Christmas 2007

Christmas season has begun

Here are some more pictures of Brooks getting into the Christmas season. He made his first snowman with a little help from me. We also went to the Christmas parade near our home. He had a great time looking at all the parade floats and such. I can't wait for him to open presents this year.

Thanksgiving Pics

Here are a couple of pictures from Thanksgiving. Brooks loves the new dump truck he got from Auntie Jen and Uncle JJ (early Christmas present). The second picture is us with Aly's family. From L-R, Uncle JJ (Aly's brother-in-law Jason), Auntie Jen (Aly's sister), Dad and Mom Chez (Aly's parents), Brooks, Aly (in case you don't recognize her with her "new" hair) and myself. We had a great day spending time with our families, and eating of course.

Boob Jobs and Tattoos

Alyson is doing very well since her reconstruction. She is almost back to 100% normal. If you would have told me that when I married Alyson and she would be getting a boob job and a tattoo, I would have told you that you were nuts. Well, here we are after 9 years of marriage and she just got a boob job...and early spring of next year she will get a tattoo...one that will never be seen by anyone except her and I... but seriously. She is doing well. Brooks is doing well. And if anyone is wondering I am doing well also. My JV season and Varsity season is going well, but very busy. Since November 1st I have coached a total of 14 games not including 5 games in the next 6 days. I love it though. I will post some pictures of Alyson with her new hair soon. It is coming in quite quickly. She can almost bare going outside without hiding her head. I think she looks cool. Brooks thinks she looks cool too.

As many of you know, Alyson was trying to keep her job beyond December 31 of this year. After her bosses met, they determined that her job will be terminated as scheduled on December 31. Keep us in your prayers as we figure out what we will do. I would love for Alyson to take a few months off to just heal and rejuvenate, but I just don't know how we will afford it. If she could just have 3 or so months to just recover a bit, it would be great. We also have to figure out new insurance since we had it through her company. We will have to join the college health insurance. I am sure it will take a nice chunk out of my salary. Somehow we will survive, we always do. God always provides us with what Aly and I need. So I am not sweating it too much.

May God bless all of you this Thanksgiving season. We worship and serve a risen living God. Praise be to him who is our provider and comforter.

Enhancement

Alyson is going in for surgery today for the reconstruction of her breast. She will have surgery at 1:00 pm and it will last for a couple of hours. She will have a full recovery time of 4-6 weeks. The first 2 weeks she will not be able to lift anything heavy, which includes Brooks. She will be taking 2 weeks off of work to recover and rest. Just keep her in your prayers as she recovers. I will update in the next couple of days.

The glow that illuminates...9 great years!

Yesterday, Alyson and I celebrated our 9th wedding anniversary. We did our typical routine celebration that consisted of dinner and a movie. We went to a restaurant named Kruese and Muir. It is a casual seafood place that is popular in our community. The food is really good and affordable. I got some swordfish and Alyson got chicken...I know its not seafood, but it was called Hawaiian Chicken. After dinner we went to see The Kingdom. I enjoyed the movie, but Aly was not as into it as I was. It was a good night overall.

As I sit back and think about the last 9 years of our lives together I can honestly say that I would not change a thing. The first 6 years were pretty smooth. Nothing major to talk about. The last 3 years have been a bit crazy. We got pregnant. What a thrill. Alyson was diagnosed with breast cancer. I've already talked about that enough. We had a beautiful, wonderful little boy. Aly's breast cancer was gone. We settle in being parents. Alyson's breast cancer comes back. One might think...why wouldn't you change the breast cancer thing? That would be a legitimate question. I look at it this way.

James Thurber said this: "There are two kinds of light--the glow that illuminates, and the glare that obscures". People respond to things differently from one person to the next. When things go wrong we have two choices. Deal with the situation or get mad at the situation and give up or be bitter. Alyson got breast cancer...that sucks! Never once has she outwardly been mad or bitter. She has dealt with this in such a positive way. She has taught me so much in these last 3 years about how to respond to adversity and how to be a source of encouragement to others. In these last 3 years we as a couple have been truly transformed in wonderful ways. God has shown us so many things about ourselves both individually and as a couple. Though I still do not know exactly why Alyson has cancer, I know there is a reason. Matthew 5:14 says: "You are the light of the world-like a city on a mountain, glowing in the night for all to see". Besides Christ, Alyson is the light of my world and when times have been dark she has been a light for us. That is why I would not change one single thing.

Two kinds of light...the glow that illuminates, and the glare that obscures.

Thanks for being my glow.

Personality overload!

He put sticky notes on his face and Alyson took a picture of him making his "happy" face. I had him in the gym the other day and he was in basketball heaven.

CANCER FREE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Alyson and I went to the Oncologist today for a follow up treatment after Chemo-therapy ended. We discussed the options for what is next for Alyson. We talked about what to expect in the next weeks to come. Hopefully soon, Alyson's hair will begin to come back in and we can slowly begin to get back to a "normal" life. Although once you have been diagnosed with Cancer you can't go back to normal...you have to sort of create a new normal. We still have to monitor Aly with mammograms and self examinations, etc. She will undergo her breast reconstruction on October 19. She will heal from that and then who knows what to expect. The big thing for me was to ask the doctor if we can assume that Aly is Cancer free and she said YES. So today we can say that Alyson is CANCER FREE!!!!!!!!!!!!

That is all I have for today. Just rejoicing and praising our God!

THE END IS NEAR!!!!

Yes, indeed, the end is soon coming. Alyson has her last Chemo treatment this Friday and we are beyond excited. It will be great to close this chapter of her recovery and move towards a complete healing. Alyson looks forward to her hair growing back. Oddly enough, Aly told me the other day that she will sort of miss going to the treatments. At first I thought she was nuts or maybe the chemo had fried her brain, but I think she has a point. The nurses at this place are incredible. They treat all patients as people and not as cancer patients, which I think gives the patients a sense of normalcy. Then combine that with the comradery Aly felt with other women who were going through the same thing. I can see how she might miss going to treatment. I will be completely honest with you... I won't miss it at all. Yeah it was a nice place and the nurses are nice but lets face it... it's CHEMO-THERAPY!

Anyway we are excited to be done and will praise God for His continued healing for Alyson. Maybe in 10 years we will look back on this and say, "It wasn't so bad". On behalf of Alyson, I want to thank each and EVERY person who ever said a prayer or thought about Alyson, myself, and Brooks during this time. You all have been a source of tremendous strength for us, and I know that Alyson has done the same for all of you. Through this God will be glorified and we will praise Him until he brings us home.

Following the last treatment this Friday, we have a follow-up appointment with the oncologist on September 5th. I think, but I am not sure, they will do some tests to see if any cancer has survived. Then maybe they will tell us that Aly is cancer free.

Aly update and 8 random thoughts about myself

Just a quick update on how Alyson is doing. She is doing well. She has only two more treatments to complete. The last one she had was the easiest of all the treatments, so we are hoping for the same results for the last two treatments. She still doesn't have any hair, but to me she looks pretty cool. As usual her spirits are beyond great, they are inspiring. Brooks is doing very well. He is finally starting to eat some solid food. He is a picky eater, and has a hard time with new textures. His newest loved food is peanut butter and jelly. He is growing like a weed. He is getting closer to speaking real words as he gets more and more vocal. I am doing well. We start school at the college on the 21st. Can't believe the summer is almost over!!!! I am excited for this year as I feel the college is going to undergo a big growth. We are still raising money for our new gym. So pray that the funds will come in or if you know anyone who has a few extra million dollars laying around send them our way.

Anyway, we are anxiously awaiting the end of chemo, and are praising God for his continued protection.

I was tagged by our good friend in Abilene, Texas to tell you 8 random thoughts about myself. So here they are

1) I love to listen to Christian music while I work at the computer.

2) I have a thing for Corvettes and Mustangs.

3) I like to buy running shoes, however, I do not do any running. I think it makes me feel good about myself and my endurance condition.

4) I love the fact that God is on my side, no matter how far I stray from His side.

5) I love to draw, when I have time. I think I am pretty good too, maybe.

6) I really love to take naps on the weekends.

7) I need to have a more active prayer life.

8) I find that most things I do are random in a strange way.

5 down 3 to go!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well, we are officially past the half way point of chemo-therapy for Alyson. She is doing great. She is now off of the drugs that cause her hair to fall out, and now on to the drugs that make her joints ache. But the big thing is that she is on the home stretch. We anticipate the end with great hope and excitement. Things are going really well. Brooks is just getting funner and funner and more difficult to keep up with. He had a great weekend as he spent the night at my mom's house Saturday so that Aly and I could go to a wedding. On Sunday we went over to my dad's house for a birthday party and he had a great time with the family and my dad.

It is hard to believe that we start school at the college in 4 weeks. I don't know where the summer went. Alyson and I want to go camping at some point, but don't know if it is going to work out or not. We are also excited for Alana Logue to come up here from Texas for a visit. Alyson will be happy to see her as they became pretty good friend while we lived in Texas. Her husband Clint is too much of a wimp to come up for any length of time. He says its because he has so much to do for their upstart business, but I think he is afraid that he will like Michigan. I guess some people can't handle 4 seasons.

We hope that everyone who reads this blog is doing well. God is good...all the time!

I wonder what God was thinking...

I wonder what God was thinking when He created Alyson Lee McChesney? I have been thinking about that for sometime now, and I have come up with some thoughts as to what God may have been thinking about...



When God created that little bleached blond haired girl back in 1975 he must have been thinking about her parents. He knew her parents needed and wanted this precious creation to enrich and fulfill their lives. God knew that this little girl would bless them in so many ways, ways not yet seen by any human eyes. She would bring to them a delightful personality that made people feel loved. She would bring them laughter, happiness, and yes some challenges. She would bless her friends by the way she acted and carried herself.



When God created that little girl, He knew she would grow up looking for Him to change her life in so many ways. He knew that when she found Him, she would follow His words. God knew that her integrity and commitment would impact all people that she would come across in her life. He knew that she would display incredible levels of courage and strength and honesty in whatever life threw at her. He knew that the people in her life would need someone like Alyson in their lives. He knew that she would be a true women of faith.



I wonder what God was thinking when he created Alyson and He looked at her and said this is going to be your life. He told her that she would bless her parents. He told her that she would bless her friends. He told her that she would display integrity, honesty, strength, and courage to all she encountered. He looked down at her and said you are going to be a great daughter. He looked down at her and said you are going to be a great sister. He looked down at her and said you will be a great wife and mother.



He looked down at her and told her that she was going to meet her mate, who would depend on her for all of the qualities that He gave her. That mate would require her strength and courage in a time of great need. He told her you will face a great challenge in your life, and you won't even skip a beat. In doing that she would be the strength and courage that her mate would need. God told her she would be a great encouragement to her mate, and that mate will be in awe of her. God told her your mate will look at you and see what love is, and what courage is, and what strength is. He will look at you and wonder how you do all of this and he will love you more and more each day of his life. He will see how you love him unconditionally and how you equally give that same love to your son.

When God created Alyson Lee McChesney, he must have been thinking about me!!!

We are halfway done with Chemo-therapy tomorrow. Alyson is doing great. She is an encouragement to me and our family.

Brooks

Here are some pics of Brooks. He was enjoying the grass on a great spring day. He was also the ring bearer in his Aunt Jen's wedding on May 19th. You can tell he is going to be quite the ladies man!! Sort of like his dad:)

It has begun

Alyson has begun her chemo treatments and things are going well. She has a little nausea the first day or so, but that was it. She is still encouraged and doing well. I was such a great husband, that on the day she got her treatment I went to the Indianapolis 500 when we got back from the doctors office. As a side note the Indy 500 hundred was incredible. I went with my dad and my brother and we had a great time, all the while my wife was at home feeling nauseated. Great Husband I am!!!!

Anyway, we are 6 days in and she is doing very well. I was there for the whole appointment watching Aly get these drugs put into her. The whole time I sat there and just couldn't get out of my head the fact that, here is Aly getting medicine that is supposed to make her better, yet the very medicine that makes her better has the potential to break her down in so many different ways. In a way, it is how God deals with us at times. The Love He gives us is going to heal us, yet it is going to break us down in order to bring us to the point we need to be to receive healing. It's a crude analogy, but I think it makes sense...at least to me anyway. We are now anticipating the day when her hair starts falling out. It is going to be quite an experience to witness. Again, Aly has prepared herself for that time. By the way she made it perfectly clear that I was not to shave my head as a sign of solidarity. I thought it would be cool to be bald with her, but she says NO WAY!! So I will listen to her, as I usually do. I am not sure she will want pictures of her with the new look, but maybe some with the wig on will suffice.

Continue to pray that the side effects will be minimal and that she will continue to heal. Thank you all for your continued prayers. Know that we are doing well and keeping our sense of humor during this experience.

Chemo treatments begin this week.

Alyson begins her chemo therapy this Friday. She will first get a chemo port put in her arm on Thursday which will make things easier from the stand point that the doctors will not have to search for veins every time she goes. I am not sure if Aly is nervous, because she doesn't show it in any way. She has prepared herself for this time and will get through these treatments.

We will start the day at 9:40 am. They said to be prepared to be there for an extended period of time. They have to teach us about the anti-nausea medications, and then tell us what to expect with the chemo treatments. We are asking for your continued prayers as she begins this period of healing.

In between now and then...

Well, we are in the infamous "in between" time. That is the time between mastectomy and the beginning of chemo-therapy. Alyson is continuing to heal well and she is getting mobility back in her left arm. We don't start chemo until the end of May. The only things that we have to do from now until then is go to the genetics counselor to get the results of the test that we had done a while back, and continue to get tissue expander injections for reconstruction of the left breast. The "in between" time is always a little bit nerve racking for me, because I just want this all to be over for Alyson. Her spirits are great and she is excited about the nice weather we have been having. We have gone on a few walks with Brooks and we have taken him to the park. He had his first experience with real grass. Let's just say that Alyson and I got a great laugh out of the whole experience. Brooks did not want to touch the grass with his hands and when he did, he ever so gently brushed his hands over the top of the blades of grass. He is now walking all over the place and is getting hard to keep up with. Alyson has been able to hold him and pick him up more and more and that makes Brooks happy to have his mommy back. I am finally back at work and am feeling the crunch of getting behind on some things. Good thing I work for a great boss at a great college. Rochester College has been so understanding of the whole situation, and they have allowed me to do whatever I need to do in regards to Alyson.

I started Turkey hunting today. What a great escape that is. I was all by myself in the woods just enjoying the whole experience with nature. It is the greatest thing. I got into the woods about 5:30 am before the sun comes up. As the sun rises, the forest gets louder and louder. Natures loudness is so relaxing to me, there is nothing else like it. I was unsuccessful today, but I will go back at it tomorrow morning, hopefully this time I will harvest a nice Turkey.

So for now we are just "in between" waiting for whatever is next...

In between now and then...

Well we are in the infamous "in between" time. That is the time between mastectomy and the beginning of chemo-therapy. Alyson is continuing to heal well and she is getting mobility back in her left arm. We don't start chemo until the end of May. The only things that we have to do from now until then is go to the genetics counselor to get the results of the test that we had done a while back, and continue to get tissue expander injections for reconstruction of the left breast. The "in between" time is always a little bit nerve racking for me, because I just want this all to be over for Alyson. Her spirits are great and she is excited about the nice weather we have been having. We have gone on a few walks with Brooks and we have taken him to the park. He had his first experience with real grass. Let's just say that Alyson and I got a great laugh out of the whole experience. Brooks did not want to touch the grass with his hands and when he did, he ever so gently brushed his hands over the top of the blades of grass. He is now walking all over the place and is getting hard to keep up with. Alyson has been able to hold him and pick him up more and more and that makes Brooks happy to have his mommy back. I am finally back at work and am feeling the crunch of getting behind on some things. Good thing I work for a great boss at a great college. Rochester College has been so understanding of the whole situation, and they have allowed me to do whatever I need to do in regards to Alyson.

I started Turkey hunting today. What a great escape that is. I was all by myself in the woods just enjoying the whole experience with nature. It is the greatest thing. I got into the woods about 5:30 am before the sun comes up. As the sun rises, the forest gets louder and louder. Natures loudness is so relaxing to me, there is nothing else like it. I was unsuccessful today, but I will go back at it tomorrow morning, hopefully this time I will harvest a nice Turkey.

So for now we are just "in between" waiting for whatever is next...

Good News!!!!!!!

We went to the Oncologist yesterday to get the pathology reports on the lump and the lymph nodes. The first lymph node was the only node that had cancer in it, and it only had a small amount. The rest of the nodes were clear. That is great news. Since the cancer had traveled the doctors staged Aly's cancer at Stage 2a. She will undergo chemo-therapy treatments beginning towards the end of May. The treatments will last for 4 months with treatments being every two weeks. We will expect Alyson to lose her hair about 15 days after the first treatment, so unfortunately she will have to look like Clint Logue only without the mustache. I guess that is just another horrible side effect of chemo. Anyway, we are praising God today for His provisions. Thank you all so much for your prayers for Alyson, Brooks, and myself. We have realized what a wonderful family we have in the church. The food we have been getting from family and friends has been great, a little too great as I can barely get out of the door because of my gut.

We are hoping today that Aly gets her final drain tube out. That will make her more comfortable sleeping and maneuvering throughout the day. She may also get her first injection in the tissue expander. This week will be filled with other doctor appointments as well. We meet the surgeon on Thursday for post op check and full pathology report. Next week we go see the genetics counselor for the results of the genetics test. Alyson has to schedule a CAT scan and a heart scan(checks heart function for chemo). Alyson is really hoping that her lifting restrictions will be removed, she really wants to hold Brooks with both arms.

Thank you again for your prayers. We love you all!!!!

Surgery Update-She is just Alyson

Alyson is doing great post surgery. You would never know that she has gone through what she has gone through. Everyone is amazed when they see her. They expect to see her laid up on the couch in pain. Instead, what they get is.... Alyson. Just Alyson, she still gets up in the morning takes a shower and gets ready for the day. She may need a little help from me, but most of the things she normally does she still does. The first day home was a little difficult for her in terms of getting comfortable, so I went out and got her a new recliner so that she can sit in comfort. The only problem that she is having is not being able to pick up Brooks and hold him. She has limited use of her left arm and she cannot lift anything heavier than 10 lbs. About every 8 hours I have to change her drain tubes as they fill up with fluids. Other than that she is doing great. She is just Alyson.

We are going over to her parents house for Easter dinner. Happy Easter everyone. He is Risen!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

"That sucks"

Well, Aly had her surgery done today. I will try to explain things properly, but I am exhausted both physically and emotionally. In previous posts, we asked that you pray specifically that Alyson would "map" so that the doctors could easily find the lymph nodes. We thank you for those prayers. Let me just give you a synopsis of the day...

We got to the Hospital shortly after 8 am this morning, at which time we did all of the pre-op things. We saw the doctors before the surgery at which time they asked us if we had any last second questions. We had none. At around 11 am Alyson went into the surgery room, just after I was able to give her a kiss and a hug. After about 2 hours Dr. Benitez came out and said that Alyson was doing fine, but... There is that word, but. The good news was that Alyson "mapped", which is what we wanted so that the doctor could easily test her lymph nodes. The bad news is that the first lymph node they tested was positive for cancer. That meant that the doctor had to take the remaining nodes, which is what Alyson did not want. In that moment I was so devastated for Alyson and my heart sank deep. When the doctor first came over to talk to us I stood up to hear what she had to say. By the time she was done I was sitting down with great disappointment. The one thing Aly wanted was to keep her lymph nodes. She didn't care about the breast as much as she wanted to keep her lymph nodes. The remaining nodes are being sent off to the lab, along with the lump to go through the pathology process. We won't get the results until next Wednesday. Our prayer now is that the cancer only got to one node. At this point Aly is still in surgery with the plastic surgeon. That meant she did not know about the nodes.

When the plastic surgeon was done, he came out and reported that his part of the surgery was completed as planned and that Aly was in the recovery room. She still did not know about the lymph nodes. We were told by the doctors that the nurses would not tell Alyson about the Lymph nodes, but that we would have to do it with the doctor. We decided that I would be in there when the doctor delivered the news to Aly when she was a little more alert after the surgery. We waited a little over an hour to see her. I was the first person to see her and I was hoping that she would not ask me about the nodes. Needless to say, the first words out of Alyson were "tell me about the nodes". It was just her and I, and I had to deliver the news, that they had taken all of the nodes and that the first node was positive for cancer. Without any hesitation Aly said this, "that sucks". She said it in such a calm and matter of fact way, almost as if she was telling cancer, "that's all you got!!" I couldn't believe it. Here I was thinking that I was going to have to comfort Alyson, and then she says "that sucks". Then she looked at me and said, "Oh, well...how are you doing?" In that moment she encouraged me, not me encouraging her. That is just the way she is. Absolutely amazing.

Alyson is doing fine and her pain is relatively calm. Her only complaint so far is that it feels like someone is standing on her chest. She has two drain tubes that will drain the fluids from the area. We will have to clean them out about every 10-12 hours for about a week, as long as everything goes well. She will not be able to lift anything more than 10 lbs. I don't plan on her lifting anything. She is resting well right now and the nurses were going to let her rest for the night, so I came home to get some rest. I will pick her up in the morning and bring her home. At that point she will be well on her way to being pampered, which she so deserves.

I was greatly supported today by my family and friends. The Lake Orion Church of Christ was an absolute Godsend. Ken Mitchell, Doug Edwards, and Eric Magnusson came up to share a word of prayer with Aly and I. Garth Pleasant met me in the waiting room at 8:30 this morning and shared a word of prayer with Alyson and I. Kevin Kadrich came out during his lunch hour and shared a word of prayer with me an my family. Klint Pleasant and Kim Speck were there when the doctor told me about the lymph nodes. Klint and Kim, that meant so much to me that you were there in that moment. George Evjen sent me text messages all day that were greatly encouraging. Alyson's best friend Kindra Reed called and offered encouragement to me. Kindra you are a great friend to Alyson. Alana Logue and I shared tears on the phone today from Texas. I could go on and on with names of people who comforted Aly and I. Prayers were coming from all over the country.

God's Will is being done as we speak, even though we do not know what it is. Praise Him for today. We praise you Lord for today!!! Lord you will see us all on our knees tomorrow again pleading for your hands. You will offer them to us and we will again praise your name. Thank you for the courage that you have given Alyson and for the encouragement she gives to everyone she encounters. Praise, Praise, Praise...Honor and Glory. Amen.

The Great 3 in 1...

When you think of The 3 in 1, you most likely think of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Today, those of you who read this blog are united in prayer for Alyson. Today she goes in for a single mastectomy on her left breast, which is the beginning of her treatment for breast cancer. Today we are the 3 in 1, but in a different sense. We are united in posture, thoughts, and prayers. Posture in that we are all on our knees before God. On our knees telling God that we are powerless and that we are asking for His Will to be done and His Kingdom glorified. Thoughts, thinking of Alyson as she begins her fight against cancer. Prayers..., prayers of healing, strength, wisdom, and courage. We are doing all three of these things at once, in Michigan, in Texas, in St. Louis, in Illinois, in Virginia, in Ohio, in any place that knows Alyson.

I was thinking of a Nicole C. Mullen song that says, "When I call on Jesus, all things are possible. I can mount on wings of eagles and soar. When I call on Jesus, mountains are going to fall...". We are calling on Jesus today and anything is possible. The one thing we know for sure is that Jesus will be glorified in all of this. He will hear our prayers and He will see the desires of our hearts because He is in all things.

As Jesus is my spiritual rock and salvation, so to is Alyson my earthly rock and salvation. On this earth she is why I wake each morning. She is my strength and courage and without her I am merely a blind man walking in a dense forrest. In her I see the definition of strength and courage...

Today we are the great 3 in 1...

Lord,
You are the one TRUE God. Your power is immeasurable, your Love is indescribable. You are awesome! Thank you for giving up your Son for our sins. Thank you for your Son, so that we can come before you and petition for your help. Today Lord, my wife, our friend, your daughter begins a journey that only you truly understand. She begins a journey that only you know the end result. WE TRUST YOU. Today, Lord we ask for wisdom, courage, strength, and for your Will to be done. We ask for fast healing. We ask Lord that you allow Aly's lymph nodes to map, so that the doctor's don't have to take all of the lymph nodes. We ask that you be with Alyson as she prepares for what is ahead. You have given her such a warrior spirit, and we ask that she continues with that spirit. Lord, whatever you would have us do for Alyson during this time, let us do so without hesitation. Lord we ask that you be with the doctor's. Give them wisdom, and precision with their instruments. Please be the hands that guide, please be the eyes that see. We love you Lord...

Let that be the start of our prayers for today. Thank you all so very much.

First Haircut

Here is Brooks getting ready for his first birthday by getting his first haircut.

One week away

Well we are one week away from Alyson's mastectomy. We went and visited our surgeon today to have our last minute questions answered. During the course of the visit, the doctor described the operation as a "simple mastectomy". I found those words ironic. What the heck is simple about a mastectomy? I am not sure there is much simple about any mastectomy...anyway I found that sort of interesting.

It looks like the surgery will take place about 11:00 am on April 4th. We will get to the hospital around 8:30 am to begin the whole process. The breast surgeon's part will take about 1.5-2 hrs, and then the plastic surgeon will do his part, which will take about an hour-ish. The one big concern that Alyson has is the lymph node part of the surgery. Everything will be fine as long as the lymph nodes "map". That means that when they put the dye into Alyson, they can find her lymph nodes and see if the cancer has affected them. If the dye maps, then they will stop there. If they do not, they will take all of her lymph nodes from the armpit area. Alyson does not want them to take her lymph nodes. So I ask that you pray that her lymph nodes will "MAP" so that the doctors do not have to take them all out.

Alyson is in great spirits, and you would never know she is "sick" in any way. Which is the frustrating part for me. I see her everyday and I look at her and she looks great. Don't get me wrong, I don't want her to look sick or have anything associated with being sick. It's just weird to me.

I want to thank everyone for their prayers and words of encouragement. That has all been absolutely amazing. We are getting cards from people that we really don't even know. Cards that all say that they are praying for Alyson. This whole experience is surreal. The "Church" has been so good to us. My mom's church, Ortonville Baptist Church, Lake Orion C of C, all have been absolutely amazing. I am here to say, that God is Love, and His Love is STRONG. We see and feel Him through your prayers and words of encouragement. Our small group in Texas is getting together on Sunday just to pray for Alyson. Y'all are awesome!!!!!!!!

I will update you after the surgery.

April 4th 11:00 am William Beaumont Hospital-Royal Oak, MI

Pray that Alyson's Lymph nodes "map". Thank you all so much.

He is almost 1 yr. old

Brooks will be 1 year old on April 5th. We are so excited to have his big birthday bash.

Surgery has been Scheduled

Alyson has made her decision on what we are going to do regarding surgery. She has decided that the best option for her is to have a single mastectomy(left side) followed by chemo-therapy. The surgery is set for April 4th. It seems so far away from now, but that just seems to go along with the theme of "sit and wait". Alyson is doing great (as usual). Her spirits are great and her attitude is phenomenal. The timing of the surgery is a day before Brooks' first birthday on the 5th. We are trying to figure out when and where to celebrate his birthday. We will probably do it early so that it is one less stress to worry about before the surgery. I will keep you posted as we find things out or if the surgery is changed to an earlier date.

We love you all and greatly appreciate your continued prayers.

From Alyson-Surgeon Update

Hello to everyone- I just wanted to send everyone an update from our visit with the surgeon at William Beaumont Royal Oak yesterday. It went very well. Both Brian and my mom were with me and we all really liked this surgeon. She was very thorough and spent a great deal of time with us going through my options and answering each and every question that we had (and we had several). She was very laid back which was nice.
The 3 options I have from a surgical standpoint are lumpectomy plus radiation, single mastectomy or double mastectomy. Each option would include additional removal of lymph nodes in the left arm to make sure the cancer has not spread to the nodes. If I opt for lumpectomy plus radiation, there is risk of the radiation potentially causing a new primary cancer to occur 20 years down the road and there is also risk to heart damage since the radiation will be on the left side of my chest. If I opt for a mastectomy, I wouldn't have to do radiation but I would then have additional decisions to make in terms of reconstruction. The surgeon would like me to take the next 2-3 weeks to gather as much information as I need to make my decision and then do whichever surgery I choose within the next month. This would include meeting with a radiation oncologist to get more info regarding the option to have a lumpectomy followed by radiation and to meet with a plastic surgeon to discuss the mastectomy options. I am also meeting with a genetic counselor this Thursday to discuss the genetic aspects of breast cancer and to be tested for a particular gene mutation that they believe is linked in some way to breast cancer (this is just a simple blood test). They will use this information to counsel me further in my treatment plans and especially regarding the risk of ovarian cancer and how to prevent it if I'm a carrier of this gene mutation.
So, that is where we are at this point. We'll be making our decisions over the next couple weeks as we meet with additional doctors.
Thanks for your continued prayers. We'll continue to keep you posted!!
Alyson Thrift

Alyson update

We met with a new Oncologist yesterday from William Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak Michigan. We sat and talked with the doctor for what seemed hours and hours. Our next step is to have the lump removed to do all of the pathology done on the tumor. Once the tumor has been staged, graded, etc., we will determine our next step of treatment. It looks like it will most definitely include chemotherapy, and possible radiation or mastectomy. We are in the process of finding an appointment with a breast surgeon at the same hospital.

As usual, Alyson's spirits are good and strong. She is prepared for what ever is going to come her way. She is so awesome. As for Brooks and myself we are doing fine too. We are just going to spend all of our time loving on "mommy".

We will keep you updated as we get more news. Thank you all for your continued prayers. Alyson and I are amazed at the love that has been shown to us by your prayers and comforting words. We love you all very much.

Since Alyson has found out that her cancer is back, she has been in Utah visiting her sister as she prepares for her wedding in May. Alyson will get back today and then on the 16th we will begin with the doctor's visits. Please pray for us as we begin this journey. I am asking God for courage, strength, and wisdom for everybody involved (including Doctor's). I ask that you pray for those things for Alyson and I.

I am not sure what is going to happen, because we are going to look for some new doctors as we are not comfortable with our current doctor. We are going to look into the doctor's at William Beaumont and Detroit Henry Ford Hospitals.

Needless to say I am anxious and nervous about the coming weeks and months for Alyson. My hope is that this will all be as painless as possible. I will keep you all updated as we find new things out as far as treatment options go.

Thank you in advance for your prayers. God Bless.

We found out yesturday that Alyson's cancer has come back in the same breast as last time. She had gone in for a routine breast MRI about two weeks ago and they called us and told us that they had found a spot that they wanted to investigate further. At first, Aly and I just blew it off as scar tissue showing up, because that is what it usually is when she gets things checked out. It was a Tuesday that they found the lump, and as I said we just blew it off, but then on Saturday Aly did a self exam and found the lump herself. I think she knew right away that things were not good, because the lump she felt this time was not there before. To her it felt the same as when we discovered the other lump about 1 1/2 years ago.

At this point we are starting from square one with regards to treatment. We have a doctor's appointment of Febuary 16 and we will figure things out. I am really asking for prayer from anybody who may read my blog. I will keep all of you updated through this blog.

I was thinking last night that I could really use my Texas small group. You all are such prayer champions and Alyson, Brooks and I could really use your prayers as we figure out what we are going to do. The good thing is that I think we have again discovered it early, and this time we are surrounded by our wonderful families for even more support. We thank you in advance for your prayers.

ALYSON WILL BEAT THIS THING AGAIN!!!!!!!!!!

Still looking.

At the beginning of every season I pray that God will put in front of me a player that I can influence in a positive way. The season is more than half way over and I am not sure that I have had one put in front of me, at least that I can see. I have been wondering why God has not put one in front of me.

I wonder if it is because He wants me to work on myself or if I am just not seeing who it is supposed to be. I recently had a discussion with a very good friend of mine about a struggle that I am having with my walk. My problem is that I often question whether or not I am living according to the teachings of Christ. I try to be real to people, which often involves me screwing up in some way or another, and that bothers me because I often feel as though my screw up has led somebody away from Christ. I try to live my life in front of our players in a manner that shows the joy of being saved by Grace, and I wonder if that is why God has not put a player in front of me, because of the work left in my own life. I suppose that maybe God is letting me figure out how to be a good father, and that I don't need to necessarily need a player to influence or that a player doesn't yet need me.

Anyway, I just thought that I would put these thoughts into words for someone to give me a little insight into my world.

I will say this: I am truly enjoying what God has been doing in my life over this past year, and I am truly blessed by what He has given me and my family.

I also want you to know that My older brother Tim has just celebrated 1 year of being sober. He is an incredible inspiration to our family and I love him so very much.

Just a question????

Just a question that I have been pondering for sometime. I have been really thinking about the difference between being a "Christian" and being a "Christ follower". The thing I am struggling with is this idea that a "Christian" is a legalistic person who promotes reading the Bible, following all the rules, only listens to Gospel music, etc, while a "Christ follower" is a more modern person, who doesn't get caught up with the "rules", who might wear torn jeans to church, claps during songs, doesn't read the Bible everyday, and may even let out a cuss word once in a while. My question is this...Are we as "Christ followers" justifying our behaviors by covering ourselves under the blanket of "being sinners", therefore we can get away with more? Or are "Christ followers" really understanding more clearly the message of Jesus vs. Being "Christian"?

It seems to me that there is this battle in the Church between "Christians" and "Christ followers". I tend to think that each group needs to have a good mix of each other. What do y'all think.

Just a question.