Happy Birthday

There will probably be more than one post today to update you as the day goes on. Dad slept fairly well until about 3:30 a.m. His lungs began hurting and he had to get morphine at 4:00. He only got three doses, and has been pain med free since them. While this is no fun, it isn't unexpected. While the fluid is gone, the conditions he developed as a result still have to be dealt with. Mom was up with him almost all night, not because it was such a bad night, she just likes to sit by his bed until one of us kids forces her to go to the room to sleep. Pray for her ... she needs some spiritual insulation. Exhaustion is tapping her reserves dry. He isn't able to keep much down, but isn't in much pain. We are continuing to pray for God's intervention. Pray with us!

Dad is such an amazing man. Today, his birthday, is a day we have always celebrated with him. We are all blessed to be able to be in Dallas together today. He is still too weak to truly celebrate with him, but we can use the blog to celebrate him, and he can enjoy it when he is stronger. There are amazing men who have given much, done much for others, sacrificed much and made a mark on the world. Most of you know of Dad's incredible generosity with his time, effort, love and finances first hand, but I believe my Dad is exceptional because he did all these things while taking nothing from his family.

Growing up, Dad worked a lot of hours at UPS. But when he came him, the office was left behind and he was truly with us. He had no outside hobbies that did not include us, dinnertime was sacred (at the table, TV off, all together), cheerful and involved in our lives. As a parent, I view our home life as nothing short of miraculous. What commitment and strength it takes to pull off that kind of consistently balanced home. Mom worked outside the home most of my life, but she pulled off the dinner at the table (I can't remember a meal that didn't have a full place setting, tablecloth/place mats, cloth napkins, correct utensil placement, the works), and a cheerful atmosphere. He drilled a couple of things into us:

a) Relationship with God and family is paramount. Long before anyone told me this was how to order my life, Mom and Dad lived it via example, family altar nights (reading Cross and the Switchblade, Hiding Place and God's Smuggler), and church on Sunday a.m., p.m., Wednesday nights. Our social life centered around church services, activities and friendships. I can't remember one night when Dad called to say he'd be home late because he was going to happy hour or out with the guys.

b) Work first, then play. Saturday mornings, we were up early (Tommy says 5:00 a.m., I think it was 8:00), doing chores, but then it was play time. We were off to the lake with the boat. Waterskiing was our family thing, and we loved it (except Mom, who couldn't watch for fear we would break our necks). When Dad skiied, you could literally feel him pull the boat back when he was cutting back and forth. It kind of reinforced the bigger than life, stronger than a 360 hp inboard boat motor, at least in our minds.

c) We were made to find pleasure in work. This kind of goes hand in hand with the lesson above. I have loved every job I have ever held. I don't just think this is because I was lucky at finding jobs. My Dad taught me to find pleasure in the work I did and in doing it exceptionally well. He has a strong work ethic, but an equally strong sense of fun. He taught that the two are not mutually exclusive but are good partners for satisfying work. I know few people who have effectively communicated this to their kids, and they are doing them such a disservice.

d) Party! No one loves a party more than Dad. He's the center of all the action, lampshade on his head and all (Mom standing to the side shaking her head and ejoying every bit of it). Where he differs in this mentality is that he parties without the need of chemically altering his mood. He takes complete joy in each moment and is able to sweep everyone around him along for the ride. I think that's what makes him such a magnet. He is a mood altering substance (kind of like a virus that infects everyone around him with joy). I've known many people like him in reverse, pulling everyone down around them, but he is unique in his ability to elevate those around him to greater joy and performance. If there weren't other people, we would have a party just with our family. I remember hours of playing games (Nertz, Killer, I Doubt It a/k/a B.S., board games, etc.) and our parents actually played with us.

Is it any wonder that during the only time in his life he has been seriously ill, all of his children are eating, sleeping, praying, praising, and sitting by his bed willing him (if we only could) to get better. I know of other families who have to make a schedule to "cover" hospital shifts. Dad is the only one I know who has a physical line of people waiting to sit by his bed while he sleeps. There are at least two or three of us sleeping in the room with him, and more would be here if we could fit. If love, prayers, wishes, tears and begging could have him healthy and partying today, he most surely would be having a birthday blowout of unprecedented proportions. But the reward for Dad's unselfish generosity to his family isn't in that kind of celebration. It's eternal and yet to be enjoyed ("later, later -- not right now, right now").

A Note From Eileen

It's quiet here in Tom's lovely peaceful room. Tom (son) has taken all the grandkids to dinner, Suzanne is with Tom (Junior Junior) while he is recovering from removal of a lump from the lymph node behind his ear today (thankfully benign, but the biopsy report won't be in until Monday), Cari and Hector are at the Baylor Hotel taking a well deserved break, and DeeDee is at our house packing a bag to replenish all our wardrobes for the week ahead. She is waiting for Robert who will come roaring in on his Harley about 8:00 pm tonight He dropped her off in Souix Falls (or someplace like that) yesterday and she flew on ahead since she just couldn't wait to get to her Daddy. She arrived about midnight last night and was invaluable to Cari and me as we helped Tom through the night. About 8:00 pm last night Tom was moved from his room on the 9th Floor to a lovely 2 room suite on the 16th floor - and not a moment too soon. The hordes are decending!!!! We had all 9 of the grandkids in here today, just in time to celebrate Tom's amazing turn around after Dr. Kuhn and Dr. Cari got done taking out all that fluid. We gathered around his bed to sing praises (We Will Remember) and lift our voices together to thank the Lord for his lovingkindness to us!!!

Now, it's just the two of us - I like it that way sometines. He is sleeping peacefully after eating his first meal in 4 or 5 days. Pureed potato soup and grape juice (hey, you gotta start someplace). I'm just sitting here listening to him take nice deep breaths and occassionally snore. I kinda miss the vivid morphine dreams he acted out (he led the choir, played the piano, wrote to-do lists and lifed his hands (playing, working and praising - his favorite pastimes when awake). We anticipate less and less need for pain meds, but taking one hour at a time. This hour is great!!!!

Love you all and thanks for your support, prayers and calls. If I don't return your call, it's not that I don't love you or care. But, as you can see, I'm very busy - sitting here watiching my husband sleep.

We Will Remember,

Eileen

JOY COMES IN THE MORNING --- AND IT DID

Good news today! They placed a tube down Dad's nose into his stomach (okay, so Dad didn't think this was such good news). The tube was connected to suction that pumped out a large amount of air that had accumulated and inflated Dad's stomach due to the pressure on the intestines from the fluid in the abdominal cavity. This exacerbated the problems he was already experiencing due to the incredibly large quantity of fluid. It was a really rough night, with breathing taking all the energy Dad had. It was scary to sit there, trying to help him breath by practicing lamaze, and failing miserably to do anything to help him. We held on to the thought that joy comes in the morning. And sure enough, it did. The stomach tube alleviated some of his breathing discomfort. Then at about 2:00 Dr. Kuhn drained the peritoneal fluid (5 1/2 liters of it). Unbelievable!! I even got to help him, since the procedure was performed in Dad's hospital room. Dad is the only man I know of who can relate what it feels like to be 9 months pregnant. Hopefully he gave birth to a vaccine today. He is breathing deeply and feeling sooo much better already. He kept down orange juice and water. We will try Ensure tonight and only use pain and nausea meds when he feels absolutely necessary. We need to assess his pain level without all this fluid. His digestive system has to kick back into gear and he still has fluid around his lungs, so these things can definitely be painful. Continue to pray. He has to clear his lungs in the next few days, so that will take some work. We have more ahead of us, but he has the strength for the task now. Praise God for his faithfulness to us today. Praise Him! The battle belongs to the Lord. That doesn't mean we don't have to fight. Deep breath .... give a shout of praise .... now back on your knees (pleeeeaaase).

Update

What a roller coaster ride we’re on. Yesterday afternoon, Tom sat up, smiled and proceeded to laugh, interact and insult the family and friends gathered around his bed to pray for him. His pain increased again later in the evening and he had to ask for the morphine every two hours during the night. He didn’t sleep much and early this morning the nausea overtook him and he was pretty miserable by the time Dr. Kuhn came to see him mid morning. After examination and consultation with Dr. Nemunaitis they advised that an immediate change of direction was necessary. We agree with them that Tom should immediately go back on the Gemzar chemotherapy, and a significant amount of the fluid in the peritoneal cavity should be drained. Dr. Kuhn will also try to drain the fluid collected outside the lung (both right and left involved now). This means we are not going to be able to wait for the plasma (virus carrier) to come in. The fluid in his abdomen is creating too many complications that pose significant health threats. Tom’s had an uncomfortable day, being wheeled across the street to the Mary Crowley Center, for the chemo treatment, back to his room, then downstairs in a wheelchair for x-rays. He is now resting, waiting for Dr. Kuhn to make the next move.

Someone made the observation today, that Tom is like a moving target, and we concur. But we want the world and the evil one to know that he is protected by the full armor of God and there is an army of intercessors praying supernatural protection over him.

Every step of this journey we have prayed for God to open the doors we are to walk through and close the ones we are not. We continue to do that, and He is meeting us and walking with us each step of the way.

SHOUT IT FROM THE ROOFTOPS

Okay, some good news today! The pain in his chest dissipated around lunch time today. He developed sever pain in the lower back that was keeping him from sitting upright. The more he laid down the more his lungs developed fluid. Since most of his other pain had either gone away or diminished, this was the only thing he was taking the morphine for. Tom, Suzanne, Elizabeth, Bradyn, Tommy, Julie and Sam arrived at about 2:00 and laid hands on him and prayed for him. As they were praying, the pain completely left him and has not returned!!! PRAISE GOD! We were all completely in tears. Everyone thank God because he has shown up here today. It is a day for rejoicing.

Next order of business is to pray for the vaccine. They can't drain the 1-2 gallons of fluid in Dad's belly until they receive the "plasma". This is the virus that has the bad stuff taken out so they can put his cultured cancer cells into it, radiate it and -- voila -- cancer vaccine for one, please. They anticipate that this will arrive in 10 days realistically. It could arrive as early as 3 days. Prayer warriors on your knees. This fluid he is incubating is the ideal medium for culturing cancer cells to make the most potent vaccine according to Dr. Nemunaitis. But they need the "first draw" to get enough cancer cells to culture. He said they almost never get a patient who hasn't had the fluid drained (due to the discomfort and risks). I wonder how this happened? We are just in time, albeit in definite discomfort, to culture these cells in the incubator of Dad's belly. His cure is inside him, waiting to be released in God's time. PRAY that the plasma arrives. We are specifically praying for Friday. The doctor, who we don't think is a Believer, knows we are praying over EVERYTHING. He said to pray, maybe it would show up early. The gauntlet has been thrown and Dad is still in discomfort carrying all this fluid around. Let's move heaven and earth on his behalf and bombard the throne of God with our petitions.