David Willis

     Welcome, caring family and loved ones, to our CaringBridge website. We are using it to keep family and friends updated in one place. We appreciate your support and words of hope and encouragement. Thank you for visiting.


     Many of you already know David's detailed story.  For those of you who do not:


     In late July 2014, a tumor was discovered and biopsied during David's routine colonoscopy.  A common colon cancer known as adenocarcinoma was diagnosed.  A week later, he was in the operating room having 12 inches of his sigmoid colon removed.  During this procedure, the surgeon discovered that those nasty little rapidly dividing cells had also grown through his colon into the lymphatic and vascular systems, finally making their disgusting little selves known through a malignancy in his liver.  Dave then became a Stage IV colon cancer "patient" (I like to say "survivor" but his logical, linear-thinking, analytical mind, says "let's not get ahead of ourselves.")


     In early September 2014, as soon as he had healed well enough, David began a chemo regimen called FOLFOX6 + Avastin, with infusions every other week for 12 treatments.  There was nothing easy about it, but he found himself adopting humor (just ask the oncology nurses) and various philosophies and observations (thank you, Pinterest) to help him through it all:


     "I've made it from the bed to the couch -- there's no stopping me now!"
     "I'm going to use my energy today and breathe and maybe blink. That's about it."
     "One more MRI and I will stick to the fridge."
     "Not to brag, but I haven't forgotten anything for, like 7 minutes."


     David responded well to the chemo and was blessed with a little over a year with "no evidence of disease."  During that time, we packed up, sold our house in Lubbock, and moved to the Dallas, Tx area to be near our daughter/grandkids who had unexpectedly lost their husband/father.  We had time to get settled in Little Elm before those very rude, uninvited cells came roaring back in the form of 3 more metastases on Dave's liver, as well as some "suspicious" nodules in his lungs.  In early June 2016, David  began his current FOLFIRI + Vectibix chemo regimen at the nationally ranked University of Texas Southwestern Simmons Cancer Center.  The treatments are nothing less than debilitating, and they knock him flat on his behind, but he is facing them head on and accepts that this path is what has to be followed for his greater good.  His tumor markers seem to indicate a good response again so far, and we are grateful for that.


    We love you all  and know you are wishing us well, and we dearly miss those whom we no longer frequently see.  Blessings to you all!