Relay for Life

On Friday, May 2nd, Darrell participated in Relay for Life (at two locations). We attended the Survivor's dinner at Hazel Green High School. They provided a free t-shirt and other goodies and a nice meal from Nothing but Noodles. Afterwards, Darrell walked in the Survivor's lap, and then I joined him in the Caregiver's lap. There were lots of friends and co-workers there cheering us on.

Afterward walking those 2 laps, we left and went to the other site for Relay for Life at John Hunt Park, where we joined in with the other members of The Piano Man team, named in honor of Dwayne Andrews, our dear friend (and piano player at our church) who lost the fight against colon cancer. We walked several laps there and then enjoyed the Luminary ceremony.

It was a terrible weather night later that night and it had to end early (due to rain and heavy winds), but the walk was successful as everyone honored cancer survivors, paid tribute to the lives lost to the disease, and raised money to help fight the disease.

It was our first attendance of this event and we plan to really get involved in the future.

See the pictures of Darrell walking the Survivor Lap.

Cancer Free!!!!!!!!!!!!

Just wanted you guys to know that today the doctor called Darrell and told him that the results of his full body scan from last Friday were good--that there were no signs of cancer and he would not have to undergo any more radiation treatments. He has spent the day shouting, "I'm cancer free"!

Thank you for your prayers and words of encouragement. They really helped us make it through these few months.

God is good (all the time)!

Vickey

Body Scan Update

On Friday, March 28th, Darrell had the full body scan at Huntsville Hospital. It took less than an hour to do that. The guy doing the scan (Frankie--the man who administered the radioactive iodine pill) couldn't tell Darrell any results of the scan, but he did tell him that if he was comparing the pill that Darrell took back on March 17th to regular radiation, it would have been equivalent to about 40 treatments. Wow!

There have only been a couple of side effects of the treatment. Everything that he eats tastes very bland. He's eaten much more Mexican food and hot spicy food than anything else. Even that doesn't taste very good to him, but it's about the only thing that has any flavor. The doctors told him that would happen and it should go away at some point.

He's lost some of the weight he had gained and the swelling in his face has almost gone away. His voice is almost back to normal, just not the full volume yet and singing isn't there yet--not enough breath yet. But it will be back!

Thank the Lord we're at the end of this process. I'll post again when we get the final results from the body scan. I'm claiming that Darrell will be screaming "I'm cancer-free" (similar to Dave Ramsey's radio show where people call in and shout I'm debt free).

By the way, we are planning to walk in Relay for Life, sponsored by the American Cancer Society on May 1-2 @ John Hunt Park here in Huntsville. We will be on the Piano Man team, in memory of Dwayne Andrews (our church piano player) and also in celebration of Darrell "surviving" cancer, along with others like James Cole, etc. I'll post the website later if you would like to make a donation to the cancer society.

Darrell's home

Darrell came home today at about 10:00 a.m. The "safety/security" guy checked his radioactive level and it registered 3.5. The State of Alabama requires that he be at least a 5.0 before leaving.

Now that he's at home he still has to follow a few rules for the next 3 days til the level is a "zero". He will have to sleep in a different bed (and get a new pillow on Sunday), take showers and use a separate bathroom than the rest of us, and use paper products to eat on for the next few days. But other than that, it's over. Thank the Lord! He goes back to the hospital on March 28th to have a full body scan to ensure that there are no more cancer cells in his body. But we're believing that they are ALL gone with this procedure!

He was a little nauseous this morning, but seems to be getting better this afternoon. He wanted something to eat other than the boring stuff that he had been eating for the last few days on this low iodine diet, so we ate pizza for lunch today!

He will now start on a new drug - synthroid - and he will have to take that for the rest of his life. We hope that drug will help real soon with the swelling and weight gain during the last couple of weeks and also increase his energy level. He'll be off work the rest of the week while his body adjusts to this new drug.

Thanks so much for your prayers during this whole procedure. We know that God has honored those prayers. Check back on March 28th for the last report.

Continue to pray for our friends, James and Annalie, who are both undergoing either chemo/radiation or are waiting on test results from a tumor. We know God will deliver them to good health again, too.

Vickey

Big Progress

The "safety" guy came around to check the radioactive iodine level on Darrell at about 3:30 today. The pill that he took yesterday was 150 millicuries. When they did the check on the outside of his body about 30 minutes later, the level was 20. He has to be down to at least 5 before he can go home. Darrell's level today was a "7". He ALMOST got to go home today. So, the guys is going to come earlier in the day tomorrow and most likely Darrell will be able to go home before noon. Praise the Lord! He's been "chugging" down the water to wash that stuff out of his body.

Just remember him in prayer. He's become nauseous today and is still feeling that way this afternoon. The nurse gave him something for it this afternoon, so hopefully it will take affect really soon.

Vickey

The "Pill" Day

Darrell was called by the hospital today about noon and he checked into his room a little after
1:00 p.m. They prepared his room by wrapping everything with cellophone--the doorknobs, the remote control, telephone, faucet in the sink, etc. Everything was set up and several folks kept going over all the details to make sure he understood what was about to take place. Two guys (one with the nuclear medicine division--Frankie and the other from some kind of security/safety division--Cecil) came at about 3:00 today and adminstered the radioactive iodine pill. This pill will only be "taken in" by thyroid cells, whether they are in the neck or if they have travelled to other parts of Darrell's body and "zap" away all the remaining particles of the thyroid cancer and any remaining thyroid tissue.

The radioactive materials in this pill are so strong that no one can be around him for awhile and if so, the radioactive materials could affect their "thyroid", too. So, he can't have visitors. I can go visit him and stand by the door, but to go in the room, you have to put on a gown, cover your shoes, etc. Housekeeping can't even come into the room. The nurses have to "suit up" to come check his vitals during each shift.

I had to leave the room when Darrell took the pill. One guy (Cecil) left the room and the nuclear medicine guy (Frankie) took the pill off of a cart that he had rolled into the room. The pill was in a glass vial that was placed in a heavy lead container. The nuclear medicine guy transferred the pill by a pair of tongs to a styrofoam cup and Darrell swallowed the pill (he said it looked like a grey Advil capsule).

That's all he has to do. They told him to drink LOTS of water and juices. The 2nd guy (Cecil) had a "geiger counter" and he held it up to Darrell's stomach for him to hear. Darrell said it sounded like a machine gun going off. They'll check him several times to make sure the level gets to an acceptable level for him to go home on Wednesday.

Just pray for Darrell that the pill does not make him sick/nauseous and the medicine from the pill will leave his body quickly.

We appreciate all your prayers so far! God has been so very good to us! Darrell's voice is back at about 50% now, maybe even a little better at times. PTL!

Vickey

Darrell's preparation for his radiation treatment

Sunday, March 2nd, was the last day that Darrell took the medicine Cytomel. Cytomel is a thyroid hormone. It works by replacing or supplementing the natural thyroid hormones in your body.

He began a low-iodine diet on Monday. This is a little different from a low-sodium diet, but most of the items that he can eat are low in sodium, anyway. He can't eat or drink any dairy product or any seafood (which he won't miss anyway since he was allergic to shrimp already). He can only have about 5 or 6 ounces of meat each day and very little bread.

Why is he on this diet? They are trying to get him to have as little iodine in his body as possible before the radiation treatment. His radiation will be swallowing a radioactive iodine pill. He still has some thyroid tissue left in his body (and it is cancerous) and when he swallows that pill, the iodine will search out the body for the thyroid. Thyroid cells are the ONLY cells in the body which are able to absorb iodine. Iodine is a vital trace mineral which is found in food.

So, when he swallows that pill and it searches out to find the remaining traces of thyroid tissue in his body, the radioactive materials that are in the pill will KILL the remaining cancer cells in his body.

He will have to go into the hospital and stay for about 48 hours. The date of that treatment is March 17th. About a week later they will do a body scan to see how well the radioactive iodine treatment did. We're praying for a "clean sweep" and being cancer-free! PTL!

As far as his voice, on a scale of 1 - 100, he's back at about 35% of his volume. You can actually hear him now, and he's not whispering. Thank the Lord! We'll be hearing his voice again FULL VOLUME real soon!

I'll report more on the specifics of the treatment in a few more days.

Thanks for your prayers. We couldn't have made it without them! We know that God has a purpose for everything that happens in our lives and we are thanking God for all that he has accomplished throughout this whole ordeal. There are a LOT of good things that have happened and we have so much to be thankful for!

Vickey

Revisit to Dr. John LaFrentz - ENT

Friday, February 15th
Darrell went back to see Dr. John LaFrentz, an ENT here in Huntsville. He is one of the nicest doctors you'll ever meet. He spends so much time with you, explaining every detail of what's going on, answers "every" question that you have, etc. He's kinda like Dr. Marcus Welby, if you remember anthing about the 1970's, except that he's really young (and not bald).

He re-examined Darrell's throat again (ran that tube down his nose-yuk) and said that he thought he saw some "slight" activity in that nerve. He said it still looked extremely weak, but that there might be a little movement. That was great encouragement to us.

He will continue to monitor Darrell's nerve to his vocal chords through the next few months. He talked about what Darrell would be going through with the radioactive iodine treatment and what to expect during and after the treatment. He also checked on his calcium test from earlier this week and said that it was "perfect". He said that Darrell could adjust the amount of Tums he was taking since this was a good score and that his "numbness" was lessening. Darrell was excited abut this since the Tums are beginning to affect his stomach and his eating.

He said that we might not want to go to an endocrinologist, that he and Darrell's regular family doctor could work with him on the administering of the Synthroid(or however you spell it) and not involve another set of doctors. He says it's pretty hard to get in to see an endocrinologst since there are only a couple here in Huntsville.

So, we're just waiting now on the last stages of this whole process--the radiation treatment.

Continue to pray for Darrell. It's still a "roller coaster" ride--emotions up and down, still some pain and "weird feelings", incision that still needs to heal, etc. But we thank God for everything--knowing that He has a purpose in all this.

We're awaiting the day of "normalcy", if there ever is such a thing.

We've decided that maybe we don't won't to grow old and retire if this is what we have to look forward to--lots of doctor's visits and medicines .

Throughout all of this, Darrell has constantly said to me, "just be patient with me, Vickey". I told him that wasn't what he married me for, that patience wasn't one of my "virtures" . I have never wanted to pray for patience, cause I know what the Bible says about patience and trials and tribulations. I have learned so much through all this--Darrell, too. Psalms 27, which the Lord showed to Darrell early one morning, says it best in its last verse - "wait for the Lord". That's what we're standing on now.

Psalms 27
The LORD is my light and my salvation— whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life— of whom shall I be afraid?
2 When evil men advance against me to devour my flesh, [a] when my enemies and my foes attack me, they will stumble and fall.
3 Though an army besiege me, my heart will not fear; though war break out against me, even then will I be confident.
4 One thing I ask of the LORD, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to seek him in his temple.
5 For in the day of trouble he will keep me safe in his dwelling; he will hide me in the shelter of his tabernacle and set me high upon a rock.
6 Then my head will be exalted above the enemies who surround me; at his tabernacle will I sacrifice with shouts of joy; I will sing and make music to the LORD.
7 Hear my voice when I call, O LORD; be merciful to me and answer me.
8 My heart says of you, "Seek his [b] face!" Your face, LORD, I will seek.
9 Do not hide your face from me, do not turn your servant away in anger; you have been my helper. Do not reject me or forsake me, O God my Savior.
10 Though my father and mother forsake me, the LORD will receive me.
11 Teach me your way, O LORD; lead me in a straight path because of my oppressors.
12 Do not turn me over to the desire of my foes, for false witnesses rise up against me, breathing out violence.
13 I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living.
14 Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD.

Darrell's visit to the Radiation Oncologist

Thursday, February 14th
Darrell had his first appointment today with Dr. Elizabeth Falkenberg, who is a radiation oncologist with Clearview Cancer Institute in Huntsville. It was a good visit. All these visits to cancer clinics have made us appreciate Darrell's condition. There are so many others out there who are in really bad health and their cancer is causing such pain to them. God has been so good to Darrell.

Darrell had to tell the story a couple of times today about all the surgeries and other doctor visits, how they found the cancer, how he lost his voice, etc. Each time that he tells the story about how they found the cancer, the doctors and nurses seem amazed at how they found the cancer, since thyroid cancer is so hard to detect and there are not really any symptoms associated with it. We know that God allowed the doctors to find it in this early stage.

Dr. Falkenberg scheduled Darrell's radioactove iodine (RAI) treatment for Monday, March 17th. He'll have to check into Huntsville Hospital and stay there for about 48 hours. They'll give him an "internal" treatment rather than external treatment. He'll swallow a pill and then he will be considered radioactive for awhile and will have to be in the hospital room by himself. We've teased him about being one of those "glow worm" dolls that were popular when Amy was a child and that he'll be like a "glow in the dark" figure. .

He'll be able to go home after 48 hours, but will need to be at home for about a week after that, but kinda hang out by himself (sleep in a room by himself, eat out of paper products, etc.). The next week, he can hang out with folks, but not for more than 8 hours at a time. The state of Alabama still requires that he do this. The doctors say that most of the other states don't have as stringent standards as Alabama still has on the effects of this radiactive iodine on the others around whoever has taken the RAI.

After about 10 days, Darrell will have to go back to the hospital and they will do a full body scan to see that all the cancer is gone (or if any had made its way to other parts of his body). This will determine if he will have to have another RAI treatment. If all goes as expected, ALL cancer will be gone from his body and they will continue to just do checkups every few months to see how he's doing.

He will have to take Synthrol (not sure of the spelling--have ya'll noticed I'm not the best speller in the world--especially medical terms?), which is a thyroid hormone--it will make Darrell's body think it still has a thyroid.

Darrell's doing pretty good. Today was a really good day. His medication is not making him feel so "funny" anymore and he didn't have as many "numb" feelings today. One good thing from today was the nurse that checked him in at the cancer institute had similar surgery, lost her voice, was a singer at church, and now her voice is back, good as new. She was able to share things with Darrell that he had wondered about, and that no one else could really understand (one of those "had to be there" situations).

We just thank the Lord that he's doing so well.

We found out tonight that one of our very dear friends found out she had a "mass" in her brain and will need to see a neurosurgeon about what's going on. Please pray for Annalie. She's a "very" special person in our lives--more on that later. Also, remember her husband, Gordon, who will be having some neck surgery very soon. They both need our prayers!

Followup Appointment with the First Surgeon

Darrell went to see Dr. Fernandez today (Monday). He was the first surgeon (from January 17). He was impressed with how good Darrell's voice was sounding compared to a couple of weeks ago. He referred him to Dr. Elizabeth Falkenberg, who is a radiation oncologist. She will be in charge of Darrell's radioactive iodine treatment. Dr. Fernandez said that she will probably put him on a low iodine diet for a little while before the radiation treatment for better success. Darrell has an appointment on Thursday with her. Also, Darrell will revisit Dr. Fernandez in about a month. He just wants to make sure that all the "pieces" are coming together for Darrell's complete recovery, from the cancer to the vocal chords.

Also, Dr. Peters, the surgeon from UAB, wants Darrell to stay in touch with Dr. LaFrentz, the ENT that he saw right after the first surgery and who referred Darrell to Dr. Peters at UAB. He wants Dr. LaFrentz to keep a check on the vocal chords. Darrell has an appointment with him on Friday. We will eventually get in touch with the endicronologists that Dr. Peters referred Darrell to, but that will be after the meeting with the oncologist.

Darrell also had additional bloodwork done today at Crestwood Hospital to check status of his calcium level. He keeps having "numb" experiences, and that is partly due to low calcium. He'll find out those results in a couple of days.

Darrell is not working this week, and we hope this break from work will allow his body to heal up even more from both of the surgeries and get adjusted to the new medicines. It will also allow him to have some down time to "slow" down life just a little and allow for some mental healing and some spiritual reflections. Everything has happened so fast. We're just so grateful to God for being right there with Darrell every step of the way. God has sent the right person at the right time with the right word to encourage Darrell throughout this whole ordeal.

One last note. Several folks have been concerned about how Darrell should be saving his voice, and not whispering. Darrell wants everyone to know that he is NOT whispering, that what you hear is the actual volume of his voice. His left nerve is what is damaged, not his vocal chords, so there is no damage being done to his vocal chords when he talks. That beautiful tenor voice will return again some day. That part is more discouraging than the cancer part, simply because it's more noticable, but we know that the vocal chord left nerve will begin functioning again--we're praying for SOON.

Followup Appointment @ Kirklin Clinic

Darrell had a followup appointment today with Dr. Peters at the Kirklin Clinic. Everything is looking good. The pathology report from the 2nd surgery showed no cancer on the right side. It did report that there was scarring and the Hishimoto disease, but NO cancer! (Thank the Lord!)The incision is healing well.

The numbness that Darrell has been feeling since the 2nd surgery is only temporary and he needs to keep eating "Tums" to get the extra calcium in his body and the numbness will then go away. He was a little worried about eating the extra calcium since he has had kidney stones related to too much calcium in his body in the past.

Dr. Peters recommended an endocrinologist here in Huntsville to do the next phase, which will be radioactive iodine treatment (this will be taken orally). Darrell will have one of these treatments to destroy any lingering thyroid cells. This is normally done at a one or two day hospital stay, but we won't know all the details til Darrell meets with the new doctor.

Dr. Peters asked Darrell to keep seeing Dr. LaFrentz and Dr. Fernandez to keep an eye on the "numb nerve" in the vocal chords. He said that if his vocal chords had not begun working within 6 months, that he wanted to see him again and see what could be done surgically. We're praying that they will begin working again soon. His voice is stronger, but not back to normal yet. The left side is the only damaged side.

We certainly appreciate all the prayers so far and ask that you keep Darrell in your prayers throughout the remainder of this process. It's been a scary process but God has been so good! We love all you guys!

~Vickey

Learning to live with the medication

Today started kinda "tense", but got better as the day went on. Darrell was experiencing "numbing" around his mouth, in his hands, feet, legs, arms, and stomach. They had said at the hospital if he felt any numbness to call the doctor for further instructions. They suggested that he wasn't getting enough calcium (he was supposed to be eating 9 Tums tablets a day and he had not done that). He added more Tums today and it seems to be better. I think this will be a "process" that will be ongoing for awhile til he learns how to take the medication.

Other than that, it was a pretty easy day. I stayed at home with Darrell today, but plan to go back to work on Friday. I might have to fill out a job application to get back into my office.

Rene Cole brought over lunch today (roast and all the goodies and one of her great pecan pies). We sure did enjoy it!

Tomorrow, Darrell goes back to Birmingham for a followup appointment and hopefully we'll get some more details on the next phase of this process--the radioactive iodine pill.
~Vickey

What is your thyroid?

Many people have been asking questions about the thyroid. I've rounded up some resources that explain some things. Some of these things Darrell has done, and some he didn't.

The thyroid gland (the only gland in the body that does this) absorbs iodine from foods and converts it so that it can control your body's metabolism. Every cell in the body depends upon thyroid hormones for regulation of their metabolism. I know that's a whole lot more complicated than that, so read some of the entries below.

Thyroid 101
What is your thyroid gland?
How Your thyroid operates
Your thyroid well being

Quick Update on Darrell

Darrell rested pretty well last night and the incision looked good this morning. His throat is still extremely sore, but that will work itself out later. Today was the first day that he took the thyroid medicine. It's having some of the weird side effects they told us about, so we're watching very closely to see how he will do. Hopefully when we go to the doctor on Thursday, they will begin the adjustments that will not make him feel these side effects. I told him he was going to have to get a 2nd job to support his new "drug habit" (grin) . Thank God for insurance!

We were blessed with a great meal tonight from some of the ladies of the church (Zelda, Tammy, Carolyn & Sharon--these are some of the ladies that I work with on the Ladies Board). It was delicious! Also, God has blessed us financially in some special ways during all the surgeries and expenses. That is something that we had prayed about. God is so faithful!

Matt was the "primary caregiver" today for Darrell--he ran the errands, got lunch, answered the phone, did the "little" things for his Dad. I went to work for a little while to try to get caught up on some things and then had a doctor's appointment (determined to be bronchitis), so I got a shot again and maybe I can get to feeling better and be better able to help Darrell more, since I've felt so rotten for about a week now.

Just continue praying for Darrell to have a complete recovery, all over his body!
~Vickey

The Second Surgery

We stayed at a hotel that was just 2 blocks away from the hospital so that it would be easy to get to the hospital on time and not worry about traffic, weather, etc. We obviously left our brains at home, cause we had to keep calling the front desk to let them know about things that we had left at home--hairbrush, deodorant, razor, etc. We finally got it together enough to get to the hospital.

We arrived at the hospital at about 6:30 a.m. and Darrell got admitted. Darrell's brother Glenn and wife Dale, and his sister Sherry met us in Admitting. Later, Darrell's mom and new "hubby" Dan met us in the waiting area. We had so many folks who came and sat with us during the surgery--Bro. & Sis. Wesson and James Duckworth from church, along with Julie Pierce and Chuck Kennedy from the Birmingham area. Angie & Neal came, too. Some of Dale's family (her brother Jim and his wife Sue) were at the hospital, too, along with Sherry and Darrell's Mom's pastor, Rick Bradley. (I hope I didn't leave out anybody).

The pre-op area was so small so just a couple of folks could come in to see Darrell before surgery. Pastor Wesson and James came back and prayed with Darrell, then some of his family came and visited for a short time. Darrell was so relaxed, compared to the previous surgery. He said God had given him such peace about everything.

Darrell's surgeon, Glenn Peters came in and reassured us that everything was going to go well and when Darrell asked him if the surgery was going to take about the 2 hours that we had been told, he laughed and said that he didn't have enough to take out to take that amount of time. He said it would be much less than that.

He told us that Dr. Boyce (not sure if that's the correct spelling) would be the Anesthesiologist (I'm sure that's not even close to how to spell that word--but I hope you'll know what I'm talking about). He is the person that we had heard about the week before that is the "king of airways", just like we had heard that Dr. Peters was the "king of thyroids.

Dr. Boyce also asked Darrell to tell him about his voice and why it was so quiet and he said that it was just a "numb nerve" and called it something (I'll try to remember the exact medical term) and that he thought it would come back within 6 to 8 weeks. We were ecstatic (what's wrong with my spelling tonight?--not sure if I spelled that word right or not, either)!!!!! Finally someone had told exactly what it was and gave us a "firm" answer when to expect his voice back.

The nurse came in and told Darrell that he had the "dream team" working for him today in surgery, so we knew that we "favor" going into this surgery.

They took him back to surgery at about 8:55 a.m. and before 10:00 a.m. the front desk said that I had a phone call. It was the doctor and he said that the surgery was over (in less than an hour) and that everything had gone really well--no trach was needed--the right nerve "behaved" itself, he didn't need a drain tube, and that things had gone exactly as planned, actually a little better. He said that he would be in recovery up to 2 hours. Within an hour, the nurse from recovery called and said that he was improving so fast, that they would call soon and that I could go back to see him and that if all went well, he could go home pretty soon. We were thinking about mid afternoon, but they let him go home a little after noon! Can you believe that? God just worked everything out today "perfectly".

I can't believe how fast it all happened today, but we just got home from Darrell's surgery (2:30 p.m. on Monday afternoon). Everything went so well and so ahead of schedule, that they sent us home right after noon (which was a couple of hours ahead of when we thought he would come home). Renae Stephenson cooked him some soft food for supper and he ate very well, despite the extremely sore throat.

God has been so good to Darrell during these surgeries. Everything went well--no complications, no drainage tube, no trach, just a miracle and excellence on the part of the "Master Physician" as he used two "dream team" surgeons.

Thank you guys so much for praying. He'll be home this week recuperating. His incision is sore as well as his throat where they had the intubation tube and the ride home wasn't exactly comfortable, but thank the Lord we're home so that he can rest and life can start resembling some side of normalcy again for us.

He goes back to the doctor on Thursday of this week and we'll get report on the right side of the thyroid (which is going to be positive remarks, we are believing) and also instructions on future radiation treatments to destroy the remaining cancer cells on the left side.

Thanks again for your prayers. God is good!

Keep his "spot" warm in the choir!

~Vickey

On to Birmingham

(Written Sunday night, February 3rd)

We had a great day at church today. Darrell and I dropped in at the end of the Sunday School hour and updated our class on Darrell’s situation and they had prayer for us. We are such a “unique” group, none of us having been good friends or acquaintances before going to this class, yet we have “melded” (is that such a word?) together. Darrell and I both felt such love and support from that class. Mike Cole is doing such a good job of obeying God’s leading in that class. We’ve been doing a John Bevere Bible study and can’t wait to get back to our Sunday School class when this is all over.

The choir did an awesome job once again this morning, and we REALLY miss not singing. But SOON, we will BOTH return.

Pastor asked Darrell to come to the front of the church for prayer at the close of service. We received so many hugs, prayers, and encouraging words. Life Church is the most loving congregation! I guess you just don’t realize it til you’re in the situation where you NEED the support of your church, how much love one group of people can show.

Darrell and I drove to Birmingham on Sunday afternoon (in the pouring rain) so that we would already be in the hospital district and not have to drive so far on Monday morning. The boys have decided to stay in Huntsville and go to school on Monday rather than miss school (Matt has an exam and the boys’ friend, Shaston, will take Jacob to school). We’ll be in touch by phone and text with them all day.

We’re anxious, and ready to get this over, but we have great peace in knowing that God is in control. To God be the glory!
~Vickey

The Social Event of the Season

Well, today was the BIG day. Darrell's Mom (Ruth) got married today to Dan Quinn. The wedding was held at Angie & Neal's church in Moulton. Darrell was not scheduled to be in the wedding, but Dan's son came down with double pneumonia, and so Darrell stood in at the last minute as a groomsman. He was a little concerned about wearing a tie over his incision/scar, but it worked out good. All the kids and grandkids were there (with the exception of Logan, who had bronchitis, and Jason's fiancee', Bethany, who had the flu). Several of us have been sick on and off all week, but we mostly recovered for the wedding. It was a beautiful wedding. Angie and Aunt Barbara and all those others who helped did a great job in decorating and food, etc. I'm not sure who all was involved, but they all did a great job.

The bride and groom walked out of the church at the end of the wedding to the music of "Hey, hey, good looking"! Aunt Barbara and Uncle Don "boogied" down the aisle. I've included some photos of the wedding.

Lots of folks were telling Darrell that had been praying and were continuing to pray for him during his surgery on Monday and for his recovery.

Darrell's surgery time for Monday

We talked to the surgery scheduler today from University Hospital in Birmingham. Darrell's surgery will be at 8:30 a.m. on Monday morning, February 4th. If all goes as planned, hopefully he'll get to go home later that day or at the most stay only one night.

His voice was much stronger this morning, but has tired as the day went by. Although, his voice is much stronger than mine right now. This sinus infection is messing with my voice and hopefully the meds will kick in soon.

Keep us in your prayers!
~Vickey

Vickey's visit to the doctor reveals a miracle!

Well, I guess I just pushed too far, cause I've been sick for the last 2 days and finally talked myself into calling the doctor for help. I couldn't risk getting Darrell sick for his surgery next week, plus I need to be well for the wedding on Saturday (Darrell's Mom is getting married on Saturday--more on that story later).

Darrell and I started going to Dr. Jamie & Amy Makemson, located in the Professional building near Crestwood Hospital. Chuck Shirley, a guy that I've been working with for over 10 years, recommended the Makemsons to us. He was telling me how modern and "techy" he was. So, Darrell started going to Dr. Jamie and I started going to Dr. Amy (they're married). They are so cute running around the office with their laptops and PDAs. But they really know their stuff.

So, this morning, I called the doctor's office to get an appointment with Dr. Amy, but she didn't have room in her schedule, but the nurse said that Dr. Jamie (Darrell's doctor) could see me, so I went in to see him. (I truly believe it was a "God thing" that I saw him rather than her.

When he was asking what was wrong with me and how long it had been going on, I told him that I had a sore throat for about a week, but I just thought it was because I was talking so much, and I reminded him of Darrell and the surgery (he had sent Darrell to the surgeon, but didn't know yet about the latest trip to UAB). He said, "oh, yeah, Darrell had the thyroid cancer". He said, that was just so weird that he had found that, and then we talked a little more and I told him that we thought it was a "God thing" that Darrell had gone for his annual physical and that Dr. Makemson had found the nodules. We talked on a little bit more and he said "Yes, I believe that God must have told me to check that and send him on to get that checked out" (I'm not sure of his faith, but sounds like he does believe in God). We then went on and talked about my situation (which by the way is not strep--which they tested for, but was a bad sinus infection--I get them every year, and it had a good bit of drainage which has settled in my throat which is making it so sore ) and you could tell that he wanted to get back to the topic of Darrell, and he said, "yea, Dr. Fernandez (the surgeon that did Darrell's first thyroid surgery) called me and said 'you felt that?, I can't believe you felt that.'. Dr. Makemson said "I believe it was a miracle that we caught this right now". I agreed with him about the miracle, and he asked that I tell my "hubbie" that he was thinking about him and to keep him updated on the latest. That made me feel so good to confirm that what all of us agreed on--that God is taking care of Darrell--that God has been with Darrell, and all the doctors, from the very beginning.

I told Darrell and shared with him what Dr. Makemson had said. He called me later and said that he had just been rejoicing all day from the news that his doctor felt like God was in this "thing", too. Praise the Lord for physicians who go with that "gut" feeling, and then recognize that God is taking the lead in this. Darrell said he felt like if Dr. Makemson had not found these nodules this year, who knows what kind of situation he would have been in next November at his annual physical.

We give God the glory! We believe that God is in control and we will follow Him.

Sis. Taylor, from a church in the Moulton area, called Darrell yesterday to encourage him and pray with him. He said she was a "real fireball". We appreciate folks from all areas praying for us!

BTW, Jacob felt so strongly about not missing church last night, that he went and stood in the back, so he wouldn't give anybody anything. He said he felt like it was what God wanted. So, we all headed out to church for a short time and the youth prayed for Jacob and also Darrell. He went back to school today and I worked part of the day.

Darrell's voice is going through strong and weak periods. It is improving, just not 100%, but we're believing that it's coming back soon!

We'll all be thankful for things to get back to normal around here.


~Vickey

Visit to Dr. Peters at Kirklin Clinic (UAB)

Tuesday, January 29th

Darrell had an appointment with Dr. Glen Peters at the Kirklin Clinic on the UAB campus in Birmingham today. His appointment time was 1:00, but we left really early to make sure we could find it. We got really good directions from James Cole and Judy Garrett (by the way, both sets of directions were EXACT) and we made it down there without any problems (now, on the way back was a different story--it's crazy down there in all that traffic). James has been diagnosed with colon cancer and has been to the Kirklin Clinic to get a 2nd opinion. Judy works with deaf patients who have doctor's appointments there occasionally and does sign language interpretations for patients.

Judy had even shared with us good restaurants in the area, so we walked to one of them called Grumps Grill and it was delicious.

The Clinic was almost "overwhelming" it was so big. We had been in that "small family" environment at Crestwood and it was a big shock to go here.

Darrell first met with Dr. Sharp, a cute young female doctor who gathered all the history from Darrell and began the initial examination. She asked Darrell why he had been referred here and before Darrell could finish his sentence, she finished it with "because he's the best". Darrell said, "yeah, that's pretty much it". Then she told Darrell, "He IS the best". Isn't that just like God to arrange a 2nd opinion with the very best?!

Dr. Glenn Peters came in next and he was very nice to us and explained several things that we didn't know about vocal chords. He concurred with both the surgeon and ENT in Huntsville that the right side of the thyroid needed to be removed and radiation needed to be given to destroy the rest of the cancer cells in Darrell's neck and thyroid area. He checked Darrell's vocal chord nerve on the left side and saw that it was still inactive, yet it was not damaged. He said it would eventually come back. However, he warned us of the risk of the operation and the fact that what happened on the left side with the vocal chord nerve could happen on the right side. He said most likely it wouldn't, but that he needed to prepare us for what would happen if it did happen, which would be they would insert an emergency "trach" so that he could breathe. Apparently you must have at least one vocal chord nerve in order to breathe on your own. This would only be temporary until one of the vocal chord nerves starts "acting" again.

We are praying very "specifically" that God would heal Darrell and that his left vocal chord nerve would come back "alive" before Darrell's surgery.

Dr. Peters set Darrell's next surgery for this coming Monday, February 4th to remove the right lobe of his thyroid. We won't know a time til later this week. We'll post it here when we find out.

Please join us in prayer BELIEVING that God is doing a miracle in Darrell's life.

As a P.S., when we got home today, Jacob was sick (actually started getting sick yesterday). I took him to an urgent care center tonight and he has the flu. Please pray for his quick recovery.

Also, Gene Watkins, a neighbor of ours (he's married to Debbie "used to be Mahathey"). He was involved in an accident with a horse over the weekend. The horse attacked him and bit a huge section out of his arm and broke the other arm. Pray for his speedy recovery. Also, remember the Maynards in your prayers - for their health issues and also for Ron Gothart for his health.

God is so good! He's opened up so many opportunities for ministry for our entire family throughout this entire process. I know great things are going to happen!

We love you guys! We couldn't make it throughout this without our family and friends and their prayer support. When we are feeling low, God has sent the right person at the right time to speak words of faith and encouragement to us and share special scriptures and prayers with us.

I'd love to forget all the "bad" stuff throughout all of this and only remember the "good" stuff, but then again, we'd never know about all the "good" stuff, had the "bad" stuff not happened.

~Vickey

You talk about some "eating"!

Monday, January 28
This afternoon Darrell's sister and her husband, Angie and Neal (who pastor the Moulton Church of God), delivered a recliner from Darrell's mom's house that she was giving us. Some of the ladies from the Moulton church wanted to send dinner (or supper, depends on whether you're talking to either Darrell or me). Talk about some good "eating"! Man, can those ladies cook!!! We had homemade chicken noodle soup from Ruth McCay, which was absolutely delicious. We had a fantastic salad with all the fixings from Diane Hill (Darrell works with her husband Ray at GE) (she even brought me cucumbers--which Darrell hates--and Bro LaFevor says is almost "ungodly"). And for dessert (don't be jealous), we had delectable peanut butter chocolate cake--and it was homemade--who has time to do that anymore? The cake was baked by Connie Dutton. Needless to say that we ate good that night. I'm sure God is going to put an extra "jewel" in their mansion for their kindness to us. We certainly appreciate their generosity. I probably need to take some lessons from these ladies on the cooking .

Later that night, Matt stayed at home and "babysat--or should I say phonesat" with Darrell while I went to hang out with my "girlfriends" at my monthly book club. Darrell heard me telling someone that I had to go hang out with my girlfriends and he said that I was just tired of hanging out with my boyfriend . I really did enjoy the refreshing atmosphere with these ladies--who range in age from the 30s to the 70s. I needed all the laughs and giggles that night. I thank God for our friends, without who (or is it whom?) life would not be the same without.

Keep praying that Darrell's left vocal chord nerve will become active again! We want you to pray specific about this!

~Vickey


~Vickey

Sunday Prayer Time

Darrell went to church today. I know it was hard for him to stand there during the Praise & Worship and also when the choir sang knowing that his voice just wouldn't allow him to sing along. I told him that he could "whistle", which amazingly, he can still do that.

The choir sang "Healing Rain" (was that a God thing or what). I love the chorus (see below)

Healing rain, it comes with fire
So let it fall and take us higher
Healing rain, I'm not afraid
To be washed in Heaven's rain

After the choir sang, Darrell felt like he should go down to the front of the church to be prayed for. You may have gone through this before, but he was trying to say "Lord if someone else goes down, I'll go down . . . If the Pastor says if someone wants prayer, come down . . ., etc. Finally Darrell felt he heard the Lord say, "Don't play with me" (or something like that) and with that he went to the back of the church and asked Charles Lanza to walk down to the front with him. When he did, dozens of people came and prayed with him. He really needed that. We know that God is in control and will bring him through this, but it really helps knowing that your church family is there with you, praying with you. So many people came up to us all and spoke words of encouragement. Brian Penney came and prayed with Darrell--he shared with both of us what God was saying to him about Darrell. We were especially encouraged by words from James & Lu Cole and Geneva Cole. James is going through chemo right now for colon cancer. Darrell and James bonded together today to "fight this thing together". Also, we went to eat lunch with our friends, Marcia & Jerry Stewart, and they were so supportive. They've been through so much during the last few months with the death of their son-in-law who died of cancer, yet they have been so concerned and supportive of us. We truly are blessed with great friends.

Our church family is the greatest. The love that they have expressed to us is phenominal and we will forever be grateful. ~Ain't God good?!
~Vickey

Whew! This roller coaster ride

Saturday, January 26th
Darrell's mom and Dan spent the night with us. We enjoyed their visit and this morning shared how good God has been to us all. Darrell's Dad died of cancer about 2 years ago and Dan's wife died of cancer about 5 years ago. They both know the ups and downs of this horrible road of cancer. We know that Darrell's case is very minor compared to what they had gone through with their spouses. Nevertheless, we still want your prayers with us to petition God to heal Darrell's vocal chords and his voice restored.

This afternoon we drove to Rainsville and visited with my Mom and Chick. Chick's wife died of cancer over 20 years and he was sharing about how things had really changed in diagnosis and procedures since that time. I know that God allows man to refine technology to help with these sicknesses. We had a great prayer time together and they really spoke words of encouragement to Darrell and myself. We are so fortunate to have such a caring family (on both sides).

Darrell's brothers and sisters have been so supportive. It truly is the saying "when one hurts, we all hurt".

Pat & Larry Banks brought over supper for us tonight. It was so sweet of them to do so. They braved the cold weather to come out and show their love for us. We just love them!

The boys have gone to the RAMP (Karen Wheaton's youth conference). We're expecting them to come back all pumped up and even more on fire for God! Who knows what will happen.

Continue to pray for Darrell - for his emotions and for complete healing of his vocal chords and for the thyroid.
~Vickey

Referral to UAB & Kirklin Clinic

Friday, January 25th
Today, Dr. Fernandez called Darrell and told him that he concurred with Dr. LaFrentz recommendation that he see Dr. Peters in Birmingham. He thought it would be an opportunity to get the best care for his thyroid. They set up an appointment for Tuesday, January 29th at 1:00. We pray that Darrell's vocal chords are operating again by then.

I once again want to say that we are so grateful for all our family and friends. The love and concern that you have shown our family during all of Darrell's sickness has been remarkable. We are very blessed!

Our faith has really been tested, but this has turned out to be a blessing, teaching us so much about ourselves and what we are made of. It has shown us that we are totally dependent upon God (He just sometimes lets us believe that we are in charge--when in fact He's in charge of every thing of our lives). Our faith has increased immensely!

Also, we are very thankful to have found physicians like Dr. Fernandez and Dr. LaFrentz who are determined to accurately diagnose and treat this disease and get us to the best possible care.
Whatever God has in mind, whether He choses to completely heal Darrell by the time we reach Birmingham, or that Darrell must go through surgery again--this time in the hands of one of the best surgeons in America, no matter what, we will praise the Lord.

I'm reminded of so many others who have things happening in their lives that are so much worse. We know the Burgess family (from Rick & Bubba) are hurting and grieving over the loss of their little boy last weekend. I cannot fathom the pain that they feel in the loss of their son. It really puts things in perspective.

Continue to pray for Darrell that his voice will return and the vocal chords will "wake up"!

~Vickey

Visit to the ENT

Thursday, January 24th
Today was the appointment with the ENT, Dr. LaFrentz. He met with us and asked lots of questions and went over some more of the pathology report. He explained even more in detail some of the things that Darrell is facing. He agreed that the left side of Darrell's thyroid was cancerous and also had a non-cancerous disease. He said this disease had made everything around the area "sticky". He said the "mass" was about 2 inches. We had been thinking that the 3 nodules that had been located were at 3 different locations, but they were kinda stacked on top of each other and the "mass" was protruding from his thyroid. This protrusion also affected the lymph nodes and lots of other tissue around the area. He agreed that Darrell needed to have the "good" side of his thyroid removed so that he could receive some radiation treatment that would kill out all of the cancer that might be in the tissue in the area. We asked about not taking out the other side, but he said that if they did that, they would have to give Darrell about 100 times the radiation, because the "good" side of the thyroid would soak up all the radiation. The timing is also critical, because as long as all this tissue has remnants of the pappilary carcinoma, there is the possibility of it spreading. All of this start making sense to us since we felt that the surgeon was really concerned and had been trying to let us know this, but didn't want so much to overwhelm us with the information.

The major concern for all of the doctors has been the vocal chords. Dr. LaFrentz deadened Darrell's nose and throat and ran a scope down his throat to check out the vocal chords. He saw that the left side was not damage (Thank the Lord) but that it was not active/moving. He said that it had probably been traumatized. He said that since it was not damaged, that it might take a couple of weeks or maybe even several months to "wake up". We praying for it to wake up NOW!

Dr. LaFrentz said that he could do the surgery, or that we could go back to Dr. Fernandez, but what he recommended (and he also had told Dr. Fernandez) was that he wanted to refer us to a specialist at UAB in Birmingham--Dr. Glen Peters. Dr. Peters is in the Kirklin Clinic in Birmingham. He's the "king of thyroids" (my words). He's an ENT and does about 2000 surgeries a year. Dr. LaFrentz said that he wanted to send Darrell to the best possible doctor. Praise the Lord! There's the 2nd opinion, and we didn't even have to ask for it. Thank you Lord for working in our lives!
~Vickey

The Boys Prayed for their Dad

Wednesday, January 23rd
Darrell went to bed pretty early on Wednesday night and I stayed up and was lying on the couch in front of the fireplace when the boys came in from church. It was a few minutes after 10:00. They usually go out with friends after church and grab a bite to eat. As they walked into the house, Jacob yelled for me to come there and he opened our bedroom door to where Darrell was sleeping. By the time I walked into the bedroom, I hear loud voices and realized that the boys were praying for their Dad. When I walked in, I saw (and heard) Jacob standing over his Dad with his hands laid on Darrell. On the back side of Darrell, Matt was laying beside Darrell and had his hands on his head and his back. They were praying so loudly, and with such fervor and authority, that I wondered to myself "who are these boys?" Darrell said they just started praying and woke him up. They prayed for healing, for cancer to be gone, for fear to be gone, for peace and faith to abound, and much more. There was an awesome spirit in that place. Darrell was just crying. I sat down on the bed and prayed with them. It is a moment that I will never forget. To those of you who are not Christians and maybe even those of you who don't attend a Pentecostal church such as ours, I know that you might not understand what I'm talking about, but to those others of you, what we experienced that night was a little bit of "old time camp meeting". It was wonderful! We pray as a family all the time, but NEVER have the boys taken charge and prayed with that much intensity. I was so proud. At one time I just opened my eyes and asked God to never let me forget this moment. We prayed for a long time and ever once in a while, Darrell's voice would sound strong and louder. Matt said somewhere during all this, "Dad, listen to your voice--it's louder". By the end of our prayer, Darrell's voice was greatly improved. He went from a faint whisper to a hoarse light voice. I know that God began a healing process in him that night. I thank the Lord for the boldness of my boys that night. I heard later that they had been praying at church and Jacob shared what was going on with their Dad and all the teens of the church and the youth workers gathered around the boys and prayed for them and then sent them out to pray for Darrell. They brought a "prayer cloth" that had been annointed with oil and prayed over and their hands were also annointed with oil. (for those of you who don't know what I'm talking about, see the scriptures below)

James 5:14 Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.

Acts 19:12 Now God worked unusual miracles by the hands of Paul. So that even handkerchiefs or aprons were brought from his body to the sick, and the diseases left them and the evil spirits went out of them.

I truly believe that great things are going to happen because of Darrell's sickness. We just experienced one on this night (Wednesday, January 23). To God be the Glory!

~Vickey

A Visit to Church

Wednesday, January 23rd

We've heard from so many people who knew someone who had their thyroid removed, that it was cancerous, that they had treatments, and that they were doing just fine. All these reports continue to strengthen our faith. Keep them coming!

The surgeon's office called today and said that they had the final pathology report ready and that they would like to move up the appointment for the ENT from January 30th, to tomorrow, Thursday, January 24th. Dr. Fernandez called me and gave me the report over the phone. Here's what he said:

The written report confirmed that the left lobe of the thyroid contained papillary carcinoma cancer. The cancer was also in 4 of the 8 lymph nodes. He said that cancer in thyroid lymph nodes was different from other kinds of cancers, that it isn't as likely to spread--but be contained right there in the thyroid area.

He repeated the need to remove the other side of the thyroid and then do some type of chemo to remove any remaining tissues that might be affected. The chemo would hone in on the thyroid tissues and destroy it all and he wouldn't have to worry about it spreading anywhere else.

Not only was the thyroid cancerous, it also had another non-cancerous disease called lymphocitic thyroditic (I am not a medical person, so I hope this is somewhere in the ballpark of the spelling). This disease was what had caused all the inflamation and infection that the surgeon had found and called it "angry" during the consultation after the surgery. He said the parathyroid glads were ok and that his calcium level was normal.

He said that the chemo was very responsive and that the 5-year survival rate was excellent. We were a little concerned about those words, but they don't mean that Darrell will only 5 years, like we had interpreted it to begin with. Like I told you, I'm so NOT a medical guru, so when I had him to keep repeating each of these things, I was so thankful that he was a very laid-back surgeon and really took the time to explain things to me.

He assured me and asked me to give Darrell the same message, that everything would turn out ok. He said the ENT would help us through the voice chord situation.

After I got home and repeated the story to Darrell, then told the boys, Amy, and the rest of the family, we went out to eat and then stopped by church. Darrell wanted to see James Duckworth and ask the choir to pray for him. He misses the choir so much. They are such an important part of our lives. The choir is as large as most small churches and we are "family". The choir has experienced so much pain during the last few months with the loss of Dwayne, our piano player, and most recently, found out that James Cole has colon cancer. They (or shall I say "we") are totally depending on God to guide us through all these trials. But we know God will receive all the glory and honor from it all. We also got someone to get Pastor out of the service and talk to Darrell and he gathered some men around to pray for Darrell. Everyone time someone prays for Darrell, I feel such "power" and assurance that God is in control--that He has a purpose for all of this. Darrell also talked to James Cole that night. Despite what he's going through, he's such a "giant" of a Christian. He really encouraged Darrell to trust in God and not doubt. He was also telling Darrell about all the modern advances of technology with cancer. Darrell had been a little concerned about losing his hair with the chemo (remember, he's the one with "perfect" hair), but Bro. Cole shared with him that chemo doesn't do that any more, if it's done right. I think you'll continue to see that "perfect hair" for awhile.
~Vickey

Cell Phones and whispers don't work

Tuesday, January 22nd
Darrell went back to work today. Can you believe that? He just didn't want to sit around the house, and physically he felt ok. The incision was healing very well and the sore throat was gone from the surgery. He felt like he could make it, just hoped that he didn't have to talk very much.

As I was arriving at work that morning, Darrell called me on the cell phone. I could understand most of what he was saying, that he had been talking a lot already to those he works with and telling them what was happening with him. There was lots of hugs and crying going on there. Then he tried to tell me why he called. I asked him 3 times to repeat what he was saying. Cell phones are not very kind to "whispering voices". It just seemed to fade away when he got to the point he was trying to make. I kept hearing that the doctor needed to fax GE, but then I couldn't understand what they needed to fax. He was getting frustrated that he couldn't convey what he needed to say and I was frustrated that I couldn't understand. Finally I told him to spell what he was trying to say, that maybe I could understand the letters, since I couldn't understand the words. So he spelled "l-i-g-h-t d-u-t-y" and it clicked with me and I said, "Oh, you need the doctor to send a fax to the GE nurse explaining what they meant by returning to work with light duty!". He yelled (in a whispering voice ), YES!

Cell phones are good, but in this case, they just didn't work very well.

Darrell's voice was still just a whisper when he returned home that night. He was tired, but glad that he had gone on to work.

Keep praying that God will restore his voice COMPLETELY!
~Vickey

Prayer Time

After all the phone calls on Monday night, we decided to attend the weekly prayer meeting at church and get the folks there to join us in prayer for the complete healing of Darrell's voice and this cancer. The youth usually have a separate prayer time, but they joined Matt & Jacob and came in and prayed for Darrell in the adult prayer meeting. This Life Church youth group are "on fire" for God and I would welcome their prayers any time. Roger Stephenson gave Darrell a "prayer cloth" to bring home and put under his pillow.

By the time we got home, Darrell's baby sister and her husband, who pastor the Moulton Church of God, had driven over from Moulton to pray for Darrell and to reassure him with scriptures and positive comments. While they were there, Renae Stephenson and her sister Anita brought us some supper and all 4 of them prayed for Darrell. You could feel God's presence so strong, it was actually one of those "tingly" experiences. Thank God for friends and family who know how to "reach" God with their prayers.

I sat down and read emails later that night and had a very special one from my cousin, Janet, from Glencoe. Her husband was diagnosed with cancer several years ago and he is doing well today. The words that she wrote gave me such comfort. She could relate to me as the "spouse" of someone who had cancer, and also knew that when one member of the family hurts the others hurt. My mother had already called her and asked her and her church family to pray for Darrell.

We went to bed that night, much encouraged, and assured that God was in control. I reassured Jacob that night that God would take care of his Dad, that this cancer was not "terminal" and that his voice would return. I still believe that!

So many of you have told us that you put Darrell on work, church, and other prayer lists. We have heard back from people that we didn't even know and said that they were praying for Darrell. I know that with all this prayer going up for Darrell, that God will answer our prayers and fully restore Darrell's voice and heal his body.
~Vickey

Getting the stitches removed and a "bit" of bad news

Monday, January 21, 2008, Darrell went back to the surgeon (Dr. Fernandez) to remove his stitches. Darrell was feeling good, but still no voice above a whisper. We asked the nurse, before seeing the doctor, if the pathology report was available, and she looked up on the computer and there wasn't anything recorded. We were a little anxious just to know. We were really hoping that it would not be cancerous and just wanted to speed up the process to find out.

After the surgeon removed the stitches, which was real easy to remove and not painful, and he said the incision was healing well, he sat down and told us he had "a bit of bad news". He said that the pathologist had just called him and given him an oral report of what the pathology report said. He said the written version would be available to us later that week. He said that the left lobe of Darrell's thyroid was cancerous and the type of cancer was papillary carcinoma. He said that he had removed all of it in the thyroid. He said that if you had to have cancer, this was the best kind to get (I'm not sure that there is such an "animal" as good cancer). He said that even not knowing the entire pathology report, he would recommend that Darrell have the right side of his thyroid to be removed so that it wouldn't spread. He also said reiterated that he had not "nicked" the nerve to the vocal chords and felt that his voice would come back, even though it might not be as soon as expected. That was the scariest moment of my life. I looked at Darrell sitting there in the chair and we made eye contact and he just shook his head. After the doctor left just for a moment, we just held hands agreed that it would all work out, that God would take care of it all. Dr. Fernandez recommended that Darrell go see an ENT about the vocal chord problem and then after that was settled, discuss the 2nd surgery. He referred him to Dr. LaFrentz, an ENT right across the street from Crestwood Hospital. He was set up to see him on January 30th, then come back to Dr. Fernandez to discuss the 2nd surgery. Dr. Fernandez again told us that it was a cancer that if you had to have cancer, this was the better kind.

We tried not to "cry" on the way home, and we started making plans of telling the family. When we got home, Darell gathered the boys together and told them he had cancer and that he would have to have a 2nd surgery. This was something that you never want to have to tell your children. They both gasped and cried and it was a somber atmosphere for a little while. We prayed a couple of times during the conversation and just reassured them that Darrell was getting the best care, but he was under the care of the "ultimate" healer and that we were putting this in God's hands, and that he would take care of it all.

We called most of Darrell's family and my family that day. Let me rephrase that--"I" called. Darrell's voice is still a whisper, and no one could hear him on the phone. It was hard telling them, especially Amy. I wanted to climb through the phone lines and hug her and let her know that her Dad was going to be all right. When we called Darrell's Mom and my Mom, being the prayer warriors that they are, they both piped in and said that we served a God who could heal and if anyone knew about healing, it was us. They said to just remember what happened to Matt (Matt was healed as a baby--wasn't supposed to live, but God healed him--he's now a big, healthy almost-20-year-old young man). It's great to know that you have Mothers who will step in and pray for you and let you cry over the phone and reassure you that everything will be allright--that God is in control.

Both Darrell's family and my family have been there with us throughout all of this. Every time we find out something, we have a chain of who to call. After telling the boys what's going on, we call Amy, then Darrell's Mom, the my Mom, then all Darrell's brothers and sisters and my sister. It gets confusing what we've said. As most of you know, I was a classroom teacher for several years and I taught the same class about 5 times. Those poor people in the last couple of classes always heard me say, "Have I already told you this?" That's how we feel when we're telling our family and friends about what's happening with Darrell. Please be patient with us if we repeat ourselves, we try to remember what we've said. This blog will help so much so that you can come here and check to see if you've gotten the full story, or if you got the "last person" abbreviated version.
~Vickey

God has blessed us with such great friends and family

We consider ourselves so blessed. There have been so many people that have called, emailed, sent cards, quoted scripture, and brought food. A great big thank you to all of you. You have been such an encouragement to Darrell, the boys, and I. A special thank you to Daisy White (Daisy is an amazing cook--she knows Darrell's weakness for desserts--she cooks desserts on Sunday mornings for our Sunday School class), Karen Blackwell, Cindy Campbell, and Renae Stephenson (and their husbands, too) for "feeding" us so well. It was so nice not to have to worry about what to cook while we have been in and out of the hospital and doctor's offices. Also, the ladies ministries and Computer Services (my work buddies) sent us a Fudgey Nut basket and fruit basket. We ate all the chocolates up and then tried to make ourselves feel better about the fact that we were following up with real healthy fruits . We had some visitors over the weekend, and several who called and wanted to come over, but understood when we said that it was so hard for Darrell to sit there and not talk to you, when it hurt him to do so. You know him, if you talk to him, he will talk back. We're looking forward to his complete healing so that we can enjoy the full joy of the fellowship with our friends.

Darrell's work "buddies" have been so good to him. So many of them have called and reassured him that they were praying for him, handed him scriptures about healing and faith/fear. We are both so blessed to work with such amazing people. It was especially touching to Darrell for Mary Ann, who is also recovering from cancer, to call and check on him so much, and Pat, who retired at Christmas, to call and check. They are all such a close-knit work family, just like my work family.
~Vickey

Our "wonderful" experience with an overnight stay in the hospital

After Darrell was awake from the surgery they moved him to "short stay", where he was going to stay overnight. Tammy James brought a bag of goodies from Fudgie Nut for snacking on. It looked delicious. She was so considerate and included some "fruit" since I had been on the Daniel fast. Terri Hunter came by right about the time we were going back to see him. She was the "keeper of purses and bags" til we located where Darrell was.

Darrell was very sore, especially his throat where he had been intubated (is that the right spelling?) He was barely whispering, but looked good. I was thankful to hear the faint voice.

Zelda Lanza dropped in for a quick visit to make sure Darrell was doing well. Also, Sherry Veal dropped by after work to check on him. She told me to tell him she was so mad at him --not a hair out of place on his head--even after surgery and that "cute little blue cap" that they make you wear. Those of you who know Darrell, know that's the way it always is. I can wake up on Saturday morning, and he's already taken his shower, dryed his hair and everything in place, and then I look at myself and see that "bedhead" look.

Have you ever stayed overnight in a hospital? Well, I hadn't been there since Jacob was born, and I forgot all the "fun" things that go on in the middle of the night--like nurses coming in and out (we love you, nurses, anway), taking your blood pressure, taking blood samples, bringing water, popsicles, jello, and broth, checking on equipment, just all the things that you'd hope your nurse would do. But I forgot how OFTEN they do it. We were up "every hour on the hour". Did I mention that I stayed in the room with Darrell? I slept on that "lovely" and very "comfortable" chair that turns into a bed. Let me rephrase that, I "attempted" to sleep on that chair. At one point, I told Darrell that we better hurry up and go back to sleep, that the nurses would return in 40 minutes. I told Darrell that I was not pleased with this "hotel choice" and that I was thinking about going ahead and getting dressed and going out to warm the car and wait on him out there. Finally morning came, and we were excited to leave in a few hours and go home to try to get some sleep there.

Dr. Fernandez released Darrell about 10:00 that morning, and we got home by noon. It was wonderful to be "free" from the hospital. Darrell's voice was still weak, but Dr. Fernandez said that it should come back soon. The incision looked good and should heal very well.
~Vickey

The day of surgery

Darrell had thyroid surgery on Thursday, January 17th. He was originally scheduled for surgery at 1:30, but they moved it up to 10:30. He was really glad of that cause he worried about "starving" before he could eat something. We arrived at the hospital at 8:30, and he finally got to go back to begin preparation at about 10:45 or 11:00. He was very nervous and I tried not to appear nervous, but most of you know that I'm such a crybaby and cry at sad movies and funerals of people I don't even know, so I found it very hard to even look Darrell in the eye. We had prayed together the night before with the boys and everyone was a little teary then, just "not knowing" what was going to happen.

We decided it was best for Jacob to go on to school. Matt doesn't have classes on Thursdays, so he came to the hospital with me. Our Missions Pastor, Robby James, came to sit with the family during the surgery (Pastor Wesson was sick with some version of the Tennessee Valley Crud). Our friend Zelda Lanza also came and visited with us for awhile before surgery.

Also, Darrell's Mom and soon-to-be husband, Dan Quinn, came also. They actually got to the hospital before we did. We just laughed! You have to know Darrell's mom the way we do. She's ALWAYS up early. If Darrells' dad ever got up early in the morning to go to the bathroom but intended to lay back down, she'd be up and make the bed up and be on her way that day. So, Darrell was able to visit with them for a while that morning.

Robby, Mom, Dan, Matt, & I went in the pre-op room and prayed with Darrell. He was visibly upset and nervous, just ready to get this thing over with. Finally at 12:50 they took him back to surgery (but not before the fire alarms went off 2 times and they couldn't wheel him into the hall before the all call--someone had caught something on fire in the cafeterial. They called us in the waiting area at about 1:20 and let us know that surgery had begun. Sis. Wesson came about the time of the beginning of the surgery and sat with us, along with Tammy James, Robby's wife.

Surgery lasted almost 2 hours and he was taken to the Recovery Room for about an hour and a half. Dr. Fernandez came out and talked to me, Mom, and Dan. He said that he had successfully removed the left lobe of the thyroid and that it was infected, scarred, and "angry" looking. He said that he had seen the nerve that controls the vocal chords and that he had stayed away from it (we breathed a sigh of relief at that bit of good news). He said he wouldn't know whether the thyroid was cancerous until the pathology report came back. We just thanked the Lord that Darrell had made it through the surgery successfully and it looked like everything was going to be OK.
~Vickey

Getting ready for surgery

Darrell met with Dr. Fernandez in early January and he said that since the fine needle aspiration biopsy was inconclusive, that he recommended removing the left lobe of the thyroid as a precaution. He said that it would be a simple surgery and that many people live with only 1/2 of a thyroid. He said that Darrell would not need to take medications because they right side would function fine without the left side. He scheduled surgery for January 17th at Crestwood Hospital.

Needless to say, Darrell was a little hesitant about the surgery. They tell you all the "horrible" things that could happen to you, like he might could "nick" his vocal chords or his trachea and injure either of those, that he might not be able to speak if the vocal chords were damaged. All of you who know Darrell, he's a LOUD person and not being able to talk would be horrible for him. He and the boys talk VERY loud in our house as they "discuss" sports issues. We have a vaulted ceiling and it really echoes when they have these LOUD discussions. I often have to quiet them down. To not be able to have fun "discussions" with his sons was not something Darrell wants to happen.

And most of all, he's a wonderful singer! Of course, I'm just a little bit prejudice, but I think that most people would agree that Darrell sings with great annointing in the Voices of Life at Life Church International in Huntsville. I watch him as he sings and just marvel at the way he allows God to use him when he sings. We have tried not to think or even talk about his not talking or singing, but needless to say it was at the back of our minds. We prayed really hard that those thoughts would not consume our minds and that God was in control and would take care of Darrell. We still believe that.
~Vickey

Why the surgery?

Darrell went for a regular physical at his doctor (Jamie Makemson) back in November 2007. During the checkup, Dr. Makemson said that something in his throat didn't feel right, so he ordered some tests. Those tests came back showing 3 nodules in the left lobe of his thyroid. Next he went to have the fine needle aspiration biopsy test to check to see if there was a presence of cancer in those nodules, or if they were benign. This was done a couple of days after Christmas. Darrell said this wasn't fun "at all". They deadened the outside where they inserted the FIVE needles into his neck, but that didn't deaden the inside of his neck, so it was just "a little bit" uncomfortable for Darrell. They had planned to do a "nuclear" test to check the activity in the left side of his neck, but there was a "nationwide" shortage of this medicine, so he wasn't able to have that test done.

The results of the fine needle aspiration biopsy came back "inconclusive", not showing yes or no if there were signs of cancer in the nodules, so his doctor referred him to a surgeon, Dr. Dennis Fernandez.

Here's a link if you want to learn more about the fine needle aspiration.
http://www.medicinenet.com/fine-needle_aspiration_biopsy_of_the_thyroid/page3.htm

The Decision

We've been getting so many phone calls checking on Darrell, so we decided to keep up with all the details on this blog. You're welcome to leave comments. Come back and visit to keep updated on Darrell's status. We appreciate all your prayers!
~Vickey