Update as of Monday, August 30, 2010.

Update as of August 30th......as of right now, all reports, records, and MRI slides have been delivered to Dr Friedman at Duke University. We are currently waiting on them to finish reviewing and to decide if they will accept my case. If they choose to accept, then they will tell me when to be there for the evaluation and Kandi and I will be on the road to Durham, NC. Once there, they will develop a plan of action for my local oncologists to execute. My oncologists, which I have two, one for radiation, one for chemotherapy, talked very highly of Dr Friedman, and the entire staff at Duke University. As it stands now, my radiation oncologist has made my plastic mask that will completely immobilize my head during radiation treatment. This will allow them to pinpoint the concentrated radiation to the tumor, and control and limit the exposure to parts of the brain that are nearby. They did state that there may be microscopic infiltration of the cancer into the brain, and they will gently blast that to make sure it is fully treated. Between the radiation and chemotherapy, they are confident they can “get it all” with very little nausea and weakness. They cautioned me about doing research on the internet, stating that most of it is outdated, and that new treatments, advancements and discoveries are made every day, and the internet can’t keep up. My oncologists stated I couldn't be in better hands with Dr Friedman and his team. What an answer to a prayer that was. Kandi and I were very stressed about making the right decision. Between my brother-in-law, Mario's research, and now talking with my doctors, and knowing that I have God in my corner, Kandi and I can sleep peacefully at night. I still need your prayers, as the battle has just begun. There is always the possibility that once finished, the tumor can re-grow, and we will have to start over, including another surgery followed by radiation and chemotherapy. I believe strongly in my heart that this will not happen, as I have experienced too many miracles in the last 3 1/2 weeks for God to allow his work to go to waste. I ask everyone to pray for strength and wisdom for Kandi and I, as this battle will be not be easy. I can't thank everyone enough that attended my Celebration of Life party on Saturday. I have never felt more loved in all my life. You don't realize how short life really is until you face a crisis like this. I plead with everyone to make sure your loved ones know how much you truly love them, and enjoy life to its fullest. Life is so much sweeter, if you fill your heart with love to the point there is no room for hatred and bitterness. I know, I sound a little sappy, but I can't help it, I am very emotional now days. I get overwhelmed at times, to the point where it feels like my heart is about to explode. I try to push it down, but it becomes impossible, and it fills up and overflows through my eyes as tears. If you witness me crying, please understand that I am not sad, just overcome with extreme happiness through witnessing something beautiful and loving, (that has been happening a lot lately...).

With Love,

Bill Patterson

Update for Monday, August 23rd

I am taking a different route. We(Kandi and I)heard about the work being done at Duke University. They specialize in Brain Cancer. After watching Dr Friedman on YouTube, we called Duke and left a message for him. He called us back. We have to gather all records,MRI slides and Pathology reports and overnight them to him so he can review my case and decide whether to accept me as a patient. His interview we viewed was very convincing. Now we are praying for God to lead us down the correct path. Duke is a lot closer to home than Tulsa, Oklahoma, which will be good for peace of mind. I wouldn't even have known about Duke ranking at the top if it wasn't for my awesome brother-in-law Mario, who understands how overwhelmed Kandi and I are, and is helping with researching the best of the best. I beg everyone to continue praying for us. We need all the wisdom and courage we can get. God definitely has my back, and keeps sending miracles my way. He is filling me with energy every morning, instilling a sense of urgency to tackle life and make the most of each day.

Update as of Thursday, August 26th

Update as of Thursday, August 26^th….. I met with my radiation oncologist today, to discuss my radiation treatment. They made a plastic cast of my face that will be used during the procedure to lock my head in place so they can use concentrated beams of radiation to target the area where the tumor was before the surgery. They, the oncologist and his assistant, are big fans of Dr Freidman’s at Duke University, and my doctor, Dr Cline actually knows him on a first name basis. They reinforced that we were making a good decision in seeking his expertise. God keeps putting people in my path to make this journey easier. My faith grows stronger and stronger every day. I have 34 treatments to go through (5 days a week, every day for almost 7 full weeks), I will probably lose a little hair in about 5-7 spots around my head from the concentrated beams of radiation, but it is worth it. They are very confident that this is going to give me my life back, with very little nausea or weakness.

Mark 5:21 “Don’t be afraid, just believe”

Update as of Wednesday, August 25th

Kandi and I have been struggling with the decision of which direction we wanted to go in. We were told that once a facility begins treatment, you are stuck with them, that nobody wants to go behind someone else for treatment, so we are praying to God to point us in the right direction. I had a Doctor’s appointment with a local oncologist that will handle my chemotherapy. We discussed our thoughts with him, and he gave us some great advice. His advice was to pursue Duke University. We were scheduled to fly out on Sunday to Tulsa. That, in his opinion, would not be the best course. He explained that I will go to Duke to be evaluated, and then return home for initial treatment in strict accordance to Dr Friedman’s (Duke University) instructions. Now I don’t have to worry about the financial burden of finding a place to stay. They (the local oncologists) will report any and everything back to Dr Friedman at Duke, and work together to make sure that I get the best treatment possible. By going this route, the doctors will continue to track any re-growth of the tumor through continuous MRIs to look for signs of the treatment is not working, at which point I will go back to Duke to begin a more in-depth treatment, and if they start a new trial then I would be asked to participate.

Monday, August 23, 2010

(I decide to re-post my original post, and simply post updates as they occur, sorry if this causes any confusion….)

Update … I got the pathology report and it was worse than we expected. I have been diagnosed with Grade 4 Brain Cancer or Glioblastoma. This is the most aggressive and has a low survival rate. The doctor states that my young age is going to make a big difference, but we have to get on the ball and start treating very aggressively. After talking to my Doctor, I hung up the phone and called Kandi, telling her the dismal news and then prayed to God, asking for a miracle. Within 1 hour, Kandi was home from work with news about the Cancer Center of America in Tulsa, Oklahoma that has a great survival rate. Not only do they excel in cancer treatment; they tend to the spirit and peace of mind by providing transportation, room and meals. And the blessing in the whole thing is I am 100% covered under my insurance. God supernaturally delivered my miracle when I asked. I witness God at work everyday.