Cancer is diagnosed

I want to use this blog to chronicle what I have gone through as a Christian in my daily walk with God and look back to see how he has been there with my family and me through our journey.  The first few notes are going to be a "catch-up" session and then as we progress through 2014 the real-life events will be noted through here.

2013 has been a year to remember.  I started this year unemployed and stuck at home meeting dead end after dead end.  I could not find a job and it was pretty taxing.  See, my previous employer was sold to a large corporation in New York one week after my wife and I closed on our house in Franklin - needless to say, we were excited with the fact that our commute was reduced drastically and in the same breath - we were loosing a lot of our friendships that were developed through our 7 year stent in Cookeville.  Little did we know that God was already working and preparing for the end of year events that were to come.  With my previous company, I had to travel a lot and missed out on a lot of events with my little girl who was quickly growing up.....So, my analytic self looked at my "time-off" as a time to reconnect with my little girl, which I was okay with....But, God was preparing us for something even greater.......

I looked for months and months for the right job, but nothing ever seemed to completely connect - there was always something missing from the job.  When I started my search, the theme that kept resonating was "I want to be able to truly make a difference in someones life" - now how was I going to do that.  Towards the end of April, I received a call from an old friend of mine that I had worked with several years ago.  They were hiring a new sales rep and needed someone fairly quick - well - I needed a job and needed one fairly quick - so within a week of my initial conversation, I was hired at Aegis Health Group as the VP-Bus. Dev. for the NorthEast.  Our company encompassed everything that I was looking for - a smaller, privately held company that wants to grow, where I can make in a difference in our growth, and a company where I CAN make a difference in someones life.  Here goes another God moment of - "I heard your prayer, but you were not ready - I am preparing you for something greater."  I obviously did not know it at the time, but (once again) God was right.  He was preparing me for something greater.  Now I am employed and loving life - work is great, I am learning our products, Meghan and I are starting to get back on our feet and enjoy our new home and it's surroundings.

Now we fast forward to September - Meghan and I get back from our yearly trip to Destin with the family - which was AMAZING!   The night of September 4th, I notice that a spot that we started to monitor had changed in shape and feel...I asked her to check it - which was the right and wrong thing to do.  Meghan, with her medical knowledge, felt this spot and she knew immediately what it was - I on the other hand did not.  She was very adamant that I have it checked the next day.  So reluctantly, I called my doctor (Dr. Ball) at the end of the day on Thursday and explained what it felt like and he immediately referred me to a urologist friend of our (Dr. Marshall).  I talked with "my" urologist and was scheduled for an 8AM visit the following Monday morning.  I let my family know that I have an appointment, but still believe that at this time it is nothing.  That morning I arrive have my exam, with subsequent blood work and an ultrasound - by 10:30 Monday morning - I had surgery scheduled to remove a tumor from my body - I am sitting there thinking - WHAT.......WHAT - I have a WHAT and I have to have surgery.....I AM IN COMPLETE DISBELIEF!!!! I HAVE CANCER.

So, Friday the 13th (funny huh) - I have surgery to remove the tumor....here is my entry from facebook....

I had surgery on Friday to remove a tumor from by body. The tumor markers revealed that it was more than likely cancer (the doctor was 90% positive it was). We had a follow-up yesterday at 1PM - with a CT scan to follow - the lab expedited the biopsy of the tumor to provide results and it came back as the "more aggressive" or "worse" type of cancer. Knowing this - we started discussions on a second surgery/chemo and the type of treatment. We had the CT scan at 3.20 - at 4.50 the scan was read and Dr. Marshall called back with results that were nothing short of a miracle....The cancer was completely contained and did not spread to any of my lymph nodes!!!! Dr. Marshall was completely surprised by this...the only explanation is answered prayers!!!! God is amazing and we know that he hears our prayers and request. I am still scheduled to see an oncologist at Vanderbilt this week to discuss treatment options. The great thing is this is preventative and not required. This was a HUGE hurdle to cross, and we are very happy with the results (understanding that we are not out of the woods yet). There is still a long road ahead and may still have to face treatment down the road, but this was the best diagnosis we could receive with the type of tumor that was removed.

Please continue to pray for healing and nothing was overlooked. Pray for strength for Meghan and Adeline.

God is amazing and I am grateful that he is my Great Physician!!! Praise be to God!!!!!