This Too Shall Pass

Goodbye, Old Friend

Tom Carroll — Tue, 01 Feb 2011 14:18:52 +0000

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…

Tom Carroll — Sun, 30 Jan 2011 03:23:23 +0000

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

No more pain, no more suffering…

One Year Later…

Tom Carroll — Tue, 16 Nov 2010 03:05:12 +0000

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 Brother of a Different Mother

Tom Carroll — Sat, 09 Oct 2010 03:06:27 +0000

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.

(Almost) Home Again

Tom Carroll — Wed, 26 May 2010 16:33:21 +0000

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…

Hospital Again

Tom Carroll — Fri, 21 May 2010 23:17:29 +0000

Well friends, you haven’t heard from me for a while from this blog as everything has been just fine with my health. I’ve been feeling great, working out hard on the erg and enjoying life.

Unfortunately,I’ve hit a bump in the road that has landed me back in the hospital.

Yesterday I woke up with a stomach ache. No big deal, just thought I was hungry as I had eaten very lightly the night before. After taking Hannah to school I came on back home to deal with cramping and nausea. By late morning it had gotten pretty ugly, but I was not thinking about anything other than a stomach bug. We went in to see our family doctor and he brought up the possibility of a bowel obstruction, which was definitely not on my radar. An x-ray didn’t rule it out, but he was betting on a bug.

Later in the evening things got worse to where we called our doctor. He sent us to the ER and I’ve been here ever since. Very good care in the ER, great drugs that take the edge off and more X-rays and a CT scan that confirmed that all is not right in Tom’s Bowel Land. An obstruction in the upper part of the colon. Could be scar tissue or a badly digested burrito.

Now comes the truly nasty part: in order to relieve the top-side pressure that was causing pain they inserted a tube through my nose into my stomach. That was, without a doubt, the worse two minutes of my life. Oh yes, it also took three attempts because I was sure that the poor nurse was trying to run it through uncharted territory. No more gory details; suffice it to say that I now have a new #1 Most Unpleasant Medical Moment. Check with Mary for more details as she was assisting. But, it works as once they got it hooked up to a vacuum pump and started siphoning away, the abdominal pain went with it. It has also provided us with moments of levity as green popsicles get almost immediately recycled.

So, for at least the rest of the weekend, I am the guest at the fabulous Hillcrest Resort here in Waco. The current thinking is that in many cases, obstructions such as this can be eliminated (pun intended) without surgery. I am all for that without surgery part, especially as we are in full golf season and I am driving the ball pretty well. Still can’t putt worth a damn though.

Stay tuned and once again, I would appreciate your prayers.

A (Nearly) Perfect Day

Tom Carroll — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 14:23:37 +0000

It’s been a while since I’ve posted. Nothing new with me, just back to the normal day-to-day.

But today was a (nearly) perfect day.

Mary, Lauren, Hannah and I are spending the weekend at La Mirage in Port Aransas. It would be a perfect weekend if Katie and PJ were with us, but they are busy with Life in OK City.

We drove here Friday night, fully expecting a cloudy, cool weekend – at least according to the Weather Channel. We were all ok with that because it is still the beach. We woke on Saturday to what we expected, that first cup of coffee perfect on the patio, a gray sky above. As we were taking a walk along the beach, the clouds began to break up and the sun came shining through. For most of the rest of the day, it was a warm beautiful day on the Texas Coast, a delightful unexpected gift that was gladly accepted.

Tonight I was thinking about the idea of an unexpected gift, and how happy we are when it pops into our life. What we tend to forget though is that that feeling can be with us all of the time if we look at each day as an unexpected gift. When we move through our life thinking that it will last forever it is easy to miss the appreciation of the moment. This is a mindset that Buddhism cultivates; live in the moment. What that really means is to appreciate and enjoy where you are now as the past is only a memory and the future a set of possibilities. After all, life is just a series of moments.

This is one of the lessons that was made clear to me during my dance with cancer. It doesn’t mean that I don’t get aggravated or disappointed when something doesn’t go the way that I expected. It is a gentle reminder to pay attention to my thoughts and feelings at this moment and to not spend precious time worrying about the past or the future.

So whether sitting on the beach listening to the soothing sounds of the waves and birds, or at work dealing with the latest crisis, it can always be a (nearly) perfect day.

Peace…

Full-Timer Again

Tom Carroll — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 02:43:34 +0000

Well, I’ve made it through my first full week back without too much problem. It was fairly normal, with the exception of Friday when I pushed it too much. We are (attempting) to run a new hourglass shaped bottle that looks beautiful, but is nearly impossible to convey from point A to point B without it falling down, usually in a domino affect. I was way too active and was very tired when I got home – early to bed.

A good nights sleep cures a lot of ills, and I felt fine today. Unfortunately I have spent all afternoon and on into the evening at work. I contracted a new company to come in and do a major clean on the office and breakroom floors. Until they pass our security screening, they have to be escorted while here, in this case by yours truly. Plenty of time for me to catch up on some lingering paperwork etc. I will say that keeping an eye on bb games over the internet is a poor quality experience. Nice to see Baylor beat Texas at their house.

Katie and PJ are weather refugees this weekend, heading south to Texas to avoid the winter mess in OK City. We’ll all be glad when they move to Ft. Worth this spring.

All in all, a good week, a normal busy week at our home. Looking forward to a hot bowl of Zuppa Toscana when I get home in a little while.

Peace…

Urgent Request

Tom Carroll — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 18:00:23 +0000

Update: my mistake - I had an apparent brain cramp. What Marcus is suffering from is Sarcoidosis.

Friends – I have an urgent request for you. A friend and co-worker of mine at Coca-Cola is in dire need of healing. You have blessed me with the healing power of your prayer and now I ask that you direct this to help my friend.

His name is Marcus Daughtry. Marcus is a decorated Desert Storm veteran who is suffering from Sarcoidosis Saranoids Disease. This disease attacks the lungs and liver. Marcus is currently at a military hospital in San Antonio. He has lost 60 lbs and is struggling to survive. This ordeal has put a great deal of heartache and stress on his wife and young daughter. Marcus is a great guy and needs your help.

Please pray for his healing.

Thank you…

Back to Work

Tom Carroll — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 20:49:01 +0000

Sorta. Started back 1/2 days this week. Actually, it was great to be back among my friends and co-workers. Everyone that I spoke with was very gracious in welcoming me back to 8400. It will be a challenging year for us, but if we work well together, we can get it done. This part bears repeating: if we work well together, we can get it done.

Dr. Howton was right, though; it was a great deal more tiring than I expected. Repeatedly I had to tell myself to SLOW DOWN. By noon, I had had enough fun for one day and was very glad to get home and trade the khakis for sweat pants. Of course, there are those out there who would say that about nearly every day, but hey, imagine how bored we would be without those daily challenges. My personal goals for work this year are to maintain a positive attitude under all circumstances, be meticulously organized, and be highly efficient and productive. I value my job highly and can expect to give full effort while at the plant. At the end of the day, though, what goes on at 8400 stays at 8400.