BOB's M.I.A.

Well not a lot has changed since last time I wrote, which felt like it was last year but here is the latest. If you haven't read any of my older blogs you might want to check them out so you know who BOB is. As you can see, it's early in the morning and I am typing so that means two things either A: the dogs are wired and wanting to play or B: BOB has done something to keep me up. Well you guessed it, BOB has done something to worry me.

As you have read in some of my earlier blogs BOB was a good friend who was there for me in tough times, but he became very mean and tough to deal with. So we decided to send him to another family. Well in 2 months, BOB is at his 3rd home but actually he isn't. Let me explain, Thursday 1/28 I woke up to the beautiful smell of fresh brewed coffee and 2 dogs that sound as if they have built 20 legs. I get up as I do every morning and said "love you Sandy" and let the dogs out and fed them. Then after taking a shower I noticed a big rash on my head. If you haven't noticed, I have an egg shaped head better known as "egg head". Anyway, with this unique style of head, the rash is very noticeable. Sandy got worried and sent Dr. Fintel a message and after a few minutes Dr. Fintel responded and said he needed to see me ASAP. Sandy was so nervous about my rash, she and I stopped at Sam's on the way to the hospital to shop.

So after we got to the hospital and Dr. Fintel looked at it, he said there's nothing wrong with the rash part, but he did say after looking at my head it made him hungry for eggs. I didn't get what he was saying then, but now I understand. So it's now Thursday morning at 8:15 am and I have had a rash today, been shopping at Sam's, and been insulted by any one who comes in contact with my egg head. So as you read this you are probably saying "poor Brad" or man does Brad really have an egg head?

Let's get to BOB, when Sandy and I were talking to Dr. Fintel he said that Duke has kinda ticked him off. I said, I feel you brotha. I felt the same way after they beat UVA the last 2 years in football. Anyway he said that Duke can not find BOB. I said, "you broke up, what did you say"? He said yep, Duke has misplaced BOB. So this was just another great moment in the day for me and it's only 8:30. So after some discussion Dr. Fintel said he would keep us posted about the search for BOB. Sandy the sweetheart she is, tried to calm my nerves all day by being the person who was keeping in touch with latest on the search for BOB. Well the search team that I am guessing contained the local authorities, FBI, ATF, Boy Scouts and who ever else they could get came to an end about 4PM when they finally checked the FED-EX tracking number and showed who signed for BOB on the 12th of Jan.

So Thursday, in a nutshell contained me having a rash, shopping with a rash, being called egg head, people laughing at me at work, and BOB being on the run. They tell me that the best way to handle cancer is to be stress free. I really wish everyone that stressed me out on Thursday would have gotten that message also. So I hope everyone is doing good and I look forward to blogging again soon. I have added a little video of my special Thursday that Sandy and I had.

Oh yea, Thursday night UVA was leading VT by 10 points with 2 minutes left in the basketball game. UVA lost :(

Egg-citely,
Brad

Expect A Miracle...

This week has been one of utter exhaustion, much of it emotional for ALL of us. Last week Tuesday, Brad's brother Kevin came home from Texas and his wife Kelle and Darby flew in late Friday night (yep, that's them in the pic!). It has been years since we've seen Kelle and Darby and it was really great seeing all the kids play together. The only bummer is that Brad's oldest brother Todd, wasn't home with his wife and kids so that the family was complete. Todd will be coming home soon which will be wonderful, but unfortunately, it may still be a little while before we see the rest of his family.

On Saturday night, Mom and Dad ordered pizza and had all the family as well as our dear friends Chad and Cathy over. Unfortunately, Cathy was really sick and couldn't join us, but we were able to enjoy Chad hanging out with all of us. Chad and Cathy are literally like members of the family - Chad and Kevin grew up hanging out together and over the years, Chad and Brad have become friends. It's really pretty amazing to connect to such grounded and sincere individuals like them.

The emotions really started (for me) on Saturday when Kelle was holding something in her hand and called me into the laundry room. With tears in her eyes, she held up a little gray pouch and said that she had something for me. While she was explaining that it wasn't much, it was something that meant a great deal to her and had been given to her by a friend when she and Kevin were struggling with job transitions. Out of the pouch, Kelle removed a silver heart, about the size of a fifty cent piece that on one side says: "Expect A Miracle" and on the other side has a cross. By the time Kelle showed it to me, we were both sobbing uncontrollably and just stood in the laundry room hugging. Kelle instructed me that I was to keep it for as long as I needed and then when the time was right, pass it on to somebody who I felt needed it in their life. Kelle, I know I didn't express this the best in the laundry room, nor did I probably share it with you before you all left, but this was the MOST beautiful gift I could have ever asked for. I have carried it with me everywhere I go and it means more than you know - thank you.

On Sunday, we returned to North Roanoke Baptist for our first "Sunday School Class". Pastor Darryl is conducting a 4-week class for those that may be interested in joining the church in the future. During Sunday School, Pastor Darryl shared his personal story about coming to know Jesus and the struggles and challenges that he often felt along the way. For some reason, it was like he was speaking DIRECTLY to me. Yep, you guessed it, I cried for almost the entire hour in front of the whole group (if I recall correctly there were 9 of us there). After church was over, Brad and I asked him to pray with us. Pastor Darryl's prayer was so powerful and immediately connected to both of our hearts while once again turning on my never-ending eye faucets. I must admit, even Brad said he felt like he was on the verge of crying - that is such a shocker!

This morning, Brad woke up with this really strange rash all over his head and when he got out of the shower, he was full of polka dots - it was kinda scary. Not knowing what was going on, I sent Dr. Fintel an e-mail message to which he immediately responded saying he wanted Brad at his office at 8am. When we got there, Dr. Fintel calmed us immediately by telling us he wasn't concerned about Brad's rash (after he saw it), but had been concerned when he received my message because it's quite common for Lymphoma patients to develop shingles. Brad just has a simple case of "folliculitus" (you all know what that is - just a rash that occurs near a hair line of course). Luckily, after getting a prescription for a bacterial antibiotic that Brad won't get filled, we were on our way out the door and off to work. That too, just set the stage for more emotions for both of us throughout the day.

I'm not quite sure how to explain everything that we're feeling. One minute we're fine and the next minute feeling like we're being stuffed into a box and cannot breathe because of all the unknowns. It's a hard thing to explain to others, but we're hoping the feeling goes away when we start getting more answers and treatment begins.

We head off to Duke on Monday for the day - I'm sure it will be a day with many emotions and fears, but a day that strangely enough, we look forward to. I'm not sure that we'll have anything to write before then, but thank you for keeping us all in your thoughts!

Love to you all,

Sandy

p.s. We ask that you keep sweet little Avery in your hearts and prayers as he is challenged in many ways right now dealing with all of these adult issues. It's hard for him to understand everything and he expressed tonight his fear that his Dad won't ever get better. It's a fear we all have, but of course don't mention. We love you Avery and will continue to do everything we can to help you cope with all of this.

A Small Gold Nugget...

Well, yesterday we went back to see Dr. Fintel to get the results of Brad's bone marrow biopsy. We found out all tests are normal! While we still wait to hear from Duke to see what their docs say, this is a bit of good news.

For those of you reading along, you're probably thinking, "it's not in his bone marrow, this is GREAT news, why does Sandy sound so hesitant?" Although this puts Brad at a clinical stage III diagnosis (because he hasn't had any biopsies of the lymph nodes below the diaphragm, although they are showing up in his PET scan) instead of stage IV, it may not necessarily change things regarding his need for a bone marrow transplant in the future.

Dr. Fintel was a bit more hopeful indicating that the cure rates are up "a little bit" from stage IV to stage III. What this diagnosis does mean, is that it's possible Brad could have an autologous (or self) transplant instead of having to find a marrow match. Because his bone marrow is clean, they can potentially harvest and store it for a future need, although it may be iffy whether or not insurance would cover the expense. Again, Dr. Fintel really stressed to Brad that the world is his oyster in terms of treatment. Apparently there are several options to consider, but none of them will be focused on until we go to Duke on February 1st since they are the ones who will help direct Brad's treatment.

We do know that chemo will be in Brad's future relatively soon, we just don't know exactly when yet. For Brad, that's probably the most discouraging of all of this. He/we just really want treatment to begin to put him on a path to recovery - again, our patience has definitely been tested through each of these phases.

Because school was cancelled yesterday, I called Blue Ridge Cancer Care to get permission for Avery to go with us to the cancer center. They don't typically want kids there because of the health risk they pose to patients with decreased immunity, so Avery wore a lovely pink face mask and got to see the place Dad has been visiting so often lately. I think it was really good for him. Unfortunately, we didn't have the camera with us or I'd LOVE to share a pic of Avery posing as Dr. Wirt.

Last night Brad wanted to surprise me for our anniversary which is coming up on January 26th (8 years married). He sent me an e-mail at work earlier in the week indicating that we had a date at 6pm to celebrate. The most horrible part of all of this was that I had completely forgotten our anniversary was coming up until he sent me the e-mail. I felt horrible, but guess it just fell out of my head with all the other information in there. So yep, last night we officially had "date night". For those that don't know us well, this is a pretty routine thing for us, but not something we had done since before all this started on December 10th. We made a pact to not talk about cancer while we were out and just focus on being together. It was a great, great night. I love you so much Brad and honestly, couldn't imagine my life without you and Avery. You're the best husband a wife could ever want and I'm so glad we're partners not only in marriage, but in this fight for you, TOGETHER.

We will do our best to continue blogging, but sometimes there's not much to write about while we wait for the next appointment. Thank you for continuing to support us and for reading the blog - we're glad it's keeping so many connected to us!

Hugs,
Sandy

p.s. Dr. Fintel if you're reading this, thanks for all your wisdom and humor through this - we feel very fortunate that Brad is one of your patients!

Our Silver Lining...

Another 5 days until we find out the results of Brad's bone marrow biopsy, but throughout the past 4 weeks (geesh, it feels SO much longer since we first found out), we have come to find the "silver lining" in Brad's diagnosis. Since there's not much to update on Brad, we figured now would be a great time to share what we are finding to be the things that help guide our hearts and spirits during the often challenging and emotional days.

One of the things Brad and I have talked about frequently and have attempted several times is to find a church family (this was mentioned in one of our early entries). I am thrilled to report that for the past 3 weeks, we have been attending North Roanoke Baptist Church. Today was Avery's first time getting to go since he is often with his mom on the weekends and he LOVED it! When he left the children's service today he said it was the best church he has ever been to - what a great thing to hear him say. Each week has gotten a little more comfortable for Brad and I and we pray that this will continue to be a good fit for us. In the spirit of all of this is an article that we found on the blog of someone who has had her own battle with cancer. Because it really hit the nail on the head for us as well, we wanted to share it here.

The key points of Don't Waste Your Cancer are the following:
1. You will waste your cancer if you do not believe it is designed for you by God.
2. You will waste your cancer if you believe it is a curse and not a gift.
3. You will waste your cancer if you seek comfort from your odds rather than from God.
4. You will waste your cancer if you refuse to think about death.
5. You will waste your cancer if you think that "beating" cancer means staying alive rather than cherishing Christ.
6. You will waste your cancer if you spend too much time reading about cancer and not enough time reading about God.
7. You will waste your cancer if you let it drive you into solitude instead of deepen your relationships with manifest affection.
8. You will waste your cancer if you grieve as those who have no hope.
9. You will waste your cancer if you treat sin as casually as before.
10. You will waste your cancer as a means of witness to the truth and glory of Christ.

Our silver lining is that although it took a mentally and physically challenging medical diagnosis for us to begin searching again for a church, it did happen and we may have found a perfect match. The first week we went to church Brad said he felt guilty we were going because of his cancer. Although it may have been the reason to encourage us initially, it will not be what keeps us there.

A second silver lining in all of this is that we are reconnecting with friends and family in a way that hasn't happened since Brad and I were first married. Last night, Brad's Aunt Alease, Uncle Jim, cousin Lisa and her husband Randy all came to our house for a visit. The sad thing is that we have never been to their home and this is their first visit to ours, despite the fact that Lisa and Randy only live about 5 minutes away. I feel very fortunate that I'm getting to know other members of Brad's family better through this and that it is reconnecting each of us to what matters most.

Many, many continued thanks for the happy, positive thoughts you send our way - we are so very, very lucky to have you in our lives. We hope that whatever challenges are happening in your personal life, that you too are able to find your own silver lining.

Much love,
Sandy

Bone Marrow Biopsy and Meet Dr. Fintel...

So this afternoon was Brad's bone marrow biopsy - I'll let him soon explain what that was like, but the picture above is Brad with Dr. Fintel AFTER the biopsy - I guess the fact that he's smiling is a good sign.

Brad was prepared for severe back trauma today and luckily, it wasn't as bad for him as he expected! I went with him into the office where the procedure was performed so that I could pull out the handy, dandy question journal and proceed to drill Dr. Fintel with the randomness that pops into our heads at all hours of the day. I mean really, if he is going to spend his time drilling into Brad, why can't I spend my time drilling him? We will find out the results of the biopsy on Friday, January 22nd.

We found out this morning that Brad's consultation appointment (and additional testing/procedures) will take place on Monday, February 1st at Duke University's Adult Bone Marrow and Stem Cell Transplant Center. It is a 4-5 hour appointment, with a two hour drive each way. The best news is that Brad's insurance company has approved Brad to be treated at Duke if necessary. According to Dr. Fintel, the transplant procedure can be controversial as to when it is performed. There are many physicians that like to see it done after all other methods of treatment have been exhausted. In Brad's case, Dr. Fintel estimates that there's about a 90% chance that they will find the lymphoma in his bone marrow and that whether it be in the near future or put off (like some Docs prefer) at some point in Brad's life, he will without question need a bone marrow transplant.

Armed with the knowledge that this cancer is one which easily relapses and cannot be cured without the transplant, Brad wants to immediately pull out the "big guns" and go right for the transplant despite the horrible case studies he has been reading about other patients. In his mind, he can avoid the worry that comes along with wondering every couple of years when (not "if") the lymphoma will return.

I'm going to turn the keyboard over to Brad (yes, the funny one!) to let him give his version of what happened today...

Sorry if my typing or words aren't the best, but either I am standing or sitting on a pillow. Dr. Fintel WAS a great doctor until he decided to run a cork screw which felt like a rusty deck screw into my right hip. Where do I start? Well I received a warm welcome into the lab by drawing blood. After that wonderful welcome they moved me to a small room with a 4 foot bed. I am not sure if you noticed, but I am 6-4.

I layed there while Dr. Fintel lathered my back side up with what looked to me like honey mustard. The whole time while Dr. Fintel was numbing my toosh Sandy just kept asking questions and he just kept answering them while he worked. All I can say is I am very happy he can multi task because if he couldn't it would have gotten really bad, quickly. The next thing I know was that it felt like Dr. Fintel was turning something into my hip. It felt as if he was making homemade ice cream back there.

I felt absolutely no pain until he hit the bone and even then it wasn't bad. After he was done I asked the nurse (who says I have beautiful eyes - I need to get her name) whether he was done. She said he was done with the first sample and he only needed one more. It wasn't pleasurable but it really didn't bother me. I would do it everyday if I knew that would cure this disease that BOB forgot to take with him.

Thanks for staying caught up with us and for all the wonderful thoughts you're sending our way.

Much love,

Brad and Sandy

Being Strong...

Today is kinda an "open letter to my hubby" and this post is simply the lyrics from a song by a Christian group called Kutless. The title is appropriately called, "What Faith Can Do." I encourage each of you to Google the song - it's very moving.

I love you with all of my heart and soul Brad. I pray that the many burdens on your heart and spirit be lifted so you can focus on your recovery.

Everybody falls sometimes

Gotta find the strength to rise

From the ashes and make a new beginning

Anyone can feel the ache

You think it's more than you can take

But you're stronger, stronger than you know

Don't you give up now

The sun will soon be shining

You gotta face the clouds

To find the silver lining

I've seen dreams that move the mountains

Hope that doesn't ever end

Even when the sky is falling

And I've seen miracles just happen

Silent prayers get answered

Broken hearts become brand new

That's what faith can do

It doesn't matter what you've heard

Impossible is not a word

It's just a reason for someone not to try

Everybody's scared to death

When they decide to take that step

Out on the water

It'll be alright

Life is so much more

Than what your eyes are seeing

You will find your way

If you keep believing

I've seen dreams that move the mountains

Hope that doesn't ever end

Even when the sky is falling

And I've seen miracles just happen

Silent prayers get answered

Broken hearts become brand new

That's what faith can do

Overcome the odds

You do have a chance

(That's what faith can do)

When the world says you can't

It'll tell you that you can

I've seen dreams that move the mountains

Hope that doesn't ever end

Even when the sky is falling

And I've seen miracles just happen

Silent prayers get answered

Broken hearts become brand new

That's what faith can do

That's what faith can do

Even if you fall sometimes

You will have the strength to rise

Many, Many Thanks...

We really don't know where we would be without such a strong, positive network of family and friends and consider ourselves blessed in so many areas of our lives. Although it has been easier to think about the difficulties that lie ahead, this is really an opportunity to say thank you to each of you for your love, thoughts, prayers, positive energy and gifts. Whether your gifts be of offers to have your bone marrow tested, meals for our family, videos to occupy an abundance of unfilled time in the future, family games and crossword puzzles to enjoy together, magazines, talent in coordinating upcoming fundraisers or contributions of money to get us through the weeks and months that lie ahead, thank you, thank you, thank you from the very bottom of our hearts.

Some of you were aware that I was working on putting together a "therapy gift" for Brad in which I was collecting a variety of items (some donated, some on loan, some simply notes and messages from the heart) to present to him to help brighten his spirits. The picture above represents the items that were secretly sent to Brad's Mom and Dad's house and put together for him.

Avery and I surprised Brad with this gift this past Tuesday prior to our friends and family coming over for Chad and Brad's birthday celebration. To say he was shocked, is an understatement. Brad, who is not an emotional person, was at a loss for words as he looked over each gift and couldn't believe that these things were an opportunity for so many of you to let him know that he is in your thoughts and prayers.

Thank you for being a gift in our lives and for the tremendous strength and support that you share with us on a daily basis. It is appreciated more than words or pictures could ever express and we will do our very, very best to "pay it forward" to others when Brad is in recovery. This has been a truly humbling month and we could not have gotten through it or what lies ahead without you.

Love,
Sandy

The Latest on BOB

I am sorry that it has been a while since I last wrote but I have felt crummy and honestly I have been choked up over losing my friend BOB. Sandy does a wonderful job on this blog so I won't talk too much about what has happened since the last time I did this. I will say if I ever need to know something about myself then I just need to read Sandy's blog. Anyway lets catch you up to date.

Well as you know, BOB was removed from my home and was sent packing to Dr. Harter's home on 12/23. I called to check on my old friend to see how he was doing but Dr. Harter's wife told me that he was sent to Dr. Fintel's home. Well that worried me because I knew I had to meet this man in the upcoming days and I didn't want to face BOB again. So on 1/6 I went to Dr. Fintel's and I was very lucky to have not seen BOB. I was told he was being sent to Duke for testing/mental observations.

This was a relief but then again I was sad because BOB was such a good guy, something just wasn't right about him. Anyway as the meeting with Dr. Fintel went on I was told some news that didn't make me happy. Dr. Fintel tells me and Sandy that lil ole BOB was a "playa." That's right a pimp daddy as you might say. BOB, sometimes while hanging out with me met up with another chicky chick and decided he wanted some romance time. Well these heated moments ended up producing multiple BOB's.

It's funny I remember BOB stating that his favorite show was the one with the Duggers "18 and Counting". I never knew that I was hanging out with such a horn dog but those days are over. Well not quite over. I do have to evict all these kids and there families. Dr. Fintel told me that based on the results of BOB's mental evaluation and some of my own testing that will take place on 1/12, that I might also have to go to Duke and stay for a couple months in the future. If that is the case all the bad things I said about that University's football team, lacrosse team, and their geeky Cameron crazies it wasn't me, it was BOB.

It makes me sad knowing that BOB is somewhere on a truck riding up and down a cold dark road just going place to place but he needs help and I know Dr. Fintel and his geeky Cameron crazies will take care of him. I am not looking forward to my testing on Tuesday but I know this is the first hurdle I have to take to get all those damn kids out of my neighborhood.

I have no doubt that I will be strong through this and will come out of it stronger physically and mentally. At first I thought BOB ruined my life but after I thought about it he has only made me stronger and has brought me closer to my family and friends that truly love me. So with losing one friend BOB I have gained 100 more friends that won't hurt me or my family. So BOB you go to Duke and bounce up and down with those geeky Cameron crazies all you want. I would rather have the friends I have now than to hang out with you and all those kids.

Happy New Year,

Brad

New Year's, A Birthday, A Diagnosis (Oh My!)...

Today has been quite the long, emotional day and since I can't sleep, I figured I would update you all as to what we found out, while my darling husband sleeps like a baby in the other room. All jokes aside, since he didn't sleep well last night, I'm glad he is getting good rest now.

First, a little catch up since our last entry. New Year's Eve was a great time with our friends Chad and Cathy despite the fact that Brad was still feeling crummy. We rang in the new year and then quickly came home with Avery and his friend Zach, who spent the night. The boys had a great time staying up until nearly 2:00am, which was WAY past my bedtime! Brad and his twin brother Chad celebrated their 36th birthday together last night and it was really great having family and friends over for cake and ice cream. When I asked Brad when the last time he and Chad celebrated their birthday together, he said it was when he was about 12. Not sure if that was a joke, but the pic you see at the top of today's entry is them blowing out the candles on their cake.

Today was the much anticipated, first meeting with Dr. Fintel, Brad's Oncologist. It is evident upon first meeting Dr. Fintel, despite his very youthful appearance, that this is a man who knows his stuff and is really dedicated to the wellness and connections he makes with his patients. We immediately liked him and his joking attitude. He was worth the wait of the extra week and we'll be sure to get a picture of him to share with you all soon!

When Dr. Fintel first came in, he didn't realize we had not been given any information other than the fact that Brad does in fact have lymphoma, so he was throwing out big words and our heads were immediately spinning. When we asked a couple of clarification questions he quickly realized he needed to start from ground zero.

I took quite a few copious notes while we were there and told Dr. Fintel that I was Brad's "personal secretary". He began by stating that what Brad had was "highly treatable, in some cases curable, low grade, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma with a follicular B-cell derivation." Yep, this is where the head spinning begins, but I'll provide an explanation shortly.

Initially, when I heard the term "low grade", I was thrilled thinking along the lines of a low grade fever = not dangerous. We quickly found out that is not what this type of cancer is. With Brad's specific lymphoma, the term "low grade" actually refers to the fact that there is a high incidence of relapse, but that the cancer can be treated with a variety of treatment options. It appears that Brad will become quite the "stud" among patients with this type of lymphoma. Why is that you ask? Let me tell you...

Apparently, the median age for most patients with this type of cancer typically falls between the ages of 60-70. The fact that Brad is only 36 and in such good health makes him a bit of an anomaly. The fact that he has a twin, makes him even more of an anomaly that may be helpful in the future, but I'll get to that soon. Yes, Dr. Fintel's eyes lit up like a Christmas tree, as it appears that they have stumbled upon an ideal research patient. If they are going to use Brad as a guinea pig, we hope this means they cut us a deal on the treatment options, so keep your fingers crossed on that one!

So, some specifics about Brad's lymphoma and what it all means...
The type of follicular cancer that Brad has, affects about 1 in 5 non-Hodgkin's patients in the U.S. There are two types of lymphocytes (a type of white blood cell) in our bodies (T cell and B cell). The B cell normally helps protect the body against germs, viruses, etc... by producing antibodies that typically attach themselves to the unhealthy germs and helps kill them off. In Brad's specific case, his B cells are "monoclonal B cells", meaning they just keep making copies of themselves, but since they are not healthy B cells, they are starting to take over his lymphatic system and are not protecting him against illness the way they do in healthy people. Light bulb side comment: this is why Brad has been so sick lately and also the reason he was sent for chest x-rays today when Dr. Fintel thought he may have pneumonia. While the test came back negative, Brad does have a severe infection in his lungs and is now taking a new antibiotic and has been prescribed an inhaler so he can breathe more easily. Please pray for a positive reaction to these new meds.

The PET scan that was completed a couple of weeks ago revealed that Brad has about 5 times more than normal cell activity throughout his entire body than most of us. The information that came next literally was like a punch in the stomach...

Dr. Fintel started talking about the need for a bone marrow biopsy. Apparently, the way this specific cancer works is that it occurs in many lymph node sites throughout the entire body, which is true in Brad's case. In addition to the lymph nodes, the lymphoma will also in most cases make a "home" in the bone marrow, requiring a bone marrow transplant in order to be "cured".

While we do not know 100% at this point in time that Brad will require a bone marrow transplant, all current road signs are leading us to Duke University. While we were at the Blue Ridge Cancer Care Center today (where Brad received his "free" season parking permit for the close spots), Brad had to identify a transplant center that he would like to work with during the long journey ahead. After several regionally close options were discussed, he chose Duke University Medical Center. Brad will have his bone marrow test completed next Tuesday here in Roanoke and appointments are already being made for us to visit the medical team in Durham, NC which is about a 2 hour drive one way.

The lymph node that was removed just two weeks ago is being shipped to Duke for additional testing and research. Because it is likely that Brad will need the transplant, resulting in him being hospitalized at Duke for 1-2 months, Brad's brothers are already being looked at as possible marrow matches for him. This is where the "stud" stuff really kicks in...

So even though Brad and Chad are not identical twins, the fact that they are twins really increases the chances that Brad may already have his match and testing will begin soon not only on Chad, but Brad's brothers Kevin and Todd as well. The ONLY way for Brad to be "cured" is through a bone marrow transplant, should they find that the lymphoma has spread to his bone marrow. Although we are hopeful that the marrow test will come back negative, with all the other arrangements that started being made today, in addition to the information Dr. Fintel shared, there is the uncomfortable knowledge and likelihood that the lymphoma is present in Brad's bone marrow.

The good news is that Brad's lymphoma is a very slow moving cancer (which is why it's classified as non-Hodgkin's) and Dr. Fintel estimates that Brad was probably at stage 1, 4 years ago or so. If the lymphoma is found in his bone marrow, Brad will be classified as stage 4, if it is not in his bone marrow, he will be classified as stage 3.

We ask that you continue to keep us in your thoughts and prayers. We weren't mentally prepared for the information we received today, but still have confidence that Brad will make a full recovery. Thanks again to each of you for continued support and encouragement - we hope you can sustain it through Brad's treatment as it certainly helps lift our spirits and that of our family members. We'll continue to keep you updated through the blog.

Many hugs of thankfulness,

Sandy (& Brad)