Earl: Cancer of the pancreas (Adenocarcinoma): April 2008

While talking to Pat at lunch, she said the tumor is on the outside of his spine where it will be easier for surgeon to get to it, though it is squeezing the spine and putting pressure on the spinal cord. It is located just about center between waist and neck. There is no involvement with any of his organs. The other spots are located in upper right chest apparently in the chest wall or just under it. They will be harder to get to them. (Lillian)

This is an update from Pat that she emailed to co-workers this morning:

I want to take a moment to bring you up to date. Many of you may remember my son-in-law Thomas, who 4 and half years ago, at the age of 18 during his senior yr in high school, was diagnosed with melanoma cancer and went through 3 surgeries over the next couple of years fighting this ugly demon.

In the past 4 years Thomas and Stacie have been living a great life, he has already became a sales manager for Carmax (youngest in the entire corporation) and they now have a beautiful little girl, Julie, who just turned 3. They live in South Carolina presently due to Thomas’s job.

What I am now asking is that you put Thomas in your prayers once more. He was again, as of yesterday, diagnosed with a melanoma tumor that is growing on his spine. They came home last night for him to meet with his cancer doctors on Wednesday to hurriedly get him into surgery to remove this tumor.

He has already lost most of the feeling in his legs and has tingling sensations throughout his body, otherwise, this tumor is putting pressure on the spine where it is slowing paralyzing him. He also has two spots that showed up on his scan last Tuesday behind the front chest cavity. This all has occurred within the past couple of months. When he had his scan done in December 2007, all was still clear.

This is such a fast growing and can be such a deadly cancer. I beg of you all, please put Thomas in your prayers that he will again defeat this ugly beast.

I thank all of you for all your prayers, concerns and help in the past and I’m reaching out to you again.

Love
Pat Carver

Their high school graduation 2002

Wedding May 2003

Stacie, Julie, Thomas at Thanksgiving 2007

Thomas Bright is married to my niece, Stacie Carver. Stacie is the daughter of my sister, Pat and Tom Carver. Thomas had his 25th birthday in November 2007. Thomas and Stacie have a three year old daughter, Julie.

Thomas found out today that the melanoma is back in the form of a tumor attached to his spine. There are also a couple of "spots" in his chest that may possibly be in his lung(s).

Don't have much info. They are coming in from SC tonight. He is to see his doctors here on Wednesday. Surgery may be on Friday. This will be his 4th or 5th melanoma surgery. He has been having back pain for last 3-4 weeks. No info on size of tumor.

Please pray for Thomas & Stacie. We are so afraid this is the dreaded recurrence that will take him from us. There is no chemo for melanoma, so don't know what treatment might be available.

What follows are notes I found that were made over the years going back to the other surgeries.

~*~*~*~*~*~**~*~*~*~ 2001 - 2003 ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Thomas Bright, twenty years old, has cancer. His cancer is called Melanoma. It started when he was 19 years old in 2001, during his senior year football season, on a small mole on the left side of his neck. His first surgery did not “get it all” and required more surgery. Thomas loved playing football, but spent the last half of the season cheering his teammates on from the sidelines.

In the Fall of 2002, thinking his cancer had been “taken care of”, Thomas asked Stacie Carver to marry him. Soon after she accepted his proposal, a knot showed up in one of his lymph nodes on that left side of his neck. He had another surgery to remove all of the remaining lymph nodes on the left side of his neck from under the point of his chin all the way around past his left ear. It had only been about ten months since he was first diagnosed.

There is no chemo for Melanoma. Thomas had radiation for several weeks. He then started on a year long series of treatments, which he injects under his skin three days a week. This causes his body to produce more of the stuff that naturally fights infection/cancer. After each injection, he has fever and chills, which were gone by morning. This leaves him weak, run down and feeling awful during the next day. Even with the radiation and treatments, Thomas has only been given 50-50 chance of beating this wicked form of cancer.

They originally planned to marry in 2004, after Thomas completed his treatments and Stacie finished her courses at East Tennessee School of Beauty. In Thomas’ case, life is uncertain. He and Stacie decided waiting might not be their wisest decision. So, they set their wedding date for May 6, 2003. Two days after the invitations were mailed, Thomas had a biopsy done on a small knot on the right side of his neck that he had been told “wasn’t anything to worry about”. Only six months into treatment, another cancerous knot had formed.

Thomas had surgery again on Tuesday, April 29, 2003. This five-hour surgery removed all of the lymph nodes from where the previous surgery stopped at his chin all the way around to his right ear. He is scheduled to have the drain tube and staples removed on Monday, May 5th, then he and Stacie will marry the next evening.

**************

Stacie's boyfriend, Thomas Bright, had major surgery on Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2002. His cancer (melanoma) came back in his neck. The melanoma he had on his neck last November 2001 was on the outside skin. This one was in the lymph nodes on that same left side of his neck, only it was inside. Knot formed that was growing fast.

This really scared them. Pat was checking out M D Anderson Hospital in Houston, TX as it is known as a really GOOD cancer hospital. Dr. Roseman, in Maryville, is very good doctor that took off the first cancer. He referred Thomas to Dr. Mark Overholt to take care of this second cancer.

When Pat and Thomas went to Overholt on Wed, 9/11/2002, during the get acquainted talk, Dr. O said he met his wife at M D Anderson. Pat could hardly wait for him to finish speaking to ask him "What did you say your connection with M D Anderson was?" He said that's where I met my wife. Pat then told him she had been trying to figure a way to ask him about possibly sending Thomas to Texas for surgery, treatment, etc.

Dr. Overholt said "You're looking at M D Anderson, that's where I studied and got my Doctorate”. Pat was SO HAPPY. This Dr. O is one of two doctors in the whole state of Tenn. that is capable of doing Thomas' surgery. (Other one is in West Tn.) He removed all the lymph nodes from Thomas' chin around past his left ear. He has NO nodes now on that side of his neck. The incision starts at the point of Thomas' chin, angles down and across almost to the base of his neck..... across and back up about two inches behind his ear. Dr stapled that long incision about every 16th of an inch!

Dr O told Thomas before the surgery that he would definitely have radiation and treatment following surgery this time. Dr. O did tell them after surgery that this one was not as deep as he had thought... it was more on top of the muscle, etc. Dr O had told Thomas that he would probably lose feeling in his left ear (which he did) and might lose some function of his face (smile crooked) and maybe ability to shrug his shoulder. Since it wasn't so deep, Dr was able to save Thomas' sweet smile. Guess the shoulder is OK, too.

Dr. O had wanted to get this OUT the next day, but no operating rooms available. Dr. O is at Ft. Sanders Park West and only available place was at Ft. Sanders Regional (at UT area) on Tues. They had to wait six days. These two hospitals are about 10 miles apart, owned by same outfit.
Sandra (works at Blount Memorial hospital in Maryville) told me that when I told her Roseman had referred Thomas to someone else, she knew this was a hard case. Roseman is one of the best in this area, so for him to refer Thomas didn't sound good. Dr. O told Thomas he couldn't be in better hands for treatment and radiation, that Dr R is very good.

We now hope and pray that all these good doctors can save Thomas. Keep him in your prayers. He's just 19 (in 2001), much too young!!!

Thomas bought Stacie an engagement ring a couple of months ago, plans to ask her to marry him on her birthday, Sept. 28th when she turns 18. Sure hope all this doesn't .... Well, never mind, I just don't want to go there!

Thomas had last radiation treatment on Oct 19, 2002 To start other treatment week after Thanksgiving.