We made it this far! Surgery is scheduled for Friday!

Well, thanks to your prayers and support, my dad is having the surgery!!  Since the beginning he was determined to be among the 30% who got this far.  As you may recall, the cancer was far enough along that the doctors could not immediately operate but they needed to reduce the size of the tumors first using a combination of chemo and radiation.  The chances of this actually working were not promising at best and so we needed to get the prayers going right away and we needed your help to do so.  Testimony to God answering them with a yes, not only did the tumors shrink, but the doctors were all surprised by just how much they reduced in size.   Keep in mind, this is a team of doctors, all trained at Harvard's Dana Farber hospital that don't get surprised very often.  They also can't believe how well my dad is doing with the treatment.  While it has been anything but easy, with many nights of my dad getting sick and barely able to walk, he has made it through this first phase strong enough to have the surgery and ready for this next battle.  If there was any doubt about your prayers making a difference, I hope you now believe they do.  They absolutely do.


But the war is not over and we still need you praying as the surgery is going to be this Friday and is expected to be four hours long.  It is supposed to be a pretty tough operation as the procedure to get into the lungs is fairly evasive.  As you can imagine, he is very nervous about all of it as the recovery is supposed to be quite painful.  With this in mind, please pray for peace of mind for my dad, that the surgeons be able to cut out all of the cancer, and that my dad has a swift recovery.  If you could also pray for my step-mom, Susan, that she be able to somehow find some way/some time to rejuvenate herself, my brother, sister and I would appreciate it.  The burden of primary caretaker is a great one and it has been a long few months for her and the days ahead are expected to be even longer. 


We will never be able to thank you enough for helping our family.  I wish we were all in the same part of the country so when this is all over we could have one giant celebration!  

Today Was the Beginning

Sunday night, my little Willy boy went to bed very early. He was tired and wanted to rest up for the big day today -- waterworks at preschool. I could only think that my "big" Willy boy, Dad, would be going to bed (relatively) early as well to also get up early for his big day today.

Today Dad began his radiation and chemotherapy. It was a long, grueling day beginning at the crack of dawn for lab work, doctors meetings and then his radiation treatment followed by a full day of chemo. When I talked with him this evening, I could tell he was grateful to have one day under his belt and that he was happy to be home. Tomorrow he will make the trek once again to the Cleveland Clinic for more radiation and chemo and there are many more days and weeks of treatment to come. But as tough as I am sure that things were today and will be in the coming days, I am glad that things are now moving forward. Today is the day we were waiting for -- the beginning of Dad's return to health!

To all that have posted here your prayers, please accept my humble thanks on behalf of our family. We ask that you continue to hold Dad in your hearts, thoughts and prayers.

Prayers for my dad

My family and I have been sending out requests to our churches, friends and extended family asking people to pray.  When my dad gets discouraged and scared, he tells me he thinks of those people praying for him and it brings him comfort.  Because of this, I am setting up this website so my dad can see your prayers for himself on those days when he needs it most.   So, thank you for visiting.  He has a very long road ahead of him and I pray that you will come back often and let my dad know that you are indeed praying for him.   The five minutes you take to do so means the world to him (and to those of us that love him so very much).  Thank you for being a part of this.