Updates on the Sharpe Family

A new site

2009-01-13T09:10:00.002-05:00

I have decided to move the blog to a CaringBridge site. It seems like it will be easier for everyone to keep updated. The new site addy is

http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/gavinsharpe

This site will stay up so that the full back story is available.

Love and blessings,

Maria

Praise!

2009-01-07T20:37:00.001-05:00

Gavin's MRI came back clean! Not sure why he had some pain back there but it seems to be lessening and with a clean MRI, Dr. Pal isn't concerned. Thanks for all your prayers!

Love and Blessings,
Maria

Change

2009-01-06T18:38:00.003-05:00

Changed chemo from Thursday to Wednesday this week because Gavin has a work thing on Thursday.

Yesterday I had been thinking of opposites, really couldn't get the concept out of my head. Good and evil, happy and sad, light and dark. Then today I ran across this quote by Patrick Swayze who is battling pancreatic cancer, "I keep dreaming of a future, a future with a long and healthy life, not lived in the shadow of cancer, but in the light." I believe the following is also true...Gavin, and Patrick, are not just hoping for a future to be lived in the light, but are choosing to life their life in the present in the light. They aren't letting the shadow, the darkness, of their cancers rule their world.

Love and blessings,
Maria

Happy 2009!

2009-01-06T00:26:00.002-05:00

I hope everyone had a great Christmas and New Year. We had a nice and relaxing one. We didn't do everything we had planned on but that's o.k. December was so hectic, especially the week before Christmas, that it was nice to just sit back and enjoy each other's company. I will confess, we did spend quite a bit of time playing with the new Wii! It is my amateur opinion that one's hand/eye coordination seriously declines the older they get!

Gavin had a chemo treatment on Christmas Eve but had the rest of the time off from any treatments or doctors' appointments. Of course that has all changed this week! Today (yesterday? it's 12:32 a.m.) he had an appointment with Dr. Barkley, the pain doc. They are decreasing his pain meds (good thing). This decrease kind of resulted from the fact that Gavin completely missed his morning pain meds on Sunday and didn't even notice until around dinner time! He was a little achey mid to late afternoon but nothing to put up the alarm that he missed taking any of his drugs. Hopefully he can get down to near a pre-September hospital stay dosage since he is less sleepy having less pain meds. Gavin is also going in for an MRI tomorrow. He has been suffering from some neck/base of skull pain for going on 3 weeks and they just want to double check to make sure it's nothing to be concerned about. I am trying hard not to borrow trouble but prayers would be appreciated. Then on Thursday he starts chemo again. I honestly have lost track as to what round this is and my calendar isn't near me. It must be around the 4th round. That's my guess and I'm sticking with it! Unless the MRI shows something, Dr. Pal isn't planning on doing any CT scans in the near future. Gavin had so many scans at the end of summer/beginning of fall that a break from them would be a good idea. I know I haven't mentioned Dr. Sharma yet and that's because we haven't seen him since mid-December! I think we see him in another few weeks to check on Gavin's dead bone, sooner if an infection sets in, but so far so good!

I will end this with a little bit of a vent...why can't the Ohio State Buckeyes win a bowl game??? For goodness sake, after a tight first half, they came out and stunk up the 3rd quarter. Then they teased us by going ahead with only 43 or so seconds to go and blew it and let Texas score! I'm still not entire positive Texas got the 1st down on that 4th down conversion. There, I've had my say. College football season is done for me - Go Panthers!

Thanks to Linda Preston for the delish sandwiches and Pauline Muntz for the lovely desserts.

Love and Blessings,
Maria

2 Years

2008-12-16T22:16:00.002-05:00

This week is a milestone. Exactly 2 years ago is when Gavin was diagnosed. Exactly 2 years ago our lives were turned upside down. Exactly 2 years ago we were introduced to a strange new world filled with big words, scary words. Exactly 2 years ago, tears flowed freely.

Exactly 2 years ago we were blessed. Not everyone gets to see how he or she impacts others lives. Gavin was blessed to have this happen. We were also blessed with the outpouring of love and support and prayers from a wonderful group of friends and family. In this way we continue to be blessed every day.

2 years ago we could never have imagined the journey we have been on. 2 years ago all we knew is that cancer had entered the scene and there was no delete button. 2 years ago we had no clue as to how encompassing this disease would be, how it would effect everything big and small in our lives.

2 years ago we had hope. 2 years ago we had faith. 2 years ago we focused on the future because the alternative was not an option.

Today we still have hope. Today we still have faith. Today is that future.

We love each and everyone of you and thank you for sharing in our journey.

Maria and Gavin

Dec. 11th Update

2008-12-11T21:54:00.002-05:00

I know the title of this blog is boring. I am really having trouble coming up with cute and witty ones! I will try harder next time, promise!

Gavin had his regularly scheduled chemo today. His counts were all back to normal so we were happy to hear that. Last time since they were low, they decreased his dose. They were able to give him the chemo at full strength this time. We will switch the schedule up a little bit the next few weeks due to Christmas - chemo will be on the next 2 Wednesdays instead of Thursdays. Yippy skippy, chemo on Christmas Eve! And at 8 a.m.! Yuck! The schedulers told me it should be a light day so I am planning on napping in a recliner! I might even bring my own pillow!

We are also making another trip to see Dr. Sharma this week. I know we just saw him Monday but the area that is being affected has grown bigger and has hit the mark that necessitates a visit. Thankfully Gavin is not experiencing any pain, swelling, or discomfort. Mentally, it is tough because he definitely does not want to go back to what he went through last summer. We especially don't want to have to pause chemo treatments for more surgery.

Now for fun and exciting news. Grant is coming into town to take Gavin to drive a Nascar car at Lowe's Motor Speedway on Saturday night. It should be a great time for the brothers. The kids and I will probably tag along and take pictures and video. Note to all of you who are wondering: no I am not getting behind the wheel of a Nascar so you don't have to worry. I have no desire to drive fast in a circle!

It hit me this week that I forgot to thank the Alvarez family for the very yummy sour cream chicken. A continued thanks to Pauline Muntz for the delish desserts as well.

Do any of you remember the tootsie pop commercials with the owl who says "how many licks does it take to get to the center of a tootsie pop?" I don't have that answer but I can tell you that my dog can eat 5 full tootsie pops, 2 partial tootsie pops, and 2 or 3 mini reeses peanut butter cups in about an hour! Dumb dog.

Love and blessings!
Mariaq

It's Dec. 7th. is your tree up?

2008-12-07T20:25:00.002-05:00

Yes! Our tree went up on Friday night. The challenge is always to get it up early enough so you aren't turning right around and taking it down. The pets have left it alone pretty much, although the cats do like to sleep on the tree skirt. By the end of the season, my pretty red tree skirt will look almost white! At least they aren't climbing the tree! I had a cat growing up who would sleep in the tree, about 3/4 of the way up. You would walk by and see these yellow eyes peering out at you. He never knocked a single decoration off though.

O.k. enough of my trip down memory lane. This was Gavin's off week of chemo so hopefully his body will have a chance to restore some and his counts won't be low when we go in on Thursday. He did make an unexpected trip in to see Dr. Sharma. The antibiotics have worked in reducing the swelling completely and eliminating most of the discomfort but now Gavin actually has another piece of dead bone poking through. It feels a little like deja vu! Best case scenario is that the bone will just work it's way out or wall itself off enough that Dr. Sharma can just flick it out. Worst case scenario is that the doc will have to go in and dig it out which means another outpatient surgery. We are really praying that doesn't have to happen because we don't want to have to delay chemo treatments at all. We have an appointment in a few weeks to check-up on it's progress.

Have a great week!

Love and blessings,
Maria

Giving thanks during a difficult week.

2008-11-29T23:20:00.003-05:00

This week was such a heart-breaking week in so many ways. Our world has lost such an inspiring spirit and she will be missed in so many ways. Natalie could be quiet at times but that smile would speak volumes. Throughout the past 9 months she was such a witness to her faith. She never wavered in knowing that God was going to take care of her. Was she ever scared, confused, anxious, maybe even angry? Of course she was, we all were on some level. Instead of giving into those destructive and negative emotions, Natalie time and time again leaned on her Saviour to get her through the darkness and into the light. Her God gave her the ultimate healing, He freed her from the pain. Yes we humans miss her down here, we miss her terribly. There will be many more tears shed during the next weeks and months. But what we have lost down here, heaven has gained. Really, we didn't lose her completely...she lives on in our memories, our hearts. On bad days we just need to look up towards the heavens and see her sitting with Jesus, smiling that smile of hers and cheering us on.

The last few days have been very rough for Gavin and I. Throughout the "normalcy" of life we don't have to face the possible realities of the future. We have always tried to focus on the positive and live with hope in our hearts every single day. I don't think I can even adequately explain the variety of emotions that we experienced this past week. All I can say is that we are truly blessed to have friends who love us and support us and know how we are feeling before we are even feeling it. We are blessed to have had Natalie in our lives to inspire us. The courage and dignity and faith she showed during her cancer battle is a wonderful legacy for all of those going through tough times, whether it is a health issue like cancer or anything else.

Thank you for loving us.
Maria

Oh I almost forgot...Gavin's counts are a little low so if you are sick, please keep your distance. At the moment, no doctor's appointments this week. How weird is that? Might possible add one w/ our fav. Dr. Sharma!

Drew's facebook note

2008-11-25T21:57:00.001-05:00

I wanted to post something Drew wrote on facebook. He's a pretty amazing kid, I think I'll keep him!

"Just as Lyndon B. Johnson stood before Congress after the assassination of John F. Kennedy, I too would give anything and everything in the world to not be sitting here, writing this note. As I'm sure everyone knows, Natalie Yokeley, at the young age of 13, passed away to be with the Lord on Monday night. No pain was felt, and as she closed her eyes and took one last breath, I know that God's spirit was in that room, with Natalie, Will, Tom, and Kathy. None of us will ever understand the suffering that Natalie endured or the pain and agony of this burden that was placed on the entire Yokeley family. And as we enter this Christmas season, none will be more difficult and somber than this one for this family. Which brings me to this point: what can we do as a youth group, as a church, as a family, as friends, as brothers and sisters, as God's people, to make this time of year one that is truly special and memorable for the Yokeley's.... if not that, a time of year which they can feel the love and compassion of their friends...."
"You won't be coming back and I didn't get to say goodbye... I really wish I'd got to say goodbye..."Yellowcard- "View From Heaven"

We (heart) NY

2008-11-25T12:41:00.003-05:00

Quick update on Gavin's mouth...stronger antibiotic is working and the swelling is down. His pain has lessened considerably. CT scans don't show anything to be worried about. Current course of treatment is to just keep him on this antibiotic indefinitely.

Update on our friend Natalie, the 13 year old girl at church battling cancer: It is with a broken heart that I tell you that this precious girl went home to her Saviour yesterday. She fought bravely and determinedly. She never wavered from her faith, instead she drew from her faith and allowed God to shine through her life in every way. We take comfort in knowing that she is now healed and free from pain and sitting with her Lord. We love you Natalie and feel blessed to have been your friends.

Please pray for Tom, Kathy, and Will, her extended family and our church, along with the children and youth.

Love and blessings,
Gavin and Maria

That darn mouth!

2008-11-20T23:39:00.003-05:00

Chemo has been going well. The nasty headache and nausea that Gavin has been having when waking-up on Tuesday mornings are under control thanks to a great suggestion by one of his nurses. She recommended that he take a motrin and anti-nausea drug before bed as a preventative measure - and it worked! Yea! He was still pretty fatigued on Tuesday but at least he didn't also feel cruddy.

The big issue this week has been his mouth. The site where he had work done has been sore off and on this entire time. The pain really set in this week along with quite a bit of swelling. Dr. Sharma prescribed a stronger anti-biotic and that seems to be helping with both issues, pain and swelling. He goes back on Monday to check the progress. Best case scenario is that this is just a little bit of an infection that Dr. Sharma might have to just drain to take care of. Worst case scenario is that there is more dead bone in there that will need to come out. If that is the case then it brings up a whole other set of issues to do with chemo treatments.

We also saw Dr. Barkley this week for a check-up on the pain meds. This is another doctor we are blessed to have on our team. He really takes the time to find out what's going on in our lives and the kids' lives. I feel as if he isn't just treating Gavin but is treating the entire family. Nothing changed from that visit and we see him again in a month.

Another bit of drama this week was Mackenzie and her fear of shots. She pretty much freaked out on my the other night thinking about having to have a flu shot. Not getting one is not an option in our household due to Gavin's health. God provided for her today - her pediatrician has the flu mist so she won't have to get a shot. When I told her this, she ran around the house exclaming "Hallelujah, Praise the Lord!" It was a very heartfelt display of gratitude. Drew has also opted for the mist but Austin has manned-up and chosen the shot. I admit, I am relieved to not have to put Mackenzie through the trauma of a shot when there is another option.

I will update after our appointment with Dr. Sharma on Monday. Pray for the best case scenario!

Love and blessings!
Maria

Scan results are in!

2008-11-13T14:01:00.003-05:00

We received encouraging news at Dr. Pal/chemo appt. today. The scans show that the current treatment plan has been effective in reducing the size of the tumors. They also showed that no new tumors have formed. Praise God! Gavin is going to continue with the same treatment program for another 2 rounds. So in about 7-8 weeks he will have another check-up scan.

Next appts: Mon. - Dr. Barkley, pain guru
Wed. - Dr. Sharma, oral surgeon guru
Thurs. - chemo

I feel so blessed that God has placed Gavin in such capable hands as Dr. Pal, Dr. Sharma, Dr. Hartman, and Dr. Barkley. I feel blessed that God has surrounded us with so many loving friends and family to support us. I feel blessed to have a God who continues to hold us in His loving arms and takes care of us when we can't take care of ourselves. I admit that this battle has been tough for me to completely turn over to God but I know in my heart that He understands. He patiently waits for me to work through my anxiety and fear and is right there ready to offer His peace and comfort.

Love and blessings to all,
Maria

Happy November!

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

Just a quick update.

This is Gavin's off week from chemo. As usual, he had a "bad" day on Tuesday. It pretty much starts with a big headache and nausea and results in him sleeping pretty much all day. He has also been experiencing some numbness in his left hand. This is a side effect we were warned about from the beginning and it's called neuropathy. As far as his hair goes, it seems to all still be there and no signs of it falling out yet.

Gavin has a visit with Dr. Sharma on Thursday at noon. His mouth is still a bit painful so I'm not sure what will be decided. I'm guessing that he will have an x-ray done of his mouth and perhaps be put on a heavier antibiotic. I know out of everything, Gavin is very tired of mouth pain! Then on Friday at 10:30 he goes in for another CT/PET scan. This is a pretty major scan (bigger then just a CT) and he just had one in September so I'm not sure why it was ordered so soon. Of course we forgot to ask Dr. Pal when we were there last week! Next scheduled chemo is next Thursday and we will find out the results then.

Gavin and I are headed to Toledo on Monday to bring back a car for Drew that Grandma Judy gave him. We should be home late Tuesday night. Pray for safe travels and that Gavin will feel well during the trip.

Thanks to Pauline for the goodies as always. Also if we forgot to thank you for a meal (Uncle Phil's week addled my brain!) then please accept our thanks now.

I'll post tomorrow if anything major is said at the appointment w/ Dr. Sharma.

Love and blessings!
Maria

Halloween Week

2008-10-29T09:26:00.002-05:00

Well Uncle Phil's Diner is over! It was so much fun and everyone did such a fabulous job but it's nice to have my life back! I hope everyone who came enjoyed it because I know all of the participants had a wonderful experience.

Gavin had the 2nd day of the 2nd round of chemo last Thursday. He felt pretty good all weekend thankfully. He crashed pretty hard on Tuesday with fatigue and nausea being the culprits. I think it was partly due to the chemo treatment and partly to do with pushing himself so hard throughout the weekend. He goes in for the 3rd treatment tomorrow and then will have a CT scan before the next appointment, 2 weeks from now.

He has had a little bit of pain in his left hip but an x-ray showed that there was just a little fluid build-up and nothing to be concerned about right now. Once again, he has been standing around a lot more these past few weeks due to Uncle Phil's rehearsals and shows so perhaps that was a contributer.

I am picking-up Mackenzie from the 5th grade class trip to Camp Thunderbird today. I expect she had a great, if not cold, time. I'm crossing my fingers that she comes back with all of her gear and without the sniffles. Drew is going to Washington, NC for a theater contest on Saturday. It will be a very long day for him. Austin has joined the pep band at Community House. I think he is having a good time playing more "fun" songs on his trumpet.

The kids are getting geared up for Halloween this Friday. Mackenzie and Austin are both going as gangsters, her costume has a pink pinstripe and his has a white one. I am praying that it is a little warmer that night, although I plan on sitting around the firepits in the cul-de-sac! Drew is going to the "big" game that night between Ardrey Kell and South Meck. I'm also praying for safe driving that night.

Oh, and I almost forgot to recognize what today is...Happy Birthday Dakota! Our beautiful, sweet sheltie is 2 today!

Have a blessed week!
Maria

Uncle Phil's Diner Week

2008-10-19T22:42:00.002-05:00

The title says it all! It is the week of the church musical, Uncle Phil's Diner, and I expect it to be crazy busy and hectic. The goal this week is to try and encourage Gavin to pace himself so that he can last through all of the rehearsals and the shows next weekend. I know he is really enjoying being part of the show and very thankful that his symptoms have been such to allow him to participate. He even gets to do the hand jive!

The first treatment of the 2nd rounds went according to plan. Gavin has seemed a little bit more sick to his stomach at times during the weekend but not overly so. We didn't meet with Dr. Pal like we usually do because he was out being a new dad! He and his wife had a baby girl last Wednesday, their first! I can't wait to see him next week to get all of the details and to see how he is managing on no sleep! It also means I can go buy something really cute, really little, and really girly as a baby gift!

This week besides Uncle Phil's, Gavin meets with Dr. Sharma on Wednesday to check on his mouth infection and has chemo on Thursday. His mom is also coming to town to visit with us and see the show. She lands on Wed. and leaves the following Monday.

Unless something out-of-the-ordinary happens, I don't expect to update this until after the show. So let's just say I will talk to you next week!

Thank you to all of you who expressed your sympathies to me today on the death of my grandmother. You all are very sweet. She has suffered from Alzheimers for about 9-10 years now and has really not known us for the last few years. I feel very much at peace that she is in a much better place now. In fact, I'm sure the rose gardens in heaven are blooming extra special now that she's up there tending to them!

Special thanks to the Devoid, S. Brown, J. Gillespie, and Broerman family for the tasty meals. Also thanks to Christy for the giftcard to Showmars, one of our favorites! The meals have been greatly appreciated and enjoyed the last few months. We have decided that since things have calmed down now, we are going to cut back on the meals being delivered for now. I have every confidence that when Jen thinks we need them again, she will start scheduling them! Love ya Jen! Again, thanks for getting us through a tough time period.

See you when I'm back from the '50s!

Love and blessings,
Maria

I spoke too soon!

2008-10-08T11:33:00.002-05:00

Well I think I exhalted in my last post that we didn't have any doctors appointments this week. I jinxed us! Gavin woke-up Sunday with his mouth hurting a little bit. It got progressively worse over the course of the day and on Monday. When he woke-up on Tuesday, he decided it was bad enough to call our fav doc, Dr. Sharma. At the moment, it is just an infection where he had the surgery. The gums are healing but since he is such a slow healer, he is prone to getting infections. Unfortunately Dr. Sharma can't definitively say that there is no more dead bone somewhere in there, but for the time being, he is not seeing any evidence of it. So Gavin is on his second round of antibiotics and we are hoping this kicks it for good.

Thanks to the Collards and Mauldins for dinner this week. Thanks to all the folks who came over and finished painting the house trim on Saturday - we appreciate it soooo much!

Love and blessings,
Maria

Happy Birthday Mackenzie!

2008-10-02T19:44:00.002-05:00

It was a busy day for us. First we took Mackenzie lunch at school to celebrate her birthday. Next it was off to a doctors visit and chemo. Then we had a delicious dinner at Red Robin, also to celebrate her birthday. Lastly, it was out to Matthews for Mackenzie's drama class. It really has been a non-stop day for me.

Gavin received his 3rd round of chemo in 3 weeks today. He has experienced no major side effects, just a little bit of nausea and fatigue now and then. So far no hair on the pillow! Definitely praying that this chemo either slows the tumor growth down, stabilizes it, or best of all will reduce the size of the tumors. I believe that Gavin will have another 3 week course of treatment before any scans are done. The bonus is that we have no scheduled doctor visits with anyone next week! A complete week off from everything. What will we do with ourselves???

After a busy day, we have a weekend that is just as busy. Gavin's brother Grant, his daughter, Alexis, and girlfriend, Kristen are visiting with us for a few days. Also there is another work day planned at the house for Saturday. There is a wonderful ladies event at church tomorrow night that I'll be attending. I can't wait to chit chat with everyone and listen to Laurie. Saturday is also the day of the big birthday party. Mackenzie and some of her friends will be ice skating at the Pineville Icehouse for a few hours. I will be attempting to skate and trying to video at the same time. Of course on Sunday there is church and a myriad of activities to take part in there.

I guess the answer to the question "what will we do with ourselves next week?" is sleeping!

Thanks to the Wallace and Brown family for dinners this week. It definitely helps to not have to worry about cooking some nights.

Prayer list: Safe travels for Grant, Alexis, and Kristen
For everyone to stay safe while working on house (they will be painting up high)
For all rest to be refreshing and sustaining
For chemo to be working it's wonders in Gavin
For Natalie (and family), Kim Whisenant (and family), Kelly Braxton (and family)
Cindy Flanigan (and family) - all are battling cancer

Praise that God has given us a wonderful, delightful, and charming little girl named Mackenzie.

Love and Blessings,
Maria

Chemo Round 1 Week 2

2008-09-25T21:46:00.003-05:00

A pretty uneventful chemo day. Labs were good so chemo went ahead as planned. Gavin has felt a bit nauseated the past few days off and on and little more fatigued but other then that, things are going pretty well. Next week he sees Dr. Sharma, oral surgeon extraordinaire, on Monday and has chemo on Thursday along with a visit with Dr. Pal beforehand. At this juncture we aren't expecting any mind-blowing revelations at either doctor visit. I am knocking on wood right now so I haven't jinxed us!

On Monday, Gavin and I will be celebrating 13 years of marriage. When we wed all those years ago, we were so young and naive. We never would have dreamed that we would uproot the family from Toledo to Charlotte where we knew no one. During those first 2 years here we had no conceptualization that we would settle in here and call this home and just "visit" Toledo, that we would find a family of friends here to love and to love us. We had no idea that we would have our own Goliath to battle, that cancer would become way to upclose and personal.

Through adversity, blessings come unfailingly. Each and every one of you is a blessing to us, each of you is that stone in our bag capable of felling the giant. Your faith strengthens us when our faith is weak, your love envelops us when we feel down, your presence lifts us when it all seems so much to bear.

13 years. I think the one thing Gavin and I have figured out is that we don't need the official date of our anniversary to honor our marriage. His battle with cancer has impressed upon us the importance to treasure each other daily. Do we always succeed? Nope! We still snip at each other, we still get frustrated with each other. I have to believe we do it less often though then we would have previously. Time is precious and not to be wasted on petty things.

If I can figure it out, I will try to scan a wedding picture and put it on the site. Perhaps I will boot that project over to Gavin since he leaves all the blogging to me and he is the techie (i.e. geek)!

Wow, I have been all over the place today. Sorry if I rambled but hopefully I've made some sense. Thanks to the Lewyn Family, Pridgeon Family, and Harris Family for the yummy dinners this week.

Thanks to everyone for being a blessing to me and Gavin and to the kids. We could never go through this without faith in the Lord and friends like you!

Love,
Maria

*Autobell tickets $12.95 to support Mackenzie's 5th grade trip!

*Uncle Phil's Diner tickets, show is Oct. 24 and 25!

*Contact me directly about either or see me at church!

We feel loved!

2008-09-21T21:52:00.002-05:00

The words thank you seem like such an insignificant way to fully express our gratitude to all of our friends who gave up their Saturday to work on our house. You all are definitely the hands and feet of Christ. All of our neighbors who witnessed the outpouring of love at our house on Saturday are talking about it. One neighbor, who was out-of-town, heard about it and commented that it makes her want to go to our church! Isn't it amazing how we can witness to people without saying a word and just by our actions? I'm not going to list names to thank for fear that I will leave someone's name off and hurt feelings. You know who you are and please accept our heartfelt thanks for not just working on the house but making us feel extremely blessed and loved!

Gavin seems to be handling the first dose of chemo pretty well. He is not experiencing any nasty side effects yet. He was a little more tired on Friday but not too bad. I was very impressed that he paced himself on Saturday and didn't push it. I knew he wouldn't just be able to sit by and let everyone else do all the work but he did quit and took a rest when he got tired. He gets another dose of chemo this Thursday and I am praying that this one is as easy for him as the last. I know cumulative effects will probably catch up with him sooner or later but I'm hoping for later!

Thanks to the Maxson's and Sanford's for the delish meals this week. Also thank you to Pauline Muntz, Mackenzie loves the cookies! Once again, I am so hesitant to name names in case I forget a family. So if I have ever forgotten to thank you, please know that each generous meal is greatly appreciated.

Here's to an uneventful week and not needing to blog until after chemo on Thursday!

Love and blessings,
Maria

P.S. Mackenzie is selling AutoBell car wash tix for $12.95 each to help offset her 5th grade trip to Camp Thunderbird. If you are interested, see her or me on Wednesday nights or Sundays.

P.P.S. Uncle Phil Diner tix on sale now! Reservations are required due to the nature of the show. Dinner catered by Backyard Burger, large meal $10, small meal $6. Reserve early for the best seats!

Finally...chemo

2008-09-18T14:10:00.003-05:00

Dr. Pal gave the go ahead to start chemo today. Gavin will be getting the drug Camptosar, one day a week for 3 weeks and then getting a week off. Dr. Pal is hoping to get in 2 rounds (2 months worth) in before repeating scans. If Gavin is doing well on it and pain is in control, he said he might even possibly stretch it to 3 rounds (3 months worth). So far Gavin seems to be feeling ok but if I remember correctly, side effects might hit 3rd or 4th day once IV anti-nausea drug is out of his system.

Gavin finished radiation on Tuesday and we are praying that it will be totally effective in shrinking the tumor. He saw Dr. Sharma on Wednesday and while he didn't get the all clear that would end those office visits, the doc said he is healing but just really slow. I know I have extolled the virtue of Dr. Sharma quite often in this blog and some of you might be wondering how can a doc be this awesome. I have ultimate proof that Dr. Sharma is a great guy. He came by to visit Gavin in the hospital last week! He had to come early before his office hours. We missed him because we were still sleeping and he didn't want to wake us up. I ask you this...have you ever heard of an oral surgeon coming by to visit a patient in the hospital when the hospitalization has nothing to do with the mouth? Dr. Sharma is definitely one of the good guys!

Thanks to Katie and Maggie Patton for the yummy dinner on Tuesday night.

And as always thanks for your thoughts, prayers, and support.

Love,
Maria

Home Sweet Home

2008-09-13T19:33:00.002-05:00

Yes! We are finally home! It took forever for Gavin to be discharged today. Oncology doc didn't show up until close 'til lunch and pain doc never came! Around 3 p.m. the nurse finally checked with them and it was decided that they didn't need to visit to let him go home.
We are hopeful that the next 26 hours, until we visit pain doc, will go smoothly. Sunday will give us a better look to see if the pain meds are really working while Gavin is out and about a bit instead of sitting in a hospital bed. We have decided to skip church in the morning and grab a bit more sleep!
Gavin has his last 2 radiation appointments on Monday and Tuesday at 9:30. Directly after radiation on Monday, we go to palliative pain clinic for a follow-up with them. On Wednesday we head to Dr. Sharma's finally for, hopefully, the final office visit with the awesomest oral surgeon around. On Thursday, we head back to Dr. Pal. At the moment the plan is to start some sort of chemo on Thursday as long as Gavin's counts are good. Dr. Pal told us yesterday that he is just waiting on insurance approval. Needless to say, we have a full week of doctor visits.
Gavin and I are overjoyed to be home. He seems to be doing well so far. He's had dinner and fixed the cable, a full night! I am pretty tired and ready to chill out on the couch. I think once I fully slow down, I will be out like a light.
Thanks to everyone who helped out this past week and thanks to those who visited us. We are so blessed to have such dear family and friends. I would name all of you but I would hate if I missed someone in my sleep deprived state, so I will just say thanks again and we love you.
Please pray that the radiation shrinks the tumor on his rib and that it will alleviate the pain he is in. Please pray that he is able to get chemo on Thursday and that the side effects be minimal. Please pray for wisdom for the doctors and strength for our family.

Love and blessings,
Maria

Friday, Sept. 12

2008-09-12T13:21:00.003-05:00

Dr. Pal arrived about 6:30 am today. He let us sleep in 30 more minutes! Woo hoo! Gavin's liver levels have gone back to normal, praise the Lord. He was more then a little concerned about that. Since Gavin was still on the pump this morning he decided that Gavin would stay here at least one more night so we won't be leaving before sometime on Saturday.

Gavin (and I) got quite a bit of sleep last night. I definitely feel much more rested and I believe Gavin does as well. They got a little off on the timing of his meds today so he has playing a bit of catch up with the pain. Even though he has utilized the pain pump today, he wants to give it a go and stop it later this afternoon. He will continue to control pain just thru oral meds. The hope is that he will be able to control the pain this way but there is always the option of starting the pump again if need be.

I'll try and update later tonight once we make the switch. Hopefully it will be a happy post!

Love and blessings,
Maria

Thursday

2008-09-11T21:22:00.003-05:00

Gavin didn't have the best night last night. He experienced some digestive discomfort which kept him up a lot of the night. They decided to not remove the pump quite yet since he had such an uncomfortable night. They have changed a few meds around and our hope is that even with the pump still working, he won't have to use it tonight. He will have radiation tomorrow so if he can go home we don't expect it to be until the afternoon at least. I am hoping I will have a "we are home" update tomorrow!

Love and blessings,
Maria

Wednesday, Sept. 10

2008-09-10T19:02:00.002-05:00

Gavin is doing o.k. today. He had his first radiation treatment around 1 p.m. They are expecting minimal side effects from this. We also spoke with the palliative pain specialist. It was determined to keep him on the PCA (pump) until tomorrow at least. They increased his long lasting pain meds. Depending on how that switch goes, he might be taken off of the PCA tomorrow and given an oral break thru pain med instead. If that goes well he might be on target to go home on Friday. Of course there are a lot of "ifs" involved but it would be great to be home for the weekend. The most important thing is for Gavin's pain to be managed at home and not just at the hospital.

Thanks to the Heck family for dinner and the coupons. They will definitely come in handy! Hmmm, wonder whose store I might use those at?? Thanks to Anne for helping with all of the kids. Thanks to Suzette for being errand girl tonight. Thanks to Jennifer :0)

Thanks for the phone calls and messages and offers of help. They are greatly appreciated.

If we don't come home on Friday, I will be needing some place for Mackenzie and Austin to go Friday night. I would like to give my dad a break if possible. We can address that issue later if it comes up.

Love and blessings!
Maria

Hospital CMC Main Room 4926

2008-09-10T03:43:00.003-05:00

Both Gavin and I have been flooded with memories these past few days. He has been very fortunate over the past 21 months to not have had any hospital stays. Even this stay was very unexpected but definitely necessary.

Details...
As I have mentioned previously, this past Friday, Gavin got a nerve block to try to ease his back pain. Well unfortunately it didn't work, it even seemed to aggravate his back even more. His pain became increasingly worse throughout the weekend and into Monday. He was scheduled for a CT/PET scan on Monday and we both were concerned as to how he would be able to lie still at the level of pain he was in. Dr. Pal's office ramped up his pain meds in hopes of helping him get through the scans. Let me tell you, he took a lot of pain meds on Monday. A lot. It barely took the edge off. So by Monday night, Gavin was ready to go to the ER. We headed down to CMC main thinking in the back of our mind that they might want to admit him and it would be useless to start at CMC Pineville. In the course of 2 hours, they gave him a lot of pain meds in the ER. They would work for a little bit but wear off more quickly then you would think possible given the dosages. About 2 a.m. or so they called Dr. Pal's office and it was determined that he needed to be admitted. I really don't think there is much worse then seeing someone you love in that much pain and feeling helpless to do anything about it. I think as a parent or as a spouse, your knee-jerk reaction is to take away the pain and as quickly as possible. As I typed that I couldn't help think about the relationship between God and Jesus on earth. God watched his son go through excrutiating pain and yet he didn't feel helpless because it was His plan! He allowed his son to go through that for us! Amazing.
So after a non-restful night (are there any restful nights at the hospital?) it was time to talk to doctors and get some plans in place. The first thing they did when they admitted him was put him on a PCA pump. For those of you who don't know what that is, it is a pump that is attached with an IV for the patient to self-administer pain doses in a controlled way. This seems to be working at the moment. Unfortunately he can't go home with this pump so the docs need to figure out another way of pain control. Hopefully that will be figured out today. The doc did say that they would put him on his home meds here at the hospital and have him on those for 12-24 hours before they release him. I was very glad to hear this. I didn't want to take him home and then have to rush back to the hospital because the regimen wasn't working.
We did get the results of the scans back. Unfortunately (man I have used that word a lot) all of the tumors have shown a significant increase in size. Obviously this is not best case scenario. The one that is causing Gavin the most pain right now is the one situated on his right rib. This tumor has always been there but has never changed or caused any issues. Fortunately the radiologist oncologist feels that it is in a place where they can radiate it and try to reduce it to alleviate Gavin's pain. I think at the moment there will be 5 rounds of radiation. He is very hopeful that the radiation will be effective because it was supremely effective on reducing the tumor in Gavin's spinal column at the initial diagnosis. In fact, according to the scans, while everything has increased, there is no activity at that spinal tumor site! Praise the Lord!
Today we are hoping to finalize a pain management plan with the docs. Gavin will also have his first round of radiation. At the moment, he is getting some much needed rest. I know, you are thinking that I need to do the same! Maybe sometime today, he will feel like sitting in the chair and I can grab the bed for a quality power nap!

Thanks...
to Jennifer - for sitting at the hospital with us until 3 a.m.
to Dana - for giving me great advice and all of your offers of help Monday night
to Anne and David - for bringing the kids up to see us
to Scott - for running up supplies to the hospital
to the Crosby's and Heck's - for meals
to everyone - for your visits, thoughts, prayers, offers of help, loving words, and helping hands

Love and blessings to all,
Maria

Approaching next hurdle?

2008-09-04T21:56:00.002-05:00

Before I give you an update of this past week and let you know what's coming up this week, let me pontificate a bit. Looking back through this blOog I have noticed a trend. Perhaps you have noticed it as well. When things are rolling along smoothly, there is barely any activity here and sometimes no activity. No alphabet is needed, the punctuation marks go on vacation, and grammatical rules are but a distant memory. The trend I have noticed is that I have been blogging pretty often these past few months. I guess that means that the smooth seas are no more and hurricane Goliath is making his presence known.
As I read back over what I have just written I am wondering if I have just freaked some of you out with what I'm going to write next! Your concern is valid but I'm not sure to what extent right now. Do you want good news first? Of course you do!
We haven't visited Dr. Sharma in a week and a half but Gavin's mouth is feeling really good. He just feels a little bit of tingliness (sp?) but I do believe he is definitely over the hump with this. We have an appointment next Tuesday with Dr. Sharma and I have this feeling that it might be the last one. On one hand, I am very glad to have the mouth issue behind us, but on the other hand, I will definitely miss seeing Dr. Sharma. He is an awesome doc whose care and concern for his patients goes above and beyond expectations.
More good news and this is thanks to Dana Sanford. I have blogged about how unhappy we are at Southeast Pain. I truly feel like our doc can't see beyond the symptoms to treat the person as a whole. I don't think he understands that one pain is connected to the other pains and he has to treat Gavin comprehensively. So...we got the go ahead today to switch to Dr. Barkley and his team at Charlotte Hospice and Palliative Care. I have heard from many people that hospice isn't just an end of life program but also is a quality of life promoter. The people there seem to have a lot of experience treating people with cancer and other life threatening, long term ailments so I am confident that this is a better fit for Gavin.
Now for the not so good news. Gavin has been having some major indigestion issues. He actually got dehydrated last week and had to go in for IV fluids. While we were there, Dr. Pal ordered some labs done. His liver counts are elevated and they aren't sure why. Doc ordered an ultrasound to make sure there wasn't any blockage anywhere and that came back clean. Gavin has also been experiencing some back pain again, this time more in his posterior rib area (as opposed to spine). Dr. Pal has ordered a CT/PET scan for Monday to get a better look as to what is going on. Obviously he doesn't want things to be getting too out-of-control especially since we all know that the tumors have grown over the summer. There are a few options he told us about depending on how the scans turn out. Gavin could possibly do a short course of radiation to the rib area, 2 - 3 treatments. Another possibility is that he would discontinue the octreotide therapy and place Gavin back into heavy chemo. Dr. Pal did take Gavin off of the blood pressure med and the potassium as well to see if that will help with the indigestion. Now we play the wait and see game.
My friend Dorianne always asks me how I am doing when something in Gavin's status and treatment changes. She knows I hate this question and will avoid answering her most of the time. Let me tell you she can be very diligent in her questioning. So I am trying to sit here and reflect on how I feel about this. At the moment, I am really not upset or worried. I think it is because I have had all summer to prepare myself for this eventuality. I think maybe I feel relief that chemo can begin again to knock down the tumors that have had the nerve to rear their ugly faces. It won't be an easy time for Gavin or me or the kids. I am slightly concerned as to how I will manage all of the kids activities and my obligations and take care of Gavin if this chemo hits him hard. I am very concerned about how he will be able to handle the new chemo. I am sure that I will be a little squirrely next week waiting for the results of the scans. The not knowing is so difficult.
Well I better wrap this blog up or it will take on the appearance of a book! Specific things to pray for:
-no outrageous tumor growth and that the scans don't show anything else unusual
-that Dr. Sharma gives Gavin the all clear (he has already cleared him to restart chemo)
-that the intercostal block that Gavin will get on Friday (9/5) will help with his back pain
-for wisdom for Dr. Pal that he will be able to discern what the next best step is
-minimal stress for me, Gavin, and the rest of the family
-that Gavin's digestive problems just disappear or that the docs can pinpoint the problem and that it is not major

I would also like to ask for a special prayer for my friend Kathy and her family. Many of you ladies have met her at St. Andrew's women's retreat. Their beloved dog, Tyler, was hit by a car and killed last weekend. He was Kathy's constant companion, a loving dog (sometimes too loving, right Kathy!), and an integral member of their family. I know I would be broken-hearted if something happened to Dakota and my heart goes out to her and the family.

I think it's time for me to head to bed. As soon as I know anything, I will post an update.

Thanks to Lisa Kohler and Patty Breneman for the wonderful meals. Thanks to everyone at Tekoa for being there for Gavin and I and taking care of our kids. Thanks to those of you who have offered to help get things done around the house. I promise we will take you up on it.

Mostly just thank you for your love and your support. We are truly blessed to know each and every one of you.

Blessings,
Maria

Always something

2008-08-28T14:08:00.002-05:00

Well we thought we were free and clear for the week and we thought wrong. Gavin woke-up this morning feeling very pukey. The doc thought he might be dehydrated so we went in for fluids and some zofran (anti-pukey med). They did some lab work to check some organ functions and those came back o.k. There is still one more test they want to do to check his pancreatic function and hopefully we will be able to get that done soon. At the moment Tekoa still looks like a go so hopefully we will see you there!

Love,
Maria

P.S. Don't forget to buy your Citipass books from Drew!

Appointment recap for this week

2008-08-27T15:14:00.004-05:00

On Monday we went to see Dr. Sharma for a post-op mouth appointment. He was pleased that Gavin's mouth seems to be healing very well. There was a little bit of infection (same spot as before) so he put Gavin on an antibiotic. The positive news is that if and when Dr. Pal wants to start chemo again, Dr. Sharma gave us the go ahead. Of course we will continue to try the hormone therapy for the next 2 months but if that doesn't work then at least we can move forward with chemo.

We went to see the pain specialist today, Dr. Chang. Gavin was supposed to get a celic plexus (sp?) block today for his abdominal pain. Unfortunately since he had to start an antibiotic, they couldn't do the block. After talking with the doc it was determined that since Gavin's back/rib pain is more bothersome, he would do a block up in that region next week instead of the lower block. I am still not happy with this doctor though. He does a lot of talking over our heads. I also get the feeling that he is all about treating symptoms and not treating the patient as an individual. I know Southeast Pain has tons and tons of patients but I really hate feeling like a number. Also, the good doc, when we addressed the wrongly written script and the stress that it caused, didn't even apologize. Instead he made it seem like we should have known what to do, that being to have pharmacy call on call doc, etc. I wrote about a page of comments on the comment sheet they give you during each visit. I am going to give them this week to get back with me and address these many issues. If I haven't heard from them on Tuesday, I am going to call and raise some heck. We have gone through so much that this impersonal care is completely unacceptable. Hopefully they will just switch us to a different doctor within the practice that might be a better fit. I think I have so much animosity towards this doctor right now that it's best to not see him again. I'll let you know how it goes!

Well the kids all started back to school this week much to their chagrin. It seems like time is just flying by and they are all getting way too old way too quickly. Mackenzie has a ton of kids in her class that she knows, lots of drama girls so the teacher should have fun with that! Austin on the other hand, doesn't know a lot of kids but has 2 teachers that he has had before and likes. He is also trying out for football next week and is excited about that opportunity. Drew finally got his schedule figured out and got out of the dreaded spanish 3 class. He probably has an ideal schedule right now so he is a happy camper. His choral trip this year is all the way to the Pacific Coast in San Francisco. Unfortunately it is a pretty pricey trip so he will definitely have to fundraise to offset the cost. At the moment he is selling Citipass books for $25. If you are interested, let me know or catch him in passing. I think he will also be selling that famous cheesecake and cookie dough in October so be thinking about that. We both thank you in advance for supporting him.

Thanks to Lisa Pool for the delish enchiladas. We are a mexican food loving family!

We are off to the mountains this weekend so if you are going, we will see you there!

Love and blessings,
Maria

The BIG shot!

2008-08-20T14:29:00.003-05:00

Gavin withstood the 2 short acting shots so they gave him the long term shot today (in a place that I won't mention specifically). Nurse Tam made it sound painful when describing the size of the needle but in actuality Gavin said it wasn't bad at all. I think I was probably more worried about it then he was! Also, I have another description of the treatment, he is on a hormone therapy right now versus chemotherapy. For me that gives me a better understanding of what the doc is trying to do. Hopefully sooner or later we will have all the pieces put together.

Thanks to Teresa Boone for the yummy chicken casserole and more importantly for her famous heath bars! A belated thanks to Jimmie Dowless for the chili, wonderful as always.
Thanks to everyone for all you are doing, it is greatly appreciated!

Love and blessings,
Maria

Dr. Pal visit

2008-08-18T13:36:00.004-05:00

We finally had an appointment with Dr. Pal today and got a lot of questions answered.

Octreotide scan/results/therapy: The octreotide scan is what we thought it was. It's purpose was to see if there were octreocytes present in the tumors to see if the octreotide therapy would be an option. They found octreocytes in the bone lesions (spine, rib, hip) but not in the pancreas/liver lesions. Dr. Pal had no good answer to why one place and not the other except that the cell make up is different in the different tissues. Since they are present, Gavin is going to go ahead and receive the therapy. Today and tomorrow he gets test injections to make sure his body is receptive to the drug and that there aren't any adverse side effects (rash, nausea). All seemed to go well today so I'm sure he will be able to have the longer acting injection on Wednesday. He will get 1 injection every 32 days. After the 2nd injection, Dr. Pal wants to do a repeat CT/PET scan to see if the therapy is working to either stabilize growth or shrink tumors. There should be no adverse side effects from this therapy like there is with chemo.

I have mentioned that Gavin has been having pain in his right side and after the ER visit in June/July it was diagnosed as a pleurisy. Dr. Pal has reviewed the x-rays and multitude of scans over and over and he is not convinced that it is a pleurisy. He is thinking, especially since reviewing the results of the octreotide scan, that the pain could be related to the increase in activity in his rib lesion. It totally makes sense. The pain is definitely more of a muscular/skeletal pain and not an internal, take a deep breath pain. Hopefully we can talk to pain doc and figure out a way to lesson the pain there though because at times it is worse then the abdominal pain.

Gavin's throat is feeling much better. His mouth is still pretty sore but that is to be expected. We go next Monday to see Dr. Sharma for a post-op visit.

Drew just got his schedule and many of you will find this amusing. Drew had major problems with Spanish 2 and just eeked out a passing grade. Needless to say, he decided 2 years of a foreign language was enough and did not sign-up for Spanish 3. So today he opens his schedule and what is the first class he sees???? Honors Spanish 3! Not just regular Spanish 3, but HONORS! Giggles and much mirth poured forth from deep down in our bellies. Working right now to get that changed.

Thanks Jen for your "slacker" meal...the lasagna was yummy! It will probably be dinner again tonight.

Love and Blessings to all!
Maria

Proof!

2008-08-16T10:33:00.002-05:00

For many weeks now we have thought the cat(s) and dog were in cohorts but didn't have any type of proof. We would come home to find the dog had eaten something that there was no possible way he could have got down from the counter. The only conclusion was that one of the cats was knocking stuff off of the counter for the dog. I don't believe this was an altruistic move on the cat's part. I believe that the cat (and I think it was Pixle) was doing this because he enjoyed watching Dakota get into trouble when we got home!

This morning I believe I have indisputable proof. Gavin was sent home from his surgery with ice/gel packs and a wrap that he can insert these in and velcro around his head. He used this type of wrap in July and it worked so well to reduce swelling. Last night I placed the wrap on the counter next to the fridge so it would be handy to grab in the morning. It's a white wrap, the counters are white, and it is not a huge piece of material. There is no way that Dakota could have grabbed it off of the counter or even known it was there. Yet this morning, Gavin found it on the floor all chewed up. Needless to say, the dog is in the doghouse as well as Pixle.

There is good news from all of this. Last Monday, while at Dr. Sharma's office, we ran into a friend, Lisa Kohler, and her daughter Katie. Katie had her wisdom teeth pulled the week before. I truly believe it was a God-thing that we ran into them. Katie had used the exact same type of wrap so I was able to borrow hers for Gavin to use! Many, many heartfelt thanks go out to the Kohlers for the use of the wrap. We definitely owe you one!

Love and blessings to all!
Maria

1 Day Post-Op

2008-08-15T21:38:00.003-05:00

Gavin is doing pretty well today. His throat is still pretty sore so he's having problems swallowing. He can get his meds down so that's a good thing. His neck is sore as well. It must be the way they had his head resting while they worked on him. At the moment, his "normal" pain seems to be under control which is a heck of a lot better then this past week. Maybe we finally got on top of the pain so it won't be as bad. I sure hope so. It has been so difficult watching Gavin in so much pain this week and feeling helpless. The goal is to talk at length with Dr. Pal on Monday morning and get a comprehesive plan of action so that this does not happen again.

Special thanks to Norma and Jimmie for a yummy dinner. We all loved it! Thanks to Jen for coordinating the meals. Sometimes other people can see your needs better than you can see them yourself as was the case here. I am so thankful to have friends that know me so well! (and still love me...lol!)

Blessings!
Maria

Gavin's surgery

2008-08-14T21:58:00.003-05:00

Just a quick update to let you know that the surgery went very well. Instead of just 1 piece of dead bone, the doc found 4 small pieces. Great news is that there isn't any issue with the jaw bone itself and he expects Gavin's mouth to heal fully.

Most of you don't know, but this was not a good pain management week for Gavin. The switching up of meds have really not worked as ideally as we had hoped for. The bonus for being knocked out for surgery is that it has allowed Gavin a few hours of pain relief. Pray that we can get all of this figured out with Dr. Pal on Monday morning.

Thank you and thank you to Norma and Dana for sitting with me today. It definitely helped the time pass by more enjoyably and kept most worrisome thoughts from my head.

And just to give you a heads up...worst day post-op for Gavin will most likely be Sunday so we will not be at church. Just didn't want you worrying that there was something majorly wrong!

Have a great weekend! Blessings!

Maria

2nd Update of the week...I'm on a roll!

2008-08-12T17:08:00.002-05:00

It has been a hectic day. Poor Gavin has been miserable all day. The switch of the pain meds did not go as smoothly as we had hoped for. We think the new pain med did not sit well with him as he has been crampy and nauseaus with it. After a long wait, I finally was able to speak with a nurse at the pain specialists office and it was determined to switch him back to his original meds. Now the fight with the insurance company begins. They don't handle the switching back and forth of narcotics very well but I refuse to be punished financially for things which are beyone our control. So pray that we can get the insurance stuff figured out (in our favor) and more importantly pray that Gavin can get to feeling better. It breaks my heart to see him so miserable.

We also heard from Dr. Sharma's office. Gavin's oral surgery at CMC Pineville is scheduled for Thursday at 5 p.m. Of course he has to be there at 3 and probably will not leave until 8ish. Pray that all goes well and there are no complications.

Hopefully I won't have any new posts for you until post-surgery.

Have a great week!

Love and blessings,
Maria

Lots going on!

2008-08-11T19:30:00.002-05:00

Here are the latest updates:

Gavin ended up with 2 octreotide scans. Why do you ask? We wondered that as well. Honestly, after the second scan, we concluded that the techs might have messed up. On Wed., they scanned Gavin from the neck down and on Thurs., they scanned him from the head down. Conclusion...they forgot to scan the head the first time! They are human, they make mistakes. I just feel bad that Gavin had to lie down on that hard table for 2 hours again. It is not a comfortable experience for him. A special thanks to Norma for sitting with me BOTH days. It made the waiting much more enjoyable.

We saw Dr. Chang, the pain specialist, on Friday. He changed Gavin's main pain med, his anti-inflammatory, and his quick acting med. Hopefully we will hit on a good combo of stuff. Gavin is also getting a nerve block (can't think of what it's called) in a few weeks. The hope is that this block will do a better job alleviating his pain and his other pain med dosages can be reduced. I'm being lazy so I'll have to give you the date of that later when my calendar is next to me!

We saw Dr. Sharma, the oral surgeon, today. He is happy with the way Gavin's mouth is healing. So happy that he is confident that he can go in and remove the dead bone surgically without harming any other tissue and cause the healing process to have to begin again. This will be an out-patient surgery at CMC Pineville sometime Wed., Thurs., or Fri. I will know specifics tomorrow. The reason for the out-patient is so the doc can put Gavin completely under so Gavin will be as comfortable as possible while he digs around his mouth. I cannot say enough how much we love this doc. His office staff is professional, kind, and considerate. We really feel that when he is with us, his full attention is on Gavin's care. If you ever need an oral surgeon, go to Dr. Sharma!

Lastly, we spoke with Dr. Pal, guru oncologist, today. It has been very strange to not have actual doc visits with him. We came close today by putting him on speaker phone. This is as much as I understand about the octreotide scan and I could be wrong. If you nurses out there know more or differently, feel free to correct and inform me! The scan does not show liver/pancreas lesions but does show bone lesions. The bone lesions Gavin had previously, in his rib/spine areas, are active again. This is not too shocking since he hasn't had chemo or zomeda (the bone therapy) for a few months now. What doc would like to do is start Gavin on an octreotide therapy. This would be one injection, every 4 weeks, for 8 weeks. So a total of 2 injections and then we would repeat scans. A special thanks to all of my math teachers for the ability to add, etc... Back to subject at hand, this therapy is a noncytotoxic therapy. What that means is that it will not supress his immune system so getting it will not inhibit his mouth from healing. Gavin will receive 2 test shots next Mon. and Tues. These are short acting shots to test his tolerance. If he is tolerant, on Wed. he will receive the long acting shot. Bonus...no side effects. If there are side effects, we will see them during the test shots and thus there will be no long acting shot.

Specific prayers: that the oral surgery will go well this week
that the new meds will help Gavin feel better
esp. ones for indigestion and pleurisy
that he will be tolerant of the new therapy injections
that the nerve block will be an effective way to manage
his pain and we can reduce other meds

One last thing...I am so very proud of all of my kids. Drew and Mackenzie sang a beautiful duet this past Sunday at church and Austin played a handbell arrangement with it. Why am I proud? Is it because they have the confidence to get up there and do it? Kinda. Is it because they enjoy sharing the love of Christ? Yes. Is it because they did all of it without beating each other? Most definitely!

As always, thanks for your love and prayers!

Maria

Another update...Another scan...

2008-08-07T09:18:00.002-05:00

Hey there! Gavin here for a change...

Just a couple updates and request for prayers: So about 5pm yesterday ( we'd been home approximately 1/2 hour or so after my scan) I get a phone call from the nuclear tech. who had been doing my scan yesterday and if I can quote her properly:

"It's nothing wrong, but the radiologist wants you to come back so we can get some more details. 'They' are a good radiologist and they just want to be thorough; can you come back and do the scan again? They would also like to get more of your neck and chest."

Something along those lines...I'm sure it gets fuzzier farther from the call, but shesh. Am I supposed to be comforted that they are being thorough or frightened because they want more detail on my chest and neck; where we haven't had problems since the beginning?

I know Maria is probably more worried than I am...I am more laid back until I get any details while she tends to worry more on the front end. That's what makes us a great pair :)

Anyway, it's back to the hospital again for a 2 hour scan, laying on a flat board with only about a 15 min break between and hopefully the last 'Do-Over' !

I sure hope these '3D' scans help my Dr out significantly and quickly!

Please pray for Maria and I, and that God will guide all the medical team towards a solution and next steps!

Love, Gavin

PS> Prayers for our house / family too... our air conditioner upstairs seems to be dying off and we hope repair/replacement will be cheap :)

2008-08-06T01:41:00.003-05:00

It is amazing how, in the depths of the night, the scattered thoughts, which have been ricocheting around your head, find the necessary adhesive to stick to your mental awareness. In the daylight, these thoughts are but a background whisper making no more sound then the flutter of a butterfly's wings. Then as day turns into the midst of night, these same thoughts become clear and resonant, like the steady beat of a drum.

I was reading some cancer message boards before I tried to go to bed tonight. Well, in hindsight that probably was a mistake. Instead of calming my mind down, I'm sure all that did was to increase brain wave activity. One post caught my eye in particular which is the reason for this post. I have copied and pasted..."Cancer patients don't just die once. They die a thousand times. Every test result becomes either a source of elation (if results are good) or a source of desperation (if results are worse than hoped for). Even when the result of a test is a source of elation, it is a source of stress since it brings with it the questions "now what?", "what if it is only temporary or the calm before the storm?".

I think that pretty much sums up how I have felt these past few months. There is a sense of desperation, perhaps that is a strong word, perhaps a better word would be helplessness. Things were going along pretty smoothly, maintenance chemo was keeping tumors nice a stable. Then bam, a regularly scheduled CT shows tumor growth and the need to go back to aggressive treatment. But wait! Tooth pain needs to be addressed, then surgery, then a very slow healing process. And no chemo. How entirely frustrating to not be able to be proactive. Most of you would agree that passivity is not a trait I am well known for! I am hopeful that by next Monday we will truly have a plan of action. Gavin is having an octreotide scan tomorrow, oops I mean today, Wednesday, at 2 p.m. From my understanding, this scan will determine if a different treatment can be used in the interim while Gavin's mouth is healing. The important thing is to not suppress his immune system anymore then it already is so the mouth will heal.

I think an important point to see here is that I used the word helplessness, not hopelessness. Yes I feel like my hands are tied and the doctors hands are tied. We are all just waiting for Gavin's mouth to quit declaring mutiny and get on board with the program. Thinking more deeply about it, my hands will always be tied. I, along with Gavin, can make decisions based on the docs advice but that is where our power ends. Our God is an awesome God who is the great physician, who is our loving Father, who is our Comforter. He stands by us and holds us in His arms always and forever.

We are blessed with a strong marriage and wonderful kids. We are blessed with a multitude of loving friends, those who are there to cheer us up and those who are there to cry with us. We are blessed with amazing doctors who we are confident in their guidance through this battle. We are blessed with a wonderful church family who have supported us from the beginning. We are blessed with many heartfelt prayers from around the world, some from people we know and some from strangers. We are blessed to have a God who gives us all of these blessings and more.

As it is now definitely the middle of the night, I will leave you with words from a Mark Schultz song that have been running through my head:

And even though I'm walking
Through the valley of the shadow
I will hold tight to the hand of Him
Whose love will comfort me
And when all hope is gone
And I've been wounded in the battle
He is all the strength that I will ever need
He will carry me

Maria

Mouth update

2008-07-28T15:14:00.002-05:00

Gavin's mouth is doing well. Both docs still need to talk, they have been playing phone tag. At the moment, nothing else will happen this week. I am anticipating that we will let the bone work itself out and not opt for surgery. As soon as the bone does that, Gavin will be able to have chemo. I will update once we hear from either or both of the good docs!

Mackenzie and Austin are away at Camp Tekoa for the week. It sure is quiet around the house. Tekoa is pretty cool because they post pics every night that were taken throughout the day so you can see what your kids have been doing. They also have a way where you can email the kids. They print out the emails and deliver them at mail call. I really feel like I can stay connected to the kids even though I can't talk with them.

Drew is doing his mascot thing at Chik Fil A tonight...moooooooo!

Lastly, if you didn't know it, Wednesday is National Cheesecake Day and you can eat at The Cheesecake Factory and have a slice of cheesecake for $1.99 (dine-in). I am so there!

CT Scans and Booty Rides

2008-07-23T18:51:00.003-05:00

Well if that's not a title to catch your attention I don't know what will!

This has been a long trying week as far as medical issues go. Gavin went to the oral surgeon on Monday and his mouth is better but still not healed from the surgery he had 5 weeks ago. This is so disheartening to hear because of having to keep delaying chemo week after week. Dr. Sharma (wonderful oral surgeon) gave us a few options that both he and Dr. Pal (wonderful oncologist) have spoken about. Interestingly, the 2 docs didn't agree on treatment vs. wait and see approach. After much discussion with Dr. Sharma and weighing the pros and cons I asked the million dollar question. I asked if it didn't make sense to schedule Gavin for another CT so that we would know how much the tumors have grown. I figured that would make a difference as to whether they need to be more aggressive in getting Gavin's mouth better or we could be conservative and give the mouth more time to heal on it's own. Well both docs did agree that that was a good idea so Gavin had the CT done today. Thankfully, Dr. Pal got the results before the end of the day so the wait wasn't very long. The tumors have grown which wasn't unexpected since he has had no chemo for over a month. The good news is that they are growing slowly and he didn't see any new growth. Thank you God for that! Dr. Pal is also looking into some other treatments that he can give Gavin that aren't toxic (or as toxic) and won't compromise his immune system any further but might stabilize him until his mouth is fully healed and he can receive the aggressive chemo treatments. The 2 docs will talk before Monday and hopefully by Monday night we will have a plan in place so we can move forward in fighting this battle. Thanks to everyone for their extra prayers this week, they were needed and appreciated!

On a lighter note, BOOTY is this weekend! We will start riding Friday night at 7 pm and some of the team (not me!) will be riding miles and miles throughout the night. Pray for no rain! (Pat especially would like you to pray that prayer!) There is still time if you wish to donate. Just go to www.24hoursofbooty.org and hit the donate tab. Our team is "Tour de Sharpe" and feel free to donate to any of the team members. Please help us raise money for cancer research.

Thanks for your support, thanks for your prayers, thanks for your love!

Maria

Bad news and good news

2008-07-07T23:05:00.002-05:00

I'll start with the bad news first. Gavin can't have chemo this week. He saw the oral surgeon today and he told Gavin that his mouth wasn't healed enough to go through with the treatment this week. He did a bit of work in his mouth to hopefully promote more healing this week so he can receive chemo next week.

The good news...since it's not a chemo week we decided to head to Toledo for the remainder of the week. Drew is staying at home with my dad so he can work and go to baseball practices. If anyone is interested, Friday is Cow Appreciation Day at Chik Fil A and Drew will be the cow at Mike Crosby's restaurant from 5-8 I think. Take pictures for me if you make it out there!

Have a great week everyone and we'll update this when we get back!

Love,
Maria

Favorite verses!

2008-06-24T21:43:00.002-05:00

Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the LORD They will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. Isaiah 40:28-31, NIV

I ran across this on a caringbridge site (thanks Lisa!) and wanted to share some of my favorite verses in the Bible with everyone.

Gavin's oral surgery went very well. He is still a little numb so I'm sure he will be dealing with more soreness tomorrow. Pray that he can get a restful nights sleep.

Drew started at Chik-Fil-A recently and this week has been his first real work week (outside of watching training videos). It will be nice to not be the ATM all of the time anymore! He spent last week at his Greensboro music camp and had the best time like always. A special thanks to all of the St. Andrew's members who drove up to University City UMC to watch him and his choir sing last Friday night. I know it really means a lot to him to have your support. He is very excited that St. Andrew's will be hosting the choir next year.

All 3 kids are helping at music camp this week at church. Austin is helping with tech, Drew is assistant directing, and Mackenzie is in the musical. I've heard some of the music and it promises to be a very entertaining show. If you want something to do Friday night plan on heading up to church and watching some wonderfully talented kids.

I just realized I haven't shared the most recent Gavin mishap story. It's definitely worth sharing. You remember about 2 weeks ago he finally got his cast off after breaking his wrist falling off of a ladder 6 weeks prior. Well...they removed the cast on a Thursday. On Saturday Drew had a baseball game. While trying to catch a foul ball that popped out of the field, Gavin lost his balance and fell on both knees. A little dirty but no damage. Later on during the game, he was running around playing a little game of chase with Mackenzie. He lost his footing somehow and completely wiped out! Thankfully he did not re-break his wrist (btw, doc said to take it easy on activities for a week - that did not happen) but he was pretty sore. I'm thinking his pride was probably just as sore! Later that day his side was hurting him pretty badly. We decided since he was going to Toronto on business Monday that he should prob. go for an x-ray in case he broke a rib. He definitely didn't want to have to visit an ER out of the country if he could help it. Once again, thankfully nothing broken, just some pulled muscles. Fast forward a week (he made it through the Toronto trip unscathed). As I have mentioned, we are doing some remodeling. In our soon to be game room, Gavin was preparing to finish installing some track lighting. I no sooner go upstairs when I hear a loud buzzing sound and an equally loud grunt. Hoping against all hope that it wasn't what I thought it was, I dashed downstairs. Happily I see Gavin still standing...still alive! Just some blackened fingers that will have blisters on them later. So here's a lesson to all you amateur do-it-yourselfers...if you are doing electrical work - turn off the power at the breaker box! His doc took the glass half-full approach to the synopsis of Gavin's mishaps "at least he feels well enough to be doing things."

Concluding this long and extensive blog, please pray for health, peace, and an accident free week!

Love,
Maria

Update 6/23

2008-06-23T13:58:00.002-05:00

I hope I haven't sent anyone into shock, 2 blogs in 1 week!

Here's what's going on...Dr. Pal really wants to get Gavin's tooth extractions taken care of so he is going to the oral surgeon at 7:30 Tuesday morning for that. He is getting 4 teeth pulled so pray for an easy recovery.

The CT results came back with mixed results. The pancreatic lesion is still stable. However, the liver lesions have grown some. What does this mean? It means that the doc needs to change up the chemo treatments. Gavin will be receiving carboplat and camptosar 1 time a week every 3 weeks. Fewer days spent in the chair but a slightly longer day. Dr. Pal wants to administer 2 courses of these chemos and do another CT scan to see if it's working. He is also concerned about the toxicity of the carboplat since Gavin was receiving that drug last spring. So his next chemo treatment will be July 3rd.

Unfortunately not the news we had hoped to receive. We always knew that the chemo was maintenance but I know I was hoping for a longer span of time of it working. Hopefully the new chemo will arrest the development of the lesions again.

Thanks for all of your prayers and support. Thanks for lending your ears when we just need to talk, thanks for your arms when we just need a hug, thanks for your shoulders when we just need to cry, thanks for the tissues when we are out of them, and thanks for your love at all times.

Loving each and every one of you!
Maria

P.S. Continue to pray for Natalie Yokeley, Kelly Braxton, Cindy Flanigan, and Kim Whisnant as they all continue their own battles with cancer.

P.S.S. Please go to www.24hoursofbooty.org and donate to our team -Tour de Sharpe! We are raising money for cancer research by riding our bikes around and around and around!

Upcoming Week

2008-06-22T11:35:00.002-05:00

Well this week as of today is up in the air as far as treatment goes. Gavin is supposed to have chemo this week but that might be pre-empted by the oral surgery. We all are in concensus that it needs to be done sooner rather then later but not sure how best to fit it in with the chemo schedule. We are asking for prayers for the doctors and for us to be able to make the right decision as to the timing of everything. Also pray that if he does have the oral surgery this week that everything will go as well as possible. He will receive an antibiotic prior to the surgery to help head off any infection risk. If he has the surgery this week he will probably be bed/house bound for 3-4 days at least. Additional prayers that I can get everyone everywhere they need to be (music camp, work, baseball,choir). Thanks in advance for those of you whom I know I will need to ask for help from! I will try to post an update tomorrow. Oh and we get CT scan results tomorrow - pray for good news!

Love ya!
Maria

Woo hoo!

2008-06-12T09:11:00.002-05:00

The cast is off! No brace and no rehab. He just needs to take it easy on it for the first week and ease back into it after that. So if you see him doing anything he shouldn't, feel free to yell at him! Also check out the tan line he's got going on...it's hilarious! You can definitely tell that he has been sitting out at baseball games. And for those of you wondering, surprisingly it didn't smell at all. The baby powder he has been dumping in did a great job holding the odor at bay.

Take care!
Maria

Quick update

2008-06-09T06:15:00.002-05:00

Well, the house remodel is almost done. A big thanks to Ulrich for helping Gavin start it off. Also a big thanks to Rob for finding us a drywaller at the last minute (long story...). Most of the downstairs is painted and it looks like a different house. Hopefully by the end of the month we will be able to get the last few rooms done and enjoy the changes completely.

Gavin's wrist continues to heal. He goes back to the ortho doc on Thursday to hopefully get his cast off. I've already told him that I am not staying in the room when they cut that thing off! P.U. He also follows up with the sleep doc and spine doc this week. Talk about a busy appointment week! The spine doc should be quick and painless. It's usually a 5 minute appointment to tell Gavin that he is doing well. The doc is a great guy though so we don't mind driving to Randolph to visit him. Not sure what the sleep doc will say. We do know that he does not have sleep apnea. And actually from my perspective it seems like his sleep schedule has been better. He has been weaning off the effexor so maybe that was the cause (it had been suspected as being part of the problem).

Prayers for next week: Gavin is traveling to Toronto from Mon.-Thurs. to teach a training class. Drew will be at his music camp from Sun.-Sun. and will be traveling around N.C. Wed.-Sun. It's also a CT week (prob. on Friday since that is the only day Gavin will be in town).

Speaking of Drew's music camp - the choir will be singing at University City UMC on Friday night, June 20 if you are interested in hearing them sing. If you would like to meet for dinner beforehand, let me know. I'm in the process of trying to figure out a restaurant. If you have a suggestion, let me know a.s.a.p.

Lastly, (I know I said a short post!):

24 Hours of Booty is coming up quickly. To refresh your memory, it is a cycling fundraiser held here in Charlotte. The proceeds go to help fund cancer research. Obviously this is a cause near and dear to our hearts. If you would like to donate please go to www.24hoursofbooty.org, click on donate. Our team name is Tour de Sharpe. The website will also guide you as to how to donate off-line if you are not comfortable donating online.

Thanks for your continued prayers and support!

Love,
Maria

Gavin's new nickname - "Clutz"

2008-05-05T23:07:00.003-05:00

In case you haven't heard, Gavin fractured a bone in his wrist this past Saturday. Was this related to his cancer? Heck no!

How the event unfolded...

We have been doing some remodeling in our house recently. O.k., so Gavin has been doing some remodeling and I've been telling him what I want done! (Is that a better explanation honey? lol) He was standing on about the 4th step of an 8 foot ladder sanding the wall for some reason when he lost his balance and fell off. I was not home at the time. I had run to the local Harris Teeter and was gone about 30 minutes max. I walk into the kitchen to find him shaking his left hand. (If it wasn't broken before, it sure was after he was done shaking it!) I proceed to ask him what is wrong. The reply I got was "You don't want to know." Now all wives know that is code for "I did something stupid and don't want to tell you but I know you'll drag it out of me so I might as well fess up!"

Gavin being the tough (and heavily medicated on a daily basis) man that he is returns to his project. I'm bopping around the house when I notice an hour later that he has it wrapped in an ace bandage. Fast forward to dinner when he realizes that it may be worse then he originally thought when he has trouble unbuttoning his shorts for a potty break. (sorry about the visual!) He also thinks that since he is already on some heavy narcotics, he might not be able to feel the full extent of the pain.

Off to the ER (bummer no George Clooney working) after dinner. Can you believe we were in and out of CMC Pineville in about 2 hours on a Saturday night? X-ray showed a fracture in one bone but the doc said that a follow-up x-ray might show more fractures in a few days. He has an appointment at Orthocarolina for Thursday to find out next step.

I think that Cindy A. and Gavin will have to start a "we have fallen off ladders and lived to tell about it" club! If you want to join, you'll have to find a ladder and somehow manage to fall off of it. A broken bone or more will allow you to waive the membership fee!

On another note, Gavin is in Connecticut Monday and Tuesday visiting clients. He has had a rough time since we returned from Disney so pray for strength and energy for him during these busy 2 days.

Happy Mother's Day to all you mom's out there!

Love,

Maria

Update

2008-04-22T09:11:00.002-05:00

Just wanted to post that the results of Gavin's last scan were good. No new growth, everything looks stable. Dr. wants to continue with another 3 courses of treatments and do another scan.

Thanks for your continued thoughts and prayers.

Maria

Off to Disney

2008-04-02T21:58:00.002-05:00

At least now I have an excuse not to post...we are heading to Disney tomorrow! Gavin, Austin, Mackenzie, and I leave in the morning and Drew will be heading out in the evening with his high school chamber choir. Please pray for traveling mercies for all of us (especially the high school kids riding in the charter bus overnight!). Also please pray for Gavin to have extra energy during this vacation. When we went to Arizona last summer, it was during the time Gavin was on a break from chemo so energy wasn't too much of an issue. I think he will definitely be more tired this time around. Hopefully the motor scooter we rented for him will help him conserve energy. I'm going to try to unplug while we are away so I will let everyone know all about the trip when we get back.

Who's the leader of the club that's made for you and me?

M-I-C (see you real soon) K-E-Y (why? because we like you) M-O-U-S-E!

24 Hours of Booty!!!!!

2008-03-24T10:49:00.002-05:00

It's that time again...Booty time! July 25-26, 2008!!!!

For those of you who don't know what this is, it's a 24 hours fundraising cycling event held in Charlotte on the Booty loop near Queens College. All of the fundraising efforts are focused in various caner research charities including Livestrong, the Lance Armstrong foundation. We have a team riding in this event, I think we are up to 12 people. We would love to have more people join us for the ride. If you are not a cyclist but want to be involved, there are volunteer opportunities during the event or you can choose to sponsor one of the team members. We would love and appreciate your support so check out the info below:

www.24hoursofbooty.org

Team name: Tour de Sharpe
password: Goliath (only need if you are going to sign-up as a team member)

Happy Easter!

2008-03-24T10:25:00.003-05:00

I want to begin by saying that I am not going to promise to post more often anymore since I have come to the conclusion that it is a promise that I can't keep! Someone gave me a very good rationale for the lack of posts...no news is good news.

As far as Gavin's medical condition goes, there really has been no change. He is still getting the maintenance chemo of VP16 3 times every 3 weeks. His counts have been good and while he sometimes gets tired, it is not overwhelming. The only change has been the addition of potassium pills to his daily regimen. After the next round, Dr. Pal will be ordering another scan to check how things are going. I'm not positive if this will be a PET scan or just a CT scan. O.k., quick comment...it's amazing how attitudes can change in a year. Last year at this time, a scheduled CT scan was a considerably anxiety producing event. Now I am referring to it as "just a CT scan"!

As most of you know, we have been super busy over the past few months, mainly with Mackenzie's extracurricular activities. She auditioned and got cast in "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" at Matthews Playhouse. After about 7 weeks of rehearsal she participated in 10 shows total, sometimes 2 shows a day! She really loved being on stage and definitely wants to continue her musical theater career. We were also busy with Drew and Ardrey Kell's production of "Grease".

Now most of the fine arts stuff is done (until probably May) and we have moved on to sports season. Mackenzie is playing U10 girls soccer, Austin is playing major level baseball, and Drew will be playing Babe Ruth rec ball. I'm not sure if we would know what to with ourselves if we weren't running kids all over the place!

The most exciting thing on our horizon now is the upcoming trip to Disney World. We leave on Thursday, April 3rd and we will spend 5 days hopping around the parks. Drew will be there the first few days on a choral trip and we will meet up with him Sunday night so he can spend the last few days hanging with us. Gavin's mom, brother, and our niece will be joining us. My dad is staying at the house and taking care of the menagerie. I might try and post like I did when we went to Arizona. It really just depends on how exhausted I am when we get back to the hotel at night.

We would like to thank the Diane Kindlick for Cameron's favorite casserole, Robin Furr for the spaghetti dinner, Norma and Jimmie for the chili, Gail Lewyn for the bbq, and Pauline Muntz for all of the goodies. Thanks also goes out to everyone's continued prayers and support.

I wanted to add this last bit as a seperate box on the blog but I can't figure out how to do that so this will have to do for now. I'll get my resident computer expert to figure it out for me later!
Prayer requests: Natalie Yokeley
Kelly Braxton
Ann Lynne
Kim Whisenant
Cindy Flanigan
(All of the above are battling some form of cancer)

Please keep these wonderful people and their families in your prayers. If you want me to add anything or anyone to the list please just email me.

Love and blessings to all!
Maria

February 2008

2008-02-08T07:26:00.000-05:00

I know, I know...we are so lame about keeping this updated. Just think of it as no news is good news!

Gavin's medical update:

He is still on a maintenance chemo treatment plan. This means he is still following a three week schedule and getting 3 days of VP-16. Last time (Jan 28-30) was his 7th round of treatment this go around. During round 6 they tried to take him off the steroid that he gets during treatment and that didn't go so well. That Monday after chemo he was sicker then a dog. When he went in for the 2nd day of chemo he looked positively green. They decided to go ahead and resume giving him the steroid but only half the dose and that seems to be working. His blood counts have looked really good. Dr. said that was probably due to the fact that he was just getting the one chemo drug and not the usual two. His potassium is low and he didn't eat enough of the right foods to raise it so he is taking one gigantic potassium pill a day. For you moms out there, think back to prenatal vitamins and then think bigger! He goes in on Monday the 11th for blood tests and then on Friday the 15th he will have another CT scan. The dr. is still looking for stability in the tumors. He said there could be some shrinkage but that is unlikely because of the length of time Gavin has been on this chemo drug. He did outline a plan of action if there is growth but we will cross that bridge if need be.

Gavin's work:

He traveled out-of-town this past week for 4 days. Why is this newsworthy? This is the first trip he has taken during an active treatment phase. He traveled a few days here and there last summer but that was during his extended break from treatment. His trip went very well and he doesn't seem to be too exhausted from it.

Kids:

My they are keeping us busy. I actually should say Mackenzie is keeping us busy. She auditioned and got a part of a dwarf in the musical "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" being put on by Matthews Playhouse. Her rehearsal schedule has been insane. She is supposed to be doing Upward Cheerleading now as well but we are having a very difficult time fitting it in. Tonight is her last performance in her drama clubs presentation of "Peter Pan." It will be nice to get one thing off of her plate. Drew is in the homestretch of rehearsing Grease. His voice is going and he is exhausted and I know he is ready for the performances to be over. Austin is resting up before baseball season hits.

24 Hours of Booty!!!!

Registration and donation time is here! Be on the look out for an email coming soon to an inbox near you! If you want to ride save the dates: July 25-26. They are limiting the number of riders this year so register with the team soon. If you did not ride last year and are interested this year please drop me an email.

Someone asked me how we were doing last night. Of course the first response is to say fine. Then I really thought about it...are we fine? Here is the conclusion I have come to. We really are fine. Do we think about the cancer? Yes, of course. We think of it daily, maybe even hourly. It is always there, a shadow in the background following us. That is the key word...following us. It is not leading us and we refuse to let it lead us. If we allowed it to take the lead that would give it a power that it does not deserve. Our leader is, was, and will continue to be God. He is in the driver's seat, the captain's chair, and is leading us around the party doing the bunny hop! I am thankful that God has blessed us with the feeling of "fine".

Maria

December 18th

2007-12-18T11:56:00.000-05:00

I just keep looking at the date. I wonder how just a few letters and numbers can have such a place of importance in a person's life or in this case, a family's life. I wonder how a day can evoke such joy and yet even that joy is tainted with a flood of painful emotions.

I have looked forward to this day for weeks, maybe even months. Now that it's here I'm not sure what to do with it. Because when you boil it down, it is just another day. Another day of getting the kids up and off to school. Another day to feed the dog and cats. That was another day a year ago. Today another day is...another day of chemo, another day of fatigue, another day on a roller coaster of emotions.

I am thankful for the support of everyone over the past year. I am thankful for the meals brought over, Pauline's desserts, childcare, prayers, listening ears, and shoulders to cry on.

I am most thankful for another day.

Maria

Latest News and upcoming activities

2007-12-11T11:09:00.001-05:00

Recent Good News...

Yesterday I had my blood test for the 3rd week of Chemo Round 4 (this time, 10 total...) and it was all great news. White, red and hemoglobin counts were all very high and nowhere near risky levels. I have been receiving Neulasta shots following my chemotherapy and that is what has been keeping my numbers up!

Upcoming...

Tomorrow ( 12-12-07) I have a CT scan to review our progress on my cancer after 4 rounds this time, then we have a scheduled Dr. visit next Monday. Please pray for good progress! Depending on the scan results and how my body is holding up we will likely continue through 2 more chemo rounds ( 12/17-19th & 1/7-9th) .

Thanks and praise!

I'd like to say a quick praise to God for giving me the strength to speak this past sunday about how God gives me peace during this trying time for our family. Also, a special thank you to our choir director for both asking me to speak and all her hard work on producing a wonderful winter cantata sunday. It was such a blessing to hear and participate.

For those who could not be there...

I am going to include my testimony that I delivered at church yesterday with the thought that others might be touched by it and ask God for the same peace he's given me during trials and tough times.

We love you all, have a wonderful Christmas season with your families; and remember... He is the reason for the Season !!!!

Sincerely,

Gavin & Family

---------------

Peace is the Presence of God

As some of you know; on December 18th of last year I was diagnosed with Stage 4 cancer. The doctors found cancer in my liver, pancreas, rib, hip and a tumor inside my spine. The way that the Doctor’s broke the news to me was possibly the worst way imaginable… I was home alone and my family doctor called my house and proceeded to tell me that an MRI of my spine showed a tumor inside pressing my spinal cord. This was the source of the pain I’d been feeling for the previous 6 months or so. I was home alone… I thanked him politely and hung up the phone. Honestly, right at that moment my world crashed around me. Here I am, a reasonably healthy 34 year old, married man with 3 children… I’m not supposed to get a disease like cancer. Cancer is supposed to happen to other people right? I began to tremble and broke down into tears. I called my wife Maria and through tears and emotion I choked out “Please come home. I just need you as soon as you can get here.” Maria wanted to know what was wrong but I simply could not explain or talk more on the phone. Did I feel God’s presence or peace during those moments? Not at all. Based on what they saw on the MRI, the Doctors wanted me to get to the hospital as soon as possible. No waiting for the kids to get home from school, not much time to pack, tell friends or make plans for someone to take care of our household & children, just get to the hospital in a couple hours.

After spending 3 days in the hospital with constant tests, evaluations and blood samples, I was able to go home and be with my family. I do remember those days in the hospital, and during those hectic days I do remember feeling the presence of God most vividly when Maria and I would lay together in the hospital bed holding each other. Even amidst the IV Tubing, beeping monitors and hospital noises I could feel His presence and was calmed by it.

Since that time, my family and I have been through 10 radiation treatments and 10 chemotherapy cycles so far. Many times throughout the past year I have had to come to grips with certain facts of my situation, and for every single one God has been there and ultimately given me Peace to accept them. When I stop and really think about my situation and all it’s possible outcomes, both good or bad and try to figure out what I will do; I can get overwhelmed with emotion. It’s only when I stop to say a prayer to God and give the worry and problem to him, that I feel His presence and Peace. When I have another CT scan to figure out the effectiveness of Chemotherapy, we normally have a few days until results and Doctor Meetings occur. During those days I can feel the Peace and presence of God when I simply stop focusing on what the results or my actions will be, and calmly let God take control. God’s presence gives me hope during some of the darkest times, provides me comfort accepting some tough truths and He is there for strength whenever I need him. What is also amazing is the strength and power of prayers from others. I don’t know how many times Maria and I have directly felt at peace and calmed by the prayers of this church family and others!

I know that there are times that the human world I live in requires decision and action, and I am able to make those decisions confidently knowing that God loves me; and ultimately no matter what I decide or what outcome occurs that I am bound for Heaven to be with Him.

I am not healed, I am not cured; but I know that if I keep my eyes on the Lord… I have Peace.

Happy November

2007-11-11T15:46:00.000-05:00

Well my busy life is getting in the way of keeping up with the blog. I guess it's good that there's not much to report.

I'll update the medical news first.

Gavin finished his 3rd round of chemo last week. That's after spending a weekend in quarantine due to a low white blood count level. I think we're expecting him to have to go into seclusion a few days out of each cycle from here on out. While the first round kicked his butt, the 2nd and 3rd have been better. The new anti-nausea drug, Emend, and the drop in chemo dosage seem to be working.

It's getting near impossible for the nurses to find veins that are working so on the 26th of November he will be getting a Power Port. Basically it's a device that will be inserted under the skin near his collarbone area and remain there as long as he is in treatment. The nurses will use a special needle for chemo, blood draws, etc. The special thing about a power port is that once techs are trained he will be able to use this port site for CTs and PET scans.

At the moment the doc is planning on 4 rounds of chemo for sure. After that he is trying to schedule another CT/PET scan to check the status. The results there plus Gavin's body's status will determine if there are rounds 5 and 6. Next round will be Nov. 26 immediately after the port is installed.

We have been focused this past week on the Broadway revue at church, "A Little Night Music." It's been a busy week but all of the work was so worth it. Drew sang "Sit Down You're Rockin' the Boat" from Guys and Dolls and then he was Joseph from "Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat" in the finale as well as being part of the chorus. Mackenzie got to sing with the girls ensemble, portraying Molly in "A Hardknock Life." The girls were amazing and you could tell they were having a blast up there. I had a chance to dance with the ladies in the finale and we are all bummed that it's over. The whole show was fantastic, we have such an amazing group of people at St. Andrew's. I can't wait for everyone to see the video!

ATTENTION!!!! Save July 25-26 on your calendar for the next 24
24 Hours of Booty! More details to come.

Gotta go, back to church to cook for SAYM.

Love and blessings to all!
Maria

Bummer blood counts

2007-10-26T21:35:00.000-05:00

Well Gavin has been through 2 rounds of chemo so far this time so it was time for a CT scan and blood work. The CT scans showed that the tumors are stable, perhaps even microscopically smaller. Stable is good. However his white blood cell counts, not so good. There is a number that ideally should be 1.0 or higher and Gavin was .57. What does this all mean? He is basically quarantined to the house for at least the weekend, no stores, church, or restaurants. We also cannot have any visitors. They gave him a neupagen shot and he is on a course of antibiotics as a preventative measure. He goes back for another blood test on Monday morning to see if the numbers are better.

While I'm thinking about it, let me remind everyone to get your flu shots. Also, if you are sick, just coming down with something, or just getting over something, please steer clear of Gavin. I'm pretty sure he is going to have immune issues throughout the rest of the chemo treatments. Help keep him as healthy as possible!

On to more lighthearted news.
Last Sunday, Mackenzie had the opportunity to sing along with the chancel choir at church for the first time. We are very proud of her, she worked hard. A special thanks to Christy for rehearsing with Mackenzie any time she asked, even when it wasn't convenient!
My dad is finally all moved in and I think enjoying it so far. I've lived in Charlotte for over 7 years and I believe he is still further along with the unpacking of boxes!
Next Thursday Drew and I are headed up to Toledo for Cindy and Doug's wedding. I'm excited to see everyone.
St. Andrew's is presenting a broadway revue, "A Little Night Music," on Nov. 9th and 10th at 7 p.m. Drew is singing a song from "Guys and Dolls" (actually one he's never had the solo in before) and is "Joseph in Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat." Mackenzie is singing and dancing with a group of girls in "Annie's - It's a Hard Knock Life." I am dancing with my group of ladies in the Joseph finale. It's a dinner theater and should be a great time. If you are interested in attending, pick up your tickets before and after church services. If you don't attend St. Andrew's and still would like to enjoy the show, just email me and I'll pick-up the tickets for you.

Thanks for the prayers and sticking with us!

Love, Maria

Texas and etc.

2007-10-10T21:05:00.001-05:00

First a big thank you to everyone for their thoughts and prayers while we were in Texas! Your continued love and support touches us beyond words.

I know a few of you have already asked how Texas was and I just very briefly said it went well. Sorry if I didn't elaborate but I didn't want to repeat the details over and over and over and over and over...

While we were scheduled to be there a week, we actually only needed one day! Gavin had blood drawn on Thurs. and we met with the doctor and that was it. It was a good meeting though. She supported what Dr. Pal has been doing and also had a few different ideas for some anti-nausea meds since Gavin has felt more nauseaus this time around. His white counts also were a little low so they gave him a booster shot to help raise them up. She also had an idea for a diff. med to use during the down time but we'll have to see about that one. Dr. Pal and the new doc are working together to create the best treatment for Gavin. While not much new from MD Anderson, it is nice to have another set of expert eyes on Gavin's condition for future needs.

Since we only needed a day for doctors, Gavin and I had 3 days to "vacation" in Houston! We had a great time visiting the LBJ Space Center, the Aquarium, and the Texas Renaissance Festival. While it wasn't quite our first choice getaway locale, it was nice to have some alone time.

Gavin started another round of chemo today and he will have another CT before the next round. At the moment, the doc is hoping he can get through 4 rounds at least before the drugs get too toxic for him to handle. Not sure of what's after that.

Misc. news:
My dad has arrived and has started to settle in. Of course we didn't
give him much time since we ditched the kids on him right away!
Mackenzie is officially 9 years old going on 19! She had a great
birthday and is looking forward to going to High School Musical on
Ice tomorrow.
It is Children's Sabbath at church on Sunday. I can't wait to hear all of
the kids sing, see them dance, and hear them ring those bells!
We did see something strange in Houston...rain! Couldn't figure out
how to get it through airport security to bring it back with us!

I was going to promise to post again soon but I decided I shouldn't make a promise I probably won't keep! Take care!

Love,
Maria

Another post so soon!

2007-09-20T21:48:00.000-05:00

Thanks to all of you still checking the blog. I am impressed that you are still with us here considering our lack of regular updates. Fortunately for all of you, we will be updating this on a regular basis now. Of course the reason sucks.
Update: For those of you who know about the medical crisis my best friend Dorianne had at childbirth, I wanted to give you an update. She is doing much better and is well on her way to a full recovery. Praise the Lord!
Prayer request: Our friend Rob at church is having issues with his eyesight. Please pray for Rob, Jennifer and their family as they face this uncertain time.
This next part is not going to fit with the rest of the post, sorry. Couldn't figure out how to cut and paste it into a new post. I was bored so I was googling to see if I could find anything about a new martini bar opening in Ballantyne when I came across this place. It's called Salara Dessert Lounge and Bistro and I guess it's supposed to be opening up near Moe's at Ballantyne Village. All I can say is YUMMMM! Here is the link to their site if you want to check it out http://www.salaradesserts.com/index.html. Their menus aren't on there yet but they say they are adding them soon.
First week of chemo went o.k. Nurse says that he shouldn't feel the effects of it any quicker then he did the first go around but the chemo might affect his blood counts more quickly. So far it's been typical...the steroid making him cranky, the anti-nausea meds making him sleepy, and food tasting weird. Let me take a moment to remind you that if you feel like you are coming down with something, please keep your distance. Once again his immune system will be compromised and you can't blame him for wanting the cold or the flu on top of everything else.
Other events happening...
*My dad will be moving here Sept. 27th. Yea!
*Drew's variety show at school is also Sept. 27th. He will be singing a
solo as well as being part of a male acapella group.
*Our anniversary is Sept. 29th.
*Mackenzie's birthday is Oct. 2nd
*MD Anderson visit, leaving Oct. 3rd
*Children's Sabbath is Oct. 14th at St. Andrew's. All of the kids will be
participating in some way. Mackenzie is making her solo debut at late
service.
And finally...
Drew's adoption is final, the papers are in the mail!

Thanks again for your continued prayers and support. It means more then words can say.

Love,
Maria

Next step

2007-09-14T16:06:00.000-05:00

Well we finally heard back from Dr. Pal. He took another look at the PET scan and thinks he sees some activity on the liver as well. This excludes radiation as a method of treatment and just leaves chemo.
Gavin will start his treatments using the same drugs as last time on Monday, Sept. 17th (almost 9 mos. to the day from diagnosis last Dec. but who's counting). At the moment all that we know is that treatments will be next Mon.-Wed. at 11 a.m. We don't know how many rounds this time, hopefully we will find out on Monday.
We also don't know what's going on with our trip to MD Anderson but are still under the assumption that we will be going. That's it for now.
Maria

A quick update

2007-09-13T09:20:00.000-05:00

We got the results of the PET scan last night. No new tumors were seen and it confirmed that the only growth has been in the pancreas. We are hoping to hear back from the doctor sometime today what the next step will be. Thanks for your prayers.

Maria

September Scan Monday...

2007-09-10T15:05:00.000-05:00

Sorry for such a lag between posts, as you can guess we've been enjoying summer with the family and the start of school...

As is typical for me, I'll lay things out with good, bad then some parting comments ...

Good News

We finally have a 2nd opinion in the works, yeah!!! We have plans to visit M.D. Anderson Cancer center on Oct. 4th and will probably stay 3-5 biz days, so a brief weekend away for Maria and I... Overall I have had more energy (and hair) these past summer months than last fall and continue to feel better. One last thing is no Zometa booster this week ( which leads into the bad...)

Bad news

Well, today we spoke with my Dr. to review the CT scan from last week... Bottom line, most everything is still 'stable and unchanged' except... that pesky bit on my pancreas has grown in size

So, that means more treatment in the short-term and my Dr. is having a few others chip in their opinions ( MD Anderson; Gastro review board, colleagues, etc...) of Chemo, radiation, or something else as a treatment course, but we're not sure.

I have a PET scan planned for Wed. this week to make sure we aren't missing anything before they start treatments in some fashion.

As you can imagine, we're stunned for the moment until the diagnosis and treatment plan is developed, then we won't flounder... we'll move ahead and through this latest challenge!!!

Parting comment...The following is from an email I recieved, I'm not sure exactly when the events happened but I read Rick's book some time ago and found it to be pretty good; read on... it really touched me in parts and I wanted to share:

"You will enjoy the new insights that Rick Warren has, with his wife now having cancer and him having 'wealth' from the book sales. This is an absolutely incredible short interview with Rick Warren,'Purpose Driven Life ' author and pastor of Saddleback Church in California...

In the interview by Paul Bradshaw with Rick Warren, Rick said: People ask me, What is the purpose of life? And I respond: In a nutshell, life is preparation for eternity. We were made to last forever, and God wants us to be with Him in Heaven.

One day my heart is going to stop, and that will be the end of my body--but not the end of me. I may live 60 to 100 years on earth, but I am going to spend trillions of years in eternity.

This is the warm-up act - the dress rehearsal. God wants us to practice on earth what we will do forever in eternity.

We were made by God and for God, and until you figure that out, life isn't going to make sense.

Life is a series of problems: Either you are in one now, you're just coming out of one, or you're getting ready to go into another one [Gavin-Not sure i completely agree, i'd rather be more positive].

The reason for this is that God is more interested in your character than your comfort. God is more interested in making your life holy than He is in making your life happy. We can be reasonably happy here on earth, but that's not the goal of life. The goal is to grow in character, in Christ likeness.

This past year has been the greatest year of my life but also the toughest, with my wife, Kay, getting cancer. I used to think that life was hills and valleys - you go through a dark time, then you go to the mountaintop, back and forth. I don't believe that anymore. Rather than life being hills and valleys, I believe that it's kind of like two rails on a railroad track, and at all times you have something good and something bad in your life. No matter how good things are in your life, there is always something bad that needs to be worked on. And no matter how bad things are in your life, there is always something good you can thank God for.

You can focus on your purposes, or you can focus on your problems. If you focus on your problems, you're going into self-centeredness,'which is my problem, my issues, my pain.' But one of the easiest ways to get rid of pain is to get your focus off yourself and onto God and others.

We discovered quickly that in spite of the prayers of hundreds of thousands of people, God was not going to heal Kay or make it easy for her. It has been very difficult for her, and yet God has strengthened her character, given her a ministry of helping other people, given her a testimony, drawn her closer to Him and to people.

You have to learn to deal with both the good and the bad of life. Actually, sometimes learning to deal with the good is harder.

For instance, this past year, all of a sudden, when the book sold 15 million copies, it made me instantly very wealthy. It also brought a lot of notoriety that I had never had to deal with before. I don't think God gives you money or notoriety for your own ego or for you to live a life of ease.
So I began to ask God what He wanted me to do with this money, notoriety and influence. He gave me two different passages that helped me decide what to do: II Corinthians 9 and Psalm 72

First, in spite of all the money coming in, we would not change our lifestyle one bit. We made no major purchases. Second, about midway through last year, I stopped taking a salary from the church. Third, we set up foundations to fund an initiative we call The Peace Plan to plant churches, equip leaders, assist the poor , care for the sick, and educate the next generation. Fourth, I added up all that the church had paid me in the 24 years since I started the church, and I gave it all back. It was liberating to be able to serve God for free.

We need to ask ourselves: Am I going to live for possessions? Popularity? Am I going to be driven by pressures? Guilt? Bitterness? Materialism? Or am I going to be driven by God's purposes (for my life)?

When I get up in the morning, I sit on the side of my bed and say, God, if I don't get anything else done today, I want to know You more and love You better.
God didn't put me on earth just to fulfill a to-do list. He's more interested in what I am than what I do. That's why we're called human beings, not human doings.

Happy moments, PRAISE GOD.

Difficult moments, SEEK GOD.

Quiet moments, WORSHIP GOD.

Painful moments, TRUST GOD.

Every moment, THANK GOD.

Sincerely, Gavin

Hello Out There!

2007-08-09T19:49:00.000-05:00

O.k. so I realize that it has been forever and ever since either one of us posted and I apologize. Although to look at it in a more positive manner, medically there isn't really anything to post about, Gavin is doing very well right now. He is getting Zomeda, the bone therapy treatment, once a month and CTs every 2 months right now with the next one scheduled for the week after Labor Day. We actually are going to make it through the entire summer without chemo - praise the Lord!

Summer has been busy since we got back from Arizona. I had about a week to finalize the VBS stuff and catch up on schoolwork. Then VBS week, then Gavin went to Seattle, Drew had drivers ed, and Mackenzie had a camp at Matthews Playhouse.

At the end of that long week we had the incredible 24 Hours of Booty fundraising bike ride in Myers Park. Calling it fantastic by no means can convey how cool an event it was. Thanks to everyone who supported us, riders, donors, and cheering section! It got off to a wild start on Friday night. We had only been riding for about an hour and a half until it started pouring down rain on us. The first hour wasn't too bad, hard steady rain, a little thunder and lightening but not windy or scary. It wasn't until a new stormed bloomed on top of us that we got a little nervous. Now throughout all of this, most of us are huddled under the canopy in Bootyville trying to "ride" the storm out (pun intended!). All of us except for Pat Crosby. He got stuck out on the course when they closed it and ended up hugging a brick post for warmth for a few hours. I won't tell you exactly how Pat described hugging the post, you will have to ask him for that detail! All in all we had 10 people riding - me, Gavin, Terry Knotts, Pat Crosby, Michael Crosby, Teresa Boone, Garry Wallace, Brenda, Chris, and Haydyn Heck, for a total of 868 miles! The Tour de Sharpe team raised over $6300 and all the cyclists together raised over $732,000 towards cancer research. Save the last weekend in July of '08 for the next Booty ride!! I still have a few Tour de Sharpe t-shirts left for $5 each if you are interested in owning one of these fine items of apparel.

Update: Thanks to everyone who immediately started praying for my best friend Dorianne in Ohio. I know it is due to these prayers that she only spent 2 days in ICU and was off the vent after the first day. It is truly a miracle that she is still with us and her quick recovery is definitely due to the power of prayer. She is home and doing pretty well and baby Emily is absolutely fine.

We are headed off soon for another trip, back to Ohio this time to see friends and family. Needless to say I can't hardly wait to see Dorianne and Emily! I promise to try to write sooner rather then later!

Take care and God Bless!
Maria

24 Hours of Booty

2007-07-18T21:02:00.000-05:00

Hey y'all!

I can't believe summer is halfway over. Our wonderful Arizona trip is over and the back-to-school supplies are already popping up in the stores.

Just wanted to remind you that the 24 Hours of Booty is just around the corner. If you have already donated, I thank you from the bottom of my heart. However, it is not too late if you wish to make a donation to this amazing fundraising event. Please go to the link below and follow the directions. It is tax deductible and all funds go directly to the various cancer research donations. Feel free to pass this on to friends and family too!

Thanks for you support and prayers!

Love, Maria and Gavin

http://www.active.com/donate/Booty2007/TourDeSharpe
Click where it says "View team fundraising pages" to donate to a specific rider.

Continued good news...

2007-07-13T13:41:00.000-05:00

We had a CT Scan and Dr. visit this week after at least 2 months away from Chemo and our Dr. said that the scans looked good, with no signs of any growth and perhaps some additional shrinkage ( about 0.2 cm) in some places.

No matter what that is great news; 'Not worse' is definitely a positive answer, all things considered!

Personally I am looking at some travel for work over the next couple weeks( across the country; first Boston, then Redmond, WA) and we're blessed to have Ruben ( Father-in-Law ) in town again so soon. He's getting everything square for when he moves down in September.

We're all doing good and adjusting to east coast time again after our Vaca. Thanks for all your continued thoughts and prayers!

-Gavin and family

PS. It's getting close to our charity bike ride so if you were planning to, get those pledges in @ http://www.active.com/donate/booty2007/TourDeSharpe

Arizona Vacation

2007-07-09T11:47:00.000-05:00

Wow... been a long time since either one of us posted so we've got lots to share!

In a couple days we'll have another CT scan, ears to knees this time to see how stable things are or not, then review with the Dr. ; Pray for no surprises!

So, where have we been? Our whole family headed out for a huge family trip to Arizona... Maria took the best parts and wrote below; It's a long one, but Maria did an excellent job and well worth the read!

I'm also trying to get some of our awesome pictures on here soon.

-Gavin & Family
----------------

Day 1(June 26th): Fly to Phoenix
Up bright and early for a 7:45 a.m. flight. Lucky to have Grant around to take us to the airport, save us some moolah. Mackenzie had been a little nervous to fly but once we got going she was fine. She liked getting a drink and snack on the plane. We went through Alamo for the rental and got a sweet mini-van. Can you say sweet and mini-van in the same sentence? It’s a Chrysler Town and Country and has the stow and go seats. It’s worked well putting down 1 of the middle seats so we have room for the cooler and back packs. Once we left the airport we headed over to Chase Field. We ate at Friday’s Front Row Sports Bar (similar menu to the regular Friday’s) and had an awesome view of the field. I’m pretty sure Drew was speechless which is saying a lot. Next we took a tour of the baseball field. If you like baseball and ever have a chance to see behind the scenes, it is well worth the time and money. While we didn’t see any Arizona players (just the manager Bob Melvin), we did get to see Nomar Garciaparra of the Dodgers. That night we went to a Diamondback/Dodgers game. It was a great game even though Arizona lost by 1 run in the 10th. One of the coolest things was watching the retractable roof open up.

Day 2:
We started off at the Goldfield Mine and Ghost tour. Next time I will do some more research because it was pretty lame. Actually it’s just that Arizonians are wimps or think tourists are wimps. They don’t have much open during the summer months due to the heat. Let me tell you, I have sat out at baseball games in Charlotte the same temperature as it was that day! We ended up stopping for lunch at a cute old fashioned soda shop (yes, we took pictures for you Jimmie) and headed to the pool for a bit of down time. That night we ate at Rustler’s Roost, a cowboy steakhouse that has a slide from the entrance into the dining room. That was a hit with the kids and the food was a hit with all of us. Our booth gave us a great mountain-side view of Phoenix at night as well.

Day 3:
Left Phoenix today for the Page/Lake Powell area. On the way decided to stop at Sunset Crater. This was scheduled later on in the vacation but in the end we are glad we stopped when we did. It opened up some time to add a few things later. Driving up to it, you can see it in the distance; it looks different than any other landform around. Gavin and I noticed the difference before we realized what it was. While visiting we decided to take this ½ mile hike to look at the cinder hills. Oh my, it was definitely more than a moderately rated hiking trail. It was steep and the path was lava rock pebbles which made for uneven footing. We have some great pictures of Mackenzie in her hot pink skort and Hollywood-like sunglasses having a Paris Hilton moment on the way up! While looking at Sunset Crater we realized we could see part of the Painted Desert in the far distance. It was so pretty that we decided to add that to our itinerary. Thankful that we stopped here when we did so we have time for that later. We arrived in Page and headed for dinner at a great Mexican restaurant called Fiesta Mexicana. I was the only adventurous one and ordered mole enchiladas and they were yummy. I haven’t had mole since I was a little girl visiting my dad’s relatives in Colorado.

Day 4:
Up bright and early to catch a boat to take a tour of Lake Powell and Rainbow Bridge. It took 3 hours to get to the site to hike to the bridge and 3 hours to boat back. Needless to say it was a long day but it was totally worth it. The natural bridge is awesome and you feel like you are in the middle of God’s country. The kids were troopers, I know looking at pretty rocks, mesas, and buttes aren’t the most exciting thing in the world. Impressively, after spending 7.5 hours in the sun, no one got sun burnt. Not even pink! Headed to dinner that night to a great Italian restaurant called Stromboli's for pizza (a cold salad for me!).

Day 5:
Another early morning. After seeing some pictures we decided we needed to take a tour of Antelope Canyon. By far the most impressive site we’ve been to. I don’t thing I can put into words how absolutely beautiful it was. You will just have to wait for pictures. Not sure if Drew and Austin liked the canyon better or the ride in the tour truck. It was a big truck with big wheels for driving through sand. After some thought, I think Austin liked the ride better since he let out a “woo hoo” after one bump that gave us some airtime from our seats! After that tour we headed in the direction of Flagstaff which will be our next base for a few days. On the way, we stopped near Tuba City to see some dinosaur tracks. Way cool! We got to see tracks, fossilized dino bones, and fossilized dino poop! We brought home some of the poop, can you guess who is going to get it for a gift? After checking-in at a very nice Embassy Suites (Gavin was able to get us an executive suite!), we headed to a local restaurant in downtown Flagstaff called Mountain Oasis. I’m not sure what I expected of Flagstaff but downtown reminds me a lot of the little towns in the mountains like Hendersonville and Black Mountain. Of course there is more urban sprawl around it and all that comes with that, like Starbucks and any fast food restaurant imaginable. In the middle of downtown Flagstaff there was an American Indian arts and crafts festival going on. We are hoping to get back there tomorrow to peruse the wares. After dinner we headed up to Lowell Observatory which is where Pluto was discovered. We got to look through a small portable telescope (still bigger then you can buy in the stores) and see Venus and Saturn up close. You could actually see a ring around Saturn, very cool. Then we were able to take a look through the big, main telescope. We got a great look at Jupiter, its bands (no red spot, bummer) and 4 of its moons or satellites – definitely very cool. Reflecting upon the day, I find it quite amazing that in one day we saw footprints of dinosaurs made years ago and also planets and stars that God made years and years ago. Life is good.

Day 6:
A slower start today after 2 early mornings. Got some laundry out of the way and some studying too. After a huge complimentary breakfast (gotta love Embassy Suites), we made our way out I-40 to Meteor Crater. It is the first proven meteor crater and the best preserved. Some of the interactive exhibits in the museum really brought the movie “Deep Impact” to life! It is by far the neatest hole in the ground I’ve ever seen. The next stop is the Petrified Forest and Painted Desert. We arrived at about 4 p.m. and had about 3 hours until the park closed to see everything. I never would have imagined we could use more time then that but we definitely could have. We saw lots of petrified wood with quartz and jasper in them, they were gorgeous. Too bad it’s protected, they would make great tables! To end the day we took in the vistas of the Painted Desert right before sunset. Absolutely awesome, I can’t wait to show you the pictures. Tomorrow we are off to the Grand Canyon!

Day 7:
Finally, the Grand Canyon! Actually we started the day a little differently than we had planned. My trip itinerary had Mackenzie and me going horseback riding in Sedona the last day of the trip. While driving up to the G.C. we heard the forecast on Saturday is calling for rain, which would be no horseback riding as promised. I happened to have a brochure for Apache Trails which is located right outside the G.C. It was decided we better take her now just in case it does rain in Sedona. Drew, Mackenzie, and I took a 1 hour ride on Sundance, Cedar, and 6 Gun respectively. Of course Mackenzie loved every minute of it; she would have stayed out there all day! While we rode, Gavin and Austin checked out the G.C. and scoped out what we would do first. We ended up parking at the Market Place and taking the free shuttle around. I think all in all we hiked about 3 miles. It was in the 90s so that was probably a reasonable amount. Mackenzie and Austin became junior rangers at the park and during a ranger talk we discovered a cool game we can take back to VBS, youth group, or Tekoa. We stayed and watched the sunset and took some amazing pictures. It was a long and tiring day but worth every second – the G.C. is as amazing as everyone has told us. Both Mackenzie and Austin chose the G.C. as their favorite so far. Drew of course chose the D-backs game. Gavin and I, while loving the expansive vistas of the G.C., chose Antelope Canyon as our favorite so far. As a side note, we have put over 1300 miles on the van so far!

Day 8:
On to Las Vegas via the Hoover Dam. It looks like they are building a new road that will cross over the existing road that is on the dam. Hopefully that will cut down traffic in the future. Now if you don’t want to see the dam, too bad. You just have to suck it up and deal with the traffic jam due to all of the people who do want to see Hoover Dam. The crowds were pretty bad here so we just hopped out and took a quick look at the dam and moved on. It might be interesting to take the tour if there isn’t hundreds and hundreds of other people trying to do the same thing. Ended up getting to Vegas around 4 p.m. which left plenty of time to check out the city. We took a quick look around Excalibur, where we were staying. The kids decided the arcade area looked pretty cool. There was a 4D theater, video games, games you could play for tickets, and midway-style games. We then headed over to check-out the New York, New York hotel/casino. What an awesome place. The facade is a cool representation of downtown NY along with the Statue of Liberty and a tugboat in a bay. I told Gavin that when we come back next time, I want to stay here because the inside is just as cool as the outside. The food court area looks just like a NY street. We then walked over to the MGM Grand. The lion habitat there is pretty neat, actually got to see the lion’s at a very playful time. We had some time to kill before our reservations at the Rainforest Café so we walked over to M and M World. Definitely a chocolate lover’ dream store! It was nice and we let the kids grab some M and M’s for a snack. Back to the Rainforest Café for a delicious, if not a bit overpriced, dinner. It was worth the price to get caught in a rainforest thunderstorm! Since we had such a late dinner, it was dark when we left the MGM. We walked down to the Bellagio to catch a fountain show. Wow. A truly awesome sight to see, I could have stayed there all night. I’m sure many people feel that way which is the reason why there aren’t any benches to sit on!

Day 9: Happy Birthday Drew!
After a quick breakfast of Krispy Kremes and Starbucks (breakfast of champions!), we headed out to see some more casinos. If you haven’t been following the news, it was really hot in Vegas the entire time we were there, record breaking hot. Since the Luxor is right next to the Excalibur, we walked over and checked it out first. Mackenzie and Austin did this cute magic carpet ride. Their image was projected on a green screen then it was digitally added in to a pre-made movie backdrop. We decided it would be just as easy to take taxis everywhere instead of trying to fight traffic. I really wanted to see Caesars, so we headed there first. It was just as fantastic as Gavin had described. We actually ate lunch there in the food court. I had the best lobster roll ever (I know you northeasterners are going to disagree, but I don’t care)! In the shops next to Caesars we saw a show at one of the fountains. We got to hear the mythological version as to why Atlantis was buried beneath the sea. Cool stage show but would have been better with real actors and not just machinated mannequins. Next stop was the Venetian for a gondola ride, or what was supposed to be a gondola ride. The line was so long and it was just pricey enough for us to decide it wasn’t worth the wait. Despite Austin’s reservations (putting it lightly) we toured Madame Tussuad's Wax Museum. It only took him about 5 minutes to admit that it was cooler than he expected. I think it helped when we got to the sports room and there, larger than life, was Babe Ruth! All of us enjoyed the wax museum. I got to marry George Clooney, Gavin got to ride a motorcycle, Drew got to have his picture taken with cute girls he’ll never be in the same league to date, Austin got to meet the greatest NYY ever, and Mackenzie got to stand next to Siegfried and Roy and one of their white tigers. Another cool thing they had there was an American Idol stage with figures of Simon Cowell and Ryan Seacrest. There was a worker up on stage singing (actually a Billy Joel song, when we entered the room). When asked, he said anyone was welcome to take the stage and with no prodding Drew hopped up. He sang “The Entertainer” by Billy Joel and actually sang the worker under the table! According to wax Simon, Drew was told he had made it through to the next round, Hollywood! Drew’s birthday dinner was the next stop. We splurged and took everyone to the Bellagio dinner buffet. It was great, although the kids decided the desserts were too fancy. Mackenzie was only in it for the crab legs anyway! After dinner we went back to NY, NY to the arcade and let the kids waste some money there.

Day 10:
Even though we have taken a cab for the long distances, we still have walked tons. I think we are all starting to feel it so we did sleep in a bit today. We didn’t get hot Krispy Kreme’s yesterday so that was the first order of business. Then we walked over to Mandalay Bay thinking we were going to take a tour of the shark reef. Once we got over there we decided it wasn’t different enough from the multitude of other aquariums we have been to. I had been told to take the kids to Circus Circus so we headed down to the other end of the strip. The kids had such a blast there, seeing some circus acts, but mostly playing midway games. They won so many stuffed animals that we are going to probably end up shipping them back! We looked into the Adventure Dome but didn’t see any unique rides the kids wanted to go on, so we just headed back to the carnival area. On the way there we noticed a place where you can get an old timey picture taken. We had seen it before on the trip but it was really pricey. This was still a little pricey but Gavin and I really wanted one done of the family. It’s a great picture (Drew reprised his role as Sky Masterson). I can’t wait to frame and hang up at home. Also while at Circus, Circus, I tried my hand at a $5 blackjack table. What a blast! I walked away $12.50 ahead, not too bad for my first time and probably only playing 15-20 minutes. It was decided to walk over to Treasure Island to look at the ships outside (not the show though, heard it definitely isn’t PG rated). Looks cool but not much to it w/o a show so we just went inside to eat. Yes, we decided to eat at another buffet (weight watchers when I get back!). A unanimous vote showed that the dinner part was better at the Bellagio (more options for the kids) but the dessert part was better overall at TI. While the Bellagio desserts were fancy, the desserts at TI were down home goodness (homemade donuts, mini pies, éclairs, crème brulee, cookies, hard ice cream, and best of all for the kids – cotton candy!). It was still too light to catch the volcano eruption at the Mirage so we just had to settle for looking at it in an inactive state. Grabbed a cab back to the hotel and let the kids go crazy in the Excalibur arcade. Gavin went to take a nap so he and I could go out for a bit later. The kids and I went on a couple of the 4D rides. The first one was Spongebob and is the same thing as the 3D at Carowinds with added special effects such as water, bubbles, and air blown at you. The second one was called “Extreme Log Ride” and was amazing. Even Drew, the cynic that he was being, enjoyed it. Gavin and I headed out after putting the kids to bed in searching for more $5 blackjack tables. Those of you who have been to Vegas probably already know that they are few and far between. We ended up not playing anything, just enjoying a drink amidst the sound of slot machines.

Day 11:
Our last morning in Vegas…I figured we had had enough K.K. so we skipped breakfast in lieu of an early lunch. Gavin and I wanted to play a few more hands of blackjack so we dropped off the kids at the Luxor arcade (with Drew in charge) and headed to the tables. Alas, no $5 so we settled on a $10 table. Notice the lack of a winning report here…A quick lunch at the Pyramid Café and we headed back to the Excalibur to collect the van and luggage and head to Sedona. Some idle thoughts about Vegas: Saw a few brides in full dress, didn’t see any women I could easily identify as ladies of the night, really smoky everywhere, saw an Indian woman (from country of India) in full dress getting her picture taken next to a topless lady statue, wondered why people with infants would come to Vegas and bring them, security wasn’t as prominent as I would have thought, Bellagio casino smelled the best (no smoke smell), Excalibur casino smelled the worst (of course, our luck). We arrived in Sedona around dinner time. The first thing I have to say is that our hotel is awesome! We opened the hotel room door to see a view out the patio of the red rocks of Oak Creek Canyon! Could not have asked for a better first impression. Unfortunately in my excitement, I called everyone to see the view and the kids left Gavin stuck in the hotel room door with the luggage cart! After a bit of oohs and ahs we headed out for a Mexican meal at Oaxaca. Once again we totally lucked out, they sat us on the patio with a terrific view of the red rocks at sunset (the food was also excellent).

Day 12:
Gavin and I decided to set the alarm and get up to see the sunrise. Mackenzie was the only one of the kids who joined us. Sunrise was definitely not as spectacular as sunset and after a bit we all went back to bed for a few hours. Once we got going again we headed out to V – V (vee bar vee) to see some petroglyphs. It was an amazing site and the volunteer tour guide was able to point out a lot of interesting points to us. Mackenzie enjoyed taking a notebook and copying down some of the petroglyphs she saw. Since we were so close, we headed to Montezuma’s Castle next. This is a National Park that contains the ruins of an ancient Sinagua Indian village that had been built into the mountainside. Another amazing site to see. Interesting to note that the site was deserted and the Sinaguan tribe just disappeared and no one has figured out why yet. According to a sign, the closest guess they have is that they assimilated into the Hopi tribe once they deserted Montezuma’s Castle. And why the name Montezuma? The first discoverers erroneously thought that it was built by the Aztecs. Next headed back to Sedona for some lunch, more Mexican…yummy! A little shopping on the way back to the hotel so the kids could go swimming. We ate dinner at the Cowboy Club that night and all ate some yummy steaks.

Day 13 (July 8th):
Hard to believe it is time to go home. The kids are ready to get home to Dakota, the cats too I think. We saw the coolest site on the way out of town…a real live coyote just standing at the side of the road. A great ending to the best vacation ever. O.k. so we aren’t officially back in Charlotte yet and we still have to get through airport security and hope our plane is on time. I am being positive about all of that though!

Thanks for reading the vacation blog and we will see you soon!

Happy June!

2007-06-03T18:43:00.000-05:00

I know, I know...I posted like a mad woman in May and then left you hanging! I will try to do better at updating this.

Really not much medically is going on. We saw Dr. Pal and he is still of the mindset of taking a break and see what happens and let his body recover. Gavin goes in for a blood test and visit before are Arizona trip and then will have a CT when we get back. Praying that everything has at least stayed stable. He is feeling pretty good, still fighting a little fatigue now and then. I think that he is more active now so that is what is making him tired instead of being medicinally fatigued. The Sanford's mentioned to me today that they think his color looks better. I am so up close with him 24/7 I hadn't even noticed his color was off but in retrospect they are so right. His color does look healthier. He's just waiting for his hair to grow back now!

Just a reminder about the 24 Hours of Booty bike ride we are participating in at the end of July. If you wish to ride or donate please go to http://www.active.com/donate/Booty2007/TourDeSharpe. You can donate to the team or click on a member's page and donate to an individual team member. At the top is also a link for you to register to ride with us. I know many of you have been touched personally by cancer so please think about supporting this fundraiser for cancer research. Also keep an eye on here...we will have t-shirts available and perhaps rubber wristbands too! (like the LiveStrong ones).

Most of you know that Drew loves to sing and is active in many choirs between church and school. This summer he will be participating in a choir camp at Greensboro College (North Carolina United Methodist All-State Youth Choir). He will stay at the college for half of a week and rehearse and get instruction. The second half of the week, Drew and the rest of the choir members will travel to various churches around North Carolina and perform concerts. If you are interested in seeing Drew and the choir the closest church they will be performing at is Mineral Springs UMC (about 30 mins. from our house) on Thursday, June 21st at 7:30 p.m. Feel free to call or email me if you want more info.

Lastly, only 23 days until our Arizona trip! I am so excited for this vacation as is the rest of the family. My goal right now is to post on here a few times while we are out there. I will need to figure out how to add some pictures too...maybe Kathryn can tell me how!

Take care and as always thanks for your thoughts and prayers!
Maria

2007-05-22T15:03:00.000-05:00

Hi y'all! You've probably seen me mention 24 Hours of Booty in the blog before and now I think I have enough information to pass on. If you don't know what it's about, here's a quick explanation: it's a fundraising event where people cycle for 24 hours at the Booty loop in Meyers Park (they ride as long or as little as they like). The proceeds go to various cancer research organizations.

I have created a team page where you can register to ride or donate. From what I understand, each rider needs to raise a minimum of $100. You can visit the different members web pages from the pull down menu on the team page. As you can see, there are only 2 of us on the team now but I am looking forward to more team members joining soon!

Please take a moment to check out the team page http://www.active.com/donate/Booty2007/TourDeSharpe and or www.24hoursofbooty.com
for more information, to register, or to donate. If you wish to ride, the password is Goliath. If you wish to donate but aren't comfortable giving credit card info online (it is a secure site) the feel free to send a check to me or Gavin and we will apply it through our credit card.

I am really, really excited about riding in this. I look forwarding to riding with you and seeing you cheer me on as I chug around the course!

As always, thanks for your love and support - not just in this but during the past 5 months!

Love ya!
Maria

P.S. Feel free to copy and email this to anyone you want to! I have emailed this to people I have on my address list so sorry if you are reading this twice. Friends with a church email address, since email is down, you didn't get it the first go around!

Booty registration now open!

2007-05-17T19:54:00.000-05:00

Hey y'all! I finally had the lightbulb go off in my brain and thought of a name that Gavin actually liked! The team name is...drum roll please...
"Tour de Sharpe." Do you like it???

How can you register to ride with us? Go to the Booty home page http://www.24hoursofbooty.com/ and click on the box on the righthand side that says "click here to register online." It will cost you $35 to register and you are expected to raise $100 in donations. I can't see that being a problem for any of us with all of the support so far.

Remember our team is "Tour de Sharpe" and you will need to enter the password "Goliath."

Since this is the first time I have ever done this I could use some help navigating. I have registered a team and myself, not sure where to go from here.

What if you don't want to ride? As much fun as we will have riding, this is a fundraiser for cancer research and we need to keep that focus. As soon as I figure out how you can donate, I will post it. Please remember that there are quite a few of us from St. Andrew's riding and everyone of us needs to raise a minimum of $100 so spread the wealth! I also understand that some may be unable to support this financially. We would love to have you at the event cheering us on. Also please pray for us as we prepare for the Booty.

I hope y'all are as excited as I am about this...we are going to kick some Booty!

Love, Maria

Booty

2007-05-13T21:52:00.000-05:00

I figured the word "booty" was a great attention getter!

Thanks for all of the support you have shown already for this charity bike ride. I am so over the top excited for it and I know Gavin is as well. Wish me luck as I start training this week. It is going to be such a grand time with some of us riding and others cheering us on.

The one problem we are having is thinking up a team name. When it comes down to it, we're just not that creative. I was initially thinking about something to do with David and Goliath and the only thing I came up with was the "stoners!" Not sure how well that would be understood! hee hee

As you can see...we need some help! We can't sign-up a team until we have name. Feel free to email me or leave a comment with any suggestions. I know there are some majorly creative people out there!

Happy Mother's Day to all of you mamas out there!

Love, Maria

The results are in...

2007-05-11T16:08:00.000-05:00

This week's activities
So, Monday I had a blood test...most counts were OK although Hemoglobin was low. Got a booster shot in the arm for that one. Today ( Friday 5-11) I had to drink 900ml of goo, basically 'berry' flavored medicine is the best way to describe it; It's a barium suspension so that my organs glow nice and pretty for the CT scans... I do not recommend folks drink them for the fun of it; when I get to about 600ml the stuff is so thick I feel like my body is going to fight back and reject the next swallow. Like Mackenzie sang during the Church talent show...' I think I'm gonna Hurl !!'

The Good news
Today is special because we called and received the results for my scan at 4:45 today since my Dr. will be on Vaca. next week. So, results for the past 2 rounds of chemo and since March?

15-20% reduction in affected pancreas areas
15-20% reduction in Liver 'spots' ( they use a technical term I can't remember)
Bone lesions on pelvis and middle back; stable and not growing)

How cool is that? Note again, those percentage of change are since March, not since December diagnosis !!!. Pretty much I've had 3 scans after every 2 chemo cycles with near the same results, and if Maria and I did our math correctly, since December everything is reduced or shrunk in total between 27% -- 49% !!! ( 10% each time, versus 20% each time). How many can guess I was an engineering major?

The Bad News
There ain't no bad news!!! I'm super excited that we're planning to participate in the '24 hours of Booty' ( read maria's last blog) Maria mentions below... Let us know if you want to participate (ridin'), help or support us with prayers and pledges!

As always, we are so appreciative of all the love, support and prayers we receive; know that it is working and keep them coming!

Sincerely, Gavin

PS: Don't forget the booty call below

24 Hours of Booty - Imp. read!

2007-05-10T06:49:00.000-05:00

I have a friend who has been battling cancer last year and her support group forwarded me this event. I have been looking for an event such as this that supports cancer research. I have posted a brief description below as well as the link to the website. Please take a moment and check this out and email me (msharpe69@hotmail.com) a.s.a.p. if you would be interested in participating with us. Gavin and I really want to do this but need a team to help us complete this event. Thanks!

What is 24 Hours of Booty?
The 24 Hours of Booty is the one and only 24-hour road cycling charity event in the country. This unique and exciting event is fully supported on a traffic-free, gently rolling loop – known for years as the “Booty Loop” – that is situated in the beautiful Myers Park neighborhood in Charlotte, North Carolina. Once a year the Booty Loop is closed to traffic to host cyclists from around the country as they ride in honor and support of the cancer community. The goal of the 24 Hours of Booty is to provide an extraordinary event that is safe, fun, and open to all levels of cycling ability, while bringing cancer awareness to the community and raising funds for noteworthy cancer charities.
The 24 Hours of Booty is an important and inspirational event for the cancer community. Fundraising efforts benefit The Lance Armstrong Foundation and local cancer charities. The ride itself is a meaningful experience for riders and supporters of the event. Participants include cancer survivors celebrating life and strength, family and friends who ride in honor of a loved one affected by cancer, or in memory of a loved one who lost the battle with the disease. The event unites people who are passionate about cancer survivorship, knowledge, progress, and support. The 24 Hours of Booty experience represents hope, challenge, remembrance, and celebration.

www.24hoursofbooty.com

Running through the rain

2007-05-07T15:22:00.000-05:00

I received the following in an email today and wanted to share it with you.
Love, Maria

A little girl had been shopping with her Mom in Target. She must have been 6 years old, this beautiful red haired, freckle faced image of innocence. It was pouring outside. The kind of rain that gushes over the top of rain gutters, so much in a hurry to hit the earth it has no time to flow down the spout. We all stood there under the awning and just inside the door of the Target.
We waited, some patiently, others irritated because nature messed up their hurried day. I am always mesmerized by rainfall. I got lost in the sound and sight of the heavens washing away the dirt and dust of the world. Memories of running, splashing so carefree as a child came pouring in as a welcome reprieve from the worries of my day.
The little voice was so sweet as it broke the hypnotic trance we were all caught in "Mom let's run through the rain," she said.
"What?" Mom asked.
"Lets run through the rain!" She repeated.
"No, honey. We'll wait until it slows down a bit," Mom replied.
This young child waited about another minute and repeated: "Mom, let's run through the rain,"
"We'll get soaked if we do," Mom said.
"No, we won't, Mom. That's not what you said this morning," the young girl said as she tugged at her Mom's arm.
This morning? When did I say we could run through the rain and not get wet?
"Don't you remember? When you were talking to Daddy about his cancer, you said, 'If God can get us through this, he can get us through anything!"
The entire crowd stopped dead silent. I swear you couldn't hear anything but the rain. We all stood silently. No one came or left in the next few minutes.
Mom paused and thought for a moment about what she would say. Now some would laugh it off and scold her for being silly. Some might even ignore what was said. But this was a moment of affirmation in a young child's life. A time when innocent trust can be nurtured so that it will bloom into faith.
"Honey, you are absolutely right. Let's run through the rain. If GOD let's us get wet, well maybe we just needed washing," Mom said.
Then off they ran. We all stood watching, smiling and laughing as they darted past the cars and yes, through the puddles. They held their shopping bags over their heads just in case. They got soaked. But they were followed by a few who screamed and laughed like children all the way to their cars.
And yes, I did. I ran. I got wet. I needed washing.
Circumstances or people can take away your material possessions, they can take away your money, and they can take away your health. But no one can ever take away your precious memories...So, don't forget to make time and take the opportunities to make memories everyday. To everything there is a season and a time to every purpose under heaven.
I HOPE YOU STILL TAKE THE TIME TO RUN THROUGH THE RAIN.

My favorite scripture

2007-05-06T18:41:00.000-05:00

Thanks to Greg Boone who passed this on to Gavin today at church. It is worth sharing.

"But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles, they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint" Isaiah 40:31

Did you know that an eagle knows when a storm is approaching long before it breaks? The eagle will fly to some high spot and wait for the winds to come.

When the storm hits, it sets its wings so that the wind will pick it up and lift it above the storm. While the storm rages, below the eagle is soaring above it. The eagle does not escape the storm, it simply uses the storm to lift it higher. It rises on the winds that bring the storm.

When the storms of life come upon us...and all of us will experience them...we can rise above them by setting our minds and our belief toward God.

The storms do not have to overcome us, we can allow God's power to lift us above them. God enables us to ride the winds of the storm that bring sickness, tragedy, failure, and disappointment into our lives. We can soar above the storm.

Remember, it is not the burdens of life that weigh us down, it is how we handle them.

-Author unknown

Finally...a post!

2007-04-30T21:25:00.000-05:00

Can it be that it was only 4 1/2 months ago that the world as our family knows it was turned upside down? I must admit that every once in awhile I still expect to wake-up and have it all be a horrible dream. And while we have incurred more than our share of low points, there have been many highs during this time. Who would have thought there would be such joy in the midst of such pain? Joy that carries us through the darkness, joy that gives us hope for a future that will have less confusion and uncertainty. I believe that joy has a name...or rather 3 names...God, Jesus, Holy Spirit.

A quick update since I haven't posted (and neither has my other half) in forever and a day. The first course of chemotherapy treatment is officially over. Gavin's final day was last Wednesday. He will have a blood test next Monday and a CT on Friday of that same week. Then we will have a 10 day wait for the CT results since Dr. Pal will be out-of-town until the 21st of May. Tam, his nurse, gave us the option of calling in on the 14th and she could give the results to us. Unfortunately, if it's not positive, nothing will be able to be done until the doc gets back. We have yet to decide what we want to do. Waiting stinks!

Actually that probably will be an easier wait than the next 2 or 3 months will be. I understand the need to take a break from treatment. Gavin's body needs time to rejuvenate and get stronger so that he can sustain more treatments in the future. What is difficult is that treatment is active and waiting is passive. I mean that as long as Gavin is receiving treatment, I know everything is being done to heal him. During the break when there is no treatment, it seems like the cancer will have an opening to gain a bigger foothold. All in all, I expect it to be a nervewracking few months.

I guess it's a good thing we have many plans to distract us. Baseball season has officially started for the boys so if you can't find us at home, we'll be at Park Sharon. Austin has started games and he had the game of his life the other night. He hit a double and a triple and had 2 awesome plays in the field. Drew has just started practices and his games won't start until the middle of May. The church is having a covered dish/variety show this Saturday, May 5th. Drew is singing (of course-what a shocker) and so is Mackenzie. As much as she claims to not like Drew, she sure is emulating him in many ways!

I know I have said this before but we can't thank everyone enough for the support you have given us. We have enjoyed the meals and desserts that have been provided (weight watchers...what weight watchers!). I really need to say a special thank you to Kathy's mom for the beautiful flowers that she planted for me. Pray I don't kill them off! To everyone...thank you, thank you, thank you!

We are so blessed to be surrounded by friends that give us a shoulder to cry on and opportunities to laugh. We feel the prayers that are being sent out for us constantly and we ask that you continue to pray for us during these next few months, specifically ask for God to give us peace of mind and to ease our anxiety.

Embrace each day, cherish each moment, and love in abundance.

Maria

CT results and more...

2007-04-02T18:37:00.000-05:00

Well obviously neither of us got around to posting during chemo today. I still think it is pretty awesome that they have wireless...what an age we live in.

CT results were pretty good. The main tumor which is on the pancreas has decreased 10-20%. Dr. Pal said that the tumors in the liver seem to have stabilized (I think that's what the radiologist report stated). He on the other hand believes that comparing scans, there seem to be fewer tumors in the liver then he as seen previously. This all sounds positive to me (thank you Lord!). The best news for Gavin is that he is going to continue on the same chemo treatments for the next 2 rounds (no new side effects, etc.). As you could tell from the last post, he was quite nervous about having to switch it all up.

The good doc did tell us a bit of what the immediate future holds. I will try to explain it but I'm sure Gavin will have something to add when he posts. At the moment, they are only planning on giving Gavin 6 rounds of chemo. So at the end of April will be his last round. After that round he will have another CT. One more doctor's visit to find out results and he is free for a bit of time. Well o.k., there will be a few visits here and there but no more chemo for the next few months. Dr. Pal wants to give his body a rest for 2-3 months as long as no symptoms show up. At the end of the waiting period there will be another CT and he will tell us where Gavin's headed after that. Good news because it sounds like there is a good chance that we can head to the Grand Canyon chemo-free. Bad news, well not so much bad news I guess, is that I'm sure we will both be pretty anxious during the no treatment phase. Seems like when you have cancer, there should always be something being done to you to combat it. This wait and see approach is going to be absolutely nerve wracking!

Thanks again for all of your kind words, thoughts, and prayers. They really do continually lift us up. Special thanks to all the women who were on the retreat...I truly felt surrounded by your love and support and appreciate it more then I can say in words. Thanks to Ruth and Hurst for a delicious dinner, the kids are chomping at the bit for dessert! (also for dropping Drew off at bells). Only 2 more thanks to go...thanks to all of you who transport my kids, especially Drew, around. It is great that they can keep doing what they love to do and maintain a sense of normalcy. Finally, thanks to all of you who I haven't mentioned, know that your various kindnesses are noted and appreciated! We love all of you!

To close I'm going to cut and paste an email I received from Norma today. I immediately identified with it as I'm sure most if not all of you will too. Take care and God Bless! Maria

Scars

Some years ago, on a hot summer day in South Florida, a little boy decided to go for a swim in the old swimming hole behind his house. In a hurry to dive into the cool water, he ran out the back door, leaving behind shoes, socks, and shirt as he went. He flew into the water, not realizing that as he swam toward the middle of the lake, an alligator was swimming toward the shore.

His father, working in the yard, saw the two as they got closer and closer together. In utter fear, he ran toward the water, yelling to his son as loudly as he could.

Hearing his voice, the little boy became alarmed and made a U-turn to swim to his father. It was too late. Just as he reached his father, the alligator reached him.

From the dock, the father grabbed his little boy by the arms just as the alligator snatched his legs. That began an incredible tug-of-war between the two. The alligator was much stronger than the father, but the father was much too passionate to let go.

A farmer happened to drive by, heard his screams, raced from his truck, took aim and shot the alligator.

Remarkably, after weeks and weeks in the hospital, the little boy survived. His legs were extremely scarred by the vicious attack of the animal. And, on his arms, were deep scratches where his father's fingernails dug into his flesh in his effort to hang on to the son he loved.

The newspaper reporter who interviewed the boy after the trauma, asked if he would show him his scars. The boy lifted his pant legs. And then, with obvious pride, he said to the reporter, "But look at my arms. I have great scars on my arms, too. I have them because my Dad wouldn't let go."

You and I can identify with that little boy. We have scars, too. No, not from an alligator, but the scars of a painful past. Some of those scars are unsightly and have caused us deep regret. But, some wounds, my friend, are because God has refused to let go. In the midst of your struggle, He's been there holding on to you.

Riding Rollercoasters...

2007-03-31T09:55:00.000-05:00

The not so real rollercoaster...
For the past few weeks since the beginning of my chemo and last meeting with my oncologist, I've been on a slight emotional rollercoaster...up...down...up...down....

First, thanks to many of you who have talked to me about 'fighting' cancer ! It has been a great motivator and help for me in that regard; from the people who passed along personal experience of their own cancer fight to those who have explained how they see me fighting cancer; explaining even with the simple act of showing up at church each week I'm fighting. I really needed the extra support ( certainly not that support from my awesome wife was less than I needed, just needed to hear from others as well!). Thanks again for all the positive encouragement, it really did change my outlook & thoughts!

So, emotional rollercoasters...right. So I have been up and down with emotion lately because my Oncologist mentioned that if my CT Scan ( yesterday) does not show significant reduction in the other cancers ( remember, liver 'stuff' was reduced about 10%, but the rest was not growing or shrinking) that we will have some choices to make on what to do next; mostly I believe he will change my Chemo chemical cocktail... That is where I'm concerned and the source of my low points. Right now my side effects are generally mild, with occasional nausea and once in a while a 'bad day', but nothing really bad; I'm worried that the 'new' cocktail will introduce some much worse symptoms and it will knock me down. Maria has been very supportive and tried to keep me thinking only of the positive, but blame my personality...I like to consider all the outcomes ahead of time. I know I'm probably worrying over nothing, and certainly worrying about something out of my hands is a waste of O2... but I am what I am

The real rollercoasters...
Not much to say here except we're off to Carowinds this weekend for our kids to hop on some of the real rollercoasters. It'll be a big challenge for Maria to keep me off of them too; but I know she'll keep me from doing anything stoopid!

We'll probably post the results from Monday's Dr. appt and Chemo um, Monday since we discovered that the infusion room has complimentary wireless internet...how cool is that; sittin getting nuclear goo in my body while checking email and surfin the 'net.

As always thanks for the smiles, hugs, thoughts and prayers!
-Gavin

Quick update

2007-03-26T16:46:00.000-05:00

Blood test went well today. He had some major abdominal cramps Friday (figures it would happen while I was in the mountains) so they did a different blood test today as well. God is good. They tested his liver function and it is normal. We are expecting Gavin to be able to receive chemo on Monday as long as the CT goes well on Friday. Thanks always for your prayers and support. I plan on blogging about my weekend in the mountain soon so please check back for that. God bless! Maria

The latest update...

2007-03-14T08:41:00.000-05:00

Wow, it's been quite a while since we posted, looks like I had just finished round 3; I'm now sitting finishing up round 4 :)

Fighting cancer...
One thing I have been thinking about lately is when people say or mention 'fighting' cancer... I don't know if it has been my down mood lately with many negative things in my mind and life or what; but I don't feel as though I'm 'fighting' anything. It seems more of a wait and watch, not much else to do, eat right, some exercise; but other than that it's waiting until the next Dr event... Maybe a blood test, maybe a CT scan, but no fighting. Maybe an argument with the wife or our 14 year old ( I can get 'on his case' easily, but I truly love him to death and just want him to become a strong, hard working, moral christian man.). Still no fighting this 'cancer' thing. We may have to make choices in treatment in the future, but it still doesn't seem like fighting. We continue to pray and praise every positive, not get too depressed if we hear negative news...

I'd be curious to hear from those of you who have had cancer of your own or had relatives on your thoughts on 'fighting' cancer...

Prognosis and looking ahead...
So, I am literally sitting with an IV in my arm getting my last bit of Chemo for Round 4 and here's what's up next. On Mar 30th I will go and have another CT scan, ears to toes and see how the chemo so far has improved or maintained the cancers. If most of the cancer remains stable but not reduced we will have to look at some different chemo and treatments to make them reduce or otherwise get some effects. My Dr. has also stated we won't go past 6 cycles of the current chemo, so we'll see what happens on Mar 30. Monday Apr 2nd is supposed to be the beginning of Round 5 and based on CT results I may see changes in the chemicals, or even some other treatments ( not ever sure what else...).

Maria is headed to our church women's retreat next week, and we were able to have my mother come down from Toledo while she is gone, it's been some time since we've had her visit Charlotte so pray for sunny weather! Also we're counting on the Dr's to let us head out to the Grand canyon later this summer with the kids for a long vacation and much needed family time!

Credit where credit is due...
I want to take a moment and mention how lucky I am to have my wife Maria... It amazes me daily that she is there for everything I might need, and with offers for things I don't think i do. Many times she has to put up with moodiness, grumpiness or just plain 'don't touch me' times; and is still always there if I need a hug. Many times I don't give her thanks, praise or even a comment on how she looks ( new outfit, hair, etc...) and I know I can do better recognizing her needs...it's very easy for me to think that I'm the only one who has to deal with the effects of cancer; it affects the whole family. I just want everyone to know what a wonderful wife and companion I have and how lucky I am! I love you Maria!

-Gavin 'tryin to be better about frequent blog posts' Sharpe

So what about Chemo Round 3?

2007-02-27T23:37:00.000-05:00

Gavin finished with his 3rd day of chemo Wednesday last week and continued to feel pretty good throughout the weekend. We were feeling pretty cocky...Tam, his nurse, had warned him round 3 would hit him pretty hard and yet he was feeling great. Maybe, we thought, since he experienced more side effects after round 2 then were anticipated that round 3 wouldn't be the monster it had been made out to be. Then came Monday morning...
He woke up more nauseous then usual and had to eat something before even getting out of bed. Yummy toast - so far so good. He decided to take a Kytril for the nausea...uh oh. It stayed down for a good 10 minutes or so. Next, a call to Tam. What do we do if he is so sick that he can't keep meds down? After a few more hugging the porcelain god moments, he finally got in a Kytril and it was off to bed for Gavin. After a long morning nap he wakes up and tries to take some pain meds. Uh oh, more hugging of porcelain and another call in to Tam. After some advice and an appointment for the first thing the next morning things calm down some. Gavin takes another long nap after which he finally can keep food and meds down.
First thing this morning we head to the doctor's office for some fluids and I.V. anti-nausea medicine. They checked his blood and gave him some magnesium but all else is looking good. He has felt much better today. He has been able to eat and drink and be merry. We aren't sure if yesterday was a chemo side effect or the flu virus going around. In any case, Tam is a great nurse who never made me feel silly for calling with concerns. It's amazing how "hurling" which is a normal illness we have all encountered (self-induced or otherwise) takes on this momentous aspect when another illness such as cancer is involved. Take a moment and thank God for your health and the health of your loved ones.
Thank you to everyone who supported us during the healing service last Sunday. A big thanks also to Jack and Christy for putting it together. While we were placing our hands on Gavin (and the others who came up) the hands of God were surrounding us and lifting us up and giving us hope and comfort. We are in the midst of a storm that has sunk many a ship but we will surely praise His Almighty Name.
For those of you who attended early service you might have noticed a few extra people with us. I was fortunate enough to have 3 of my best girlfriends from Ohio drive down for a visit. We had a wonderful time. I am so blessed to have the friends I do, both in Charlotte and Toledo. Thanks for all that you do!
Finally, it is musical week. Drew is doing o.k. so far, not driving us too nuts! Break a leg Drew...we are so proud of you!
As always, thanks for the continued prayers and words of encouragement. We wouldn't want to be going through this without you!
Have a great week y'all!
Love, Maria

Guys and Dolls Tix on sale Now!

2007-02-21T09:14:00.000-05:00

Email me if you want tickets (what night and how many). The dates again are March 1-3, Thursday-Saturday at 7 p.m. at Ardrey Kell High School. Prices are $10 for adults and $7 for students. There is also a dinner available before the Saturday night performance starting at 5:30 and it costs an additional $10. You can either pay me in cash when you see me next or by check payable to me. Thanks! Maria

Good news and better news...

2007-02-19T23:34:00.000-05:00

Well, many of you have waited with baited breath (as we have) for a couple test results from last week, and how week three began; here goes:

Good News
Well, many of you know that I had a normal CBC / blood test last week which told us that my platelets were low and that if counts did not improve by today we might be looking at a delayed or reduced Chemo today or blood transfusion. Good News 1 : Platelets were back up so Chemo proceeded as scheduled!

Better news
Even better news awaited us during our pre-chemo visit with the DR. He gave us our results from last week's CT scan which was to compare from the initial diagnosis in December. Good News 2: All cancer growth seems to be slowed or stopped! Best News? : The cancer 'spots' on my liver appeared to be reduced in size, up to 10% in some cases.

I can only be excited at this progress and thank everyone so far for their prayers, thoughts, hopes and skills (Dr & Nurses...). I am very hopeful that after 2 more Chemo cycles we will have another CT scan and see similar or even better results!

Yep, sometime in late March we'll schedule another CT and compare again to see how we're progressing after 4 cycles; great news to have another 'checkpoint' planned!

Chemotherapy Cycle Three
Chemo cycle 3, week 1 started with nervousness and some nausea this morning; I was apprehensive about the above results. Other than that, normal 4 hour visit to the oncologist for Chemo Cycle 3 day 1. I felt a little more nauseous after dinner and also didn't come home and sleep, I stayed up until ~ 10 pm, took a quick nap on the couch (those of you who saw Mackenzie during late service witnessed this position ), then I woke up and wrote this post!

Please keep the thoughts and prayers coming for Cycle three and beyond, we now have proof positive that prayers work and do help!

Last thing, Our church is having a healing service this week Feb. 25th at 2pm for me and anyone else who would like to be anointed with oil and a hands-on prayer (Pastor and family 'lay hands' on person, optional congregation comes forward to add hands and offer support during prayer). I will update this site with our church web address and street location for those outside my church family who would like to attend. Not tonight, sometime tomorrow

Thanks again for your continued prayers, thoughts and hope!

Gavin & Family.

Oops!

2007-02-16T16:05:00.000-05:00

I forgot to mention the CT scan. Probably because we don't have any results. I'm sure we will know more on Monday. Have a blessed weekend!
Maria

Guys and Dolls Update...and misc.

2007-02-16T08:56:00.000-05:00

Guys and Dolls
Good news and bad news...The good news is that I finally have ticket prices-$10 for adults and $7 for students. The bad news is that they have had to cancel the Sunday matinee. From what I understand, the school has contracted the space out to a church for every Sunday so that space is unavailable for a school function. I am as bummed as everyone else. Reminder, the shows are March 1-3 at 7 p.m. If you would like to see the show please email me at msharpe69@hotmail.com or call me at 544-6574 and let me know what day you would like to attend and how many tickets you will need. I am guessing that I will be able to purchase tickets in about a week and it will be easier for me to purchase them all at once. Thanks for supporting Drew!
Misc.
Now about all the tests this week. Gavin's blood counts came back pretty good. From what I understand, the counts will always drop after chemo but hopefully will go back up before the next round. Red blood cells and white blood cells are good, going back up which is great news because that means he isn't confined to the house. Platelets were still a little low but Tam (the nurse) seemed to think that since the other counts were going back up that those probably were too. Pray that the platelets are bouncing back so that he can have chemo on Monday. They always do a blood test before treatment starts so we will just have to wait until then to find out.
Great news is that Gavin's brother and our niece arrived at about 3 in the morning for a weekend visit. We are very excited to spend some time with them...there will probably be a lot of Xbox 360 being played! Good thing I just started a new Bible study to keep me occupied!
One last thing before I go...
Happy Birthday Gavin! I love you!
Have a great weekend everyone!
Maria

Mid-February update

2007-02-11T18:47:00.000-05:00

Well it has been forever since we have posted anything and we apologize for that. This might be a lengthy message to cover the last few weeks and what is coming up.
First of all a few thank yous to pass along. If I have forgotten to include you, my sincerest apology and know that all help, thoughts, and prayers are appreciated and viewed as the sweetest blessings. Thank you to the members of the chancel choir for the wonderful meal the Monday night of the round 2 of chemo. It was delicious and we all loved it. Thank you to Pauline Muntz for keeping us in the best comfort food of all...dessert! As Rachael Ray would say, "Yummo!" Thank you to everyone who is helping get Drew to and from church. Thanks to everyone who has sent cards and signed the guestbook. We cherish each and every thought sent to us no matter what way we receive it. Thanks to Meredith for the cheesecake...it was delish. A special thanks to Lisa Pool and Norma for helping me choreograph the dance for church.
Speaking of the dance...what an amazing worship experience. For those of you who don't know, today at church Drew sang and I danced to "Praise You in This Storm" which is the song that we have playing on the blog. (For those of you who never have your sound on-turn it on and listen!) What was meant to be a surprise and special moment from us to Gavin turned into so much more. Just know that once I started dancing up there, I wasn't alone. I could feel the tender hands of God guiding my turns, steadying my feet, and lighting my face with His love. I hope you enjoyed it as much as we did!
Now for a quick (?) update from the last few weeks in the journey of Goliath. Chemo, round 2, definitely had more of an impact. Gavin has felt more tired at times. He is also experiencing some queasiness, in the morning especially. Those of you who have seen him have probably noticed the most visible sign of all that is going on...less and less hair daily! So far it seems to be thinning quite evenly but the day is getting closer that he will join the shiny-headed men's club. He seems to be fine with it and I've heard some great things about bald men (take that statement where you want to go with it! hee hee). On a more serious note, the side effects have been interesting to handle so far. While I expected it to have some effect on our lives, reality is so much different then expectations. It is very difficult for me to see him so tired and I think that has been and will continue to be the hardest part for him to accept. He is such a vibrant person, it's hard for him to wrap his head around the fact that he can't go...go...go like he used to and that his body needs him to slow down and to rest. His attitude has really been pretty good about all of it. He figures if he feels like crud, the chemo must be doing something!
Speaking of the chemo and it's effectiveness. He has a CT scan scheduled for Tuesday at 9 a.m. This will allow the doctor to see how the chemo has worked so far. If it's not working in the way he had hoped, this will give him the opportunity to adjust the chemo before getting too far into the treatment plan. I will admit that I'm quite anxious about this test. There is so much riding on the chemo...well not sure what to say past that.
Another test this week is the regular blood test or as the medical professionals call it...the CBC. This is scheduled for Monday at 9:45 (who scheduled all these tests for that early???). Hopefully his counts are decent but I'm not holding out too much hope. I do think they will come back pretty low. What am I basing this layman's opinion on? I believe a lot of the side effects Gavin has been experiencing are due to the counts being so low. When Austin was 2 years old we had an experience with him where his hemoglobin levels dropped really, really low. The only visible sign was that he was very pale, especially evidenced in his lips. Fortunately for Austin, his 2 year old energy more then overcame what the effect of low hemoglobin levels should have done to him. His doctor said his level was so low, he shouldn't have had any energy, he should have been lethargic and just wanting to sleep all of the time. That never happened! Long story short (ok so it's already long) he ended up getting a blood transfusion and all is well. My point (you thought I would never get there didn't you?) is that Gavin does seem pale to me and has been battling lethargy the past 2 weeks. My hope and prayer is that for once I will be wrong and his levels are great. I promise to post in big letters tomorrow my error. I'll even post it twice since I don't expect that phrase to ever exit my lips (fingertips) again!
I believe Gavin mentioned in his last post that we have a new addition to our family. That new addition finally has a name, Dakota. He is a shetland sheepdog and just about the cutest thing ever. I just can't wait for the house training to be over!
While the beginning of the week will be pins and needles, the end of the week will be all smiles. Gavin's brother, Grant, and our niece, Alexis, are coming up from Florida for a visit. Many of you met them at Camp Tekoa this year. Friday is also Gavin's birthday so we will be celebrating all weekend!
Sorry for the long post! I'm fully aware that if we would post more often we could make it briefer. A goal to set for the future!
Happy Valentine's Day! A great big hug sent to all of you from us!
Love, Maria (and Gavin too!)

Guys and Dolls---March 1-4

2007-01-29T07:48:00.000-05:00

Just wanted to make sure everyone knows of the date change for the musical Drew's in. The night performances will start at 7 p.m. and the Sunday matinee will start at 2 p.m. There will be a dinner theater before the Saturday night performance. As soon as I have information, I will post it. You can start emailing me anytime if you want to go and you know what performance you would like to attend. Be sure to give me your name, date of performance, and number of tickets. As soon as I know the ticket prices I will post it. Thanks for your interest and support of Drew!

Quick Updates...

2007-01-29T07:10:00.000-05:00

Well, I had a long winded blog but when the battery died on the laptop, I lost it, so I apologize for this brief set of updates this morning.

Thanks!
Like Maria, I need to send a special thank you out to the group of men that came to our house and prayed over and for my family and I. I really cannot express my gratitude and feelings enough on a blog. It was a truly wonderful experience for my family and I, and we were truly blessed by your presence!

Recent CT scan...
I had called and mentioned some additional abdomen pain to my nurse so we scheduled a CT Scan for Last Friday... Fortunately nothing has changed for the worse and we've up-ed some meds a little bit and that has helped.

So long, Farewell...? But you're coming back, right?
Another question I talked to my nurse about was the fact that my hair was hurting... it hurt to rub or scratch my scalp and I wondered if this was some weird new symptom. Well, it was in a way; the nurse just explained that this 'symptom' just meant that my hair is going to fall out ( and has started too...). I look at this as a good thing for two reasons : 1) I don't have to worry about if or when it's gonna happen and 2) Get to see what I look like bald sooner. Also, I was thinking this is some serious kick-but Chemo if I'm losing hair after just one round - definitely a good thing and certainly 'aggressive' like the Dr. mentioned. I am figuring that in the next week I'll be getting that super-short (shaved) haircut to not have to worry about what my pillow looks like each morning

Chemo #2
Today Is the start of my 2nd round of Chemo treatments ( quick reminder, 21 day cycles, first 3 days I receive Chemo iv drip, then monitor blood counts remainder of 18 days) and today is our 'long' day. Say prayers for us that I continue to not have symptoms like nausea or fatigue!

New Baby
I'd be negligent if I didn't mention our newest addition! No, not another kid... we've got enough of those Over the weekend we picked up a Sheltie puppy! He's so cute and I'll help Maria get some picts up soon!

As always, your continued thoughts and prayers keep our spirits high and eyes on Him!

Sincerely,
Gavin

Prayer

2007-01-22T18:29:00.000-05:00

I won't speak for Gavin just for myself.

I am overwhelmed by today. I am humbled by today. I have felt everyone's prayers for us over the past month and appreciated each and every one of them. Today was beyond anything else I've experienced. I feel honored that this group of special men would come to my house and pray with us and over us. The right words escape me, I can only say thank you and hope you understand the scope of those words. Praise God for you and how He has used you to touch our lives.

Men, in case you are wondering, Mackenzie is doing better. She tends to be more outwardly emotional so we always will know what she is thinking and feeling. I think that is a good thing. I am more concerned with the boys, they are much more closed up about what's going on. Say an extra prayer for the kids tonight.

I know Gavin will want to blog about today as well so I will leave him to do it more justice then I have. We love all of you!

Maria

First blood test after Chemo #1

2007-01-17T22:31:00.000-05:00

First blood test after Chemo cycle #1...
So, results from the first blood test showed that the Chemo is doing it's job and tearing things down; white, red and platelets are all lower than 'normal' but that is to be expected, however none of my counts anywhere near a level that we're concerned at this point. The nurse and Dr. are happy with my counts enough to cancel my blood test for next week; so unless I have increased fatigue or symptoms (which would indicate additional drop in my counts...) I won't be back to their office until my next Chemo, Jan 29th. Our God is awesome, huh!

Nurse says.. 'Take your meds'
Well, I got scolded again about taking the meds for the symptoms as needed(and Maria scored a 'Told ya so'). I've been feeling some lower back pain again usually after sitting in the computer chair doing work or otherwise and I would wait to take some additional pain medication until it was fairly bad at ~6pm or so. I mean, this is nothing compared to how my back felt last summer so I should just tough it out, right? Wrong :) The nurse and wife understand my thinking but then apply normal logic. Why be in any pain if you have medication? Hmm, I can't argue with that too much. So, once again I'll try and take the pain medications before I need to rationalize why not to take them :)

New bedtime habit...
Mackenzie and I have started a new wonderful habit at bedtime that just fills my heart up every night! Last week sometime, Mackenzie was very distraught when I tucked her in, saying 'Daddy, I don't want you to die..." obviously taking the worst outcome to heart; so I talked with her about God's love and control; how there were many other dangers in the world that we could all die from ( car crash, accidents, etc) and that we just have to trust God's plans.

I then asked if she wanted to pray together right then, and while she just could not say anything that night; we have made it part of 'tucking her in' where we pray together about many things. One of us will start and the other will finish the prayers for ourselves, others; praising God for blessings; asking him for mercy and healing, watch over others and so on. It has been a wonderful thing for her and I to do and I'd encourage anyone with children to make a point ( or at least ask if your kids are interested) to do with them.

One of the most conscious things I'll mention today is, make the time... we're all exhausted late in the day, feeling like 'my break is almost here...just need to get kids in bed, then I can relax...' but if you take the time, even 5 minutes you'll be surprised how this will make you feel. It's also a great way to understand what might be on your child's mind and heart that they wouldn't normally offer to the 'How was your Day' question.

Thanks for all your continued prayers and thoughts!
Gavin & Family

Quick addition to the guest book...

2007-01-15T10:09:00.000-05:00

Thanks again to David E. Brown for helping with admin on this site!

On the Guestbook you are now able to add an email address when adding comment so that Maria or I can respond to you, or for us to be able to send an email sometime later. Your email will not be visible to the general public; we have to login to retrieve them so it's safe and is optional.

I thought this would be a great addition for us to keep in touch with everyone on a more personal level. Having said that, we have tons of folks sending messages so we'll apologize now for not sending a personal message each and every time to everyone .

Thanks,
Gavin

Chemo week 1

2007-01-14T17:30:00.000-05:00

It's been quite a few days since our last post so a few updates on how things have been going...

Chemo this week...
Well, this week was the beginning of my first 'cycle' and I had treatments on Mon (4 hrs), Tues (2hrs) & Weds (2hrs); and I'm happy to report I really didn't have any problems or negative symptoms at all. All I did was basically sit in the infusion room reading, listening to my Zune or chatting with my beautiful wonderful wife... Ok, tuesday I actually slept during the treatment ; Like maria said, I can sleep anywhere... he he.

The nurses have said that most likely due to my age, health and fitness (yeah right) I most likely won't have major symptoms like nausea or fatigue until the 3rd cycle or so after the Chem has had a chance to tear down my cells a few times and then my body would have a harder time rebuilding. We expect that to be in late February ( 3rd cycle is planned to start Feb 19th) and any symptoms would be after the treatment that week or after... I'm hopeful that I'll have minimal symptoms even then; we'll see!

General health... and my new compulsion...
So, I'm feeling great; taking a walk almost everyday with Maria; Monday I'm trying to get back into my exercise program daily and hopefully improve my food intake... the steroids that accompany my chemo have made me a pretty compulsive / continuous eater; however the problem is we're still in the post-christmas time frame so we have lots of cookies and candy in the house and that's been a big part of my snacking lately. Good news is I've put back on about 5 lbs but I'd rather be eating a bit healthier overall. Wish me luck on sticking to it :). Also, the Dr's are weaning me off daily steroids and I may see a decrease in appetite once off of them, so I guess this might just be training to eat and keep my weight up.

Family trip...
We mentioned maybe taking a trip with the family; and last weekend we packed everyone up and made a road-trip down to Charleston, SC. It was awesome! The weather Saturday ended up to be 76f and completely clear skies. We took the family to Patriot's point and spent about 4-5 hours checking out the aircraft carrier and other ships there. Our kids were great and had a blast.

After the ships we headed across the water and walked through downtown and the market area... Kids behaved well so we hit one of the ice cream shops and they loved it! We found a good seafood place right near our hotel and had a nice dinner.

Sunday we hit the Charleston Aquarium and it was nice, however last year we took the kids down to the Georgia Aquarium so it was a bit anti-climatic for them. Still saw some cool animals and got some great pictures... Oh yeah, and that whole 'spending time with the kids...' part. I loved every minute and know the kids did too. The day turned to rain after that so we headed back home early.

It was a great easy trip and I'm very glad we made the effort; our family time together was certainly worth it!

Work and socialism...
Ok, not as in soviet socialism... I mean being social :)

So I am back at work and Dr says as much as normal for me; so I was back in the office this week a couple days trying to catchup and let folks know I'm back on the job. Next week I'll be reaching out to customers and let them know I'm around to help again... Vacation is over, let's get back to work! I will be working from home most of the time ( mainly to avoid those crazy people at Microsoft that would come in to work even if they're majorly sick... Love you guys, just don't wanna share )

Being Social... So my family and I would like to let everyone know how wonderful the time and space our friends, family and others have given us to gather my immediate loved ones and huddle, hug, cuddle, etc just us as we understand my situation and step forward as a stronger family. We have thoroughly used the time to really enjoy 'family time'.

What we would like everyone to know now is that we would love to have people reach out to us as you feel comfortable! We'd love it if you wanted to stop by and visit (just call to check if we're here and how I'm feeling, please); give us a call on the phone, however you would want to reach out to us; we'd love to see and talk to ya!

Cards...
It has been an amazingly positive thing for me that so many of you have sent cards, emails and notes on the blog... It feels wonderful that I receive a card in the mail almost every other day; sometimes everyday... Keep those cards and thoughts coming... also, I guess if anything maybe slow the pace a bit and send some down the road in the coming months when I might need more encouragement if I feel down from the later treatments.

Thank you all for thoughts & prayers; you truly lift me up and keep me positive!

-Gavin

1st day of chemo

2007-01-08T21:59:00.000-05:00

I'm not sure how I pictured chemo but I'm sure it's not how it really happens. Our day yesterday started at the oncology office at 10:45...they were running behind so we didn't even see a doctor until around 11:30. A quick check-up by Dr. Pal and then back to the chemo room. Here's a little description of the chemo room in case you've never been in one. It's a large room with recliner chairs lined up at the edge, probably about 10-12 of them. There are snacks, crackers and the like, on tables in the middle and a small fridge stocked w/ sodas and juice. Curtains separate the chairs and each chair has a t.v. to provide distraction. Blood work came first then some saline then the steroid and anti-nausea meds. Finally after what seemed like forever, the first chemo drug, VP-16. More saline and then the 2nd chemo drug, carboplatin. We were done a little after 3 p.m., strangely exhausted even though it was just sitting around watching fluids drip.
Gavin is doing really well so far. No signs of nausea at all and he has been able to eat. He does seem to be a little more tired then usual. He fell asleep eary last night, which is better then seeing the Buckeyes fall apart on national t.v.
Gavin has chemo today and Wednesday at 1 p.m. and those both should be much shorter days. He is hoping that he feels well enough to make it to the Crossing this Friday.
Thanks for all of the cards and words of encouragement and prayer. They make the rough days so much better. A special thanks to Karen Harris for a wonderful meal, we all enjoyed it so much.
Have a very blessed week!
Maria

Spine Dr. and misc stuff

2007-01-05T15:54:00.000-05:00

We had an appointment with Dr. Hartman, the spine specialist, today. Before I update you about the appointment I need to mention that he is by far the most real doctor I've ever met, someone you could sit down and have a beer with. He has constantly reminded us that he is family and we should call him anytime and that he is thinking and praying for us constantly. He even admitted that he was floored when he heard the diagnosis and it really rocked him. Has anyone else ever had a doctor show any vulnerbility like that? That being said, this was just a check up to see how Gavin's pain was and to be available to answer any questions. Gavin was excited to get the all clear to do some moderate exercise. He has been told that physical activity will make him feel better during chemo so that was great news. We have another appointment in 3 weeks and that schedule will continue throughout the chemo process.

We are looking forward to spending some quality family time this weekend before chemo begins. Keeping busy with the kids will be a nice distraction as Monday looms on the horizon. I'm surprised as to how much anxiety I am feeling about the start of chemo. I guess this is my reality check.
Chemo schedule next week:
Monday - We have to be there at 10:45 but I don't think it actually
starts until 11:15, it should last around 5 hours
Tuesday - 1:00
Wednesday - 1:00

Those of you who have been around me know that strange things can pop into my head. The past year I have been running the PSAA Babe Ruth concession stand with Patty. As you can see, that's a pretty hefty title to have to say or type so I have been trying to come up with a new name. Patty I'm sure thinks I'm crazy but the only name I can come up with is Earl. I don't know why, maybe I need professional help. My point is that cancer is such a scary word and sometimes it's difficult to get the word out. So I have been thinking of a name I can call it (I know I'm strange). The only idea I have come up with so far is Goliath. Some of you are thinking why would she ever want to call it Goliath so here is my line of thinking...Goliath was supposed to be this scary giant who made all of the warriors tremble and no one was brave enough to stand up to him. Lo and behold came a humble shepherd boy named David, who stood strong in his faith and with a simple stone, felled Goliath. The cancer is our Goliath...big and scary. We are choosing to be David, a man after God's own heart. We will stand strong in our faith, look Goliath right in the eye, and tell him our God is bigger and better then anything he can throw at us.

One last note...Drew auditioned for Ardrey Kell's musical, Guys and Dolls, this week. Today he found out he was cast as Skye Masterson, the male lead. Jokingly I told him if he has the lead as a freshman what does he have to look forward to the next 3 years??? We are very proud of him and will let everyone know when the dates for the performances are.

Have a great weekend and remember yall are a blessing to us every single day!

Maria

P.S. Thanks for the cookies Patty, they are delish!

Good and Bad surprises...

2007-01-03T19:44:00.000-05:00

The good surprise...
Well, after my radiation treatment today the nurse said have a good day, and I replied 'You too, see you tomorrow'. She then looked down at the chart and said, 'oh wait; you're all done with your regimen, congratulations!'

huh? I thought I had one more day, Kewl !!! So, we're 17 day's into my treatment adventures and I'm done with one part so far; this actually feels pretty darn good. Both my neck and hip that were treated with radiation seem to be pain free ( and the radiation continues to work for ~30 days... ) and I won't go back to the radiologist until Feb. for a check-up.

The bad surprise ( or, the answer I knew but probably didn't want to hear)...
So, i think this will be the first ( and I'm sure not last) time I will have a downer blog where something knocks be back a bit and explaining or expressing helps me deal...

For the past week or two as my upper back and other symptoms have tapered off i have begun to wake at night with some lower back pain, or abdomen discomfort when sitting up or rolling over. Today I finally discussed these with a nurse in detail (and her first question was, "are you using your medication?" my sheepish answer... "not really, I didn't want to medicate if it was just because of something I ate").

What she explained about my described symptoms were that I was feeling the cancer in my abdomen. wow... silence from me.

I was hoping it was just too many Christmas cookies, candy, or just drug side-effects, but nope.

For the first time I can feel my cancer in my abdomen and I guess in my mind it is the first time I really have to accept it's significance. Previously, I saw MRI scans of my neck that showed the tumor... I never saw a report, chart or anything 'official' that showed me visually there really was cancer in my abdomen so I think maybe I blew it off slightly in my mind, idk.

Maybe I was thinking that hey, I could feel the spine stuff so that must be worse ( and they fixed it with radiation, right?) and the abdomen was just secondary and Chemo would 'just take care of it'. Tonight I'm finding myself in a different frame of thought regarding how and what I am really feeling (physically and emotionally). I wouldn't say that I'm down or happy, just maybe contemplative

Anyway, I now won't hesitate to take the medications they have given me when I do feel things and I'm sure I will be much better off for it. One of the things that I dread (and loath occurring) the most it just taking drugs to mask pain, and then being a lump somewhere on a couch or bed. I most definitely do not want to go there... Better to be movin 'round in pain than curled in a coma. That's just me.

Looking ahead for this week
Not all negative things for tonight :) Tomorrow I'll be headed into work in the morning to get some things done and start working myself back into the J.O.B as best as I can. Friday I have an appointment with the Spine specialist so we can see what he thinks of the treatment so far, and maybe come up with an exercise plan that will keep me active and safe with my spine. I'm looking forward to getting some movement and exercise going; most cancer folks I talk to say it will make a big difference fighting fatigue during chemo.

As always, Keep your prayers and notes coming!
Thanks,
Gavin

Meals

2007-01-01T16:02:00.000-05:00

Many of you have offered to supply meals for us and for that we would like to say thank you in advance. A special thanks to Tracy for the yummy lasagna, it was a hit with everyone and also to Mrs. Smith...the bag of goodies will come in handy I know.
My friend Jennifer Moore has volunteered to coordinate meals for us in the next few months. She is sending out an email in the next few days. You may have noticed a calender added to the blog. Jennifer will be able to use this to keep track of who has volunteered and when. (will help those forgetful people as well!)
On another note, I get to read Gavin's posts before everyone else. I am continually amazed by his grace and strength during this time. God is helping us be strong for each other and each day His love surrounds us and gives us peace.
Have a wonderful New Year!
Maria

That New-Year Smell and other things...

2007-01-01T13:16:00.000-05:00

Wanted to wish everyone a Happy New Year! Hope the holiday's were filled with freinds, Family and joy for all! Our days have been and are blessed by everyone.

My family and I were at Church yesterday and it was so wonderful to see everyone! We're so blessed to have such an awesome family there and everyone's warm wishes and help are overwhelming. We love you all and it really helps keep our attitude and hopes high.

Chemo...
So, we did talk to the Oncologist last week as Maria noted and I wanted to add some extra details and clarify some quick stuff. Our conversations with the Dr. really turned into a non-event for me because the really only new information we received was an actual calendar schedule of chemo visits and what they call a 'Teach'.

'Teach'
We will meet with a nurse tomorrow for approximately 1 hour to cover exactly what Chemo 'chemicals' will be administered which day, and the actual procedure, effects and symptoms I'll be feeling. The good news? Chemo for most people doesn't includes all the nausea, fatigue and all the nasty symptoms most folks associate with it ( or at least can be managed very well...). Medicine and symptom management has come a long way ( Great for me!) It also means that I should be perfectly fine to continue most things as normal including work, exercise, family and friends! Awesome, huh?

What about immune deficiencies?
Well, because the whole point of Chemo is to destroy cells ( yes, both Cancer and good cells) it will tear my body down some and Chemotherapy is cumulative... The longer it's administered, the harder it is for my body to bounce back to 100%. Just makes sense. Good news is that for the first 2-3 'cycles (21-days) they don't think I'll have any significant concerns for either exposure to infection or risk from casual contact. So keep those hugs coming!!!

The way our Dr's and I will manage any immunity concerns will be through regular blood tests and if we see where my counts are dropping down into a range where I need to be more protective or particular on what environments I am in ( work, school (virus petrie dish), home... etc) then we'll adjust and let folks know; but for now we're perfectly fine and I'm still considered 100% healthy like everybody else ( ok, not exactly but hope you know what I mean...)

Quick Vacation / trip
So I think the family and I are going to try and get away for a weekend before my cycles begin just since travel will most likely be the limiting factor in my care moving forward; it would be hard for the Dr's to monitor my counts if I'm not in town; but we'll manage that as needed.

Radiation finished this week!
I'll be done with my last radiation treatments Thursday this week and have a long weekend to rest up before we start the chemo cycles next Monday. So far I really haven't had any symptoms to these treatments with the exception of being a bit more tired after... Last week we mentioned that in addition to my upper spine radiation, the Dr also added 5 treatments for my lower left hip; all radiation being to reduce the size and pressure of a couple things to make chemo more effective. So doing 2 treatments seemed to make me slightly more tired but not much else.

Last note...
Many of you have noted a small change in the site where we have some background music playing and I wanted to express what this song has meant and will mean to me... The song is called 'Praise you in the Storm' by Casting Crowns ( contemporary Christian). I have been listening to this song for the past many months even way before I thought I had any major back issues, and the words and lyrics always reminded me of God's Love. We can ask him anything, but many times just because we don't receive what we ask for, we think that we cannot have it when the reality is everything is His plan, not ours.

One of my favorite stanzas is the following and many times I can really take it to heart:

I was sure by now God, You would have reached down
And wiped our tears away
Stepped in and saved the day
But once again, I say "Amen", and it's still raining
As the thunder rolls I barely hear
You whisper through the rain "I'm with You"
And as Your mercy falls
I raise my hands and praise the God who gives And takes away

and this always makes me think of another song / lyric I can't locate now but the general idea is...

Sometimes God calms the child, sometimes he calms the storm...

bottom line... it's his plan, timing and I can have Praise, faith and hope in Him.

Thanks,
Gavin

Today's appointment

2006-12-28T20:18:00.000-05:00

Just a quick note to give you an update of what we learned today. Dr. Pal said the tests they were waiting on were inconclusive as to the origin of the cancer. It's still there, still needs to be treated but we probably won't ever know where it started.
Gavin will start chemo on Jan. 8th and will continue it on the 9th and 10th. The chemo will run in 21 day cycles with the first 3 days being the chemo and the rest of the time being recovery. During the rest of the time he will go in for lab work to check his blood cell counts. After the first 2 cycles they will do another CT scan to see if the chemo is effective. At that time they will either decide to continue the same regimen or change it up if need be. The rest of this week and through Thursday of next week will be finishing up radiation.
After the anxiety of last week's visit, this week was very calm. We definitely felt all of your prayers and God gave us a lot of peace this afternoon. We are ready for the battle...bring it on!
Love,
Maria and Gavin

Week 2

2006-12-27T22:08:00.000-05:00

I still cannot get my head around how much life can change in such a short time and yet how much it can still stay the same. There is still laundry to do and meals to fix but it is done with such a heaviness of heart. On the other hand, I believe if we didn't feel that weight we wouldn't be able to feel the wonderful presence of God in the midst of this. I still cry out to Him that it is not fair and lovingly He assures me that He is here with me and will not let us go through this alone.
Yesterday we had a bit of a surprise. We got to radiation and were told that Gavin would undergo another CT scan on his lower back and pelvis to prep him for radiation to that area. Unfortunately we had not heard this from any doctor so it was somewhat of a shock that another area was being focused on. We did talk to the radiologist today though and he told us that the oncologist had requested it. We believe it is to prevent that area from aggravating Gavin when he starts chemo.
We have another oncology appointment tomorrow at 3:15. Please pray extra for us at this time as we believe we will be getting a more specific diagnosis and plan for treatment.
Once again we thank you for all of your prayers, support, and offers for help. I'm not sure if we will be able to post right away tomorrow, we might need a few days to absorb the information ourselves. Just know that our faith is strong and our attitude positive.
We love all of you!
Maria

A post from Gavin...

2006-12-24T09:00:00.000-05:00

I will apologize in advance of what I expect might end up to be a long-winded, rambling read; but feel free to read at your leisure even if it takes you a day to read it all :)

So, where to start?
I guess I won't start with the past yet and talk just a smidge about this blog / site etc... First and foremost I need to sincerely thank everyone who has called, emailed, signed the guest book, offered prayers, wishes, help, hope and everything. I cannot express in any written, verbal or other sort of form the depth of feelings that my family and I have felt from y'all! From work colleagues to out of town Friends, to customers, to relatives and everyone it is simply amazing to see hope and notes coming in from everywhere; and also to notice how word spreads! We have personally talked to very (relatively) few people, yet I have acquaintances from years ago that have made contact to pass along thoughts from everywhere. Please keep them coming, they are an enormous source of hope and praise!

Things can change quickly, can't they? (or...a history so far...)
So, many of you may have just heard in the last 5 days or so that 'Gavin is fighting Cancer' and not much more than that, and here's my chance to provide some prospective on how my family find ourselves today. One thing I don't want people to do is read what has gone on and assume that there were signs, symptoms or 'More they could have done...' I am beyond looking at what could have been : I read a good quote ( my opinion ) last night I'd like to share:

( apologize for the weird reference :) From 'Eldest, Christopher Paolini ( 2nd book to Eragon; fantasy)
'Live in the Present, remember the Past, and Fear not the Future, for it doesn't exist and never shall. There is only now.'

How true is that? More true for me than ever before. Anyway, continuing...

Anywhere from months and months ago, to somewhere before labor day 2006 is when most folks close to me observed my first big problem with my back. I had traveled to NY on business and woke up the next day with some serious back pain and figured it was the soft plush seating avail ably in a continental commuter coach a320 :)... anyway, after that business trip my family and I headed to Hendersonville, NC and Camp Tekoa United Methodist camp for our yearly Church family retreat. I think more than a few folks will remember me hobbling around or just sitting doped up on Ibuprofen and not doing too much. Basically walking, sleeping, sitting and standing were all painful; but I've probably just messed my back up with travel... no big deal.

So, returning from Camp I headed to my Dr. and he prescribed some exercises and hot shower stretched for what we assumed was sore muscles. (Xray of spine just to take a look... Normal Xray doesn't show anything unexpected for my age..). After a while that the stretches would help, but not completely relieve symptoms, we switched to some good 'ol PT. Yeah, physical therapy including rubber-band stretching, hand-pedaling, massage, Tenser ( electrical stimulation of muscle groups around the affected one; hoping to muddle the brain and decrease stimuli to tightened muscles). Also, note I was using several, um... self-medication treatments ( heavy ibuprofen, otc 'back pain' pills; green tea; diet, exercises; nothing illegal :):) and these all weren't doing the trick.

So, Back to the Dr, again... this time, try some slightly stronger meds... Muscle relaxers and some prescription pain maintenance ( not Vicodin...yet :) )

Enter ~3-4 weeks ago... medication 'just not helping much'... Ok, try these (stronger) meds and let us know if it helps in 1-1/2 weeks.
Alrighty-then... stronger meds not doing much? Ok, let's get you to a Spine Specialist...

Closer to Today.... Had an appointment with Total Spine (Ballantyne) 12/11/2006 where they did an exam, reviewed the first XRays, and ordered some of their own with more pictures. Nothing on the xrays, Let's try and do an MRI and take a closer look inside.

The first MRI would have happened sooner, but my Grandmother passed away that same week and we made a family trip back to Ohio for her funeral. It was wonderful to be with Family and relatives and celebrate & see her one last time. She led a very full life, outlived 2 children and a husband, and was more than ready to join them in Heaven! I have only happiness for her, now that she's joined them up there with Jesus!!!

ok, back to me... When I was in Toledo I still had my medication, heat pads & pain ( of course!) and was holding out 'till I would be able to get my MRI and see what's going on. (Oh, I did mention Vicodin, didn't I?) Well, many personal Friends know I have um, issues with stairs.... It's a unique trait actually, the ability to not only slip occasionally, but also to fall up ( yes, up) anyway, in toledo at our freinds house, I decided to chose 'Down' as a direction and ended up falling / sliding about 4 stairs down and really wrenching my back (yes, I do think I cried.). I mention falling, not because it caused any damage, but it did get me off my butt to quickly schedule that MRI ASAP. (Oh yeah, and I did get about 4 days worth of Vicodine and Soma ( muscle Relaxers)... Those meds DID work well and took away the pain edge I'd had for some time ).

So, we made a call after the emergency room to schedule an MRI as soon as humanly possible on Monday 12/17/2006. 6:45am MRI, Charlotte Medical Center Main.

12/17/2006 Things accellerate rapidly...
So, have to tell you, lying on hard flat wood or plastic for an MRI is not pleasing given the pain I was in... Anyway... ~ 2 hours later and we're home... I'll work from home today, feeling too much pain to function well anyway.

10:30am My family physicial calls ( haven't talked to him an ~ month( total spine had taken the lead) and quietly he tells me 'I'm sorry to have to tell you this, we found something concerning on your MRI and it appears to be a tumor inside your vertebrae and putting pressure on the spinal cord. We have a great specialist who will be calling you from Total Spine to discuss things further and set up an appointment". Wow. I'm stunned. He said Tumor. But is that the same as the 'C' word? Some people get nodules, cysts, 'growths, tumors... they all don't mean 'C' do they? I couldn't think at this point, just dumfounded...

10:45-11am - Total Spine specialist called... "I'm terribly sorry, we found a tumor that is on the spine, etc.... same as 1st Dr., yada yada... then: 'We are sending your information over to Charlotte Hematology / Oncology for them to schedule an appointment..." WHAT!?!?!? Did he just say Oncology? as in Cancer, Oncology right? no, can't be... denail... Dr. reiterates I'm sorry it appears that it may be Cancer; these are the folks we sent one of our own nurses to; best in the business, etc etc... I just sat down after that phone call. it's true. Potentially Cancer.

11:15am -- Oncology calls. We've reviewed your MRI and would like to schedule an appointment. Can you be here by 12:15? Wow. the Dr's never schedule something so quick unless it's that important. More fear and trepidation. Why so soon? what do they know? So, we make the appointment and after about 2 hours of discussion of my back tumor, the Oncologist want's me in the hospital for additional tests today. 'Ok, how about after 4pm when the kids are home from school?", I ask?. DR: I'd rather have you there sooner if possible.

Ok, Thank God for blessings, My father-in-law always stays pre-christmas -> newyears with us in Charlotte; he can manage the house while we're away.

3:30pm ( yes, still Monday 12/17)
Dr wants to do : CT Scan, Brain MRI, PET Scan, blood work; nothing too major except Spine Specialist may decide to do Biopsy of something from my back/tumor ( never happened). Finally about 9:30pm I'm done with my tests ( for the day...) Lots for Dr's to review, talk to you tomorrow.

Tuesday 12/18 - Day 2 hospital Hooray for me, More tests! Heading down at 9am for a PET Scan. PET scan is where they inject a radioactive isotope into the blood and Cancer cells are supposed to metabolize chemicals faster than normal cells so... if you see high metabolism of the Isotope somewhere it's a fast metabolizing process; your heart and brain light up like crazy and so do Cancer cells. Dr. is also concerned about my Liver from other tests and wants to do a Biopsy ( yeah, get in there and 'take a sample', fun fun. ) Bring it on.

Dr's need more time to review all the tests so far, looks like they've taken all the pictures, blood, samples etc to get full scope of everything and come up with a game plan. In the meantime, the spine and oncologist want to start me on Radiation treatment for the tumor in my spine to reduce spinal cord pressure, concerns and pain. Looks like 10 treatments ( 1 each day ). Fortunately so far, Radiation therapy doesn't have any side effects, and the most I might have would be some discomfort in my throat; but nothing even through Christmas eve so far!

Have to mention, 4th floor CMC Main oncology worked very well to adjust meds and minimize my pain to almost pre-labor day... I feel better without flying too fog-headed; get lots of needed catch-up sleep.

Wednesday 12/19 - Freedom from Hospital food!
Dr's are done with any testing, pain is under control and they are letting me out just in time to make My daughter's Author Celebration ( Kids wrote short stories, and then read in front of the parent's class) I was so glad to be able to go! Those nurses worked their tails off to bust me out, checkout etc. Dr. would like to schedule a followup meeting Thursday to cover the results. More fear and trepidation...

Thursday 12/20 - Radiation and information
Headed in for radiation treatment then we have a 3:15pm with Oncologist.

Semi-final findings
So, how did our 3:15 go... well, they are still working to specifically identify and give this stuff a Name; but suffice it to say the following: ( disclaimer: please understand that we are trying to be intentionally vague as to exact diagnosis, type, location etc. we don't want folks focusing on a single item; searching the 'internet' and getting mis-information, or even worse, doing our family an unintentional disservice by sharing inaccuracies with others who haven't talked to us; we hope you understand. Our doctors have counseled us that their only recommended, authoritative source for information is Cancer.Gov)

It appears that the cancer potentially started in my abdomen and has moved to other areas of my body, making it a somewhat later 'Stage' cancer ( that is, greater stages are defined as progression from a single source/area) and we've mentioned that there is some in my abdomen and also my spine / vertebrae.

So, what now?
For treatment plans, prognosis, etc; So far I am planning on completing the radiation treatments for my back sometime after New Years; and then the plan will be *some* sort of ChemoTherapy. My Oncologist says I'm very young and healthy and we'll be able to do some very aggressive treatment moving ahead. Right now I have high hopes and feel really well, better than in months!

Family Time - Well, I'm stoked that this will be an awesome week! I'll be home all week spending some awesome time with the Kids, Wife and Friends and we'll keep this site updated as we keep on goin! Take care and enjoy the holidays; stay safe!

Last few words for today...
Please don't take this as a doom & gloom, end of the world comment from me, but a perspective adjustment I have made over the last few days. Cherish every single moment with everyone you meet and remember that everyone you meet will remember you. Will they remember the grumpy person who didn't make eye contact, or will they remember the person that even with all the hustle and bustle, had time to pass a simple smile or Merry Christmas. Treat everyone you meet, come in contact with with Love and respect and remember the reason for tonight and tomorrow:

He came tonight in human form to save US and give us everlasting life. Not everlasting life on earth; but to Live with him in Heaven. Forever.

Maybe a little religious for some of you but 'It is what it is...' *Thanks Sam :)

Thanks if you made it this far! This website will be a wonderful outlet for me to keep in contact and let y'all keep tabs on my positive progress!

Keep the Love, Prayers and Hope coming; I can't express how positive they have made my family and I!
-Gavin

This Sunday at church

2006-12-23T09:37:00.000-05:00

Thank goodness...the Christmas shopping is 95% done! A great big thanks to Jane for shopping with me last night, you don't know how much your presence helped me get through it.
I just wanted everyone to know that Drew is planning on going to 11 a.m. service tomorrow with the Lisks. Please try not to crowd him too much or ask him too many questions as he is only 14 and still trying to absorb the last week. We will be at the family service in the afternoon and feel free to approach us then.
We love you all!
Maria

Post-appointment

2006-12-21T20:23:00.000-05:00

Sorry to say we don't have all of the details. All of the tests aren't done. It is officially a cancer of some sort. It has spread with the point of origin believed to be the pancreas. There will be chemo sometime soon. Gavin will still go to his daily radiation treatments until the doctor knows what chemo course to take from the test results. Our next appointment is next Thursday at 3:15, possibly earlier if the doctor wants us to. Thank you for all of your prayers and words of comfort in the guest book. We love all of you and are hopeful that we can get to family service on Christmas Eve (checking with the doctor in the morning). One last note, at some point in time we would love visitors. Due to the chemo he will be starting, we can only visit with healthy friends. If anyone in your family is sick, please postpone your visit for another time. Wish me luck getting our kids flu shots tomorrow-they are already freaking about it! Merry Christmas everyone!
Love, Gavin and Maria

Pre-appointment

2006-12-21T08:03:00.000-05:00

First of all, we would like to thank Dave Brown for setting this up for us. This will be the perfect way to keep everyone informed and for Gavin to stay connected when he feels up to it.

Here is the latest: They did release Gavin from the hospital yesterday around noon. We are so happy that he will be home for Christmas. His back pain is finally getting better through pain medication. He will be having radiation on an outpatient basis at CMC Main at 11:30, Monday through Friday, for 10 days. We meet with Dr. Pal (the oncologist) today at 3:15 and are expecting a full diagnosis and prognosis then. Needless to say that this will be a very long day of waiting on pins and needles.

Please be mindful that the next few days are going to be extremely rough ones and we might be out of contact. Thanks in advance for respecting our need for some family time and ask that there be no visitors. Feel free to call our cell phones, if we are up to talking we will answer! One last thing, we know a lot of people like to send flowers at times like this. As much as we love plants and flowers, we do have 3 cats and they will just eat them!

We would like to thank everyone for their kind offers of help and most of all your prayers. God is the great physician and it is in His hands now. We love all of you and know we feel truly blessed.

Love, Gavin and Maria