Jack's Journey ~

Closing Thoughts

2009-09-29T06:38:00.004-04:00

Jack's Journey...a blog to depict a cancer journey. A journey we didn't want to be on, but one we nonetheless were forced to embark on almost 17 months ago. With stage 4 cancer, we knew how it would end, but oh how we hoped and prayed for a miracle for my Dad. Although my Dad's journey here on earth has ended, I did not want the last entry in the blog to be the listing of the funeral arrangements. The blog was so much more than that, and so on behalf of my family, I wanted to share a few thoughts.

We started this blog so that the many, many family members and friends who had been touched by my Dad through all walks of his life could stay informed and join us in our fervent prayers for his healing and peace. And join us you did! I will admit, there were times when I struggled with "should we update the blog again ~ are people tired of hearing from us, would my Dad mind that we mentioned particular details, have we become too self absorbed with our trials, are we asking too much..." But every time we were thrown a new curve and we put the information out on the blog, we were immediately flooded with acts of kindness; notes, emails, calls or a visit, prayers or a meal, even simply a shoulder to rest a weary head on, all of these things and more spoke volumes of the love for my Dad and his family. We were blessed. And so, we thank you for allowing us to share our burdens with you. We couldn't have made it on this journey without all of you. We are forever grateful for the way modern technology allowed you to draw near us, soothe us, comfort us, re-fuel us, and help us press on to the end. We can't express our appreciation enough.

As my Dad would say "we are hanging in there". In the past month, we have been working hard to sort out a lot of the matters that come with the passing of a loved one. We have been busy making plans for the future of our family custom cabinet shop, and we have worked hard to get my parent's home on the market as my mom will continue on with plans to move near Jacquie.
And of course, we grieve. In this early part of the grieving process, it has pleased and helped us to hear from so many people who have shared with us stories of the ways that my Dad impacted them. Some stories we knew, others we are hearing for the first time. He was such an awesome man who was deeply loved.

While this particular phase of the journey has ended, my Dad will live on in our hearts, and through the legacy of wisdom and love he gave us.

With much love and gratitude,
Karen, Jacquie, Tami, Sandi, Jon and families

Funeral Arrangements

2009-09-22T15:37:00.002-04:00

Following is the pertinent information:

Viewing:
Thursday, September 24, 2009
6:00 - 8:00 pm
Bucktrout Funeral Home
4124 Ironbound Road, Williamsburg, VA 23188
757-229-3822

Funeral Service:
Friday, September 25, 2009
Quantico Marine Memorial Chapel
10:00 am (everyone needs to be seated by 9:45 am)
*Please inform the Gate Sentry that you are attending the Jack Daniel Funeral at the Marine Memorial Chapel. Please also be prepared to show photo ID (driver's license/government ID)

Burial:
12:00 p.m. Friday September 25, 2009
Quantico National Cemetery

For out of town guests needing accomodations:
A special rate is available at the America's Best Hotel, 119 Bypass Road, Williamsburg, VA, 757-253-1663.
Please ask for the Friend's of Jack Daniel Rate of $40.00/night when making your reservations.

No more pain and suffering

2009-09-22T00:22:00.002-04:00

Tonight at 10:05, our dear sweet husband and father entered into the Kingdom of Heaven. We are sad, but know that heaven is rejoicing.

We thank you all for letting us share our burden with you over the last 16 months. Your prayers, words of kindness, concern and mostly your love for us has sustained us all.

We will be working on funeral arrangements and will post them later on Tuesday.

With thanks and gratitude ~ Karen, Jacquie, Tami, Sandi and Jon

Very tough day

2009-09-19T20:32:00.002-04:00

We believe that my Dad is starting to slip away. Please pray with us for a peaceful passing and a glorious welcome into the Kingdom of Heaven for our beloved Dad.
We can't predict how long this transition stage will last, but we are all right here with him, loving him through it.
God bless us all ~ Tami and Family

Painful News

2009-09-17T22:37:00.005-04:00

Yesterday, we learned that the cancer continues to grow and spread. We are running out of time and options. I cannot even begin to express how sad we are to hear this latest bit of news. Jacquie and Sandi came to be here too while we process this as a family, and it good for us to all be together right now.
Currently my Dad is undergoing radiation to his spine, where the new metastases has landed. He will have a total of 10 treatments. The goal of the radiation is to stop the tumor from growing so much that it would push on his spinal cord, and cause paralysis. Once the radiation is finished we may try one more chemo; however, we are sorting through some pros and cons before reaching a final decision.
Thank you for keeping us all in your thoughts and prayers as we navigate through this painful and difficult time ~ Tami and family

A quick update

2009-09-14T21:29:00.002-04:00

It is my privilege to be in Williamsburg with my parents this week. I relieved Jacquie's daughter, Lauren, who was a big help and huge blessing to my parent's with her youthful personality. She makes everyone around her smile with her natural good cheer and my mom and dad just loved having their oldest granddaughter here with them. Thanks, Lauren :)
My Dad is starting to feel somewhat better from the nasty infection he had. He is still tired and weak, but the infection seems to be under control and his kidney function has improved some. The main complaint as always is his swollen eye. The left side of his head above and around his eye remains very swollen and it causes him to have some fairly intense headaches.
This week he will have a PET scan, which will determine if the cancer has spread further. Please keep us in your prayers and thoughts as it will be a tense couple of days until the results are in. The scan is tomorrow and we will meet with the oncologist on Thursday for the results.
I will have more information toward the end of the week.
Tami and family

Not what we were hoping for

2009-09-01T19:20:00.003-04:00

Dear Family and Friends ~ Thanks for checking back in with us. We have received some recent scan results and unfortunately they were not what we wanted to hear or what we were hoping for. A CT scan of my Dad's lungs shows that he has at least 10 new tumors there. Clearly the sutent has not worked to beat this beast back and we were so very disappointed to hear that he had not stabilized. On top of this, my Dad has another infection that has just totally wiped him out. He is weak and tired. The last two days he has been receiving IV antibiotics in the Oncologist's office, along with some saline to re-hydrate him. He is responding and starting to feel better, which is a big relief to us.
Further treatment options are currently on hold until he is feeling better and able to tolerate treatment. He also needs to have a full body PET scan so that we can determine if there are any other areas where the cancer might be materializing. One treatment possibility would be to move on to a chemo drug called Torisel. It is a chemo that is often tried next when the sutent has failed. It doesn't have an overly high success rate, but as we keep telling ourselves, someone has to be in the percentage that it helps -- so why can't it be my Dad! We won't know until we try and at this point my Dad is willing to give it a go once he feels better. So if we were to be asked what the major concerns and prayer requests are, that would be one of them - that he begin to feel better so that he can tolerate chemo. Another issue that has surfaced is that his remaining kidney is beginning to show signs of distress. He has been experiencing high levels of creatinine and so today he saw a kidney specialist. She is removing one of his blood pressure medicines that could be causing this, and we hope that a little bit of tweaking will keep him far away from having to start any dialysis.
I'll end this rather discouraging post with a glimmer of good news. The existing tumors that are on his skull have not grown, nor have any new ones developed. We are very grateful for that.
Thank you to all of you who have recently showered us with your kind words of encouragement. They are so welcome and are like a balm to our weary hearts. We are a strong family, but oh man we feel deeply. We vacillate between brave fronts and tears regularly these days. And so, it is comforting to us to be uplifted and surrounded by so much support as we soldier on. One of my dearest friends wrote to me today to tell me what my Dad means to her. She said that she has never met a more kind, wise, thoughtful and caring man than my Dad. I couldn't agree more.

Sutent - Cycle 2

2009-08-11T08:26:00.003-04:00

The second cycle of Sutent is finished (a big YaY). Once again, the last part of the treatment cycle left my Dad feeling pretty lousy. While he wasn't plagued with a bacterial infection this time, he definitely had similar complications of low white blood cell and platelet counts and general malaise. I won't go into further details, but the side effects were the typical ones of someone on chemo - enuf said...
Jacquie, Sandi and Jon were all able to come down/up/ or over and help out during the latter part of the fourth week, and from now on we will make sure that someone is on hand to provide extra support to them during that time!
This week my Dad's brothers, Paul and Jim, Jim's wife Sue, and my Dad's sister, Marcia are coming to visit! It's always great to have company - while one might think that it would be difficult during this time, it's actually the opposite! No one expects to be entertained (gone are the days of sightseeing and tours!) and instead, everyone is so helpful! It gives my parents a break, and its nice for them to not always be focusing on the cancer and thinking about what doctors appointment is next in the queue. We have a very humorous family, and even when you aren't feeling 100%, it's hard not to laugh a lot! I'm guessing that a nice visit during this break from the Sutent will go a long way toward helping my Dad rebound quicker.
Thanks for checking in and continuing to pray that the next CT scan will show that the cancer has stabilized. ~ The Daniel Family

Back in the swing of it

2009-07-17T18:12:00.005-04:00

Quite literally! As I type this update my Dad is out on the golf course hitting some golf balls around with his youngest brother, Robert. The last week has been better for him in comparison to how he was feeling a couple of weeks ago! He seems to have recovered from the bacterial infection and while he still suffers from fatigue, he was able to play in a golf tournament last week-end :) He is happy to be back out and about and his doctors always love hearing that he is feeling well enough to be out on the course. It's a good mechanism for gauging how he is feeling.
The results received on Monday from his latest MRI were positive. The last gamma knife treatment he received made marked improvement in attacking the new growth that had sprung off from the original skull tumor. It is hard to measure, but they could see lots of areas of tumor death and if they had to guess, they would estimate that it shrunk about 60 percent. The other two small tumors on his skull are still active, but have not grown any since the last MRI.
In the meantime, the second cycle of Sutent started this week, and so far he is handling the side effects okay. His white blood cell count is still not quite in the normal range and there was a slight drop in his platelets, both normal side effects from the Sutent. These are two areas that will be monitored closely over the next few weeks. We really, really hope and pray that this cycle of the Sutent doesn't end in chaos like the first cycle did!
The next measurement of how treatments are going will be a CT scan in late August. It will tell us how the Sutent is working and will hopefully show that the active tumors have shrunk. If not, it will be time to re-visit radiation options. But for now, a break from the radiation is much welcomed, and needed.
Next week my dad is going to see an Ophthalmologist who specializes in orbital surgery and treats both functional and aesthetic problems of the upper face and eye region. Among other things, he treats patients who have suffered from facial disfigurement and scarring from excision and reconstruction of cancerous lesions. It would be so great if he has insight into a way to treat all the swelling that my dad has around his left eye. My dad doesn't complain or say "why me" about the terrible hand of cards he has been dealt, but he does wish he could see out of his eye again. We remain hopeful that there is something that can be done to help him.
It's hard to believe that it is already late July! We are enjoying the summer months and the visits that we've been able to have with each other and with our extended family. All of my dad's siblings have either been to visit or are coming soon and my parents really enjoy these visits. They are such a nice diversion from the daily cancer grind. We know we are blessed to have such a close, loving family - and we don't take that for granted!
We hope that everyone is enjoying the summer and time spent with loved ones as well ~~ Tami and Family

Very Very quick update

2009-07-07T00:01:00.002-04:00

Just wanted to take a brief second to bring everyone up to speed. Last week after the suspicion that maybe my Dad had lyme disease, and after taking mega antibiotics for that, his white blood cell count continued to plummet. This led to more tests and a blood culture on Thursday to determine what could be causing the decrease in the white blood cells. There is a long name for the type of bacteria that they found in his blood, that I can't remember how to spell or pronounce at this point, but once this was determined, he was put on yet another antibiotic to try and knock the infection back. He has had a couple of rough days, but we are glad to report that he is back on the upswing. While his white blood cell count isn't completely back to normal, its climbing in that direction, and his platelets and other counts are now normal. He will continue on antibiotics for another week and hopefully at the end of that he will have all normal blood work. Other good news is that he tested negative for Lyme disease, so we were very relieved to get that news today as well.
I just spent a nice couple of days with my parents and enjoyed being able to visit with them, watch fireworks from their back porch and help them out in small ways. Its always an honor to be able to be with them. Provided there isn't anymore drama in the next few days...we should have results of his July 10 MRI to share sometime early next week. ~~Tami and family

As if dealing with cancer isn't enough...

2009-06-27T19:40:00.003-04:00

My Dad has had an eventful week! On Monday he was in for a regular check up when it was discovered that his white blood cell count and platelets were both a bit low. This is something that they will be vigilant about now that he is on the Sutent, and it is not totally unexpected for this to occur. While there, he also had a bite on his leg that the nurse practitioner checked out for him and since it seemed to be infected, and with his counts on the low side, she prescribed a course of antibiotics for him. However, a couple of days later he began to feel very sick. We don't know if it was the antibiotic itself, or the combination of the antibiotic and the Sutent that caused this, but regardless he was feeling awful by Thursday. He was supposed to have had an MRI on Friday to see how he is faring with his treatments, but he was feeling so poorly that this just wasn't possible. Instead, he went back to the doctor's office where they re-hydrated him and took a more detailed look at his bite. It turns out that the bite may be an infected tick bite and as a precaution, they are testing him and treating him for Lyme disease. The test results will take about 5 days to receive, so we will know something definitive by mid to late next week. As of today, he is feeling better and is mostly just suffering from fatigue now.
Every family probably has a "googler' these days, and it's me in ours. So of course I have googled Lyme disease. I'm relieved to see that if in fact he has Lyme's, it's very treatable and the complications that we hear about are usually because it goes undetected for a long time and is therefore left untreated.
Jacquie and Louis are visiting with my parents and so thankfully my mom has had some help with picking up prescriptions and food and general things like that. My dad sadly missed out on playing golf with them this morning though :( Hopefully he will be feeling up to getting back at it sooner than later, there is a 4th of July tournament that he has his sights set on, so we'll keep our fingers crossed!
The MRI that was cancelled on Friday is rescheduled now for the 10th. In the meantime, my dad will be followed closely in the doctor's office and we hope the infection will resolve and that his strength will be restored. Thanks for checking in again and for keeping our family in your thoughts and prayers! Lovingly ~ the Daniel family

Mid June and holding steady

2009-06-17T20:02:00.005-04:00

So far this new chapter has just been new, not horrible. It's been two weeks now since my Dad started on the oral chemo drug Sutent, and he is doing well in terms of side effects. A yellow tinge to his skin is the only side effect that he is experiencing at this time. Since there are far worse things....I think that having some skin discoloration is not too hard to sallow - I mean swallow (okay, boo hiss --I know I know, I couldn't help myself) Anyway...I was researching on-line why the skin discoloration happens and I didn't gain much insight, one theory was that it could be because of the drug's color, and another was that it represents that blood levels of the sutent are adequate enough to reach the skin and other organs. Either way, it doesn't sound like an alarming side effect. A positive side effect is that my Dad's appetite has increased. This is great, as he was having trouble with his appetite in the month or two prior to starting the sutent. His taste buds had been altered from the radiation and he just didn't have much of an appetite. The increase in appetite from the sutent, in combination with his taste buds slowly being restored, have led to him being able to keep his food intake up and blood sugar levels in better range. Good stuff!
Next week he will have his first scan since starting the sutent and we will be able to get a good idea of how it is working. We hope that the scan will show that the existing tumors have shrunk, or are at least stable, and that there has been no new progression of the disease.
Enough medical stuff and a little bit of good family news!
Recently we have had the following events occur: Megan and Lauren both finished up their first and last years of College, respectively. Amanda graduated from 8th grade and Kyle graduated from kindergarten, Taryn finished 5th grade, Carsyn finished 3rd grade and Matt finished the first year of his electrician's apprenticeship. Yay everybody :) Jon's two beautiful girls are doing just great as well, they are growing so quickly!
In addition, my parents have had several special visits lately! My cousin Wendy and her family stopped in on their summer vacation route; Gary and Kathy Young and Gordon Hill, long time friends from Plymouth Haven Baptist Church, came down from Northern Virginia for lunch; and currently Jacquie is in from Tampa for an extended visit. This weekend they will all meet up with Sandi and her family and celebrate Father's Day at the Quackenbush River House. We really are blessed with close family and friends and we try and always remember that in the midst of dealing with the crazy hectic cancer life. -- Tami

2009-06-02T23:11:00.008-04:00

Hard to believe it’s been just a little over 12 months since we first heard the scary words metastatic renal cell carcinoma. Since then, it has certainly been a journey that has led my family toward absorbing a lot of frightening information; meeting challenges; living lives full of hope and love; and being forever grateful for having a cache of supportive, praying family and friends standing with us in this battle.

This is a lengthy update, so for those of you who are bottom line type people here are the main issues/concerns:

That the new drug treatment (Sutent) will work to reduce the tumors on my dad's skull and slow the progression of disease lurking anywhere else
That he will experience little to no side effects from the Sutent
That the radiation treatments to his lungs will get rid of the two existing tumors and the third suspicious shadow will resolve
That there will be successful treatment available for his eye edema at Duke University
That my parents will be revived physically, emotionally and mentally.

For those that like more detail - read on:

This past Friday, we learned several new things. My dad's team of doctors reviewed the scans from his latest MRI, and the consensus is that the one spot that was thought to be in his brain is in fact on the skull and NOT in the brain. Needless to say, this was good news to hear. Yet once again, our excitement over good news was tempered by finding out some other unwelcome news. Where last week we thought that these new spots on his skull would be treated with additional gamma knife, we have been informed that this will not be possible. In order to perform the gamma knife radiation, a guiding device that resembles a halo is placed on my dad's head. However, in the exact spot where the halo would be placed, there is new bone growth regenerating on his skull. This new bone is soft, and it has been decided that it is too dangerous to run the risk of puncturing the bone with the halo and causing damage to his brain. Consequently, we now find ourselves at a new junction.

After careful consideration, it has been decided that it is time to start my dad on an oral anticancer drug called Sutent. For those so inclined, information on sutent can be found at http://www.sutent.com/. In a nutshell, Sutent is a drug designed to block tumor cell growth by targeting and cutting off the blood supply that feeds the tumors. The overall goal is to stabilize the cancer and slow the progression of the disease. (Insert my layman's disclaimer here!) Treatment involves cycles of 4 weeks on the medicine and then two weeks off. There are numerous potential side effects, however most of them can be managed fairly well. We hope that my dad will be fortunate and experience few, if any. Many people have seen good results with Sutent and it goes without saying that our hope is that my dad will be among the ones who have achieved successful results.

The last radiation treatment for the two spots on my dad's lungs will be this week. There is still a suspicious shadow on his other lung that is being observed; a decision on whether to go ahead and zap it with radiation or to wait and see if the Sutent has any effect on it is forth coming.

Last update is on my Dad's eye. It continues to be very swollen and bothersome. He is in the process of setting up an appointment at Duke University Medical Center to see if they may have any Neuro-Ophthalmology treatment options available for him.
My parents have had so many appointments lately and have had so much information to process. Not surprisingly, they are weary. Yet they remain committed to each other and their will to face all of their challenges head on. They are an inspiration. ~
Tami and family

Challenges

2009-05-22T15:03:00.003-04:00

This was another rough week for the Daniel family and in particular for my Dad. Monday's procedure started with another MRI, which surprisingly showed two more spots - and this time one of them appears to be in his brain. The other one is around his cheek area. It had only been two weeks since his last MRI, so we were stunned. It doesn't matter how many times we tell ourselves on an intellectual level, that we know that cancer is unpredictable, it still slams us hard when we hear more bad news.
The actual gamma knife procedure on Monday turned out to be much longer than the anticipated 4 hours as it took a long time for the planning of the procedure to be done after the MRI, and in the meantime an emergency patient was slipped in before my Dad. So, he was at the Radiosurgery Center from about 6:00 am until after
8 p.m. He wasn't able to eat all day and was feeling weak and worn out by the time they finally arrived home. However, he perked back up on Tuesday, and off they went for the fitting for his frame for the lung radiation procedure. On Thursday, he had his first radiation to the two spots on his right lung - we were happy to hear that they will be able to radiate both spots at the same time after all. Now, instead of six trips for the lung radiation, it will only be three.
In addition to all this, next week he will have another CT scan to check a suspicious spot on his left lung that they wanted to watch. Then sometime in the next few days, a plan of action on how to treat the two new spots will be made (probably more gamma knife) and some careful thought and decisions on the next course of overall treatment will also be considered. Please pray for my Dad's strength, and that we are headed in the right direction for determining the next steps. Honestly, it's been a bit discouraging that the cancer has been so aggressive lately, and its obviously time to consider some other treatment options. We appreciate everyone's care and concern for not only my Dad, but for the whole family as well. It's been a tough week...

Here we go again ~

2009-05-17T19:50:00.002-04:00

It's the eve of May 18th and tomorrow is the next scheduled radiation treatment. This one is another gamma knife procedure, aimed at attacking the new extension of the original tumor. The procedure takes at least 4 hours from start to finish, and my Dad will be tired afterwards. Please pray with us that they are able to really get in there and put this tumor down once and for all!
The trip to Phoenix was great! My Dad did well with the traveling and both my parents enjoyed being back in Phoenix. They have a profound love for Phoenix and they had a good time re-visiting a lot of their old haunts. The highlight of the trip was a mini family reunion with my Dad's two brothers and almost all of their families - we were about 30 in total. My cousin Donny and his wife Erica graciously opened their home to all of us and we had a great time catching up, eating and most of all laughing together! My Dad took a few moments as the family patriarch to address everyone and to remind us all to seize the moment and take advantage of all of life's opportunities. He has definitely modeled that for all of us, and he also wanted to remind everyone of how much he loves his family and is proud of each and every one of us -- besides being a family with a great sense of humor, we are also a bunch of saps, so there wasn't a dry eye in the house as we all reaffirmed our love for each other and my Dad. Thank you, Donny and Erica, for making our "reunionette" possible.
We also got a chance to visit with Marsh Tremble, my parents very good friend and best man at their wedding. That was pretty cool since it was a trip to celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary! We drove by the first house they lived in together, old high schools, places of work, my dad's paper route etc.. - it was a real trip down memory lane!
Well, just wanted to give everyone a quick up date -
lovingly, Tami and family

A few Updates

2009-05-03T12:10:00.003-04:00

Hi all - thanks for checking in again with us.....I wanted to give you an update on some things. A few weeks ago, we had thought that the original skull tumor was completely dead and it wasn't expected to give my Dad any more problems. As we've mentioned before, cancer has a mind of its own that can totally knock you off course, and that seems to have happened yet again. This week my Dad found out that the original tumor has developed a new extension that has moved back over toward his left eye. We are discouraged that all of the cells associated with it just don't seem to get radiated. Kidney cancer is very resilient....but so are we. Along with the radiation that my dad will be getting to his lungs over the next few months, he will also receive a gamma knife treatment to that original skull tumor. Please pray with us that they will finally get all those microscopic cells zapped and that there will be no more expansion of that tumor.
Please also pray for my mom and dad's spirits and strength as they continue on with this journey. They are both quite tired as they have had numerous appointments to attend over the past two weeks. Recently added to the already busy schedule is daily massage therapy for the swelling around my dad's left eye. Every day for about an hour he has a massage and then his head is wrapped with a compression bandage to try and help reduce the swelling. They have seen some minor improvement, but perhaps the reason they haven't experienced more improvement is that unbeknown to us, the tumor had actually been growing. Nevertheless, I think the massages are relaxing and they have developed a nice friendship with the woman who is doing them. They have to drive over to Newport News (about a 30-40 min drive each way from Williamsburg) for these appointments as well as needing to be other places for various other appointments, so they have had an exhausting few weeks.
The other night, my Dad attended a dinner for a golf tournament that he has participated in for the last few years, but was unable to do so this year. While there, he received a standing ovation from his friends and fellow golfers and it was just really nice that they honored him like that - so thank you to all of my Dad's golf buddies who care so much for him and make him feel so special!
The doctors have given their okay for my parents to continue on with their travel plans to Phoenix for this coming Friday, and so they are looking forward to heading west and to visiting with my Dad's two brothers and their families. This will be a nice break before all of the radiation treatments start up again.
The latter part of May, and all of June and July look like they will continue to be very busy times. My sisters and I are going to try and get down and help out as much as we can....but if there is anyone in the Williamsburg area who can also check in with my parents to see if they need any assistance, my siblings and I would be very grateful!!! Thank you all for your support and kindness --- Tami and family

PET Scan results

2009-04-15T18:06:00.002-04:00

Some good news, some not so good. I'll get the not so good part out of the way....The spots that showed up on the CT scan last week are in fact cancerous. There are actually only two, both relatively small in size (1.5 - 1 cm). This means that the radiosurgery center will be welcoming my Dad back for 6 more rounds of radiation. Because the dose of radiation is high, they are unable to treat both sites at the same time. He will have three treatments in June to one of the tumors, and three treatments to the other in July. The first tumor that was found on his lung over the Christmas Holiday is gone now so that was GREAT news to hear and it is encouraging to know that the type of radiation they are using is bang on (I would say spot on, but maybe that's too much of a pun???). Other news from the PET scan is that the two skull tumors are DEAD and the skull bone in that area is no longer fractured. Sandi was able to go with my parents to the Dr. visit today and she described it as overwhelming to see the scan from a year ago compared to yesterday's scan. It drove home the point that we are incredibly blessed to have skilled Doctors on my Dad's case. The radiologist oncologist admitted today that when they first got my dad's file last May, they weren't at all sure that they would be able to wrap themselves around killing that tumor. Scary to think about, but glad we are sitting 11 months on the other side of it with good results. So while it is discouraging to hear of the new small lung tumors, they don't cause alarm to the Doctors in the over all scheme of things in the cancer world. Accordingly, a treatment plan is once again in place, and we keep pressing on.
As far as the edema around his eye.....well, its possible that it may never go away due to the scar tissue that is now built up in the area behind his eye. It is extremely difficult for him to open his eye and he is going to explore the possibility of wearing an eye patch so that he is not constantly straining to see out of. I'm sure he will look mysterious and debonair :) Another bit of news today is that he will likely be on prednisone from here on out. He will be attempting a different dosing schedule to try and cope with some of the side effects he experiences from it and we hope that will be helpful.
I'll end with this last piece of news - the anniversary trip to Arizona will take place as scheduled and it should be a great visit with the Western side of the Daniel Family!
Thanks for checking back in and for the continued prayers - we are hoping that his next 3 month scan will be all clear and provide a needed break from treatments! Love ~ The Daniel Family

Easter

2009-04-12T20:41:00.002-04:00

A little late in the day, but Happy Easter wishes from all of the Daniel family. We are much slower to update things these days, as we find ourselves in the lull between tests. Please know that even remembering my dad in the most general of prayers is always, always much appreciated.
Last week my Dad had a CT scan to take a look at the function of his remaining kidney. The good news is that the kidney appears to be functioning well, the not so good news is that there were an additional three nodes that were seen on the base of his lungs. We don't know if the nodes are cancerous, as the scan was done without contrast, but on Tuesday of this week, a PET scan will be done that will light up if these nodes or any other areas found, are a spread of the cancer.
Of course we hope that cancer has not spread further, and we appreciate all of your prayers for this. Also, my Dad is very tired from the radiation treatments and his taste buds seem to have been affected from the radiation treatments. He has lost weight due to this, and he is trying to sock away more calories through yummy milkshakes etc.
As many of you know, my parents just celebrated their
50th Wedding anniversary and are hoping to make a trip back to Phoenix, where it all began, in a few weeks. We hope that medical treatments won't prevent them from traveling. Thanks for your continued support and love in all things - especially on this day as we are reminded that He came from heaven to earth to show the way, from the earth to the Cross - our debt to pay. From the Cross to the grave, from the grave to the sky...Lord, we lift your name on high! God bless you all - the Daniel Family

Shrinking tumors :)

2009-03-12T22:25:00.002-04:00

Hello all!
We are happy to report some good news regarding the skull tumors. Yesterday, an MRI showed that both tumors located on the skull are shrinking. This was encouraging news to hear for sure! The original tumor continues to shrink from this past summer's radiation, and the newer second tumor is also beginning to show a response to the radiation received in January. Another MRI will occur in 6 weeks to continue monitoring the response to the radiation and we hope to hear additional good news then.
Other things on the schedule in April include a full body PET scan to see if the spot on his lung is responding to the radiation it received as well, and to ensure that there isn't any new activity occurring elsewhere. There will also be a scan done on the remaining kidney to monitor its functioning. Needless to say, there is never a dull moment in the test, treat, wait and see regimen!
The radiation has drained my Dad's energy level, which is a pretty common side effect. Even so, he continues to run a business and play golf when he can ~ pretty amazing!
My parent's trip to Hawaii was good. They enjoyed spending time there relaxing; however, they did find the trip back to be a bit hard with the long travel period and time change. They have decided to travel a little closer to home in the future, and are headed to Tampa in two weeks; right after they celebrate their 50th Wedding Anniversary on March 26th! They are thrilled to reach this milestone and to celebrate the life that they have shared together. They are both such excellent people and the four of us kids, and 9 grandchildren are all proud to be a part of the heritage that they created together!
As always, thank you for your prayers for my Dad's strength and healing. I'm sorry that we have been remiss in updating the blog lately, but please know that we are so appreciative of all of you who check in on us, leave messages, send cards, call, and prayerfully stand by us. ~ Lovingly, The Daniel Family

Final round

2009-02-07T11:58:00.003-05:00

Thursday was the third and final round of radiation to my Dad's lung. All went well and now we will wait for the results.
He also saw the Ophthalmologist this week, (the first person to note that there was a problem last May), and he got a good report that the eye looks totally normal now on the inside. This is further indication that the original tumor has shrunk. The trouble with the swollen eye is something called eyelid edema. I know he must wish he could drill a whole and drain all that fluid out of there!!
Finally Finally, the trip to Hawaii commences tomorrow! My parents are excited to get to go on this rescheduled trip. A lot has happened since it had to be postponed and its really good to see them be able to go. Please pray that they have safe travels and no unexpected complications to deal with. They have always loved Hawaii, from all the way back to the time we lived there, and they'll be happy to be back in that tropical paradise once again.
Thanks for checking in ~ The next scheduled event for my Dad is another MRI on March, 9. In the meantime, I'm sure there will be some Hawaii pics and a recap of their trip to post. ~ Tami and Family

Round 2

2009-01-30T22:03:00.003-05:00

Round 2 of the radiation to the lung was this week, and it went well. Swelling of the eye is a constant problem though. It must be so frustrating!
My parents had a great time on their trip to Tampa. Louis'retirement ceremony was very nice and the retirement party was even better! Louis presented my Dad with a shadow box full of medals and ribbons etc. that Dad had earned over the years during his own Marine career. He was quite touched that Louis would take the time to honor him at his party - he felt like he was having his own retirement party all over again! Thanks to Louis and Jacquie for doing that and to mom for slipping the medals and mementos to them! I have posted some pictures of the retirement events and you can see the treasured shadow box in a few of them.
Thanks for the many prayers - keep praying that the cancer stays away and that the swelling would finally recede ~~

Radiation update

2009-01-20T21:08:00.002-05:00

Today, Jan. 20, my dad had the first round of radiation to his lung. All went well and he doesn't seem to be experiencing any side effects. He isn't really expected to, maybe some tiredness, but that's all that is anticipated. His eye remains swollen and that is a big challenge right now. He doesn't complain, but its clear that it's a huge discomfort for him.
As mentioned previously, my parents head to Tampa on Thursday. We hope that they will travel well and have a great time while there! Thanks for checking in with us ~

Monday, Jan 13th Info

2009-01-12T17:39:00.004-05:00

A quick update on today's activities. The day started out around 4:30 a.m. in order to get to the Radiosurgery Center for 6:00 a.m., so it was quite an early start! After being fitted with a frame for his head, an MRI was done to make calculations for delivering the radiation. They had to wait awhile for this to be completed and finally around noon he was taken back for the actual gamma knife procedure. Just to give a nice visual - Star Wars is a big hit with Sandi's 5 year old son Kylen and for Christmas he got a mask and several different colored light sabers. We all got to play "Star Wars" many times over the holidays and apparently with the frame on his head, my dad looked like something straight out of Star Wars and would have been a very worthy opponent for Kyle! OK - back to the update, after the procedure was done, they kept him for about another hour or so while he recovered, and then he was able to come home. He had a slight headache and was starving, other than that it was just like a day at the park - OK, slight exaggeration, but really, overall he is doing well and can resume normal activity after 24 hours.
The MRI that was performed today was more detailed than the one he had on 12/31, and the neurologist could readily visualize the necrosis taking place in the first tumor, so that was great to hear.
Tomorrow, he will return to the Radiosurgery Center to be fitted for the body mold for the synergy radiation to his lung. He will have the 1st treatment on 1/20, the next one on 1/29 and the last one on 2/5.
In between the Radiation treatments of 1/20 and 1/29, my parents will get to make a trip to Tampa, FL to attend the Marine Corp retirement ceremony of son-in-law, Louis (Jacquie's husband). They are glad to get the green light to go ahead and attend as they are extremely proud of not only Louis for his service to our country, but of Jacquie and all she has done to support Louis and raise two great kids as a military spouse. So a big Marine ooh-rah shout out to Louis as he completes his 28 year military career! Thank you, Louis for your service and commitment to our great Country.
We didn't get many pictures at Christmas as it was kind of a whirlwind event (we were busy playing Star Wars after all!), but we'll make sure to have pictures from Louis' retirement to share with everyone.
We appreciate continued prayer for successful results from the radiation treatments and that this would be the last time the cancer makes an appearance. It's enough already....

Bumps in the road

2009-01-09T10:30:00.007-05:00

This has been a bumpy week, hearing results that we weren't expecting and processing new information. Unfortunately, the Pet scan did show a small(1cm) metastatic spot on my Dad's right lung. This does not mean that he now has lung cancer as well, it means that there is a cell from the original kidney tumor that has materialized in the lung. Encouragingly, this is the only place that "lit up" on the scan, and there are high hopes that treatment with Stereotactic Body Radiosurgery (same type of radiation used this summer) will bring about good results. This type of radiation uses precise, pinpoint radiation beams to converge on the cancerous tumor from many different angles. Because it is so accurate, it minimizes the chance of damage to the healthy tissue surrounding the tumor. Large doses of radiation are delivered to the tumor over a period of one to five days, which is better than the older standard of weeks of daily radiation. There is about a 90 percent success rate associated with this method of treatment. Kidney cancer is so persistent that this will probably become routine, i.e, find a spot, zap it, wait, find another spot, zap it, wait again etc etc. This was mentioned to us at some point, but I think we all stuck that somewhere in the back of our minds, thinking it really wouldn't happen in "our case". As we know realize, we haven't been spared this exercise and we are wrapping our minds around yet another new normal way of life. We remain ever thankful that there are treatment plans available, and that over all my Dad feels ok. The diabetes is under better control, and his blood pressure is good. So at the end of a long week, we have two new tumors identified and two new treatment plans in place, and as it seems to be our mantra - we press on. The Gamma Knife surgery on Monday morning is the next event on the schedule, and we'll let you all know how that goes next week.
I just wanted to take a quick moment to address the many expressions of gratitude that have been made about the blog - its so overwhelming to us to have so many people on this journey with us to even have the need for a blog, that really the gratitude is ours extended to each of you reading this. Thanks for caring about us, loving us and praying for us ~ The Daniel Family

Its true cancer has a mind of its own ~

2009-01-05T16:12:00.005-05:00

And, despite our recent optimism, we have received news that my Dad has a new tumor on the left side of his skull. Due to some new areas of swelling, the MRI scheduled for the 8th was moved up to last Wedensday. We received news late on Wed. that the MRI showed a new tumor had developed, but because of the holidays, we weren't able to get additional information until today. Here is what we now know, in layman's terms of course. (I feel like the doctor should review this to make sure I'm conveying everything correctly, but here goes...)
Several Doctors have now had the opportunity to review the MRI and have come to a consensus that this is not a new cancer metastasis, which is significant. They believe the cells were always there, but were located deeper than what could be seen. The radiation that he received this summer would not have gone deep enough to hit these cells, as they radiated as far in as they felt they could go and not damage the brain. Simply put, these are exsiting cells that have formed into a tumor at a new site in his left temple.
This new tumor is treatable with Gamma Knife radiation, which is different than the type of radiation they used this summer. They will use this type because the tumor is rapid in growth and is getting dangerously close to the brain. If necessary, surgery is an option, but they would like to proceed with the Gamma Knife treatment as it is less invasive/risky. He will have this procedure next Monday, January 12th at 6 am. The results won't be known for another 3-5 months, however, even without the expectation of immediate results they will be doing more frequent MRI scans. This will help to discern if there have been other undetectable cells lurking around that decided to morph into yet another tumor and provide swift treatment in such case. All of this will be clarified at a face to face Doctor's appointment this Wedensday (1/7). It will be good follow up as there will have been some time to process this information and a better opportunity for questions and answers, so if I've misrepresented anything, we'll let you know!
The following is information on the original tumor: It has shrunk about 30%. They would have liked to have seen greater reduction at this time, but do not believe that the results are abnormal in relation to renal cell cancer's typical response to radiation. They still expect to see continued dying of the tumor and are hopeful that within the next 6 months, the total reduction will be around 70 percent.
Lastly, the full body PET scan is still scheduled for this Thursday. We are hopeful that it will show no other cancer anywhere else in his body.
All in all, there are nuggets of good news mixed in with the bad news of another tumor and we are pressing on. We are thankful that there are treatment options to continue fighting the cancer. We pray that the new tumor responds to the Gamma Knife radiation, that the original tumor continues to shrink, that there are no more lurking cancer cells and that the PET scan is clear. Thank you for your continued love and support - we will provide another update later in the week. ~ Tami and family

Its been awhile...

2008-12-12T17:31:00.003-05:00

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

2008-11-08T16:04:00.002-05:00

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

2008-10-21T17:04:00.002-04:00

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

2008-10-07T18:18:00.003-04:00

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

2008-09-22T10:51:00.008-04:00

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

2008-09-09T16:53:00.002-04:00

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

2008-09-05T09:15:00.006-04:00

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

2008-09-04T16:08:00.003-04:00

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

2008-08-26T18:51:00.006-04:00

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

2008-08-22T17:29:00.005-04:00

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

2008-08-20T16:38:00.002-04:00

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

2008-08-19T16:16:00.005-04:00

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

2008-08-17T18:35:00.003-04:00

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

2008-08-16T16:18:00.006-04:00

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

2008-08-15T19:37:00.003-04:00

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

2008-08-14T22:15:00.004-04:00

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!"

2008-08-14T13:16:00.003-04:00

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

2008-08-13T15:36:00.002-04:00

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

2008-08-10T09:33:00.002-04:00

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

2008-07-28T14:16:00.002-04:00

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

2008-07-21T16:56:00.003-04:00

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

2008-07-19T16:01:00.003-04:00

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

2008-07-18T20:30:00.009-04:00

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

2008-07-15T15:28:00.004-04:00

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

2008-07-14T14:47:00.005-04:00

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...

2008-07-09T08:04:00.003-04:00

Happy Happy Birthday DAD!!!!

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

you are OUR superhero

Round 2

2008-07-07T17:42:00.003-04:00

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....

2008-07-06T16:11:00.015-04:00

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

2008-07-01T11:36:00.002-04:00

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

2008-06-30T17:13:00.003-04:00

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

2008-06-28T11:18:00.003-04:00

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

2008-06-25T21:33:00.002-04:00

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. . . .

2008-06-22T08:55:00.002-04:00

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

2008-06-15T07:43:00.002-04:00

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

2008-06-11T20:06:00.008-04:00

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

2008-06-04T16:15:00.006-04:00

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....

2008-05-30T19:09:00.003-04:00

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

2008-05-27T19:09:00.003-04:00

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

2008-05-25T10:08:00.003-04:00

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

2008-05-21T16:31:00.002-04:00

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

2008-05-20T18:05:00.003-04:00

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

2008-05-19T17:04:00.003-04:00

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

2008-05-17T07:13:00.002-04:00

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...

2008-05-16T21:00:00.003-04:00

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.