Update by Kelly:

While we were in Dallas in October for the Truth About Cancer Symposium, we heard of a Doctor in Atlanta who uses a team approach of mixed conventional and alternative medicine to treat patients with varying disease processes. We have been in search of someone local who does this. Fast forward to earlier this week when we finally sat down long enough to catch our breaths. Mom called the clinic in Atlanta to learn a bit more about what exactly they do down there and what treatment recommendations they would have for me. We ended up being on the phone with the doctor who sees cancer patients for about an hour asking questions and learning. He left us with his direct phone number and instructions to decide what we wanted to do and let him know when/if we wanted to go see him. We prayed about it and decided that if my numbers were low at my next blood test then we would wait and see, but if they were on the rise still, we would act with a bit more urgency. 

On Friday morning (Feast of St. Juan Diego as well as the birthday into heaven for both of my maternal grandparents AND Venerable Fulton Sheen) I went to get my blood work done including my CA125. While we were praying and hoping for lower numbers, we were told that they had increased instead. Almost immediately I was told to go get a neck, chest, abdominal, and pelvic CT scan to rule out any new tumor growth. Thankfully, Dr. Graham squeezed me in Friday evening. He was able to compare it to a CT I had from August and said that everything looks the same which was a good sign. Nothing new growing! While it's great news that my scans are clear, my blood test is still concerning. While at Hippocrates (South Florida clinic trip from October) we were told to expect increases in my CA125 due to the extra strict vegan detox diet that I've started since being there. The CA125 can fluctuate for a number reasons aside from increased cancer growth. So for now we feel like God has opened this new door for us to explore and learn what we can. The treatment program focuses on a proactive approach to boost my immune system that I can break up into parts before and after Christmas. Mom and I will be gone for the 2 weeks leading up to Christmas then we'll go from there. 

At a funeral for a friend we recently attended, the preacher Jerry Tidwell reminded us of one thing that is so important to remember: to find joy in the journey. There's so much to learn and so much to stress over, but at the end of the day what fun is stress and worry?? I'd much rather focus on enjoying this journey rather than being worried about the destination. God has a great master plan for my life and I'm thankful to be here living out my life however He wants me to. Thank you all for the continued prayers and support as well as for being a part of my life. I hope that everyone has a great Advent season and a very Merry Christmas! 

Update by Tim:

It’s Thanksgiving on the beach. The sun makes its way across the sky before diving into the western horizon in a breathtaking orange-colored glory, over a glow-in-the-dark light-blue ocean horizon. The waves roll, swirl, and crash—sometimes ever-so-gently, and other times tumbling and chopping; but they all end up spreading thin, crawling up the shore with the rhythm of the tide. They’ve always been there, and they will always be there. The days turn. The waves churn.

We come to this place every year to celebrate God’s gifts of love, grace, peace, mercy, and each other. Prayers for the intentions of friends and family are offered up, with so many reflections on the past year—a year which has tested our faith over and over again.

There’s something about gathering in one home, in one room, around one table on this day that always takes the soul into a whole new dimension. The scene freezes. My father-in-law, brother-in-law and I are watching the game—my brother-in-law and I are talking fantasy football playoffs, while answering my father-in-law’s questions about the intricacies of it all. My mother-in-law gives one last stir to the turkey dressing as she cuts it up with my sisters-in-law about the week’s adventures. There’s laughter and energy in the room. I glance over as I bring the final chair into position at the table, and see my beautiful wife—my world—my ultimate gift from God. She glows with a proud and confident radiance as she leans into my arms.

Eight months of being flipped, battered, grinded, and pulled in multiple directions both physically and emotionally, she flashes her world-changing smile anyway. We then bless the meal and give thanks to God. At that moment, everyone seemingly has a tray of chopped onions sitting under our eyes. 

I think about the love of the family, and how it’s manifested itself during these months. My mother-in-law Tricia, the superwoman she has been especially throughout Kelly’s battle, always there for her around the clock, keeping her steadfast to a seemingly 24/7 regimen—a task that no one else can handle without going completely insane. My father-in-law Ted always makes the multiple shopping runs to pick up supplies and food fitting to Kelly’s diet, and continuously ensures she has everything she possibly needs, when she needs it. More than once, he made the 4 hour round trip during chemo treatments to pick up something that was forgotten at home. Her siblings Taylor, Patrick, and Alice each have shown the unconditional love toward their sister which entails so many sacrifices of themselves. They’ve all surprised Kelly at one point or another, traveling hours from school or from home just to be with her for a few days, or even one night. Taylor, along with helping care for Kelly, has been managing this blog, and also coordinated the ordering and distribution of over 700 “Teal Team Kelly” shirts, just to take that burden off of us so we could focus on Kelly’s treatment in its early stages. There’s no better brotherly support than that from Patrick as he, Ted, and cousin Christopher Carmichael re-sodded our entire backyard so that I didn’t need to. Alice is Kelly’s sous chef and fellow caretaker with mom, never leaving her side when she is home from school in Dallas. She was up early on the days she was home to care for Kelly so that I could get ready for work. My brother-in-law Sam (Taylor’s husband)--who is probably the smartest person I know--led initial research in March to help discern the direction we would take for Kelly’s treatment. I am thankful for the love and care represented on this special day.  

It’s the team coming together after a hard-fought contest; but not knowing if it is truly the postgame, or just halftime. We don’t know—we never will know. What we do know, is that God’s love, grace, and mercy is the ocean. It will ride ever-so-gently at times, with the calm hush of the waves swooshing through each other. It will also tumble and chop recklessly, blocking the horizon and destination from sight with fierce power, challenging us to exercise our faith. The sun will rise, introducing the day ahead, in all its brightness; and then it will set, yielding to darkness. And it’s the darkness which brings about the beauty and power of our faith. The waves still swoosh, roll, and tumble ever-so-gently. Tomorrow happened today. It always has. It always will. 

It’s Thanksgiving on the beach.

We’re so thankful to God, and to all of you for your prayers, support, love, and faith. We continue to pray for you, your families, and loved ones.

Happy Thanksgiving! 

Update by Kelly:

We have been on the go non-stop for the last month and a half learning about and educating ourselves on health and how to live a preventative lifestyle to keep this cancer thing kicked. About a week after I got my stomach port removed, we hit the ground running. Taylor, Mom, and I went to Dallas to visit Alice and to attend Ty and Charlene Bollinger’s Truth About Cancer Symposium. We went to classes all day Friday, Saturday, and Sunday and learned about a wide range of areas from preventative steps to take in disease prevention, focusing on finding the cause of cancer in the individual in order to find the cure, the importance of diet and nutrition in health, and how big of a role stress plays in cancer progression. The speakers included a lot of heavy-hitters and outside-the-box practitioners that we have been following throughout this health journey such as Dr. Axe and Dr. Mercola. One thing that really has stuck in my head is that there is so much research and evidence coming out about the dangers of mammograms and how there are other options out there such as thermography that are more effective than mammograms with early detection. It was an amazing weekend and I got to see so many friends in Dallas, as it was also my 5 year college reunion! We’re still sorting through all of the information we learned at this event!

A few days after returning home, my Mom and I packed up for a 3 week trip to Hippocrates Health Institute in West Palm Beach, FL. We didn’t know too much about what we were getting ourselves into, just enough to know it was where God was leading us at this time to further our knowledge base. It wasn't quite the “relax by the pool, catch up on some much needed sleep, go to the beach” kind of vacation. It was quite the opposite! There was so much to learn and we figured that out very quickly. The co-directors at Hippocrates are a husband and wife duo who are insanely brilliant and very down to earth. They gave a lot of the talks but also had other people come in to lecture as well. The main focus is on diet and lifestyle in prevention of illness. There were people there who are battling cancer, MS, diabetes, fibromyalgia, and brain injuries as well as people who come there just for overall health and prevention. In our “class” alone, we had something like 10 different countries represented in a group of 20 people. Everyday we ate a lot of sprouts and other raw vegan cuisine. The premise is that you truly are what you eat, so why put junk in your body? They recommend 100% raw “living” foods (sprouts, vegetables, etc.) especially when battling some sort of disease - like cancer or even a common cold. One of our weeks there was a separate class called Comprehensive Cancer Wellness Program (CCWP). It was led by Dr. Janet Hranicky and the week focused on mind and body wellness. We learned about the effects of stress on our bodies and how this stress can lead to cancer. I also learned what seems so obvious, but needs to be said. We are not our disease. The cancer I have/had does not define me. What I do, what purpose I serve on Earth, what God has called me to do is who I am. 

Our favorite night was going to the home of one of the chefs where she prepared (not cooked because its all raw vegan!) a 5 course Thanksgiving meal for some of us. It was so delicious! It was a good chance for us to see how to incorporate this raw foods lifestyle into everyday life. We met so many lovely people from all around the country and world who were and will continue to be instrumental in my life. I am so thankful that God put them in my path!

We are looking forward to having some downtime in order to sort through all of our notes from our two big trips. I know that God has led my family and me on this path of healing and health. I also know that healing is not about a destination…as if one day it’s I’M HEALED so back to normal life. It’s more of a journey that I plan to be on for a very long time. The things we learned from both The Truth About Cancer Symposium and from Hippocrates Health Institute will be applied in my life. There are so many things I want to do with my life still and I feel so rejuvenated after these trips. Also, MY HAIR HAS REALLY STARTED TO GROW BACK! Still blonde, a little wavy, thick, and longer in some places than others. Maybe a little goofy looking, but its hair and I’m so happy. I’m hoping my curls come back as it gets longer, so we’ll see!

Thank you all for your continued prayers for me and my family on this healing journey. I can’t express how much all the prayers have helped me over the last 10 months. I celebrated my 28th birthday on Halloween, and pretty much cried all day out of joy and happiness that I got to celebrate another birthday. I only THOUGHT I loved birthdays before this diagnosis!! I know that my story could have turned out many different ways up to this point, and I also know that the prayers, love, and support from everyone has been the most important tool that God has used and continues to use. I ask that you continue to pray for me especially that my CA125 decreases as it is still a little elevated. I have complete faith and trust in God that He’s healing me. I am praying for all of you as well and hope that everyone has a very happy and healthy Thanksgiving. 

My sisters and I with Dr. Mercola at the Truth About Cancer symposium

One of my favorite teachers of all time, Dr. Slaughter

Best friends reunited at our 5 year college reunion

Alex and me - friends since 3 years old

Our one and only day at the beach while in West Palm Beach - before we started at Hippocrates Health Institute

My 28th Birthday complete with raw vegan "chocolate" truffle with a match for a candle

 Part of our 3-week family

Anna Maria Clement - one co-director of Hippocrates. She is beyond brilliant!

 The fantastic chef, Rinate

Dinner was delicious at Rinate's home!

 Our graduating class on November 11

Our last lunch at Hippocrates

     Kelly's scans came back clean again! She had a PET/CAT scan around 7:30 this morning in Nashville. Her CA125 is still higher than we would like (at 40). Her doctor believes this is potentially due to inflammation from her port and lingering chemo. We pray it will continue to decrease. He will continue to check her CA125 level until it is well below 35 (normal level) and then go to every 3 months. She will continue to get a PET/CAT scan every 3 months for now and then go to every 6 months if the scans continue to come back clear. 

    Later this month mom and Kelly will head to south Florida to the Hippocrates Health Institute for 3 weeks. There they will focus on clean eating, exercising, healing, detoxing and calming techniques (which will mainly build on the good eating/lifestyle habits they already have begun). They will only eat raw vegan foods and have a program specifically for cancer patients. 

     We ask you to continue praying without ceasing. Although she is in clinical remission and we are so very grateful, we can't take this news for granted. For now we celebrate her continued miracle and pray that the cancer will stay far far away and never return. As Dr. NumNum advised this morning 'enjoy every day as a gift from God.' We would all do well to take this advice. 🙏🏼 

Alice's visit home last weekend :)

After the Michael W. Smith concert we attended on Sept. 29th. And Kelly in one of her adorable hats!

    As previously posted, Kelly's blood work went up just enough for surgery to remove her port two weeks ago today, on September 12. The next week her ANC had unexpectedly dropped again. Another small miracle that she was able to get her IP port out! Since her port removal she has begun to feel more like herself again. 

     This past weekend we road tripped to Birmingham for a wedding. On the way, we stopped in Hanceville, AL at the Shrine of the Most Blessed Sacrament to go through the Holy Doors for the Year of Mercy. It is an incredible church in a beautiful setting, with the mountains in the background, almost in the middle of nowhere Alabama, just north of Birmingham. We ran into a visiting priest from Georgia. He had such a spiritual and prayerful demeanor and was deep in prayer when mom saw him and wanted to ask for a blessing for Kelly. We waited for him to stop praying and as soon as he did he looked straight at us almost as if he knew what mom was wanting. We walked up to him and mom asked for a blessing. He said 'do you want anointing of the sick? I can go to my car and get my oil.' - she said no just a blessing is fine (it was a pretty long way to the parking lot). He said 'no I will go to my car, you wait here. I will give her anointing of the sick.' Once he got back he proceeded with a beautiful litany that we had never heard kneeling in front of the magnificent altar. He heard Kelly's confession and did the anointing of the sick. He prayed over her for a long time after and you could feel the Holy Spirit moving through him. Afterward he told her that he had been wanting to start a healing ministry in his parish and had been praying to God for a sign just before he saw Kelly. It was truly a God moment on both sides, the fulfillment of what he had been praying for and an incredible hour or so of praying over Kelly was such a blessing to us. Considering we weren't sure if Kelly should make the trip, this experience alone made us realize that this trip was meant to be. 

     We then continued to Birmingham where we attended the rehearsal dinner Friday night and wedding on Saturday. We all had so much fun, especially Kelly. It was so good for her to get out. She danced and had a blast. We had such an amazing time catching up with good friends and enjoying the weekend!

     On October 5th, Kelly will get her next PET/CAT scan. Please pray that they find no evidence of cancer. They will also be testing her CA-125 levels. Please pray that her number is below 35. She has already come such a long way from 8000, where she began this battle. God is so good and we continue to thank him every day for her progress thus far! 

We loved this verse inscribed on Mother Angelica's tomb on the grounds of the church we visited this weekend:

And we, with our unveiled faces reflecting like mirrors the brightness of the Lord, all grow brighter and brighter as we are turned into the image that we reflect; This is the work of the Lord Who is Spirit. 

- 2 Corinthians 3:18

Pre-op (before her IP port removal)

The Shrine of the Most Blessed Sacrament

Rehearsal dinner Friday night

Wedding reception in Birmingham

    We are thrilled and so grateful that Kelly has successfully completed her last round of IP chemo! Her surgery to remove her IP port is scheduled for Monday (Sept 12) at the Sarah Cannon Cancer Center at Centennial Hospital in Nashville. Her ANC (Absolute Neutrophil Count) aka her blood work was a little shy of what it needed to be Friday morning. Please pray that her levels go up this weekend so they can proceed, as she is beyond ready to have this thing out. 

     She has been in a great deal of pain since her final IP chemo (and really since they put in her IP port in June), a lot of which has had to do with her port inflammation. So removing this port is the main thing on all of our minds right now. 

     She also had a bit of a setback last week when her potassium level came back slightly low. Her doctor put her on potassium supplements for a week to correct her low potassium. When they checked her potassium level on Friday it was critically high, which is concerning as this can cause a variety of problems including heart attacks. They then put her on lasix (a potassium wasting diuretic) this morning to correct her potassium level. Pretty frustrating considering her diet is extremely high in potassium and it more than likely would have leveled out on its own. For the time being her diet is even more restricted to exclude high potassium foods. Please pray her potassium levels are back to normal on Monday. 

     After surgery they will do another PET/CT scan, tentatively scheduled for September 28th, that will hopefully again show no evidence of cancer! Thank you for your continued prayers! 🙏🏼 

First road trip in awhile (outside of chemo) Labor Day weekend to Sam and Taylor's house in Collierville for their house blessing.

     Kelly's blood work has gone up considerably from last week and she will begin her final IP chemo round tomorrow morning (August 23rd) around 8am. This round will include chemo tomorrow, Wednesday and then next Tuesday or Wednesday. Please pray that this final round will eradicate the remaining microscopic cancer cells. 

     She was in so much pain last week that her doctor decided to do a CT scan to make sure her port wasn't infected and/or there wasn't any pooling chemo that needed to be drained. They found neither which is good. Her port tubing is causing inflammation, which is causing the pain. As you can imagine, she is so ready for this last round to be completed! After this final round, once her blood work is back to normal, they will be able to remove her intraperitoneal (IP) port, which is the one causing so much pain. They will keep her chest port in place for 2 years following treatment. 

     Her CA125 (cancer marker) has continued to decrease and is now at 56! We are so thankful for this news! Her starting marker was 8000, so this is truly incredible and without a doubt a miracle. That is a 99.3% drop to date! For reference, a normal range for CA125 is less than 35. 

     Thank you for your continued prayers for strength and courage for Kelly to get through these next two weeks and the remaining weeks with her IP port.

'Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.' -Joshua 1:9

     Kelly completed her second round of IP chemo on Wednesday. She will have one to two weeks off depending on her blood work before her 3rd and final round. It has been a difficult past few weeks for her, as she has been in a lot of pain and very uncomfortable. We are very much looking forward to celebrating the end of her next round! 

     She is feeling much better today than she has in a while and was able to go for a longer walk around the block than normal. Please continue to pray for her strength and ability to finish out this last round of chemo successfully. We pray that this last round may be the final chemo she ever has to have and that even the smallest cancer cells may be permanently rid from her body. 

     Please also pray for Kelly's best friend who lost her mom to cancer this week. She was such an inspiration and also a second mom to Kelly. We know she is rooting for Kelly in Heaven! We love you Joirdan. ❤️

25 'She is clothed with strength and dignity, and she laughs without fear of the future.'

 -Proverbs 31:25

Kelly and Joirdan

After church one Sunday

Update on the last few weeks by Kelly:

     Back to our reality these last 2 weeks! My chemo regimen is more intense and more aggressive this time in order to hopefully wipe this thing out for good. Day 1 of chemo (July 12) I received a chemotherapy drug called Taxol via my IV port in my chest. Day 2 (July 13) was Cisplatin via my fancy new IP port mixed with 2 liters of fluids while at the same time receiving 4 liters of fluids via my IV port. Thats a total of 6 liters of fluid (=three 2 liter coke bottles!!!) crammed in my body!! After these 2 days, I was pretty wiped out, uncomfortable, full of fluids, and very nauseous. I took the hibernation approach over the next several days in order to recuperate. By Saturday, the fluids were gone but the nausea stuck around until it was time to get my “Part 3” of this round. Part 3 (July 20) was another IP treatment of Taxol with the simultaneous IV fluids. Thankfully, my body tolerated part 3 better than parts 1 and 2.

     This week is my week off and I have huge plans to relax, build up strength, eat, and enjoy my break. Another thing on the schedule this week is an involuntary-ish haircut. My hair has actually grown back quicker - and blonder and thicker - than I thought it would especially during my 2 month chemo-break. As promised by my doctor, the chemo has started to make my hair fall out again. I had good results from my blood work this week which is something we were concerned about since it is what has postponed treatments before. If it continues to stay up, I will have my next two week series on August 3rd, 4th, and 10th.

     Thank you so much for all of the prayers. God has been so good to me, and I’m thankful that He is continuing to heal me. Please continue to pray for good blood work results, minimal chemo side effects, and for my fantastic care taker team. I appreciate everything y’all are doing!

Some of the beautifully prepared food from family friends who take such good care of us :)

How I felt after each IP treatment (minus the candy corn and jolly disposition) -Kelly

     Kelly enjoyed recuperating at the beach. She is still in a lot of pain from her surgery and I imagine it will be awhile before she is back to "normal". Still, there is no better place to recover from surgery than the beach. 

     She touched many lives at the beach and gathered many more prayer warriors including two chair/umbrella guys (picture below) who created a flag from her t-shirt and will be displaying it on the beach in front of the Aegean. They told us they have been praying for Kelly together every morning before putting out the chairs. With all the negativity and violence going on in our world, it's refreshing to find kindness in complete strangers and be reassured of the core goodness of humanity.

     Now back to the real world. She had an appointment with her doctor Friday in Nashville to make sure she was healing appropriately and discuss when she would begin her next round of chemo. Tuesday (July 12) she will begin with IV chemo (in her old port) followed by intraperitoneal (IP) chemo (in her new port) on Wednesday (July 13) and another round of IP chemo the following Tuesday (July 19). It is much more intensive therapy. The goal if she can tolerate it will be to repeat the same treatment again in August and September. Please pray for minimal side effects from the chemo, that she tolerates this new treatment well, and for continued healing from her surgery. 

"Rejoice in hope, endure in affliction, persevere in prayer." - Romans 12:12

     Kelly was discharged from the hospital on Thursday afternoon, 3 days after surgery. It has been a difficult week physically and emotionally post surgery, please continue to keep her in your prayers. The pathology report came back positive for microscopic cancer in several of the samples. Not a huge shock but still hard to swallow when she's had such amazing results lately. She is still so much farther along than any of us could have imagined her being at this point; however, it does seem to make it that much harder, having a negative PET scan and surgery going so well, and then being quickly brought back to reality with lingering cancer cells. With that being said, we are extremely thankful to God for her incredible progress and for her continued healing.

     During surgery, Dr. Numnum was able to insert a new port in her abdomen where she will be getting additional chemo during her next rounds. This is positive news since generally stage 4 patients cannot be treated with IP (intraperitoneal) chemo. There were many factors that had to be in place during surgery (along with a negative PET scan outside her abdomen) that would allow her to get IP chemo. The side effects are much worse but the survival rate is greatly increased. The majority if not all of her remaining cancer is located in her peritoneal cavity (abdomen) so it makes sense that the best way to treat it would be through IP chemo. 

     We are so grateful for her doctor, but most of all know that God is in control and are so amazed by the blessings that He has poured out on Kelly and all of us thus far in her journey. We continue to be thankful for answered prayers and the miraculous healing that has already taken place and continue to pray for complete healing for our Kelly. #PrayersForKelly #KellyKicksCancerInTheOvaries #TealTeamKelly

"It is You Jesus, stretched out on the cross, who gives me strength and are always close to the suffering soul. You, O Lord, are faithful." -St. Faustina