Monthly Archives: November 2009

My new nephew Riley David Beck

Facebook post from November 26, 2009

Some of you may have heard that I had a recent PET/CT scan last week in preparation for my quarterly follow up visit. I received the results earlier this week and found out that the cancer has returned. My doctor explained that a re-occurrence happens in about 10% of Hodgkins patients after an initial remission, and it looks like I’m in that 10%. Originally I had 4 “larger” tumors isolated in my neck on the right side. The good news is that it is still isolated on the right side of my neck and hasn’t spread throughout my body, but this time there are “numerous” smaller tumors spread throughout my neck. My doctor called me today with an outline of our scheduled plan to fight this. I don’t have exact dates yet, but we are probably going to begin treatments very soon. Here’s kind of a list of some of the treatments and procedures I will be going through: Surgery to insert a Hickman catheter into my chest- this is similar to my previous port-a-cath that I had, except this one will be external 2 cycles of high dosage chemotherapy- This is a different type of chemo than what I went through the first time. These treatments are different drugs, and also much more powerful. For each cycle I will be admitted to the hospital for 3 days, and the chemo is administered throughout the 3 days. The cycles will be 2 weeks apart. Bone Marrow Harvest and possible Stem Cell transplant: I am going to have a bone marrow harvest. This is a procedure where they will put me under anesthesia, and then extract bone marrow from my hip. The bone marrow will be frozen and stored for possible future use if necessary. Radiation- After chemo, I will undergo 4 weeks of high intensity radiation, 20 total treatments (every day M-F) On a brighter note… my sister-in-law just had Riley David Beck last night. I was going to upload a picture of me holding him, but it’s on my brothers camera, but I’ll upload it when I get it. I hope everyone has a safe and Happy Thanksgiving! still trusting in God’s ultimate plan!!! Tim

Facebook post from November 2, 2009

Hello all! Sorry it has

my new bike

 been so long since I have updated. I thought I’d take a brief moment to let you all know how my life has been the last few months. As you probably know from my previous posts, I finished my last chemo treatment July 15, and I am now officially in remission. I slowly started back to work during the month of August. Though I have been working full-time I’m still a long ways from recovering from the effects of chemo. I’m exhausted most of the time and have not had the energy to do much extra activities outside of work. As you may remember, I’ve still needed to get surgery to fix my ACL which I tore in January. I originally wanted to do it shortly after chemo, but neither my Oncologist, nor my Orthopedic Surgeon would allow me to undergo surgery in my weak state because of infection fears. So I ended up having my surgery about a week and half ago when I was much stronger. The knee still hurts quite a bit, but initially it seems that I am recovering well. Some of you may have heard that I bought a road bike shortly after my last chemo treatment. Up until my surgery, this has been one of the few activities I have been able to do. I look forward to Spring time when my knee will be feeling better and the weather is better and I can get back on the bike. As I have begun to introduce myself back to life, my biggest struggle is and has been knowing what I can and can’t do. It’s very easy to get caught up in too many activities and run myself into the ground. Though I appear as though I am well as I interact with people (My hair is coming back, pretty sure it will never completely come back … and I’ve got eyebrows!!!), I’m still very weak physically and mentally. For my follow-up, I am supposed to see the doctor every 3 months for 2 years and have annual CT scans. I haven’t scheduled my next appointment yet, but it will probably be towards the end of November, or early December. My dad, brother, and I have continued going to all the home Boise State football games…and I’m saving my money, and energy for when they go to another BCS game this year… Go Broncos!

Celebrating the night before my last treatment

Facebook post from July 19, 2009

Hey Everyone! Well, I have finally finished my LAST treatment! I’m still recovering from it, but everyday from here on out I should start getting stronger. As you can imagine, I’m pretty excited that I don’t have to have anymore treatments. No one really knows how long it will take for me to fully recover from the chemo treatments, possibly 3-4 months, or possibly more than a year. It’s definitely going to be a challenge as I transition back into my previous responsibilities. My mom went with me this time. Our flight over left at 1:30am, but we survived alright. The night before my last treatment Matt, Marie, my mom and I (and Keyonna) went out and celebrated. We took the ferry over to Seattle and went to the Cheesecake factory and then went up the Space Needle. It was a great evening. As I quickly reflect back on the past 6 months I want to thank everyone of you who have supported me with your encouragement, prayers, meals, etc. Your support has been unbelievable! GOD is GOOD!!!

Benjy and I about to board our corporate jet!

Facebook post from July 5, 2009

Happy 4th of July!

Well, round 9 is now behind me and just one more treatment to go. My brother Benjy went with me this last time. On the flight over we had our longest flight yet, over 3.5 hours in an old MAF (Mission Aviation Fellowship)1977 Cessna 202 plane, but on the return flight we got to ride in luxury in a corporate jet that took just over an hour to get home. I think I could get used to flying in a corporate jet!
I received the results from my recent lung test and it revealed that my lungs had once again taken another drop from the last test. Before the chemo treatments, my lung capacity was 140%, after round 3 it had dropped to 114%, this last week it was 80%. After treatment we will continue to test my lungs as my doctor seems confident that over time my lungs will eventually recover. I’m still taking several natural supplements to help strengthen my heart, lungs, etc.
Once again, I can’t thank you enough for your continued prayers and support!

Ty Gray and I after our ride in a 1977 Cessna 180 taildragger

Facebook post from June 20, 2009

Well, this week I completed round 8. One of my best friends Tyler Gray went with me this time. The weather cooperated and so we were able to take an Angel flight both directions. On the flight over I was starting to have some blood/oxygen issues from the altitude, so my doctor opted to hold back one of the chemo drugs (bleomiacin) that is hard on my lungs this time around. I’m scheduled to get another lung test this week, and depending upon the results, they may hold this drug out for the final 2 treatments as well. That’s right… I’ve only got 2 treatments left! I think I’m finally starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Until next time…

NCAA All American!!!

Facebook post from May 26, 2009

Hello to all and thanks to all for who prayed for me this last week. The Lord really was good to me! This last week was round 6. My uncle Mike went with me this time and I couldn’t have been more thankful to have him taking care of me. The night before my scheduled Angel Flight the pilot called and had to cancel, so Mike and I ended up taking a commercial flight at the last minute. On the way to the clinic Wednesday morning I was feeling pretty good up until the time that we reached the parking lot of the clinic. The minute I got out of the car I got really sick. It was definitely nerves, my body knows something bad is about to happen and can’t seem to figure out why I keep on going back for more. The doctor has given me a prescription for future treatment days which should relax my nerves and also causes a sense of amnesia. I’ve still got my cold, and my ears are still been plugged. As a child I had athletic induced asthma. I’ve been starting to show signs of the asthma returning, so the doctor prescribed an inhaler for me. He said that sometimes chemo can cause asthma to return, but it also may just be my cold and allergies. Other than these symptoms, the doctor seems to think everything is going well. Because of that, he scheduled a PET and CT scan for tomorrow. The original plan was that we wouldn’t scan until after the 8th treatment, but he decided to get it done early. It’s possible if the scans turn up clean that I may be able to eliminate my last 2 treatments, which means I’d only have 2 more to go. As some of you know, the day after my treatment I flew from Seattle to Texas for the NCAA DII national track meet. I had quite an adventure getting there and getting home, but all is well and I had a great time! I had 2 javelin throwers competing and I couldn’t have been more proud of both of them! Josh is a sophomore and threw a huge PR of 223’ and got 2nd, Lakiesha is a freshman and ended at 14th, and was also the 2nd best freshman in DII.

my 3 week old niece Keyonna

Facebook post from May 11, 2009

Well I thought I could take a quick break from Jack Bauer saving the world to give you all a quick update. A few days before my Round 5 flight I caught a cold, and it’s still with me. The worst part is that my ears have been plugged for 6 days now. I will be happy when I can finally get over this cold and hear again. Other than having a cold, not a whole lot more is new. I feel about the same for a Monday after treatment. I tried to get out of my doctor how many total treatments I have left, but he has yet to give me a number. I was lobbying hard to be done after number 8, but the doctor is thinking about continuing to #10. This next round I am going to be flying to Texas for the NCAA DII track nationals immediately after treatment. I could definitely use some prayer for strength as I will be flying on my worst days. Thank you everyone for your continued prayer and encouragement!!!

This was supposed to be a picture of Jake and I, but apparently the pilot taking the picture didn't actually take the picture, so it's just me and the pilot... sorry Jake

Facebook post from April 27, 2009

Hello friends,

Well, I guess it’s time for my bi-weekly update. Last week was a very good week. You may remember that the doctors held off one of the drugs (Bleomiacin) because I was having some heart and pulmonary issues. I think this is part of the reason I felt so much better. Not only was I able to begin tasting things again, but I felt good enough to go golfing with my dad last Sunday. I also played on the worship team at church for the first time since I was diagnosed back in January. I have really been trying to take advantage of and enjoy my good days whenever they come around.

But, all good things must come to an end sometime…and it was soon time to begin preparing for Round 4. I had asked one of my friends Jake to go with me on this trip. While at the clinic, the doctor gave me some false hope. He did an exam of my neck and said that everything was looking really good and he wanted me to get a PET and CT scan this week, and if they revealed that the cancer was gone, then I would only have 2 more treatments! He then left for about 15 min and came back and said that after looking at my chart he saw that our original plan is to go for 4 more treatments and then get scanned, so he said that we might as well stick with the original plan.

The doctor also noticed during the exam that I have a small infection where my port is, so he immediately put me on antibiotics. With my weak immune system, any infection can turn dangerous quickly, and it’s especially crucial that my port doesn’t get infected, so we are very thankful that the doctor caught this in his exam. The doctor also reviewed my recent pulmonary test and even though it revealed that my lungs are down from my baseline test, he felt that it was necessary to continue the Bleomiacin. Since I am now back on this drug, my taste has quickly disappeared as well as several other symptoms.

Not a whole lot more is new. Hopefully my crummy days from this round will be over in the next couple days. Also real quick, I wanted to give a quick shout-out to one of my javelin throwers cause he gave me a shout-out in a recent newspaper article. http://www.idahopress.com/?id=22682

Shaved head!

Facebook post from April 9, 2009

Hello to all! I guess it’s been a while since I’ve posted, so this one might be long… sorry To catch everybody up from my last treatment (#2 of 10), since I was on the steroids, I wasn’t able to sleep for the immediate 3 days after treatment. I felt alright, just couldn’t sleep. When they wore off, I got pretty exhausted for about 3 days where all I did was sit in my rocking chair and change from reclining to rocking, and once a day I made the big trip out to get the mail. Wednesday- Friday I felt well enough to work for 2 hours each day. After the 2 hours I was pretty exhausted, but it felt good to get out for a little bit. A couple other things happened last week. #1- I am losing my memory (hahaha, I know many of you are probably thinking that it’s always been that way and I’m just now figuring it out). This is a common side effect from chemo, “chemo-brain” as my fellow chemo friends call it. I’ve been noticing it quite a bit as I talk with people and I stutter quite a bit and can’t remember different words. I especially noticed it last Friday while I was at work. I had a remote Live-Meeting demo for a prospect in Utah. It was pretty bad, I couldn’t think on my feet, and I was barely able to put a whole thought together. The second thing that happened is that I have lost my taste. I first noticed it when I was at Quiznos, and I about returned my sub because it tasted so plain. Later in the day I had a Blimpie sub and I made sure they loaded it with dressings, and again I couldn’t taste any of it. That night my Grandma had me over for dinner, and when grandma’s food didn’t taste well, then I knew it was probably a problem with me, and not the food. The third thing that happened this last week was I shaved my head. My hair was starting to fall out in chunks, so I had my brother Benjy come over and shave it. The last time I shaved my head was when I was in 12 yr-old baseball all-stars. I had a very odd mis-shaped head back then, so I was pretty curious what I would look like now. Well, somehow between ages 12 and 26 my head has rounded out, and I think it looks pretty dang good! Now I’ll give you a summary of the last few days. Tuesday, my dad I flew in a small 4 passenger plane flown by a volunteer pilot from Angel Flight. Before we flew I was really not excited to go back up for another treatment. I was just starting to feel well, and was just really dreading getting pumped full of poison again. Well, I got on the plane anyway and had a great flight… well, kind of a great flight After about an hour in the sky I was starting to feel pretty light headed and was really wanting to fall asleep. We were at 16,000 feet, and we had oxygen in our noses because the cabin wasn’t pressurized. I decided to check my blood/oxygen level and it’s not supposed to get below 80. Mine was 67, the pilot checked his and he was at 92 as well as my dad was in the 90’s. Anyway, the pilot immediately dropped down to 10,000 feet and I went back to the mid 80’s. Good thing I didn’t fall asleep, I think I would have probably blacked out. That night I had a pretty massive head from the lack of oxygen to my brain, what’s a few more dead brain cells The next morning I was still pretty anxious about going back to the clinic. So I sat in the rocking chair and the words of the song “Everlasting God” just kept playing over and over in my head. “Strength will rise as you wait upon the Lord!” This song comes from Isaiah 40:30-31 “Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles, they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint (or faint in the plane ). The Lord really calmed me after this time in the rocking chair and I was ready to go! When my dad and I got to the clinic they had to spend the first 2 hours trying to get my port unclogged. They finally put a solution (like draino) in and let it sit for over an hour and it finally opened up. My blood work came back very good, so the growth hormone shot worked. This time around they held back on one of the drugs called Bleomiacin, this one is particularly tough on my lungs. I’ve been having some recent breathing difficulties as well as a rapid heart rate (105 bpm resting), so they decided to hold back this week and I’m going to get another pulmonary test to see where my lungs are at. If the test comes back good, then they will continue the Bleomicacin. I also got acupuncture again this time. Today (Thursday) my dad and I flew back home in a very nice 6 passenger plane (w/ a pressurized cabin), I’ve felt well most the day, and now I am really starting to feel the exhaustion set in. Thank you to everyone for your prayers and encouragement notes! God is GOOD! Tim

Facebook post from March 27, 2009

That’s right folks, we’re all on growth hormones. I received my shot yesterday afternoon, I suspect the media will be flocking to my doorstep shortly to break the big story to the nation and retract all of my gold medals and home run titles…haahaha

returning from acupuncture...wheeling my new friend around

Facebook post from March 26, 2009

Tuesday morning my mom and I flew up to Seattle for Round 2. Going into it, I wasn’t very excited. After a good night of sleep at my brother’s house we headed to the clinic Wednesday morning. The first thing they do is hook up an IV to my port, and then take a blood test. My blood work came back and my blood count was critically low. My white bloods cells were down as well as my first immune responders. After the doctor saw this he realized why I was affected so hard from the first treatment. I was almost too low to even get my scheduled treatment (which inside I was thinking Praise the Lord! hahaha). Fortunately, or unfortunately, Dr. Cunningham decided that I could give myself a growth hormone shot 24 hrs. after my treatment that would help my cells recover. I’ve never given myself a shot before, but the nurse had me practice on a fake belly and I think I got it down During the treatment I slowly began to wear down and my face began to turn pale. One of the services at this treatment center is acupuncture, so I thought I’d give it a try this week. Everybody I talked to in the clinic said that the acupuncture has significantly improved their side effects. I’m still less than 24 hours after treatment, so the worst hasn’t hit yet, but so far I think I feel a little better than last time. This morning my mom took me to the airport shuttle at 3:40am and I flew home by myself. My dad just picked me up and we just got done running some errands and so now I’m just home by myself about to crash. Real quick I’ll give you some exciting news and something that you can start praying for. There have been several members in my extended family that God is actively working on their hearts through my experiences. It’s exciting to see God work! We serve a GREAT God!

Facebook post from March 26, 2009

Over the weekend Boise was privileged enough to host a regional round 1 and 2 of the NCAA March Madness Basketball tournament. My dad and I went on Friday and experienced quite the adventure. We didn’t park terribly far away, maybe ½ mile, but by the time I reached the stadium, I was pretty pooped. Once we got inside the arena, we had to climb several flights of stairs. The higher we went, the slower I moved until eventually my legs almost completely locked up and wouldn’t move. After a short breather, I finally made it to my seat. Once I was in my seat all was good and I had a great time! After 2 games it was time to make our adventure back out to the car. Luckily for me, they were handing out free vitamin water and pizza outside the stadium. So as I walked to the car I was inhaling pizza and drinking vitamin water which gave me plenty of energy to make it to the car. It’s a good thing cause I don’t think my dad could have carried me. Saturday morning when I woke up I could hardly move! It felt like I had just maxed out with cleans and squats the day before after not lifting for 5 years. It felt like I had torn every muscle in my legs. By Sunday I was feeling a little better and so a buddy of mine went to Sunday’s games. This time I made sure we parked as close as possible and all was good!

the best medicine!!! my nieces and nephew putting a smile on my face last week

Facebook post from March 19, 2009

I am very happy today, not only because it was a sunshine filled spring day, but also because today is the first day I have felt decent since my first treatment last Wednesday. I definitely underestimated how powerful these treatments are. I was pretty sure that I might be a little down for a couple days, but I was pretty confident that I would be back to normal, or at least functional, in 3-4 days. Boy was I wrong. It was a pretty rough 7-8 days, but thankfully I’m feeling better now.

Chemo Day #1... I'm listening to the C-ville basketball game and also watching an auction... my dad took my credit card away because he didn't think I was "in a state of mind to make any large purchases"

Facebook post from March 11, 2009

I know many of you are anxious to see how my past couple days have been, so here is a quick recap: On Tuesday I was planning on flying on a private plane with my dad, but the pilot called about noon and had a family emergency so he was unable to take us. I had already booked a SWA flight for that evening as a backup, so we boarded and flew up here without skipping a beat. We decided to stay at a hotel w/in a mile of the center because my first appointment was at 8am. My dad had a rough night sleeping and woke up around 5:30, which in turn made me wake up. We decided that it could be a long day, so we’d better start off with a nice big breakfast since there was a restaurant attached to the hotel. After breakfast we headed to the Vascular Center to have the infamous port placed. As I was filling out the forms one of the questions asked “when was the last time you had anything to eat or drink”. I started to think “uh oh”, so I put 15 minutes ago. Pretty soon the doctor came out in the waiting room and started asking about what I had to eat etc. He said that you’re not supposed to eat or drink a minimum of 4 hrs before the procedure and so we’re going to have to come up with a different plan. So they took me back to the pre-op room and gave me some drugs to help speed up the digestive process. About 3 hours later they finally wheeled me into the operative room, but they still didn’t feel confident giving me a full dose of anesthesia, so they went with some lighter local anesthetics. Long story short… I felt and heard more than I preferred to during a surgical operation. Now that my port was securely in place, we headed to the treatment center to receive round 1 of my chemo treatments, only about 3 hours late. While at the treatment center I found out that the Dr. Hickman, the doctor who put my port in, was the guy who invented the port procedure and they also named it after him (hickman catheter). After receiving my chemo we had already missed our flight back, so my sister-in-law and niece came and picked us up around 6:00. We’re staying at my brother’s house tonight and then will fly home tomorrow. I feel pretty exhausted right now from a long day. According to the docs, the next 2 days are the worst days after treatment. I’m stocked up on anti-nausea medicine, so hopefully it works. God is GOOD! Tim

B-day party

Facebook post from March 3, 2009

WOW! That pretty much sums it up. Thank you all so much for the wall posts, notes, phone calls, cards, flowers, money, encouragement, and prayers. You all have encouraged and uplifted me daily, and for that I am very grateful. My local friends and family had a surprise birthday party for me on Sunday afternoon. I’m not easily surprised, but they pulled one off on me pretty good this year. Many have asked about how I’ve been feeling lately. At this point I feel like a boxer who is a week away from a big fight. The boxer is as prepared as he is going to be and so he wishes the fight were right now. I feel like I am as prepared as I’m going to be for this fight, and so I’m just ready for the bell to ring. I have a great fan base who will support me all the way through, a great team of physicians who have a great game plan, and a God who will never leave me nor forsake me. Greater is He that is in me, than he that is in the world! Here is a quick summary of my next week: Tuesday (11th)- my dad and I are flying to Seattle Wednesday (12th)- 8am-a port is surgically inserted into my collarbone 9:30am- My first chemo treatment (probably 3-4 hours) If I am feeling well, then we will fly back home this afternoon Praises- 1-I’ve been sleeping better lately and feeling well 2-I got a call today from a pilot at Angels West and he has volunteered to fly my dad and I to and from Seattle for this appointment. Every week I have to put in a new request to Angels West for each appointment, so hopefully they’ll be able to help me out more in the future as well. Thanks for those that prayed specifically for these 2 items. Prayer requests 1-Safety of travel and good weather- we will be flying in a single engine plane- also prayer that I don’t lose my lunch in this guys plane as I’m told that chemo can make you pretty nauseous. 2-My dad and I have applied for several different lymphoma specific grants to help cover some of my bills 3-Continued mental and physical strength throughout this journey

my brother Matt and I in the waiting room

Facebook post from Feb 18, 2009

The doctors were absolutely wonderful; they spent just over 3.5 hours with us on Tuesday, and then we met with them again Wednesday morning for a little bit which was very nice. At this point they have officially diagnosed me with “classical” hodgkins, stage one, unfavorable. The “unfavorable” portion means that I am showing signs and symptoms that the cancer is active and needs to be treated immediately before it spreads. I am scheduled for several more tests on my heart, lungs, etc. over the next couple weeks that will serve as a baseline during my treatment. This is so that they can track the negative effects of treatment on the rest of my body. The treatment plan that has been outlined is that I will undergo chemo for 4 months (once every 2 weeks), they will then scan me to see if the cancer has been eliminated, if the results are good, then I will undergo 2 more weeks of chemo and be done.
I haven’t yet scheduled when my first treatment will be, but it will probably be within the next 3 weeks. Before my first treatment I will undergo an outpatient procedure where they will insert a port into my chest so that they can administer the chemo. According to the doc, my golf game is going to be significantly affected by this port, as well as my javelin throwing.

My spirits are very high right now and I’m ready to do what needs to be done to fight this.

The LORD is Good!

Facebook post from Feb 13, 2009

Well I figured I’d send one last update before I head up to Seattle on Monday. First off I want to let you all know how thankful I am for each and every one of you. The encouragement and support from all of my friends and family has been unbelievable over the past few days. On Wednesday I spent nearly 4 hours lying as still as possible while I had my full body PET and CT scans. Thursday I went to have the stitches removed out of my neck, during this time the surgeon said that the recent tests that I had revealed that the cancer has not spread anywhere else, which is a huge PRAISE! I haven’t shaved in over a week because I’m nervous I’m going to cut my incision back open again, so at the moment I’m looking like a pretty sweet mountain man. I have also lost over 15lbs in the last 2 weeks, which means I’m only 10lbs away from my collegiate competition weight. So any of you hooligans who have been talking trash over the past several years that I’m getting old and overweight better watch out cause I’ll still crush you in any challenge you bring forth… torn acl, cancer and all!!! On a more serious note, here are a few specific prayer requests you can pray for 1) Fatigue: I haven’t been able to sleep very well lately, and now more than ever I need rest. My body is exhausted, but my mind continues to race 100mph and so I’ve been unable to fall asleep. 2) Travel: I’m on a list so that whenever there is an opening on a corporate jet flying between Boise and Seattle, then I get to ride for free for my treatments and doctor visits. So far they haven’t been able to find any openings yet. 3) Wisdom: Wisdom for the doctors as they examine my condition and come up with a treatment plan which will cure my disease with the least amount of side effects. My appointment is on Tuesday, Feb. 17. Thanks again for keeping me in your prayers! God is in control! Tim

Facebook post from Feb 9, 2009

February 9, 2009… this is a day that will probably stick in my mind for a long time. Today is the day that I have been diagnosed with with Hodgkins disease (cancer of the lymph nodes and immune system). This has all come about very suddenly and so there are countless questions that are still unanswered. Here is what I do know and can share with you. I’m scheduled for several more tests this week to find out if the cancer is isolated in my neck, or if it has spread to other portions of my body. Today I scheduled an appointment with a Hodgkins disease specialist at the Seattle Cancer Treatment and Wellness Center to talk through my diagnosis and to come up with a treatment plan. My parents and I will be flying to Seattle Monday and returning Wednesday for the appointment. After this appointment we hopefully should know more info.
I want to thank all of you so much for your encouragement notes that you have been sending me and also for all of your prayers. It’s really quite special to think that people are praying for me all over the world. Even in this very short amount of time I can already see how God has orchestrated different events.
I know I have already shared this link with some of you, but here it is again…As one of my favorite speakers Louie Giglio puts it…“you are fearfully and wonderfully made, and the God of the heavens is the One who fashioned you together… and He knows every single thing there is to know about you!”

http://www.godtube.com/view_video.php?viewkey=152b5103d741aca61093

I am so thankful for each one of you as each of you has had an impact in my life in some way or another.

God is in control!
Tim

Facebook post from Feb. 5 2009

as many of you already know, over the last couple weeks the doctors have found several masses in my neck. i had surgery today to remove the largest mass so that they could send it off for testing. i want to thank all of you for your encouraging words and prayers during this confusing time. the Lord answered a very big request as there was concern that one of my facial nerves may have been intertwined with the mass and there was a possibility of paralysis on the right side of my face. I am very grateful for modern medicine and the wisdom and skill of my doctor, but even more so, i am grateful for the GREAT PHYSICIAN watching over me. tomorrow i will be returning to the doctor to have my drainage tube removed and then next thursday is when i have an appointment to hopefully find out the results of the testing.
my acl surgery has been postponed until we find out more about what is going on in my neck.

i’ll do my best to update this note when i find out the results next week.