WonderTwin Powers Activate!

BIG changes.....

Not sure where we left off, nor do I think any of us are ready to delve into all the crazy details...but here's what's up.

I'M RUNNING THE SHOW NOW.

Corey is back home. FOR GOOD. This changes everything.

I'm the captain of the this ship and I'm taking charge. I'll let him be the co-captain.....and for good reason. Dude is losing a lung here soon, it's only natural for the stronger of the two to be captain. He's lucky I'm letting him be co-captain. But since this blog is 'technically' all about HIM....I guess I'll let him take a little bit of control.

Whatever.

Plus, I'm older.

Anyway, the boy is back home.

And we are going to be partners in crime with his healthcare.

I will be attending his Dr visits with him, his meetings regarding his insurance, any legal hearings......

Basically, I am going to be his wondertwin.

Because, two sets of ears are better than one.

And I am pretty freakin' awesome at this stuff.

Surgery will take place here in Cincinnati, as will his recovery, as will his life.

THIS IS HOW IT IS SUPPOSED TO BE. EVERYTHING HAS FALLEN INTO PLACE.....it doesn't matter how or why he is here. The past is in the past, that book is closed and a new one has begun.

So, WonderTwin Powers Activate:

Form of......Ice Cube! Water! What?

Surgery Postponed...OY OY OY

Believe it or not, it was my brother who had to calm ME down today..although from what I hear, when he got the news...he was also fit to be tied.

May 7th....this Friday was to be the original date of surgery, and after spending the day with my brother this past weekend, we all knew that this date could not come soon enough. I can honestly say, that until you have sat next to him on the couch, you really cannot even grasp the severity of the situation.

The only way I can describe it is by comparing the sound of his lungs to a large bubbling, gurgling, crackling aquarium....like the Newport Aquarium.

He has a hard time getting through a sentence without coughing and listening to him tell a story, you find yourself wanting to breathe for him....you can see his neck pulling in and out, you can almost feel his pain. As he talks...you look around the room, and you notice that his audience are all watching him, and without even knowing they are doing it, they all have their hands clutched to their chests.

They all feel it....

I'm not saying all this so you feel pity on him..that's the last thing he would want. I'm saying this b/c I'm so PISSED OFF that he's not getting this surgery this Friday.

And I'm also saying this because I'm in Shock and AWE at how STRONG he is.

Basically, what this is boiling down to is Insurance. .I don't know all the details..basically, there has been a lapse, and he has no insurance right now.

His hands are tied...they had to cancel the surgery, he will need to file for Medicaid..and once that is approved his surgery will be a go again, which HOPEFULLY will be sometime in JUNE.

So, he is positive..and upbeat.....and he is seeing this as a blessing in disguise. Right now, he is very weak and sick. And maybe...just MAYBE this is all happening for a reason. MAYBE, he needs this time to get stronger and get his body ready for this surgery.

That is what we are choosing to believe.

That is what we have to believe.

Keep the prayers and vibes coming......

Just another month to wait now...

Countdown is on!

We have less than two weeks til the big day....

And I want every one to picture this.

My brother.

In a tiny pair of running shorts.

Wristbands.

And a sweatband around his forehead.

Running marathons.

Well....maybe that's a pipe dream, but it creates a pretty funny mental image.

Either way...good stuff ahead. I just know it! Keep that positive energy flowin'.....

It's all good in the hood!

Testing 1,2,3...All systems a GO! Corey's getting pruned.

Corey has been going through many tests leading up to his surgery which as you know will happen on May 7th.

Most recently he underwent a VQ Scan. (Pulmonary Ventilation/Perfusion Scan) This test was done specifically to see if it was really necessary to get his lung removed. Basically, they wanted to see if his lung was really in as bad of shape as we all thought it was.

The results were an astounding YES....it was THAT BAD.

To give you some idea of what the test entails...Albumin is injected into the veins and the lungs are scanned to detect the location of the radioactive particles as blood flows through the lungs.

This test is done to measure how much blood and air flow the lungs are receiving.

And basically, his left lung, in a nutshell is receiving none. No air. No blood.

Without going into great detail, we can sum it up by saying his left lung is dead. A big giant dead collapsed lung that has no ability to hold air and receives no blood flow, yet his body, is trying desperately to keep this lung alive, thus taking all of his energy from him...and from his healthy right lung. Not only that, it's filled with fluid, and infection. He has walking pneumonia...and truth is, he has no idea what it feels like to NOT have walking pneumonia.

Solution. Get rid of it. Immediately if not sooner.

If you can think of it in terms of a rosebush. You prune a rosebush by cutting off the dead leaves and flowers so that the live flowers can flourish. If you don't do this, the bush will waste it's energy trying to keep the dead leaves and flowers alive, thus killing the entire bush in the end. If you get rid of the bad parts, the good parts will live a long, healthy and beautiful life. But they have to be well taken care of. It's the same concept with the human body...it's the same concept with Corey's two lungs.

Corey needs to be pruned.

(But, hey....chew on this......He also had a Stress Test, and even with everything his body has been through and all of the extra work his heart has had to do to keep his blood flowing, his heart is testing as a perfectly healthy 30 year old man! Imagine!!!!)

Pay It Forward!!!!

Most of you know that Corey developed Cancer (Non-Hodgekin's Lymphoma) at age 19. His cancer was discovered after he developed a lump the size of a softball on the side of his neck. It was found that it was not only in his neck, but in his spleen too. He had surgery to remove 90% of his lymph nodes in his neck, and a complete removal of his spleen, followed by 6 months of Chemotherapy.

Thankfully he beat cancer but his doctors now believe that the cancer is what exacerbated his already slow developing Bronchiectasis (hence his upcoming lung removal), which they are actually tying waaaayyyy back to his horrible bout with Chicken Pox as a young boy.

Where am I going with this you ask?

I wanted to give you his background on cancer, and his ability to beat it, because right now we have a chance to Pay it Forward.

A childhood friend of ours, Jared Fox, will be participating in the Team in Training 100 Mile Bike Ride for the Leukemia and Lymphoma society. Jared will be riding in honor of Parker Vernon who was diagnosed with Leukemia at age 1 has been fighting this battle for the past two years. Thankfully, he has been fighting it with some success, thanks to the support of his friends and family and events such as this. Please take the time to visit Jared's fundraiser page, and donate what you can. Every little bit helps.

Parker is probably too young to fully realize how much support he has, but he can feel it. I truly believe in strength in numbers, the power of the mind, healing vibes, positive thought and energy....if you are unable to donate to the cause, please send out a healing thought, say a prayer, or light a candle at your local church in honor of Parker. Trust me. It matters.

CLICK HERE TO DONATE IN HONOR OF PARKER

What's so Funny?

When faced with the harsh realities of life there are those that lay down and let the world tackle them to the ground.

And there are those that take what they are given...smile...make a joke, and come back swinging.

There is nothing funny about getting a lung removed. And if we went down the list of all the terrible news our family has been given throughout the years, there is nothing funny about that either.

So why are we always laughing?

Because, we have to. We have to find the good in everything. Can you imagine what the world would be like if everyone walked around feeling sorry for themselves when they received a dose of bad news?

We learned a long time ago to never say the words "Well, it could be worse..." upon hearing bad news because inevitably it DID get worse. We changed it up and started saying "It could be better!"

Eventually, we learned that if we can smile, and laugh at ourselves, that even in the toughest of times.....the scariest of times, the smiles and laughter that we share is what gets us through.

My Big Sister is My Hero...just ask her, she'll tell ya. That's why she posted this video. ;)