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
Friday, October 31, 2008
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!
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!
Thursday, October 30, 2008
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.
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!
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!
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, October 29, 2008
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!
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.
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.
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
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.
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!
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.
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.
Monday, October 27, 2008
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
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!
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.
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.
Sunday, October 26, 2008
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.
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.
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