this and tweaking his various medications as appropriate to try and get both back under control. His remaining kidney seems to be functioning fine, and it's highly likely that it has been doing all the work anyway for sometime now.
My dad is a fairly charming patient to begin with, but we have to say that he got excellent care throughout the day today which we are very grateful for.
Jacquie and Louis were in Northern Virginia for a golf tournament, and they were able to drive down and visit for a few hours tonight. He had several other visitors today also, along with some cards and phone calls and we appreciate so much everyone checking in on him. Hopefully he will continue to do as well tomorrow so we can start working on bringing him home in the next few days! Much love from Jack and family ~

"Couldn't have gone better!"

Is exactly what the surgeons said. The laparoscopic surgery lasted just over two hours. They removed the kidney without difficulties, very little blood was lost and the cancer appears to have been contained to the kidney, not affecting any of the surrounding organs. He is still in recovery and we hope to see him shortly. Thank you all for your concerns, prayers and support. We'll update more later.

Revised Sugery Time

Just a quick update to let everyone know that the surgery has been moved up to 10:00 am tomorrow. Provided all goes well with the laparoscopic procedure, the surgery should last approximately 2 hours. If they find that they can't do it via laparoscopy, then it will be a bit longer. We'll let you know how he is doing as soon as we can! ~ Tami

Surgery Week

This is the week for the kidney surgery, and Jack is ready. He had his pre-op and pre-lab visits at the hospital a week ago, and is wearing his admission bracelet already. Surgery is scheduled for 1:00 pm on the 14th, and length of stay is to be determined. If the surgeons are able to do the planned laparoscopic removal of the kidney, then he may be home by Saturday. If, however, they are unsuccessful with that procedure, then he'll have it removed "normally" which is through the incision he already has from kidney stone surgery in 1981. We're praying that the latter is not the case as his recovery will take longer.

Jack had been told he could begin reducing the Prednisone (steroid) about 2 weeks ago, which he was doing slowly. The steroid was to help keep the swelling in the area of the tumor and eye to a minimum. However, he had an increase in the swelling around his eye, so it was apparent that he needed to stop decreasing the medication. He did see his ophtahamologist and there has been some optic nerve damage. I've talked with the radiation oncologist, Dr. Kersh, and he explained that the swelling may take a couple of weeks to decrease after radiation has ended. The radiation indeed has a cumulative effect, and there is most likely some inflammation around the tumor. Jack went back up to 20mg daily of the steroid, and that has helped. But, that's just 1/2 the dose he had taken for several weeks, so it's good that he doesn't have to increase the dosage back to 40mg. His vision in the left eye is a little worse than previously, but that was expected due to the radiation. Dr.Kersh was not surprised at that as he says the tumor goes right through the optic nerve. We're definitely praying that this is not a permanent situation with the eye.

Tami arrives on Wednesday, the 13th and will be here until the 19th. Then Sandi will drive down for a few days, and then Jacquie arrives on the 21st and will be here until the 27th. Tami's birthday was 8/7, so we'll celebrate while she's here. I'm not allowed to tell anyone how old she is now! It will be wonderful having our daughters here--Jack loves having his "little girls" around him. And, for me, they do my thinking! Back in May, when this journey began, I had difficulty keeping my focus, and the girls just stepped in and did the focusing for me. Jon has been a tremendous help also with the cabinet shop. With the vision difficulties Jack is having, Jon has been able to help him read building plans and assisting with the bids that always have a deadline attached to them.

We are grateful to have this kind of help, and feel very blessed by our family and our many friends who are walking through this journey with us. Please continue to pray for the continued shrinking of the tumor, for a successful kidney surgery, and that the cancer will stay away from Jack's body and not return.

Love and hugs to all of you,
Karen

Radiation therapy complete

Howdy family and friends,
Completed 5th and final radiation treatment this am. Each session was the same. Three catscans to check the physics, data, and alignments, then 4 shots of radiation, another catscan, 2 more shots of radiation, another catscan and two more shots of radiation, totalling 40 doses in the five treatment sessions. Good news is that the treatment catscans show that the skull tumor has shrunk, and is in different colors in varying layers caused by damage to the bad boy cells. The Bad news, well there is no bad news! Just some side effects to work through, although I probably will not be able to go on reconnaisance patrols behind enemy lines, since after 40 shots of radiation, I glow in the dark. The radiation oncologist reports that frequently results are not apparent at this stage, so he is encouraged. Next step is a diagnostic MRI in 4 weeks and follow-up visit to the radiation oncologist where he will report the diagnostic MRI reports compared to the original diagnostic catscan. Pray for zero tumor, although anything under 20% of original size is considered successful and unlikely to do further damage.
Thank you for your prayers and support. This would not have happened without my knowing of your prayers and support! You are an awesome support team and I love and appreciate you more than words can possibly say! Next step, laproscopic surgery to remove left kidney on August 14th. Joshua 1-9 Living Bible tells us:

Be Brave and Bold
Banish fear and doubt,
For remember,
The Lord your God
is with you, wherever you may go.

Jack

4 down--1 to go

Today Jack had his 4th radiation treatment, and all went well, as expected. Dr. Kersh said he can see that the tumor is beginning to shrink, so that's the great news for this day! Once again, the technicians et al at Riverside's Radiosurgery Center are wonderful. When we walked in today, the 2 technicians that are always with Jack were just standing there waiting for him as though they were the official greeters! His skin is somewhat red in the area of his scalp that receives the radiation so we're soothing that with a special cream; and he is to always wear his special hat when he plays golf--the one with the floppy rim! It's cute, and he's faithful about wearing it. I had mentioned to him today that these radiation treatments have come and gone so quickly, and he just looked at me--as if to say they haven't been quick enough. Well, we'll soon be into August, and anticipating the kidney surgery. We took a huge leap last week in planning a vacation the end of September. That will be 6 weeks post-operative and he should be feeling good. We'll be taking a cruise to New England and Canada with dear friends from McKinney, TX--Mary Nelle and Don Cummins. Mary Nelle has posted on this blog, and we are so grateful for the long friendship we've had over 48+ years. Then following the cruise, we'll be returning to Hilton Head, SC the end of October for another week away. So, these are some activities that keep us looking forward.

Thank you all for your prayers for Jack; and your prayers for Jack's Uncle Luke, and cousin Lindsey. God promises us that He loves us, His grace is sufficient for us, that He will supply all our needs, and that He will direct our steps. These are the things that give us confidence in this journey we are on. The statistics our oncologist has shared with us show that many will have a recurrence of cancer, with or without follow-up treatment post surgery; our prayer is that Jack will be in the non-recurring group and that God will keep the cancer away.

Blessings to all of you,
Karen

Lindsey Layne Daniel

Lindsey passed away this morning around 3 a.m. As was her wish, she did make it back to her home in Oklahoma City. Funeral services are this Tuesday in Broken Bow, Oklahoma. My dad had a soft spot in his heart for Lindsey - he loved how she looked after her Granddaddy in his later years, checking in on him everyday. She loved the Lord and her family a lot and she will be missed by many. Our prayers go out to her parents and other immediate family members and her close friends.

Updates

After the third round of radiation my Dad remains active, but he is definitely tired. He is keeping up with a schedule of going into their cabinet shop and getting out to hit some balls on the golf course each day. My mom remains faithful; however, she has experienced some hard days facing this serious illness with my dad. They had an appointment with the oncologist this week who spelled out to them how complicated kidney cancer is. It has a high rate of recurrence and follow up treatment is not always a clear course. Difficult information to process, and while sometimes during this journey their spirits sag, they always seem to rally back as they know that they are in God's hands throughout this time. For now we are thankful that my dad is tolerating the radiation treatments well.
Our cousin Lindsey went by air ambulance from the Cleveland Clinic to her home in Oklahoma City today. Hospice care has been arranged for her and she will be in her home surrounded by her family and friends. Please continue to pray that they may have peace and comfort during this very difficult time.
As a family, we are in a season that has several family members struggling with serious illness. While we have a very strong faith and remain stalwart, these are hard experiences on both those who are sick, and the rest of us who love them so much. We do appreciate all the prayer, support and encouragement as we continue on through these tough times. A special thank you to my mom, Uncle Robert and Lindsey's parents as they are the primary caretakers in the daily trenches and we are grateful for all you do.

A special request for a dear family member

Our cousin, Lindsey, who is only 29 years old, has been admitted to the Cleveland Clinic in OH. 9 years ago she was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, and due to complications from her cancer treatments she is now having heart and lung complications. She was being evaluated for a lung transplant, but we heard yesterday that she has weakened drastically. She and her family have been informed that she is too weak to receive a lung transplant and that no further medical intervention is expected. It looks like she may not pull through this. Because so many of you care about our family, we wanted to ask that you please join us in praying for Lindsey, her parents Steve and Debbi, and brother Joe.

60% Done

Round 3 of Radiation was completed today without a hitch - or should I say hiccup! Overall, my Dad is feeling ok -- lots of off and on headaches and some tiredness for sure, but he is able to remain active in spite of this. They don't expect to see any shrinkage of the tumor for another 4 weeks or so, with the hope that it will shrink by about 80%. Thanks for checking in to see how things are going - so far, so good...

Happy Happy Birthday DAD!!!!

Hope you have a great day and know how much we all love you ~~~~

you are OUR superhero

Round 2

The second radiation treatment went well - took a bit longer this time as a slight hiccup (a real one) halted the radiation. Because the radiation is so precise and the area covered is so sensitive, any movement at all stops the radiation beam. The beam then has to be re-transmitted, so due to that slight movement, it took just over an hour for the whole process to be complete.
The Doctors were glad to hear that my Dad has been able to stay active and is enjoying playing so much golf. They are pleased that he doesn't seem to be letting this diagnosis beat him down. The ability to stay positive is an important component of fighting cancer and it has without doubt helped that so many of you have provided encouragement and support in cheering my Dad on through this journey - it certainly goes a long way toward keeping his spirits up!

Great time....

From top to bottom --- Sandi, Tami, Jacquie, Karen, Jack, Jeni, Matt, Lauren, Jessie (on Lauren's lap hiding), Amanda, Taryn, Megan, Carsyn, Lidia and Kyle. (Missing from photo were the official picture takers Dale and Louis; and Jon.)

We had a great visit over the 4th -- For the first time ever, all 9 grandchildren were together! We ate a lot and had lots of fun from watching a parade and a great display of fireworks; to eating, swimming, eating some more, playing golf, shopping, watching movies, eating again and playing cards. Matt, Jacquie, Louis and my dad made an awesome foursome to compete in the annual Firecracker Golf tournament where they tied for First Place!
We had a good time while it lasted, but everyone had to head off to their various homes, jobs, summer camps etc. and it's now back to the normal routine.
Tomorrow (7/7), at 10:00 a.m. is the 2nd round of radiation. We are hopeful that it will go as well as the first round did with little to no side effects again. When I have more pictures assembled, I'll post a slide show of the weekend's various activities -- Tami

Forgot to Mention

The best news of all from yesterday is that the tumor has not grown at all during this long wait for the radiaiton to start! Don't know how I could have forgotten to add that!

First Radiation Session

This morning the first session was completed with great success! My Dad was able to hold perfectly still throughout the whole process - they expect the procedure to take about 1 hour under normal circumstances, but because he didn't move at all, it only took 45 min.s - that Marine training still pays off! He coughed all weekend long, so he really was worried, but thanks to your prayers, the coughing stayed away for the morning. My Dad wanted to share pictures of the radiation process - you can enlarge the pictures by just clicking on them.
Hopefully my parents are ready for all of us to descend on them in the next few days. We should have lots of fun and laughter and look forward to all being together! My mom or dad will probably update the blog in the next few days --Tami

Summer cold

My Dad has a cold with a cough....since he isn't supposed to move during the radiation process, he is a bit concerned about having to cough during it on Monday. He is on an antibiotic, so we hope that the congestion will resolve and not be an issue, and that the radiation can proceed as planned for Monday. Seems like somewhat of a minor thing in the whole scheme of cancer, but since many of you have asked to know about specific concerns, I think this qualifies. Please include this in your ongoing prayers for my Dad -- Thanks, Tami

Finally--it's time for treatment

We got the call Tuesday afternoon from the Radiosurgery Center asking us to come in today for a dry run. They also had the treatment dates. So, this morning we arrived at the center at our appointed time and they whisked Jack off for about 45 minutes. They are very prompt with their appointment schedule, and it appeared they had several dry runs to do today. Cheri, one of the radiation technicians, took pictures of Jack in the mask and body mold. I'll get them posted for you to see soon. He can't move during the procedures at all so he was pleased that he didn't sneeze, cough, or have a runny nose! He will receive a total of 5 treatments, beginning next Monday, June 30, and for each subsequent Monday through July 28. The kidney surgery is scheduled for August 14. It appears everything is falling into place, just like it's supposed to--but we were anxious about the length of time we've waited for this all to begin. God provided the answers that He promises us, when we rely on Him. The remainder of the summer will be taken up with Jack's treatments and surgery, but we didn't have anything else to do!

Next week, we're having a Jack Daniel Family reunion here in Williamsburg. Jon lives here, but the others will be coming in on Wednesday from Florida, Canada and Northern Virginia. On July 4, our golf club has an annual Firecracker tournament, so Jack, Jacquie, Lou & their son Matt will be playing. They make an awesome looking foursome. Then on Saturday, we'll be celebrating birthday's--Lauren's is 7/2, Jack's is 7/9, Sandi's husband Dale's is 7/19, and Tami's is 8/7. And, Sandi's daughter Carsyn will be celebrating her 1/2 birthday--her actual birthday is January 4, so we'll give her 1/2 of a cupcake! We have a special, loving family, and we love one another so very much.

Thanks again for your continuing prayers--Jack and I sense them, and they comfort us. We'll post again after the first radiation treatment. We love all of you, and may God's Blessings be upon each of you.

Love, Karen

The wait for treatment goes on. . . .

We continue to wait for Jack's radiation schedule, as the treatment plan isn't completed. The planning is to measure, based on the CT scan & MRI of 2 weeks ago, precisely the target where the radiation beams will land. Sounds like a lunar module landing on Mars! Jack refers to this as geometry--you math students will understand. I'm not a patient person while waiting for the treatment to begin, & my kids will tell you I'm a "just settle it" woman! Jack is much more patient than I.

He had a Stress-Echocardiography test on Monday which he passed with flying colors. In fact, he is quoted as having said: "If I didn't have cancer I'd be disgustingly healthy!" This test was to define if there are any heart problems, and there are none. Jack's opthamologist, Dr. Campbell is married to the Dr. Campbell that did the test! Williamsburg is quaint in that somebody is usually related to someone else, or the "locals" know everything about everybody! That afternoon we met once again with one of the oncologists & this was just another "get acquainted" meeting. We did learn that there will possibly be some medications that may be necessary post surgery, depending on what the pathology report says. On Thursday he saw the eye Dr. Campbell who will be following him throughout the radiation. A special test was scheduled for the next morning which was bothersome for Jack. It was one of those tests where you have to follow a white ball on a screen, so his eyes were moving constantly & he found that to be uncomfortable. Aside from all the above info, he is feeling well--does have his headaches, but they're easily fixed. And he continues on the Prednisone which helps to reduce the swelling at the left temple area. He has been working, and playing golf--so life goes on as we know it.

There are many Bible verses I have held on to during this time, but one in particular is special.
Romans 15:13, which I just call the Hope verse: "May the God of Hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit."
And we do have that Hope as we look to the treatments and surgery. A huge thank you goes out to each of you for your faithfulness in praying, and your frequent cards. We are especially grateful for the prayer shawls that we have been given. When Im feeling a bit weepy, I receive much comfort with my shawl around me. Jack has carried his with him as he attends the Links Fellowship Prayer study on Tuesday mornings. God is our magnificent Comforter. Please continue to pray with us for the doctors who are working towards the goal of shrinking the skull tumor; and for the urology team who will be performing the kidney removal later this summer.

Canadian trip

This post is from Karen today! Jack and I are just now wrapping up a trip to Ottawa for Megan's graduation and the closing ceremonies at Amanda's school. Tami will be adding some photos. What a super weekend it has been. There were 40 girls in Megan's class, all dressed in white, and beautiful. Graduation was Friday evening & Sat. night was a wonderful dinner at a downtown Ottawa hotel. We are leaving for the airport in a few minutes, but I just wanted to let everyone know Jack is feeling well, and eager to begin his radiation. We're expecting his "run through" for the procedures to be the end of this week, with the "real stuff" beginning the week following. We have been so overwhelmed with your prayers, your love, and good wishes that are extended to us. We are feeling God's hand on everything that is occurring, and our faith is holding strong during these times of waiting. Thank you so much for your prayers and we ask that you pray that the radiation works as it should, and that as the time for the kidney surgery approaches that it will not be a complicated procedure. We feel absolute confidence in the surgeons and oncologists, and know this journey is being directed by God. I'll post again when we know when treatments will begin.

Update

Thanks to everyone for checking in to see how things are progressing. We are in somewhat of a lull right now as all the fine tuning for the radiation process is underway. We anticipate that there will be an actual run through at the end of next week and then the radiation will finally begin. In the meantime, my dad had a bone scan done today and while the official report hasn't been received, the preliminary report shows no cancer in his bones. Needless to say, we are very glad to hear that! He continues to have swelling around his eye and intermittent headaches, and is anxious for the radiation process to get underway to shrink the tumor so that it's not pressing on his eye anymore. In the meantime he is on Prednisone to help relieve some of the symptoms. The Prednisone causes his blood sugar to rise, so he has to keep that in check.
Now on to the fun stuff --- my parents are off to Canada to see Megan graduate!! We are proud of Megan's accomplishment and so glad that they can share in the celebration. As with all their grandchildren, my parent's have played a special role in Megan's life and their influence is evident. There were times a long the way when I was "counseling" Megan and I could hear myself conveying to her the same words of wisdom that my Dad "bestowed" on me. Funny how that happens....she has turned into a great young adult, so forgive a proud mom for a moment while I take the opportunity to say ---- YAY Megan!! your family loves you :)
As always, thanks for all the love, prayers and support for my dad (and mom too!).

The Road to Radiation

My Dad thought it might be interesting to show a picture of the machine that will be used to perform the radiosurgery to the base skull tumor (click on the picture to enlarge it). The Doctors in the forefront are two of his actual Doctors, who, believe it or not are avid golfers as well - sound like a bonding moment?? Too bad they met in the hospital instead of on the golf course! Along with having impressive golf scores, they are also friendly and jovial like my dad. They are at ease with their incredibly technical and precise instruments and imbue confidence that they are going to pull him through this.
Today my dad had the appointment to fit him for the molds that will keep him motionless during the radiation process. Wearing the molds, he had a full body CT scan, and tomorrow he will have a MRI. I misstated the process in my last post as I thought it took 10 days to make the molds, but actually they were made today. The 10 day time frame is to utilize the CT scan and the MRI for determining radiation physics, geometry and quality assurance in order to ensure the treatments are as precise as possible. I hope I got it right this time, but regardless, the bottom line is that the radiation treatment should begin in approximately two weeks.
The Doctors gave the okay for travel to Canada, so we will be honored to have my parents here for Megan's graduation on the 13th (hopefully graduating on Friday the 13th won't be an omen to Megan and her friends!). In addition to this upcoming trip, my parents have had two recent special visitors. They got to spend Sunday with Granddaughter Lauren, who was in town for a friend's wedding, and then on Monday they were visited by Jack's cousin Mary Jo from TX, who was in Virginia visitng her daughter in nearby Charlottesville. They were happy to get to spend time with family and have also been keeping busy with the normal day to day routine as they wait for radiation to start. The many acts of kindness and encouragement they are receiving continue to be a blessing to them -thanks for surrounding them with love and keeping them in your thoughts and prayers.

Ready to Roll....

At the end of a long week, the treatment plan has been determined. Four specialists held a neuroscience conference today to study my Dad's case and develop the treatment plan. He will start with radiation to the tumor in his skull and the surgery to remove the kidney will follow the radiation. Prior to the radiation treatment starting, he needs to have another CT scan, an MRI and to be fitted for a body and head mold that will be made to hold him firmly in place while the radiation is performed. These procedures are scheduled for next Wednesday, and from there it will take about 10 working days for the molds to be made. So, we estimate that it will be approximately 3 weeks from now for everything to be in place for the actual radiation treatment to start. There will be a total of 5 treatments, which will occur twice a week. The type of radiation(called Sterotactic Radiosurgery or Synergy S for anyone who is interested in the technical stuff) that is best suited to shrink the kind of tumor my dad has is only available at 8 Radiosurgery Centers in the country and the Radiosurgery Center in Willliamsburg, VA happens to be one of the 8! He should have minimal side effects from the radiation; some fatigue is all that is really expected.
My mom and dad believe they are getting the best care possible & feel blessed that everything that needs to be done can take place right there in Williamsburg. They are very confident in the team of specialists that have been assembled to care for my dad and are ready to press forward. Everyone they encountered during the various appointments this week was caring, informative, professional and efficient. We are very thankful for that.
My parents asked me to include this on their behalf - "We are so incredibly grateful for the outpouring of love, prayers and concern and feel honored to know so many wonderful people. There are not only people all over the U.S. praying, but in other countries too like Canada, Brazil and Germany & we thank all of you. We are mindful that there are many good friends and family who are also battling serious illnesses and we want you to know that we are praying for you too."
We are keeping our fingers crossed that everything goes according to plan and that there might even be a chance before the radiation starts for my mom and dad to slip in a trip up to Canada to see my daughter, Megan, graduate from High School. Of course that’s a secondary thing, but would be so awesome if they could make it. We will keep you posted on how everything is going!

Quick Update

This morning, appointments with an Oncologist, Urologist and a follow-up visit to the Neurosurgeon all occurred. My Dad felt comfortable with all of these Doctors and there are several options currently on the table. A key visit though, to the Radiologist Oncologist, doesn’t occur until this Friday. Once he meets with this Doctor they will have a more complete picture on how to proceed. They heard good news today in that he is a candidate for laparoscopic surgery to the kidney, which will make the recovery process much smoother. The swelling to my dad’s left eye has been bothersome, and that seems to be the main area of discomfort. Thanks for your continued concern and support for my dad -- we appreciate it more than you'll ever know!

Thank You

I have a feeling that we will be saying this over and over - but, we want to thank everyone for the incredible response to my Dad. The words of love and support and the prayers being offered on his behalf by his family and friends, and friends of your friends and your churches and the list just goes on....have certainly encouraged and sustained all of us through this tough time. He joked that someone once told him when he was on the fast track in the corporate world, "be nice to people on your way up, you will need them on your way down"! While there certainly have been some down days, he is strengthened by all of your support and ready to beat this cancer. Your responses to him are a tribute to how many people he has positively affected through out his life. Thank you for reaching out to him.

For his fellow golf enthusiasts ----Yesterday he had fun being out on the course on a beautiful day with good friends. He put together two pretty good nines, 40/42 for a 18 hole score of 82, which is about average, but under the circumstances he was thrilled to have it! He hasn't lost any distance off the tee, but had some difficulty focusing from long distance to short distances because of the swelling around his left eye. He has a busy week ahead meeting with the various specialists, but hopes to get another round in before surgery is done on his kidney!

We will provide an update after his treatment plan is determined. My Dad's prayer is for good medical advice, clear headed surgeons, and God to take care of the rest of it.
With much love and gratitude -- The Daniel Family

Renal Cell Carcinoma

Today, it was confirmed that the primary site of cancer is in Jack's kidney. The scan he had this morning indicates that he has a 4-5 cm sized mass in his left kidney. Thankfully, all other organs are clear.
On Tuesday he will meet with the oncologist to develop a plan of action. At this point we do not know if they will remove his entire kidney or if they will be able to do a partial removal. He will also have an appointment with a radiation oncologist in the next few days, as treatment to the tumor in the skull will be simultaneous to whatever course of action is determined for the kidney.
We will be learning more than we ever wanted to know about kidney cancer in the upcoming days, but my family stands ready to fight this. For now, he is feeling ok and is going to try and be out there on the golf course this Saturday!
We are devoted to my beloved Dad and we thank you for the notes of encouragement and prayers being offered on his behalf. We have all felt the outpouring of love for our family and its been amazing.

Diagnosis

The tumor has been diagnosed as malignant. Tomorrow my Dad will undergo a complete battery of test to determine where else the cancer may be. These tests will start at 9:00 am at their local hospital in Williamsburg. From those results a course of action will be determined and we will press on. On behalf of my family, thank you all for your prayers, love and concern. As my Uncle reminded me tonight people all over, including some that we don't even know, but who care because you care, are praying for my dad. We are comforted by that.

NO NEWS

The Doctor's office did not receive the Pathologist's report today. Arrrggghhh - another night of waiting. Can you tell that patience isn't one of my fortes??

My Dad had a good day of hanging out with grandson Kyle and his new set of golf clubs. Other than the blurry vision being annoying, he is feeling ok. His incision site from the biopsy is healing nicely. And so we wait...

Thanks for all the notes of encouragement and love during this anxious time.

Thanks Tami

Thanks so much, Tami, for setting up this blog for Dad. For everyone/anyone who reads this, I want you to know how comforting it has been to both Jack and me this week while our daughters were in town. It has certainly been a tough week, but our spirits are good this weekend, and we will press on, just as Paul did in the New Testament as he pressed forward to complete his race.
Karen/Mom

Stealing an idea...

We have appreciated other family member's blogs (Trudy and Lindsey's) and have found them to be such a great way to stay informed, so while we may appear to be unoriginal, we've decided to create a blog for my dad as well. Hopefully this will be the best means to pass along information to so many of you who love, respect and care so much for him.
We decided to call this blog Jack's Journey because it truly is a new leg/phase of life that we find ourselves in, albeit not one that any of us wanted to embark on.
As many of you know, on Monday, May 12,2008, my dad went to the Dr. to have some blurry vision checked out. We think the only way he agreed to go to the Doctor is that this blurry vision was messing with his golf game!! Initially, the thought by his Doctors was that the blurriness was related to the diabetes that he was diagnosed with this fall. However, a CT scan showed that he had a 2-3 centimeter sized tumor behind his left eye. This tumor is not on the brain, but according to the radiologist report is outside of the brian on either the skull, bone or even possibly muscle. Original thoughts are that the tumor is malignant because some bone erosion has occurred. Yesterday, a biopsy was performed to determine if in fact the tumor is malignant. The preliminary read of the biopsy was inconclusive, and at this point it will be Monday before we know anything conclusive.
If the tumor is malignant, the first thing that will be done before any chemo or radiation is started will be to determine if there is cancer somewhere else in his body, e.g. some place like the lungs or colon. Without any other symptoms to date, we will be very surprised if this is the case. However, if the tumor is benign, its possible that he can have surgery to remove it.
Thank you so much for the prayers and concern that have been expressed by so many. My mom and dad are very touched by this. As soon as we know the verdict we will update this blog and let you know what the specific prayer requests and concerns are. Thanks for caring about my Dad.