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!

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.

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.

Emily & Josh wedding

One week ago Vernon and I were in Longview, TX, where we witnessed the wedding vows of our niece, Emily Powell, and Josh Lyon. We are very glad we were able to travel there to be with my sister and her four daughters. Emily is the youngest and last to be married. We arrived Thursday afternoon in time for Deb to participate in the bridal shower for Emily. Vernon joined the groom and his attendants at a men's outing: grilled burgers, skeet shoot and pool tournament. During the shower, my sister, Laura's, four grandchildren were cared for in a separate room at the church where the shower took place. So at the end, Laura went to get the children. Here she holds the two younger ones, girls Reece (left) and Zoe. Neither were walking on their own yet. Both are just over a year old and are so sweet. I really enjoyed holding them.
Here the girls' brothers are meeting their great-great Aunt Rhoda for the first time. Owen, on the left, is Reece's brother. Jordan, on the right, is Zoe's brother. Both boys turned 4 this May and July.
Most of us stayed at the same hotel, so we got to see each other more often. One morning before breakfast I got to hold Reece and take some pictures of us while I held her. Not sure what she is thinking about her great Aunt Deb.
My sister, Laura, made a quilt for Emily & Josh called Fragrant Paths. Beautiful, isn't it? She gave it to Emily & Josh the night before their wedding when we went to their apartment
The beautiful bride and her mother before the ceremony
Perfectly beautiful, isn't she?
Radiant mother of the bride, Laura and Deb
I took this of Emily & Josh before the ceremony after their photo session.
Emily's three sisters were her attendants. This is Amy, mother of Jordan and Zoe. Her husband, Cruz, is still in the Army and wasn't able to attend.
This is Katie, mother of Owen & Reece. She is Laura's oldest, too.
This is Kimber, the matron of honor with me. Laura calls her girls priceless jewels and they are.
Katie's husband, Ben, is holding Reece, dressed appropriately after her nap while Owen talks to her. This was taken during the photo session prior to the ceremony. Laura views her sons-in-law and grandchildren as priceless jewels, too.
Vernon felt sick the morning of the wedding and nearly didn't get to participate. He arrived just in time to get in a few pictures with Emily before the ceremony started.
I must tell you how delighted I am with this photo. It was taken with my left hand without looking through the lens because I was looking through the video camera held in my right hand. They left the church in a borrowed Corvette.
And here we are after they left, resting for a minute after all the excitement.
I must brag on Vernon. On Friday, the day before the wedding, Emily's family and Josh's family and some of their friends joined together at the church to decorate and prepare the spaces we would use the next day. Wherever Vernon went, he was a helpful problem solver. That is what he likes to do wherever he goes. One example happened during the rehearsal. Josh's grandmother was going to play a keyboard during the ceremony while everyone sang a hymn. She needed a way for the hymnal to be placed where she could read the music and she also needed the book to stay open. Vernon figured out how to get the music stand in the right place and found some rubber bands to keep the pages open. I knew he would be helpful all day and I often say, "I love being married to a scientist" because he's always figuring out a better solution.

I know you are wondering how Vernon is doing with the radiation. He's had 8 of the 30 treatments that are planned. We are grateful that so far he's having minimal side effects. The skin is a little more red but that is typical, like a sunburn. He might be a bit more fatigued. Please keep praying with us that any latent cancer cells are killed more serious negative side effects don't materialize. There is no radiation on Saturday and Sunday so that the healthy cells have a chance to recover from the previous days of x-ray bombardment. Healthy cells recover much quicker than cancer cells.

In case you are wondering how we were affected by Tropical Storm Fay, we are basically fine after four days of rain. Our front door faces west and it is sticking/difficult to open because it is swollen, I think. I don't think we got even 10 inches of rain while others east of us got 25". No flooding here and we are very grateful. I cannot imagine dealing with the contents of our house if there was water standing four feet deep. I did a happy dance this morning when I saw the sunshine. The typical blue sky and clouds of Florida are above us once again. We continue to have much to be thankful for and we are thankful.

If you wish to see more of the photos I took last weekend, click on the link to view them:
http://picasaweb.google.com/Debrady05/EmilyJoshWedding02

Radiation starts & dinner with good friends

Before I tell you about our dinner, the big news is Vernon starts radiation tomorrow morning, Aug. 12. He's to be at the radiation clinic by 9:30 and within 20 minutes or so will be on his way to work. He's been in Atlanta since Friday night because he had business for Lockheed there today and went early to be with his mother, brother and family for the weekend. He didn't have the camera with him so I guess we won't be posting any pictures from his weekend with them. Radiation would have started today if his business trip wasn't already planned.

Recently we were able to have a special evening with our very good friends Dodie (left) and Gayle Anne. The occasion was Gayle Anne and her husband of 4 months being here in Orlando. Dodie brought the 3 colorful leis for us to wear.Of course, Dodie's boyfriend, Jeff, joined the group. They have been dating for nearly nine months and we like Jeff alot.
Here are the newlyweds, Todd & Gayle Anne, who live in Springfield, IL.
And of course, here's the third couple, married 34 + years.
What a sweetheart he is!
Thursday afternoon we plan to fly to Texas for a niece's wedding in Longview and return Sunday, so it will probably be next week before I get a chance to report how radiation is affecting Vernon. He'll have radiation on Thursday morning, skip Friday and then get the next treatment on Monday. Prayer for minimal negative effects plus thorough radiation of any cancer cells still in his face is appreciated. There is no proof that cancer is there. This is just in case there are any bad cells. He is mostly over the cold he had, too, so we are very thankful.

I'm sure enjoying the Olympic coverage from Beijing! How about you?

God's Grace

This photo of our friends Jeff & Dodie was taken the afternoon of March 31 when they came to our house with these balloons and a get well card for Vernon. That morning, a tumor had been removed from Vernon's right temple that was supposed to be benign. However, the surgeon recognized that it wasn't when he saw inside. I was shocked when Dr. Haas told me after the surgery that it looked like a rare kind of cancer and that he'd done his best to remove it. Later I learned from Vernon that he had suspected there was a problem even before surgery because of the pain he'd been having and what the growth looked like.

Now you know why the bandage is on his right side in the pictures you've been seeing. We were relieved this past Friday to learn from a doctor at M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, here in Orlando, that it is "not life-threatening" and it is "highly unlikely" that it has spread. There is a good chance to get rid of it using radiation five days a week for six weeks starting April 28. The area to be radiated is where the surgery took place plus the cheek area below in case it has spread to the lymph nodes in that area.

We see a second M.D. Anderson doctor Monday to see if she recommends test to look for cancer anywhere else and possible treatment. Tuesday, the two doctors we will have seen will discuss Vernon's case with M.D. Anderson Houston doctors via teleconference because this type of cancer is rare and there isn't enough data on patients like him to know for sure what to do beyond radiation. Wednesday we have another appointment to learn what is involved with radiation and to prepare him for it.

We are told that radiation is not a difficult treatment for the patient and should not interfere with Vernon being able to work and live a normal life. He should be in and out of the treatment within 30 minutes. We are hoping it can be scheduled before he goes to work each day. I will not need to accompany him. The possible side effects in that area of Vernon's face are the loss of some of the eyebrow and dry eye (because the tear gland will be radiated). However, there is low risk of vision damage because the optic nerve is deep enough in the skull.

I believe that it is by God's grace and the prayers of many that we are not discouraged or fearful concerning the future. Ever since the heart attack that Vernon survived on Dec. 7, 1998, we have continued to have evidence that God still wants him here. God has watched over us and provided for our needs all along the way. The whole heart transplant story of our 8 1/2 month wait at the hospital, the successful transplant and recovery, and now meeting our donor's family are all evidence to me of God's blessing on our lives. We are not 'lucky' or 'special' on our own. God living in us and His grace are the explanation. It is all His plan. I call it "Our story for His glory." I, for one, would not be the person I am if Jesus did not live in me. Vernon's prayer continues to be, "Lord we are yours. We are in Your hands. We trust Thy will be done."

This photo of us was taken March 22nd and you might be able to see the growth on Vernon's right temple. But look beyond to see our smiles and our love - all by God's grace.