July 19th

Hello everyone, well we made it through the Hampton trip and had a wonderful time. We left on Tuesday July 9th and went to Virginia Beach for three nights and then on to Hampton on Friday July 13th to watch Matthew in the All State Football Game. Kirk had a wonderful trip, he ate seafood for four nights straight, (crab legs, his favorite). We would go to the beach during the day and rent an umbrella and Kirk could read or just relax and the kids played in the ocean. Matthew ate with us on two evenings, so he was glad we were so close. The whole trip was really good, not only getting to see Matthew play but also just getting away and having some relaxation that we all needed so badly. Matthew also played very well in the game but I think that seeing some of the size and attitudes of some of the East players that are going to play in college confirmed even more that he does not want to try to walk on at Tech. He said that Hampton was his last game and I think he meant it.

But it was back to the doctor on Monday and Kirk got a wonderful report. He had gained five more pounds and his blood marker is now down to 135. Dr. Swan says that they would like for it to be as low as 125 when this is over. He had a chemo treatment this week and is scheduled for another on August 6th and hopefully that will be his last. He felt so good last week that the tiredness of the treatment is really bothering him this week. I just keep telling him that it is almost over and then he can feel good all the time.

I hope everyone is having a wonderful summer. We have been praying for rain so hopefully it will come soon. Thanks again for your support and keep Kirk in your prayers.

God Bless!

Kirk and Laura

June 28th

Hello everyone, I thought I would let you know how Kirk's tests turned out. The CT Scans showed nothing new which is a good thing. They will show the original spots on the bones for about 2 years because it takes that long for bones to heal. The endoscopy was unclear because the doctor said that the stent looked good but he couldn't see past it which was unusual, so Kirk had to go to the hospital and have an upper GI. This is where they had him drink the contrast and then x-ray to see if it moves through the way it is supposed to and it did. So his stent is open and working. He also had an ECHO cardiogram on his heart. Sorry if I misspelled any of that. This was to see if the chemo had damaged his heart in any way. This test also turned out very good. The blood marker that we have been watching is actually fluctuating a bit. It went from 181 to 235 and then back to 198. The doctor didn't seem to conerned over this. He said that it could do that. Kirk has had 4 complete chemo treatments and Dr. Swan said that he wanted him to have 6. So that leaves 2 more. He was supposed to have another one starting this past Monday but we talked with Dr. Swan about Matthew's All State Game in Hampton on July 13th and he said that it should be O.K. for Kirk to wait until after we go on this trip. That way he will feel really good for the game and not wiped out. When we left his office they told Kirk to go and have a good time and we would resume when he got back. So the next chemo treatment is scheduled for July 16th.

Today Kirk had to go for his Clinical Trial treatment and he is feeling pretty rough this afternoon. It is to help the bones rebuild themselves and it makes him feel like he has the flu. For the most part he has been feeling pretty good and next week he doesn't have a single appointment. This will be the first week since all this started that he has a full week off. I feel like he so deserves a really good week and a nice vacation, he has been through so much.

So that's all the latest news. After his next 2 treatments he will have more tests to see how everything looks and we will go from there. I pray that it will have gotten it all.

I have to say that we just love Dr. Swan. He doesn't look at cancer like it is a death sentence, he looks at it like it's just another illness and you do your very best to treat it. He has always been very positive with us and it helps you to keep going.

Well when I have more news I will be sure to post. I hope everyone has a happy and safe July 4th.

God Bless!

Kirk and Laura

June 8th

Hi everyone, sorry I haven't posted for a while. We usually see a lot of people but for those of you who we don't here is the latest update. Kirk has now finished 4 complete chemo treatments, his blood marker was at 181 before the 4th treatment and 150 is normal. He just had his treatment this week and is feeling really tired but each day gets better. June the 11th and 18th they are going to run some more tests, CT scans and also where they put the light into his stomach to look at things. It has a name but I'm not sure what it is. After that we will know for sure how things are going with the chemo. The Dr. seems to think it is working well and he does seem to be improving. He is gaining weight and still eats really well. Even if he has to have more chemo we will probably put the next treatment off a few weeks just so he will feel really good to go see Matthew play in the All State football game in Hampton on July 13th. He can't miss that. I hope everyone is enjoying the start of summer. Ours is improving day by day with the help of prayers. Keep them coming.

I will post again as soon as we know some tests results.

God Bless!

Kirk and Laura

May 15th

Hi everyone, sorry I haven't posted for a while things have been really busy. Kirk is doing well. He has been getting out a lot, going to eat, going to games, and the movies this past weekend. He started his third round of chemo yesterday and so far is doing O.K. We met with Dr. Swan before he started and he told us that by looking at some blood markers the chemo seems to be working. The marker he is using is supposed to be around 150 but Kirk's was over 400, now after two complete treatments Kirk's is down to 242. Dr. Swan said that he wanted Kirk to take this treatment and then one more and we would start tests again to see what to do next. Kirk is eating and putting on weight so that is another good sign. It is amazing in going through this how many people's lives cancer has touched but the good thing is it can be cured or in some cases treated to where the people can still have good lives. We have met many wonderful people with extroardinary stories. Well thanks again to everyone for your support and prayers. We love you all.

God Bless!

Kirk and Laura

April 29th

Hello to all, it's been a few days since I last posted and during that time Kirk has finished up his second chemo treatment. He hasn't been nauseous but so very tired. Even though they have him going everyday for shots to help boost his white blood cells and blood platelets he still has to get IV fluids periodically. His blood pressure is running low and this helps to boost it by giving his blood a boost. Today we had to go for xrays and a shot and IV fluids so we were there all day and he was absolutely worn out. He doesn't have to have chemo again until May 14th so hopefully he will have some good days before that. He has an appointment with Dr. Swan on Thursday so hopefully we will have some new news to share.

This weekend is prom weekend at Rural Retreat and we are helping Micki Jo and Casey do a dinner for some of the couples. We were going to do it at our house but we thought it might be to much and Micki Jo and Casey were nice enough to offer doing the dinner at their house so we are just going to go to their house and help them. I hope Kirk feels a little better by this weekend so he can enjoy it. Things are still looking good he has just gotten tired from the chemo and I think that is just part of it.

Well I will post again as soon as we have some more news. God Bless to everyone!

Kirk and Laura

April 24th

Hi everyone, well first I have to say that the benefit that the fire department did on Saturday was AWESOME! Not only did they do well raising money but Kirk so enjoyed the fellowship. They had a nice chair for him to sit in and then everyone could just gather around and talk with him. He really really enjoyed it. It made him so happy to see everyone. Then he went to church on Sunday and what a wonderful moment that was as well.

Monday we went to Dr. Swan's thinking he was going to get a treatment but he ended up just doing an appointment because Dr. Swan wanted him to take some medicine the night before and the morning of his treatment. He did tell us some good news. The bloods counts that they are using to track Kirk's cancer are down which means the chemo is helping so he will stick with the same regimen for treatments.

Today we went for the treatment and we were in Abingdon from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm this afternoon, then we go back tomorrow and Thursday to finish the chemo called VP16. This is given over a three day period. Then in addition we have to go back and forth between Marion and Abingdon until next Friday to get injections to keep his blood levels from dropping so low. Right now he is doing O.K. with the treatment he is really tired but not nauseous. Keep your fingers crossed and pray. They gave him a lot of anti-nausea medication before the treatment and he has pills at home, so I hope we are ready just in case.

Well just wanted to let everyone know how things are going. I will update again in a couple of days after treatment just to let you know how he is tolerating them. Take care and God Bless!

April 20th

We met with Dr. Swan on Monday and we really liked him. We had to wait about two hours but he spent more than an hour with Kirk. He did a thorough exam and asked as many questions as possible and even talked about running more of his own tests. Kirk will have his next chemo treatment on Monday at Dr. Swan's office and then Dr. Swan will run the tests he talked about just to see how things are doing. He talked about a PET Study which Kirk has never had.

Kirk continues to eat well, and he had gained about ten pounds since we have been home. He likes to go out daily and this weekend he plans on attending the benefit that the fire department is doing for him. We are continually amazed at the generosity of the people of our community. Debbie at the Florist is also doing ribbons in memory of the Tech deaths and taking donations for Kirk for the ribbons. We are so proud to live in Rural Retreat and Wythe County. What a giving community.

I will update again after Kirk's next chemo treatment. We are hoping that he can get through it without getting to sick. Please continue to keep him and the people involved in the Tech incident in your prayers. We never know what the future holds but with trust in God and the love of our neighbors, We will prevail!

Go Hokies!

Kirk and Laura