A sad day today. Last night our friend Steve von Phul peacefully passed away, surrounded by his family.  His battle with cancer was short and extremely intense, but he suffers no more.

Please say a prayer for his wife LeAnn, daughter Janet and the rest of his family as they cope with the loss of a husband, father, son and brother. 

He will be missed by all…

Please pray for my friend Steve as he prepares to leave this world.

No more pain, no more suffering…

A happy day at our house.  Ten days ago my surgeon put me under for my one year colonscopy.  He removed several small polyps and some other tissue samples from around his previous handiwork.  Today we got back the pathology results: all clear.  While I was confident that all was well in Bowel Land, I do admit to having some anxiety and was quite relieved to hear the positive news.  Thanks once again to all of you who offered words of encouragement and prayers on  my behalf.

However, our personal relief remains tempered by the on-going difficulty facing our long time friend Steve von Phul as he struggles with his own Good Fight.  Steve has had two very difficult sessions of intense chemo as his doctors work to put down the tumors in his liver.  It has left him and his wife drained of energy as they deal with the side affects.  The one-two punch of major surgery and chemo has knocked him down but he has gotten back up and faced it with a determination and good humor that shows the strength that is in all of us.  Right now he needs to get an appetite back that doesn’t involve chicken noodle soup or grape jelly.  The next chemo session starts Thanksgiving week.

While Steve won’t be feasting on turkey like the rest of us next week, we can help feed his soul with our prayers.  Please remember Steve and LeAnn as you reflect on the blessings in your life and as you close your eyes to end another day.

Thank you for supporting my friend.

My Friends, tonight I come to you with a heavy heart.  We learned yesterday that a long time, dear friend of ours , Steve von Phul, has begun his own struggle against cancer.  Like so many other instances, this too was a sudden illness; abdominal discomfort led to a battery of tests that indicated a large mass at the juncture of the large & small intestines.  Further tests found additional tumors in his liver.  The intestinal tumor was removed surgically, but Steve now faces an extensive round of chemotherapy to deal with the rest.  He is weak and he and his wife LeAnn are scared.  They need every prayer for strength and healing that can be sent their way.

We first met Steve over 25 years ago; we were all new homeowners in a starter home subdivision in Houston, they lived around the corner from us.  Their daughter Janet was about the same age as our older daughter Katie and the girls grew up together.  Even after we moved to Waco and they moved to Weatherford we visited often through the years, the bond between our families remained strong.  Steve and I are brothers of different mothers.

Steve is, without any doubt, the smartest and probably most complex human being I have ever known.  Despite the handicap of being a Red Raider, he has an intellect that is almost unworldly.  Most people don’t get Steve, mainly because they have no sense of subtlety.  You have to listen closely when he speaks or you’ll miss the true meaning hidden between the lines.  At other times he is blunt and direct, usually when his considerable patience has worn to the point where he feels he has no choice but to set you straight.

I had the pleasure of working with Steve for nearly a year as we commercialized Sophie.  I really don’t want to go into any geeky details right now.  Please check out his company’s website: http://www.d-foam.com for an idea of what the man has accomplished as an inventor and technologist.

Several months ago I asked for your help with a Coca-Cola colleague of mine, Marcus Daughtry.  Here is a link to the post:  http://tcarroll.wordpress.com/2010/01/21/urgent-request/ Whatever prayers that you sent Marcus’ way have worked; he has been released from the hospital and paid us a visit last week.  Although I personally didn’t see him, others told me of his amazing recovery.  Thank you.

Now again I need to ask all of you who provided me with such love and support to share your strength and love with a complete stranger, my friend Steve.  The power of prayer is an amazing thing; unlimited by distance, capable of providing strength and healing even to those who you don’t know.  I don’t know how this thing works, only that it does.

Please pray for Steve, his wife LeAnn and daughter Janet.  They are suffering right now in dealing with this illness.  Pray for strength as his body deals with this intrusion.  Pray for healing so that they may learn the power that is vested in all of us.  Pray for peace that the natural fear that accompanies a sudden illness may be lessened.

Thank you for helping with my friend…Tc

 

Here is a pic of Steve during our work at a Shell gas plant high in the Canadian Rockies.

Well friends, it looks like my release from the fabulous Hillcrest Resort here in sultry Waco is imminent sometime this afternoon.  After six days of being on the receiving end of  a curious blend of modern and medieval medical techniques, I appear to have demonstrated that I won’t be doubled up in pain shortly after eating a cheeseburger sufficiently enough to warrant my release.  My all-time favorite surgeon, Dr. Howton, believes that the obstruction was temporary and that surgery is not required.

You can’t imagine how good that pancake tasted this morning.

I won’t bore you with more of the nasty medical details; suffice it to say that I am very pleased to be completely disconnected from all medical devices and protocols and am currently refusing to get back in bed for the remainder of my stay here.  While he has warned me that this nastiness could intrude into my life again, I won’t spend any time or energy worrying about what could happen.

Outside, it looks like another beautiful warm day here in Waco.  I look forward to sitting outside in the sun with a cold beverage, keeping the dogs content with too much attention.  I look forward to crawling into my own bed at night and snuggling up to my wife.  I look forward to standing on the first tee Saturday morning with my buds.

Always remember, my friends: it is the simple things in life that make it sweet.  Again, I appreciate more than you can know or that I can express, all of the concern and offers of help that came pouring in during my stay here.  It’s ironic how problems can so often bring out the best in us.  Your circle of family and friends is the most precious possession that you have.  Nurture it lovingly, give generously and receive graciously.  It really is that simple.

Peace…