Latest Update

Dad spoke to his cancer doctor on Monday and there is a spot on his liver that they are concerned about. We don't know size or extent of invasion, just that it is there. The doctor would like to do another CT scan to get a closer look. Daddy is considering his options right now and will get back with MO Cancer Associates this week. We'll keep you up-to-date as we know more. Dad is very weak and tires easily, but his spirits are good. His voice is so strong. He spoke for a few moments on Sunday and it was just so amazing how comforting it was to everyone to see him and hear him behind the pulpit. He's still "The Papa!"

Thank you to everyone for all of the food and cards and calls and concern.  Mom is realizing how important not having to cook is and you are making that possible everyday! We all appreciate it each day!

Much love,

The crew in Moberly

PET Update - nothing yet

Dad is still waiting on results from his PET Scan.  He spoke to one of the nurses at MO Cancer Associates who indicated that the team there wanted to compare the old CT Scan with new PET Scan.

So, the waiting continues.  When I spoke to him on Thursday & Friday, he was upbeat and excited to see what God was going to do... and so are we!  Please believe with us that God will do a creative work in Dad's body.  No matter what the reports, God is still in control and nothing can diminish His power or authority!

As soon as we know more, we'll post it here...

Scott

Wednesday

  Dad's had a busy two days.  On Tuesday, the 20 staples were removed from the 10" incision in his abdomen.  The incision is healing well and the drainage area is quickly closing up, which means less dressings to change.  He is still very weak and has "very little stamina" as he said this afternoon.

  Today, Dad went for the PET Scan.  For those unfamiliar with the term, he was injected with a radioactive solution that ran through his blood stream while he was inside a machine similar to the one shown here (conveniently borrowed from our friends at Wikipedia!).  The details of the scan will give the oncologist a 3D image of his body and the location of the remaining cancerous pockets.  The tumor that was removed had split open and poured cancerous cells into his body.  So, even if the scan comes back with no further cancer found, the doctors are recommending a six month regimen of treatment to "mop up" any rogue cells.
   Considering treatments such as these cost as much as a house, Mom & Dad have many things to consider in addition to the treatment itself.  Here's some prayer requests to consider:

- Dad's strength to continually grow
- The existing cancer to be annihilated
- Wisdom for Dad to choose the correct treatment plan
- Strength for Mom in the midst of this situation
- God's provision for financial & spiritual blessings

Sorry for the lack of info over the past week.  Once Dad got home, we all kind of dropped back into our routines!  It was nice to hear that so many of you were following the blog... We will continue to update the site every few days.  When tests are scheduled, we'll let you know in advance and as soon as the results return.  Thanks to everyone for the comments, prayers and love.

Scott

This Week's Update

Dad attended church this weekend, sitting on the front row to enjoy the services.  He is still weak and moves slowly as a result.  His voice is strong when I speak with him and I'm proud of him for not trying to jump back into the fray with both feet.

On Wednesday, he will have a PET Scan to determine how much cancer is left in his body.  Based on the results, the oncologist will recommend a treatment regime of chemotherapy.  We are praying that the Scan comes back negative and that he is cancer-free.

Thank you for your continued prayers for Dad and Mom.  There are still many items that need to be resolved and the Lord is in control!

Scott

Talk about a Resurrection!

So maybe the Mcgarvey family has had a true resurrection on Easter Sunday!

I left Vernon Sunday morning praying for his strength, because he was so exhausted from the weekend.
But when Glynnda, Jaime, and I went in to see Vernon after Sunday morning service, what we saw was amazing. There Vernon sat with food in front of him. He had not eaten in six days.
Talk about a miracle!

Talk about God's Grace being sufficient for us...
He had enough strength to visit with family and friends for four hours straight.

Did I say that it was Amazing?!

On Sunday the Doctor talked about getting Vernon's blood oxygen count up or they were considering a blood transfusion.
Well, we pleaded the blood of Jesus and his oxygen levels went up!

Jaime and I were planning on visiting Vernon Monday after work, but he told us over the phone that he was feeling great and don't bother with the trip. The greatest news was that he was getting released from the hospital on Tuesday afternoon!

Glynnda and I went and picked up Vernon this afternoon. He was so excited to get out of there.
His first request from me in the car was a big juicy cheeseburger:)

As soon as he got home, he just stood over the dinner table chairs looking out the window at the nature sanctuary he had created. The skies might have been overcast, but the sun was shining down on his life:)

I ran to Wal-Mart and picked up a few prescriptions and some new house slippers, because the ones used at the hospital were definitely contaminated:)

Besides a few calls and visits from friends, Vernon was able to rest and quickly adjust back into the comforts of "The Lodge".

Johnathan

What does Vernon want for his first meal at home...

Whopper Jr with cheese;)
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He's home!

I got off the phone with Dad as they pulled into the garage a bit ago. He's a happy man to back in the confines of his own place. He'll return in a week to have the 20 staples removed from the 10 inch incision in his abdomen. After that comes the PET scan for cancerous cells in the rest of the body.

Many, many thanks to all those who have called, visited, posted comments, sent cards, flowers and love. We're not done with this process! We'll continue to post updates here in the days and weeks to come. Please help us pray the incision heals properly and the PET scan comes out negative... the doctors have documented cancer... now God can document a miracle!

Scott

Praise the Lord! Vernon is going home!

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Tuesday- Going Home!

I spoke with Mom for a bit last night after her piano lessons. She had great stories to tell about folks who had stopped by to give their testimony or pray with Dad. It sounds like it's been a weeklong party! Janet & Mike have returned home after a weekend of visiting. APC had a great Easter weekend... the Lord has blessed the church with capable and willing ministers.

According to the last report, Dad will be going home on Tuesday. He's been released to eat whatever he wants and the doctors are happy with his progress. This is all good news! The family on the ground will have to give more details, but suffice it to say, after a week in bed, Dad's ready to go home!



Jessi sent us a pic of Shannon and a couple of shots of Dad getting unhooked from his electronic hardware. No more machines to beep at his every move!

Scott

Easter Eggs!

Helen, Ryan, Janet, Johnathan, Vernon Lydia, Jaime, Glynnda

Dad and Pat Mcgarvey

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How many yellow people can we fit in here?

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Jerome Baker

Had a wonderful visit from Jerome Sun. afternoon. He testified of God working through Vernon while in prison. Wonderful visit of God's presence!
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Resurrection Time!

It is now Easter morning!

Vernon has been back and forth to the restroom most of the night and is pretty exhausted.

I asked him this morning if he was ready for the Resurrection?
He replied, "I've been ready."

He also mentioned that he felt and smelt like the dead, because he has only had one sponge bath in a week.

In prayer today...
Pray for Vernon's strength. He is very weak!
Glad we know the ONE who's strength is made perfect in weakness!

The picture says, "Change Saturday."
Well, it is now Sunday and if anyone is ready for a change it is Vernon!
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The Ladies Newest Spring Fashion!

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Back at the Hospital

Johnathan and I are finally back from MO District Youth Convention. We left on Thursday and came back Saturday morning. We spent, it seemed like, every moment out of sessions on the phone with Mom and Scott getting updates  I hated being away, but our youth group had worked so hard to raise money for this convention, that there was no way we could miss it. They had special prayer for Daddy during the convention which was a great moment for our group and very uplifting. We are happy to be back at the hospital though.  

It was great to see Daddy actually up and moving (to and from the bathroom...but moving none-the-less.) He's had several visitors again today and Aunt Janet bought him a cd/mp3 player and some ocean music/noises to drown out all of the hospital noise clutter. Hopefully, he'll get some good rest tonight. Johnathan is spending the night here at the hospital to make sure he's not alone during another bad night.  

Mom's on the phone to Donna Brown sharing the latest with a fellow cancer wife right now. We'll go say good night to Daddy and then get her home and to bed. Easter is tomorrow and we have a BIG day on the books as always!

Much love to everyone.  Glad to be back!

Jaime

For Better or for Worse

After spending four nights in the hospital with Vernon, he and I felt like he was doing well enough to be left in the competent care of the nursing staff at Boone Hospital.  It was wonderful to snuggle down in our bed, but I missed my bed partner!

I called Vernon about 9:30 AM to see how his night had gone, "Rough," he replied.  The cath had come out yesterday afternoon and right away, the waterworks began working!  I clapped and cheered for him just like we had when we were potty training our babies!  About midnight, his bowel system began working overtime.  As a result of too many trips in too short of a time, the hospital protocol required that his room be isolated and that all who entered be gowned and gloved!  That cramped our style for sure!  Now we had to move to the waiting room since it was miserably hot to stay too long in those gowns and gloves!

We will have to endure this until Monday, but I wonder if it is the blessing of the Lord for Vernon so that he can get some rest.  

We are so grateful for all the friends and family who have come, called, sent cards, flowers, emails or blogged and for every prayer that has been prayed.  We all feel the support that can only come through those Everlasting Arms that are beneath us!  How thankful we are to be able to trust Him through it all and know that He does all things well.

Glynnda

The Sisters

Dad's sisters (Helen, Margie & Janet) are in town! Janet & Mike flew in from the East Coast this afternoon. Mark & Len came up as well. The guest book is filling up as the weekend approaches. Pastor Stan Gleason from KC and the Tracy's from STL stopped by today. At one point there were so many people in the waiting room they were visiting in shifts!

Dad was able to gently shower this afternoon between "meet-n-greets" (amazing what a little warm water will do for you). Mom says he's looking better and his color is returning.

Scott

Pathology Report

Dr. David Schlossman (at right), Dad's oncologist, presented the pathology report this morning. Dad's cancer is Stage 3 with surrounding tissue invasion and 3 out of 24 lymph nodes showing cancerous. A PET scan in the next few days will indicate how far the cancer has spread into the rest of his body.

Dr. Schlossman is recommending a regimen of chemotherapy. If the treatment is successful, Dad has a 65% chance of remaining cancer-free. The treatments will begin in about a month after Dr. Pitt (at left) has reviewed his recovery from surgery.

Last night was the best night so far, in spite of a 102.6 fever due to the stint insertion procedure. He has been able to get up and walk for a short time, but is still weak. Dad has enjoyed getting visitors, but in short intervals as he tires very easily.

So, not exactly the report we wanted to hear, but it doesn't change the God we serve... when you factor in the miraculous, anything's possible!

Scott

Procedure Update

Dad just arrived back to his room while I was on the phone to Mom. I talked to Dad briefly and he said he was "feeling pretty rough". Mom met earlier with the surgeon who performed the procedure and who said he was very happy with the results. His impression was that the connecting tube was in such good shape that the stint was not necessary, however, because it was requested in light of the impending radiation therapy they went ahead with the insertion.

Mom had several visitors in the meantime including their neighbor Kyle Lawrence (who also sold them their Saturn Aura), as well as Willard Beaman, a hospital chaplian and friend of dad's and Pastors Larry Baitinger, Charles Cook & Jason Yancy. Lisa Huskey dropped off balloons... Bill Crabtree was walking in as I was hanging up.

Mom will have a laptop tomorrow when the STL crew shows back up, so she'll be able to add some commentary and catch up on all the comments you've left.

As it's past 2AM here, I'm crashing... Jaime may be able to update further this evening from YC09 in KC if there are any more details.

Thanks for all the prayers... it's helping more than you know.

Scott

Afternoon Update

The Kinneys from Canton & Axtons from Palmyra stopped by along with several other folks.  Mom said Dad had a rough night and is still in/out of consciousness due to the meds.  "Elephant Eyelids" seems to be the rule of the day.

One of the reasons he is still in the hospital is that some of his organs (ie stomach) have gone into a "sleep mode."  This is common after a major surgery.  The physicians are waiting to make sure all is in working order before releasing him.

The stint procedure started at 2 and Mom just got the call that it was complete... nearly 2 hours later for what was supposed to be a 10 min process.  She'll call me with the details as soon as they're available.

Scott

Thursday Morning

Dad is resting and receiving visitors. This morning Aaron Soto and another minister arrived from WI to spend an hour with him and pray. The Smiths from Kansas City arrived as I was talking to Mom. Jaime and Johnathan left this morning for Youth Convention and will be gone through Saturday. Janet, Dad's sister from CT, will arrive tomorrow afternoon with her husband, Mike, to spend the weekend.

The oncologist has not received the pathology reports, but is hoping to get details tomorrow. The waiting continues.

This afternoon at 2PM, Dad will have another surgery to insert a stint between his kidney and bladder in preparation for radiation treatments. Without the stint, the link between them would close off during the radiation treatments.

Prayer Requests:
That the procedure this afternoon would go smoothly and there would be no complications.
That the pathology reports would come back favorable tomorrow.
The Lord would continue to direct and give peace to our family and the church.

Many thanks...

Scott

Glynnda Blogging While Vernon Sleeps!

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Greeting the Masses!

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Early Tuesday morning in the Emergency room.

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"I've got elephants on my eyelids."

What Vernon says when we think he is asleep but actually is just resting his eyes... And listening to everything around him : )

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For Better or For Worse

Those vows Vernon and I took more than 37 years ago covered a lot of territory, but this was one trip I hoped I would never have to make with him...to the Land of Cancer.  But since the vows were until death do us part, I really had no choice.  As with all of our trips, I know this one will be an adventure full of highs and lows and we will have some super memories full laughter and tears!  Plus, since my favorite scripture is Romans 8:28, I already know that everything is going to be all right no matter what!

I am so appreciative of the many phone calls, visits, emails, prayers and love from so many!  We are forever grateful to you for your support as we take this journey into the unknown to us, but not to Him, who knew what our Monday night held even though we didn't!

We are anxious to hear the final prognosis and to get the treatment plan on the road, and we will let you know our next stop on the journey...

Glynnda 

Some Get Well Gifts!

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My view up till wed night!

I'll start my story from Tuesday morning when Vernon returned to the room from surgery (approx 8:30 a.m.)...

He was in serious pain and the pain meds could not go in fast enough. It was really sad because there was nothing that we could do to help him. We prayed and just waited. After an hour of this, we could tell that some of the medicine was working, but he wasn't able to relax until about three hours later.

I ran out to bring back some lunch for the ladies and then ran back to Moberly to change and bring back some personal things for them before I went to school.

By the time I came back from school around 9:30 p.m. Vernon was a new man! He was upright and conscious. Even though he was heavily drugged, he was able to communicate with us. Thank God for all of our family and friends who were praying.

I chose to go home and sleep so I could come back and relieve Glynnda and Jaime who stayed overnight. I came back Tuesday morning at 11 a.m. and stayed till 4 p.m. I could tell that he was even better than the night before, just by the color in his face. The nurse said that if he could it would be great to walk the hallways, so we jumped up and took a couple of laps... very slowly:)

When we came back to the room, the nurse put a wrap around his midsection that helped relieve some of the pressure from the stitches. 

He then sat in the chair for a couple of hours and was able to rest.

During my time with him, we only had a couple of visitors and a few plants to sign off for.

I think if this keeps up we are going to have to start a green house in Vernon's honor:)

Johnathan

Jaime's first thoughts

Yesterday was a crazy, frightening and wonderful day. It's difficult to figure out where to start. But if you know us at all, everything is a wild adventure, so try to imagine Dad in the emergency room in immense pain waiting for the meds to kick in and Johnathan and Mama hovering over his blackberry watching youtube videos and howling to pass the time. Dad was cracking jokes like a stand-up comedian anytime any medical personnel would come into do some new procedure. They probably thought we were all nuts!  

We slept about an hour when they put him in a regular room and then off to surgery we went around 6 a.m. The surgery lasted two hours and when the surgeon came in to consult with us, colon cancer was the last thing we were expecting to hear. What in the world??  So here we are.  The three of us gave each other high fives after the surgeon left the room for taking it so well. :O) We closed the doors. called Scott and had a good little cry before heading back to dad's room to wait.  

Our family and friends started arriving soon after dad got back to his room and we were so grateful to see everyone. Although, he wasn't awake for some of them early on, by the end of the day he was awake and chatting rather slowly in between cat naps (sometimes in mid-stream! :O)) Lots of meds!

As Scott said, we'll learn more tomorrow. Thanks for all of the calls and plants and flowers, and prayer and love!  We feel it....literally.

Jaime

Visitors Galore

Dad's been receiving a steady stream of guests over the past 24 hours. Wally Landrum, Charles Cook and Liz Pruitt to name a few I've heard of... Yesterday Len, Helen, Margie, Grandpa Don & Grandma Pat were in town and it sounds like they'll be back this evening to check in on Dad. He'll be happy to see them.

Johnathan said he spent the afternoon resting. The guests help the time go faster for him and take his mind off the pain.

Scott

The First 48 Hours

Dad was complaining of dull pains in his joints for most of the day on Monday, April 6th.  By that evening the pain had centered in his abdomen and was so intense, he was unable to stand.  Jaime & Johnathan stopped by late that evening to pray with him and made the decision to take him to the ER at Boone Hospital in Columbia, MO.  Our initial thought was an appendicitis, but the CAT scan showed a large infection in the area around the appendix.  He was scheduled for emergency surgery Tuesday morning.

The surgery lasted two hours and the results were more drastic that we realized.  Dr. Pitt removed a 5 cm tumor from his colon.  The tumor had perforated colon wall, releasing cancerous cells and bile into the abdominal cavity.  As a result of the damage, portions of the colon, small intestine and the entire appendix were removed.  The hours after the surgery were very painful for Dad and he spent most of Tuesday heavily sedated.

Many of the STL family arrived Tuesday afternoon and spent most of the day together.  Due to his condition, all consultations were put on hold until he stabilized.  We called from Amman to talk briefly with him and were kept in the loop with calls every few hours. 

Today, we have seen his condition improve and his medication pulled back.  Dad is resting, but the pain is just below the surface.  He met with the cancer specialist, had blood work done, as well as a chest X-ray this morning.  The team at Boone Hospital is fantastic.  Jaime compared their level of compassion and patient interest to that of a 5-star hotel.  Tomorrow, we'll get more details on the pathology reports and discuss Dad's treatment schedule which, at this point, will probably include both radiation and chemotherapy.

Mother, Jaime & Johnathan are holding up as can be expected.  The Lord is providing the strength and peace for each step.  The love that is being shown to Dad is amazing and so very comforting.

As more details become available, we'll keep you updated...  Scott