We are looking forward to 2010 and all it has to offer-
and have faith it is going to be a great year!!!

Love to all!!

The Williamson Clan at Christmas













George got what he wanted! Can you guess what it is??

Well, just in time for Christmas, we get a not-so-good bone scan back. bleh! It looks like the disease has made some pretty good (BAD!) progression in George's right hip/pelvis, some in his left, and a spot on his upper right femur. We had to go in yesterday to discuss this with the doctor. The GOOD news is that his spine is unaffected.
To take a closer look to see what it is that is really showing up on the scan, he got a bunch of x-rays yesterday, and has a CT scan coming up on Tuesday.
He has a referral to an orthopedic oncologist here in Cincinnati.
Radiation is most likely, there could be some surgery depending on what the additional scans show.

All in all- not the best news, but it could have always been a lot worse, so we'll focus on the positives.

Please keep George in your prayers in the upcoming weeks: that the scans reveal less disease than the bone scan indicated- wisdom for the doctors in how to proceed with treatment- wisdom for us in making decisions- success with every treatment used upon him.

Thank you so much for your prayers and support- and Merry Christmas!!!!!

(p.s. George has now entered his 9th year since diagnosis of surviving the "big C"!! hooray!!)

It's DECEMBER!!!!! wow!!! Christmas is just around the corner!!
We had a great Thanksgiving. George's oldest daughter hosted and everything was beautiful and delicious.
George is feeling pretty great- keeping busy- and that makes him happy.
Here he is enjoying time with his brother-in-law:

Can we believe it's November?!?!

George is happily building us a privacy fence- and thankfully the fall weather is cooperating with him!!
I am so thrilled he is healthy and able-bodied and can accomplish the things his mind can conceive!!!

Happy Fall, everyone!!!!!

It's been a while since I've posted anything- but things are going really well here! George is feeling good!! We've been working on a lot of things around the house and that is keeping us busy.
Not much news- and I think that is a good thing!!

Richard passed away this morning at 12:26. Please keep Kori and her boys in your prayers.
Thank you.

Update on McCulley Family...
Hospice has been called in for around the clock care. It seems Richard may only have days to a week left in this life. Please keep his wife, Kori, and their two sons in your prayers as they traverse this terrible road and face a future without him.

Please consider contributing to their fund in an effort to ease the financial burden for Kori. Thank you.

click here...

AUCTION FOR A GREAT CAUSE!!!

HOORAY!!
George's scan came back with nothing of concern!! "Uneventful"!!!! That's a great word.
Thank you for the prayers!!!!

UPDATE:
George's lab came back with pretty good numbers- the doctor is pleased with them. That last lab report turned out to be either a fluke or a mistake. So- YAY!!! he goes in next week for a CT scan. I will update with the results of that. Pray for all-clear!!

George had his follow-up with his Oncologist today, and the gist of it was- he looks good, he feels good, no new concerns. Just basically positive and that George is holding his own well! hooray! There is one lab result from last month that is a bit of a concern/questionable, and we're waiting to find out the latest one to compare. We should know tomorrow.
He also has a CT scan next week to take a look at what is happening inside. So pray that is clear!!

Otherwise in life, we are excited about several upcoming projects on our big old house- the exterior has been sorely neglected for a while, so we are finally going to give it a bit of a face lift. Fun!
No big travel plans in the works right yet- we may just enjoy being home for a while and focusing on our house.

Beauty tip of the month to all you ladies- ORGANIC OLIVE OIL (E.V.)!!! rub it on your face, your hands, your feet, your hair- anywhere!!! It is amazing. Truly. My skin is turning sooo supple!!! It is full of natural antioxidants and other good stuff to actually nourish your skin. Find a pretty dark green or blue bottle to pour some into and keep it in your bathroom or by your bed. The Greek and Italian women knew what they were doing!!

A Friend in Need!!!

Hello Everyone!! I would like you to PLEASE visit THIS WEBSITE and read my friend, Kori's, plea. And then, please do what your heart leads you to do- and pass the word along as well.
Thank you so much!!!

Celebrating 8th Year!!

We celebrated George's 8th year into his survivorship by attending the annual Cancer Survivor Riverboat Dinner Cruise on the Belle of Cincinnati yesterday.
What a fun day- and perfect weather!

Today we are mourning the loss of Matthew, the young man I shared about earlier.
He put up a good, hard fight, but lost last night.

Please keep his mom, Diane, in your prayers- as well as the rest of his family.

Matt- we won't forget you, man.

George had his second infusion of Zometa yesterday, and we just sort of held our breaths while we waited to see what his body's reaction to it would be....
NOTHING!! He has had no side effects and feels fine!!
HOORAY!!! that is so awesome because after the whole ordeal last month, we were nervous about what to expect.
Not a whole lot to report. He is doing well and we want it to just stay like that for a very long time!! We like it when we have nothing to report!!

Today George and I have been married for 18 years!!!!!
We are so happy to have another year to celebrate- and with George feeling so good to boot!

He is completely off all pain killers- even over-the-counter. The pain in his hip is pretty much nonexistent. His cellulitis is GONE. His energy is nearly completely back. He is definitely feeling like his old self again. He has a spring in his step again. What a relief!!

He goes in on May 1st for his next infusion of Zometa. We are interested to see how he responds to it since last time we had so many things hitting him at the same time that we don't know for sure WHAT his true side effects were. We are hoping it will be reasonably bearable!

It's nice to report good news!! Please keep him in your prayers for continued good health!!

A week since my last post, George is still continuing his rebound. He's had a few days that might be considered "set backs" but I think they were mostly the result of overdoing it the day or two prior! All in all he is feeling MUCH more like his "old self".

He is now finished with his round of antibiotics for the cellulitis, and it is clearing up amazingly well.

He still feels some joint/bone pain from the Zometa but that is supposed to be his signal that it is working- it doesn't seem to be affecting him as much.

His hip where the tumor was/is (let's say WAS) hardly bothers him at all unless he is over-strenuous (such as walking all over a super grocery store...)and he is rarely taking pain killers, but when he does it is over-the-counter only.

So far, so good- and we keep moving toward GREAT!

Well I'm happy to report that George is on the mend! Still feeling some pain here and there and still feeling pretty exhausted after small tasks, but finding it easier to get up and going every day. He's even getting on the elliptical for a few minutes a day to help build his stamina back up.

The cellulitis is clearing up quickly thanks to the antibiotics- and we're keeping our eyes open for any new occurrences. Apparently that stuff is nothing to fool around with!!

Please keep him in your prayers for full recovery!

Well, it has been a little bit of a rough week!

George had his Zometa infusion on Wednesday. He was already feeling very fatigued as a result of the cumulative effects of the radiation. On Thursday, he started feeling just plain awful. Cold chills that he couldn't shake and extreme fatigue.

He also noticed a sore that looked like a bite on his right leg that all of a sudden started to look pretty bad. It had redness radiating out from it like fingers and new sores were popping up around it. We thought maybe it was a brown recluse spider bite, but then we were pointed in the direction of a possible staph infection (!!).

On Saturday morning, after a night of freezing cold chills that wouldn't stop and feeling really lousy, we decided he needed to go to the emergency room- especially if it was indeed a staph infection.
He spent the day at the ER getting bloodwork done and receiving antibiotics via IV for what turned out to be cellulitis. He was also sent home with a prescription for antibiotics.
Whew!
He is starting to improve- the antibiotics seems to be helping to clear up the infection on his leg. He still doesn't feel very good, however. He is pretty worn out and feeling quite discouraged after a week of this. He is very anxious to be back his "old self".

It's been a little frustrating because since he had three different factors coming into play all at once (radiation, Zometa, infection) you're just not sure what is causing what.

On an up note- his hip is feeling much, much improved and he is now completely off the morphine! So we are at least moving in the right direction.

George got his first infusion of Zometa today.

He has noticed a little more improvement in the pain department in his right hip today as well- he is able to go longer without using a "push" of the pain med.

Things to pray for:

• pain continues to subside as tumor shrinks from radiation
• normal energy levels will resume- he's operating at about 60% of his usual self.
• side effects from Zometa won't be severe. he is noticing jaw pain, which they said could happen. it can also cause bone pain (which is so interesting, since it's supposed to help the bones...) and flu-like symptoms (which he is experiencing as well).

George is finished with radiation!!! hooray!!! only 2 weeks, so not as bad as the last time he had radiation (about 6 years ago... over 7 weeks!!!) but it's still an ordeal of every day driving to the hospital, and feeling tired, and dealing with pain medication...
but it can always be worse, and we try to stay positive!!
He can still drive.
He can still fairly maintain his normal routine.
He can climb steps.
He can smile. :-)

He did notice today that the pain in his hip is noticeably improved. It's not entirely gone, and it does still bother him, but any improvement at all is a move in the right direction, so that is very, very encouraging!!

He goes in on Wednesday to get his first infusion of Zometa- the drug I had mentioned before that is supposed to help with bone rebuilding and tumor suppression.

Do unto others...

We know that without the love and kindness and generosity of so many of our family, friends, and people we have never even met, we would not have been able to get George to the treatment center when we did.
While we were there, we met a brave young man named Matthew. His mom, Diane, is refusing to give up on Matthew or let Matthew give up on himself. He has a long, hard fight ahead of him, and the cost of cancer is overwhelming.
Diane and I got to know each other well while her son and my husband were being treated. I shared with her about the website and the crazy cookbook fundraiser we did for George- and after a lot of work, she has just launched one for Matthew.

Please visit www.friendsformatthew.com and please, tell everyone you know.

Let's help another fighter!!!

Quick Update!

I wanted to thank everyone who is out there keeping George in prayer. That means so much to us!!
He has completed his first week of radiation.
So far, he hasn't noticed any significant decrease in pain, but we stay hopeful and optimistic that it is soon to come!
Meanwhile, he is using painkillers that are half-way doing the trick, but also creating some annoying side effects (like, hiccups of all things!).
Overall, his spirits are good and he's doing his best to maintain his normal schedule with working and other obligations. In fact, as I type he is installing a neat organizational gadget in the kitchen!
He's not a man that's easy to get or keep down!!

Another bit of news is that he will be seeing a doctor regarding a newer medication that is supposed to help rebuild bone that's been invaded by cancer as well as help suppress any new tumors from popping up, and killing off any existing. We are very interested and excited about giving this drug a whirl! I can't remember the name of it- I will update about that when I get that information. ******

He has one more week of radiation (10 treatments total). He goes in on Tuesday to see the doctor and get an xray so we will have a better idea of how the tumor in his iliac bone is responding thus far.

Thank you again for your prayers- and don't stop!!


****** The drug is called ZOMETA.

Welcome- and an urgent prayer need!

Hello, Friends and Loved Ones! I decided to create this blog so that I can keep you up-to-date with George's progress as he vigilantly fights his battle with cancer.
As most of you know- he was treated at the Issels Medical Center in Santa Barbara, CA during the month of October.
Many of you were VERY generous benefactors in helping us achieve our goal of $20,000 that was needed to be able to afford the alternative treatment he received there, and that was accomplished through a "silly little fundraiser" that I know was God-inspired: a cookbook sale. I cannot thank all of you enough, for the rest of my life, for allowing him the opportunity to have treatment there. I never want him to have to look back and think "if I'd only...".
The treatment he received there was very good, and it also helped validate the many steps we have already taken toward good health and healing.
As a result, we were able to enjoy our holidays and a small trip to Mexico in February without the heavy hand of cancer bearing down on us.

Unfortunately, this cancer is a relentless killer, determined to get the upper hand.
Last week, George was told that the spot in his hip has enlarged, and he had a spike in his psa. He also is experiencing, for the first time, pain as a result of the cancer.
The decision has been made for him to have the spot radiated, in hopes of stopping the cancer before it has a chance to cause him great harm, and spread further into his bones.
He will begin treatment on March 9th.
Please pray for SUCCESS with this treatment!!!

Thank you so much for visiting our blog- and I will try to keep it updated fairly regularly.