Scott Wilkins 08/01/1980-06/24/2015

Scott Thomas Wilkins, 34, was delivered from brain cancer at 3:15 p.m., Wednesday, June 24, 2015. He was a faithful believer, loving son, devoted husband, dedicated father, and loyal friend.

Scott (or “Scotty” by those who loved him) was born on August 1, 1980, the second son to Dave and Marilynn Wilkins of Sugar Land. He grew up strong and happy, spending many days working on cars, camping, and tinkering with his dad and brother Aaron.  He loved the outdoors, excelling in scouting- where he obtained the rank of Eagle Scout after many years of hard work and dedication.  He loved to take trips to the family farm in Grapeland where he could ride four wheelers, fish in the pond, make bonfires and hone his outdoorsman skills.  He also spent many weekends and hot summer days in Matagorda, where played at the beach with his cousins and his dad taught him the secrets of catching red fish in the bay.  He developed a love for fishing and hunting at an early age and always was happy to be with his family.  He graduated from Clements High School in 1998 and Texas A&M in 2003 with a degree in Agriculture Systems Management, and it was only natural that Scott would choose a career where he could be outdoors, as he was a devoted employee of Bio Landscape and Maintenance in Houston. He soon found the love of his life in Candace Mayo, and proposed at the Mayo Lake House in Lake Limestone. They married in October of 2009 at the Mayo Ranch, where they would spend much time together with family and friends.  They settled in the Katy area before having their son, Tyler, in 2011. 

 All of Scott’s passions were expressions of love for his family and friends.  He was truly unique in his ability to give a good hug, make you feel comfortable, and melt your heart with his million-dollar smile.  Equally talented with a filet knife or a bag of charcoal, there was no better place to enjoy Scott’s art for storytelling than over a helping of his redfish on the half shell.   He also had a special gift for carpentry, creating beautiful custom works of art that ranged from rugged oversized patio chairs to delicately polished cutting boards. Scott spent weeks crafting some of his pieces and always was happy to see the smile that they brought to the recipients’ face.  One of his custom pieces, a 7-foot solid wood stained table, stands in the heart of the Matagorda family beach house.  Around it we will celebrate his life, keep his memory alive, and find rest in knowing that Scott is with his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. 

Scott’s loving family includes his wife Candace of 5 ½ years; 4 year old son, Tyler; mother and father, David and Marilynn Wilkins; brother Aaron and wife Laura and their children Reagan, Sadie and Gabby, grandmother Helen Finch; mother-in-law Jeannine Mayo; sister-in-law Amber Broussard and family, brother-in-law Carlton Mayo Jr. and family. Scott was preceded in death by his grandfather, Newell Finch Jr., grandfather Jimmie Wilkins, grandmother Sadie Adlong, step-grandfather Bud Adlong, and father-in-law Carlton Mayo.

 Scott’s 4-year battle with brain cancer has been marked by his courage and faith, and the Lord’s provision in surrounding him with the overwhelming support of friends and family.  Those who were blessed to know and love Scotty will never forget his larger than life presence and gentle and humble spirit.

A visitation will be held from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. on Sunday, June 28^th, at Holy Rosary Catholic Church of Rosenberg and will be followed by memorial tributes and a Rosary Prayer at 6:00pm.

A celebration of Scott’s life will be held at 10:00 a.m. Monday, June 29^th, at Holy Rosary Catholic Church of Rosenberg.  Scott’s close friends and family will accompany him to his family farm in Grapeland, TX where he will be buried alongside his grandfather, Jimmie Wilkins, grandmother, Sadie Wilkins, Step-grandfather, Bud Adlong, and many other family members.

In-lieu of flowers, donations to Tyler Wilkins’ college fund can be made via PayPal. Website: www.Paypal.com/sendmoney  -

Use email address tylerwilkinscollegefund@gmail.com.

Hospice

Hello my family and friends,

Here is a quick and needed update for everyone wondering and asking about Scott. As some of you may know, On June 5, Scott had extremely low blood pressure and a terrible headache.  The techs at the Wellness Clinic could not "stick" him for his IV- So we took Scott to the ER at MD Anderson.  There we waited ALL day for an MRI.  We finally had the scan around 11pm that night and the results showed that Scotts tumor was pushing the right side of his brain into the left.  He had what they call "Mass Effects".  His tumor had shown significant growth since the previous scan, exactly one month prior. So they pumped him up with steroids to help reduce the swelling, and they sent us home.

We went for a follow up visit with Scotts Oncologist the next week at MD Anderson.  There they reviewed the three previous scans and once again came to the conclusion that his tumor has just taken over pretty much the entire right side of his brain.  Since there is still no other form of treatment for his type of tumor, because we have already exhausted all options in the last 4 years, we spoke about the option to put Scott into Hospice Care.

We met with a social worker that day and she went over everything that Hospice entails, and after a few days of thought, we decided that would be the best route at this point for Scott.  So as of this past Monday, Scott is officially on Hospice Care.  He has taken a serious turn in the last few weeks, since June 5.  He is no longer able to care for himself or do much on his own. He doesn't have much feeling or strength in his entire left side of his body, so it makes it difficult for him to get around.  He sleeps about 20-21 hours a day, and he is extremely restless at night.

Keep Praying for Scott's sweet soul.  It is very hard to watch this AWESOME man take this downturn as this tumor is taking over his brain.  He has been so positive throughout this 4 year battle with this nasty and aggressive Glioblastoma.  I am thankful we were able to spend those 4 years with him - he is one of the very best men I know.  God has big plans, I may not like them, but I know they are for his reason.

These are the last three scans, you can see the tumor really is taking over the right side of his brain...

I have to say, over the last several weeks we have had so many friends and family here to support us, and I am so grateful.  I couldn't do this without my mom, she's the best example and support - unfortunately she knows exactly what I am going through as she experienced this just 5 years ago with my dad.  My mom is here any second that I need her and I am so thankful.  I have amazing in-laws that can stop anything they are doing to help with Scott - its a true blessing, because things can get so hard, physically & emotionally.  They have a great love for their sweet son, and its obvious- they will do anything for him!  My friends and family are amazing too - everyone is willing to take Tyler so that he can get out and play with their kids - he doesn't know what to do with himself, with all of these daily playdates.  And recently my friends Stacey and Lisa started a fundraising page where SO MANY amazing people have contributed to Scotts Care - its truly unbelievable how many people have supported us through this - Its awesome to see that some people who don't even know our family have contributed to helping heal Scott - wether it be donations or just prayers and words of encouragement.  Thats the power of our mighty God.  He will always provide.  I cannot thank everyone enough for all that has been done for us.  Somehow it makes this process a little easier.  

THANK YOU to everyone that has been with us on this journey, and keep praying.  

Much love from The Wilkins Family,

Candace

The Plan....

Hi Family and Friends,

Since many people have been asking, I thought I would try to write a quick update on Scott.  We found out on Monday that Scott tested negative for the protein in his blood, therefore he was not eligible to participate in the trial.  We were very disappointed with the results; however. we thought that God would lead us in the right direction, like I said in the previous blog post, so we took that as our sign that that was not the right path for us.

On Wednesday, we arranged to meet with the Doctors at MD Anderson to discuss the next plan of action because every second that we waste is critical.  Since Scott's Doctor was out on an emergency leave, we were able to meet with his old Doctor - who we loved dearly! He came up with a plan of action to start Scott on a drug called Acutane - which is also known to treat Acne.  I actually have experience with this drug because I myself took it when I was a teen - let me tell you it is no joke...and Scott would be on a dose 4-5x what I took!  Needless to say, there are many side effects that he would have to endure - AGAIN!   But as the Doctor put it, its kind of a last effort drug - It was originally formulated to fight brain tumors and it has shown success. At that time, we decided that we would give it a try....UNTIL - we got a call from a Dr. that we originally had an appointment to see at the end of the month - they had an opening and wanted to see Scott first thing in the morning on Thursday.

On Thursday, Scott's parents, Scott and I went to The Houston Wellness Clinic - http://www.houstonwellnessclinic.com - where we met with Dr. Allibone.  He is a traditional Doctor that specializes in Alternative Medicine.  Even though our hour long consultation was jam packed with TONS of information, and we were left  a little perplexed about certain topics, we all felt that this was the route we should take.  They offer so many natural means to cure these terrible diseases its quite amazing! He has had many cancer patients that have shown success in using his therapies, so  after speaking to him we jumped on board!  Scott immediately got started with a IV Therapy treatment.  He will have to go FIVE days a week for SIX weeks to get these IV Therapies.  Scott has been placed on the Cancer therapy plan.    He has undergone extensive blood testing over the last few days - today alone he had to get 17 tubes of blood drawn - They are trying to determine a specific regimen for him- which sounds fabulous - not just a standard treatment, it will be geared towards his specific needs!  Sometime soon we will also need to meet with an Alternative Medicine Dr in Grapevine - He offers a form of Chemotherapy that Scott will need to have.  So we will be making trips to see him, we aren't sure how often at this point though.   We are still learning every second.  This is a huge undertaking!  Its a full time job managing him, thats for sure - ( Daily appointments, distribution of supplements, making sure he is fed!!, etc.)  He will also have to have a huge diet transformation - he is not allowed ANY SWEETS or grains - ONLY VEGGIES with a few meats.  He is not happy about this and actually I am certain this will be the hardest thing to manage.  I am sure glad that his parents are helping every step of the way, because I don't think I could do this alone!  And our families have played a huge part in caring and watching our Tyler-man- because obviously we can't bring him to all of these crazy appointments!

Scott is doing okay.  I am looking for a total turnaround any day now! His confusion got a bit better, but in the last two days it has really taken a back turn again.  He is pretty much confused all day long.  He comes up with some silly things!  And he is still hungry every second of the day...his brain will not let up on the hunger cravings - Today at the clinic he was asking any and everyone for a snack!! They were all laughing and thought it was funny, but man I was sure getting embarrassed....oh well, thats Scotty - always trying to be funny. But these days I don't know if he is actually trying to be funny or if he is just confused and makes things seem funny - if that makes sense?  I will leave you with some of the information I got from the Wellness Clinic Website if you are interested in reading about some of the therapies Scott will get - I

 took a picture of Scotty today at his 2nd IV infusion treatment - he got the Ozone therapy - as you can see in the picture he loves the chairs!  - I also included a picture of his daily supplements - it took me about 35 minutes just to get them all sorted!

Ill be in touch soon -
Candace

(The following is information from the Wellness Clinic Website on the therapies Scott will receive)

Alternative Cancer Therapies in Houston

Conventional therapies have seen little progress in cancer survival rates over the last 20 years, and a concerted effort is being made to find alternative therapies that may result in improved outcomes, without the negative side effects of chemotherapy and radiation. Various doctors around the country, specifically Dr. Nicholas Gonzalez in New York City, and Dr. James Forsythe in Reno, NV, have already achieved this.

Houston Wellness Clinic practices many of the same methods that these doctors have instituted in their management regimens. Apart from IV therapies and oral protocols, we also use static magnetic field therapy, ozone therapy and certain vaccines (both autologous, with one from urine and one from serum).

Understanding and adhering to certain principles increases the success rate of our alternative approach:

• Eating the correct foods according to your blood type. Not only is it important to consume nutritious, organic foods whenever possible, but you must also eliminate sugar and glutamine from your diet. Cancer cells thrive on these two sources; by avoiding them, they are essentially starved.
• Cancer often arises secondarily to inflammation or disturbances in mitochondrial respiration, and compromises energy production within the cells as a result. This may stem from a variety of causes, such as chronic viral infections, toxins, poor eating habits and chronic bacterial and fungal infections. We examine these clinically before assessing the immune system's status. A compromised immune system has great difficulty eliminating underlying disorders, such as infections, cancer, etc. 

If the immune system is compromised, we have the supplements necessary to bolster its responses.

It is important to maintain a strict adherence to protocol when undergoing alternative therapy. If the primary cause of cancer is oxygen deprivation at the cellular level, a major effort needs to be made to increase the amount. This is achieved with oxidative therapies, such as ozone, deep breathing exercises, regular exercise and avoiding drugs that deplete CoQ10 (Coenzyme Q10, an enzyme involved in mitochondrial respiration). Omega-3 fatty acids are a critical component of your diet, and statin drugs deplete CoQ10 levels. The addition of protomorphogens (glandular extracts) matches your particular cancer.

Since the liver is the main detoxification organ in the body, it plays a significant role in cancer therapies, which mandate a 3-week detoxification program. This should be accomplished with concomitant kidney detoxification (liver's helper) prior to commencing an actual therapeutic protocol.

Brain Cancer

Brain cancer is unique in that both benign (non-cancerous) and malignant (cancerous) tumors are very dangerous in this part of the body. When tumors grow, they can constrict normal brain tissues that are the central control for the body and therefore, can be devastating if not removed. There are many different types of brain cancer that's classified as "primary" meaning it originated somewhere in the central nervous system (brain and spinal) including; Gliomas, Astrocytomas, Oligodendrogliomas, Ependymomas, Meningiomas, Medulloblastomas, Gangliogliomas, Schwannomas (neurilemmomas), Craniopharyngiomas, Chordomas, and Non-Hodgkin lymphomas. The other brain cancer classification is metastatic or secondary brain tumor meaning it's a different cancer that has spread to the brain (ie metastatic breast cancer).

Therapy can be very complicated due to the many types of cancers and the sensitive regions in the brain. A complex brain tumor may take a team of doctors to address. Traditional therapies include; surgery, radiation, chemotherapy, and medication. The Houston Wellness Clinic can provide powerful supplemental or alternative therapy options to help fight this cancer. To do this the doctor prescribes a specific plan for each patient containing a variety of aggressive therapies such as Poly MVA, intravenous vitamin C Therapy, and Metabolic Therapy, depending on the situation. He also provides a cancer fighting diet and lifestyle program, along with powerful supplements that will aid in both the success of the therapies and overall health.

Anti-Cancer Vitamin C IV Therapy

An increase in cancer patients continues to rise, taking the second spot on the leading causes of death in the U.S. in 2009. Studies continue to be conducted to find cures for the many forms that exist. One of the managements getting a great amount of attention is IV therapy using extremely high doses Vitamin C. This potent vitamin kills the cancer cells but does absolutely no harm to healthy cells in the body.

Hydrogen Peroxide Therapy

Hydrogen Peroxide (H202) is simply made of two hydrogen atoms and two oxygen atoms. This valuable compound must be present for the body's immune system to work properly. One of Hydrogen Peroxide's best attributes is the ability to restore the body by increasing tissue oxygen levels. Supplying your body with Hydrogen Peroxide Intravenously can help a huge list of conditions including; Pulmonary Diseases, Acute Infections, Vascular Diseases, Immune Disorders, Infectious Diseases, and various other ailments.

Poly MVA Therapy

Poly MVA is an alternative protocol management for cancer either by itself or alongside traditional cancer therapy. This complex, antioxidant-rich formula includes; minerals, vitamins, and amino acids, among other ingredients. In essence, Poly MVA strengthens the body at a cellular level by supporting cellular energy production as well as protecting DNA and RNA.

Meyer's Cocktail Therapy

The Meyer's Cocktail is a nutrient based protocol that replenishes the body with vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. Mainly used as an energy booster, this intravenous management can safely deliver very high doses of nutrients that could otherwise not be absorbed by the body.

IV Therapy is very safe when administered by professionals trained in this field. In contrast, extremely high doses of many vitamins through oral ingestion are not safe because the liver and stomach have to break them down which can cause diarrhea and gastrointestinal symptoms. However, by administering these high doses of nutrients by IV, causes it to go straight into the bloodstream, therefore the liver and stomach are not negatively affected. Furthermore, due to the natural, unaltered nutrients and the method of delivery, very minimal or zero side affects occur.

Overall, IV Therapy is very specialized depending on each individual patient's needs. This management is so unique because the doctor can mix together the appropriate ingredients based on exactly what each body needs to heal itself. Using this specialized management allows the clinic to help patients reach the path of optimal health.

Ozone Therapy

Ozone is a heavily oxygenated compound naturally found in the environment. Ozone therapy introduces the same ozone into your body through the bloodstream. This process delivers more oxygen in blood and to tissues, similar to Hydrogen Peroxide Therapy. By allowing more oxygen into your system you can alleviate many physiological conditions. 

Another positive side effect of ozone therapy is the increased burning capacity of cells and the overall amount of fat burned at rest.

Conditions It Manages

• Improved Sleep Patterns
• Reduces Inflammation
• Fights Against infection
• Improves Mitochondrial Function

Cancer Ozone and Ultraviolet Blood Irradiation is a combination that can help fight cancerous cells.Back to Top

Ozone is added to the patient's blood using an IV under sterile conditions. Varying amounts of ozone therapy are administered depending on the condition. Ozone can be administered rectally, which can be beneficial for bowel inflammation or infection. 

Ozone can be used supplementally with other therapies or in conjunction with Ultraviolet Blood Irradiation for added benefits of increased oxygen.

Progression

Well once again, it has been a while since our last blog post.  Since then Scott has had a pretty rocky haul.  His tumor started showing progression in September 2014, so he began a new Chemotherapy (CCNU). With this tumor growth, Scott experienced some peripheral vision loss. He started taking this in December. After taking the Chemo for about a month, it did not seem to shrink the tumor any, so they added a second chemo (Avastin) to help target the tumor.  Then in February 2015, the scan looked good!  The tumor had quite a bit of shrinkage!  His vision did not return - it actually grew to be a little worse - this forced him to stop driving.  He also had a few other side effects with these Chemos as well - like pain and soreness in his hands and feet and extreme fatigue.  Through all of this Scott was still able to go in to work each day.

In April, Scott was given a higher dosage of CCNU and a lower dose of Avastin, because the Doctor believed that the Avastin was causing his sore hands and feet.  With this high dose of Chemo, Scott started experiencing even more fatigue, forgetfulness, and a shortness of breath and it was becoming evident that he had a hard time controlling his appetite.  I took him to the ER one day after I had picked him up from work, because he seemed to be in a very poor state.  He could barely talk and he had a hard time walking.  After a bunch of test were run, they concluded that the only cause for all of the symptoms must have been a "chemo overload".  We were sent home that night.  A few weeks later Scott started becoming very confused.  He would wake up from naps and not be able to distinguish reality with his dreams.  Two Weeks ago, it was determined that Scott could not work in his state of mind - He was often confusing client & employee conversations, etc.  So he has not been to work since - We were initially hoping that it was a chemo induced confusion and that it would be temporary; however, last week, Scott had progressively gotten worse with the confusion - bad enough to where one day, I was not able to carry on ONE SINGLE conversation with him that made sense.  Very sad to see Scott this way.  I decided to take him to the ER after he had his scheduled MRI.  After being in the ER for about an hour it was determined that he would be admitted.  They ran several more tests on him for seizures, infections, etc. over the course of three days.   All came back ok.  But his MRI did show that the tumor had progressed.  This time the doctors reviewed the MRI with us and we learned that the tumor is actually in several different areas of the brain (All on the Right side) but instead of just one central area, it is actually quite widespread.  At this point, the doctors believe that it is not a chemo overload, but it is his tumor that has caused these issues.  His tumor is causing swelling in his brain, therefore triggering issues with his cognition- there is pressure on his hypothalamus which is what is affecting his appetite.  We also learned that he has a "Vision Neglect" on the Left side where there is peripheral loss - with that comes a whole bunch of other issues! ;(

While in the hospital, and after reviewing ALL of this information it was brought to our attention, that there are not any other FDA approved treatments that can help Scott.  He has already taken all that is offered for his type of tumor (a GLIOBLASTOMA).  But Since Scott has thus far proven to be a miracle patient(an average person with a GBM lives about 14 months after diagnosis), the doctors did not want to just send Scott away, so they sent us to speak with the Trial Doctors at MD Anderson.

Today we met with the Drs in the Phase 1 Clinical Trials in the Targeted Therapy Section at MDA.  There we learned about a trial called WT2725.  It is a study where a Peptide vaccine is injected once a week.  In order to participate in this study, Scott has to carry a specific protein in his blood.  They will also check for certain mutations that his brain tumor may carry.  We were informed that there is a 25% chance that he will qualify for this study.    They gave us a little background info on this study - it has been in Japan for a few years and has shown a high success rate there.  The success rate is lower in the US and they contribute it to the fact that they believe that the Asian race carries a protein (which caucasians do not) that reacts better to the peptide vaccine.  However, MD Anderson has had three patients that have been enrolled in this study - two of the patients showed progression after 8 weeks - one of the patients showed progression and decided on his own to have surgery and when they went in for surgery they discovered that the tumor cells were dead cells - so the vaccine did in fact kill the cells!  He has been on the vaccine therapy now for two years with no growth!  So his initial scans showed a false positive - so to help prevent that they now have a certain type of scan that will eliminate the false positive of tumor growth.  We think that this sounds hopeful!

With all of this being said - (IN A NUTSHELL!) we need your prayers now more than ever!  I truly believe that if this is God's will then all of this will align perfectly - and if it is not his will, Scott will not be admitted into this study.  My fear is that Scott will not go back to being his normal self again - I pray that it is still chemo side effects and that once that toxic drug is out of his system he will be back to his old ways!  I would hate for him to have to continue down this road - he is actually quite miserable when he is not able to go in to work each day.  All he thinks about all day long is work, and when he is going back in to the office.  His Company has been such a blessing to us - I can't even describe how accommodating they have been - its amazing!  I also couldn't survive a day without my family and Scott's family.  We have just been blessed by everyone around us- (even complete strangers) are so generous- I pretty much cry on a daily basis because of someones generosity towards our family.  I can't help but believe that it is God showing us that he is there for us during this extremely difficult time.

Thank you ALL for your continued prayers, love, and support!  We could not get through this without them.

Love to all -
Candace

more good news!

I know that I say it every time, but I really feel like it was only a month ago when I last updated this blog!  Time is trucking along thats for sure!

So our last appointment at MD Anderson was Last month, on June 17 - My Birthday (good thing we got more good news, It made the best present!).  Scott's scan was AWESOME!!!!  The Dr. came in to go over the results and I asked him, if it was still shrinking and he said - "well, there is nothing left to shrink!"  Meaning the Yucky Tumor is no longer visible!  Can you believe that??  We were shocked and in total AWE!  Scott is a MIRACLE - what great news, we have been blessed once again!

During this visit, we asked about the continued Chemo schedule, and Scotts Oncologist explained that he wants Scott to continue on until he reaches the one year mark.  Which is only a few months away.  So if the tumor remains unnoticeable, Scott can stop Chemo in October.  How cool is that?  I know he is looking forward to the days he doesn't have to take his poison.

I am attaching a picture I took of the images we reviewed with the Dr.  I circled the area of the tumor.  The Tumor is the bright white spot.  The far left was on 11/25/13, then on 2/24/14, then 4/21/12, and the right was the last scan on 6/16/14.  As you can see it has definitely gone away!

Hope you all are having a fabulous summer!  We have been staying busy for sure.  Seems like every weekend is full for us! Between going to the lake, beach house, the ranch, and our camping trips, we have not stayed put!  We have a few more trips planned for the summer, so we are looking forward to that as well.  Scott also got to go on the trip of a lifetime with his dad, too!  At the beginning of June they went to Alaska to fish!  He enjoyed every minute of it, well except maybe for the cold freezing rain! ha! I will attach a few of our summer pics below.

In the meantime, dont stop praying!  We appreciate everyones prayers, and they are obviously working!  Our family is blessed for sure!!!

Love to all,
Candace

 Sea World

Memorial Weekend on Lake Limestone

Alaska

Camping Trip in Galveston

July 4th at Lake Limestone

Chemo Update

WOW! I knew it had been a long time since we last updated this blog, but today I saw that the last post was in June - geez!  Time has sure been flying by in our world!

I guess there is quite a bit to talk about in this post today.  First off, we have been doing GREAT!  Scott feels great, he looks great, and he has a GREAT attitude about life and the cards he has been dealt.  Our little guy, Tyler is also wonderful!  He just celebrated his THIRD birthday! I asked him what he wanted for his birthday and all he said was a SHARK CAKE!  So we decided that we wouldn't do a huge party this year and we would just invite his cousins over to celebrate with one BIG shark cake!  He was one HAPPY HAPPY little boy!  He has been so much fun these past few months, because he is really starting to talk more and understand things.  It makes life much easier!  Im thinking the threes will be much better than those terrible twos!!! heehee!  Nonetheless, Tyler has been a great distraction from everything that has transpired over the last few months!  As for me, I am just trucking along and doing just fine!

Now to the news - as you may remember, Scott had gotten off of his Chemo and was getting great scans with no new tumor growth for quite a few months.  Well, over the summer things got a little "rocky".  He first started getting scans where the tumor was changing around April/May.  Then things got a little better, the progression stopped, so the doctors believed that it was probably just scar tissue that was forming from the initial radiation and surgery. So they left things alone.  But in October, his MRI scan showed that this aggressive GLIOBLASTOMA had reared its ugly head and had definitely grown back!  So at that time, his oncologist suggested that he start back on a form of Chemo (one that he actually took in the beginning - but a much stronger form. It's called TEMODAR).  This Chemo is the standard treatment for brain tumors.  So he started back on the Chemo at the end of October, and it was a tough start.  The Chemo made him really sick! He had a rough few weeks, but when we went back a month later for another MRI the results were clear - THE CHEMO WAS WORKING!!! WOOHOOO!  The tumor had shrunk quite a bit! After expressing our concerns with the way Scott was feeling, his oncologist lowered his dosage for the next round.  He continued on taking the "POISION"(as SCOTT calls it) and this time the lower dose was much better!  His body was able to tolerate it and he really only got tired at times - but luckily there was no sickness involved!  We went back again one month later, in December, and once again the MRI looked AWESOME!  The tumor continued to shrink!  At that point everything stayed the same - same treatment, and all.  This time we didn't have to return for two months!  


Yesterday was our two month mark, and we went back in for the MRI results - guess what???  they were once again just FABULOUS!!!  The tumor continues to shrink! We are so blessed!  His team of Doctors and Nurses are always so happy to see us!  Yesterday we ran into an old Nurse that he saw on a regular basis when he was in the Trial a while back and she was so excited to see him!  She said that we made her day!!! She also wanted us to meet a new couple that was there - they have a two month old baby - the dad had just been diagnosed.  We know what they are feeling at this moment because Tyler was only 4 months when Scott was diagnosed.  However, the couple had already left so we did not get to meet with them. It would have been nice for them to see Scott - he looks and acts so great- if you didnt know, you would never know he has a BRAIN TUMOR!  I remember when we first started going to MD Anderson we just wanted them to tell us that he would be fine and that they would get rid of this tumor, but they never said that; in fact, we are still waiting for those words!  We may never hear them, but in the meantime, we will not stop living our daily lives that we have been blessed with.  We will continue to praise our God every day for working this miracle on Sweet Scott.  We cant get through this tough journey alone, we need everyones support and prayers.  For everyone that is praying, those prayers are helping, and our Mighty God hears us - so please keep them going!!!

For now, that is all.  I promise I will try not to wait so long on the next post!  I must start preparing for our trip to California in a week and a half!  We are so excited...Going to make a trip to Disney Land, Newport Beach, Lego Land, and San Diego and an Aquarium somewhere in there! We have to make sure our little sea life obsessed son gets to see his favorite sea creatures!!   It should be a jam packed week, but we are ready to get away and enjoy some awesome California weather!  Wish us luck on the flight - It will be Tylers first airplane ride, and well if you havent met him- he has a set of pipes on him! hahaa I just hope he doesn't feel the need to use them!!!!

Much LOVE to all, 

Candace, Scott, & Tyler

Here are a few of the MRI Scans I thought I would include.  You are looking for the "white" area where the arrow is pointing.  That is the tumor.  The dark "hole" next to it is where the initial tumor was - it was taken out and the brain does not regenerate, so Scott does have an actual hole in his head! ;)  

Quick Update

Just a quick update regarding the last scan on June 3 and a follow-up from the last blog post...

The areas of concern that the doctors noticed on the last scan have actually grown.  The doctors are still unsure of what the spots could be because of conflicting images in the MRI.  They think that it could either be scar tissue or the glioblastoma cells flaring back up.  They say that it is not uncommon to see scar tissue form.  It can actually start to form anywhere from 18 -24 months after the initial radiation.  Scotty is right in that time frame!!

Next step is to do a spectroscopy - its an advanced type of MRI that can help to show if the areas are scar tissue or cancer cells.  The scan may not give us a clear answer, but if anything they will help the doctors determine a good location for a biopsy (the areas are in very different parts of his brain).  Scott will get the scan in a few weeks.  We are scheduled to leave on Vacation June 20 - so when we come back, he will get his new scan!  So until then, PRAY PRAY PRAY!!!!

Two years ago today, we were being rushed to the ER because of the CT scan that Scott had....June 10 was his surgery, Can't believe its been two years....we will never forget how in shock we were that day and really everyday since then, ha! :)  God led us to this, so we believe he can lead us through it!!!  Thanks for the prayers, and we will update ya after the next scan!