Beautiful's blog: "Life ain't always beautiful; but it's a beautiful ride."

It is with a heavy heart that I write this letter to you all. I am sure that everyone is aware of my dad's most recent surgery. For those that don't, here is a brief summary of what has been going on with me and my family. My dad was diagnosed with Ampullary Carcinoma, a very rare cancer that the Dr.s at Johns Hopkins were very positive about the treatment with surgery by doing a procedure called the Whipple procedure or a Whipple Resection. Below is a diagram of what is involved in that: This is a picture of your normal anatomy and the way things are supposed to be hooked up and working. In this illustration they are missing the liver; which also had a pie shaped piece removed from it. The only difference between that picture and my dad is the tumor was in the ampullary duct, also known as the ampula. But this procedure was the ONLY cure for it still yet. Below is a picture of his anatomy now, all hooked up differently due to the Whipple procedure: He had his surgery nearly 2 weeks ago, and the Dr. Said that everything went beautifully and that it was a success. And we were due to take my father home 10 days later. Well, during the surgery they also performed a lymph node extraction process; this allows them to take out any lymph that could have possibly been at risk; during a routine analysis of the lymph they discovered that two of the ten lymph nodes they took out had cancer that had spread to them. Meaning the cancer had already spilled over into his liver. Now keep in mind that the amullary carcinoma is a very slow growing cancer; but the cancer that had developed into his liver is a much more aggressive form. The Dr was still hopeful that it was in an early treatable stage with Chemotherapy and radiation. But he has to wait an additional 3 weeks to allow his body more time to heal from the whipple. Because studies have shown that chemotherapy is more effective waiting until the body is healed rather than proceding right away; due to the body already still in a state of shock from the invasiveness of the whipple. Just yesterday, We learned that it is already in a Stage 3. For those that know nothing of cancer stages there are only 4 stages. My father is already getting very down in spirit. And frankly so am I, it seems like no good news comes from this. You all have to imagine the shock I had from even learning my father was sick at all. Here he was a healthy 69 year old, still tending actively to his 30 acres of land everyday. An active minister in his church. Nothing seemed wrong. He was not sick, he was not in pain. Nothing was wrong! So I am taking all of this very very hard. As my dad has been the rock in my life for everything. And it seems like everyday my mind is flooded with memories of him and I. I mean it is memories that are rushing into my head so fast and one right after another. There is nothing that I can do in a day to escape it; because everything I am he taught me, everythign I do he taught me. My lightheartedness, my giving nature, my sense of humor, everything right down to the last cell in my body my father has had something to do with in my life. You all have to know that he is the STRONGEST man that I know. He has survived numerous near death experiences, his latest being 10 years ago when the ATV he was driving went over a 50 foot cliff and his whole entire head being forced into a creek bed formed of nothing but solid rock. After all that My father still had the strength and the will to walk 3/4 of a mile home with his eye completely blown out of its socket from the impact, half of his face crushed and sliced open. A broken arm and wrist, and a broken foot. All of this and he walks home. Not down a road, but through his pasture and through a creek up a hill and through our yard. My mother found him sitting in our porch swing. So all of this he is still here. I am having so much trouble understanding things now. I am feeling so much anger and sadness. I am slowly watching and hearing about my hero struggle with cancer. I am having to deal with the thought that he may be dying. I am not dealing with any of this well at all. I am still trying to fight off this bout of clinical depression that still keeps lingering about. And it is all so much for me to handle. I am sending out a plea to you all for favors, for prayers, for blessings beyond compare to find its way to our family for some peace. It isn't like me at all to ask you all for anything at all, but I am needing to ask you all for a couple of favors. The first being can you all please start sending my dad mountains of letters and cards. Just to let him know that you all are thinking and praying for him. He is slowly giving in to the fact that something may have beat him this time; and we can NOT have these thoughts running through his mind at this point. He needs so much uplifting and thoughts right now. So, his address to send him all this to is: Paul Thompson The Johns Hopkins Marburg Pavillion 600 N. Wolfe Street Room 332 Baltimore MD 21287 The second thing that I am asking for is donations. UGH I hate asking for this! But they are on their last dime spending all that he had saved for redoing the roof on his house. His medicare we just found out is not going to cover all the medicines that is needed for his Chemotherapy treatments. I just have this heavy burden in my heart to try some way to lighten his load and help in anyway that I can. Donations are also needed for covering food and travel expenses from WV to Baltimore. I know that I can not do this on my own, and that is why I have the love of my cyber friends. I don't expect huge amounts from anyone, but a dollar here and a few dollars there will add up. None of this I am asking for myself; but for that of my dad! Currently, I have a paypal account that can accept payments. The email address to send any payments to is: lmidkiff@zoominternet.net Or click this link to make a direct payment: https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_xclick&business=lmidkiff%40zoominternet%2enet&item_name=Paul%20Thompson%20Cancer%20Fund&no_shipping=0&no_note=1&tax=0¤cy_code=USD&lc=US&bn=PP%2dDonationsBF&charset=UTF%2d8 Any amount that you can spare would be helpful. As I said, I hate to do this. It is unlike me at all to put myself out there and ask for anything; but again, its my father we are talking about and I would die for him if I could because I know that is what he would do for me. I will end this very Long LONG letter now with How much I love you all, and just because I am silent now doesn't mean that I have forgotten any one of you, I just have a lot going on in my life that is overwhelming my simple mind. I love you, Love, Lori