More Updates & Save the Date!

We met with Dr. Edenfield yesterday to get the status of Tim's treatment and what will happen next. As of right now he will continue on his current form of treatment. They will take another CEA on the 29th and if that test shows another rise in his numbers then it is time to move onto the next treatment. There is a new drug out and approved by the FDA that is taken in combination with chemo which Tim hasn't tried yet. There are also some trials out there that we can evaluate when the time comes to see if Tim has any interest.

In the meantime I have become a nazi about everything that goes into Tim's mouth. Food is the one thing we can control during this and I've noticed a correlation between what and how Tim eats and how successful treatment is. It may all end up being nonsense but for now it gives me just a little feeling of control in our very out of control lives. Eating out has become the enemy as we have no control over if the food is local, processed, filled with chemicals, etc. I've always enjoyed cooking so Tim never had to suffer through me burning meals or anything of the sort when we first married but now is a different story. I'm learning how to cook a different way, with everything from scratch and different types of food that we've never considered so Tim has been "blessed" to now get to experience my experimentation. Spaghetti Squash was a success, mashed cauliflower was not...at all... He has been very open to the experimentation though and I think it may partially be due to a book and some advice he was given by a friend's girlfriend (who happens to be gorgeous :)). Hopefully some of these efforts will be rewarded by Tim having a drop in his CEA with the test on the 29th and buy us some more time with his current treatment. If you think to, please pray for that CEA to drop over the next 2 weeks!

Regardless of the circumstances we're in or the trials we go through, we know that we are very very lucky for Tim to be doing as well as he is. I finally (after almost 3 years) got him registered with the Cancer Society of Greenville and after they heard his diagnosis they seemed shocked to hear that he works full time, we live a relatively normal life with all things considered and that he didn't really need nutritional supplements or medical assistant devices right now. On top of that, interest in colon cancer research is starting to finally gain a little ground and there are some promising things on the horizon, we're just hanging on until the right one comes along for Tim. Each week that Tim gets through on his current therapy buys a little more time in finding a cure for him. Ultimately we just trust that God has a greater plan for him and I believe that he is working through Tim and all of your to spread the awareness of this disease.

Below is an email I sent out recently letting people know that the date has been set for this year's golf tournament, dinner and silent auction. We are really excited and this truly is one of our favorite days of the year. We hope that you all will be able to make it out to join us and we will share more information as we get it together! Please feel free to pass along this information about the tournament as well as the wonderful house that is being built by Goodwin Foust and their incredible network of contractors and vendors to anyone you think may be interested, we're hoping to beat our donation from last year of almost $15,000 and need all the help we can get to do so!

Hi all!

It's about that time again! Each year we put together a golf tournament that is followed by dinner & a silent auction. You don't have to be a golfer to attend the dinner (and technically you don't have to be a golfer to play in the tournament either...).

The funds we raise from the tournament are donated to iTOR Center for Cancer Research here in Greenville. They are doing some amazing work and making huge strides in finding additional treatments, enough so that Tim is still able to be here with us today and enjoy a semi-normal lifestyle.

I wanted to pass along the information to you all about the tournament and dinner so you can save the date in case you're interested. I'll be sure to send out more information about registration as the date approaches.

2013 BrightLife Tee It Up for Cancer
Thornblade Country Club
Greer, SC
April 8, 2013
Golf :12PM - 6PM
Dinner & Silent Auction: 6PM - 8PM

This year some family friends of ours have also VERY generously decided to build a house and donate the proceeds of the sale to BrightLife/iTOR. It will be open for tours during April and is really incredible, enough so that it blows my imaginary Pinterest house out of the water, which is saying a lot :). The contractors and subcontractors have all been very generous in making sure that this house has all of the bells and whistles.

Here is a link to the current listing for the house, feel free to drive by and check it out (or buy it! :)): http://www.cdanjoyner.com/listings/greenville/1252165

Please also feel free to pass along this information to anyone else you think may be interested in our events or the house!

You can also "like" our Facebook page to get updates as we have them: https://www.facebook.com/BrightLife.FB

And as if that isn't enough for you to click on, in case you were not already aware, Tim & I write blog posts periodically to keep everyone up to date on his condition, if you're interested you can find the posts here and keep up with us: storyoftim.blogspot.com

As much work as this all entails, this day always ends up being our favorite of the year as we get to have so many family members and friends in the same room. Most only get to experience that once in their lives, on their wedding day :). Thanks so much in advance for your help and we're looking forward to seeing you all there!

Jenny & Tim