Posted on 07/15/2006 7:50:37 AM PDT by ut1992
My fellow FR's, I didn't think I would ever do this, but I need your help.
My dear brother, very best friend and mentor was diagnosed yesterday with testicular cancer which has spread into his stomach. He is 1.5 weeks shy of his 45th b-day.
The phone rang last night about 10:45 and on the other end was my brother and he was crying. As I haven't seen/heard my brother crying since he was a kid I immediately thought somebody in the family had been in a terrible accident or had died.
He finally told me that about the cancer and that he had just found out that afternoon and had been sitting in his home office alone for hours and crying....and getting drunk (he is not a heavy drinker).
I was the first person he called and he wanted my help. After that comment I will confess that the water-works started for me as well. He asked if I would let the folks and our other brothers know. He said he would call his kids and new fiance.
Geez, what a night; e.g. my better-half and I didn't get to bed until about 4am. Mom and Dad are absolutely inconsolable. Grandma still doesn't know, as Mom didn't want to tell her over the phone. At 86 she can't take that kind of news alone.
Ironically my brother and future SIL came out to visit us about a month ago and my brother was telling us that he was starting to feel "old" and that his back has been brothering him for about the last six months off and on. Now, my brother has been an athlete all of his life and he still plays sports, jogs and works out. So we were all joking that age was indeed catching up with him.
He went to the doctor about his back and was told that we probably just strained something and gave him some muscle relaxers and pain pills. That combined with sport messages seemed to do the trick for a while.
However, about a week ago he thought he may have pulled a groin muscle or had a hernia. He went back to the doctor and this was the result of the tests they ran.
He went into the hospital this morning and is having a immediate radical inguinal orchiectomy (both testes) and have biopsies done on several "masses" they found in his stomach.
Please keep my dear brother in your prayers and hope that he isn't called home just yet.
Thanks guys.
May God be with him and his caregivers.
I pray that Jesus will heal your brother. I pray for your entire family. God bless you.
My sister had an advanced lung cancer at 68 years old.
She is now in better shape than ever!
The important thing to know is that cancer CAN be beat.
I've battled the big "C" three time now and been told I came close to not typing this response. Two operations, three regimes of Chemo and I'm still laughing. Tell your brother that the biggest weapon he has in his battle is his attitude and outlook. A positive and stubborn desire to beat this speed bump in life’s journey will do more good than any knife, Chemo of Radiation.
Prayers up.
Prayers!
Are you talking about Dr. Stanislaw Bryzinski? He is controversial, but there are people who swear by him.
M.D. Anderson Cancer Hospital is the best in the world, and is also in Houston.
Prayers for his health and recovery.
.......
TX-sized prayers going up for your brother, you, your families, and all those into whose care he will entrust his treatment. Bless you!
Prayers most certainly for your brother and your family.
Prayers are with you and your family. Have faith and the Lord will take care of you and your family!
Prayers on the way that he be cured quickly and completely, and for strength for him and your family.
Please let him know everyone's praying for him.
Prayer ping!!!
Prayers for comfort and strength
Prayers and best wishes to your brother.
Leni
My family has been touched by cancer, too ... we will be praying for your brother.
Your brother is so fortunate to have you and your obviously close knit and caring family to lean on at this time.
The other posters are correct; great strides have been made in cancer research and treatment, and a good attitude is SO important for recovery.
My prayers to you all! Good luck!
Prayers have been sent for your brother and your family. May God bless you all.
First of all, I'm praying for your brother and yourself as well as the rest of your family. I know what a huge and overwhelming shock this is as I at the age of 39 with an 11 yr old (at the time) son, was diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer with less then a %50 survival.
I'm a single divorced mom and the whole thing was beyond my comprehension. I didn't know where to start. Asking God to take over and take care of me was the first step for me.
While my mom and exhusband were planning on life without me, I was planning on living. Please find a good dr. Don't just take the first doctor's word for everything. My first oncologist actually dropped me due to my chances of survival(which is unheard of here in Los Angeles) but that was a blessing because it got me moving instead of just accepting. Its been over two years now, I'm done with treatment,(3 surgeries, 4 months of two kinds of chemo and 5 mos of radiation) and my doctors consider me cured. There isn't a trace of cancer cells in my body and believe me they'll keep looking!
One of the other posters mentioned that testicular cancer is one of the most cureable, and that is very true. It sounds sucky to say, but if you have to go thru cancer, that is one of the ones to have to deal with. So many new treatments for it (during radiation treatments, we all are in the same waiting room to get zapped and all share experiences)
I'll be praying for your brother in a huge way especially now.....These first few weeks are the scariest and most overwhelming for him, and anything you can say or do to lift him up and encourage him now will make a big difference in the coming days to him.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.