Relay For life - Joe

On 11/12/13 my Father’s biopsy came back positive for tongue cancer that had spread to many lymph nodes in the neck; further evaluation determined surgery was not an option. Fortunately the cancer had not spread to his lungs or bones although the lymph nodes closest to the lung have cancer in them.

He decided to get treatment at MD Anderson in Houston, (after what seemed like forever waiting for appointments!) but later decided to go through with radiation at UT Southwestern in Dallas. Because he has one kidney and a long history with diabetes, treatment became complicated because traditional chemotherapy for this cancer harms the kidney.

The treatment plan includes 3 initial chemotherapy treatments over 9 weeks (starting 12/31/13), then 6-7 weeks of combination chemotherapy and radiation (starting around the beginning of Mar 2014).

Today we started the chemo and found his blood count was really low (no wonder he was dragging around so much!), so he is getting a blood transfusion with his chemo.

Friends have been so wonderful in helping Joe keep his new business with LegalShield going, and others have helped with getting him where he needs to go when he has not been able to drive.
 
Sincerely,
Conner Atnip, '13 Scholar