Category Archives: Uncategorized

I hesitate to title this post “Summer 2011″ because that gives the impression that summer is over, but at the moment I can’t think of a better title, so there it is… just keep in mind that summer is FAR from over!

Many have already had too much fun with my latest television slot, but for those that missed it… here’s a link for your viewing pleasure…”This is MY rodeo!!!!”  (actually the Caldwell Night rodeo is really MY rodeo)

http://cdn.smugmug.com/ria/ShizVidz-2011030702.swf

Along with a TV commercial, I have also been involved with a documentary film which highlights young adult cancer survivors.  Not sure how much I will be featured, but a film crew flew out in June and filmed a full days worth of stuff.  If something does come of it, I’ll be sure to post where you can see it.

they filmed me coaching the javelin

Part of the reason I was chosen for the film was because I received the opportunity to attend First Descents this year.  First Desents is an outstanding non-profit organization that benefits young adult cancer survivors.  The particular camp that I attended was a week-long kayaking camp located just outside of Vail, CO at 9500′ in elevation.  It was so awesome and inspiring to be able to learn to kayak with 10 other fellow cancer survivors.  I have white-water rafted, and paddled in inflatable kayaks through white water, but let me tell you that if you have never been in a hardshelled kayak before, it is a lot more difficult than I ever imagined.  In fact… the first day I deservedly won the “swimmer’s award” for being more underwater and out of my kayak than actually in my kayak.

just demonstrating how not to kayak!

By Thursday and Friday I was hooked though!  Currently I’m actively searching craigslist for a kayak and looking for a group to be able to paddle with.

Tearing it up at the end of the week!

It’s hard to describe the connection that us campers had.  These people are just so awesome and inspirational.  As I think through all the treatments I have been through, I was always the youngest person in the midst of all older people.  It was very neat to be able to connect with survivors who are in the same phase of life that I am.  The instant connection, trust, and encouragement that we shared made us an incredible team where we were able to accomplish so much more than any could have done individually.  It just reminds me of how thankful I was for my team (every one of you reading this) that I was blessed with that helped support, encourage and pray for me.

-LivingSTRONG!

Tim

since I was in a rodeo commercial, I'd better at least prove that I've been on a horse before... at First Descents camp on an "off the water" day

This past Memorial Weekend was a memorable one (punn intended) for the Beck family.  Since February my dad has been planning a surprise birthday party for my mom’s 60th birthday, and we’ve all done our share of deception to keep the secret.  Family came in from all over the country to celebrate with us…and I think we actually pulled off the surprise (or at least she played along as if she didn’t know).   The capstone to the surprise was that 10 of us went skydiving Saturday evening, including my mom!  Unfortunately, one of my aunts broke her leg while landing, thankfully it wasn’t any worse.

I wanted to let everyone know how much I love my mom and appreciate all that she has done for me!  Though she has been my caregiver since I was born, she took on the official title when we moved up to Seattle last year for my transplant.  She is an amazingly strong and talented woman, and there is no way I could have made it through the transplant without her.  Her job was 24/7.  She did whatever she could to read and learn and find out what was best for me.  She prepared healthy meals, sanitized the apartment daily, changed my dressings, flushed my ports, went to every appointment and took notes, spent the night in hospital rooms, kept me emotionally strong, and prayed.  There is no way I can list all of the things she did for me, or put in to words how thankful that she is my mom… but know that I love her!

Here are some pics for your enjoyment…

the things we do for a certificate

My mom...safely on the ground

Matt and Marie getting ready to go!

Coming in for my landing

My st. patty's day "green" stem cells going in!!

Last night I filled out my March Madness bracket, and I was remembering filling it out last year the day before my transplant. At the time, I had just finished a 12 hour chemo day and did not feel well at all. There’s really no words to describe how terrible I felt. I just remember thinking that I have got to fill out my bracket because the games start tomorrow, but I feel so terrible that I’m not even sure if I literally have enough energy to do it. But I willed myself to grab my laptop and login and start filling it out. At the time my cognitive brain function was so bad that it was such a struggle and took every ounce of energy to even read the names of the teams and click a button to advance them to the next round, but I did it. The funny thing is, I looked at my results from last year and I got 2nd out of 31 teams. I can tell you that so far it’s looking like this year I’ll probably finish about 30th out of 31 teams.

Lastly, this past weekend I was in Chicago and had a great time seeing lots of family. Unfortunately, the reason for the visit was to attend my Uncle Darrell’s memorial service. He was diagnosed with Acute Myelogenous Leukemia in in April of 2010 and was approaching a stem cell transplant when he passed away. Please keep the family in your prayers.

Some of the Beck family while in Chicago

2 years ago… Feb 9, 2009

My mom and I waited anxiously in an exam room for the doctor to enter to give us the news of the recent biopsy.  As the door opens, the doctor makes brief eye contact as we say hello, but then he looks to the ground as his nurse follows in behind him.  While minimizing eye contact he begins speaking:

“Well, we got the results back from the biopsy, and it looks like it’s what we suspected, Hodgkins Disease.  I see you work in Caldwell, so I’ll go ahead and refer you to an Oncologist located there.  It should be real convenient for you.  The treatment results for this disease are really good.  Sorry to give you this news.  Hope you have a nice day.” And he exited the room. 
As the door shut behind him, the room was silent.  My mind was racing, my mom in shock holding back tears.  The nurse finally broke the silence and asked if we had any questions.  I think she was almost equally shocked at how the doctor broke the news to us.  My racing mind went blank… and then these same thoughts kept repeating through my mind “I have cancer?”  “That can’t be right…I’m not even sick!”.   ”Wait…What….I have cancer?”

I can’t even really remember if we asked the nurse a question or not.  What are we supposed to ask anyway?  My mom and I eventually left the exam room.  As we proceeded through the full waiting room, I stared aimlessly down at the floor as we walked out almost like I was sleep walking.  We got into my mom’s van, put our seatbelts on, and both just stopped to gather our thoughts.  Finally, I said, “So that’s how you find out you have cancer”.  Now I know. 

 What I didn’t know at the time, is where I would be 2 years from that day.  At the time, the future was unknown.  But, here I am, 2 years later…healthy and happy!  God has definitely provided every step of the way.  Don’t get wrong, I’ve still got lots of things wrong with me…and I’m still recovering…and I’m still at a high risk for a multitude of things, but I’m just so thankful with how well I’m improving. 

Hey Everyone… it’s been a while since I last posted. At this point you can assume that no-news is good news. I have much to be thankful for this Thanksgiving. Lately I find myself just sitting and reflecting on the past and how grateful I am of the many simple things that we so often take for granted.

Many of you may remember that back in March I received a phone call from one of my biggest role models, Coach Chris Petersen. The call was perfect in timing and such an encouragement. Well, through another set of circumstances I got invited to attend Boise State’s practice Tuesday night and meet Coach Pete personally in his office. Once again, I was just blown away by how personal he was with me, and what a 1st class program that he runs. Practice was definitely cold as it was right in the middle of a blizzard, but it was definitely awesome. Coach V, the director of football operations, took us (my brother Benjy went with me) around all the football offices, and even broke down some film with us among other things.

This week there is a crew of us heading down to Reno to spend Thanksgiving with family on my mom’s side… oh… and there also just happens to be a football game on Friday in Reno between BSU and the Wolf Pack, so we’ll all be going to that too. How convenient

Well, that’s all for now, enjoy the pictures… and Happy Thanksgiving!

Coach Pete and I in his office in front of both of his Paul "Bear" Bryant awards after a COLD practice in the snow

Benjy and I...snowing on the blue

gotta get a display case for this!

Hey Everyone!

I’ve got lots of good news to report since my last post.  The first bit is that I had another PET/CT scan about 2 weeks ago and received the results and everything is all clear!  I also had a biodex test on my knee last week to test the strength after my ACL surgery, and I passed with flying colors.  The doctor has released me for full activity.  The next bit of exciting news, was that Matt & Marie and the kids were in town during the month of August, which made for a fun month.  And lastly, I just got back from Washington DC where I was able to watch the Boise State-Virginia Tech football game. in person. 

I was kind of nervous about my immune system traveling on the airplane and through the airports, but it seems that I made it back without getting sick.  The only thing is a horse voice from yelling too much at the game!  I had a really good time.  I went to the game with some college buddies that live out east whom I haven’t seen for a while, Tom, Nate and Kent, and then I also got to see Josh and Ann Marie.  I really want to thank Raquel for giving me her frequent flyer miles so that I could have free tickets!

Nate, Tom and I catching the Nationals/Mets game before heading to the big Boise State football game

This past month I also started transitioning back to work.  I get really exhausted at work and have to go home often to rest.  I talked with the doctor this past week about my fatigue and energy levels and he said it’s normal and  usually takes up to a year to get back.  I’ve also been having problems with my arms and legs going numb, and also some nerve shocks going up and down my spine.  So they scheduled a MRI for the end of the month and I may see a neurologist if necessary.  Also I’m supposed to get my first set of immunizations at the end of the month as next week will be 6 months post transplant.

Beck family pic

pre-game

Fightinghodgkins.com golf team! Tyler, Clint, my dad, me, and my brother Benjy

Looks like today is exactly 2 months since my last update.  Time flies when your recovering from a stem cell transplant.  I am recovering well.  I am slowly beginning to get out more and more.  I find that my spurts of energy are a little longer and my recovery periods are a little shorter.  This week I started physical therapy.  I was pretty sore after my first session and it seemed like I hardly did anything, but in time I’m sure I’ll back to benching 400lbs  

As you can see from the photo, I was able to golf at the Nampa Rotary Golf for Hope tournament.  Unfortunately we didn’t cheat enough on our scorecard to win.  My next scheduled PET scan is the first of September.  The other day I had to go in to the barber for the first time in 8 months to get my hair trimmed!  For those wondering, yes, it’s still pretty thin on top, and I’m not very optimistic that it’s going to fill in much more.

You might as well call me Mr. Clean because I’m bald, and I’m clear of Lymphoma.  I just had my first post-transplant PET/CT scan the other day and everything came back clean!  I wasn’t expecting anything different, but I guess they wouldn’t have done the scan unless they were 100% sure.  Well, maybe they would have for the money, but that’s another subject   For those wondering, I am feeling better from my last episode that I reported in my last post.  In that week I lost another 7 lbs, but I’m back on the eating train now.

Well, here it is, day 60 post transplant, or somewhere around day 60.  The doctors have always told me that I would have my good days and bad days, but I had been progressing so well that I didn’t think I would have any bad days.  From day 30-50 I had been progressing so well, I even rode my bike (not very far), but I ended up crashing in front of my house as I got real dizzy and blacked out.  I was pretty upset as I put the first scuff on my bike.   The past 7-10 days have been a constant decline in my health and fatigue.  I feel like I’m back at day 25.  On Thursday night I finally called the afterhours line, and on Friday I had to go in for 2 liters of IV fluids.  I’m hoping the bad days are over and that I’ll begin progressing again soon. 

first scuff on the new bike

Apparently I guess I never actually posted that I had made it home safely.  Who knew how many e-mails and phone calls of concerned people wondering how I am doing I would get since I have not posted for a little bit.  Well, you can all rest easy, as I am now back home in the great state of Idaho!  I got my duct work cleaned, carpets and upholstery shampooed, house cleaned, car detailed, and I’m looking at getting a new air filtration system.  So currently, I am as dust/germ free as possible.  I have enjoyed all the little subtleties that make this HOME.  For instance, driving to a gas station and hearing country music blaring over the outdoor speakers while filling up and warm sunny days ending with an incredible 1 hour display of thunder and lightning…and hail, and then returning to a peaceful sunset. 

Well for those wondering about my health, I am still improving every day.  I was referred to a doctor here that did his fellowship up at Fred Hutch, so he is familiar with all the processes.  I saw him twice last week and really like him.  Though I’m starting to look “normal”, minus the hair and minus 30 lbs (of muscle might I add), I still have a very weak immune system and have to follow strict guidelines on where I go, what I do, and what I eat.  Here are just a few of the can and cant’s:  can’t mow my grass for a year (I’ve hired some kids); can’t golf for 6 months (though I negotiated with the doctor and brought it down to 3 months if I promised I would be careful); all fresh produce has to be washed and scrubbed, so for instance I could eat out and have a burger at a clean establishment, but I couldn’t have any fresh lettuce or tomato on it because I didn’t know if it had been scrubbed; can’t have sun tea, but I can drink tea if I boil the water first and then put the tea bags in; can’t drink well water, but can have city water since it’s been tested every day.  Anyway, this is just a very small list of the many things I have to be careful of. 

As for the future, I will probably have another scan in about a month, at 6 months I will start getting my immunization shots (that’s right, I have a brand new immune system and so any immunizations I had before are useless… also it’s possible that things I was allergic to before transplant I may not be allergic to now, but I may be allergic to new things), and then at 1 year I will head back to Seattle for an extensive week-long follow-up where they test and check just about everything. 

So, that’s my update for now…  

overlooking the treasure valley with bogus basin in the background

Lake Lowell sunset

Idaho rainbow in my backyard

Is it possible?  The words “going home” keep getting mentioned more and more often every time we go to clinic.  In fact, today we got our schedule for the week, and two appointments stuck out to me for Thursday.  The first is that there is a procedure scheduled to pull out my hickman line, and the second is an appointment with the doctor entitled “going home consultation”.  While at clinic today they told me that they had scheduled an appointment for me with a doctor in Idaho for April 21.  So, it appears as though after Thursday, as long as everything stays stable, I am able to come home.  They asked us today if we were going to fly home or drive home, and we weren’t sure.  We told them that after having our lives dictated by the schedule they set for us for so long, that they’d probably have to make the decision for us and put it on our schedule.  We’ve lived our lives day by day for so long, that it is hard to make a plan even just several days out as circumstances can and have changed quickly.  But we are cautiously optimistic for the weekend!

This week I have continued to feel better every day.  It was probably helped along by having a few guests throughout the week and weekend to brighten my days.  On Wednesday, Jim and Jan Richardson from Idaho came up for lunch, then my aunt Joyce came from Chicago for the weekend, and Joe Mogford stopped in on Saturday from Salem. 

My agent Joe and I at the Safeco Field press conference announcing my addition to the Mariners in time for their home opener.

Happy Resurrection Sunday everyone!  Today is a great day!  My mom and I drove an hour to Port Orchard and attended my brother Matt’s church this morning.  It was a great morning of worship and celebration.  I’m pretty exhausted now, but it was nice to get out this morning.  This was the first time I’ve been out in a long time. 

This next week I only have to go to the clinic 2 days as opposed to everyday like I have for so long.  My taste is still gone so it is still difficult to eat or drink, but it’s improving.  Until I can drink more I’m still on an IV for 4 hours every day.  The other day at clinic my heart rate while laying down was 68/bpm, I stood up for a minute and it jumped to 135/bpm.  Call it dehydrated or bad cardio, I don’t know, but I’ll let you imagine how high it goes when I climb the 4 flights of stairs to our apartment or walk to the clinic.  Makes me want to take a nap!

He is Risen!

I'm with you Brett, it's a hard decision on whether to stay or go

Hey everyone.  On paper, it looks like I’m improving.  My blood counts are beginning to rise.  But in actuality, I kind of feel the same.  Although my throat is getting a little better.  They now have taken me off of all the iv’s except hydration.  I’m especially glad to be off morphine.  It never really did help my throat pain, and didn’t really have much fun side effects.  I’m supposed to begin trying to eat and drink a little.  Yesterday I had about 3 sips of Gatorade and couldn’t keep it down.  Today I had 3 sips of ensure and 4 sips of a fruit juice and so far have stayed down which is good.  

 I had mixed feelings about coming into the hospital and I have mixed feelings about leaving.  I don’t know, I kind of feel like Brett Favre trying to decide to play another year of football or not.  I think it’s what morphine does to your mind… maybe he’s on morphine too.  I got my daily laps in today, 2x by .5 mile.  Thanks again for all your prayers and encouragement!

still LivingSTRONG!

Tim

Dr: “How are you today, Tim? “
Tim: “Oh-h-h, I’m OK.”
PA: “He’s doing great! He’s right on track.”
Dr: “Well, you look good. Your counts are coming up; WBC are 120 today. You’re beginning to engraft.” (emphasis mine!)

Today’s blood counts: 
–White Blood Cells (WBC): 120 (normal = 4,300 to 10,000)
–Neutrophils: 0 (normal = 1,800 to 7,000)

Today’s dr instructions:
–Stop IV pain meds; use orally as needed
–Let IV nutrition run out & then stop to stimulate appetite
–Try several swallows of Gatorade today.

Thank you for your love, care, and prayer!

God is good all the time; it’s a matter of trust.
Phyllis

Tim’s still in the hosp and may be for another week or so. His insides took quite a hit from the radiation and chemo regimen, and until his cells engraft, he has no white blood cells to begin the healing process. At this point, nothing is going down his throat. He’s receiving hydration, nutrition, & meds all thru IV. All his saliva & coughed up throat gunk (note my use of medical terms) is suctioned from his mouth w/ his new buddy: a hand-held suction device.

 He can & does get up & walk. 10 laps around the halls = 1 mile. He’s doing that daily (several @ a time), but little else. Mainly he is in bed concentrating on healing. You saw that Benjy shaved his head & beard Sunday; yesterday Tim washed the rest of it out in the shower. Thankfully Tim can grow hair; it, too, will be back!

Tim is  in the BEST place receiving the BEST care. The 8NE floor of UWMC is dedicated alone to transplant patient care. The med staff is highly qualified and wonderful in their care. The patients are cared for as needed, but mainly left alone to heal–in peace.

I know you pray and I want to keep you informed. Thank you. God’s evident love and His WORD continue to uphold and sustain us.

By day the LORD pours out His steadfast love upon me;
at night His song is with me. -Ps 42:8

God is good all the time; it’s a matter of trust.

Phyllis

taking away samson's strength

I considered it a privilege to fly up for a weekend visit and have certainly enjoyed experiencing the ups and downs that are normal for Tim right now.   I was then offered the opportunity to write to Tim’s fans and knew that I had to take advantage of that.  This is Tim’s brother Benjy and I thank you all for your prayers, posts, and care for Tim through this process. 

In Nehemiah we see where God used Nehemiah to lead the people in the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem.  Through this process there was intense opposition from other people in the land and disunity within Jerusalem.  Despite this opposition Nehemiah and people rebuilt the walls.  Nehemiah overcame these threats by taking wise defensive measures, by personal example, and by his obvious courage that he had because he trusted in God’s provision and faithfully followed His instructions.  Nehemiah did what God had put in his heart (2:12, 7:5) and found that the joy of the Lord was his strength (8:10).  Whenever the people began to fall or question what they were doing, Nehemiah would have Ezra read to them the Law to remind them to focus on what is Truth. 

Tim’s body is going through a “rebuilding” phase right now.  There is a lot of opposition to this construction process, but God is using a team of “builders” to help Tim complete this project.  Let me get into a few specifics from the past few days.  The weather has remained very pleasant so Saturday and Sunday I walked with Tim to and from the clinic for his blood draws and checkups.  Both days Tim’s blood pressure was high and heart rate low which indicates dehydration.  Tim has continued to fight against the many things that are attacking his body, but his throat has gotten increasingly painful.  His throat is extremely swollen and filled with sores so it is difficult to eat or drink anything; though, he somehow manages to put down the 10-12 “horse” pill that he has to take every day. 

Well, at the clinic the wonderful team of nurses and doctors went to work to hydrate Tim and give him some stronger pain medication for his throat.  He really was on the verge of being sent to the hospital, but you know Tim is a fighter.  We all appreciated the “boost” that these fluids and medicine provided, but it really just showed how tough this dose of chemo and radiation has been on Tim’s body.  While at clinic, multiple times the nurse and PA referred to the intense regiment that Tim received and how surprised they were at how hard Tim was fighting back. 

We have always known the danger of Tim being exposed to any sickness or infection because, as his blood counts confirmed, his immune system is zero.  This means that Tim has to monitor his temperature so he can know right away of any potential infection.  Well, Sunday night about 9:30 his temperature was 100.4.  He knew that this was potentially dangerous so we packed up and headed to the hospital.  Tim had hoped to avoid this, but he knew that he had to go in.  One nice perk about being in the hospital is that he is receiving his daily pills and fluids through IV instead of through his sore throat.  The staff got him all set up and they were able to get his temperature down within a few hours.  I stayed the night with Tim while my mom went back to the apartment for a much needed night of rest.  Tim didn’t sleep well last night, but I think he will be able to settle down better as they figure out the best mix of meds and fluids to give Tim.  We know that God has had Tim in the best places for care along the way and for the next few days the hospital will be that place.  Just like Nehemiah had to take wise defensive measures, Tim has needed to make wise decision for his care and now we can continue to watch God use the team of builders to complete this project.  Don’t forget, each of you is a part of this team because your encouragement plays a big part.

I don’t really feel like writing much right now, but I thought I’d give a quick update anyway.  The big question whenever I go to the clinic is “is today the day I’m going to go to the hospital?”.  Thankfully, today was not the day.  I’ve had some pretty intense nausea times lately, and also got a bad case of the hives today, but I convinced the docs I was feeling well enough to stay out for now.  My big thing right now is to force myself to exercise.   The clinic is about ½ – ¾ of a mile up hill, and every day so far I’ve forced myself to walk to the clinic, even though there is a shuttle that comes every 10 minutes.  I think the exercise is really helping me.  That’s all for now…sorry, no picture today.

Here’s a shot of the last of Tim’s cells going in: 6.4 million cells in 13 minutes! While it was not an easy day for Tim,  his cells are back where they belong, & now it’ll just take awhile for them (Tim & his cells) to get reacquainted. Tim walked to clinic @ 7:45 this morning. He was dismissed @ 5:20 this evening and is now back @ the apartment sleeping.  The medical staff continues being “impressed” & “amazed” at Tim’s spirit and physical condition. Certainly today he was LivingSTRONG: he played like a true Titan and/or a Bronco! 

God is good all the time; it’s a matter of trust.
Phyllis

Transplant minus 1 day

I was just about to call it a night, but thought I’d write a quick post to thank everybody for their continued support.  I can tell you that every wall post, card, care package, etc. that I have received has all been perfect timing to lift my spirits.  The Lord has definitely been good to me.  Tomorrow is a day that I will experience that many of you may never experience in your lifetime.  Tomorrow is my saving day where I am going to be rescued.  As it stands, my blood counts are dropping fast, and there is no way that they could recover without the stem cell transplant I’m going to receive tomorrow.  At 8:15am I have a blood draw, and then at 9:00am I go to infusion to receive some hydration, and then eventually receive my cells.  It’s an exciting time, but it is also the beginning of a long road of recovery.  They predict that it will take between 10-14 days before the cells begin grafting, and during that time it is not too pleasant.  But I had a good self-motivating talk with myself on the way to the clinic the other day and I’m going to continue to FIGHT STRONG!  I can tell you that Hodgkins picked the wrong person to rage a battle with, cause tomorrow is going to be it’s final cry in my life!

As my fellow Rotarian Francie wrote on my wall a while ago…“You make sure they remember forever…the night they played the Titans!”