Homeward Bound

Hello all. I'm pleased to report that Dad is on his way home from Rex Hospital. I just talked to him a short while ago (I'm in Atlanta with Melinda and the kids visiting Melinda's family) and he is doing quite well. The past few days have brought much in the way of progress. Dad's been able to regain more of his strength and some of the cognitive setbacks (stringing words together, comprehension, etc.) have improved as well. So, with the guidance of his doctors, dad was cleared to go home today and that's where he is now. Needless to say, this is a major milestone in our journey and while it will still be challenging for him at home as he needs the aid of a walker, tires quickly and is a little restless, it will be easier for him to relax in his own home.

So, here's where things stand at this point. Radiation is still on hold as we were told it cannot resume until 10 days after the surgery. He's completed 7 of 14 treatments, so he's 50% complete. He did resume the chemo on Monday of this past week, but only took the pills for 2 days as it coincided with a major setback in cognitive function. The doctors aren't sure that the chemo was causing that, but once he stopped, cognitive abilities began to return fairly quickly. So, the chemo is on hold for the time being, but will likely resume with the radiation. Lastly, earlier this week, we did have to shave dad's head as he was loosing a considerable portion of his hair each day, so shaving it was a little easier. And now, as my Aunt Betty (dad's sister) said, he looks a lot like Howie Mandel on the TV game show!

We appreciate all of your prayers and support. Being in the hospital for 3 straight weeks is not easy under any set of circumstances and being there over Christmas is even more difficult. However, we truly appreciate how special family and friends are this year as you have stood right beside us during these difficult days. Clearly, we have a long ways to go, but as dad said to me just a short while ago, the goal for each day is to be 110% better tomorrow than he is today.

Several of you have asked what you can do to help. I've asked Mom and Dad to think about some things that they may need help with and I'll post some of those items to this blog once I have them (hopefully later today). But for now, I only ask that you hold off on visits in the immediate future until dad has a chance to get readjusted to being at home. Once he's settled, I'm sure he will welcome a few visitors, so we'll let you know when he reaches that point.

Thanks again and I'll let you know more as we have it.

Our Status

Hello all. Sorry for the silence the past few days. I wanted to get up a quick post to let you know that dad will not be home for Christmas. Instead, we'll still be on the 6th floor of Rex Hospital. The doctors were nudging us in the direction of going home for Christmas, but after we discussed things, we felt that dad's condition pretty much made that impractical as he's still needing care around the clock. So, everyone OK'd the stay at Rex. We are currently working on securing a spot in a rehabilitation facility, so he'll be at Rex until that spot is found.

As you can imagine, Christmas in a hospital is not ideal. Please pray for dad and his comfort. Also, please pray for mom for strength and to find rest where she can.

I'll post more a little later, but I wanted to make sure everyone was aware of the latest. Have a Merry Christmas.

Moved-- Again

Hello all. Just a quick post to let you know that dad was moved from ICU this afternoon to a regular room on the 6th floor where the neuro nurse teams are located. He has had an OK day-- still having some headaches-- but he's been able to eat a bit throughout the day. We aren't sure if the headaches are the result of the surgery or not, so please be in prayer that the headaches will subside.

I'll post more when we have it, but please continue to be in prayer for strength for dad and mom, both, as mom is staying at the hospital tonight with him.

Thanks for your continued prayers and support!

UPDATE: Out of Surgery

Hello all. Dad is out of surgery. We just met with Dr. Lacin (surgeon) and he said it was a success. He was able to go in cleanly and remove the tumor without any difficulty. In fact, Dr. L noted that dad was able to move his left arm on his own (slightly), which is the first time he's been able to do that in a couple of weeks. Dad is in the recovery room right now and will be there for the next couple of hours. Once he comes out of anesthesia, he will be moved to ICU where he'll be monitored overnight. If all goes well there, he'll be moved back up to the 6th floor to sub-ICU. Dr. L said that his goal is to get dad home before Christmas, possibly by Tuesday, but I believe it might be a little early to say on that.

I want to take a minute to simply say "thank you, God." Today is a good day-- the main goal was accomplished and the source of dad's pain has been removed, so we are hopeful that he will be considerably more comfortable now.

Thank you for your prayers and support this morning. We'll be at the hospital throughout the day. Please feel free to shoot us a comment via the comment box with this posting and I'll share it with mom and everyone. Thanks!

We're Off to Surgery

Hello all. It is 7:05 and we just saw dad off to the OR just a few minutes ago. I'll be blogging throughout the morning providing updates as we have them. I can tell you that dad was more alert this morning than he has been the past couple of days, which is nice since we were all here and got the chance to talk with him a little. He told us of several things that he's planning to do after all of this is past us, including playing baseball with his grandson (gotta get that kid walking first!) and going up to Boone to watch Appalachian play football next season. So, you could easily say he's in pretty good spirits this morning.

The surgery will likely begin somewhere around 7:45 a.m. and should last about 1.5 hours. I'll provide more updates as we have them.

Thanks for the prayers-- please keep lifting dad up this morning.

Surgery

Hello all. After meeting with the neurosurgeon this morning, we've learned the the tumor on top of dad's brain seems to be getting agitated by the radiation treatments and the radiation is not having the desired effect on it as it seems to be with the other spots. As a result, the swelling of that tumor is what seems to be causing the head pain, which leads to the increase in the use of the pain medication, which leads to dad pretty much being asleep much of the time. So, the neurosurgeon (Dr. Lacin) has recommended that dad have surgery to remove that spot. Dr. L indicated that on the scale of brain surgery, this is not one of the more complicated ones and by his reading of the MRI, the tumor seems to be perfectly positioned to be removed as it doesn't appear to be intertwined with anything else.

So, here's where things are. We are on-deck for dad to have surgery tomorrow morning at 7:30 a.m. The surgery involves removing a section of his skull, going in, plucking out the tumor and closing things back up. The surgery should last about 1.5 hours.

Beyond that, we don't know what the next steps are. However, whatever they are, we will certainly let you know.

So, we have a few specific prayers:
1. Please pray for wisdom for the neurosurgeon, Dr. L. Pray that God will guide his hands and use his skill to remove this tumor and alleviate the pain that dad has been experiencing.
2. Pray for strength for dad, mom and all of us. I'm not sure what else I can say about that one.
3. Pray for a miracle of healing, that God will completely remove this cancer from dad's body and will restore him to health.

Thank you all for your prayers and support.

We've Moved

Hello all. Late last night, on the orders of a neurosurgeon, dad was moved from his regular room in the hospital to a "step-down" room in the neuro ward of the hospital. In this new location, he gets closer monitoring by a staff that is more familiar with neurological cases. The move came about as a result of a consult by the radiation oncologist (Dr. Wu) before yesterday's radiation appointment. The radiation session never happened (equipment was down), but because Dr. Wu was made aware of the persistent pain dad was having in his head, he asked the neurosurgeon to consult. After doing and reviewing an MRI last night, the new doctor had him moved right away. We haven't met the new doctor yet, but we hope to hear more this morning about these latest develoments. I'll let you know more when I know it. Please keep praying for dad. Thanks.

Prayers Needed, Please!

Hello all. As I mentioned in my last post, Dr. O has recommended dad be released from the hospital and to a rehabilitation facility where he can begin the process of relearning some of the basic physical functions such as walking, arm control, etc. Mom and I met briefly today with Dr. O and we discussed this a little more. The only rehab center he could be moved while he is still undergoing radiation is over at UNC-CH, because they are equipped to continue doing his radiation sessions at that hospital with minimal transport. So, the hospital case worker is trying to get him cleared to be in that facility.

Here's where the prayer request comes in-- we need specific prayers for dad to be cleared to be accepted to this center and for a bed to open up quickly. Our preference is for him to be able to get over there as soon as possible, but we are keenly aware that this is all in God's timing. So, will you please pray for a spot to open up if that is God's will?

By way of an update, dad is resting nicely tonight. He had his 7th of 14 radiation treatments this afternoon, so we're half-way done. Please continue to pray for complete and total healing so that the cancer is completely removed from his body.

As always, thank you for your continued support and prayers!

We're Making Progress

Hello all. Dad has had a few productive days since my last post. He began physical therapy last week and that has made a world of difference for him. As you may be aware, radiation and chemotherapy is quite tough on the body and dad is literally having to relearn how to do some fairly simple things (walking, center of balance, etc.). However, the PT is moving him along to the point that Dr. O noted in her visit this morning that she's quite pleased with his progress and she is ready to move him to the next step-- releasing him from the hospital and into a rehabilitation center. At a rehab center, he will continue with PT and will learn to care for himself once again. We don't know when the move will be made, but she was putting a case worker with the hospital on the hunt for finding an open spot and getting him there as soon as possible. This is a wonderful praise!

I visited tonight with Mom and Dad and I was amazed at his progress during the past few days. When I arrived after work, he was sitting up in bed and about to begin eating dinner. We were able to talk a good bit. Unfortunately, he had a headache coming on and it took some time to get the pain medication in place because his IV had come out. It took a while for the IV team to get to the room and then locate another place for the IV, so by the time all of that had taken place, his headache had gotten rather strong and it was taking some time to calm him down. However, by the time I headed out for the night, he was finally starting to relax with the help of some music in his tiny iPod.

Mom has had a rough couple of days as the stress of the past week or so has taken a toll on her. She had to head for home on Sunday morning and basically stayed home to rest and take care of a slight fever until late this afternoon when she returned to the hospital. However, tonight, she was doing much better (that's what the rest will do for you!) and she was ready to get back into the swing of things.

My sister has done a wonderful job of helping dad through encouraging him, cajoling him when necessary and simply tending to his needs. It has been a real blessing to have her there to help and I know that dad is glad to have her there.

We continue to be amazed at the way in which each of you has cared for us in your own special ways. There simply isn't enough space for me to count all of the things you've done to help us and I know that we can never repay you for the things you've done. However, please know that we cherish the prayers you are lifting up on our behalf and we feel so loved knowing that each of you cares for us.

Dad continues with the radiation and chemo. Today was day 6 of 14 for radiation. He'll keep taking the chemo during the radiation and once the radiation sessions are complete he will go to a cycle of 5 days on and the rest of the month off for the chemo. We aren't sure yet how long that process will go on.

Many of you have asked if it is alright to visit. While we don't want to discourage visiting, we will simply ask that you try to keep the visits brief as dad tires out easily and we need him to build up as much strength as possible so he can take that next step of getting over to the rehab facility. However, please know that we do appreciate seeing your smiling faces and the warm hugs that you bring to the hospital for each of us. As I mentioned, I know that we can never repay you for the love you've shown to each of us.

So, that's the latest. We do ask that you will continue to pray specifically for complete and total healing for dad. Also, please pray that God will strengthen dad to the point that he's able to make the move to the rehab facility and continue the process of building his body strength back to the point that he can take care of himself.

We thank you for all that you've done! Enjoy your day!

Wednesday Evening Update

Hello all. I'm pleased to report that today was a much better day for dad. He started the day with a visit from Dr. O and a good breakfast. Dr. O told him that she wants to see him doing a couple of things: 1) getting up and sitting in the chair in his hospital room for a short while, and 2) starting physical therapy to help him stay physically strong. I'm not certain if he actually moved over to the chair for a while today, but I know that the first round of PT is due to begin on Thursday morning.

I spoke with dad on the phone after I got to work this morning-- it was wonderful to hear his voice on the phone! He sounded much better than he has in a few days. We talked about several items, but he told me that he prayed last night to God asking Him for a miracle of healing. I told him I was glad he offered up that prayer because so many people are asking for the same thing, but I also shared with him that today is a miracle. We have today, and that is a miracle. And if we have tomorrow, that is a miracle. And if we get the day after that, that day is a miracle too. You see, I-- like many people, I guess-- are so busy looking for the big miracles that I never really see the little ones that God provides us every day. Well, I don't know how to explain it, but I see those "little" miracles now and I'm so very appreciative of them. Thank you for praying for these wonderful things that God has blessed us all with!

Dad had his next round of radiation this afternoon. That's 3 sessions down and 11 to go. He also had his second round of chemo tonight. He's starting to feel some of the aches and sensitivity to touch that I believe are associated with chemo, so please pray for comfort and soothing for him.

We continue to be blessed by each of you. If you are able, I'd like to ask that you post a comment on this blog if you're able-- I'm reading the comments to dad when he's up to it and I know he would like to hear from each of you.

Thank you for your specific prayers and offers of support. It means so much to all of us and we definitely feel God's presence with us during this time. We love you all and can never thank you enough!

Tuesday Evening Status Report

Hello all. I'm here in Dad's room tonight as I write this post. Dad started radiation yesterday afternoon and it continued today. In all, there will be 14 treatments. Each session takes about 20-25 minutes. Yesterday was a little tough as dad was pretty much unresponsive due to the pain medication he was on. He didn't eat much of anything yesterday because he couldn't be woken up long enough nor could he swallow anything. As a result the doctor was not able to administer the chemo since it is done in pill form. Obviously, that was a little concerning. In fact, mom shared with me today that she knows God was here in the room with them last night. She asked God to help dad breathe and respond so that he could swallow, which would allow him to take his dilantin pill (anti-seizure medication) before they had to move to another, less desirable option. And soon thereafter, for the first time that day, dad began coughing and the nurse was provided an opportunity to get the pill into him. Thank you God for an answer to a prayer!

Today has been a little better. The nurse dad had today noticed the difficult response to the pain medication and took it to the doctor with a suggestion that they change to morphine. Well, sure enough, the pain medication he was taking was much stronger than the morphine, and perhaps more than what he actually needed. So, they changed him to the morphine and he's been awake much more today.

As for the radiation, he seems to be doing well thus far: 2 sessions down; 12 to go. The doctor was able to begin the chemo tonight, so that is now underway. The plan is to take that for 5 days and take off for the rest of the month.

So, that's where things stand for now. I want to thank each of you that have written in with comments. They are uplifting to all of us and it means so much to have your support. I do want to ask for some specific prayer requests:

1. Comfort for dad. The combination of the radiation, chemo and the various medications is rather taxing on his body. We need you to ask God to comfort dad by putting him in the palm of His hands and letting dad know that He is there.
2. Strength for mom and all of us. As I've said before, this is easily the hardest thing that any of us has ever experienced. Ask God to allow us to lean on Him and ask Him to continue to be our rock and source of strength.
3. Continue to pray for a miracle of healing. We continue to know that God is in control and He uses all things for His glory. As comforting as that is, it still kind of hurts in the quite moments.

Thank you again for your support of our entire family. We continue to be amazed and in awe of seeing just how many people love and care for our family. So, thank you. I don't know that we can ever say that enough.

ps-- I'm sitting here with dad right now and he wants me to tell each of you:
"Thank you for everything you've done for me and my family. I love each of you and you will never know how much your support means to me."

Good night all.

Trouble Again

Hello all. Sorry for the brief absence. Tonight, I'm in a room at Rex Hospital with dad. Dad has had a rough week that has culminated in some trouble today. I'll try to recap as best as possible to bring you up to speed.

On Thanksgiving day, Dad was quite groggy. While he was able to enjoy time with everyone, he kept dozing off periodically. We didn't think much of it as he'd continued to have trouble sleeping at night, so it would make sense that he was sleepy during the day. The next day, Dad and I played golf with my sister and brother-in-law. We kept it simple-- 9 holes only. Dad did reasonably well as he played probably 6 of the 9 holes, but he was worn out afterwards. From there, he gradually went downhill over the next several days. He had several headaches, one of which could not be quelled with Tylenol, so they went in to see Dr. O. They found that his potassium level was quite low so they prescribed him potassium pills and readjusted his steroid medication back to the pre-Thanksgiving levels. Dad went home and seemed to be doing much better.



On Thursday of this past week, Dad had another headache that couldn't be eased and on the advice of Dr. O, mom took him on over to the ER at Rex. They treated him with pain medication and did a CT scan. The scan did not show any additional cancerous areas, but it did show some increased swelling of his brain. They adjusted his medication once again and he was able to go home that afternoon. The game plan at that point was to begin chemotherapy (Temador) after he paid a visit to an ENT on Monday (tomorrow) to check into a lingering sinus infection. Unfortunately, that evening, while my sister was over to help my mom and dad with a few items around the house, Dad was having great difficulty with maintaining control of his body and about 8 p.m. the left side of his body went limp. They were able to get him into bed and gave him doses of his medication and he started to improve right away. We're not certain, but it seemed like he had a small seizure. Dad was able to rest comfortably overnight (Cassie stayed out there to give mom a break and to administer Dad's pain medication) and it didn't seem like he had any additional problems.

Friday was touch and go throughout the day with a lot of sleeping, but he seemed to be quite stable. I stayed at the house overnight to continue helping out giving the medication and dad had a restful night. When I headed out on Saturday morning, Dad was resting and they planned to stay at the house throughout the day. However, I got a call late in the morning and mom was on her way to take dad to the hospital. He'd continued to have problems with a headache and he didn't have a lot in the way of steadiness and Dr. O advised them to come in and a room would be ready at the hospital.

They got there and dad immediately began taking morphine for the pain. Dr. O came in and checked him over. She indicated that a neurologist would visit later in the day, but the goal at that time was to simply treat the pain and get him some rest. Unfortunately, the neurologist never came-- we later found out that he actually refused to come and Dr. O was quite ticked off at that. So, she ordered an MRI and one was done last night. Dad rested overnight and mom stayed at the hospital.

This morning, Dr. O made a visit to discuss the results of the MRI. The bottom line-- a 5th tumor has shown up on Dad's brain. This one is at the base of the cerebellum (the "little" brain that controls a lot of functions). That plus there's some swelling which is causing the headaches and the problems with movement on the left side of his body.

So, that brings us up to the current moment. Dr. O laid out the course of action: whole brain radiation and chemotherapy that would begin tomorrow (Monday). Dad is aware of all of the latest developments and he has agreed to go ahead with this course of action. So, the treatments will begin tomorrow and Dad will likely be at Rex for the remainder of the week or until he can regain some steadiness that would allow him to be at home.

I'm not sure what else to say at this point save a couple of exceptions:
1. We need your prayers. Specifically, prayers for comfort for dad and for our entire family. This is a very difficult situation and it is hard to maintain hope, so we need your prayers for comfort and hope. Also, we know that God can work miracles, so please pray and ask for complete and total healing-- if that is in accordance with His will.

2. We are choosing to praise God, even in difficult circumstances. I know this may sound crazy, but as Christians, we know that God maintains a perfect plan at all times for each of us. As a result, we really cannot question what His plans are and why He does what He does. Instead, we can simply praise Him for caring about each one of us to the point that He has a plan.

So, that's where the Parks family is on December 7, 2008. We thank you for your support and prayers. I will post additional updates as I have them.

Treatment Update

Hello all. After a brief absence from updates, we finally have additional news to report. Yesterday, we met with two doctors at Rex to discuss dad's status and next steps. First up was a meeting with Dr. O, dad's oncologist. She wanted to check dad's vitals, discuss how he is feeling and talk about where we go from here. Dad's vitals were great, though his blood pressure was a little high. Dr. O said that this was likely due to the steroid he's taking and it should come down as he slowly comes down off of the steroid. That was also something we discussed with Dr. O. Dad's steroid medication has remained at a fairly high dosage from the trip home from Calif. It was a little higher to help him make the trip, but he doesn't really need it to be that high any more. So, Dr. O provided a schedule for slowly bringing him down off of the steroid (can't go cold turkey on that one) over the next few weeks. This should help dad with some of the jumpiness and sleeplessness that he's been experiencing. Dad also mentioned to Dr. O that he's been having difficulty with hearing during the past few days. He's been battling a head cold and Dr. O checked out his sinuses and believes that the hearing problem is due to that, and not anything related to the cyber knife treatment. So, she gave him a prescription for some ear drops that will help with the ear canal and also noted that reducing the steroid will likely help with the sinus problems as well.

Then, we talked about treatment options going forward. As we've mentioned before, the cyber knife treatment went quite well. Dr. O noted that, at this point, we have nothing to treat so it wouldn't be in dad's best interest to go ahead with whole brain radiation or chemotherapy at this time. There are two reasons she gave: 1) since there's nothing to treat, they wouldn't know if the whole-brain radiation is successful or not, and 2) once the brain has undergone whole-brain radiation, it has taken all of the radiation it can receive. This means that if another spot were to appear, they likely wouldn't have any further treatment options available. That's also pretty much the same situation with chemo. Once you've done it with one type of chemo, you can't use that same approach once again. So, she recommended that we take a wait, watch and see approach. The cancer may go dormant and not reappear ever, or it may come back again at some point in the future. If it comes back, depending on where it is, we can treat with cyber knife once again or ultimately work up to whole-brain radiation. This is a little different from what we understood earlier, but we have a much better understanding now and agree with her recommendation.

Lastly, Dr. O told us that melanoma is one of the hardest cancers to treat and it pretty much can't be completely eliminated. So, this means that it may always be hanging out there and we may need to do treatments in the future depending upon what happens. However, Dr. O said that dad is already "defying the odds" in that he's doing quite well physically and he responded great to the cyber knife treatment. So, we continue to maintain a positive stance.

We talked with Dr. O about what dad can and cannot do. Basically, she said the only thing he cannot do right now is drive. He can play golf, he can go to work, he can help out around the house (mom wanted to get that one cleared up!), he can workout at the wellness center, he can travel and he can even go skiing in January as part of the family trip we've been planning for a few months. So, the basic message-- go out and live! There's nothing stopping dad from doing anything that he wants to do. In many respects, that was something dad and all of us really needed to hear. As I told dad, he needs to get up tomorrow morning and go. If he has things he wants to accomplish, he should do them. There's nothing stopping him from doing anything at all.

We did meet with Dr. Wu, the radiation oncologist who does the whole-brain radiation procedure. He concurred with Dr. O. It's good to hear doctors agreeing on a course of action, especially when you know they are all consulting on your case.

So, for now, we're going to take the wait/watch/see approach. Dad will likely have another MRI done sometime in January to see what's going on with the spots they treated via the cyber knife procedure. He's also going to have a CT or PET scan done to see if there are any other spots anywhere on his body. Dr. O wants to follow-up once more on the mysterious spot that showed up on his sternum back in Sept. that was investigated during the surgery to remove the lymph nodes back then. This is more of a precautionary item right now.

As always, we thank you for your prayers and support. Dad is doing great and we are thankful for that. Please continue to post comments to this blog as you are able so dad can hear from each of you. It means a lot to help him keep his spirits up and know that so many people are in his corner. Also, give him a call, shoot him an e-mail, or stop by and visit. They are welcoming company and are always glad to hear from friends.

I would ask that you continue to pray specifically for dad in a few ways: 1) that the cancer will go dormant and that no new spots will reappear anywhere in his body. 2) that God will keep dad (and our entire family) strong and dependent upon Him during this time as we know He is the ultimate source of strength.

Thank you once again for your support. We are very grateful to have so many wonderful friends and family members that care for dad and for us. Take care!

Post-Treatment Update

Hello all. Dad completed the cyber knife treatment late this afternoon and he's doing well. The procedure started about 1:30 and finished up around 4:30. Dad was a little concerned traveling over to UNC-CH this morning as he had a headache and was concerned that it might affect the ability to do the treatment, but soon after arrival, the medical team assured him that taking some pain medication was OK and he felt much better after he did.

I spoke with dad after the treatment and he said he was very impressed at the medical team. They were right there with him the entire time and were quite responsive to his needs. He had to go to the bathroom a couple of times and they gladly stopped the process, he took a break and they went right back to it. Dad also said that the procedure was indeed painless as he never felt anything. In fact, all he could pick up on was the movement of the machine.

Dad told me that he feels even more confident now after having completed the cyber knife process that he is indeed on the right path for treatment. As someone mentioned to me today, staying positive with a good outlook is critical, and we couldn't agree more.

So, with the first step done, we move on to the steps ahead. Dad will go back over to UNC-CH on Dec. 17 for a follow-up consultation on this procedure and they will do another MRI in 3 or 4 months to see if the process was successful. Also, as I noted earlier, dad will meet with his medical team at Rex Hospital next week to evaluate the process for whole-brain radiation and the timetable for doing that.

For now, dad said he was planning to go home, get some dinner, put on some comfortable clothes and relax for the remainder of the evening. He's even talking about going to the Duke/State football game tomorrow afternoon if he feels up to it!

Thank you for your prayers today and I ask that you will continue to pray for him over the next few days that he will continue to feel good and strong. Also, please continue praying for ultimate healing in that the cancer will be completely eliminated from his body.

Today's Prayer Requests

Hello all. As I mentioned in yesterday's post, dad will begin his first treatment today at UNC-Chapel Hill. This is the gamma knife procedure and it is scheduled to begin around 12:30 today. It will take about 2 hours and the focus of this treatment is to kill off the affected tissue on his brain.

We have a couple of prayer requests for today:

1. Pray for wisdom for the doctors and medical staff so that they will know exactly how to conduct this procedure so that it will eliminate the affected tissue.

2. Pray for dad that he will remain strong before, during and after the procedure.

3. Pray for our family so that we can be a strong support system as he begins the treatment process.

4. Pray for ultimate healing for dad and that the cancerous cells will be completely eliminated from his body.

I spoke with dad at length last night and he's in a good frame of mind. He's ready to get started with the treatment process and is ready to do what is necessary to beat back this cancer. Thank you for all of your support and I will update this blog later in the day once the procedure is complete.

Treatment Update

Hello all. I want to provide you with a brief update on where things are with dad's treatment schedule. Mom, Dad and Cassie went over to meet with two doctors at UNC-Chapel Hill yesterday to discuss treatment options (I wasn't able to make the trip over). Dad began the day with another MRI (likely better at UNC-CH than the one done in LB) and upon closer inspection, they found what they believe to be a 4th lesion on the top of his brain. Then, they met with the first doctor of the day. He is a specialist that does the cyber knife treatment I mentioned on Monday. The doctor laid out the details on what the cyber knife treatment is, what it does and what the side effects are. Essentially, they go in for one treatment that takes about 2 hours and use a system of lasers to burn off the tissue of the affected areas. As of right now, the main side effects we are aware of-- and these are just possibilities-- are being very tired and the possible loss of some motor skills. The doctors indicated that these are potential side effects, but they can't say for certain whether or not they will actually happen. So, we'll pray that they do not. The cyber knife treatment is mainly designed to eliminate the spots that are currently there, but they do not treat any other cells that may be lurking under the surface.

Then, they met with a neurologist to discuss in more detail what the game plan should be to treat all of this. The neurologist let them know that melanoma is one of the hardest cancers to kill because it reacts differently in different bodies. But, with that said, the doctor laid out a plan that is designed to aggressively go after it and eliminate it from dad's body. So, here's the plan:

1. Dad will undergo the cyber knife treatment on Friday afternoon (tomorrow) at UNC-Chapel Hill. It will take about 2 hours and he has to remain perfectly still during the treatment. They created a head mold yesterday to use on Friday to help him remain still. During this treatment, the lasers will be used at different angles to burn off the affected tissue. Dad should be able to go home soon after the procedure is finished and he'll need lots of rest. As far as we know, there will only be one cyber knife treatment session. The downside: it will take about 4 months to get the results of this procedure as they will need time to allow the tissue to either be absorbed by the body or hang around waiting to be removed. During that time, they will be looking to see if any new cancerous cells have appeared. If none, then it looks good. If there are more, we go back to the drawing board.

2. Early next week, dad will go back over to Rex to meet with Dr. O and Dr. Wu. They will do a consultation to begin dad on whole-brain radiation. I know I wrote on Monday that it looked like we wouldn't have to do that, but the medical team at UNC-CH recommended it as a way to get any of the cancerous cells that are under the surface. It kind of makes sense-- you need to go after the root of the problem or you will always be dealing with whatever pops up. Still, it's kind of tough to hear. Nonetheless, the sessions will be done at Rex, they should take about 3 weeks (Monday - Friday) and last about 10 - 15 minutes per session. The side effects here include hair loss, weakness and potential loss of appetite.

The medical team we are working with is still very positive and focused on eliminating the cancer from dad's body. And that's exactly what we are praying for. Dad continues to stay positive about the situation as well, and that is critical as the next few weeks will be challenging.

I want to relate one final thought. I was listening to a Bible study on the drive in this morning and Dr. David Jeremiah was discussing the concept of thanksgiving, why we should thank God (in good times and in bad) and how hard it seems to do that. As he was discussing this, I thought about something that dad said to me yesterday. He was talking with the doctors and said, "you know, I eat reasonably well, I work out, I take care of myself and I'm just a little puzzled and frustrated as to how my body can develop this." And the doctors in turn replied, "you know we look at it a little differently. We see patients that come in having smoked a pack of cigarettes each day, they are significantly overweight and have other medical issues to deal with in addition to something such as melanoma. So we are thankful that in your case, all we have to deal with is the melanoma." And with that, dad was able to change his viewpoint and stay a little more positive about this situation.

I tell you that story to say this-- stay positive and look at the different possible perspectives of the situations you are facing in life. We are choosing to give thanks to God for a few different things: 1) that other than the melanoma, dad is in pretty good health. 2) that we live in an area with top-level medical professionals that are the best at what they do. Not everyone has access to that kind of care. 3) that we have a great network of support from family and friends like you.

Please continue to pray specifically for healing for dad and for this melanoma to be eradicated from his body. Pray for the medical team and that God will grant them the wisdom to know exactly what to do to treat dad. Pray for strength for our family as we help dad during the next few weeks.

As always, thank you for your prayers, kind words and loving support. And, be sure to keep up the comments as they mean a lot to dad.

Many thanks.

Monday Update

Hello all. We traveled over to Rex Hospital this morning to meet with a couple of doctors at the Rex Cancer Center. I previously thought that we were there to actually begin treatments, but instead, today was to be a consultation and a "dry-run" for the whole-brain radiation treatment, if that's the approach they felt we should take. First up was a meeting with Dr. Wu. He is the doctor that administers the whole-brain radiation treatments. After reviewing his MRI from St. Mary's in LB, he said that it appears that there are 3 lesions that he can find. Additionally, he said that he believes dad would be a good candidate for a specific type of radiation that pinpoints on the lesions (called gamma knife), instead of doing the whole-brain radiation treatment. This is very good news because it means there will be less of an impact on dad with the treatments as whole-brain radiation is rather intensive. Instead, this pinpoint approach only treats the affected area and the impact is much smaller. It also has the benefit of being more precise. So, Dr. Wu got on the phone and consulted with Dr. Morris at UNC-CH to see if he agreed that dad would be a good candidate and Dr. Morris agreed that dad should come over for a consultation and it looked likely that the pinpoint treatment would be the way to go. So, we're currently trying to schedule an appointment to get over to UNC-CH for that consultation. If we end up going this route, Dr. Wu said we're looking at 3 treatments for the affected areas and that should be it (unless they find something else in there). Also, we believe that UNC-CH will want to do their own MRI, which is fine with us as we feel very good about their knowledge and abilities and want them to have the most accurate test information available. As a result of this meeting, there was no need to do the dry-run of the whole-brain radiation. Additionally, they've put the chemo treatments on hold as well as there may not be a need for them pending the decision about the gamma knife approach.

Following that meeting, we met with Dr. O, dad's oncologist. She, too, was quite positive about the gamma knife approach and spoke highly of Dr. Morris and his ability to provide diagnosis/treatment. She wants dad to monitor his blood-sugar levels and his blood pressure, but for now, she says that if he's feeling up to it, he can return to work and do things just as he was doing prior to the seizure. And since he's on anti-seizure medication, he's at a much lower risk of any further seizures at this point in time.

Dad will continue to be on a lot of different medications (some of which they will wean him off of over the next few weeks), but for now, the prognosis looks to be quite good. We continue to take the stance that we'll respond to this aggressive appearance of the lesions with aggressive treatment options.

Please continue to pray for healing for dad, specifically that dad will be a candidate for the gamma knife approach and that it will eliminate the lesions from his brain. Additionally, please pray for wisdom for the doctors so that they will know how to treat dad during this time.

I know I can't say it enough, but thank you for your continued support during this time. We stand in awe of what God has done in taking care of dad during this time and in how He has united so many people through this incident to see how He works.

As I mentioned in an earlier post, you are welcome to call dad or shoot him an e-mail. His e-mail address is nparks68@nc.rr.com. Thank you for your love and support!

Next Up -- Treatment

Hello all. After a day's absence, I'm back to writing on this blog. As I mentioned on Friday, I plan to keep this blog going as we shift from being focused on getting home to the next phase: treatment. Dad is scheduled to begin treatment tomorrow morning (Monday) at Rex Hospital in Raleigh. He will undergo both radiation and chemotherapy. The chemo will be done by pill and the radiation will be done at the Rex Cancer Center. We get started first thing at 9 a.m. followed by a meeting with Dr. O. to discuss the situation. Naturally, I'll post an update as soon as it is available.

Dad has done quite well since arriving back home. He's had a number of visitors since Friday and we've enjoyed every smile, every hug, every laugh and every tear. It's kind of been like a mini-reunion since arriving back home and that's been good for all of us.

Melinda and I have talked a lot since arriving back home and there's one thing that is a constant topic of discussion between us-- the amazing way in which God has revealed himself in this entire situation. This one incident brought together so many people in a short period of time. Additionally, we have heard from many of you that you were either praying personally for dad or your Sunday school/small group/church/school etc. were praying for dad-- that is an awesome thing to see happening. Please don't stop. We have much further to go and we can use every prayer you can offer up as we know God can do amazing things.

Thanks for all you've done in the last 7 days. I will keep you updated in the days and weeks ahead. Also, please know that you are welcome to call dad as he'd like to hear from each of you. It does wonders for his spirits. Please be in prayer for us at 9 a.m. tomorrow morning and specifically pray that God will allow these treatments to work and eradicate this disease from dad's body.

Have a wonderful start to your week!

Home at Last

Hello all. We've finally made it home. Our plane landed at RDU about 8:45 a.m. and after picking up our luggage, my cousin Philip (Jessica's brother) picked us up at the airport. We were quite surprised at the cool (dare I say cold?) temperatures as it was in the mid-70's when we left LB yesterday evening. We've had a very long day of travel and dad is currently getting a good, warm shower (hasn't had one of those in several days). He is quite tired and needs a lot of rest, so hopefully he will be able to get that today.

I can't tell you how good it is to be home. In life, I guess there's an inevitability that you will take some things for granted-- the closeness of loved ones, the comfortable feel of being in your own bed, sweet tea (no such thing in California!)-- but this experience has definitely brought a lot of things into focus for each of us. As dad and I sat talking on the plane while flying out of ATL, I asked him "I'll bet you never knew you had all of these wonderful people who care for you, did you?" His response was simple-- "no, I didn't, but it has truly been a blessing." And that's what we think of each of you-- a blessing. Your support during the past week has meant more than you will ever possibly know. We've met and/or heard from long-time friends, new friends and everyone in-between.

We don't know exactly what is next in this battle, but you can rest assured that we are much stronger and prepared to walk ahead now than we were a few days ago. I guess there are defining times in life-- marriage, the birth of a child, illness, the death of a loved one, etc.-- where the landscape shifts and doesn't seem like it will ever be the same, no matter how much we might want it to. Clearly, this is one of those defining and life-shifting periods of time for each of us. But I feel much better knowing that God worked through each of you to let us know that He was standing right there with us so that we would not-- nor will we ever-- be alone.

I'm going to keep this blog going because we have more ahead of us. Please continue to send your comments and prayers to dad through it-- he really likes being able to read over them and so do the rest of us.

Now, I'm going to head home to my darling wife who has bravely held down our fort with both of our kids all week. I'm really fortunate to have a strong and loving wife that took care of everything else so I could pick up and rush across the country to be with my dad this week. If there is a "wife of the year" award, I would nominate her for it in a heartbeat.

Thank you for your prayers. Please know that we appreciate each and every one of them.

Much love,
The Parks Family

Almost Home ...

Hello all. While most everyone has been sleeping, we've been flying across America and we've made it to Hartsfield Int'l Airport in Atlanta and so far, so good. Dad is quite tired-- but, heck we all are. I don't know about you, but it is difficult to sleep on an airplane under just about any conditions. Also, we had a nice surprise when we came out of the jet way-- my cousin, Jessica Ward was there to greet us. Jessica lives in the metro ATL area and was able to work it out to get into the gated area to visit with us during our layover.

We're waiting for our next flight, which departs about 7:30 a.m. So, for now, we wait. If you read this before we get home (projected at 8:50 a.m.), please continue to pray for us.

We love you and we hope to see you all soon!

Leaving, on a jet plane ...

OK, gang. We're about to head out for the airport in 30 minutes. Dad was successfully released from the hospital, but because of the day's activities, he hasn't had a lot of sleep so he's quite tired. Good thing we're on the red eye-- lots of chances to sleep, if you can sleep on an airplane!

And, one more thing-- here's a photo of dad, all ready to head for home:

Travel Details

Hello all. I wanted to let you know that we have confirmed our travel details to get back home-- that word sounds really nice about right now! We are scheduled to fly out of Orange County/John Wayne Int'l Airport at 9:35 p.m. Pacific Time on a flight to Atlanta. We are due to arrive in ATL around 5 a.m. We have about a 2 hour layover in ATL before we board a flight to RDU around 7:30. We are due to touch down at RDU about 8:50 a.m. on Friday morning. I don't know how many of you have ever flown from West to East, but it is challenging under even the best of circumstances, which clearly we are not. Nonetheless, we very much look forward to arriving back at home by 9 a.m. tomorrow.

Please pray for our safety during travel, particularly for Dad's safety. There is always the risk of another seizure during the flight, so we will be traveling with medicine that can address that issue should it arise. If you're looking for something specific to pray for, please pray that he will not have a seizure at all-- ever again in his life, preferably :)

Thank you for your continued prayers, love and support. I don't know how we will ever repay everyone for their help during the past week. Please know that we have been very humbled at the way in which you have surround dad and our family during this time.

I may provide one more update before we go. If I'm unable to, then we look forward to seeing you back at home.

GREAT NEWS!!!

Hello all. We have just received some wonderful news! Dad has been cleared to leave the hospital and travel home! When we arrived at the hospital today, the neurologist and the head of the medical team were in visiting with dad and relayed to us the good news! He is stable and has made great progress and they are planning to discharge him later this afternoon. Praise God!

We are working on finding a way to get back home right now. We hope to be able to secure a flight for either today or tomorrow. Once we know more about our travel plans, we will pass them along.

I have one request-- whatever you are doing right now, please stop, take a moment and lift up a prayer of thanksgiving to God for the work that He has performed this week. We know we still have a long road ahead, but this is a big milestone and it was all made possible by God's grace and mercy.

Also, please begin to pray for our travel. First for us to be able to secure flights and secondly that dad will be able to travel without incident.

Thank you all for your prayers, love and support. We feel so good knowing that we have a wonderful family in all of you. I'll post more a little later, but for now, THANK GOD!

Morning Prayer Requests

Good morning/afternoon all. We are about to head over to the hospital (can't get up to the room until 10 a.m.), but we've already talked with dad this morning. He's had a good night and we're hopeful for continued progress today. I have a few prayer requests I'd like to mention for today:

1. Pray for wisdom of the doctors. We REALLY NEED the neurologist to read the MRI and talk with us about the results. This is a critical step in the entire process of care and we need to keep it moving. Pray that the doctor will take this action and that God will grant him wisdom when reviewing it for an accurate interpretation of the situation.

2. Pray for strength for our family. I know I keep mentioning this one, but we really need as much strength as possible. Please ask God to stand right beside us and let us feel His presence.

3. Continue to pray for dad's complete and total healing. As I've said before, we know that God can do awesome things and this one is nowhere near outside of His grasp. Pray that dad will completely recover from this situation.

Thank you for your continued support. I just printed off the latest round of comments and we will read those to dad today. Also, in case you were wondering, I would love to post more updates as they happen, but the hospital doesn't have a wifi connection, so I can only post an update when I get back to the hotel. I'll try to keep everyone updated as quickly as possible throughout the day. Also, please feel free to pass along this link to others in case they aren't aware of it. Thank you for your support and we love all of you!

Wednesday Evening Update

Hello all. I realize that it is the middle of the night on the east coast, but here in the west, it is just about 10:45 and we've had a very busy day. Dad continues to make progress on several fronts. He was able to get out of the bed, walk down the hall a couple of times and he's able to get up and go to the bathroom. You never realize how big a deal something like that is until you are unable to do that for a period of time. Appreciating the ordinary-- that's definitely a lesson that we've all learned the past few days.

Dad currently has a urinary tract infection. The infection came about b/c of E. Coli. I know-- when I first heard that, I was a little startled as well. However, it appears that it is not an uncommon infection and also the antibiotic he was on before today (Cipro) made him more susceptible to the infection. His antibiotic has been changed and we hope he is on the road to getting past that infection.

Dad is mostly very tired and we're trying to make sure he gets as much rest as possible. However, we do read him your comments when he's feeling up to it and he enjoys every one of them. Thanks for sending them along-- they really help keep his spirits up.

We met with two doctors this evening. The first is a resident neurologist. We still haven't heard back from the results of the MRI that was done on Monday afternoon. I let this doctor know that we are tired of waiting and that I needed him to find out the results right away (OK, I was forceful, but in a nice way about it :) He did a little checking and was able to get his hands on the MRI. However, he indicated that he needed to consult with the chief neurologist in the morning as the chief is better qualified to read it and talk with us about it. So, we're waiting a little longer. The bottom line-- we want someone to be looking at the MRI to get a better assessment of the situation and to share that info with our medical team back in NC.

The second doctor we met with is the head of dad's medical team at St. Mary's. She is one of the best doctors we've met with thus far as she has a great bedside manner and a good way of explaining the situation so that we can understand. We talked about dad's status-- he continues to be stable, good blood pressure, good blood sugar, good oxygen levels-- and she talked about some of the next steps ahead. Tomorrow, her team will be meeting with a case worker in the hospital to begin devising a plan/coordinating details to transport dad back home. They have indicated that it would be their preference for a "home health nurse" to travel with dad as well as have the appropriate medicines on-hand during the flight to administer them to him in the event that another seizure should strike. The doctor told dad that he's "a healthy person" in that all of his organs and his body in general are in good shape, but he has the lesions on his brain so we would need to take extra precautions with a flight. Please note that this is in the event that everyone on the medical teams (LB & NC) feel that the trip back home is advisable. While we pray and hope that this will be the case, we want what is best for dad to take care of this situation. This is definitely an area you can be in prayer for us on.

We've also been in touch with Dr. O'Lila at UNC-CH and he indicated that he's anxious to have dad back home so he can "get to work" on this. My dad, and our family, think very highly of Dr. O'Lila as well as Dr. Olajide (oncologist at Rex) and that is why we have them weighing in on the situation.

Dad received several of his ASPE friends today at the hospital as they are wrapping up their convention and returning home. We were grateful for their support of dad when we could not be here in the initial hours of all of this. For that matter, we are grateful to everyone for their love and support as we know you've all been reaching across the country to help us during this difficult time.

I did want to update on a couple of items from earlier: 1) we have secured our hotel rooms through at least Monday of next week. We hope we won't need them, but we at least have them. Thank you for your prayers in that area. 2) I'm feel much better as I got some rest this morning and took some decongestant to alleviate the crud I was experiencing. Again, thanks for your prayers for me-- it is easy to get so focused on providing support for others that you forget to take care of yourself.

Please continue to pray for our family (all of us-- here in LB and those back home in NC). As you know, my brother-in-law, Josh, returned home on Tuesday and my wife, Melinda, is at home with both of our children (3 yr. old & 5 month old). It is a time like this that test a family's strength and I would like to request prayer to make sure those bonds remain very tight. Also, please continue to pray for dad for total and complete recovery. I'm not picky-- God can make the disease simply disappear or it can go away with the help of treatment, but please pray for complete and total recovery.

Well, that's it for today. I'm sure I left out a lot of details, so if I think of anything else, I'll update in the morning. I do want to leave you with a smile, so I'll try this-- while we know it's been quite chilly back in the Triangle (50's, I believe), the temps here have been in the 80's and sunny! OK, anyone who knows me knows that I'd rather enjoy a cool/cold day in the fall than warm weather like this! But, when you're putting on that jacket in the morning, think of us as we're out here with the warm weather!

Thank you for your prayers, love and support. We know our family will never be able to repay you for the kindness you've shown during these past few days.

ps-- in case you weren't aware, you can "follow" this blog by clicking on the "follow" link to the left of this entry and I believe it will e-mail you whenever I post a new update. Of course, you're welcome to simply stop by as well-- we appreciate the support. Have a wonderful night!

Morning Update & Prayer Requests

Good morning all. We are heading over to the hospital soon to see dad, but we've already spoken with him this morning and he said he actually got some good sleep last night. Additionally, he's asking for a shower and a shave. I realize many of you wouldn't likely be aware of this, but when I was about 7 or 8, my dad decided to grow a beard for the winter. I always thought he looked like a grizzly lumberjack with the brown beard and because he's a husky guy, but alas, it did not last for long. Well, since he hasn't shaved since last Friday, he's got quite the beard coming in, but this time it is no longer brown, but rather a salt and pepper color! I told him it's not a look I would advise for him (he's always prided himself on the fact that he never really has gray hairs) and I believe he agrees!

We're heading over to the hospital soon, but I wanted to offer up a few prayer requests for today. The first is for us to be able to get back in touch with the oncologist back at home as we seek advice from her about when she believes dad could be transported back home. Also, we want to hear from her about the risks associated with a flight. So, if you could pray for us to be able to speak with her and also for God to bless her with wisdom to address the issue, we would greatly appreciate it.

A second prayer request is for me. I believe I'm rundown from everything and I'm starting to get a bit of a cold/cough. I came to Calif. directly from vacation with my wife, children and in-laws and I believe the stress of everything is settling in on me. I'm going to swing by a pharmacy and pick up something, but I would appreciate prayers for strength.

Lastly, we continue to ask for your prayers for healing for dad. We know that God is wonderfully awesome and he can resolve any situation as He's in control of everything.

As always-- and I can't say it enough-- thank you for your prayers, love and support. I'll have more later today.

In His Own Room

Hello all. As I mentioned in an earlier post, dad was moved out of ICU this afternoon and into his own room. Additionally, he is no longer hooked up to any equipment with the exception of the oxygen mask. Thank you for all of your prayers in this specific area-- we are so thrilled to have him in his own room.

Today was a day full of good progress. We started the day speaking with the oncologist back at Rex. We explained the situation thus far (St. Mary's had not contacted her even though we had provided all of the information) and she indicated that it would be her preference to get dad back home for treatments, but she would talk with the oncologist on-site at St. Mary's to get more info on the situation. Late this morning, we got the chance to speak with the oncologist at St. Mary's and he indicated that it is his preference that dad be treated at home as well (that was a different opinion from what he expressed yesterday when he was quite adamant that dad should begin treatment here in Calif. and remain here for the six weeks of treatment. Lesson to all-- you have to stand up for yourself and make sure that the doctors that know you best are in the best position to voice their professional opinion).

Beyond that, dad is really engaging in conversation now. I read him all of the comments we've received thus far via the blog and it moved him to tears. In some respects, its kind of like the movie "It's a Wonderful Life" where George Bailey gets to see what life would be like if he were never born and then is surrounded by all of his friends and family that have been touched by him in some way through the years. You have been making yourself known loud and clear and dad is learning exactly how many people care for him-- and it is overwhelming (in a great way!).

This afternoon, my mom, my sister, my Aunt Betty and I all got to visit with many of dad's friends from ASPE. It was wonderful to walk the floor of the convention and to be introduced to these people that have worked, laughed and shared many good times with dad. It was also a great chance for us to thank them for their support.

This evening, we received a visit from Richard Graham, the director of missions for the Long Beach Harbor Southern Baptist Association. My pastor at Wake Cross Roads, Bill Bowyer, worked to find someone on the ground in this area to meet and pray with us. It was wonderful to be able to meet with him-- almost as if each of you were right here with us as he was visiting.

Lastly, I'm glad to report that Josh, my brother-in-law, arrived home safely this evening in Raleigh. Thank you for your prayers for his safe travel.

As you can see by the date stamp, it is late. I'm hopeful that I can get some good rest tonight. I've been thanking God each night for one more day with our dad and I know each of you are as well. We appreciate your love, prayers and support and hope to see each of you soon.

Good News

Hello friends and family. I have good news to share with you this afternoon. Just about an hour ago, we received word from the hospital that they are simply waiting for a private room to open up in the hospital so they can move dad out of ICU! Obviously, this is a wonderful answer to all of our prayers. We have more to share about what's taken place today, but I need a few minutes to complete another writing assignment-- I'm writing a brief letter from our family thanking the members of the ASPE team and convention for their help on-site this week. Give me a little while to complete that piece and I'll update you on the other activities of the day.

Thank you for your continued prayers! Praise God for the wonderful way in which He is demonstrating his Love and power through this situation!

Today's Focus

Good morning all. My mom, Aunt Betty and I went back over to the hospital last night for a brief visit. Dad was the most lucid he's been yet. We were able to carry on nearly full conversations with him. He wanted to know once again what happened that got him to the hospital. We explained the situation and he's able to recall most everything up to dinner on Friday evening. I also got the chance to share your comments with him by reading each and every one of them to him. He was moved to tears to know that so many people care so deeply for him and are praying for him. I know I keep saying this -- and I don't know how to put it any other way-- but you'll never know how much your love, prayer and support means to us-- all of us.

So, we turn our focus to today. Our number one objective is to talk with both doctors back in NC and get them more involved in the situation. We really need them and their expertise in the situation. We need everyone to be praying for us to be able to get in touch with these doctors, for them to be able to understand the situation and for them to begin to take as much control of the situation as possible as they are some of the nation's leading experts on melanoma and neurology. Will you please pray for us to be able to speak with these doctors and for them to get involved to help?

Beyond that, we are beginning to have to think about what we need to do for accommodations beyond Thursday night. We are staying in a hotel in the tourist area (where the convention is being held) and the rooms are a little on the expensive side. If it looks like we're going to be here for an extended period of time, we may need to find some alternate arrangements. But we have no idea what we're going to do or how we're going to do it. So, please pray for clarity on what we need to do in that situation.

Lastly, Josh (Cassie's husband) is catching a flight home today. I'm taking him to LAX around 9:45 so he can begin the trek back across the country. It has meant a lot to Cassie and all of us to have Josh here with us during this time. Please pray for safe travel for him.

Once again-- thank you for your love and support. Please continue to pray for healing as God is the great physician and if it is in His will that this cancer be eliminated, we know it will be.

Much love and many thanks.

Breathing Tube is Out

Late this afternoon, the medical team gave the OK to remove dad's breathing tube. As a result, he was able to begin communicating with us a little more regularly. He's emotionally very fragile right now. He is aware of the seizure and the lesions and, understandably, that has him rather upset. However, in the interest of focusing only on the items directly in front of us, we're joyous that the tube is out and he's able to communicate with us. For now, we need him to continue resting and breathing.

We were finally able to track down the phone number for the neurologist that dad was consulting with back at home (Rex Hospital). We're planning to get in touch with her tomorrow morning and get her connected with the neurologist out here. We're also trying to get in touch with dad's insurance company to find out what they will/will not cover as we examine options. And speaking of options, the neurologist here says that he would like for the radiation/chemo treatments to begin right away. Naturally, we'd like to see that happen back at home, but we're still unsure of his ability to travel. So, we're waiting to see the results of the MRI that was done this afternoon before proceeding any further.

I do want to thank you for the comments that you've offered up-- they mean a lot to us and it is amazing to see the outpouring of support from all of you. It is wonderful to see God at work through each of you. Please keep praying for strength for us and healing for dad. We're about to get some dinner (it's about 8 p.m. out here) and will briefly go back to the hospital tonight before calling it a day.

Thanks for your prayers-- it is wonderful to see how God is at work through

Progress Report

Just about an hour ago, the medical team turned off the breathing machine to test dad's ability to breathe on his own. So far, so good. Dad even started to come around a little and wanted to ask a couple of questions. We provided him with a piece of paper and a pen and he wrote out his questions. The first was "what is going on?", to which we explained what has happened. His second question was he wanted to know whether or not he won re-election to his spot on the executive board for ASPE! And that's my dad in a nutshell-- always focused straight ahead.

He needs to be able to continue breathing on his own for at least 2 hours and maintain good vitals. If that turns out to be the case, they could remove the breathing tube today, which should ease his pain considerably. Beyond that, we're still looking at an MRI and possibly moving him out of ICU within the next couple of days.

My mom and my sister just spoke with the neurologist at the hospital-- I wasn't there as I had stepped away to find an Internet connection. So I'm heading back over to find out what the report is there. I'll update more when I have it.

Please continue to pray for healing for dad and strength for each of us.

ps-- if you get the chance, please post comments to this blog that we may be able to share with dad whenever he is awake. Also, we would all appreciate hearing from you-- anything at all if possible just to keep us encouraged as we're quite lonely and disconnected out here. Thanks!

Finally Able to Connect with Doctor at UNC

We received a call this morning from the office of the doctor that was treating the previous bout with melanoma. That doctor is based at UNC Hospitals and since everything took place over the weekend, it was difficult to get in touch with anyone over there. We've been able to give them a capsulated summary of the situation and provided a phone number to get them in contact with the medical team here at St. Mary's in LB. As we've said previously, we're trying to see what has to be done to move dad back home so this situation can be handled there.

Thank you once again for your e-mails, prayers and support. I would like to ask everyone to pray for two specific items today:
1. That dad will do well when the breathing tube is removed this morning to the point that he can sustain breathing on his own. This will allow us to move closer to getting the MRI done.
2. For strength for me, my mom, my sister, my wife and my brother-in-law. Each of us, with the exception of Melinda, are here in LB, which is an unfamiliar place and this is difficult to handle without the familiarity of home. Melinda is back at home with our children, Anna and Ryan. She is holding down the fort with both kids on her own and that's a challenge under any set of circumstances. So, prayers for strength would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you all for your love and support.

The Situation Thus Far

Up front disclaimer-- this will be a longer post as I'm going to try to summarize what has happened during the past 48 hours. Future posts to this blog will be a little more brief to provide a quick status as things change.

As many of you are aware, my dad-- Norman Parks-- was in Long Beach, Calif. (just south of LA) on a business trip for the bi-annual American Society of Plumbing Engineers (ASPE) convention. Dad is a member of the executive board and a longtime active member of ASPE. He arrived in LB this past Wednesday for a series of executive committee meetings prior to the start of the convention. While he was out a dinner on Friday evening, he got up to go to the bathroom and while in there, he collapsed. He was quickly rushed to a nearby hospital where ER staff determined he had experienced a seizure. The doctors worked to get him stabilized and then performed a CAT scan to determine what was going on. It was at that point that the doctors discovered the presence of two lesions on his brain. The lesions were leaking blood onto his brain, which is likely what led to the seizure. Doctors started him on a round of medicines designed to relieve the pressure around his brain and also put him under heavy sedation to help keep him stable. All of this happened between 11 p.m. and 1 a.m. eastern on Friday night/Saturday morning.

My mom was the first to get the call from some very good ASPE friends of dad's. She in turn contacted my sister and me. Needless to say, all of this came as a shock to everyone and we are still struggling to come to grips with what has happened. As of tonight, my mom, my sister, my sister's husband and my Aunt Betty are all in Long Beach to be here with my dad.

We've spent a good portion of the day today with my dad in his ICU room at St. Mary's Hospital in LB. He's shown some good signs of progress. The medical team has been reducing the amount of sedative he's been receiving in order to begin to wean him off of it. As a result, he's had a few periods of alertness where he was able to open his eyes and respond to our questions by nodding his head. Unfortunately, he's quite a bit of a fighter to the point that he wants to flail about and try to pull out his breathing tube so he's having to be restrained. We found out late today that the doctors are planning to take out the breathing tube in the morning to see if he can sustain oxygen levels on his own. If he can do that, they will keep the breathing tube out and he will be able to move on to the next step which is an MRI. As one of the doctors put it to us today, the MRI will be like a Hi-def image of his brain so they can get a good look at the lesions. They believe that the lesions are metastasized, which essentially means that they travelled to the brain from somewhere else in the body. Once they know more about whether or not this is the case, they will know more about potential treatment options.

Here's a quick note about the background of dad's cancer history. About 3 1/2 years ago, dad had a mole removed from his back and there were some concerns that there might be skin cancer present. So, he had it checked out. It turned out to be melanoma and he had several lymph nodes removed from under his left arm. Those showed a low occurrence of melanoma. At that time, the doctor felt positive that he had successfully resolved the issue and all was well. Then in 2007, he had an occurrence of prostate cancer and as a result, had his prostate removed. Lastly, a few months ago, he had a follow-up visit to check in on his melanoma and the PET scan turned up something suspicious. Further investigation showed that the melanoma had resurfaced, this time under his right arm. So, he went back over to UNC-CH to have more lymph nodes removed (26 in all) and only two of those turned up signs of cancer, and those were at stage 3, which is a good situation to be in. So, we thought that all had looked good and he was on the road to recovery. He was to begin a round of treatments that would take a year and were designed to make sure that all of the cancer was eradicated from his body. Those treatments were to begin after he returned from this trip to Long Beach.

So, here we are in a place that we did not think we would be in just a few days ago and my dad is just down the street in a hospital and fighting for his life. Plainly put-- this stinks. However, as many of you know, our faith in God is strong. We don't know what His plan is for my dad and in this situation, but we know that He is in control and ultimately, He will use this for His glory.

Many of you have asked what you can do to help. At this point, there is one thing that will help above all others-- prayer. I don't know where you are in your faith, but we need as much prayer as possible.

Thank you for your love and support. It means more than you will ever know.

1st Post

Hello all. The Parks family has been overwhelmed by the outpouring of response, prayers and support as my dad has experienced a seizure while on a business trip in Long Beach, Calif. I will use this blog to update everyone on dad's condition as we learn more. In the next post, I'll update you on the news as we know it. Thanks again for your prayers and support.