Keith's Story

Today's Entry

July

August

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Email Lee Ann

 

The church has asked me to provide a page on the web site to provide a daily update on Keith.   This is a synopsis of the story:

 

Keith began having severe pain in his back in March.  We went to several doctors, he  had cortisone injections, and the pain would get better, then come back with a vengeance.  In mid-July, we were with a group on our Navajo mission trip and the pain became completely unmanageable for Keith.  We made the decision to fly him home. Keith came home and went to the doctor for more tests.  They finally ran a CT scan and discovered that Keith has a large mass in his abdomen.  They immediately admitted him to the hospital in order to monitor him and help with the pain. 

 

The doctors  at the time were pretty sure that it was  lymphoma.  The tumor is quite large - 4" x 6", which is why it caused so much pain.  They did a biopsy  to determine what kind of cancer it is.  The test results were inconclusive, so the sample was sent to the Mayo Clinic for evaluation.  The results from Mayo show that this is a Seminoma, a form of testicular cancer.  None of the doctors had suspected it because of Keith's age (okay, he's not OLD, but they usually see this in younger men.)  The good news is that it is very treatable and has a very high cure rate (95%)

 

We did the whole testicular cancer thing in reverse, so then they did an ultrasound and discovered that his right testicle was completely full of tumors.  The first of August he had the diseased testicle removed.  That is not a surgery that he would recommend to anyone, but we are glad it is done.

 

Chemo starts on Monday, August 10.  The doctor anticipates 3-4 cycles of chemotherapy, with each cycle lasting 3 weeks.  I will update as we go through this journey.

 

 If you would like to email Keith, send it to keith@gowoodland.com.  You can also email me at leeann@lamartindesign.com.  Some of you have asked about sending cards.  Just send them to our home (4608 4th Ave. E.  Bradenton, FL  34208).

 

Thanks for your prayers and support.  We love you all.  

Lee Ann