Hello and welcome, friends. First and foremost I would like to thank you for visiting this site and reading what I have to say. There is no real good way to start off a story like this, so I am just going to jump right in and hope you stick it out until the end. 

A couple months ago, Elizabeth got sick with what we originally thought was a cold. Cough, congestion, headache, etc. Nothing that alarmed anyone too much, especially after testing negative for Covid. Days and then weeks went by, and she just didn't seem to be getting any better. Multiple urgent care visits over several weeks resulted in different diagnoses: bronchitis, walking pneumonia, sinus infection, so on and so forth. She was referred to a cardiologist for an abnormal EKG and a pulmonologist for her continuing lung issues, both of which she was scheduled to see on December 21st. After trying many different inhalers, antibiotics, and other medications to hold out until then, Elizabeth got worse. She was more fatigued, not breathing well, had pretty severe chest pain that wouldn't go away, and her oxygen saturation was not stable. For those reasons, we all decided it was time to head to the emergency room. 

On December 9th, I took Elizabeth to Northside Cherokee ER. After being taken back, she got a number of labs drawn-all of which came back unremarkable. She also had a repeat EKG that was normal. The emergency doctor wasn't all that concerned, but after some discussion, we decided to get a CT scan to rule out pulmonary embolism or collapsed lung. He did note that her lung sounds were not as audible on the right as they were on the left. Elizabeth got the CT scan fairly quickly, and we watched Charlie and the Chocolate Factory on a very tiny TV screen while we waited for results. When the doctor returned to the room and sat down on his stool, he said the words you really never want to hear a doctor say. "I am concerned." He told us that the CT scan showed that there was a tangerine-sized mass on Elizabeth's right lung that was obstructing and preventing air from moving through that lung. He also noted that there was a small spot on her adrenal gland, and that he was concerned that it may be cancer. 

At that time we made the decision to have Elizabeth admitted for further testing. The next day she got a biopsy of the spot on her adrenal gland and a whole assortment of different labs. She was able to come home within a couple days without much more of an answer, and she was scheduled to see the oncologist and pulmonologist the following week. When she saw the oncologist, they informed her that she had stage 4 lung cancer. There was probably a lot of other medical jargon thrown around, and I am sure there is a more official name for her diagnosis, but that doesn't matter so much. The bottom line is that being cured is not a realistic goal for Elizabeth right now. Our main goal is for Elizabeth to live as well as possible for as long as possible. 

The plan was for Elizabeth to start chemo pretty shortly after that appointment. Unfortunately Elizabeth got acutely worse very suddenly. At the pulmonologist. She was unable to keep her oxygen saturation above 90% even on 6 liters of oxygen. If you don't know what that means, just know that it's bad. She was sent immediately to the ER where they found that the mass was causing her to clot in her lung. On top of that, she was in A-fib, meaning her heart rate was irregular and therefore not working effectively. She was admitted on several liters of oxygen, a heparin drip to thin her blood, and medications to try and put her heart back on track. They also started her on what I would consider to be "emergent" radiation. 10 days of it, most of which was done inpatient. In that time they were able to stabilize her heart rate and get her on oral blood thinners. She was also able to get a port implanted, which is a device right under the skin that will be used to administer her chemo through going forward (no more IV's, YAY). She was able to come back home last week, but unfortunately she is now on continuous oxygen. 

In the last month, Elizabeth has faced this diagnosis with unbelievable strength and determination. I am amazed every day, every time I talk to her. She is one of the strongest women I know, and I am proud to have her as my mom-in-law. The plan now is to kick this cancers ass. Chemo starts next week, and we have high hopes that radiation had a positive effect on the mass on her lung. She also had a CT scan of her brain that did not show any cancer-which is awesome news. 

If you are still here, thank you for sticking with me to the end here. In the next couple months, we all will be adjusting to this new normal, especially Elizabeth. We have made the decision to move to a bigger house in Kennesaw and move Elizabeth in with us so we can help care for her and get her where she needs to be for treatment. It has all moved so fast and yet not fast enough. Allen and I start the move into the new house next week, and we will slowly start moving Elizabeth and Lillian in with us. We are so incredibly thankful for the outpouring of love and generosity we have already received in the last couple of weeks, especially now that Elizabeth is unable to work. We have been blessed with family that have stayed to help, cook, and get Elizabeth where she needs to be. We have been able to get oxygen supplies that would otherwise be very expensive, which is so incredible.

I invite you all to stay and follow Elizabeth's journey here on this website, and if you feel moved to help or donate, please feel free to check out our "ways to help" page. Thank you, thank you, thank you.