Discouraging news

I just talked with Nathan. Tricia's PET scan showed no remission in the cancer and that it may have spread to a lymph node in her chest. Tomorrow they will do a biopsy and from there determine the next step of treatment.

Nathan, Tricia and Gwyneth will be returning home tomorrow from Duke.

We all had hopes that this round of chemo would kill the cancer, but it hasn't. Thanks for your continued prayers.

The eye of the storm has passed by

A hurricane hits and pounds with wind and rain and flood. Then for a brief time, when the eye passes over it gets peaceful. The skies are even blue for a short time. But then after the eye passes the pounding continues until the storm is gone.

The results of Tricia's scan today showed that her lymphoma was essentially unaffected by the chemo she's had over the last 5 weeks. In fact, the cancer has grown.

Nathan's blog gives the details.

We're all discouraged, to put it mildly.

I don't have answers to the obvious questions. I hope I have the faith the size of a mustard seed, however.

Thanks for your prayers. The winds and rain have picked back up on the back side of this storm.

What a month!

One month ago Gail and I had just arrived at Duke Hospital after getting the call at 6PM that Tricia would be undergoing double lung transplant surgery that evening.

The next few days were the most difficult in many ways of her entire stay in the hospital, and not just for her.

But now, a month later the smiles abound as Tricia breathes with lungs full of air and anticipates Gwyneth's discharge and the day the three of them come home.

God is good!

This month is CF Awareness Month here in the US. Isn't it a wonder how this all comes together?

Duke Univ. Hospital ROCKS!

I've been holding back on coming out with this, but after watching this video, it seems like the right time.

The people at Duke are amazing. We're so blessed to be close enough to a research medical facility of the highest quality.

Are they perfect? Heck, no. Only One person gets that status. But what's so cool is that He uses people - doctors, nurses, social workers (Hi Bill) and others in the health care profession to "over achieve" and to be willing to take risks that lesser mortals might not attempt.

I love to hear docs use terms like "amazing" and "miraculous". My guess is that the best of them realize they have an unseen partner.

Thanks to all of you at Duke. You are the best.

I'll even start cheering for the Blue Devils now.

Amazing indeed!

Dr. Duane Davis, director of transplantation at Duke University Medical Center says he's amazed Tricia was able to give birth and survive the transplant. "The amazing thing is what she had to go through to get here- fact that she had a pregnancy-- survived that, then survived the transplant, the rest is what we do, but the fact that she got through it really is the amazing component," Davis said.

From a story broadcast by ABC 11 in Raleigh.

When a layman like myself looks at Tricia's story and says, "Amazing!", that's one thing. Scientifically what do I know? But when the main TX dude says "Amazing!" it escalates the meaning of the word.

More media coverage of Tricia's discharge from Duke yesterday can be found here in the Raleigh News and Observer. (Gotta run out and buy a copy!)

Here's another quote from Dr. Lin, who performed the surgery: "This in itself is a miraculous outcome."

Not to be repetitive, but when a scientist of Dr. Lin's caliber says "miraculous", it kind of gives it a little more luster.

More Media Coverage of Family Miracles

At breakfast with some of our First Appointment guys this AM Seth got a call from his wife Jeanna that Tricia's story was being read on the radio news here locally. Being the perceptive guy I am I knew that meant it had to be in this morning's Virginian Pilot paper. So I went outside the restaraunt and bought the paper.

There it was, front page of the Hampton Roads section!

Last spring I had been on the same radio station -Beach 104 - to talk about the Great Strides Walk for CF, so I called them and offered to come in and talk about the story. So at 9:35AM I'll be doing that, helping to get the word out here about CF, organ donation and premature birth. Who knows, I might even mention God's role in this. (Do you think?)

This was all a surprise to us!