[Isaac Franklin Lovoy] [Nina Grace Glenn] [Noah Wayne Lovoy] [Juliette Caiola Lovoy]
[Jackson Randall Lovoy] [Darci Leigh Glenn] [James McDavid Lovoy] [Mary Rose Lovoy]
Click Here for a funny Video of all of us
Updated 3/4/2008 - by Jason
One day i will get around to updating more pictures. Where does everyone find the time.
In the mean time, here are some great shots Jason Wallis took of Nina, Darci, and Gabe.
Take a look at a cool slide show of Gabe and the girls at http://www.walliskids.com/glenn/
Updated 12/11/2007 - by Jason
Back at Home
We are back at home with #4. Sounds and feels pretty crazy. I will try and get some pictures up tomorrow. It was pretty crazy today to say the least.
Updated 7/5/2007 - by Jason
Mary Rose is here!!!
7 lbs. 15 oz. born 2:56 a.m. 12-8-07
Updated 6/27/2007 - by Jason
I finally got an RSS feed going. So for all of you with RSS readers - here's your link:
RSS 2.0Update: I also added a feed for the comments:
Updated 2/16/2007 - by Jason
Check Out James 1 year photos taken by Holly Tutor.
You can visit her website at www.hollytutor.com
Holly also took our family photos in November for our Christmas cards.
Click here to view.
Updated 2/12/2007 - by Randy Lovoy
Hi all--
I am so grateful for all of the support. Know that each and everyone of you mean a great deal to Beth and I and we enjoy hearing from you so much.
Because so many of you have asked me to keep you informed, I thought I would take a moment and share the latest with you.
Today Beth and I met with Dr. Diamond, my radiology oncologist. Scary. He went into great detail as to what my staging means and what must be done about it. He explained that he felt Dr. Tran, my ENT and surgeon, did a great job removing as much of the cancer as possible considering the difficulty of this type of surgery. He also felt she did a great job in staging the cancer and finding the point of origin. He explained that his job was to break the staging down to determine treatment from this point forward. One of the most important things he explained was something I had overlooked before. That is something called "positive margins". It appears that I have positive margins and that is cause for concern. This had not been explained to us before and we totally missed it in the previous analysis. Let me explain it the way he explained it to us...
Imagine a bucket full of sand. With your hands, you dip as much of the sand out of the bucket as possible. You even take a rag and wipe the bucket out.
But, after wiping the bucket, if you look very closely at the sides of the bucket, you will see several little tiny grains of sand left on the walls of the bucket. Maybe 50, maybe less. Even one means you still have sand in the bucket. Those left over grains of sand, no matter how many, means the bucket has positive margins. Dr. Tran scooped out as much tissue as she could but some bad cells remained. Unlike the grains of sand in the bucket, we are talking microscopic cells here...no possible way to see them, even with CT and PET scans. And, according to Dr. Diamond, statistics show that if there are microscopic cancerous cells on one side my neck, there are probably microscopic cancerous cells on the other side. He has treated many patients with tonsil cancer and had plenty of stats to back up his conclusion. He explained that even one bad cell floating around in my body could cause great problems later on. As a result, he said radiation and chemo should be non negotiable...that I 100% need it... because I have "positive margins". He was persuasive and he had our attention.
He has decided that because of the positive margins, the size and location of the tumor, AND my current health (otherwise very good) and age that he plans to give me 7 weeks of radiation, every week day--35 doses. He is going to treat three different points--just in front of my left ear to get to the "tonsil bed", and just below my jaw on both sides of my neck. He is going to coordinate with Dr. Grow, my chemo Dr., how and when I will receive the chemo drugs.
We met with Dr. Grow last Thursday. He plans to give me Cisplatin
(http://www.chemocare.com/BIO/cisplatin.asp) once every three weeks, over the course of my radiation treatments starting in the first week of the radiation. According to Dr. Grow, I will probably only get three doses of that drug but Dr. Diamond had changed his plan since that meeting so I may get one more dose.
The good news, according to both Drs., is that I probably won't lose my hair and because of the location of the treatment I should not have any residual problems with my heart, lungs, or kidneys. I may have problems in my throat and mouth with sores, lack of moisture production, swallowing, lost taste buds, possibly my ears, very sensitive skin on the lower part of my face and neck, and fatigue. Dr. Diamond does not expect any of the side effects to be permanent but there MAY be some left over issues. No guarantees. The most important thing will be to keep my calories up despite my desire NOT to eat. He gave me several books on nutrition and ideas on how to make food more appealing despite my discomfort.
In a nutshell, I still have a bit of a road ahead. And that road is going to be a challenge. But I know many of you have been on this road and conquered it and I get great inspiration from that.
The treatments will start sometime around February 26. I have a couple of weeks to fully recover from the surgery and to prepare for the storm on the horizon. In the meantime I go back to work tomorrow and look forward to a couple of weeks without doctors.
I have prayed and feel confident that God has heard my prayers. He has answered so many of our prayers already I rest in the knowledge that there is a purpose in all of this. His will be done.
You all mean so much to Beth and I and we cannot put into words what your support and your prayers mean to us. Please continue and trust that God is good and has a plan for each and every one of us.
If you have any questions or want any more information, please feel free to write. I will put out another update once we get started. I will be writing to you individually just to answer your questions and to respond to the support you have given me between now and then.
know that I love you all...
Randy
Updated 2/6/2007 - by Randy Lovoy
Hi all--
I finally feel up to sitting at the computer and composing an update.
Sorry I haven't written to date. To be honest, it has been a rough 10 days. I just haven't felt much up to even sitting at the computer. I started feeling better Saturday and each day has been a little better. The cut is healing fine but the inside of my throat is still raw. I am finally able to eat most anything I want as long as I take my time. I am getting around pretty good and look to get better with each new day.
I had surgery Friday the 26th. She made an incision from behind my left ear down to the front of my throat. She also inserted 2 drains just at the base of my neck on the left side. Those things hurt more than the actual surgery. I spent Friday and Saturday night in the hospital and came home Sunday.
Last Tuesday I went to the doctor for my first post-op check up and to have the drains removed. ouch. it hurt. bad. The tube tangled with a nerve running up the back of my head. When she pulled that tube, it caught hold of that nerve and about sent me through the roof. I shot up out of the chair and literally thought my head had opened and was bleeding. It was gross. She kept telling me it wasn't bleeding but I had to look in a mirror to convince myself. Once I got over that (don't know if I ever truly will) I was able to sit back down and let her pull the other one out. Needless to say I was on guard the rest of the way. The second one came out much easier. Whew.
Friday we went in to have the staples removed and to get the pathology report...the big day.
The pathology report was about as positive as we could have hoped for. She was able to identify the primary site (HUGE NEWS) as my left tonsil. She graded me out as a T1-N2a-MO Stage IV Squamous Cell Carcinoma. What that means is that I had a tumor at a primary site (tonsils) with metastasis to same side lymph nodes under 6 cms without distant metastasis. Stage IV means that it was a serious tumor because it involved other organs (lymph nodes--never good). I am very happy with the report. It could have been a whole lot worse.
Stage IV does mean radiation and chemo, though.
In total, she took both my tonsils, 48 lymph nodes, the jugular on the left side of my neck, a muscle that runs from my ear to my shoulder, and a nerve behind my ear. She also did biopsies on the base of my tongue, nasal tissue, and sinus tissue. Because of all the cuts, I have been dealing with limited mobility in my tongue, throat, and neck. But like I said that is getting better every day.
I have an appointment Thursday with a Hematology (chemo) doctor and on Monday I see a radiology doctor. Not sure what to expect, just going with the flow so to speak. I expect to be back at work next Tuesday. My understanding is that I will get radiation every week day for 6 weeks while the chemo is looking like once a month for three months. I could be wrong but that is what my surgeon says is standard procedure for this type of cancer. I should get back to 100% within a few months with minimum risk of recurrence. Prognosis excellent for full recovery.
Overall, I feel great. I am so glad to have this part behind me. Beth has been my rock, my hero. She took the whole week off to help me at home. Having her there was huge. She has been keeping me informed of the e-mails. Please know that I have appreciated your e-mails, cards, letters, and calls so much. It has been amazing to hear from so many. Your support has made the down time much easier to endure. I am so blessed.
I will touch base with each of you individually shortly. In the meantime, I wanted you to know the latest. Know that I am grateful for your friendship and look to speak with you soon.
With much love, Randy
Updated 2/2/2007 - by Kay
Update on Randy
Pathology report this morning showed primary site in the left tonsil, 48 lymph nodes were biopsied and cancer only showed up in 1. Dr. said everything looks wonderful and she expects to see Randy for many years to come, PRAISE GOD.
THANK YOU ALL FOR THE PRAYERS AND KEEP THEM GOING, he still has to have radiation and chemo. But THANK YOU GOD he is going to make it for now.
THE LORD HAS DEFINITELY GIVEN US A BLESSING, undeserved but thank for forgiviness and our miracle.
Love to all Kay and family
Updated 1/24/2007 - by Randy Lovoy
Hi all,
I want you all to know how much Beth and I appreciate your support, your thoughts, and your prayers. This situation has reminded me of what a great family and wonderful group of friends we have. Your love and support means so much to us.
The latest news...Wednesday, 01.24.07
I met with Dr. Tran, my ENT Dr. and surgeon, this afternoon for a pre-op check up. She went into detail on what she plans to do, how I should feel afterwards, and what to expect in the coming days and weeks. At this point the cancer is contained within my neck. There is no evidence to suggest it has spread beyond the lymph nodes on the left side of my neck. As a result, she will do a radical neck dissection with a tonsillectomy on Friday,
1.26.07 at 1:00pm. She expects to remove apprx. 30 lymph nodes from my neck along with my tonsils. She also expects to remove a band of muscle behind and below my ear in order to get to where the larger nodes are located. She may have to remove my left jugular vein as well but is hoping that she can avoid that. The problem with the vein is that it can be an avenue for spreading the cancer so it really depends on how the nodes are hooked into that vein. As she removes material from my neck, a pathologist will be examining the tissue to determine the extent of the cancer cells. At some point they will stop getting cancerous tissue and will stop cutting. I have a follow up appt with her next Friday when she will share the stage of the cancer and inform me of what further treatment is required. Based on what she knows from all the tests to date, she is 99.9% sure I will have radiation...not sure about chemo at this point. The surgery should last about 3 hours. I should be out of the hospital by Saturday night and will recuperate at home. She said I will be dealing with a lot of pain (prescription already filled) over the next week or so and that I should take it easy and watch what I eat. I'm looking forward to a lot of soft foods...OK, I'm NOT looking forward to the soft foods but ya gotta do what ya gotta do, right?
Beth has been a real trooper. She is my rock and together we are very positive and looking forward to getting this behind us. She met Dr. Tran for the first time today and was as impressed as I was when I first met her.
Plain and simple Dr. Tran knows her stuff and exudes confidence. She is very upfront and honest. I am in good hands.
Prayer report...
God is so good. As most of you know, I have been self employed most of my adult life and as a result carried no health insurance. I started this new job in September with my benefits starting the first of December. My first doctor visit was December 19th. Since that date I have only paid out about $200 of my own money with Aetna covering well over $10,000 for this situation to date. I was informed today that Aetna is covering 100% of my hospital stay AND the surgery with no deductible. Only by God's hand could things have worked out like they have. I chose the cheapest health insurance policy offered to me because at the time I had not been to a doctor in over 10 years. When I chose a doctor, I chose Dr. Tran because her office was across the street from my office. I had no idea the extent of her training or that her specialty was throat cancer. I could go on and on.
Let me say I used to wonder if God really cared about the minutia of our lives. This experience has taught in great detail that He is VERY much involved in our daily lives and that He can control it all, no matter what WE may think is happening. I am in awe of what He has done. Every day we go through this experience we see something new God has done to ease the burden, lighten the load, or lessen the impact. I am so happy that He is using me in a way that allows so many of you to exercise your faith by going to Him on my behalf. Your prayers are being answered. And we are grateful for them. As you pray for us, we are likewise are praying for each of you.
We trust that God will move in your life as he has in ours.
We will send more news as we get it. As I prepare for the coming days, please know that I am grateful for each and every one of you and thank God every day for blessing me with such a wonderful family and group of friends.
The calls, letters, and cards have meant so much. Thank you.
With Love and Peace,
Randy
P.S. There are so many more people I wish I could include in this list but I don't have everyone's e-mail address. Please feel free to pass this along to anyone you know that may want to know what is going on.
Updated 7/10/2006 - by Jason
Darci Turns 1!
Darci turned 1 and we celebrated in her new back yard in Ross Bridge. Geoff cooked out hot dogs and Jen put together a cake made out of cupcakes - very creative. Darci seemed to enjoy herself both eating the cake and open presents. It was lots of fun and hard to believe there are now 5 grandchildren who have passed the 1 year mark. Time flies. Nina is 3 1/2 and turns 4 at the end of December.
Updated 6/13/2006 - by Jason
Family Pictures
Here is the most updated picture of Isaac, Juliette, and James. Isaac is 4, Juliette will be 3 in October, and James is 4 months here.
Updated 6/8/2006 - by Jason
Check Jackson out - modeling in Just Ducky Catalog.
Updated 6/3/2006 - by Jason
Jackson's Birthday in Atlanta
Several Months later... Here are the pictures everyone has been waiting to see!
Click here for Jackson's Birthday pictures
Click here for Isaac's Birthday pictures
Updated 5/31/2006 - by Jason
Ok, I am getting lots of complaints that pictures need to be updated. I'm working on it.
Oh yes...and you can now add comments to the web site if you would like by clicking on link below.
It has been a little crazy lately... Mostly for obvious reasons. I have recently posted pictures through Easter.
You can click here for photo albums
I will be adding Jackson's birthday party in Atlanta hopefully this weekend. He turned 1 at the end of April and Isaac turned 4.
Updated 5/11/2006 - by Joy
Hey Everyone,
Sophie, Leah and I are having a blast with wonderful Australians to take care of us. We only had a room for 2 nights in Brisbane and the hotel was full the 3rd, but all of sudden there was a room. We loved our hotel in LA and enjoyed a day exploring Santa Monica and an afternoon in Venice Beach. No problem driving there, but I would not take the risk here on the left hand side of the road and you better not cross if you don't have a walk sign.
We are really enjoying seeing Leah's life here and knowing she is doing great. She looks great, has lots of new wonderful friends, lives in such a special University town called St. Lucia which is on the Brisbane River and believe it or not she is passing. We spent the first day going to class with her and eating on campus. Her religion instructor had a special lecturer who spoke on the Aborigini history and culture which was perfect. We rode the ferry to our hotel and rested then went down to the river bank and ate in a great Mediterraneum restaurant. This is a very contemporary cosmopolitan city making it feel so clean. Room and board aren't cheap and our budget is shot, but we are hoping that we may be able to stay in her apartment (which is very resortish)next weekend when we are back in Brisbane. It has been a little tricky traveling from the college town to the city late at night (expensive cab ride). Daytime travel is easy with buses and ferry.
Last night they took me to the local Wed night college night at an old 3 story hotel turned bar, The Regatta.... really special. I even danced, her college boys had me on the dance floor. I forgot how much I love to dance. Of course, by the time I was ready to go they weren't. They were so sweet though left and escorted momma home. We are packed now ready to go to the coast for a 4 or 5 night stay. Not much going on with internet cafes in Brisbane, maybe that will be better on the coast. I hope to get a special postcard out of Sophie and I holding a sweet little Koala yesterday.
Hope all is well with everyone. Michele or Mike please forward to anyone who is interested in our adventures.
Much love to all,
Joy, et. al.
Updated 5/8/2006 - by John
Got all of your emails and just wanted to write again and tell you wanda and i arrived at sandys this afternoon by train. we have had a fantastic time. positano was incredible. food incredible. people singing to us. pasta....scenery........... pasta..........bread....... pasta.......olive oil..... olives....pasta...... we have just had an incredible time. today i had to drive in napoli. imagine a crowded street of pedestrains in new york........... thousands going every which a way...no one paying attention to which side of sidewalk you are on....just walk and try not to hit anyone....no lanes....no lights....go any way you want. now imagine that instead of walking i am driving a car. it was nuts. even bruno said the napoli people are crazy.......... from another planet. it is true. i cant describe the scene to you. god was good and sent a little man to drive from train station where i left everyone.......to the airport on other side of town. if he had not been with me..i would not have made it. psalms 143 7 god showed me the way to go..... using a little 84 yr old man that he sent just for me. glad to turn in car and get on train. will write more tomorrow. if you need us call sandy
love you mom and dad wanda and johnny-
Updated 5/5/2006 - by John
We had a BLAST in rome and all is well we are having the absolute time of our life. Weather and everything wonderful headed out this morning on way to positano by car.
love you all very much mom and dad
Updated 5/3/2006 - by John
When In Rome...
just wanted you to know what a fantastic time we are having it has been better than we could have ever planned last night diner at a special place that the Italian teacher told us about....no tourists...no menu....food for days and days.....singing.....had a blast
then tonight when it could not be better it was....another place she sent us to.....laughed all night...the waiters sang to us and it was even better.
toured rome on a big bus went to see all the sights tomorrow the vatican and the the best of the 3 places she sent us to. we have laughed until we hurt. Sandy and Mauro spent first day with us and it was great.
Love you all.
Mom in bed. its 1130 and I had capachino!!!! dad
Updated 2/1/2006 - by Jason
James McDavid Lovoy born 1/30/2006 5:38 pm
8 pounds 9 ounces 19 inches
It was a long delivery but James is here and doing great. Isaac and Juliette are so excited about their new baby brother and can not wait to have him home. We are starting to pack up now.
FYI - Our home phone is not working so you will have to call on one of our cell phones.
Shawndee - 205-432-9489
Jason - 205-432-9519
Updated 12/30/2005 - by Jason
Our Trip to San Francisco
Nov 10 - 14, 2005
Shawndee and I went out to visit Bryan and Angie in San Francisco early November. We had a blast. The weather was perfect - blue skies, warm weather. We decided to be a little spontaneous and take one last trip before James gets here.
Click here to see our pictures.
Updated 11/29/2005 - by Jason
Going to the Beach - September
Just now getting around to posting pictures. We went back to Sea Oats in Ft. Walton this past summer and had a blast.
Click here to check out our pictures
Updated 8/31/2005 - by Jason
Highlands In July
Check out new pictures of Jackson and Darci
I think this was the first time to have all the grandkids together.
Updated 8/28/2005 - by Jason
Just Hangin Out
Pappa with Nina and Darci
Jennifer promises to post new pictures soon, so if you do not see them, bug her about it.
We dedicate this site to Memaw and Papaw. They gave us so much and taught us so many things about life, love, business and family. They provided us with so many beautiful memories of times together.
