Little Sam

We went to visit Josh's cousins' baby Sam at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta today. For those of you who don't know, Sam was born in December with a rare heart defect and had to have heart surgery this past Monday. This was the first time we got to meet him, and let me tell you, he is a cutie pie. Chris and Kathy (Sam's parents) have gone through a very scary time with all of this, so please say a prayer for them while you're praying for Josh and I. If you are interested, their blog is www.lilwim.blogspot.com. We had a nice visit with them today but unfortunately forgot to take any pictures.

Tomorrow is Palm Sunday and I will be the lay reader at the early service. Hosanna!

Peace,
Kimberly

Keemo "The-Rapist"

Keemo "The-Rapist"
Waits for me silently
Watches my improvements
Contemplates my naivete
Punctures my arm
Drains my soul
Death matters little
Keemo "The-Rapist"

Keemo "The-Rapist"
Where do you hide?
Show your pale face
Expose your nakedness
Wet my lips with your poisonous nectar
Rid my body of my inequities
Bask in my darkness
Keemo "The-Rapist"

Originally posted in early 2008. Seems relevant to my experience now.

Congressional Call-In Results

Here are the results of the number of calls to Congressional offices on Tuesday. Thank you to everyone who participated! You have made an effort which will ultimately save thousands of lives!

Butt-In Results

Bad News

Well, my cancer is back in my lungs. I completed the brochoscopy this morning and the initial biopsy results are positive. I will hear from my medical oncologist soon and hopefully see him next week. We will discuss treatment options and move forward with some course of action.

On the bright side, they were able to re-inflate my left lung so I am no longer in pain when I breath.

Please keep me and Kimberly in your thoughts and prayers as we face more difficult decisions.

Peace,
Josh

Dr. Visit Today

I went to visit a new member of my treatment team, Dr. Minnich. He is a thoracic surgeon and he went over the procedure that I will have tomorrow. Basic information is about all we discussed. He asked if I had any questions and I asked about other possibilities that could lead to a collapsed lung other than a tumor. He talked about pneumonia or other viral infections but mentioned that I was not presenting with a fever or other signs of an infection. He stated that that had him most concerned regarding my previous history of rectal cancer. I then asked about prognosis if it is metastasis and he stated that I would have to undergo a PET scan to quanitify the tumor location and grade. He mentioned that there would be a low probability that it would be a primary secondary cancer and that if it is cancer that it is probably metastasis. I will have preliminay pathology reports regarding any biopsy immediately after the procedure, but final results will be a couple of days. Given this information he stated that chemotherapy is the usual approach with a PET scan to determine surgical options...sigh!

Keep your fingers crossed and prayers coming that it is not a tumor. I, or Kimberly, will post tomorrow to let everyone know the results.

Peace,
Josh

Collapsed Lung

So, I was needing to post about my condition but I wanted to wait until after the Congressional Butt-In so everyone who visited would see that information and be inclined to participate. When I traveled up to DC last week I experienced severe chest pain and difficulty breathing on the plane. The pain continued, less severe, throughout the week and I decided to visit my doctor upon return. They did a chest x-ray and then called me back immediately. I knew such a quick return phone call was not good news. They informed me that I had a partially collapsed left lung and needed to return for a chest CT-scan. My surgeon looked at the results and there is something blocking air to my lower left lung. They are not sure just what it is so I have to meet with a thoracic surgeon today and then complete a bronchoscopy tomorrow. They will go down into my lung and take a look and complete a biopsy if it looks suspicious.

I am really scared that my cancer has returned. It is not the end of the world if it has, but it is certainly not good news. Please keep me in your thoughts and prayers today and tomorrow and hope that it is just a collapsed lung caused by something besides a tumor. (Only after cancer can you hope that it is just a collapsed lung) I will post my news as soon as I can tomorrow and hopefully have better idea of what is going on.

Peace,
Josh

PS. Thanks to everyone who participated in the Butt-In. Do not hesitate to follow-up with your legislators to put the pressure on them to co-sponsor the legislation. We are on the cusp of getting this passed which will save numerous lives with expanded screening opportunities!