Patrick Battle, Jr. Patrick's Story

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Dear Family and Friends,
 
We expect this story to have a happy ending.  We are driven by the expectation that God is with us!

Now for the rest of the story...

We appreciate every one of you – our friends and family who have showered us with an outpouring of love and support. We are blessed beyond measure to call you our friends. And because we love you and because you love us, in return,  we are going to carry you with us on this journey. It will make us all stronger! We thank you for that! 

Patrick, Jr. has been diagnosed with Osteosarcoma – a cancerous bone tumor. We just got back from 3 weeks of family vacation. The boys and I went diving on our first live-a-board dive boat to the Bahamas. Then Emily and Michele joined us for two weeks in North Carolina – hiking, tennis, golf, swimming in lakes and dancing on the 4th of July! All the while "Baby" Patrick was complaining a bit about a sore knee. (For all of you who know him and still sometimes call him Baby Patrick – its okay. He doesn't mind it – sort of!) Anyhow, as the good parents we are, we said, "suck it up kid, we're on vacation and we'll deal with it when we get home" (my words, not Michele's). Well, the MRI revealed a bone tumor about the size of a hockey puck in/on his femur above the left knee. A biopsy confirmed it on Friday July 14, 2017. 

A new friend told us, "the worse day is the day of the diagnosis." Friday was that day and it was a whirlwind. We've consulted great doctors (per my best man Stefan Zachar at PinnacleCare and our friend and personal Dr. Willy Lopez) Ortho Dr. James Voglino and the MRI team at CMI-South discovered the tumor. They referred us to a specialized orthopedic oncologist, Dr. Thomas Temple, whose office made accommodations to see us STAT. Damn that biopsy needle was BIG.  Dr. Temple's office team was simply amazing. We knew we were in the right hands. Surgical plan in place, they referred us to a pediatric hematology oncologist, Dr. Maggie Fader, at Nicklaus Children's Hospital – whose compassionate team navigated us through the treatment schema.

Our treatment began Monday July 17, 2017. We caught the tumor early – it's Stage IIB which is very treatable. We expect 3 months of chemo, followed by surgery, recovery and then another 5 months of chemo.  About 9 months all-in. It will be a long haul, but we think we know what to expect (we hope)! We're going to miss a lot of school this year so homeschool is in the works. No swim team either, but we plan to keep life as normal as possible and to attend as many events as possible... because that's how my wife Michele rolls. 

Depending on the Chemo, Patrick is planning some goals to reach along the way: 
 
1. He hopes to attend (at least a couple days) of Westminster's Warrior Week in August (with or without his hair) 
2. He's planning on making the high school trip to London in the Spring 
3. We're planning on a white water rafting trip on the Colorado river next summer 

Those who trust in the Lord will find new strength! Isaiah 40:31. We are all-in! We have a plan, we have our goals and now it’s time to get to work to beat this thing!   Thank you for joining us on this journey. We couldn't do it without you.

 We love you all, 

Patrick Battle, Sr. (Michele, Emily, Patrick Jr., William and Gigi too)


PS - We will be updating this site to keep everyone informed on Patrick's progress.  Additionally, we will be arranging a schedule for those who wish to provide dinner during weeks that Patrick will be receiving chemotherapy.   Click on the "Ways to Help" tab for the schedule. To participate, you will be able to provide home-cooked meals or place orders at Joanna's Marketplace and Chicken Kitchen – where accounts are set-up for The Battles. This function is not yet active, but will be soon.