Vernon's last day of Radiation Therapy

Vernon took our camera with him this morning so he could share his experience with the rest of us. These are the two nurses that he saw most mornings, Bernadette and Mary Jo. Last Thursday they asked him if he will miss them. I think what they were also thinking is that they will miss him. He makes friends wherever he goes with his friendly, helpful and caring manner.For this picture, Vernon is holding the camera and stretched a bit to get around Mary Jo.

So this time Bernadette held the camera.

Those were taken before Vernon received the treatment. Now he's lying down and is very precisely held in place. One of the nurses asked him to wave for the camera, so he is making the "OK" sign with his hand. Notice the net-like mask covering his face. It is literally bolted to the table and he cannot move. He cannot even open his eyes because the mask is so tight. Of course, the arm went back under the blanket before treatment started. Vernon says his hands were positioned on his stomach holding a ring to keep themcomfortably in place during treatment.
Looking down on him from above, notice the cross mark on the mask over his forehead and the other line over his chin. Those are used to line up the machine so the x-rays go exactly where they should every treatment. Notice that his shoulders are also held in position. He told me that under his neck is a plastic support for the back of his head and neck that wedges between his head and the table. You may not be able to tell it through the netting but the nurse told him to smile when she took the picture and he did. If you double click on any of the pictures you can get a closer view. (To return to normal view, press the backspace key.)
Now the table has moved Vernon into the chamber for the x-rays to be delivered. The nurses leave the room during the bombardment, so the treatment happened after this was taken.
It is customary for the patient to ring this bell after the final treatment, so that is what Vernon is so happily doing while a different nurse watches in the background. In his hand, besides the camera case, is a certificate stating he completed the course of radiation therapy (signed by 5 different nurses) and his mask, a souvenir he may keep.

One final picture with three of the five nurses with the bell behind them.

What is next? He returns to see Dr. Jenkins in a month so his face can be examined and the amount of healing evaluated. I hope food tastes good to him by then. We'll let you know!

More Beauty Around Us

This rainbow appeared last Saturday afternoon and when we left our house a few minutes later it was still visible over the house.
Also last Saturday, Vernon noticed this hawk perched 10 feet from our patio window.
Sunday morning was foggy but the hawk had returned and was close enough to be visible and this time was facing the camera.

Is it looking right at me?
Here are some of the sunrise pictures I've taken recently, too.

I hope you've enjoyed looking at the beauty we've enjoyed lately at our house.

My Wild and Sweet Husband

I am positive that no matter how well you know Vernon Thomas Brady, this is a side of him you haven't seen! This is his Wild Man look and the photo was taken two weeks ago, 9/13, when we were sitting in our love seat recliner at home. One of the radiation side effects is the loss of hair on the right side of his head. He'd been pulling out the loose hair and left the hair 'styled' this way. The documentor that I am took this photo to show him (and you). If you look carefully, you might distinguish the horizontal line that starts an inch or so below his ear across the lower part of his cheek. That line is where the radiation stops. Do you see the difference in coloring?
One benefit of the loss of hair on his right side is that he doesn't have to shave that side because the whiskers don't grow where the radiation does it's work. Since he doesn't shave every day, that cheek is always smooth and kissable :-)

I took this next picture last night while we sat outside at Panera's. If you look closely, maybe you can see the whiskers on the lower part of his face. This photo is his Sweet Husband look. He has lost about 10 pounds the last month or so because most food has no taste (another side effect). So if his face looks thinner to you, you are seeing correctly and that is the explanation. Strawberry milkshakes have been a taste treat he has enjoyed nearly daily.
I do have his permission to post these photos and I'm glad that he isn't too embarrassed to let you see what the March 31 surgery and radiation have done to give him a more distinctive expression. He calls them battle scars.

Perhaps you have been keeping track and think the 30 treatments are finished. Because he had a two day trip to New Hampshire for Lockheed this past week, he didn't have radiation those two days. Monday, Sept. 29, is the last one, I am delighted to tell you.

We have a GREAT PRAISE to share with you. Thursday after treatment, Vernon's radiation oncologist, Dr. Jenkins, examined him and said he was surprised and very pleased that Vernon's face isn't blistered with open places. In fact, about two weeks ago when Dr. Jenkins examined the skin, he told Vernon that the skin near his eye might "break down" because the skin is so thin there. If it broke down, radiation would stop so that the skin could heal. I had not imagined that his face could blister and open up because of the x-rays burning his skin.

I know that many have been praying that the radiation treatment would do the job of killing any cancer cells that were missed in the surgery and also praying the side effects would be minimal and tolerable. We aren't always aware of the difficulty or accident we have escaped. So when Dr. Jenkins told Vernon he was surprise there is no blistering, that told us what we'd escaped! I believe God in His great mercy spared Vernon's face from blistering and opening. That is our GREAT PRAISE! You may do a 'happy dance' now if you like. We are!

Please join us in thanking God and also asking for Vernon's sense of taste return quickly. He isn't as concerned about his hair growing back but would really like to enjoy the taste of food once again.

Two Vernons & Deb at work

Vernon got home last night from a one day business trip to Atlanta for Lockheed. He just told me something interesting that he did in the airport. While on the train to the concourse, he recognized Vernon Jordan standing across from him, a former civil rights activist and leader. When he had the opportunity, Vernon said to him, "I recognize you and would like to shake your hand." They did and talked a few minutes about growing up in Atlanta since both of them did.

If you don't know who Vernon Jordan is, Google his name and you can learn about him and maybe see a picture. Vernon described him as a pretty man with a great smile, very dapper and well-dressed. They had a nice interchange, Vernon says. I'm proud of him for how he did that and wanted you to know about it.

Somehow he came home with a head cold and is coughing a lot. But he still had a radiation treatment today, the 21st of 30. When he got home from work this afternoon, he went to bed and slept for four hours. He doesn't have a fever though. He just checked.

Recently in the office where I work, our space was re-done and we each were encouraged to decorate our cubicle so it expressed something about us and was attractive. To make it fun, prizes were given in about 10 categories. I happened to receive the top prize called Picture Perfect (and can't believe it). Anyway this picture shows some of what my area looks like.
And here's a picture of me sitting at my desk holding the Picture Perfect award and the prize I received, a digital photo frame. Vernon and I had been wanting one of those so it was great to receive one. I took it with us to the transplant mini-reunion last weekend after putting photos of our time at Shands on it. I won't ever be able to show you a picture of Vernon's desk because cameras aren't allowed on the property since Lockheed Martin is a defense contractor.

Mini-reunion

Some of our heart transplant friends gathered in Orlando well last night and we had a great time
In the front row, left to right: Tina (heart donor's wife), Vernon, me and Ida.
Back row: Nancy, John, Steve & Ralph. All four of these men received heart transplants.
Vernon is always happy to see Patti, John's wife. She had the apartment next to us at Shands while John was in the hospital before and after transplant.

And Vernon is glad to see Ralph looking so healthy. When we left Shands, Ralph was still waiting for transplant.

Patti & Vernon talking, Ralph, Steve & Nancy posing for photo

Ida found a woman willing to take our group photo, so this is all 16 of us.

Tina enjoyed meeting our friends and telling some of her story and hearing theirs. Here, as she hugs Vernon goodbye, she listens once again to her husband's heart.

Sunrise was beautiful this morning, so I close with this scene.

Lunch with Tina & Todd

Sunday, August 31, Vernon and I met Tina, his heart donor's wife, and Todd, her boyfriend, for lunch. Of course, Tina had told him about us and told us about him. This was only our third time to be with Tina since we met her April 5 but we've kept in touch by phone. It was great to see her again and meet the man that she is spending lots of time with.

Tomorrow night we are meeting some of our heart transplant friends for a mini-reunion and Tina is going with us so she can meet them. None of the heart recipients we'll be with have met their donor's family so I hope that meeting her will be an encouragement for them.

Vernon had four more radiation treatments this week so I think the total so far is 17 of 30. I'm glad he's more than halfway finished. Eating is not very enjoyable for him right now because nothing tastes right. Some mornings after radiation he feels sick and other mornings he doesn't. The main side effect is fatigue. The part of his face being radiated is red and he's noticed that the sideburns and whiskers don't grow as much on that side. I plan to take some pictures so you can see for yourself.

In my last post I said Vernon was a great help preparing for Emily's wedding but I was incorrect in the account about the hymnal and rubber bands. The woman came prepared with rubber bands to hold the hymnal open but when those broke, Vernon found replacements for her. Other problems that he solved: found floodlights lights for a dark hallway that led to the reception area; suggested we cover concrete blocks that were holding two doors open with wrapping paper to make them look like gifts; and while I was trying to cover one block, he noticed the spider web inside looked like a Black Widow's so he got an electric lighter and destroyed it. Other ways he helped would be difficult to describe, but trust me, he was a valuable member of the team. I'm so glad that he was able to be there with me.