The Following Person Is In need Of Prayer

Sent in by
Gabby Talkington
Posted On
08/22/08

John Vandivier & his son

Need the power of prayer. Just returned from having tests done at the hospital; and going back hopefully today for a further CAT scan. They found a mass in the middle of my chest pressing on my esophagus. Could be just a cyst that I have had for a long while. Trying times ahead I'm afraid. Some prayers from the great folks would be really appreciated.

Our son also had a mole that changed removed from his leg today (12 stitches worth) and it's being sent to California to be examined, please include him along in your prayers. Tough times.

Thanks again Gabby and to all that receive these emails. John V.

Update
Sent in by
Gabby Talkington
Posted On
08/28/08

John Vandivier & his son

Forwardingp this so all can rejoice about his son and pray for John

My son got a clean bill of health....it wasn't cancer...Thank the Lord...and thanks to you folks!

My situation is different. I now going back and forth to the clinics for tests and have a team of the finest doctors in Canada (St. Josephs Hospital, McMaster University Teaching Hospital, Hamilton, Southern Ontario) working on me. I have had Cat Scans, blood work, xrays etc. Next week will be a PET Scan and 4 other tests to follow next week, along with the dreaded needle biopsy through my back. Seems a tumour / fibroid ? that I have had for maybe 15 years without knowing has grown. It is 2" x 4" and is draped over my upper esophagus. ( Do yourself a favor and have a chest xray every other year or so...) Hard to swallow while eating..that was my first clue something was amiss. The head of Thoracic surgery and his "team" yesterday have never seen one like this....it's a teaching hospital and they are excited that they will be learning with my case..(joy of joys !) They want to biopsy it first before cracking my chest open. If they get in and it's malignant they could have trouble. Most of these apparently are benign but there is a chance....so please say an extra prayer for this Canuck..The "Team" is fast forwarding me, which is a good thing...surgery should be in a couple of weeks. I'll keep you posted and thanks for everything.

Update
Sent in by
Gabby Talkington
Posted On
09/16/08

Hi Gabby

Went for the consultation with the surgeon this afternoon... Good news is that he is not opening up my chest..good thing too, it would have been a bad maybe fatal move.. Things aren't what they seemed to have been first diagnosed apparrently.. Last weeks biopsy revealed that I have a lymph node in my chest that has turned cancerous and radiation and chem is in order asap. Most of these conditions are curable in most conditions.....

I'm going to really need everybodys prayers Gabby...this is gonna be tough for John V.. Waithing to see more specialists this week..more biopsies..bone marrow etc. scheduling radiation and chemo...glad I'm bald to begin with..

Fishing for steelhead is just around the corner..I'll am promising myself I will be there..

John V

Update

Sent in by
Gabby Talkington
Posted On
09/29/08

Hi Gabby

Well Gabby tomorrow is the big day, 5 hour surgery to remove a fairly large tumour thats taken residence and decided to grow up around my eshapagus and pressing on the surrounding organs, heart, air passage, lungs....getting hard to eat, swallow, sleep...not nice, very uncomfortable. The team will probably take either a piece or most of my eshapagus out, depends..just praying that it isn't malignant and has'nt spread, but it doesn't look like it has. Nice thing is I have so many people saying prayers for me. I know the prayers are working. Doctors that will be working on me are the best in Southern Ontario, my surgeon is the head of Thoracic surgery for St. Joesphs, McMaster Teaching Hospital....shortly after my surgery he's traveling to Berlin to give seminars..this guy is tops..I will be in ICU for 2-3 days and 2 weeks in the hospital..gonna miss "Joes" I will have Karen post on "Joes" and email you Gabby about the outcome in the next day or two..please let the folks know that prayers are really needed tonight and tomorrow. God Bless you folks...and stay well...
John V

Fishing for steelhead is just around the corner..I'll am promising myself I will be there..

John V

Update

Sent in by
Gabby Talkington
Posted On
10/09/08

Hi Gabby

Back home again after a grueling surgery, your prayers and the Good Lord helped me along wonderfully. I was at one time, a couple of weeks ago, diagnosed with unoperatable Lymphoma, that only lasted a day with the great minds and prayers I had working for me...next day the team decided to go in and see what was going on. Turned out to be what they call a Terratoma, which is considered a cyst, it was rather large.. baseball size, growing and pressing against my vitals. A kind of rare genetic type thing that can have various body parts growing within it, sometimes teeth, spine bones etc... mine had fatty deposits and hair...ewww, you didn't need to know that..Coming out of surgery the chief surgeon was pleased at what they found, although it took an hour to control the bleeding. My next hurdle is next Friday where we will go down and have a post op consultation and see what the pathologists found. Hopefully the word benign comes up.. Please say a couple o more prayers. I know in my heart it will work out. Pretty sore, I have about a foot and a half long scar from my back around my side and some holes from chest tubes but it's slowly healing and a lot better than it could have been. I believe your prayers to the Good Lord turned my life around , making me cry now buddies..I love you people. God Bless you all.

John V

Update
Sent in by
Gabby Talkington
Posted On
10/23/08

Gabby,

I am still waiting for the pathology report that will hopefully tell the doctors what kind of malignancy I have and what kind of treatments are in order. Waiting is very hard. Please, if you can, include prayers for me also. Take care and thanks again,

Thanks,
John V.