Entries by Charlie

The Mask and Radiation

So this is my custom made “mask”. It’s designed to hold my head in place down to the millimeter.   It was molded to my face specifically and basically straps me to the radiation table. I must admit the process is unnerving.   You get a mouthguard which forces you to breath through your nose, […]

Being Served

Serving others means being served sometimes A friend of mine recently died of cancer.  The really horrible kind.  It was painful, painful for him and painful for his family.   He was being served in a big way by his church (our old church) and finally took a moment to talk about it.  I listened to […]

Have you ever seen your own brain? I have.

2nd Surgery We moved quickly to the second surgery.  It seemed like an almost duplicate of the first just two weeks earlier.  Except for this time, for some reason, I stayed awake all the way into the operating table.  I was able to glimpse some of the “tools” Dr. Marple will be using to conduct […]

Surgery and the Call

1st Surgery We arrive at Zale Lipshy hospital (part of UTSW) and we are greeted by valet parking and smooth check-in.   I’m starting to get a little “fiscal anxiety” because no one can seem to tell me what anything costs or what my responsibility will be.   Deep breath. It will be OK. The […]

Initial Consultation

I met initially with Dr. Bradley Marple, a seasoned surgeon who knows his stuff.   We reviewed the scans and he informs me we will become very good friends over a period of years.   That this condition has a high recurrence rate and we will be staying in a monitoring pattern for years to […]

UT Southwestern

Having lived my whole life in Dallas-Fort Worth, I have been “aware” of UT Southwestern, but not really knowledgeable about it.  I knew it was big, one and the largest hospitals in town and the best doctors seem to come from the school there. When my “Local” ENT told me he was referring me to […]

Well, that wasn’t MY plan

So two days after we buy a new property, my Dr. shows me a tumor in my nasal cavity the size of an avocado. Yes, an avocado, in my head.  That explains a few things. That moment, we will come back to.  But many people have experienced the moment when they see something that is […]

Maynard

During this time we also made a decision to purchase a new home.  We had been in our home for 22 years and while we loved it, it was a family home and needs a family.   Our kids are grown and off living their own lives. Aside from a small army of rescued scrappy […]

Something’s not right…

After an incredible trip to Australia and New Zealand – I had been suffering from a prolonged “cold” and stuffed up nose for a few weeks, really since March.    I visited my local doctor, who had prescribed steroids. I took the drugs, and they didn’t work. I poked around, found a friend who is […]