Here we are again friends and family.  You have lifted us up through Dave's first brain cancer, through Paige's liver transplant... Jill's gift of part of her liver to her sister Paige and Dave's brain bleed and subsequent dementia.  Ya, that's a lot but your prayers saw us through.  All your prayers saw us through.  I am forever grateful for all of you.  I know the blessing's we've received through love and prayer.. my family has been blessed by it over and over.. and we're asking for it again.  First, a bit of history....Dave's first Tumor removed in 2009 from Akron General... ya Akron General. The Dr who broke the news  about the pathology to us said... get a second opinion... we are not brain cancer specialists..What a great DR... she was right... akron general said.. grade 2.. lets just watch it.  We used to live in Baltimore MD so went there for our second opinion at John's Hopkins.  They said...nope grade 3... start  treatment asap.  Had that at the Cleveland Clinc.  Good results at first.  But the tumor came back, twice.  Dave was turned away in 2009 by the Cleveland Clinic... sorry you have 9-12 to live they said, after 2 regrowths of his tumor (damn i'm not even exactly sure of those numbers.. but I know they were small).  I thought... F(*&amp;E you... said that right to the dr.... (big surprise) after him looking me in the eyes and said sorry... no trials... nothing we can do (still feel like it was about keeping their numbers up)  I knew that Senator Kennedy had a brain tumor... where did he go... ok Duke University Medical Center... yep we're going there... a phone call... and less than 8 hours later the one and only Dr. Friedman called us at 9:30 pm from the airport as he was between flights.  Facts and only the facts(that's what he wanted)... and I had them for him.  He cursed...unsure of why the clinic did that to us... and said.... do this... and this... and less than a week later we were in Durham NC.   Dave's new neuro oncologist... dr Katie Peters and her staff was our Godsend... and let me tell you, she is amazing... I remember her saying to Dave....I'm your Dr. till one of us dies.  We laughed... that is what she does.. makes us human and we can laugh.  Paige was also struggling for her life at this time and Dr. Peters saw us as a whole family, helping in any way she could... not just Dave as her patient.  God put us at this place.  Dr. Peters, if you are reading this.... my God, we love you, you are a part of our family.  Dave has done so well in his brain cancer journey... he is a trail blazer....lately we have struggled with the damage from the cancer recsection... the radiation... the brain bleed.. and my biggest concern was the dementia as a result of all this.  I feel like i jinxed myself in December when i talked to Dr Peter's nurse practitioner.  I literally said.. I'm not worried about the cancer coming back... i'm worried about this.. this and this...he had taken a bid slide backward cognitively   I want to take that back... I know better...and Dammit... the cancer is back.   Needless to say.... our story is continuing... all my energy has gone to this recap.  Please pray for our next phase.  We'll know more Monday.  God bless all those that continue to lift us up in prayer.

David Starkey

Update: January 21, 2020 – by Kathy Starkey