Merry Christmas Dad

Christmas is not the same without my Dad. This was his favorite time of the year because he had a lot of goodies to eat. I have bought him chocolate covered cherries for so many years it just wouldn't have felt right not to buy them this year. Mom made sure Dad, Michael and Sierra had beautiful flowers for Christmas. Stacye sent a beautiful engraved ornament for us to put on the tree in his memory and it says Merry Christmas From Heaven and that he will be spending Christmas with Jesus this year. We will hang it in his memory every year. Below is a poem that my Mom wanted me to put on here:

In Our Hearts

We thought of you with love today
But that is nothing new
We thought about you yesterday
And days before that too
We think of you in silence
We often speak your name
Now all we have is memories
And your picture in a frame
Your memory is our keepsake
With which we will never part
God has you in His keeping
We have you in our heart.

We all love him and miss him very much, but I would not want him back to face what was ahead of him. God has truly shown us favor in sparing him from sickness and pain.

Merry Christmas Dad I love you.

Happy Birthday Dad

Happy Birthday Dad. Today my dad would be 72. There are still days when it does not feel like he is gone. We always had coffee together on the weekends and there are times when I walk in that I just expect him to be sitting in his recliner waiting on me. He would always try to feed me something. His favorite was cheese toast. I remember eating cheese toast as a little girl at my Grandma's, but I don't ever think I had it for breakfast. We all miss him very much but we are thankful that he is not suffering. My dad would have chosen quality of life over quantity any day. I went to the cemetery today and took pictures of his headstone and footstone. I am really not one for going to the cemetery but just felt like I needed to go say "Happy Birthday". I know that he is not there, but that is the last place his earthly body was. His footstone was given to him by the VA for his service to our country, it is much nicer than we had anticipated. My mom and sister picked out the headstone and it turned out really nice. Of course there is a fish on it, what else would we have put there? He would have liked it. The upcoming Holidays are really going to be hard without him. He loved Christmas, not for the gifts but for all the baked goods. That is one time a year that we did not get on his case about eating too many sweets. I inherited that from him....my downfall is sweets. Life goes on and we hang on to precious memories of him and rest in the promise that we will see him again one day.

Memory Quilt

My sister surprised me with this beautiful quilt created out of my Dad's Dickie coveralls. Wow, what an awesome gift. My favorite was the red. Me and mom talked him into getting them and when they came in he was not to sure about wearing them. I loved them on him and they looked great. We laughed and said that they were his Santa coveralls. One Christmas he and mom met Michael in Palestine to eat and Dad wore them, Michael really had fun teasing him about them. So the red ones were very special to me and now a piece of those memories will be with me always. I would have never thought about having something like this made and I am so glad that Stacye did. I will cherish it always and pass it down for generations. Thank you sis.

Pier Dedication

Today was a very special day for my family. The owners of the Limestone Marina (Ellie and John) had a dedication ceremony for my Dad at the pier. Some of his fishing buddies approached them with the idea of dedicating the spot my Dad always fished in to his memory. They were more than happy to do so. Along with me, Tommy, Mom and Stayce, several of his friends and church family gathered today at 10:00 a.m. to honor my Dad. John spoke about how my Dad was one of their first customers when they purchased the marina about 4 years ago. He said how much they were going to miss him and how in the winter Dad was one of the few true fisherman that fished. He stood in my Dad's favorite spot to fish and said that Dad would get upset when he showed up and someone was already in that spot. He commented that the fish had a chance now. A plaque was mounted right behind my Dad's spot with a picture of him and a crappie that he probably caught in that very same spot. It reads In Memory of a True Fisherman. Fred "Papa" Jones, November 8, 1937 - May 28, 2009. Fred Enjoyed Fishing Here at this Pier for Many Years. He was One of the Great Crappie Fisherman of Our Time. Mrs. Ellie had a great idea of everyone tossing in a minnow in his honor so we all took a minnow and on the count of 3 we tossed them in. I am sure Dad was throwing a fit about us wasting good minnows. If any minnows were left from a fishing trip he nursed them and kept them alive until the next one. My Mom thanked those that made this event possible and all those for coming. Pastor Lloyd said a prayer. There were many people that only knew Dad as the Donut Man because that was his pier payment for many years when Mr. King owned the pier. I think Dad is very honored to have his spot dedicated to him.

Father's Day Tribute

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Happy Father's Day

I join the many this year that do not have a Father physically here to hug and wish Happy Father's Day. Although my Dad is not here I can still celebrate the memories that God allows me to have and hold on too. Think about it, God blessed us with memory and I am thankful for the precious memories that I have of my Dad. If you still have your Dad on this earth, do not take it for granted. Tell him often how much you love him. Spend as much time with him as you can. Take lots of pictures and make memories. One day memories may be all you have. I miss my Daddy every day and I will not lie, I wish he were still here with us. But one thing I am thankful for is that I have no regrets. We had a wonderful relationship and I did my part as a daughter. Do not let your Dad leave this earth and leave you with regrets. If things are not right, make it right today. Life is short and we do not know when the last chance will be for us to say I love you, so just do it daily. Happy Father's Day Daddy and thank you for all the memories that we have together, I love you and I will see you again someday.

PaPa This One Is For You

This weekend Tommy and I fished. It was hard to go without Dad in the boat but he is the one that taught me to love to fish and he would want me to keep doing it. What would have been harder is going this summer and him having to stay at home. He would not have been able to go after he started the chemo because he could not be out in the sun. Saturday we hauled in 21 and today we had 19. The picture is of a 14 1/4" crappie I caught at one of our usual spots. When I got it in the boat, I said PaPa this one is for you. He would have said, now that's a slab, hurry up and get it in the boat. I will never forget and I will always cherish the memories I have of us fishing together. My Dad was the crappie king and I was lucky to learn from the best. If I was not catching fish he could not stand it and he would go to coaching me. He would say, Lisa Kay how many turns are you off the bottom? I would say I don't know Daddy 2 or 3. He would say go back down, come up 3 turns and then ease it up real slow and you will catch a fish. I would do what he said, he was usually right and I would catch a fish. I know that he was not physically in the boat but in my mind I could hear all the things that he would be saying to me. I know that he smiled today when I caught the big one. I miss you Daddy, thank you for all the memories that I have. I hope to someday have grandchildren that love to fish because I want your legacy to live on.

This Is Not Goodbye But See You Later

Yesterday was the last day that I will ever see my Dad in this life. I know that it was just his body laying there but it was still hard to say goodbye. But I know that it is only bye for now because I will see him later. He had a beautiful service and the crowd that assembled there proved that he and our family truly have a lot of friends. My daughter Jordan is overseas and we advised her not to come home, my Dad would have wanted her to stay there to complete her assignment for the summer. He was very proud 0f her and the dedication she has to serving our Lord. Below is something that she wrote and I read at the funeral.

Dear Friends and Family,

Let me start off by first saying how sorry I am that I am not able to be here with you today. Lots of prayer, tears, and guidance of others went into my decision to stay in Jordan. Honestly there was no way I could make the decision to stay here but my grandma made me promise I wouldn’t come home.

Today you came to this place to honor the life of my Papa. A simple man of few words is the best way I can think to describe him, although, if he was angry he was never at a loss for words. Just turn on a ball game and he was happy, let him sit outside and fish all day and he was happy, put one of the dogs on his lap and he was happy. He enjoyed the simple things in life. I think that today we can all learn something from him, slow down and enjoy what we have.

I know everyone here, like myself, will greatly miss Papa, Daddy, Fred, Mr. Fred, Mr. Jones, the do-nut man, or whoever he was to you. But today try and celebrate the life that he lived, try and remember the good times, and take rest knowing that right now he is with the Most High God telling the truth about the biggest fish he ever caught.

My Dad was proud of all his grandchildren and went to their activities when he could. We are all going to miss him very much but we can be assured that he will not have to be sick and suffer with cancer any longer. When he found out about the cancer he was so worried about going bald. He still had his hair and he looked very handsome. I just cannot thank all of you enough for the concern shown to us through all of this. We are truly blessed to have family and friends like you all. May God bless each of you and your families.

2 Corinthians 5:8 We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord.

This Is The Day That The Lord Has Made

Today is a very sad day but it is a day that the Lord has made and I will rejoice and be glad in it. Yesterday at about 3:00 p.m. Dad's heart just stopped. He fought very hard to get better but the infection was just too bad. Although my heart is saddened and I am going to miss my fishing buddy and my 42 partner very much I know that he is in a better place. Dad had a long road ahead of him with all of the chemo and radiation and I believe God spared him from something that could have been much worse down the road. Dad was a simple man and he wanted a simple funeral so we will be having graveside service at Liberty Cemetery on Sunday at 4:00 p.m. We will have visitation on Saturday from 3-8 p.m. with the family being there from 6-8. We have been so blessed by the many visits, calls, prayers, food and love that you all have given. Our journey ended up being much shorter than I had anticipated but my prayer is that it will all be for God's glory. Please continue to keep our family in your prayers for strength and comfort.

Psalm 46:1
God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble.

We Choose Life

It has been a few long and rough days but I will try to fill you in with what has been happening. Monday we were very excited because it had appeared that the kidneys were starting to function however, when they did the blood test it revealed that the kidneys were still not filtering the toxin out of his body. At that point the decision was made to make the move to Scott & White in Temple. Finally after a 3 hour ambulance ride he made it about 9:00 p.m. Mom and I were already here waiting on him. When he got here he really looked worn out, it seemed to be a very hard trip for him. We went on home and arrived back Tuesday morning. He was alert and talking when we got here but seemed to really be restless and irritated (I mean who wouldn't be with all that has been going on with him). At about 10:30 a.m. Dad began to experience excruiating pain in his stomach and chest. His blood pressure and heart rate got high and they were afraid he may be having a heart attack. They ran an EKG and it did not show signs of anything going on with the heart. They decided to go ahead and put him on a ventilator just so his body could relax and not be in so much stress. Once they did his blood pressure and heart rate began to stabilize. He is still breathing on his own they just do not want him to at this point. They started him on dialysis Wednesday for 8 hours and are going to do it for 8 more hours today. We are here now and at this point there has been no change. The doctors have told us that it will be a few days before we would know if the dialysis is making a difference. We are very encouraged that it is. They said that Dad is still fighting and that is a good thing. I told him he better get well because it is time to be catching crappie. We have made a decision that we have to keep thinking positive thoughts and give the devil no place in our thoughts or our words.
Proverbs 18:21Death and life are in the power of the tongue, And those who love it will eat its fruit. Ephesians 4:27 nor give place to the devil.
We choose to speak life over Dad. It has been your prayers and love that have gotten us this far so please just keep it going. We are all tired, so please pray that we can keep our stamina and be patient with each other. I have my computer here now, so I should be able to keep you updated. Just keep praying that those kidneys will begin to function and get rid of all the toxins in his body.

God is Still in the Mountain Moving Business

Dad is still in ICU. The main concern at this point is still the kidneys. If there is no change by in the morning he will have to be transported to a facility where he can be put on dialysis. We are going to request that he be moved to Scott & White in Temple. The source of the problem is a bacteria that more than likely started where the feeding tube is and has gotten into his bloodstream. It is a gram negative bacteria called pseudomonas. It attacks people who are immune suppressed. This bacteria attacks the organs. So far it has not affected the lungs which is great. Please pray that the kidneys will start functioning properly. Dad seemed to be more restful today and not complaining of pain as much as yesterday. He had several visitors and seems to be in good spirits. He is getting very good care in Palestine, especially since they all know it's Bradley's PaPa. The Bible instructs us to tell our mountain to move and it will. Right now Dad's mountain is pseudomonas and we are telling to to move, it has no right to be in his body and in the name of Jesus it has to go. Thank you to everyone for your prayers, visits, thoughts and phone calls.

Matthew 17:20
So Jesus said to them, “Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.

Cancer May Have Gotten In a Punch But We Are Still In the Ring

Dad had to be put in the hospital today. He was having a pretty good week----Monday he went to Palestine to take the chemo pump back and Wednesday he went to Temple to have the stitches taken out where the feeding tube is. The long trip to Temple really tired him out and on Thursday he started feeling bad and his blood pressure was really low. He had a rough night Thursday night so I took him to Palestine Regional Emergency Room first thing this morning. He was severely dehydrated and in alot of pain. He was admitted into ICU this afternoon. His blood pressure was beginning to get stable and they are giving him fluids and antibiotics. His white blood count is really low and they were concerned about his kidneys not working properly but feel like that is mostly due to the dehydration. Cancer may have got a punch in but we will not give in and by the power and grace of God we will win the battle and we will get the Victory. I will be going back first thing in the morning to check on Dad and will give a status tommorrow afternoon. Please pray that everything will return to normal.

2 Corinthians 12:9
And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

First Round Almost Down

Sorry I have not updated the blog but we just returned home this morning from visiting Jordan in the Middle East. We surprised her for Mother's Day and we had a great time. The patient is doing extremely well. I missed out on everything, the surgery and the first week of chemo. His surgery was last Friday morning and Mom did just fine driving him home from Temple. He is still sore where they put the feeding tube in, but it is healing up. He had his first in-office treatment on Wednesday and came home with a pump that has been administering medicine on a daily basis. He will return the pump on Monday. He will get 2 weeks off and then get another round. Glory be to God that he has not been sick which has been an answer to prayer. Thank God for the promise that He will always be with us and thank God for prayer warriors who believe in the healing power.

1 Chronicles 28:20
And David said to his son Solomon, “Be strong and of good courage, and do it; do not fear nor be dismayed, for the LORD God—my God—will be with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you, until you have finished all the work for the service of the house of the LORD.

God Is Still In The Healing Business

Dad met with the General Surgeon today that will be doing his surgery Friday to insert the medi-port and the feeding tube. He really liked him alot. Chemo should start on Monday (5/11). 2 chemo drugs will be given to him through the medi-port in the treatment room at the clinic and then he will come home with a pump that will administer a third chemo drug throughout the week. He will then get 2 weeks off and repeat the process again. He will do this 3 times. He will more than likely start radiation treatments immediately after he finishes the 3 rounds of chemo which will be about 9 weeks. He will take radiation treatments for 5 days a week and on one of those days he will have chemo and radiation. He will do this about 6 or 7 weeks. Once all the treatments are finished he will be scanned to see if all the cancer is gone. If not then he will probably have surgery to remove the lymph nodes. We know that we are in for a long haul but Dad is very optimistic and has a positive outlook. We believe that God's name is above cancer and that He is still in the healing business and that is what we are believing for - total healing.

Matthew 4:23
[ Jesus Heals a Great Multitude ] And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people.

Perserverance Pays Off

Dad continued to be persistent with the VA and they moved his appointment up. He saw a General Surgeon from Scott & White today at the VA hospital in Temple. This doctor could not do Dad's surgery until sometime in June but he has referred him to Dr. Smith who can perform the surgery on Friday, May 8th. This will probably mean that he will be able to start his chemo Monday the 11th. Dad is ready to get started. I think he will feel better about everything once he feels like something is being done about it. When we put things in God's hands, He will work it out. Please continue to keep Dad in your prayers for total healing, his medical team for wisdom, and mom and the rest of us for perseverance. We know God is in control and everything be unto His glory!!!!

James 5:11
Indeed we count them blessed who endure. You have heard of the perseverance of Job and seen the end intended by the Lord—that the Lord is very compassionate and merciful.

Ready, Set, Wait

We got news from the VA today that they cannot get Dad in for surgery until May 14th. We are ready to get going but we are on hold. I am trying not to get discouraged because we have turned it over to God and I believe things happen in His timing. There is a possibility that if there is a cancellation, Dad may get to go in earlier. So Ready, Set - Wait. Until then hopefully Dad will get in more fishing. I am so thankful that Dad has gotten involved in Church. I believe that God was preparing him for this journey and He knew that he would need the support and encouragement of prayer warriors. The more Word that gets on the inside will build up the faith that Dad is going to need to get through the days ahead.

John 16:33
These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”

Still Waiting

We are still waiting for the VA to get the appointment set up for the medi-port. We were sure hoping to get it done this week so Dad could start chemo on Monday. He has been in contact with them and they are trying to get it scheduled. Everything in God's timing. Dad is feeling good and has been busy this week getting errands done. We celebrated my father-in-laws 80th birthday last night at his church in Teague. The preacher told everyone if they wanted to know where to find white perch on Lake Limestone then ask Dad. He is right about that, if anyone can find crappie it's Dad. I have learned alot about fishing for crappie from him. Thank you for all of the support and prayers. Your comments have been an encouragement to us. We know the journey is going to be a long one, but it is our friends that will make it much easier.

One Step Closer

We met with the chemo doctor today, Dr. Delal. We are one step closer to starting treatments which means we are one step closer to Dad being cured of this dreadful disease that is definitely no respector of persons. Dr. Delal confirmed all of the information that we had already been given by Dr. Wilder, the radiation doctor. He feels like the best option for Dad would be to start chemo first. He stated that years ago when someone had cancer of the head and neck there was no treatment and surgery was performed. That is why alot of people with this type of cancer are very disfigured. Now with the treatments being available there is a very high success rate that it will take care of the cancer. If not and surgery has to be performed it will not be as radical since the tumor should have shrunk and there will not be as much to remove. The treatments he feels best for Dad is a comibination of 3 different chemo drugs that would be administered for one week every 3 weeks. He will start on a Monday and recieve 2 drugs by IV at the clinic then the third drug will be in a pump that he will wear home. Medication will be released daily and he will go back on Friday to return the pump. He will then be off for 21 days and then start the process over. He will do this 3 times which will take 9 weeks. At the end of this treatment then radiation will be administered daily for 5 days a week and on one of the days he will get chemo also. The radiation treatments will be for 6-7 weeks. Treatments will start as soon as he gets his medi-port and feeding tube inserted. We are waiting on the VA to get this surgery set up but we have stressed the importance of getting it done this week so Dad can start his treatments on Monday. Each time I go to the Palestine clinic, I know we have made the right choice in having Dad transferred there for treatment. Everyone there is so nice and I know that Dad is going to be in the hands of skilled, compasionate people. There is a picture of Dr. Delal and Dad. Please pray that everything will get set up this week for the surgery so that he can start his chemo on Monday.

Fishing While He Can

Dad went fishing at the marina today. The doctor told him to get all his fishing in while he felt like it, so he didn't waste any time. He only caught 4 keepers but it is good therapy to be doing something you love, so I am glad he went. Jordan was concerned when she read the blog and I said the cancer was a 4A. We had originally been told that it was a 3. Dr. Wilder estimates that it is a 4A due to the fact that there are multiple lymph nodes involved. There is also a stage 4B. It is all confusing to me us be we are learning as we go along. Dad says that he feels good and said to tell you all that he ain't got nothing that the good Lord and medicine can't cure. Thank you all so much for your prayers.

The Journey Has Begun

On March 23, 2009 my family began a journey that many people before us have taken. I have often wondered how I would feel if a doctor told me or one of my loved ones that we had cancer, the big "C". Now I know and the only way I can describe it is numb. My dad has been diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma, stage 4A in the tonsil and lymph nodes. The mass is about 6 cm in diameter and involves multiple lymph nodes. The cancer is contained in the neck area and will be treated with radiation and chemotherapy, which one first we will find out on Monday, April 20th when we meet with the Chemo Oncologist, Dr. Delal. We have already met with Dr. Wilder, the Radiation Oncologist. He spent about 2 hours with us and explained the whole process to us in detail, the good (which there was not much), the bad and the ugly. We appreciated his openness, and want to be prepared so there will be no surprises. Dr. Wilder told my dad that this is probably going to be the hardest thing he has ever done. But, he can do it. We know that we are not alone in this journey and that many people are praying and whatever the outcome, we want God to get the glory.