Guess who's back?

Wednesday was a great day for Wally! He and Ramzee walked to the Kiely's and back, which is over a mile!! Bill and Ann were not home at the time, so no one was there to hand Daddy cups of water and Gatorade like in his old marathon days! He arrived home and did some business over the phone with Lauren in Red River. John and Jerry came over for a visit and Daddy STOOD in the kitchen telling "Wally stories" with his usual animation. Christy said she looked at him standing there and thought..."Wally's back!!" He cooked steaks on the grill and finished off the evening with ice cream. I was so tickled to get the report last night!

I'm sure Daddy is spending today celebrating the birthday of one of his favorite singers and fellow Spicewood resident, Willie Nelson! Even with the rain, it looks like "Blue Skies" are smilin' on Spicewood today! :-)
Have a good one!
Wendee

If you're checking in...

Daddy had a great Tuesday! He began the day with a trip to the big city of Marble Falls. Christy had to go to the grocery store, so Daddy rode along and waited in the car. When they returned home, he took Mr. Ramzee for a short walk down the street and was later visited by his friend, Doug. (I hear they may have even consumed beer!?!?) John and Sherri came by and delivered a batch of stew, which Daddy enjoyed for dinner along with some macaroni and cheese. He also received a special delivery: a couple of new t-shirts from Edee! (She already knows how to shop on-line.:-)) We just couldn't resist the one above! Steve-O sent some Kentucky Derby hats and party gear. He and Daddy started a Kentucky Derby party in Red River years ago, and the tradition continues!!

He was sleeping in his chair when I talked to Christy last night. Sounds like my kind of day in Spicewood!

Hope you are having a great day, too! :-)
Wendee

Lazy day in Spicewood!

I just got off the phone with Christy, and like much of Texas, they are getting tons of rain today. Daddy hasn't had much of an appetite the past few days, so he is pretty weak. He did eat breakfast today, along with some yogurt, and he has requested spaghetti for dinner tonight. Christy was busy getting that together in the hopes that he would still be hungry after his nap.

Dr. Agura called today to check in after learning that Lowell, the PA, had sent Daddy home. :-) He confirmed that Daddy could skip his appointment tomorrow and relax in Spicewood for the next couple of weeks.

We're headed down that way this weekend, so I'll be taking some mail that was sent after Daddy was released. Eric will be "off-roadin'" for a wonderful cause...Wheelers for the Wounded...where he and other off road enthusiasts will be taking injured soldiers through trails and obstacles near Marble Falls. It is going to be a fabulous event for these American heroes and their families! After watching the weather forecast, it looks like we will all be playing in the mud!
XOXO,
Wendee

A BIG THANK YOU!!

Dad and Whiskey Bob...A few years and a lot of beers ago!! Ha!

Mr. Ramzee...sacked out on the couch in Daddy's office.

Uncle Jack on one of his many adventures!

We want to give a BIG thank you to everyone who has prayed, called, sent letters, brought gifts, or came by to visit while Daddy was in Dallas. We also need to give a HUGE "shout out" to Uncle Jack, a.k.a. Dick T., for staying with Ramzee for 11 days! Ramzee is more than a dog to Daddy and Christy, so it meant a great deal to know that he was taken care of. Daddy was beyond thrilled to be home and Ramzee has not left his side since they arrived!

We also need to give LOADS of thanks to our Whiskey Bob, a.k.a Terry, for coming to stay with Daddy for 4 days this week. It was above the call of friendship for him to drive from Houston and put his life on hold to make sure that Daddy had someone with him at all times. We have state testing at school next week and TeeLee was in the midst of Secretary's Day at the flower shop, so we could not be there 24 hours each day. Whiskey Bob volunteered and was a complete life saver!!

This trip home means so much to all of us and is a wonderful boost to Daddy's spirits. As you can imagine, being told day after day that they weren't sure when he could go home really took a toll on him. Even though we all stayed very optimistic, I'm afraid he was fearing the worst. God really answered our prayers and his timing was perfect! :-) Please continue to pray for Daddy, as he has another battle ahead of him when the transplant process begins on May 12th.

Now, get off the computer and go hug someone that you love! :-)

Wendee

Preliminary Numbers!!!

Well, Wendee is at Baylor with Daddy and Christy today. The doctor has not come in to make it official but the nurse let them peek at the Lab test results and........(drum roll please)............
his white blood cell count is 9.2..........remember he only needed a 4.0 to be released to go home for a few a week or so. They are waiting on the official go ahead after the doctor comes in to look over the results, but it's looking like a thumbs up on heading to the lake for a little while. I know that Daddy is SO EXCITED to get a little freedom. We have received the new transplant calendar and if everything goes well, we will start all of that on May 14th! Thank you so much for your prayers! God Is So Good!
P.S. Don't fret because even when he is home we will keep you updated here at the good old blog. Please continue to call Christy, TeeLee and Wendee for updates. Daddy is still extremely tired and probably doesn't need to be fielding phones calls himself. We love and appreciate all of you!

TeeLee
UPDATE: As of 2:00PM today, Christy's car was loaded and they were just about ready to head to the lake! Daddy also learned that he will not have to come back for his appointment on Tuesday because his numbers were so good. They took out his pic line and he is FREE until May 12th!! I should let you know that he ate Whataburger last night before receiving these outstanding results. I think we have a new cancer treatment on our hands...Whataburger, Flintstones vitamins and endless supplies of ice cream! :-)
Wendee

Up, Up and Away!!!!

Great news! TeeLee is sitting with Daddy today while he is "dripping," and I am happy to report that his white blood count is up from yesterday, in a big way! His count was 0.4 yesterday and is 2.0 today! He said it must be from his Flintstones vitamins! If he reaches the magic number of 4.0, he will get to go home for a few days. He is tentatively scheduled to have his bone marrow transplant beginning on May 14th, but that depends on how his blood counts behave! :-)

I'm going over in the morning to hang out with him while Christy goes to the store. I told him I want BIG numbers or I will beat him with a wet noodle! By the way, "dripping" is the name that Daddy has given to his daily clinic visits. He is hooked up to an IV and just sits there for hours at a time while they give him his medication/platelets/blood for the day. There has to be a nickname for everything!

Keep praying for that 4.0!!!!
Wendee

Ice Cream Delivery!

Praise the Lord, the white blood cells have finally started to reproduce. He had a whopping 4 of the little darlings in his blood sample today.....but having any is huge progress. Dr. Agura was not happy with Daddy's continuing decline in weight. He insisted that Dad start consuming more calories and gave him the thumbs up to eat as much ice cream as he wanted. Dr. Agura also prescribed a new, cutting edge cancer medication.......Flintstone Vitamins. Is that a hoot or what? Daddy was glad to know that they now have Flintstones Gummy Vitamins rather than the old chalky ones. So this afternoon I went and picked up Ben and Jerry's, Blue Bell, Hagendaz and Flintstone Gummies.....and prayerfully we will have him fattened up in no time. I'll be going back in the morning to relieve wonderful Terry so that he can head back to Houston. Then Christy will be returning tomorrow afternoon. We hope to do a better job of keeping you updated in the next few days. Thanks so much for checking in and thanks for keeping the sweet cards and letters coming Daddy's way! We are truly humbled by your prayers and love!
TeeLee

Thank God for Old Friends!!!

What a beautiful day in the Dallas/Ft Worth area!! If you have to be in an apartment across the street from the hospital, this is great weather for trips back and forth to the clinic! It is also a great day to see old friends. I woke up yesterday feeling like I was getting a sinus infection. Daddy had been up with a fever Saturday night, so we decided not to take a chance on him possibly getting sick. Aunt Janie was able to spend the night at the last minute. She's a gem!! I went to take Daddy some food (cooked by Eric, of course), some vino, and some brownies this afternoon. Whiskey Bob, a.k.a. Terry, arrived after an eventful trip from Houston, and he and Daddy were strolling back to the apartment as I was heading home. They were also visited this evening by "The Ditchdigger," a.k.a. Mike. I would be worried about that crew, but I just heard from Mike's wife and he is home safe and sound. She said they had a great time.

Daddy's immunity is still very low and he's pretty exhausted. From a medical standpoint, I understand him not being around alot of people. But coming from a daughter who likes to see her Daddy smile, I sure am thankful for his buddies! :-)
You are ALL very important to us!
Wendee

Relay for Life totals...WOW!!!

Well, the Relay for Life was a huge success and I have to brag on my team! Our school raised almost $6000 AND we won the contest for the best decorated school in the entire district!! We were also featured on the local news last night with our "Kiss the Goat" drive. We raised $1000 on that campaign alone! Thanks to my generous supporters I was able to raise OVER $450!! YEE-HAW!! Despite the rain, everyone had lots of fun and the energy was contagious!

THANK YOU!! THANK YOU!! THANK YOU!!
Wendee

Still hangin' out in Big D!

I don't have much to report, but it has been too long since the last post! :-) Daddy's blood counts are coming back up ever so slowly. He received a couple of platelet transfusions this week to help spur that along. He is also receiving a shot each day to help boost his white blood cells. He is going to the clinic each day, and I am so thankful for the care they are giving him. I understand that it must be hard to spend that much time there, but I appreciate him being under their watchful eye!

I am heading that way on Sunday to spend the day watching sports and just hangin' out. I also get to spend the night, and I am looking forward to being with Daddy without "the clown!" Christy is going to Spicewood for a few days, so our fabulous friend, "Whiskey Bob" is coming in Monday afternoon and staying until Thursday. Look out! Daddy's apartment is real close to Deep Ellum, so we may have to put a tracking device on those two!

He still has an appetite and even brought home a cheeseburger and french fries for dinner tonight. I guess I need to whip up a good meal for him on Sunday! These are great signs, but he is still pretty wiped out. If you would like to get in touch with someone please feel free to call TeeLee (214-679-4687) or myself (817-673-2097) this week and we will be happy to pass any well wishes along. I also print out any emails that we receive and take them to him at my visits. He just really isn't up for phone calls at this time.

PS...The Relay for Life effort was incredible! I will have my school total by tomorrow morning. I went to help set-up and enjoy the festivities earlier. I head back to the stadium at 4:00AM for my next shift!

XOXO
Wendee

Masks, Naps and Mail

Well, according to Monday's blood test, Dad's white blood cell count is officially ZERO.


They assure us that this is a good thing, but it means that the masks had to come out for anyone who visits. When you have no immune system, the slightest cold germ can be a BAD thing. They have also limited him to one visitor at a time. Dad is super tired and weak and sleeping is his best friend right now.



I went by on Monday afternoon and took a nice load of mail that accumulated at my house over the weekend. Thanks to all of you who sent cards! They really lifted his spirits!!! And a special thanks to The Woerndles....the Lone Star Light was a nice touch. Daddy promises to wait and share them with you Rudi!

Love and prayers to all of you!

TeeLee

One more plea for Relay for Life!!

Friday night is the big event when my team and I will be walking ALL NIGHT to support the fight against cancer. We have activities at school all week to help raise more money, but I am sending out one final plea from those of you who are able to help. You can visit my personal web page http://main.acsevents.org/site/TR/RelayForLife/RFLFY09National?px=9629126&pg=personal&fr_id=17475.

I have reached the goal that was set for me, but don't let that keep you from donating! We need all the money we can get. Heck...the teachers at my school even agreed to a coin drive and the person with the most money in their bucket on Thursday has to kiss a goat! Burleson consistently has one of the greatest Relay's for a community its size, and I know this year will be no different! Please join me in "Giving Cancer the Boot!!!"
Thanks a million!
Wendee

Easter bonnets and lunch!!!

I went to visit Daddy yesterday as he was finishing up his morning at the clinic. We walked back to the apartment and enjoyed the beautiful sunshine! I made my bonnet for a teacher Easter parade at school last week and I wanted to surprise Daddy with it. I think he just thought I was a complete goofball, judging by the look on his face! TeeLee and I bought him a new Titleist hat as his Easter bonnet, and I thought he needed a little duck to match! I know I am a silly goose, but I come by that naturally! HA!

Christy and I made a trip to Whole Foods and brought back a wide assortment of foods. I know Daddy doesn't have a huge appetite, but I was thrilled to see him eat some sushi and a little carne asada. (I told you we bought a WIDE assortment! :-)) He also had a little wine, and he deserves it after the chemo marathon that he just completed!

His blood counts are still low, so he doesn't have much of an immune system right now. That is to be expected after such a strong round of chemo. He is tired but is able to rest comfortably at the apartment. Fortunately, Christy was able to get DirectTV installed, so he is taking full advantage of the Golf channel. He has a recliner and an operational remote, which is a MAJOR improvement from the hospital room!

There is still no schedule for when he can go back to Spicewood or when the transplant will begin. Dr. Agura will continue to monitor his blood and make decisions when the time is right. I know Daddy would like to have a plan in place, but he also has complete faith in Dr. Agura. We hope you had a wonderful Easter with your family! Thank you for continuing to pray for ours!

Wendee

New scenery...

Daddy and Christy have moved into the apartment and I know he is enjoying a change of scenery. They received a 2 bedroom unit and Christy has been busy moving furniture around, buying groceries, and getting settled. Daddy is resting today and will be starting his daily visits to the clinic tomorrow. Eric and I plan to go for a visit on Saturday, but we don't plan on staying long (per Daddy's request :-)). He needs his down time, and as much as I would love to be there all the time, I know that his well being depends on him getting plenty of rest.
Lots of love!
Wendee

Last Chemo Day!

Well, I'm happy to report that as of noon today, the 5 day chemo marathon is over. Daddy has lost about 1/2 of the weight he gained from all the fluids. He's really tired, but he still has his appetite to some extent. Not everything sounds good when meal time comes around, but he hasn't had any bouts with nausea, which is a blessing. The keys to the on campus apartment will be ready tomorrow morning. Dr. Agura came in this afternoon and said that he's glad that Dad is feeling well enough to move to the apartment because the ability to move around will be an important part of recovering from this much chemo. We'll give you more details about the new location, as soon as Dad and Christy are in and settled. The beautiful silver hair hasn't fallen out yet, but they said to expect that to start soon. Daddy is still in really good spirits and still willing to do whatever it takes to KICK CANCER'S A**.....as our precious friends Randall and Paulette put it. Hope everyone has a wonderful Easter. Hunt those eggs and celebrate our risen Lord....he's still working miracles every day!!!

Moving soon...

I went by this afternoon to visit Daddy and to take him some clean clothes. I was happy to find him sleeping soundly. Aunt Janie spent the day with him today and yesterday...Bless her! He has had a couple of visitors the last few days, as well. I didn't stay for long because he is very tired, and I know he feels like he has to talk and entertain. He and Aunt Janie have an understanding and they seem to do well together. What he needs the most right now is to be able to rest comfortably for longer periods at a time.

When Dr. Agura came by today he confirmed that the only thing we can schedule right now is that Daddy will move into the apartment on Thursday. He will then go to the clinic everyday. At some point, he should decrease his visits to every other day, but there is no way to know when that will take place. It is just a "wait and see" situation.

Last night was the most restful night he has had so far. They are still working to remove the extra water weight, so frequent trips to the bathroom hinder his sleep. TeeLee is planning a trip to the hospital in the morning, so she should be able to give an update by tomorrow afternoon. Thank you again for continuing to keep Daddy in your prayers!!
Wendee

Weekend Recap

Well as of today, Daddy has finished 2 rounds of different chemo drugs. He finished the 2nd and longest round shortly before bed last night, so we are hopeful that "The Clown" left him alone last night and he was able to get a good night's sleep. We are also hopeful that the medication to help shed the water weight gain will kick in today. Wendee and I had alot of help from our sweet husbands and our sweet Mother this weekend, picking up the slack with our kiddos so that we could take shifts with Daddy. Eric was with Daddy Sunday afternoon and Aunt Janie will be there today. Even though Dad is in the hospital we still feel like someone needs to be with him the majority of the time just to help him process everything that is going on. It's hard to have so much information thrown at you when you are on pain meds and not feeling well.

We would love to help Dad keep his spirits up and I know that hearing from you will be a big lift. If you would like to send a card that we could put up in his room, please feel free to send them to my house and I'll deliver them to him daily. My address is 1326 Havenrock Dr. - Forney, TX 75126.
Thanks for checking in and continuing to keep Daddy in your prayers!
Love,
T

Daddy's nemesis..The Clown

Daddy has an IV pole that he calls "The Clown." The slightest problem causes an alarm to sound and it consistently gets louder and louder until the nurse comes to reset it. Well, it was going off like crazy last night. They had it set to a very sensitive mode due to the nature of his meds, and I bet it went off every 45 minutes to an hour. He finally got so frustrated around 6:00 this morning that he "took it for a walk so that maybe it would behave!" He roamed the halls with this thing going off making all kinds of racket! The nurses finally paid attention when they realized that it was causing this usually compliant patient to get a little bossy! (I'm sure you can't imagine Wally getting bossy, huh?!?! :-))

He has been enjoying the food up until now, but he has decided to switch to a different diet. It is lighter than the standard meals, which is more like how he eats on a daily basis at home. All of the good food he has been getting just doesn't sound as appetizing right now. The steroids and fluids have caused him to gain 20 pounds in one day. He weighed in at 233 lbs. this morning, and he was at 212 on Friday.

Eric is on his way to spend the afternoon watching Nascar and golf here. He bought a new contraption called a Slingbox that is able to access our satellite at home. If he can get it to work properly, it should allow Daddy to view all of his normal channels (including the Golf channel) from the laptop. Keep your fingers crossed! We need Golf TV!!

I'm off to check on Edee! It was my first night away from her, but I think she and her daddy had a great evening and morning!
Thanks for checking in!
Wendee

Quality Time

Dad and I have had a nice day of quality time. Wendee and I were with him yesterday afternoon and then she headed home and I stayed the night. Dad ate a nice dinner and fell asleep at about 11:00. The Alert went off on his IV at about 4:00am and from then on, we were wide awake. We went for a walk around the unit, made a pot of coffee, and watched a Mercy Me (Contemporary Christian Group) concert on TV. They came in at 8:00 to start a new 34 hour chemo regiment and we are just watching a little TV and relaxing. He's not having any nausea at this point, but still having a little pain and a headache. He's still in really good spirits and his sense of humor and story telling ability are well intact.
Love and prayers!!!
T

Good spirits!!

Just wanted to let everyone know that Daddy has been in great spirits today!! They seem to have his pain under control and he has completed a round of Rituxin (sp?). Surprisingly, he has had really good food and is looking forward to his dinner tray. He has also been giving his nurse, Mercy, a hard time. He has nicknamed her "Misery" or "No Mercy," especially after he learned that she was a fellow golfer. Christy went back to Spicewood to coordinate a place for Mr. Ramzee and to collect some things that she will need for the next couple of weeks. TeeLee is staying tonight (if Daddy will let her), and I will return tomorrow.

Thank you all for your prayers and encouragement! We truly feel it!!

Update

Well, I'm not sure where to start, but today was a little stressful for us all. Dad has his PET Scan this morning and we were to meet with the Physician's Assistant to discuss the results at 1:30, as this was Dr. Agura's day off.
After a little over a 3 hour wait, Dr. Agura appeared in the doorway. This did not strike me as a good sign. Sure enough, he told us that Daddy had developed a tumor in his abdomin the size of a grapefruit/cantelope. This development makes it necessary to put off the stem cell transplant for atleast a month. He explained that the chemo used during the transplant would not be strong enough to take care of a tumor this size. Dad was immediately admitted to the hospital to undergo 5 days of 24 hour intensive chemotherapy. The chemo will be followed by 2 weeks of daily follow up visits. At that time we are hopeful that he will be well enough to go home for a week or so and then return to Dallas to start the transplant process.
We did get an amazing sign tonight of exactly who is in control. My favorite bible verse is Proverbs 3:5, as a matter of fact it is part of the automatic signature on all of my e-mails.
We were being escorted to Dad's hospital room tonight and when we got to the door, I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw that someone had printed out and taped to the door, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not unto your own understanding, in all ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your path." Proverbs 3:5 I pointed it out to Wendee and we were pretty amazed at how touching it is for Baylor to put comforting verses on the patient's doors. We got Dad settled and as we were leaving we passed about 20 other hospital rooms. Not one of them had a verse on the door. I was overcome with emotion and peace, knowing that God picked out that room for my Dad because He knew what that sign on the door would mean to us....reminding of that if we just rest in Him, He will take care of everything else.
Today also reminded me of one of my other favorite verses: "The Lord will fight for you, and you must only be still." Exodus 14:14

****Also, we ask that you understand that the next few days are going to be extremely difficult, but we will try to update this blog as often as possible. Daddy has asked that we let you know that he is really not up to visits or phone calls at this time. Should you want any additional information, please feel free to call Wendee at 817-673-2097 or TeeLee at 214-679-4687 or feel free to e-mail us at whoswithwally@gmail.com Thank you so much, in advance, for your prayers and well wishes.*****

A Bend in the Road

Hello Everyone,

We are experiencing a little change of plans this week. Dad is having quite a bit of pain in his back and abdomin and the doctors want him to come in tomorrow morning for a PET Scan to see what is going on.
We will meet with a staff member tomorrow afternoon to get the results of the Scan and let you know more then. Please pray that the result are nothing negative and that we can continue on with the original plan of action. We love you and thank you for checking in on the blog!