Erik was injured during a basketball game earlier this season. It was thought that he had torn his ACL ligament after a player struck him in the knee during play. After a visit to the MD, and an MRI, it was discovered that his ACL is in tact, however he did suffer a fracture of his tibia. Erik will have surgery to repair the break and will be on crutches for approximately 4-weeks and then more than likely have to endure a few weeks of physical therapy to get his knee working correctly again. Please wish him the best for a speedy recovery so that he can get back on the football field and basketball court at full capacity.
After a hard fought and courageous battle with brain cancer, Lance passed away on December 1, 2009. Our association had made arrangements for Lance to conduct the coin toss and be an Honorary Official at the 6A State Championship game for 2009. Sadly, he was unable to make that assignment as there was another plan for him. As Lance's family and friends make this transition, please keep them in your thoughts and prayers as they travel down this difficult road.
The PSA continues to bounce around, so the doctor has scheduled two tests after the Christmas holiday. Don will have another nuclear bone scan and a CT scan. The doctor saw new sites in the nuclear bone scan Nov. 9 and a slight increase in other sites. The Radiology Exam Report shows as follows: "The size of the lesions and relative uptake compared with normal bone has increased mildly. There are a few new lesions that are apparent within the ribs bilaterally. Bones involved include the facial region, skull, scapulae, sternum, multiple bilateral ribs, multiple sites throughout the thoracic and lumbar spine, the pelvis, and the proximal femurs.”
His vital signs were all in the healthy range or just under, so he is doing a good job eating, taking pills, drinking water and Boost, etc. The only area he needs to improve is exercise, but his legs are so weak and his left leg and foot are continuing to be numb, so walking very far is a problem.
We have tickets for next Friday’s game a Tulsa Univ. (Nov. 27 at 2:30 PM), so I am hoping he will feel like going. Actually, we see the game better at home because we are on Row 20 at the 45th yard line where the people around us jump up all the time, blocking our view. Don just doesn’t have the energy to stand up more than about 3 or 4 times. So we try to look through the bodies and see the big screen. We both love the ambiance of being at the game, but it seems a little silly to miss the game because we are at the game. Oh, well.
He is still putting the drops into my right eye to get the swelling all the way down. My cataract surgery is Monday, Nov. 23, at 2 PM. He will take me and wait for me since I won’t be able to drive. People tell me that, if the surgery works as it does for the majority of people, I will be able to see much better by the second day after surgery. Oh, happy day! The doctor warned me that night lights might continue to have a halo or star look for a time, differing from person to person.
Of course, we have our own prayer list because we at that age when our friends are retired and vulnerable to those pesky problems of aging. Don has 1 close friend who is in Hospice because his brain tumor is too advanced to treat any more. Another friend from Beggs (living in Tulsa) has been in the hospital for a month or more because his prostate cancer is very advanced, but he is not on Hospice yet. These 2 people’s conditions make Don very sad, but he does not feel well enough to visit them yet.
I will appreciate prayer for improvement in my sight and for increasing energy and healing for Don. We are so grateful for every day and for every person who calls, e-mails, sends cards, and/or prays for our health.