Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Message from Billy
I would like to thank Rick Porter and his daughter, Ashley, for putting this web page together - even though I told Rick not to bother with it, he said there was no way he was not going to follow through with this project; and this is where his daughter came into the picture. She designed the web page and after she had finished; she let janna know to go ahead and tell me that it was up and running. I also have another sister, Brenda, who does not have a computer but has been very helpful in getting me help with my prescription medications and in other areas. And since she does not have a computer, she did not know about this web page until yesterday -- i just wanted to let everyone know that she has been a great help with me battling this cancer over the last two and a half years. The Lord blessed me when He gave me these two very special sisters. Brenda came down and stayed with me through my first operation and then Janna came down and stayed with me during my second operation. I am not the only one going through hard times - so i wish to thank everyone for your support and e-mails... Sometimes it is tough going through this living by myself and you have helped me through this journey in ways you could not imagine... THANK YOU AND GOD BLESS!!!
TUESDAY'S TIMING
TALK WITH ME ABOUT EVERY ASPECT of your day, including your feelings. Remember that your ultimate goal is not to control or fix everything around you; it is to keep communing with Me. A successful day is one in which you have stayed in touch with Me, even if many things remain undone at the end of the day. do not let you to - do list ( written or mental ) become an idol directing your life. Instead, ask My Spirit to guide you moment by moment. He will keep you close to Me.
Monday, April 4, 2011
Monday's Moment
YOU CAN REJOICE, TOO, when you run into problems and trials for you know that they are good for you-----they help you learn to be patient. And patience develops strength of character in yourself and helps you trust Me more each time you have to use it until finally your hope and faith are strong and steady.
THEN when that happens, you are able to hold your heads high no matter what happens and know that all is well, for you know how dearly I love you, and you can feel this warm love everywhere within you because I have sent you the Holy Spirit to fill your hearts with My Love.
THEN when that happens, you are able to hold your heads high no matter what happens and know that all is well, for you know how dearly I love you, and you can feel this warm love everywhere within you because I have sent you the Holy Spirit to fill your hearts with My Love.
Billy's Story Told by His Sister Janna
As we set up this special page to rally Billy’s friends it struck me that maybe not everyone knows the full story. It is rather an amazing story and I think, since you
are numbered among an incredible group of very awesome friends, you might like to hear the story from the beginning….
We will go back to June – July 2008: Billy called me almost daily complaining about pain in his lower back. We both thought it was a reoccurrence of an old problem from decades past, Previously, he had back surgery to replace a compressed disk. I nagged Billy to see an orthopedic specialist…Billy thought it would go away given enough time. Billy did see his chiropractor; x-rays indicated he needed medical attention…an adjustment was not going to cut it.
Second week in July 2008: I was in Houston visiting with my daughter’s family when I got a life-changing phone call. Billy was in agonizing pain. He literally could not move. Just breathing was like a guillotine across his back. I told him I was going to call 911…he said, “No”, that he’d call Willie or Danny to come get him. I waited for the news…as it turned out…Billy drove himself to the hospital. (As friends of Billy, surely you are not surprised at his stubborn streak). Nothing less than a miracle got Billy as far as the hospital parking lot before he passed out from the pain.
July 10, 2008: Dr. Ramsey operated on Billy’s back to relieve the pressure on his spinal cord. Friday morning (7/11), Billy called me with the news -- Dr. Ramsey suspected cancer. On July 25th, the biopsy came back, “Metastatic Carcinoma of Unknown Primary” (suspected lungs or liver).
July 30, 2008: “Big Time” surgery #2 -- Dr. Ramsey removed Billy’s L2 & L3. Bone from his hip was used to reconstruct the extracted vertebrae. Maybe you’re thinking the same thing I was thinking…..back surgery…you go in through the back…Right? ---Wrong! The vertebrae removal and reconstruction was from the front. Imagine your intestines scooped out, placed in a Tupperware bowl, and then spooned back in. When I saw him in the hospital, I knew he had been through something so horrible he would never voluntarily choose to repeat. Biopsies were sent to three different labs to ascertain the primary cancer.
I’m going to add this little narrative to the story --- it speaks volumes to Billy’s character ---
Upon his release from the hospital, I stayed with Billy while he recovered. It just so happened my birthday rolled around during that first week. I was just waking up when I heard Billy slip something under my bedroom door. It was a birthday card. After everything he had been through, I thought it was sweet of him to remember me. Well…that was only half of it, as I would soon find out. That was no ordinary birthday card. –I assumed Billy had purchased the card weeks earlier. Actually, he had gotten up at 5 am and drove to a 24hr Walgreens to buy me a birthday card. Unbelievable! Billy was not supposed to drive; heck, he could barely walk; and he certainly couldn’t stand on his feet longer than 2 minutes without blacking out from pain. What was he thinking??? Needless to say, I was stunned. I was moved beyond incredulous wonderment. He wanted me to have a token of his appreciation on my birthday. I still have that card…that card will be with me forever. I am taking that card with me into the eternities. My eyes blur with tears thinking of how much I love my brother and remembering just how special he is to me.
It took four weeks for the reports to put a name to Billy’s cancer…. Metastatic Papillary Thyroid Cancer. In addition to his bones, cancer had spread to his lungs, stomach, and his entire throat area including the ear canal. It’s extremely rare for thyroid cancer to jump first to the bones. 99% of the time, the lungs are invaded first. M D Anderson in Houston was glad to see Billy; he was a rare bird indeed.
Thyroid cancer is one of the easiest cancers to respond to treatment, so long as it’s discovered early and contained within the thyroid…but once it jumps to other organs…look out…you have a fight on your hands. Metastatic thyroid cancer is very tenacious and very slow growing. As Billy describes it…he has a “lethal turtle” loose inside him. Chemotherapy will not work. Radiation and Radio Active Iodine are the prescribed assault. Billy has received the full range of treatment and the lethal turtle is still loose.
Here is another little side bar – Because thyroid cancer can be hereditary, I requested a blood test to evaluate my thyroid. All was normal (so I thought). In March 2009, I saw an ENT physician about my seasonal allergies. With all new patients, he took my family history. I disclosed Billy’s cancer. We proceeded to talk about allergies…etc… Before I left, he recommended that I get an ultra sound on my thyroid. The rest is history; I too was diagnosed with papillary thyroid cancer. Thanks to Billy, I received the benefit of early diagnosis before the cancer had time to jump. I credit Billy for saving my life. It breaks my heart to see what Billy is going through; I know if it were not for him, I’d be going through the same thing he is now.
So how did we both get thyroid cancer if it was not hereditary? We both lived in the four corners area of New Mexico from 1954 -1965. Nuclear weapons were tested in Nevada between 1951 and 1958 and again in 1962.
In spite of decades of denials by government officials who routinely assured the public that radioactive fallout was harmless, in 1990 Congress passed the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act. RECA provides $50,000 per person compensation to the “downwinder-victims” who suffered specific cancers (including thyroid). However, RECA only concedes responsibility for cancers in northern Arizona and Southern Utah. Even though we lived in a direct line of the radioactive fallout, we were 20-miles outside the cutoff zone. I guess that cloud of radiation didn’t know it wasn’t supposed to cross the Arizona border.
Now that Billy’s cancer had a name he was scheduled for surgery #3 to remove the thyroid. Follow up treatment included radioactive iodine and direct radiation. Surgery #4 came in February 2010. He endured further aggressive surgery on his neck. Anything and everything that was not essential, on the right side of his neck, was removed.
Here’s a little humorous story: (well, not so funny at the time)…. Billy was just coming out of surgery. Because the incision went from behind his ear, down to his collarbone, and across his throat, the bandages were massive. After waking up, it didn’t take Billy long to realize that the bandages were too tight. The more his throat would swell the tighter the bandages became. In fact…Billy could not breathe. The buzzer was out of reach and he could not get the attention of a nurse. He did have his cell phone in hand. He called his doctor’s office and told them he needed help! They asked, “where are you”? Billy said, “where do you think I am? I’m in recovery and I’m choking to death”. The doctor did get the attention of the right people and Billy was rescued.
Billy has made several trips to Houston, hoping that M D Anderson could miraculously offer a silver bullet. They could not. I am grateful Billy does have wonderful doctors in Odessa.
Billy is a beloved and celebrated track coach of 25 years. He considers his greatest achievement to be a positive influence for good as he has touched hundreds of lives over the years. His sincere encouragement has literally changed lives as he has successfully guided kids away from drugs, gangs, and crime.
In July of 2009, Billy had to resign his coaching career because he could no longer hold a full-time job and fight an all-consuming battle against a terminal disease. Odessa High has allowed Billy to coach “his kids” in track as a volunteer. Thank you Odessa High for affording Billy the opportunity to give all that he has left to what he loves most.
My admiration for Billy knows no bounds…and that is not speaking as a sister, but as a person who has come to see something in him that is so very rare and precious. Billy loves our Lord and Savior with all his heart. Billy has surrendered his life to Jesus Christ totally and completely. Billy is not bitter, nor has he cried out in self-pity, “Why me Lord”. He is truly an amazing person. My life has been richly blessing by witnessing his courage, strength, & faith. I know the Lord is preparing a special place for Billy and He will welcome Billy with loving arms and proclaim, “Well done thou good and faithful servant”. This earth life is but a small moment in comparison to the sweet refreshment we will find for an eternity. Billy, I Love you.
I am going to close with Billy’s own words. The following is a reprint from a message he sent earlier this year:
March 2011
I really do not know why I am writing this, but it has been on my mind for a while now and in my heart. I guess I just want you to hear so that it may give you hope and help when there comes a time in your life when you know that it is getting close to the time (or closer to the time) for you to go and meet Jesus face to face.
I look how I am coaching my hurdlers this year and compare it to how I was coaching just a year ago. I do not have near the energy, and my body aches all over continually. But, I am where I want to be – with my athletes. I can feel this cancer slowly eating up my body. Sometimes you get angry, sometimes you get depressed, but what makes all of this worth it is when you can feel Jesus help lift you up and ease your mind. I see him in a totally new light than from just a few years ago – He is with me; closer than ever before in my life. And, you can feel Him there with you; and you can hear Him comfort you in a way as never before. I know this cancer is not going to go away and it is going to continue to grow in my body. But, it is worth it because I know that I will see my parents again, my friends and relatives who have passed on and I will get to see a place that I have only heard about all of my life.
So, if there comes a time in your life when you find out that you have a disease that is going to end your life – it does not have to be a bad thing – just get closer to Jesus and He will help you through your journey to the end.. Thank you for your time.
are numbered among an incredible group of very awesome friends, you might like to hear the story from the beginning….
We will go back to June – July 2008: Billy called me almost daily complaining about pain in his lower back. We both thought it was a reoccurrence of an old problem from decades past, Previously, he had back surgery to replace a compressed disk. I nagged Billy to see an orthopedic specialist…Billy thought it would go away given enough time. Billy did see his chiropractor; x-rays indicated he needed medical attention…an adjustment was not going to cut it.
Second week in July 2008: I was in Houston visiting with my daughter’s family when I got a life-changing phone call. Billy was in agonizing pain. He literally could not move. Just breathing was like a guillotine across his back. I told him I was going to call 911…he said, “No”, that he’d call Willie or Danny to come get him. I waited for the news…as it turned out…Billy drove himself to the hospital. (As friends of Billy, surely you are not surprised at his stubborn streak). Nothing less than a miracle got Billy as far as the hospital parking lot before he passed out from the pain.
July 10, 2008: Dr. Ramsey operated on Billy’s back to relieve the pressure on his spinal cord. Friday morning (7/11), Billy called me with the news -- Dr. Ramsey suspected cancer. On July 25th, the biopsy came back, “Metastatic Carcinoma of Unknown Primary” (suspected lungs or liver).
July 30, 2008: “Big Time” surgery #2 -- Dr. Ramsey removed Billy’s L2 & L3. Bone from his hip was used to reconstruct the extracted vertebrae. Maybe you’re thinking the same thing I was thinking…..back surgery…you go in through the back…Right? ---Wrong! The vertebrae removal and reconstruction was from the front. Imagine your intestines scooped out, placed in a Tupperware bowl, and then spooned back in. When I saw him in the hospital, I knew he had been through something so horrible he would never voluntarily choose to repeat. Biopsies were sent to three different labs to ascertain the primary cancer.
I’m going to add this little narrative to the story --- it speaks volumes to Billy’s character ---
Upon his release from the hospital, I stayed with Billy while he recovered. It just so happened my birthday rolled around during that first week. I was just waking up when I heard Billy slip something under my bedroom door. It was a birthday card. After everything he had been through, I thought it was sweet of him to remember me. Well…that was only half of it, as I would soon find out. That was no ordinary birthday card. –I assumed Billy had purchased the card weeks earlier. Actually, he had gotten up at 5 am and drove to a 24hr Walgreens to buy me a birthday card. Unbelievable! Billy was not supposed to drive; heck, he could barely walk; and he certainly couldn’t stand on his feet longer than 2 minutes without blacking out from pain. What was he thinking??? Needless to say, I was stunned. I was moved beyond incredulous wonderment. He wanted me to have a token of his appreciation on my birthday. I still have that card…that card will be with me forever. I am taking that card with me into the eternities. My eyes blur with tears thinking of how much I love my brother and remembering just how special he is to me.
It took four weeks for the reports to put a name to Billy’s cancer…. Metastatic Papillary Thyroid Cancer. In addition to his bones, cancer had spread to his lungs, stomach, and his entire throat area including the ear canal. It’s extremely rare for thyroid cancer to jump first to the bones. 99% of the time, the lungs are invaded first. M D Anderson in Houston was glad to see Billy; he was a rare bird indeed.
Thyroid cancer is one of the easiest cancers to respond to treatment, so long as it’s discovered early and contained within the thyroid…but once it jumps to other organs…look out…you have a fight on your hands. Metastatic thyroid cancer is very tenacious and very slow growing. As Billy describes it…he has a “lethal turtle” loose inside him. Chemotherapy will not work. Radiation and Radio Active Iodine are the prescribed assault. Billy has received the full range of treatment and the lethal turtle is still loose.
Here is another little side bar – Because thyroid cancer can be hereditary, I requested a blood test to evaluate my thyroid. All was normal (so I thought). In March 2009, I saw an ENT physician about my seasonal allergies. With all new patients, he took my family history. I disclosed Billy’s cancer. We proceeded to talk about allergies…etc… Before I left, he recommended that I get an ultra sound on my thyroid. The rest is history; I too was diagnosed with papillary thyroid cancer. Thanks to Billy, I received the benefit of early diagnosis before the cancer had time to jump. I credit Billy for saving my life. It breaks my heart to see what Billy is going through; I know if it were not for him, I’d be going through the same thing he is now.
So how did we both get thyroid cancer if it was not hereditary? We both lived in the four corners area of New Mexico from 1954 -1965. Nuclear weapons were tested in Nevada between 1951 and 1958 and again in 1962.
In spite of decades of denials by government officials who routinely assured the public that radioactive fallout was harmless, in 1990 Congress passed the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act. RECA provides $50,000 per person compensation to the “downwinder-victims” who suffered specific cancers (including thyroid). However, RECA only concedes responsibility for cancers in northern Arizona and Southern Utah. Even though we lived in a direct line of the radioactive fallout, we were 20-miles outside the cutoff zone. I guess that cloud of radiation didn’t know it wasn’t supposed to cross the Arizona border.
Now that Billy’s cancer had a name he was scheduled for surgery #3 to remove the thyroid. Follow up treatment included radioactive iodine and direct radiation. Surgery #4 came in February 2010. He endured further aggressive surgery on his neck. Anything and everything that was not essential, on the right side of his neck, was removed.
Here’s a little humorous story: (well, not so funny at the time)…. Billy was just coming out of surgery. Because the incision went from behind his ear, down to his collarbone, and across his throat, the bandages were massive. After waking up, it didn’t take Billy long to realize that the bandages were too tight. The more his throat would swell the tighter the bandages became. In fact…Billy could not breathe. The buzzer was out of reach and he could not get the attention of a nurse. He did have his cell phone in hand. He called his doctor’s office and told them he needed help! They asked, “where are you”? Billy said, “where do you think I am? I’m in recovery and I’m choking to death”. The doctor did get the attention of the right people and Billy was rescued.
Billy has made several trips to Houston, hoping that M D Anderson could miraculously offer a silver bullet. They could not. I am grateful Billy does have wonderful doctors in Odessa.
Billy is a beloved and celebrated track coach of 25 years. He considers his greatest achievement to be a positive influence for good as he has touched hundreds of lives over the years. His sincere encouragement has literally changed lives as he has successfully guided kids away from drugs, gangs, and crime.
In July of 2009, Billy had to resign his coaching career because he could no longer hold a full-time job and fight an all-consuming battle against a terminal disease. Odessa High has allowed Billy to coach “his kids” in track as a volunteer. Thank you Odessa High for affording Billy the opportunity to give all that he has left to what he loves most.
My admiration for Billy knows no bounds…and that is not speaking as a sister, but as a person who has come to see something in him that is so very rare and precious. Billy loves our Lord and Savior with all his heart. Billy has surrendered his life to Jesus Christ totally and completely. Billy is not bitter, nor has he cried out in self-pity, “Why me Lord”. He is truly an amazing person. My life has been richly blessing by witnessing his courage, strength, & faith. I know the Lord is preparing a special place for Billy and He will welcome Billy with loving arms and proclaim, “Well done thou good and faithful servant”. This earth life is but a small moment in comparison to the sweet refreshment we will find for an eternity. Billy, I Love you.
I am going to close with Billy’s own words. The following is a reprint from a message he sent earlier this year:
March 2011
I really do not know why I am writing this, but it has been on my mind for a while now and in my heart. I guess I just want you to hear so that it may give you hope and help when there comes a time in your life when you know that it is getting close to the time (or closer to the time) for you to go and meet Jesus face to face.
I look how I am coaching my hurdlers this year and compare it to how I was coaching just a year ago. I do not have near the energy, and my body aches all over continually. But, I am where I want to be – with my athletes. I can feel this cancer slowly eating up my body. Sometimes you get angry, sometimes you get depressed, but what makes all of this worth it is when you can feel Jesus help lift you up and ease your mind. I see him in a totally new light than from just a few years ago – He is with me; closer than ever before in my life. And, you can feel Him there with you; and you can hear Him comfort you in a way as never before. I know this cancer is not going to go away and it is going to continue to grow in my body. But, it is worth it because I know that I will see my parents again, my friends and relatives who have passed on and I will get to see a place that I have only heard about all of my life.
So, if there comes a time in your life when you find out that you have a disease that is going to end your life – it does not have to be a bad thing – just get closer to Jesus and He will help you through your journey to the end.. Thank you for your time.
Friday, April 1, 2011
Friday's Help
MY CHILDREN make a pastime of judging one another-----and themselves. But I am the only capable Judge, and I have acquitted you through My own blood. Your acquittal came at the price of My unparalleled sacrifice. That is why I am highly offended when I hear My children judge one another or indulge in self - hatred.
If you live close to Me and absorb My Word, the Holy Spirit will guide and correct you as needed. There is no condemnation for those who belong to Me.
If you live close to Me and absorb My Word, the Holy Spirit will guide and correct you as needed. There is no condemnation for those who belong to Me.
Thursday's Timing
BE WILLING TO FIGHT FOR THIS precious time with Me. Opposition comes in many forms: your desire to linger in bed; the evil one's determination to distract you from Me; the pressure of family, friends, and your own inner critic to spend your time more productively. As you grow in your desire to please Me above all else, you gain strength to resist these opponents. Delight yourself in Me, for I am the deepest Desire of your heart.
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
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