Announcement to Family and Friends
April 4, 2001
Dear friends and family--
I hope this note finds you happy and healthy. I wanted to
let you know firsthand of a sudden change in my life, and that
of my family. On Monday I was diagnosed with stomach cancer.
The news came as a complete shock, as the preliminary diagnosis
had been of a mere ulcer. Some of you may recall me saying
that destiny had compelled our family to leave Maui this year
for New York, that we couldn't even understand the reason we
moved and could only wait for time reveal it. It would appear
that the answer is now at hand. We are lucky in more ways than
we can count. We have a tremendous support network here, the
best medical help, and the health insurance to insulate us
financially. Those factors enable us to focus solely on getting
healthy.
We've started meeting with doctors and doing all the necessary
tests to determine our next course of action. At minimum, our
lives will be messy for the next several weeks and months.
For those of you wanting to know more about the seriousness
of the condition, the doctors tell me they hope they've caught
it in the early stages and that the cancer remains localized
(on the upper stomach wall near the esophogus), but they can't
yet know for sure. The standard of care in these cases, they
say, is surgical removal of the stomach followed by chemotherapy
and radiation treatment. We're seeking additional opinions
before we proceed. I hope to keep you posted periodically,
but if I'm out of touch for a while, I trust you'll stick with
me. I have every intention of sticking around myself.
Tracy and I have been talking to the kids, trying to prepare
them, and they're comprehending things in their own way. If
I could ask one thing of you, it would be to keep an eye out
for their well-being and to continue to help them grow. As
the saying goes, it takes a village to raise a child. You're
our blessed village; please guard them, teach them, and keep
them close.
The road has taken a rocky turn. Step by step we go, buoyed
by faith and love, and the surrounding circle of you.
Life is good.
now and forever,
phil
>next
|
