This is the most recent picture I have of my dad. This was taken on Brooklyn's birthday in March.
A few posts back, I mentioned a family member with a medical concern. I guess it's time to follow up with that. Maybe I shouldn't have ever mentioned it in the first place. Oh well. Live and learn!
On Tuesday, April 5th, my dad found out he has prostate cancer. My dad retired last year and my step-mom and him were planning to serve a mission. The LDS church has some very specific tests that need to be done in order to turn your mission paperwork in. It's not as simple as a physical exam. During one of the many tests, they noticed an area of concern and scheduled a biopsy. We hoped there wouldn't be any further concern, but unfortunately cancer was found. I've never had cancer hit this close to home before. I cried the entire day. I was a mess. I thought about all the worse case scenarios. As much as I know about the plan of salvation, I still did not want my dad to die. I want my daddy to be around as long as possible. I desperately want my children to know him and be old enough to remember him. I was sad. I was mad.
I didn't want to say anything then because they still needed to do further testing to determine if the cancer had come from anywhere else or if it has spread elsewhere. We needed to know what we were dealing with before we told too many people.
The scans were done the following week and we waited a few more days for him to have an appointment to know the results. We found out the results on April 14th. Fortunately, the cancer is only in one spot and it's likely that all will be well. The cancer is in the early stages. Sadly, he still has to have treatment, which is never fun, but we are maintaining our faith that he will be cured and still able to serve a mission in the near future.
My dad shared a story with me about a lady he knew that served several missions. Each time she completed the mission paperwork, she would find out she had cancer. She would be treated and serve her mission. I believe this happened 3 times and she served 3 missions. What a blessing! Had she not decided to serve a mission, the cancer may have been worse. I try to remember this story and maintain the faith that all will be well. For now, we'll continue to pray for him and do all we can to make this easier on him. I sure love my Dad!
Friday, April 29, 2011
My Dad
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9 comments:
How scary, and yet how fortunate they caught it early. Hopefully everything will be okay.
Hi Angie,
I am sorry to hear about your Dad, but glad to hear they caught it so early. I used to work in a Urology office and we worked with patients like this all the time. It is so important for men over a certain age to get regular PSA (prostate specific antigen) testing to help catch prostate cancer early. The father of the veterinarian I work with caught his cancer early with a PSA test and I think it has been at least 15 to 20 years that he has been clean. I know that not everyone can be so fortunate, but I have high hopes that your father can be as lucky.
Oh I'm so sorry Angie. That is such a matter of concern when you don't know how serious or are waiting for results, etc. I am so glad you have a testimony and knowledge of the plan of salvation and I hope you found comfort at this time. I know it's hard to get through though. Many prayers are coming for you and your family's behalf. It seems with them catching it early they will be able to get him back on his feet and on a mission in no time.
I'm so glad to hear that it sounds like there will be a positive outcome! I bet those were a scary couple of weeks until your family had more information. May your dad be well soon!
Oh wow. I'm sorry. That's so scary! I hope things continue to stay optimistic. Thanks for sharing. We all need to bear one another's burdens.
I am sorry that you are on the cancer rollercoaster unfortunately it is something that I know to well. I hope that things go well for your dad. Luckily that is generally a slower growing cancer and very treatable if caught early. Good luck!
I'm so sorry to hear about this Angie! It can be so hard watching a loved one cope with cancer, even just the name is scary.
I hope all goes well with your dad's treatment and that your family is able to draw strength from one another and be close throughout your trial. :)
Scott's dad had something very similar happen when Carter was just a few months old. He responded well to treatment, and it was a blessing it was found early.
It sounds like you and Doug are in similar boats. They've given Reese a few options and a good prognosis. I hope all goes well for your dad. Or I should say, I hope it is easier to deal with than it could be. We will add him to our prayers.
Glad you finally posted it :) I know all too well how you are feeling. It is nice to have a friend understand me, even though I would never wish this on anybody! If you need somebody that has been there, you know my number, or we can go and have some fun while we gab. At least they found his early, thank goodness for the strict testing for missions huh? Love ya!
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