PET Scan Results

We got the phone call from Maureen Long, the director of Camelot Cancer Care, at about 6:40pm this evening. Now..this was just a phone conversation, I have not seen the PET Scan pictures myself...and I was listening in on the conversation with my head up against Derek's head, while his ear was to his cell phone...and I do not know or understand all that there is to know, more will be explained when Derek and I travel back to Tulsa next week.

Good News!~
1. The cancer has not metastasized into Derek's torso or anywhere else.
2. The center of the cancerous tumor is DEAD!!

What this all means and then the slightly negative part...
The cancer has not spread...self explanatory. Tumors die from the center or inside-out...so we know what we have been doing IS WORKING!! With PET Scans they measure SUV's (?? I think that is the correct term) and anything with a value of five or above is considered cancerous. The center of the tumor is dead..the cells surrounding the center measured an 8.8 (I believe). Also (here is the slightly negative part) there was an upward streamline towards a lymph node that measured a three point something and then (and I apologize to family that when I spoke with you I did not know this part, this is the part I missed and Derek had to explain to me later.) there is a place near the lymph node that measures 4.1. Now, again...anything 5 or above is considered cancerous, so these numbers are low enough that they are not even considered cancerous...we will keep plugging away and they will not have the opportunity to become cancer!! Maureen said that as cancer is dying it can try to recolonize and move else where...and she believes that is what is happening...or it could be that before we got to Camelot, that the cancer was trying to move. Whatever the case...what we are doing is working and we cannot stop!! We just got to keep hammering away. Maureen said, "We can beat this! We know that what we are doing is working." Because the cancer is trying to move, we may have to tweak things in our game plan slightly...BUT PRAISE GOD!! It has not metastasized and IT IS DYING!!! I cannot tell you how I love to hear it and I love to say it...the center of the cancer is DEAD... PRAISE GOD!! THANKS for all the prayers... we will beat this! God is good.

Special Thanks to Kirsten and Her AMAZING Friends!!

I wanted to say a special thank you to Kirsten. I have no idea what the email said that she sent out to her friends and then they passed along to their friends, but I have never been treated so warmly by complete strangers. We met Kirsten and Joe, her husband, about 12 years ago at Victory Life Church in Durant, OK. They were a fun, friendly couple. We were expecting ..her first child and my second at the same time..in fact our babies were due on the same day! (We didn't have them on the same day.) Anyway, they moved and we moved, we lost contact with one another, and then later reconnected through Facebook. Kirsten kept up through the internet with what we were going through, and told me that she knew many people in the Tulsa area. Before we left for Tulsa, we started receiving cards of encouragement with money from complete strangers!! Once we got to Tulsa, we had more meals than I can count from ...again, complete strangers!! Homemade meals...delicious home baked goods!! We also had...babysitters, hand me down clothes, and offers to take our kids to movies, pizza, etc. It was AMAZING!! This is the body of Christ! This is how the church should operate. I will NEVER forget this time in my life and I most assuredly will never forget the love of God shown to us through strangers!!! God bless you all!!

The Past Three Weeks...Or More..

Whew! Where do I begin???
There is sooo much.. especially since I haven't blogged in SOOOOO long!!

Getting Here~
In my last post I had written about our plans to come to Camelot Cancer Care and at that time, we had the appointment set but nothing more. We did not have a hotel to stay in and we didn't even have the money!! Not long after that post our van broke down and so did I!! You know how it is..when you are coming down to the wire and you are needing to see progress and things happening. You know how it feels when nothing SEEMS to be coming together right!! Thank God that He is never late and always on time:) As everything seemed to be falling apart other things just started falling into place. I won't be able to tell it all tonight, but will try to give the short version:)


We are using a van that belongs to friends and will be purchasing it once we return home. ..Oh by the way, we made it to Camelot Cancer Care here in Tulsa and I am writing this from our hotel room. The money for the hotel...came in the very next morning after the van broke down.. a sweet lady from Derek's Granny's church who lost her husband to cancer! Derek nor I have EVER met her...can you believe that? In fact, we have found some pretty amazing people through all of this and even more...we have found out what a REALLY amazing God we serve. We have had money, cards of encouragement, FOOD!, babysitters...all kinds of things being offered to us in ways that can only come from HIM!!!


Anyway, I'll tell more about all that later... let me get to Derek and his treatments. I know many are wanting to know. ~ Camelot Cancer Care~
Camelot Cancer Care staff is amazing!! I have never met people with such HUGE hearts!! We are at the right place! I believe everyone working and caring for people in that clinic are nothing short of pure genius! They are driven by passion to see people well. We have grown so close to the staff. I will NEVER forget Maureen, Belinda, Noel, John, Heather, or Michael. Maureen is the owner/director...operator...she is a fire ball and I thank God for her. She is Einstien smart...incredibly knowledgeable about cancer. Belinda is one of our favorites!! She is the vascular specialist/nurse. I cannot even imagine how giving she is. It is truly a blessing to have her caring for Derek. We are in great hands. Noel and his doberman, Champ, are dear as well...Derek asks for Noel when he needs a pep talk. When Noel is administering treatments he is so positive and uplifting. He speaks Derek's language! There is so much that I could say about this staff...I just don't have enough time:) While I am ready to go home, I can't even imagine how much I am going to miss these people, along with the other cancer fighters we have met. (I call them cancer fighters...none of them seem like cancer patients to me!)


~Cancer Fighters~ please add these names to your prayer lists... sweet, cheerful Nancy, Stan Poston (and his BEAUTIFUL wife, Janet... such awesome people!! There is so much to say about this couple..Godly people!!), Primo and his daughter Jannet (we should all be blessed with such a daughter) (Please pray for Primo that the swelling on his brain would subside so that he would be strong enough to return to Puerto Rico.), and two new fighters, Joe and then Grant and his family. It has been refreshing to be here with other believers.

Derek continues to feel great. The first day we arrived here at Camelot, a Picc line was placed in Derek so that he could receive the daily drip bag treatments. We will leave here with a bag, which we will stretch out over an eight day period. One bag usually lasts for four days. Most 'fighters' leave with a 20 day treatment to continue on at their home. At this time we do not have the finances to leave here with that, so we are going to just buy a bag at a time. We have a PET scan scheduled for 9am Monday, November 23rd, in Oklahoma City. The results will be sent back here, to Camelot Cancer Care. After a few days we should have the results. We will be heading back home to Texas as soon as the PET scan is finished on Monday. We were advised to continue on with the treatments as best we could for at least another month or two...no matter what the PET scan says. We do not want to give the cancer an inch! The idea is to get us at first ...four weeks down the road..then if we can get the cancer pushed back into a corner four months down the road and eventually four years, we will get to a place where the cancer will not ever return!! This is the goal!! I believe it a is a very attainable goal for us! We know we just have to keep at it, we cannot let up. We will continue on with the lifestyle change (healthy eating and exercising) for the rest of our lives.

Specific prayer requests~
1. Peace!! No fear...no matter what the PET scan results say..
2. Wisdom!
3. That nothing would be hidden!
4. Finances
5. Jannet and her father Primo to be able to return to Puerto Rico
6. These other cancer fighters~ Stan, Nancy, Joe and Grant

Thank you for reading! Thank you so much for all of the prayers and encouragement... God has been good to us!