The Doctor Wears PRADA

It feels as though it's ALREADY been a journey, yet the journey has just begun!

First and foremost, MANY thanks to YOU ALL that continue to pray, send prayers, gather prayer warriors and offer uplifting spirits that along with GOD are keeping Mike at peace and bringing continued peace along this path we head down.

This day seems as if it took forever to get here, but in reality MD Anderson is AMAZING and has worked at light speed to ensure thoroughness and all testing to provide a direct diagnosis for what Mike has in his system. I will do MY best to provide the information that the Dr. and PA provided today and links to lead you to some websites that explain as well.

3 O'clock could have not come any sooner today as I tried hard to keep busy with work, but my mind wandered back and forth to the DR walking in with that cold metal chart board with horrifying results or a "surprise".

Well the time was upon us and I bravely pulled into MD Anderson (alone) and I say bravely because if you know me, you know I don't drive Downtown or The Med Center without breaking out into hives and a brown paper bag in hand for that old fashioned breathing technique -- the entire area and traffic is terrifying! I parked and met Mike, his Dad, Maggie and Kevin in the waiting room for that page..."Mr. Charnock!" The page came and we all walked back into the patient room and waited for The Dr. I do have to give special thanks to Maggie for providing VERY entertaining stories of their childhood to pass time! Very amusing and kept smiles on the face and the fear in the back of mind.

Time passed and what seemed like such a short time, the Dr. and PA walked in -- no scary metal clip board with a bunch of red marks and writing that looked foreign. A tall, very pretty young female Dr. walked in...crisp white long Dr. jacket, a VERY stylish and cute designer dress and sassy green strappy heels - she was so warm, spoke so soft and was very thorough -- IMMEDIATE comfort and peace consumed me. She and her PA went over the complete diagnosis and confirmed all that was dancing around in Mike's body and ensured us with Mike's age and him being in such great health -- treatment will be aggressive and she is confident he is going to beat this! AMEN!

Now onto the diagnosis. Mike is battling Lung Cancer. Now that ALL testing is complete, the Cancer has spread to a few areas in the body - The Lung (only one side), The pelvis and Sternum (which the refer to as Bony Disease), the lymph nodes and the Brain. The Dr. clarified Mike is in Stage IV of Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer -- But STILL VERY treatable! The Brain is the first concern of the Dr. and an appointment with a Neurologist has been scheduled for tomorrow morning to discuss options to remove -- surgery will most likely be involved, BUT we are thankful that the tumor is operable and can be removed. The Dr. is in hopes that the surgery will be scheduled VERY soon (as soon as next week) and he can start his treatment and kick this Cancer in The BUTT!! The Dr. wants to start an aggressive treatment program which she will provide more details at that time - the brain is the main concern at the moment and removing this tumor.

Another battle that is going on within his body is Mike has Emphysema. It is a disease that is irreversible but can be slowed down - and confident that Mike is going to listen to the Dr.s and Us all -- it will surely slow down down down.

Thank YOU ALL beyond belief for The support from Our Family, YOU, YOUR Families, YOUR Friends, YOUR Prayer Warriors you have gathered and MANY MANY more that are lifting Mike up with Positive Spirits -- Take it from ME, It IS Working!! GOD continues to AMAZE me Daily and HIS LOVE for US grows Daily and I take great pleasure in Praising him and Letting EVERYONE know what he HAS Done, IS Doing and WILL Continue to Do for Mike and Our Family!!

I will continue to keep you posted -- XOXOXOX

P.S. I have heard NOTHING But RAVE Reviews about MD Anderson, and YOU ALL are so right! The Hospital and The Teams they have working behind the scenes to Heal Patients with Cancer offers Overwhelming Comfort! Visit their site when you have a chance - it is fun to LEARN!