An update on the past week… (From Angie)

Posted by on Feb 15, 2013 in Updates | 6 Comments

Will had an incredibly difficult weekend. From Friday to Monday he lost all the weight he had worked so hard to gain. He is very weak and is now unable to walk much without assistance. He started having severe stomach pain Monday night. When we arrived for chemotherapy on Tuesday, the oncologist thought it would be best to postpone treatment until Wednesday and admit him into the hospital to figure out what was going on.

So we once again found ourselves in a place we are far too familiar with…the ER. The nurses now know us by name, which does have its advantages. They always try to get us in a room, rather than being in the dreaded hallway. We were in the ER until Tuesday evening when they moved us to a hospital room. They believe the pain is being caused by digestive issues related to the feeding tube and medication. They are working on getting that under control. Today has been a really hard day, but he was doing better than earlier in the week. Will lost more weight this week and is now at the lowest weight he’s been so far. I think once we get home and can get back on track with our routine, he will hopefully start gaining weight and strength again. We don’t know when he will be discharged, but hopefully the next day or so.

While he was in the ER, they did another CT scan of his lungs and abdomen to see if they could find out what was causing his pain. We were both terrified with this scan. My tears have been few these past months, as my need to function must trump my emotions, but as I waited in the hall for him to finish this scan, I broke down. Every scan has shown something, and each time it seems to get worse. This time they were doing the entire area… what were they going to find? I fell to my knees and cried, praying with every ounce of my being. Every emotion and thought and tear and prayer all ran together where I couldn’t tell one from the other. All of me laid out before God in the cold, empty, bright fluorescent hallway. And, then Will was finished. It was a relief just to see him. Seeing him obviously didn’t change the results of anything, but when we’re together all of this feels a little more manageable. And with great thankfulness, we can report that they did not find anything else! The only thing they saw was the same spot in his lung and it hasn’t changed.

This cancer and treatment have been absolutely terrible in every sense of the word, but Will is amazing. He is living each moment as best he can. Sometimes that has been trying to sleep just to get to the next moment or crying or being the comedian in the room. Other times it’s been finding whatever he can find to connect with and distract himself from what he’s going through at that moment. Yesterday, when he was getting ready for radiation, they put on his usual… the Beatles. Love Me Do was the first song to come on. As the technicians gathered his mouthpiece that holds his mouth completely still and his mask that bolts his head and shoulders to the table ensuring no movement what so ever, Will sat, listening, and bobbing his head to the music until it was time to be bolted down. It was as if all he had to do in that moment was listening. About 9 songs later, he had completed one more treatment.

We are now down to 6 treatments. He will have 4 next week (because of the holiday) and then Monday and Tuesday of the following week. Chemo will be this Tuesday and the following Wednesday and then he’s done and we wait. They said we will have to wait about 2 months to see how he has responded to the treatment.

6 Comments

  1. Phil Atterbury
    February 21, 2013

    Will and Angie,
    Let me introduce myself. My name is Phil Attrerbury. My wife is Linda. Julie Willett is my sister. I live in Santa Rosa, CA. I,ve followed your news recently from a distance. I want you to know that there are six very close friends of ours that are praying for you as you walk out the battle with cancer, chemo and radiation. I am too well aquainted with some of what you are walking through. Referring to the Lord… “I am closer than any need you are going to have!” In Him I totally trust.
    Phil

    Reply
  2. Tony Bonilla
    February 19, 2013

    Angie: My tears flow along with yours. Colleen and I are in daily prayer for Will and for you.

    “To Him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before His glorious presence without fault and with great joy–to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore!. Amen” Jude 24-25

    Reply
  3. Treva
    February 17, 2013

    Will and Angie,
    Every week the church that we have been attending asks for people to stand and share their prayer requests and every week my thoughts turn toward you both. But with my thoughts come emotions and tears that keep me silent, planted firmly in my seat. So when those emotions stifle my ability to make the request, I turn toward Shayd and Finean and ask them to stand and ask for prayers for you and they do. We’ll keep praying and hoping and pleading. We love you.
    Treva

    Reply
  4. Maggy
    February 16, 2013

    Angie-
    I can’t imagine what you are going through having to see your beloved Will going through this. Please know that you are not the only one praying, crying, hoping, or hitting your knees. We are with you in this. I say a quick prayer for you every time I get an update. I send it on to our fellow Zeta Betas to keep them up with you also. I love you both.
    Maggy
    ” God is bigger than the air I breathe” My Glorious

    Reply
  5. Ellen Ingraham
    February 16, 2013

    And Reva..I would love to meet Reva, too. Hi Riva! And all your friends! What an awesome bunch.

    Reply
  6. Ellen Ingraham
    February 16, 2013

    Hi Angie, I read your updates regularly and think of you often. I have sent them to others for inspiration. I am sending love, prayers and healing energy from NJ to you and Will. I love your spirit and optimism. People like you, Will, and your dear friends show me that my faith in the human race is justified. It would be an honor to meet you, Will, Josh and Amanda someday…Love from an online pal of Josh’s.

    Reply

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