The Results are In...

...and the mass was in fact cancerous. The type of cancer is something I cannot pronounce (and to be honest cannot remember). The doctors say that ALL of the cancer was removed along with the kidney!!!!!!!!!!! It was also the "best" kind of cancer to have on the kidneys because it is easily treatable if found early enough! Whew!! Dad is one lucky guy...

I am taking Winky to see him tomorrow and Dad is SO excited! He called me this morning and before he even talked about himself, he asked if I would bring her in!! He misses his furchild so much, and visa versa! He may be coming home Wednesday...just waiting for his blood levels to go from 0 to between 2-3 (again, medical stuff I don't understand!). I'll definitely have pics later on of the reunion between Dad and Winky (and for those who know my Dad, you know this will be monumental!).

Thank You All

Now that there is a calm after the three day storm we just endured, I wanted to thank you all so very much for thoughts, prayers, cards, food, phone calls, flowers, hugs...everything! My dad said himself this morning that he's doing great, and my mom agreed! The support from family, friends and the RPS community has been overwhelming, to say the least. In fact, the hospital staff said they thought a celebrity was staying at Spectrum because of all the flowers/baskets, the notes that they print out and deliver, and the number of people they saw each time they walked in the room! Hahaha...and if you know my Dad, you know that he appreciates all of that to the fullest extent!

Again, thank you all so much!! I'll update with the pathology results when they come in.

Surgery is Done!

And was a complete success!! Dad officially only has one kidney. They were able to stick with the laparoscopy plus a few more small incicions! We will be able to see him in about 1 hour. No complications...seems to have gone extremely smooth and as planned. Now it's time for the blood thinners in full force so he can get rid of these blood clots.

YAY!

Just Waiting Now

Dad's in surgery as I speak (well, as I type). He was such a trooper going in, too. :) Now it's just a waiting game to ensure everything went A-OK. Like I said, they should be able to remove his kidney laparoscopically as opposed to open surgery, which is a much more "mild" procedure. They are even talking about possibly a Sunday release (with weeks of taking it easy at home, of course)!

An update will most definitely come when he is safe back in his room. Thanks for the prayers!

Update #2

OK...dad's surgery is tomorrow afternoon around 2:00. His kidney will be removed via laparoscopy (hopefully) and he should have a fairly quick recovery. As of just a few minutes ago, he was running a fever, but it is already starting to go down and according to our (entire!) family's primary care physician, the wonderful Dr. Fawcett, that is normal with the blood clot situation. I will post another update after the surgery tomorrow. Dad's stay is looking like a much longer one than expected...he'll be here through this week and probably well into next. Thanks so much for the thoughts/prayers.

My mom wanted me to thank you all as well. :)

~Katie

Quick Update

Well, my dad's "mass" on his kidney has been deemed (with about 99% certainty) cancerous and his kidney will be removed (possibly tomorrow, but more likely Thursday). He is still in a lot of pain (well, I take that back, at the moment he's feelin' pretty good...gotta love pain manegement!) and he's having some trouble breathing (it hurts to do so). He had a filter put in last night through his groin (it went very well, might I add!) to help with the blood clots, and he's being pumped full of blodd thinners for them as well. He is FINALLY catching up on some much needed sleep, as he got virtunally none last night and very little yesterday.

Any new changes will be updated when we get them. Thanks again for the prayers...they just may have been what saved him as the clots traveled through his heart to the lungs.

Prayers Requested...

I am writing from Spectrum hospital downtown asking for any and all prayers for my dad. In excrutiating pain (stabbing pain, he said) this morning, he drove himself to the med center (stubborn!!) which in turn sent him by ambulance here. They found a blood clot in his leg and his lungs. He also has a mass on his kidney that is going to be biopsied (hopefully) soon. He will be here at least 3-4 days, until the clots have dissolved. Fortunately, we are all here with him! Please pray hard for him. He can use the prayers! I will update as soon as any new news comes along. Thanks.

~Katie

More Wedding Pics...

Some more of my favorites I wanted to share...two years later...;)

Two Years

It's our second anniversary! Austin and I were married two years ago today!! Man, time sure flies when you're having fun...:)

Even the Dogs Love the Lake...

...and it wears them out! Jackie sleeping (bottom), Kya laying down, Chester (on the boat) and Hoonis who fell asleep w/ his head up (but not for long...it fell right after I took this pic!).

Cottage Fun!

We spent our first weekend up at the lake, and as always, it was a blast! We had some friends come up on Saturday...Chip, Anne, Jennifer nad Joel. There is NEVER a dull moment with that crowd...from the bottom to the top: 1. The whole crew (sans me), 2. No words for this one...:) 3. Jennifer, Austin and Chip, 4. Annie and her very burnt marshmallow with the hanger for a stick, 5. Annis and Joel, 6. Joey and I, 7. Austin and Chip, 8. Austin and I, and finally 9. Austin doing what he does best...tanning himself!

Happy Birthday, Austin!!!!!!!!!

Today is Austin's 23rd birthday!! We celebrated by going out to dinner w/ the Bibler's, our dear friend Joel and my sister Kellie at Oriental Forest (a Chinese Buffett)...Austin's choice! Then we went back to Mom Bibler's house for a homemade yummy Texas Sheetcake and ice cream. Happy b-day, Austin! Here's to many, many more...

Someone's Enjoying the A/C...

There aren't any "hot-dogs" in this house with all this heat, that's for sure! I woke Hoonis up for a "look pretty" shot in the second pic...he "looked pretty", saw the flash, and fell right back asleep!

We Are Nuts About Our Nieces!!

I just had to post these pics I took today of our beautiful and beloved nieces, Maddie and Gracie!!

Annual Snellink Picnic

Today we had our annual picnic with my mom's side of the family (the Snellink's). We usually go to Townsend Park, but this year we decided to hold it at my parents house. We celebrated what would have been my Grandpa's 80th birthday on June 7th, and what would have been my grandparents 60th wedding anniversary. Of course, the day would not have been complete without the infamous Croquet Tournament. Here are some pics throughout the day (from bottom to top) 1. The Cake...says it all 2. The wonderful chef himself (Dad at the grill) 3. Grandma, or "GG", Tracy and Gracie 4. The Snellink cousins (from left) Claire, Patty and Jen, with kids Ana and Cullin 5. Tim and Austin 6. and 7. Croquet 8. Maddie playing on the swingset 9. Cullin swinging 10. Claire, myself, Tracy and Lauren watching our men play croquet. Can't wait 'till next year!

Congrats, VanderWall's!!

Yesterday, Jason and Johanna welcomed their SON, Thys Michael VanderWall! They chose not to know that they were having, so this was a surprise to everyone! Thys was 8lbs, 6oz and 19 and a 1/2 inches long. *Thanks to Tracy and Lauren for the stolen blog pics!* We cannot wait to meet the little bundle of "VanderWall"!!! Props to Johanna for a looooong couple of days bringing Thys into the world! The pics (from bottom to top) are of the 1.VanderWall TRIO (no longer just the two of 'em!), 2.Thys, 3.Lauren, Maddie and Thys, and then 4.Thys. Congrats, guys! Your son is absolutely adorable!