Richard Byrd

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About 3 months ago, Richard started to have some back pain and thought he had over-worked some muscles while repairing the fence at home.  The pain continued to build over a few days, and he went to the Emergency Room in Hickory assuming it must be kidney stones.  Unfortunately, the x-rays did not show kidney stones, instead it showed a mass in his kidney and surrounding lymph nodes.  
Just days after this discovery, Immunotherapy treatments began.  The physicians, and we, were all very hopeful in this plan.  After 3 rounds of immunotherapy, a new scan was taken.  It showed growth in the tumor, not the reduction we had all been hoping and praying for.  
A new group of physicians in Charlotte were given Richard's case and they recommended surgery as soon as possible.  Surgery was scheduled for this past Wednesday, October 14th.  Richard was working so hard to make it to Wednesday, but he had chest pain and shortness of breath on Sunday and Monday, and by Tuesday, it was so severe that he went to the Emergency Room in Charlotte.  There they discovered he had 4 blood clots in his lungs; three small and one large.  Unfortunately, the treatment of the blood clots has become top priority, and will delay the immediate plans for surgery.