"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.

The first Christmas as a Dad.

Well, it came and went so fast, but Brooks celebrated his first Christmas. It all went off without a hitch. He survived all of the driving from house to house and being passed around like a hot potato. It makes it so much easier because he is such a happy baby. He obviously wasn't much into opening the presents due to him not having a clue what a present is yet, but he did latch on to one gift. He really likes this mechanical Spider Man that sings the "itsy, bitsy spider" song to him. Other than that he really didn't know or care about all of the "Christmas" festivities.

As for being a dad at Christmas, all I can say is... WOW! It was so much fun video taping everything. It made feel like a little kid again, heck I even got a brand new bicycle and it has a bell on it!!! WHEW HEW!!!! Anyway it was a great time to be with all of my family again. The only thing missing was the snow, but I guess you can't have it all.

We hope everyone has a great New Year.

MERRY CHRISTMAS....Y'ALL

My first Christmas is going to be great. Brooks is now 8 months old and we are loving it. He has two front teeth, (just what he asked for, for Christmas) that's all he wanted for Christmas. I can't wait to be able to tell him the true meaning of Christmas.

MERRY CHRISTMAS...Y'ALL

Random Thoughts

I have come to the realization, again, that I have many great friends. All kinds of friends from all walks of life. I am totally blessed by their influence in my life. I won't single anyone out, because when you do that you always leave somebody out, but I am blessed by the company I keep. God has blessed me with so many unique relationships and for that I give thanks...

...I think I have found a great house for Alyson and I to buy, problem is we don't know if we can afford the price, but we haven't even tried to figure out what we can afford either. It is a 4 bedroom 2 full bath house located in Rochester Hills, MI. It would be perfect for Alyson, because she works from home. We could use the 4th bedroom for her office. It has a big yard with a nice deck off the back. Usually when I show Alyson houses that I see on the internet she just shrugs it off, but this one has her a bit excited. A house would be a great thing for us at this point, we are tired of being in an apartment...

...With this officially being the Christmas season, I often wonder what God truly thinks of all of our hustle and bustle to get just the right gift. Does he sit up there and laugh, or does he sit back and wonder if we will ever "get it". I know what the perfect gift is, and that was His son dyeing on the Cross. I wish that I could just stay focused on that, instead of worrying what I am going to give as gifts...

"What would you do if I had Cancer?"

"What would you do if I had Cancer?" Those are the words that I heard one year ago yesterday from my wife as we lay in bed after a basketball game. Those are also the words that I will never forget because of what followed. When she asked me the question, I truly did not have an answer, so I paused and said "boy, that would suck." She then said, "well, I have Cancer". That instant I became numb to everything around me, I couldn't fathom the possibility that my time with my wife could be coming to an end. After about 2-3 minutes I began to cry, and we held each other for what seemed forever, and I can remember not wanting to let go of her.

What followed in the coming days was probably the most frustrating time in our lives together. Not only did my wife now have breast cancer, but she was also 5 months pregnant, and the doctors were unsure what to do regarding treatment. At first the doctors came with the possibility of terminating the pregnancy, which was never an option in Alyson's mind, nor mine. Then they said, that they could treat her, but what of the baby during all of this. They did not have an answer for it.

So Alyson and I sought out second and third and fourth opinions over the next month or so. We traveled to Dallas, TX, Lubbock, TX, Up to Michigan, and back to Abilene, TX. Then we prayed a lot with our friends and family. We cried a lot and we ate basically what amounts to grass, not sure but that could have been the reason for crying a lot.

I don't know if anyone can relate, but it is the hardest thing to watch someone you care so much for, go through all that she went through. It was horrible watching her get stuck with all those needles, and to watch her get her initial biopsy done. The thing that I did notice was her strength and courage. I can remember asking her what we were going to do, and she looked at me and said, "we are going to keep on living normal... Life does not stop because of cancer". That blew me away. All I wanted to do was make life easier for her, and she did not want anything to change one bit. If it were me I would have wanted to go rent a cottage by a lake and just die, but not her. She was going to keep on going, not missing a stride and whatever happened along the way happened.

So a year has gone by, and she is cancer free, we have our son Brooks, and life is normal. Just like she wanted. I sit here today blessed beyond measure for who my wife is and what she means to our family. Her strength and courage is immeasurable by anything on this earth, and I love her more than words.

A special thank you goes out to our family and friends, especially our dear friends in Abilene, TX. It was your prayers that kept us going and keep us going today. Alyson, Brooks, and I truly love all of you. Thank you so much.

My Hunting Buddy is now 6 months old

Since hunting season is underway, Alyson and I thought it would be fun to put brooks in this outfit and take pictures of him. He is so easy to get smiling and laughing. Hope you enjoy.

"The First 5 minutes"

"The first 5 minutes" is a phrase we like to use in the basketball world. It is used to help illustrate to the players that it is important to come out ready to play from the start of that game and not to wait until its too late. It's sort of a way to set the tone for what we want to do on the court. That phrase has taken on new meaning as of late. I have to be at work pretty early in the morning and I usually get to see my son wake up, but it is only for about 5 minutes. I get to see his "first 5 minutes" everyday. I usually get greeted with a big smile and it makes me feel great. It sets the tone for my day and gets me going on the right foot. I also think that "the first 5 minutes can be a way to greet Christ at the beginning of the day. This way we can see how we will be that day. Are we going to be slow and lethargic or are we going to be ready to face the day with the confidence that Christ gives us through his death and resurrection. With that thought I am going to make my first 5 minutes as a measuring stick for each new day, and with God's help I will not be slow and lethargic very often. I want to be "on top of things" so that I do not miss an opportunity to minister to someone who may need it.

So it begins...

We started practices this week at Rochester College. This may be my most favorite time of the year. Everything is new and exciting, players are fired up to get going and coaches are fired up because players are out of shape. Every pre-season I get the chance to build new relationships with new players, its just a fun time for me. Its sort of like a conversion experience for me each new season. I am excited and on fire at first and then there will come a time when I am not so on fire. There are times when I would just rather not be around the gym and the guys and I just want to hide away for a time. I experience those times in my walk with Christ. There are times that I would just rather hide away from the Lord for a time. It is then that I have to find renewal in His love, and I pray that I find that renewal daily and not experience those times of hiding from the Lord.

My prayer each new basketball season is that the Lord puts in my life a young man who needs to see Christ lived out in the world. That Christ would let the young man/men see that following Him is not a life of rules and things that you can't do, but rather a life of freedom and newness and excitement. And I pray that I can be a great light for Christ, and now with a child to care for that I will be a great example to him.

So it begins...