In the home stretch!

Saturday (RACE DAY!) is just a hop, skip, and a jump away.  However, please do not do any of these things in the final few days.  In fact, don’t do much of anything.  You’ve done enough.  This is easy for me to say, coming from the one who has dropped out of the race with the best excuse I could think of:  Mom and Dad’s first granddaughter.

I believe walkers start the race at 7:30 and runners take off at 8.  If you are interested in meeting up before, we can plan on meeting on the great lawn (across the street and down a little from slugger field, the starting point).  We will all have our phones on us, so call your favorite Pollom if you need further directions.  My cell # is 859-583-1563. 

I have emailed Brooke, one of the organizers of the race, and inquired about what those of us who could no longer run or only wanted to do part of the race (and be waiting/cheering at the end) should do logistically.  Below is a portion of her email back to me in case you had similar questions:

I spoke to our director of event operations, Troy Killian regarding your questions and he is completely supportive of the idea of you all starting the race with your dad and then meeting him at the finish line.  If you will just remove the chip from the back of your bib before you put it on, that would be great.  That way if you make it to the finish line before the lead runner, the timing isn't affected.

As far as the medal is concerned, you are absolutely welcome to get the medal at the finish line.  I would just jump back in the race before the chute closes the finish line off and go through like you have completed the race.  It might be cool for you to do that as your dad finishes. 

Thank you so much for passing along the link to your dad's blog.  It is so inspiring to read about his journey and the training he has gone through.  He is truly an inspiration and I wish you all the best of luck for a wonderful run on November 12th and a very healthy life as a family.

Finally, because this blog is in serious need of a picture and the support from everyone has been amazing, I’m thrilled to share this sweet picture of my cousin’s daughter Madison.  My cousins’ children have been some of Dad’s biggest cheerleaders with posters, bracelets, letters, glitter, etc.  Below is Madison supporting Dad and the Rangers at the World Series.



Safe travels to everyone!  Look forward to seeing you pre-race, racing, and relaxing afterward at Drakes.

xoxo,

Sarah

Less Than A Week

I can't believe it but we are less than a week away from the race. I just checked Louisville weather for next Saturday and they are calling for a high of 52, a low of 42 and 0% chance of rain. I hope that holds.

Friday night Chris Ball has arrainged for the West Lafayette contingent (and anyone else brave enough to put up with us) to meet at DiFabio's restaurant in Louisville.

If you want to meet before the race Saturday morning, we can assemble on the river side of the I 64 overpass on the The Great Lawn. We will have some bags you can put sweats or other stuff you are wearing to stay warm but don't want to run in. Sarah (pregnant daughter) will gather this up and have it at Drakes after the race.

Speaking of Drakes, Marti and I really hope you will be our guest there after the race for a celebration. They open at 11:15 and we have a room reserved until 2:00 pm.

For those of you staying Saturday night (and are not too sore to walk) we will probably check out 4th street live in downtown Louisville.

The hard part is behind us. See you this weekend for the reward.

Thanks for caring enough to be part of this journey to completion.

Marti Pollom Goes 13 Miles

Today Marti got in her first 13 mile training event. I'm pretty sure it will be her last 13 miler before the race and I am positive a big part of the reason she did it today was because she had just spent 7.5 hours in the car with me.

A couple of other quick notes about the race.

If you are coming from Indiana you need to know that the I-65 bridge is the only interstate aross the Ohio River these days and the traffic has been brutal, especially if you are attempting to exit on I-64 or I-71. Marti spent over an hour last Sunday night trying to get across. So please allow plenty of time or stay on 65 and exit in downtown Louisville and then make your way from there. Also I thought the race started at 7:30 but I received an email today saying 8:00. You may want to double check their web site.

A quick health update. Marti and I just got back from Duke today. The checkup went fine however I am still not in the clinical trail. They actually had us stay an extra day just in case the approval came through, but it did not. It really seems like it is just a procedural issue they are trying to resolve but we have been down this road before. The next opportunity for this to be approved is next Monday. The good news is the doctor at Duke believes the treatments I am getting here in Danville are working well enough that not starting this for another month will not be a problem.

See you in 19 days.

Thanks for caring

Mini Marathon Status

I hope you got your last long run in last weekend or plan to do it this weekend. I got 11 in Saturday and may do one more long one this Saturday. If the weather is anything like last Saturday we are going to be fine.

Speaking of race day, I can't tell you how much it means to me that several of you are planning to come and run and/ or support me during the race. I can never thank you enough for your support during this process. However as a very small token of our appreciation of your support, Marti and I would like for anyone running or anyone who has come to support us to be our guest at Drake's anytime from 11:15 am to 2:00 pm after the race. Drake's is a fairly short cab ride from downtown Louisville and is located in the St. Matthews area.

Sam and Sarah are suppose to be finding a place where we can gather pre-race. Will see if they come up with anything in the next couple of days.

I can't wait for 11/12.

Thank you so much for caring.

MRI Today

I had an MRI today and according to Dr. Baeker it looked "fantastic". Whew.

Thank you for caring.

10/9/11

I finished my second round of chemo on Friday. I am still a little tired today but did manage a 5 mile run this afternoon.

This weekend we began Sarah's birthday celebration. I say "began" because this is generally a two week event. All the kids were in and we had a great day at Keeneland yesterday. For those you not familiar with Keeneland, it is a thoroughbred race track in Lexington. The other thing you need to know is that when I say we had a "great" day you need to read that I did not lose too much money.

I heard from Duke this week and while admittance into the immunotherapy trial is still pending, I will be going back down there on October 24th for a checkup. The next really big date for me is October 17th. That is my next MRI.

For those of you running in the mini, there is only one month to go. I would really like to hear a) how your training is going and b) what is your best excuse for not running or having a slower time than you expected.

We are getting close.

Thanks for caring.

9/26/11

I had blood drawn today followed by a check up with Dr. Baeker. The platelets and white blood counts are still a little low, however they are starting to come back. Tom thinks by next week they should be good enough to start chemo again. So instead of starting today, I will begin chemo again next week. I think we are still trying to sort out the optimum dosage/cycle time that will work best for me.

There is nothing new to report from Duke. My main contact is out this week so I probably will not know anything more on this until next week.

In the meantime my running is still decent. I ran 5 miles Thurday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Friday night Marti and I played tennis against Sam and we lost. He also beat us Sunday afternoon. Saturday I played golf and broke even. I started to feel a little tired by the end of the round, then I realized it was from carrying my partner on my back most of the round. Actually Mr. Medaris came on strong with a 38 on the back to help us break even. We might have won money if I had not 3 putted from 8 feet on 17. But that is a story for another day.

Saturday night John, Sarabeth, Will, Sarah, Todd Marti and I went to Octoberfest in Danville. It was a blast. If you didn't go make sure and circle it on you calendar for next year.

And finally the biggest and best news, Marti and are going to be grandparents for the second time. Sarah and Todd are expecting their first child in April. How cool is that?

Thanks for caring.

9/15/11

Last week was one of the first weeks in a long time that I had no doctors appointments. I am still feeling good and my running has been more consistent.

So with no appointments last week I am trying to make up for it this week. I had a follow up with the neurosurgeon yesterday that went very well. He said he didn't need to see me again for 4 months. Today I had a follow up with the radiologist and he has given me a pass for 3 months. I was suppose to have blood drawn today but Duke needs samples from 9/19 and 9/26 so we are waiting until Monday.

Speaking of Duke, trying to get into a clinical trial has been a real start - stop process. The latest is I am waiting to be accepted into the trial designed to fight the specific marker found in my tumor. Dr. Baeker has been in touch with the doctor at Duke as well as Dr. Reardon (who has since moved on to Boston) and everyone is in agreement that my current Temador treatment, while waiting for me to be accepted into the trial, is the best course of action. Hopefully this is going to happen soon.

In the meantime there has been some good news and good times over the past couple of weeks.

The good news is that over the last week and a half I have reconnected with a couple of friends from high school. Dave Bolin lives about 30 miles from us and Marti and I are having lunch with Dave and his wife on Saturday. I can remember at least two occasions of riding in Dave's trunk during high school. Once was sneaking into a drive in movie and once was after a pick up football game in the rain and Bolin wouldn't let any of us sit in his car. I think there were 3 of us in trunk.

I have also heard from Cliff Staton who ran track and played football at West Lafayette (as did Bolin). Although I think Staton and I really came into our own during intramural basketball. Cliff is flying in from San Francisco to run the race in November.

The good times were last weekend when Marti and I met some other couples at a wine tasting and then later in the weekend I served beer at the local arts festival. Plus I got a 7 mile run in on Sunday.

This weekend my goal is a 9 miler.

Thanks for enduring the rambling post and thank you so much for caring.

Three Months Later

The last 3 day weekend of the summer has been a helluva lot better than the first 3 day weekend of the summer.

This past week I did 5 days of, as Sarah calls it, big boy chemo. I actually came through it ok, with only some fatigue. I am now on a 23 day stretch where I do not take any chemo, and then I start over again. Marti and Sarah both think it is somewhat funny that I am on a 28 day cycle. What passes for humor in this family is beyond belief.

Also on Friday I spent 6 hours at the UK Clinic undergoing test for diabetes insipidus. Since I completed radiation I have been very thirsty much of the time and making frequent trips to the bathroom. My glucose and other diabetes indicators were normal. However apparently diabetes insipidus can result from head trauma and disrupts hormones that should be secreted into the blood system. (For those of you reading this blog for the first time, I was a Political Science major, not Biology. For the actual facts about diabetes insipidus, look it up.). I will get the results tomorrow, but even if I have it, it appears to be easily controlled.

The rest of the weekend has been great. Marti and I went to a family wedding in Indiana and Roberta and Bob both made it up as well. I will say my sister is absolutely becoming more like her mother every day. We decided to stop at a Farmers Market to pick up some flowers to take to the cemetery, Roberta said she would pay for them and then announced to everyone at the Farmers Market she was getting these for her brothers as well and it was costing her $12. Being subtle is not her strong suit so I hand over $4. I don't think Bob ever paid up.

Sunday we stopped by and went to church with Sarah, Todd and Sam and to a great brunch at Ramsi's in Louisville. Sunday night was dinner with good friends.

Today I ran 7 miles in a slow, steady rain. It was about 65 degrees and perfect. This afternoon is shaping up to be Cubs on the couch.

Thanks for caring.

Roll Call

We are now officially 2 and 1/2 months away from the big race! Because of this, there are a few housekeeping things to take care of, namely, we need to know who all is going to be there.

Getting a somewhat accurate count is going to be more important for a couple reasons. First, we will all probably try and meet up somewhere before the race (stay tuned for more details in a future post) and we need to know how big of a space we need. Second, we will obviously need to celebrate the big accomplishment after the race is all over, and we need to know how many plan on being there.

So...here is what I need from you. If you could, let me or someone in the family know if you plan on being in Louisville on 11/12. It doesn't matter if you are running, walking, cheering on the runners, or crawling (side-note: Will crawls AT LEAST 13.1 miles everyday). We just need to know if you are going to be there. You can do this in several ways:

1. Simply press the comment button at the bottom of this post, and let us know if you are going to be there AND ANYBODY ELSE YOU KNOW OF THAT IS GOING TO BE THERE.

2. If commenting on blogs just isn't your thing, you can obviously call, e-mail, or text anybody in the family. Bonus points if the person you contact is the ever-elusive John. (Warning: "Bonus points" are something I just made up and won't actually get you anything. But it would be hysterical.)

That's about it. Also, today might be the first day in history where I got up early to run 5 miles while Dad slept in. This really has nothing to do with anything else in this post. I just wanted it recorded somewhere.

Much Love,

Sam

August 28 Update

Good news and other news this week.

The good news is Marti and I went back to Duke this week and I am all set to start the next leg of this journey. I will begin the next phase of chemo starting tonight and the monthly vaccinations are scheduled to begin in about 3 weeks. The vaccination will target a specific "marker" that is present in my tumor and is present in 20% - 30% of this type tumor. This trial has been going on for 8 years and has been featured on 60 Minutes.

I also got in a 6 mile run this morning and felt pretty good, although I am a long way from running 13.1 miles.

The other news is that this round of chemotherapy is for 5 days a month and then off for 23 days, however the dosage has increased significantly. During radiation I was on 160mg of Temodor and starting tonight I will be taking 435mg. It will be interesting to see how I react to this dosage.

Stay tuned and thanks for caring.

Good Weekend

This has been a really good weekend so far. Yesterday Marti and I met with my Oncologist who gave us the results of my first post radiation/chemo therapy MRI. Basically he said that for being less than 2 weeks after my last radiation treatment, the MRI could not have looked better.

On Thursday night I received even better news. My friend David Liebschutz, who you might remember is 3+ years farther along in this same battle, just returned from Duke with another excellent report. David and his family are the gold standard that we are trying to emulate.

Today Banks Hudson and I teamed up to win $2 on the golf course from a couple of saps who never saw it coming. Ken Medaris and Rick Nallinger I am not going to embarrass you by mentioning your names, but you know who you are.

Then this afternoon, after a fairly long nap, I got the chain saw out and got a little yard work done. That was the most fun yet.

Thank you for caring.

Good News

The temperature is 57 and I just finished the best 5 mile run I have had in 3 months. No more whining.

Back From St. Louis

Last weekend the boys and I made our annual baseball trip, this year to St Louis. We had great weather, saw two good games and had 1,000 laughs.

Health wise last week was fairly quiet with no radiation or chemo after Monday. I did have blood work done on Wednesday and those results were fine.

This week I have my first post treatment MRI on Thursday and will get the results of that on Friday. I am a little anxious to see where we are with regard to the potential return of the tumor. I suspect this is an anxiety I will have to learn to live with each time an MRI is scheduled.

Next week we head back to Duke for a day of evaluation and to learn exactly what the plan is for moving forward.

Thanks for caring.

August 6th Update

One more radiation treatment to go! As of next Tuesday I will have no more radiation and will be off chemo for at least 2 weeks. The next big health date is August 18th when I will have an MRI to see how effective the process has been so far. I will get the results the next day, Friday the 19th.

The next really big date however is this Friday the 12th. The boys, John, Sam, Todd and I head to someplace just west of the Mississippi River to go to a couple of baseball games. For the past 10 years or so we have gone to a different major league stadium. This year we are going to see an arch, brewery, and what some call a major league team. And the rule is we have to cheer for the home team. So far the chemo has not made me sick but cheering for the team that plays in the shadow of the arch, might.

Yesterday I had my scheduled appointment with my oncologist. The blood work was all "right on target" and everything still seems to be going according to plan.

I got out this morning and ran the slowest 5 miles in modern history. However it was good to be out there getting it done. Hopefully I can follow it up with another one tomorrow.

I am really looking forward to Tuesday.

Thanks for caring.

July 29 Update

27 treatments down, 6 to go.

On Monday of this week I had my usual "Dr. Day" with the Radiologist. During our meeting we discussed my scar from surgery and the fact that it seemed to be more pronounced. The Radiologist gave me a perscription as a precaution, in case it was starting to get infected. He really didn't think it was but he wanted to be safe.

After meeting with the Oncologist the next day, he concurred that it was probably not infected but agreed I should take the medicine as a precaution. By the way the blood counts this week were again well within the good range. Also Marti supplied both the radiation office and the oncology staff with some of her chocolate chip cookies. The next day I was inundated with requests for the recipe.

I confess I am starting to get more tired by the end of the day. My after treatment naps gone from 5-10 minutes to 15-20 minutes. Also I have not run since Tuesday. However I WILL run this weekend. No more excuses about the weather or the treatments.

This week I had a couple of high school friends stop by. Steve Mather is definitely running in November and Dave DeMoss is undecided. It was a lot of fun seeing both of them.

The best news of the week is that our nephew Robert and his wife Shea have a new addition to the family. Caroline Shea Pollom was born yesterday in San Antonio. Congratulations Shea and Robert.

I am really looking forward to this time next week when I will have only one treatment left.

Thank you for caring.

Disclaimer.

No, my house was not egged. There were eggs lining our garden on the front of our home. When I went out for my early morning run, I was overcome with a horrendous stench (side note: Sam was at our house the night before, but I smelled him before I exited our home. Clearly, he was not running with me the subsequent morning, nor did it throw either of us off that his prize vehicle was spared from the yolk). When I returned from the run, it became obvious to me that the eggs were not maliciously tossed.

I am not (currently) in the running/consideration for Simpsonville mayor. Sure, I would like sidewalks, a farmers market and the occasional stoplight, but my aspirations are purely selfish. Even though multiple Hill family members felt comfortable with adding me as a write-in for the last election, I am happy with my current position.


The official 11/12 Run 13.1 Mini Marathon training started yesterday (click here). Feel free to update in the comment section how your first couple days went.

Finally, in the next few weeks two of my cousins are expecting their third child. They are both amazing and admirable women. Please send out your prayers and positive thoughts for these phenomenal women, the awaiting siblings, and the 3rd-time dads-to-be.

xoxo,
Sarah

Tired of hearing about Bill?

Consider this your update on the rest of the family.

We have received many compliments on our ability to keep you entertained. Awhile back, dear mom told us that we needed to have our own radio show (any takers?). Although we were somewhat flattered, our initial response was 'why not tv?' After some 'fumbling and bumbling (a favorite saying of Dad's) on Mom's part, we believe that our own mother decided that we posses a face for radio.

Bailey (Todd and Sarah's dog) loves her hedgehog.

John, the eldest Pollom child, is fine, but apparently not as funny as the two of us. He has posting privilages, but has failed to do so thus far. He is clearly humbled by our humor. John and Sarabeth are currently in Chicago, where they caught a Cubs game yesterday. They are to return home today (unless John scalps tickets to see the Cubs finally get their long deserved 3-game sweep)

Will is cute...and knows it. He is also starting to crawl.

Baxter (John and Sarabeth's dog) is a little dog trapped in a big dog's body.

Todd went out and played 18 holes of golf with Dad yesterday. Dad shot an 89 and Todd came in with a 76 (BY FAR the best he has ever shot at DCC). It was novel to see Dad be able to show pride in a family member's golf game. The pride, however, came with a dose of reality. The hole we heard most about from Todd's round was #18...where he double bogeyed.

Mom continues to save the day on multiple occasions. In the past few weeks she has: continued to take care of multiple family patients, babysat for Will (although I'm pretty sure she has kicked John and Sarabeth out of their house in order to do this), brought her car over to Lexington in order for Sam to use on his multiple excursions (more on this later), and has, quite literally, fed and clothed Todd and Sarah. If trouble should ever arise, don't be surprised to find Mom jumping into the nearest phone booth.

Wrigley (Mom and Dad's dog) is getting meaner as he gets older. His favorite activities include trying to get Bailey in trouble, hiding his bone from the rest of us, and biting our toes as we sit down at the kitchen table. If you are over at our house sometime soon, we recommend you keep your shoes on at all times.

And then there's Sam. For the sake of brevity (and because there must be a blog entry word limit), here are the highlights. Sam will soon begin applying for jobs next summer. He has informed us that he will not rule any location out. I can't wait to sit down with him in a few years and say "remember when you thought you would leave KY?" What Sam is beginning to realize is that working far away eliminates free laundry (which assumes he is even able to do his own laundry), being able to tell random people you love them, and most likely seeing your mom in the winter (unless he settles on Hawaii).

As part of her upcoming campaign for mayor of Simpsonville, KY (tell all your friends), Sarah has been doing her best to fight off crime in the town. For example, just last weekend Sarah woke up and discovered that eggs had been thrown at her house. Not going to take this lying down, Sarah launched a full-scale investigation into the matter. In the end, the investigation unearthed the real culprits; ducks from the local pond. Case closed.

Until next time.
Sarah and Sam

Almost Weekly Update

The past week has been relatively normal. Radiation and chemo continue to progress with few side effects. I had hoped to run 7 miles this morning but I did not get out until 7:30 (this was Jean Crowley's fault) and it was already too hot and humid so I stopped after 5. I think it is possible the radiation is starting to play some part in this as well.

Both the visit with the radiologist and my weekly blood work were ok this week. White cell counts were down just a little but still in the good range. I am now 2/3 through the radiation with 22 treatments complete 11 to go. Also I have been completely off of steroids for about a week and a half. I am not sure if there is a correlation but I have been sleeping much better since I stopped taking them.

I did receive a couple of reality checks this week on the home front. Last Sunday I had a particularly easy project to do which ended up taking me most of the day to accomplish. When I finished I looked at Marti and said I believe if I do this enough times I am going to get good at it. Without missing a beat she responded "I doubt it".

Later in the week I came home to find 2 large bottles of shampoo in my bathroom. For whatever reason I decided to point out that while I appreciated her optimism it might be awhile before I really needed shampoo in bulk. I was informed it was on sale and we had a coupon. Needless to things are beginning to return to normal.

A quick update on Kari. She is home but still has challenges ahead of her. She continues on chemotherapy and is being very brave as she fights this disease.

There is another lady at work whose mom has been fighting ovarian cancer for quite some time. I know Amy and Linda would appreciate the same support this group has given to Kari and me.

Thank you for caring.

Half Way Done

I passed a milestone of sorts today in that I completed my 17th radiation treatment and I have 16 to go. I am still on target to finish on August 8th. I still feel good and am running 5 miles most days. However I (Marti) am making a point to get plenty of rest as well. After my morning run and before work I can sneak in a 10 - 15 minute nap. On the days I come home for lunch I can usually get another quick nap in and then after radiation each day I will come home for a third nap. I don't sleep very long but it really helps to re energize me.

I am finally completely off steroids. Already I can see a difference in that I am sleeping better at night.

The only side effect so far has been losing my hair pretty much completely from the top of my head. Family members and those that know our family, please refrain from commenting about how this will make me look even more like my brother. I have a decent chance that mine will eventually grow back.

I also met with my Oncologist today. Blood was drawn and the blood work continues to look good. My white cell count was down a bit from last week (5200 -4700) but apparently that is still well within the good range. I will have my normal blood draw again on Wednesday and meet with the Oncologist in three weeks.

For those of you running the mini with us in November, and I expect that to be large number of you, if you click on the link attached to this blogs' home page it will take you to the mini marathon home page. Here they have a daily training plan set up for Advance, intermediate and beginner runners. The training plan starts Sunday July 24th. I glanced at it long enough to see that for the beginners day one is a day of rest. How does that work?

Finally I have a favor to ask. A lady at work had her 5 year daughter diagnosed with leukemia this week. They have spent the last week in the hospital in Lexington and Kari has already begun chemotherapy. As bad as this potentially could be for me, I can't imagine it happening to one of my kids. Please add Kari to your prayer list. Thank you.

Have a great weekend.

Thank you for caring.

Quick Update

I had an interesting start to the day today. I was 1 mile into my run and the brightest, sharpest lightening bolt I have ever seen was accompanied by the loudest thunder at the same time all of the street lights went out. (I checked radar before I went out and there was nothing.). Needless to say I turned around immediately and did speed work as I headed home. Fortunately the thunder was so loud it woke Marti up and she was in car to pick me up in no time.

The other interesting thing today is that once a week there is Dr Day with the radiologist. Today was the day this week and the report was good in that he indicated everything was going very well so far.

Friday I meet with the oncologist for a halfway report from his perspective.

Thank you for caring.

1/3 Of The Radition Treatments Complete

Today I finished treatment 11 of 33. One third of the way done and so far so good. Yesterday I had my weekly blood draw and all of the counts came out fine.

I was a little tired after my run this morning and was concerned that maybe the radiation was starting to wear me out. However I checked with another runner at work this morning and we agreed it was the humidity.

That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Thanks for caring.

Good Weekend

This has been a really good weekend.

We started it off by going over to the Crowley's Friday night and spending a couple of hours on their back deck. It was great to catch up and just relax a little bit.

Saturday we got up early, I got a 5 mile run in and Marti got her 5 miles in also. I played 18 holes of golf, won $4, (my partner Ken Medaris shot 73 which helped) and I shot 86. Marti and I went to Lexington Saturday afternoon, babysat for our grandson Will, and then met Jonh and Sarabeth for dinner.

Sunday we went to church and then on to Cincinnati to watch the Reds and the Cleveland Indians. The only number I saw that was higher than the 93 degree temperature was Aroldis Chapman's 102 mph fastball.

Today was a repeat of Saturday with running and golf (lost $2, my partner Ken Medaris did not shoot 73 and I shot 91). Sam will be home to cookout and complete the weekend.

I hope you enjoyed the 3 day weekend as much as I did.

Thank you for caring.

Weekly update

This week went by about the way we had hoped. Really pretty quiet for the most part. Duke did ask for a couple more stains which Commomwealth Cancer and UK were able to supply to them. I also received a letter from Duke asking if I would be part of a survey regarding brain tumors in the family. I guess they have focused on the fact that there has been one each side of my family. Roberta and Mark McClamroch I may be calling you with questions that I can't answer

Radiation and chemo have gone well this week. No side effects as of yet.

On Wednesday's I have blood drawn to make sure the white blood cell count and hemoglobin are ok. This week checked out fine.

The only other big news is I am finally being weened off of steroids. I have been on them since this was diagnosed over a month ago, to reduce swelling in the brain. I start 2mg every other day tomorrow and by this time next week I should be off them completely.

Given the blood doping (you remember the harvesting and enhancing of my white blood cells at Duke) and the steroid usage, I now know why I received a letter saying I had automatically qualified for the Tour De France.

However the good news for me is I will be off steroids in a week. The bad news for 38 of you all is you will no longer have a job holding a rope during the Macy's Christmas parade on Thanksgiving, as I believe I can avoid becoming a blimp now.

I hope you all have a terrific 4th of July weekend.

Thank you for caring.

The Week Ahead

Nothing really new to report on the past few days. Radiation and chemo are going ok, no side effects yet. I did strain my hip running on the treadmill at Duke, thought I could run through it for a couple of days, but the 7 miler on Saturday seems to have made it worse. I think it is a little better today but probably not running again tomorrow morning.

We hope to have an uneventful week this week. No trips, no extra doctor visits just work, treatments and home. We are going to cap off the week with a trip to a Cincinnati Reds game. It is back to being wild and crazy for Marti and Bill.

Thanks for caring.

Relay For Life

Marti and I just got back from participating in Relay For Life for the first time. It is an honor and a privilege to be part of such a courageous group of people.

I had three radiation treatments this week and took chemo three times as well. I get a break from the radiation over the weekend but will continue the chemo every day. So far I have had no side effects from any of the treatments. I have been able to run 6 miles the last 2 mornings, including yesterday when I assumed I could beat the rain I saw coming in on radar. Needless to say I got soaked.

On the medical news front, I found out yesterday that two additional biopsies had been preformed on my tumor, looking for specific "markers". Both test yielded results that were positive for me. Very good news.

Sunday I am playing racquetball with my oncologist. If he thinks he is going to get any sympathy from me because his knee hurts, he is sadly mistaken.

Have a great weekend and thank you for caring.

The Week We Have Been Waiting For.....

It is Wednesday afternoon and Marti and I have already had a good/busy week.

On Monday we drove to Durham NC to be ready for an early appointment on Tuesday. We made the drive in 2.5 hours less than it took us to fly there a couple of weeks ago. I am not sure we will always make such good time, we had easy traffic and good weather. Also judging by the number of orange barrels on the side of the road it looks like NC is getting ready to declare war on I-40.

Tuesday I had the leukapheresis (collection of my white blood cells). This was a 4 hour process which was timed down to the minute. 350 cc's of blood were collected and before they could take the IVs out of me a person was there with a cooler to collect the white blood cells and to take them to the lab to begin work on them to create my own unique vaccine.

For you bio majors I will try and explain how this is going to happen. For you Political Science majors, I will try in do it terms we can understand.

The vaccine that's created will be loaded with RNA which stimulates Dendritic Cells which will be used to fight the protien found in brain cancers. (clearly I am trying to summarize what is on a sheet of paper and really have no idea what I am talking about) In addition I will be receiving a drug called granulocyte macrophage - colony. This drug will help the vaccine boost my immune system. If you really want more information you can probably read more at the web site for the Robert Tisch Brain Tumor Center at Duke University Medical Center.

The other interesting thing we found out is the trial is closed, they are accepting no more applicants, but somehow I got in. I believe we
must have had a strong advocate here in Danville advocating for us.

Marti and I are getting help in many different ways from many different people, and we need it. There are so many things to follow through on that we have a notebook divided by pharmacy, insurance, Commonwealth Cancer, Radiation, Duke, and UK. When we meet with any of these folks we both take notes and then compare when we get home. Still issues come up that will make you crazy.

For example my chemo drug dosage is 160mg. The drug company does not have a pill in this dosage so I will have to take a 140mg and a 20mg. While Marti was driving yesterday I received a call saying the insurance would not authorize the 140mg pill, so I would have to take 8 20mg pills at a time. The oncologist office was all over it, but the bank's HR rep got involved, an outside case manager got involved, and I spent about an hour on it. In the scheme of things it is very petty, but is an hour that all of us could have done something more important. In the end we got the 140mg pill.

By the way I had my first radiation treatment today and took the first chemo pills. One down, 32 to go. So far so good.


Thank you for caring.

Key Dates and Other Stuff

Now that the treatment plan is in place we have goals to hit.
6/22 - Treatments start
8/8 - Last treatment
8/12 - Annual baseball trip
11/12 - Mini marathon

The annual baseball trip is something the boys (John, Sam, and Todd) and I do every year. Each year we travel to a different stadium for a couple of games and we always cheer for the home team. John and I started this about 10 years ago.

As a long time Chicago Cub fan there are a couple of principals that can never be compromised. The first is do not expect to play in, much less win, the World Series. It is just not going to happen.

Secondly, and more importantly, you have to hate the St. Louis Cardinals ( for proof of this read Are We Winning).

We always decide around Christmas where we are going the following summer and we knew that one year, if we were going to get to all the stadiums, we would have to go to St. louis. Well this is the year we are to cheer for the Cardinals. I will let you decide if the trama of going to St. Louis is what brought on the brain issue or if this is some sort of strange coincidence.

On a brighter note, all the kids, and of course grandson Will, came in yesterday and will be here today for Fathers Day. Marti's folks are coming over also so we are looking forward to a big cookout.

Happy Father's Day to any dads reading this entry.

Thank you for caring.

The Plan

We received confirmation from the Radiologist today, which was the final piece of the puzzle. The plan is for the LeukaphBeresis to be completed Tuesday and radiation and chemo to begin Wednesday. My radiation treatments will be at 4:00 pm Monday through Friday. I should be done with this phase August 8.
Marti and I continue to confuse LeukaphBeresis with Luca Brasi, who sleeps with the fishes. (Godfather)

Thank you for caring.

Two Quick Updates

1. I did miscount the treatment days in last nights post. If I start radiattion this Wednesday the 22nd (not confirmed yet) my last treatment will be August 8th, not the 1st. I blame this miscalculation squarely on the tumor/recovery/the full moon/ anything other than me just being stupid.

2. In an earlier post I mentioned that I had an Uncle and an Aunt on different sides of the family afflicted with the same diease that I have. When we discussed this with the doctors at Duke, both found it interesting but both said they were 99% sure it was NOT hereditary. No matter what else happens, that is the best news we are going to receive.

Thank you for caring.

The Plan Is Taking Shape - REPOST from Wednesday

This is a repost from Wednesday as somehow how it got deleted. No doubt Operator Error.

The basic treatment plan is in place and we honestly believe we have everything moving in the right direction.

The plan consist of 33 radiation treatments which we hope will start Wednesday of next week. Treatments will be 5 days a week with the weekends and the 4th of July off. If I have counted correctly the last treatment will be August 1st. During this time I will be taking a chemotherapy pill, Temador. I take this pill 7 days/week through-out the radiation period.

I have also been accepted into a clinical trail at Duke. This is a pretty cool test that they are seeing very good results. The basics are we will go back down next week and I will undergo LeukaphBeresis. This is like giving blood to yourself. They draw blood from one arm, run it through some contraption that extracts the white blood cells and then returns the blood to my body in the other arm. The white blood cells are immediately taken to the lab where they will harvest them and develop a unique vaccine for me. The blood cells need to be harvested prior to the start of radiation. The vaccines will start 2 to 3 weeks after radiation, 1 every other week for 6 weeks and then once a month for 7 months. There are no side effects to the vaccine. My only concern is that after they pull out the white blood cells the only thing left to go back into my other arm will be Miller Lite.

The doctors at Duke said they were only accepting patients in the early stages of GBM and only those with the best chance of success. He also said this was the most promising strategy. Tom Baeker agreed and said he believed immunotherapy had the best chance of making quantum leaps forward in the not too distant future.

This is really exciting stuff and as I have said before I can't wait to get started.

Thank you for caring.

Yesterday-First Day Back At Work

Yesterday was my first day back at Farmers National Bank and it was great to be back. It started with a large poster on my door with "welcome back Bill" and right away I had a couple of people stopping by to welcome me back. A few minutes later I walked by the conference Room and noticed boxes of Burke's Bakery doughnuts, coffee and orange juice. A welcome back reception had been organized and I was able to see everyone at our 3rd and Main location.

I cannot express how good that made me feel. I went home for lunch yesterday and when I walked in the first thing Marti said to me was "you look energized today". It is just one more step back to normal.

Yesterday afternoon I got out and visited with some friends in the downtown area. Greg probably does not need to know all of these details as yesterday was probably not my most productive day of all time.

The only downside to yesterday is we were hoping to hear from Duke and we did not. The Duke information is the last piece of the puzzle for the treatment plan. We should know today.

By the way I got in a 5 mile run this morning before sunrise, which was, and now is again, my usual time to run. It was perfect morning to run and is another step back to normal.

Thank you for caring.

Back to Answer the Tough Questions

With Sarah and Todd in Aruba (rough life) and Mom and Dad traveling back and forth to Duke, I'm sure many of you have questions. Well don't you worry. I'm back with all the answers.

Sarah and Todd are in Aruba?

Yep

Why?

Their Honeymoon

Wait, wasn't their wedding like three years ago?

Yeah, I don't really have a good answer for this one

O.k. so on to more important matters. Your parents went to Duke?

Yeah. In case you haven't heard, their hospital is kind of good.

So, it's o.k. to admit that Duke is good at something?

Duke is a really good school and has a really good hospital. This is something you probably should have admitted to yourself a long time ago.

Do we have to cheer for Duke sports now?

Absolutely not. In fact, that is discouraged.

What about that stupid Laettner shot they show 1,000,000 times every March? Am I supposed to pretend to enjoy watching that?

No. Whenever they show that clip, you should constantly remind people that this also happened.

What about when Duke plays someone equally awful (i.e. Louisville, IU, Tennessee)? Should I cheer for Duke then?

No. You should do what I do, watch and hope that some third team emerges spontaneously during the game to defeat both teams.

Has this ever happened in the history of college sports?

Not to my knowledge.

Sam, we're starting to get worried. This is your second post on this blog that basically consist of you answering your own questions.

Shut up.

Book Review - Unbroken

Again, no medical news today however I did just finish an excellent book my brother gave as I was going in for surgery. Unbroken was written by Laura Hillenbrand, who also wrote Seabiscuit. The book is about Louie Zamperini, a man that ran in 1936 Olympics in Berlin and should have been the first person to break the 4 minute mile. Instead he joined the Air Force at the start of World War II. In 1943 he was shot down over the Pacific Ocean and spent 40 plus days in a raft with 2 other men. They finally drifted onto an island that was held by the Japanese.

He was held as a POW until the end of the war. The beatings, living conditions, lack of food and water he survived on for 2 years is truly unbelievable. However the way he endured these sufferings, by maintaing his pride and dignity, is the remarkable part of the story. At one point the author writes "without dignity identity is erased. In it's absence, people are defined not by themselves but by the circumstances in which they are forced to live".

How cool is that?

Thanks for caring.

More Help

No medical news today but I just wanted to mention a special medallion I received from our very good friends, the Weavers. I knew if there was a Saint to cover what we are going through either Jean Crowley or Jamie Weaver would find him/ her.

Sure enough yesterday I received from Jamie a medallion for Saint Peregrine, the Patron Saint of cancer patients.

Saint Peregrine was known for his preaching, penances, and giving counsel to individuals. He was cured of cancer after he received a vision of Christ on the cross reaching out his hand to touch his cancerous leg.

Thanks Jamie. Saint Peregrine and I are now traveling together at all times.

Thank you for caring.

Duke Trip

Tuesday Marti and I flew to Duke for 2 days of meetings with doctors, nurses and other support staff. The trip was uneventful except for the landing in Raleigh. It was perfect on the 2nd try.

Wednesday morning we met with Dr. Sumrall and Dr. Reardon. They were very encouraging regarding long term prospects and laid out 3 options for treatment. They also stressed how important the successful brain surgery was, the fact that I am in relatively good shape and actually my age was a positive. Of the 3 options the one we are leaning towards would involve some potion of the treatment being done at Duke. Any treatment we ultimately decide on will involve 33 radiation treatments and a daily chemo pill, Temodar. We had hoped to have made the treatment decision today but we are waiting on blood test results from Duke which we should have by Monday we think.

On Thursday we met with Dr. Reardon's Nurse Clinician who passed on information relative to potential side effects as well as what to expect with weekly blood counts. She also left us with a binder full of stuff to read.

After the nurse, a social worker came in. She was very nice and said I see where you wanted to speak with a social worker. We answered that we had not made this request which made this a very short meeting.

After returning the rental car we jumped on the shuttle bus to take us to the airport and a car promptly smashed into the side of our bus. No one was hurt but really, what next?

The bottomline is I am 2 weeks removed from surgery. I feel great. I ran 5 miles this morning. Every doctor that has looked at the pre and post MRI says that Dr. Pitmann did great job. I have treatment options that I am excited about and really want to get this started. Once I know exactly what the treatment plan will be I will pass it on.

Until then have a great weekend.

Thanks for caring.

June 6th Update

We had a fairly quiet weekend with Sarah and Todd coming in from Louisville.

Although getting a chance to jog a little bit was fantastic, the highlight of the weekend was attending Mass. Father Tom met me with a huge hug and welcomed me back home. It was great to be back.

Today I was able to have the staples removed from the incision. Also I was fitted for a mask today to be used during the radiation phase of this process. These sessions will be 5 days/week and will start in the next 10 days to 2 weeks. I am doing a little running because it is good for my mental health but more importantly I want to be in as good of shape as possible starting out the radiation.

I also stopped by Farmers National Bank today where I have received nothing but support and request from people to do anything we need. It was an easy first step back to work. Hang in there one more week Sharon. I still plan to be back full time a week from today.

By Friday we should have all the information we need to finalize the treatment part of this adventure.

Thank you for caring.

Adventures with Dad

Dad and I have shared some classic moments during this whole ordeal. While I'm sure there will be many more to come, it's time to update our blog friends on my two current favorites.

Last Friday, the day we were discharged, I was at the hospital with Mom and Dad to help escort our less than 24-hours ago surgery patient to the car. As Dad and I gathered his remaining belongings, we began to realize how bad this was about to appear. For starters, Dad did not have any shoes. They had apparently been packed in another bag. So here I am directing this guy in a gauze cap and slipper socks out of the hospital. As we paced around looking for Mom (our getaway car), we received many puzzled and disapproving looks.

Todd and I are back in Danville this weekend. Yesterday the four of us (Mom, Dad, Todd and myself) went to the park. With the approval of Dr. Marti (and some actual doctors, too) Dad decided that he wanted to try running. We did the 2 mile loop. I say we, but let me clarify. Dad claims he is ready for things to get back to normal, no more pity parties. With that being said, let the record show that some of us did 4 miles (me). In true Dad fashion (and probably because he knew I would be posting a blog entry today), we went back to the park this morning, where he not only did the 4 miles with me, but also sprinted at the end to beat me. Punk.

Friday June 3rd Update

Let’s start this post with a little levity.   This falls in the category of “there is nothing left to do but laugh”.  
For those of you not reading this in central Kentucky I need to let you know that we went from a very wet cool spring to the middle of hot and humid in about a minute and a half.  To my family in south Texas and Florida it may not sound like a big deal to you, but it has been August like around here.  
Late Wednesday afternoon we noticed that our air conditioning was not working.  Neighbors were here in a heartbeat with extra fans and Custom Air has been fabulous.  Monty came out yesterday afternoon, declared it a dead compressor, called Lexington late in the day yesterday and secured one, Dr. Marti exchanged her surgical gown for a delivery hat, picked up the compressor this morning and it has been installed and we are cooling again.  More thanks, this time they go out to my neighbors and Custom Air/Monty, Frank and Chris.  
A belated word about Marti; She is the one that has gotten me this far and I am sure will get me all the way down the road.  She is part doctor, therapist, realist, humorist (let’s not forget the picture she took right after they marked me surgery or the fact she called me out when I said I may not be able to walk 5 mile with her) and apparently delivery driver.  Marti is the one who first noticed some of my changes and insisted on telling everyone she knew.  More about Martha Jane in post to come.
Apparently I have not said exactly what I have but it is a Glioblastoma multiforme.  I stand by “nasty” from an earlier post.  The other news is that my uncle on my Mom’s side died from the same thing 11 years ago and I found out today my aunt on my Dad’s side death certfiicate indicated she died from something called an “infiltrating glioma” in 1946.  Same monster by a different name?  I don’t know yet.
Yesterday Marti and I were welcomed by Pat and David Liebschutz who are blazing this trail ahead of us.  Marti and I are on step 3 of the journey while the Liebschutz are miles ahead.  Nonetheless it was somewhat calming to know we have a tremendous resource that will answer questions ranging from treatment types and side effects to the best place to have lunch in Raleigh/Durham.  What a great example to try and emulate.
With nothing new on the horizon the blog is taking a couple of days off.  I hope everyone has a great weekend.  Once more, thank you for caring.
 

DEADLINE TODAY!

I always hate it when people type using all CAPS and lots of exclamation points because I feel like they are yelling at me over the computer. Well, now I am actually yelling at you because:

TODAY IS THE LAST DAY TO GET THE $50 PRICE FOR THE HALF-MARATHON REGISTRATION!!!!!! GO TO http://lscmarathon.com TO SIGN-UP!!!!!!

As Nike says: Just do it.

Update (2:37 p.m.):

According to their Facebook page, the deadline for the $50 fee is now tomorrow. The marathon's website has both dates as the deadline. I am confused. So to be safe, go ahead and register today. K, thanks.

June 2nd Update

Quite a bit of stuff going on.

Marti and I got in three good walks yesterday and started today with a mile and a half.

We then had our first consultation with Dr. Carlsen, the Radiologist I will be seeing here in Danville. The next step is to go in Monday, have the staples removed and begin the process of mapping the radiation therapy. Start date, and the exact number of treatments are to be determined.

On Tuesday of next week Marti and I are headed to Duke University to consult with Dr. Reardon who was just recently named Clinical Director, Center for Neurological-Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institue, Boston. We have meetings with Dr. Readon on Wednesday and Thursday and will return home Thursday night.

The plan is coming together. And with the framework of a plan a couple of short term goals are required.

1. First jog approximately 5:30 am Tuesday June 7th. Coach Jeff Thornton has volunteered to come along.

2. Back to work full time - Monday June 13th.

Enough sitting, eating and watching the Cubs lose. I just hope it is warm Tuesday morning.

June 1st Update

First of all a brief disclaimer. Marti and I know that this will be a long journey with highs and lows along the way. Our intent is to never get too out of whack high or low. I am going to give you all as much information as I can but please realize that everything (good or bad) is just one step in the process.

The other point to make is this is all foreign territory for us. At times we may have to go back and correct something from an earlier post because we just did not understand something properly.

Today's news:

We met with Dr. Baeker yesterday and are in the process of developing an aggressive treatment plan. More to come on this in the next few days.

The tumor is a "nasty" tumor and re-occurrence is the overriding concern.
However the surgeon has indicated he got it all but please reread the last sentence. The overriding concern is it will come back. Nonetheless the fact that they got all that was there is great news!

Other positive stuff:

I am in relatively decent shape, which will help in the fight.

The tumor was a frontal tumor which is better than others.

We were in Lexington this morning for a follow up with the neurosurgeon. He indicated the staples could come out in few days, week at the most, once that happens he will release me to work, probably starting with half days.

I was released to drive and drove home from Lexington.

I can begin exercising and he even said I could start some "light" jogging. However on the way home I received an unsolicited 2nd opinion from Dr. Marti who said I would NOT start any jogging light or otherwise until the staples are out.

I have an appointment with Dr. Carlsen tomorrow to lay out a radiation plan.

And as always I have to say the prayers and positive thoughts are working. Thank you so much.

Tuesday May 31 am

Big week, this week.

First follow up with neurosurgeon.

Continued recovery from surgery.

Put together a plan for the ongoing fight of this crap.

I am ready.

Let's go.

The Only Important, Helpful, Relevant Post I Will Probably Ever Do....

From now until this Thursday, the 11/12 half-marathon (you know, the whole goal of this little blog) is giving a discount for those who want to register early. You can register at: http://www.lscmarathon.com/. Although the website has a nice little FAQ section, I thought I would take this opportunity to answer some of the questions I have heard most so far:

Why Register Early?

From now until June 3rd, the cost of registration is only $50. After June 3rd this increases to $65 and after October 2nd it increases to $75, so it only makes good economical sense.

Also, although there should be no shortage of motivation to enter this race, it is always nice to have that little voice in your head saying "Well, you already paid $50 for this darn thing, you may as well do it.

Can I walk?

That's weak

Seriously, can I walk?

Yes. You can absolutely walk. It is highly suggested that you try and keep a 15:00/mile pace, because after this the people who run the course will let traffic through and you will be forced to start dodging cars (just kidding, there are sidewalks for most of the route). Also, after the 15:00/mile pace, some race facilities start shutting down. This might include water stations and port-a-potties (so think about that for a minute)

Where does the race start?

The new KFC YUM! Center. Meaning that we will be in a long line of people who have attempted to run far away from this place (i.e. decent basketball recruits)

Wow Sam, you have done a really good job of describing the race to me. Why would I even want to visit the website?

Well, thank you. But the website has a lot of cool stuff that I simply don't know how to put on here. For example, you can find a training schedule (for all ability levels), an elevation map, and a YouTube video that takes you through the entire course.

Also, you have to go though the website to register for the race. So it is sort of important. Although, while you're at it, if you would also like to send me $50 that would be acceptable.

This sounds like a fine idea, but I am really lacking the motivation to do this...

Seriously???

Training day #1

Saturday, I began my mini marathon training program (I made the decision to run before Sam, for those of you keeping track at home.) In honor of Dad, I decided to do his old faithful 5-miler. It was not easy. I believe the incline on the Lexington Ave has increased and there must be something wrong with the stoplights downtown because the red lights never worked in my favor for a reprieve. Last month I completed my first mini marathon. Todd, Dad, and I ran the Derby mini. I was pleased with my showing of 2 hours and 11 minutes and even more thrilled once I figured that Dad only beat me by 6 minutes. That is, until we realized that Dad ran the mini marathon with a brain tumor. In fact, one of the first triggers to the family and his doctors that something was wrong was his time in the mini... Apparently my training program could use a little tweaking.

HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY

First and foremost thank you to any and all active/retired military personal that may have found this blog. You will be in my thoughts all day today, especially my dad and brother (Air Force and Army respectively).

HIGHLITES FROM YESTERDAY:

Thanks to Bob and Paula Reister for bringing me communion after Mass yesterday.
Marti and I got in 3 separate walks for a grand total of 2.5 blocks.
We also took a road trip to see her her folks who live in Danville. They celebrated their 61st wedding anniversary last Friday. Congratulations McNaughtons. Marti also showed them the blog. Ralph, I expect to see lots of comments.
By the way, what happened to spring? It was a bit of a warm walk yesterday.

This week the first big day is Wednesday. This is my follow up with the neurosurgeon. We should have a plan of action shortly after that.

I hope everyone has a great holiday today. If you are going to the lake, cooking out or just relaxing, have fun. Of course, except my LSU friends that I abandoned this year. I know you all are hitting it hard today.

I am taking this 3 day weekend off, but I will be doing something on the 4th of July.

By the way the pictures are FABULOUS except for the ladies that broke into my office. I hope you all used hand sanitizer before working on my keyboard.

More updates to come.

Bill

Sunday May 29 am update

Bob and Roberta (brother and sister) returned home to Texas and Florida respectively yesterday. I know you both missed family time with kids and grandkids this holiday weekend, so please let them know how much I appreciated you all being here. John, Sarabeth and grandson Will brought dinner last night. I had forgotten how tiring it can be playing with building blocks on the floor.

Today's goal - to the end of the block and back. No time goal has been set for this adventure.

Saturday am

Sleep in 2 hour increments last night, at least for me. I am not sure Marti has slept yet.

Reality Check

It is GREAT to be home, but a little bit of reality always creeps in. Tonight at dinner Sarah asked if I was going to follow a formal training for the mini or do my own thing. I said the doctor said it would be at least 4-6 weeks before I could start running. I looked at Marti and suggested I start walking with her, but I would not be able to go as far as her normal route. Marti looked up called me a 'weannie.'

Headed home.

The response to the blog has been OVERWHELMING! The response to the run, not so much. I was able to get up and walk around a little bit this morning. I still have a nasty headache. The other point that keeps being reinforced is that no matter how bad you feel or hurt there is always someone just as bad if not worse. I am so blessed to have such a strong family and support group. Please do not take your foot off the prayer/positive comments pedal. There is a long way to go. Once more I am this far because of all of you. I look forward to handshakes and hugs when I get back home in a couple of hours and hope to make it to work in a few days. (daughter disclaimer: Dad is home and resting well. He wrote this right before we left the hospital. He is clearly as optimistic as they come which is exactly what the dr ordered...right Dr. Baeker?)

He's Baaaaaaaaack!!

Sarah, Todd, and I just got back from seeing Dad. Some notes:

-I told Dad the Cubs won. His response? "I feel better."

-He asked Sarah and Todd if they were going back to work.

-He asked me if I had gotten any law school grades.

-He told the nurse he was ready to walk to his MRI

Classic Dad.

p.s. I love lists

Let the official training begin.

Dad is out of surgery and all is well on the home front. Dr. Pittman (Dad's neurosurgeon and current knight in shining armor) was able to remove the tumor. He believes that although radiation and possibly chemo will follow, the surgery was an overall success. Dad is awake and alert in recovery. Up to this point, his only request is for someone to bring him his glasses (we are pretty sure that all loved ones are an unspoken request). We will be allowed to go see him in a minute. The nurse has told us only 2 people are allowed in at a time. The three children were trying to figure out who will go in first with Mom. John was given the privilege because neither of us wanted to play second fiddle to Mom (sorry, John). From here on, Dad will be able to follow up with Tom Baeker (Pollom family hero).

Once again, we can't thank you enough for your support and prayers through this. Dad is a fighter. He just wanted to remind us.

xoxo,
Sarah and Sam

While we wait....

I'm not sure how many of you know this, but hospital waiting rooms are not exactly the most exciting places in the entire world. To pass the time, here are some of my random thoughts (in no particular order):

1. We're expecting the procedure to last about 3-4 hours, meaning we have about 2-3 hours to go.

2. Contrary to what Dad says, I am hilarious.

3. This week has been interesting, to say the least. My boss this summer was nice enough to let me do some work from Danville for the past week, so I have been camped out at home. With Mom and Dad constantly running to appointments, this left everyday chores to yours truly. For those of you who know me, this thought is terrifying. For example, one day Mom asked my to do the weekly grocery shopping at Wal-Mart. This is what I came back with:

Apparently this is not what they had in mind.....

4. I have been informed by my dad and sister that the goal of this blog is to run in some half-marathon in November. If you look at the picture above you will get a decent idea of what my current lifestyle looks like. Now you see the problem.

5. Some of you have already offered to drive the "Beer Cart" during the half-marathon. I would like to go and record and say that I do not think that is going to help.

6. Mom would like you to know that we are sitting next to artwork made by Danville's own Stephen Powell in the waiting room. Here's proof:

She thought it meant something, but to be honest, in the time it has taken me to write this post I have forgotten. And if there is one thing I have learned this week, it's not to ask ridiculous questions (which is very hard for me). So let's just admire how nice it looks and leave it at that.

7. On a serious note, we want to thank you all so much for all the love and support this past week. It is truly amazing. Of course anxiety levels are slightly elevated right now, but if you know Dad, you know that he is absolutely kicking butt right now. No question about that.

8. Here is a picture of my nephew Will. If you didn't like this post before, you sort of have to now.

More updates to come soon.

Much Love,

Sam

Surgery update

Dad is currently in surgery. After pre-op stuff (technically speaking) and the anesthesia had set in, surgery started at 2:38. The surgery was scheduled for 2:40. I can't wait to tell Mr. Punctual this when he gets out.

let the games begin

I have only been on one blog in my life, my daughter in law and son set one up for their family to be able to share info and pictures quickly. I have NEVER posted on a blog so this is going to be very interesting. Marti and the kids suggested I try this. As you might guess my first reaction was that was stupid. Who would want to follow a topic like this? And more importantly who in their right mind would try and write about it while going through it. Well given the "right mind" comment we may be close to the reason I am here.

It is 11:00 am 5/26. I have had an MRI and they have marked me for incisions. Marti came back and took a picture. I am starting to think it is contagious. Who does that?

Surgery still looks like it will start in the 2:30 to 3 pm time frame. There maybe several people that provide updates. Mine will be the humorous ones, Sam's will no doubt be an attempt at humor. John's will be just the facts. Marti and Sarah will edit and try and keep us on track.

Why am I doing this?

2 reasons. I have a very specific goal. I am going to run a mini-marathon in Louisville on 11/12/11. (hence the blogspot name-11/12 run 13.1) Anybody that wants in, start training.
The second reason is that I have been overwhelmed by the messages of support and concern. For theses reasons we will do our best to keep you informed.

Thank you so much for caring. Bill