Please scroll down for a complete set of status reports in reverse chronological order.

 As you can see from these praise reports God certainly answered our prayers!

We are very grateful to God the father and our Lord Jesus Christ for giving Elizabeth an extension of life here on earth but more importantly for the salvation he has provided for us on the cross and the promise of our victory over death as demonstrated by His resurrection!
Cancer Survivor!

Elizabeth's current assignment in the Navy is to become a cancer survivor.  While in Guam the Navy found a large mass in her chest and medevaced her to Brooke Army Medical Center (BAMC) to identify the problem and treat it.  It was diagnosed as Large B Cell Lymphoma and she was quickly placed on chemo therapy for it.

As with all obstacles that she has faced so far in life she is keeping a positive attitude and is committed to overcoming this temporary set back.  She is responding well to the treatment and a full recovery is expected.

The Navy has been amazingly supportive in this whole ordeal and she could not have been sent to a better medical facility.  She has had several teams of doctors helping her including no less than six oncologists.  In fact, when first admitted to BAMC, she got irritated at so many doctors coming to see her!  I explained to her that it is a very good thing to have so many doctors involved in her diagnosis and treatment.  They employed the very latest technologies in the diagnosis and are using the very latest in chemo therapy combined with radiation therapy to treat it.

Many people have been praying for her and we attribute that to the favorable prognosis.  Please keep praying for her as we really need those prayers.

Sincerely,

Clay

"For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope."  Jeremiah 29:11

Status reports in reverse chronological order.  These are copies of what I sent out to email lists across the country.  Mostly they are prayer requests and praise reports because with God all things are possible! (Matthew 19:26)

Written 10/08/09 ...

Today they removed her port.  It's been two years since her last chemo and still no sign of cancer so they removed her port.  Praise God this is a great day for Elizabeth!

Written 08/11/09 ...

Still no sign of cancer!  The most recent whole body PET scan came back negative.  Please keep the prayers going in her direction ... thanks!

Written 11/17/08 ...

Still no sign of cancer!  Sorry I have not been writing updates.  No news is good news!  Please keep the prayers going in her direction ... thanks!

Written 10/25/07 ...

Elizabeth went to the doctor today to review the results of the last PET scan – the tumor is now less than 1 centimeter in its maximum dimension!  This is wonderful and incredible news! 

Written 9/21/07 ...

Praise God, her prognosis is still Excellent!  They expect a full recovery!

Below is a message I am sending out to all who are interested in the health of my daughter who is in the Navy and being treated for Cancer in San Antonio Texas.  Please forward to anyone you wish (I hid the distribution for the privacy of some).

She will be completing her 8th and final chemotherapy treatment next Thursday (9/27/07) so they are preparing for the radiation therapy which comes next.  She went to her Radiation Oncology doctor yesterday with my wife (Michelle).  He has been following her ever since she was admitted to the hospital.  I met him when they diagnosed the cancer on May 5.  He explained the radiation treatment at a high level to me at that time.  He expected the tumor to still be rather large after the chemo. 

When he met with Elizabeth and Michelle yesterday he told them that he had been following her in weekly meetings where they discuss patients and their progress so he was well aware of her situation.  He said that because the tumor is so small now (less than one inch after the 5th chemo) the radiation will be much less severe than they originally expected.  Since the tumor is still attached to one of her lungs the radiation will kill about 5% of that lung but will not harm any other internal organs.  He says she won’t even notice the loss and will be able to run marathons afterwards if she wants.

She will be undergoing radiation therapy every M-F of an entire month beginning some time in October.  She should have very few, if any, side effects from the radiation treatment.

Please continue to pray for a full remission and no relapse.  Also pray that she will not have other types of cancer in the future from the current treatments for this cancer.

Also, please say a special prayer for her as she will be on her own again starting in October.  One or more members of her family have been with her since April 27 when she was medivaced to San Antonio from Guam.  She told Michelle today that she really enjoyed her time with us and will miss us.

She will be moving into the BAMC barracks on the Monday following her last chemo.  I'm sure it will be lonely and hard for her.  We will be calling her every day but it won't be the same as actually being there for her.  We will also be visiting her for any and all holidays but almost two months will pass before we will see her for Thanksgiving.


Written 8/27/07 ...

Just to let you know the results of the PET scan that Elizabeth got just before her 6th cycle of chemo are in and were confirmed yesterday.  Her tumor that started out with a maximum dimension of 17.5 cm (nearly 7 inches) across her chest has now shrunk to a maximum dimension of only 2.3 cm (less than one inch)!

This is incredible.  The doctors are all very exited.  Yesterday three of them (yes, three M. D. s) reviewed the results with Michelle and Elizabeth.  When this was first diagnosed as NHL (back in early May) they told us that there would probably be a lot of scar tissue left over after the chemo but no active cancer cells.

At the time this last PET scan was done there were still some active cancer cells so they will put her through the full 8 cycles of chemo.  It will be finished by the end of September at which time they do not expect any active cancer cells to be left.  She will then go through Radiation therapy but they will not know the details of that until after all of the chemo is done and they evaluate her situation at that time.

Thanks for all of your prayers.  Sorry I have been slow to get updates out.  I knew about this for over a week now but it seemed so unbelievable that I wanted to wait until my wife and daughter went in for her regularly scheduled doctor appointment this week at which time the doctor was going to take her on a "field trip" to where they analyze the PET scans.  Since the shrinkage of the tumor is so extraordinary I wanted to know for sure before I reported it to all of you.  It is for sure!!!!


Written 8/5/07 ...

Sorry I have been very slow in getting an update out to all of you.  I have been very busy both in San Antonio and at home in Albuquerque.  I'm not used to being a single parent!  I must say this helps me better appreciate how much my wife (Michelle) contributes to our family's well being and how little I do!

The only new news I have is great news.  After 3 cycles of Chemo they sent Elizabeth in for a PET scan.  The results showed that the tumor was 1/2 the size that it was when she started Chemo.  We were hoping that there would be no cancer cells showing but there were still a small cluster of cancer cells in the scar tissue.  Now, after 5 cycles of chemo, she will be going back in for another PET scan.  We don't know for sure when yet but I am guessing that it will be some time next week.

Please pray that the results are accurate and there are no cancer cells detected.  Since the tumor was so large the doctors told us there would most likely still be a mass left after all of the cancer cells are gone.  This mass will consist of scar tissue only and will be benign.  BTW, other than the residual mass of scar tissue, the doctors expect a 100% full recovery with no disability.

She will be done with her chemo by the end of September and then will start radiation therapy after that.  We will learn more about the radiation therapy after the chemo is done.

Thanks to all of you for your support.  I will try to keep you updated when there is anything new to report.


Written 6/11/07 ...

- Background -

Elizabeth joined the Navy and left for boot camp on Nov 12, 2006.  While in boot camp Elizabeth started suffering from ill health including a creaking and popping in her chest when she breathed along with shortness of breath, head aches, nausea, and vomiting.  These symptoms continued on into her 'A' school as well.  Of course her family urged her to go to the doctor but that is just something you don't do in Navy boot camp or 'A' school for fear of being "held back."  Rather than go to medical she just pushed through all of it and succeeded despite her medical condition.  Following 'A' school and on into her first assignment in Guam she had those symptoms and more including a constant low grade fever, growing fatigue, dizzy spells, and, eventually, night sweats.  This illness began to interfere with her ability to do her job as a Master At Arms (Security Police) so she finally went in to medical.  A few days later they found a large mass in her chest that had partially collapsed one of her lungs and was putting pressure on the other.  They quickly medevaced her to Brooke Army Medical Center (BAMC) in San Antonio where she was diagnosed with Diffuse Large B Cell Lymphoma and placed on R-CHOP chemotherapy for 6 to 8 cycles to be followed by Radiation Therapy.  After 4 cycles of the chemo they will do another scan of her body evaluating the condition of the mass searching for active tumor activity and, depending on the results, determine if two or four more cycles of chemo will be required.

- Old News -

Approximately one week after the first chemo cycle they did a chest x-Ray looking for pneumonia and noticed that the tumor had already shrunk a small amount.  Approximately two weeks after the first chemo cycle the fever and the night sweats were gone.  The second chemo cycle hit her harder than the first.  She was down for 3 days and was not feeling completely well until a week later.  About that time also happens to be when her white blood cell count is the lowest (from the chemo) so although she feels better she is most susceptible to infection then.

- Latest Update - Praise Report!!!

My wife arrived in San Antonio yesterday to spend time with Elizabeth and she called me this morning with the latest news from Elizabeth's last doctor visit from a few days ago.  It seems that the creaking and popping when she breaths is no longer detectible even through a stethoscope.  Elizabeth says her primary oncologist (who is a young army woman) almost cried when she could no longer detect the sounds of the tumor interfering with her breathing.  Elizabeth also says that now she can take deep breaths again!

More than that, yesterday Elizabeth met some sailors in the burn unit at BAMC and now she wants to start baking cup cakes to take to them!  Wow, an 18 year old going through a serious medical battle of her own is not thinking of herself but, rather, is thinking of others and baking cup cakes to help them!  How cool is that?

- Please Keep the Prayers Coming -

Elizabeth still has at least two cycles of chemotherapy to go and they do hit her hard.  The last one hit her harder than the first one.  Please pray for strength for her and protection from the very serious side effects of chemo therapy.  Of course, please continue to pray for shrinking of the tumor and full remission with no return of this cancer or any other form of cancer in the future.  Also, pray for direction for her life.  She can no longer be deployed so that means she can no longer be a Master At Arms.  She is thinking that she might want to pursue some sort of medical career now such as dentistry.  And of course, last but not least, please pray for her continued spiritual growth and a closer walk with God through all of this and beyond this.

Thank you once again.  You can't imagine how much I appreciate your interest in her well being and your support through all of this.  For those who do not know, I put together a web site for her that tracks her navy career at www.empnavy.us.  It is a little out of date and leaves out a lot of details but it does have some excellent pictures of her.


Written 5/28/07 - lots of people are praying for Elizabeth - This is a letter of encouragement that was sent to her on 5/28/07

From:
Sent: Monday, May 28, 2007 7:57 PM
To:
Subject: Your Daddy sent me

Dear Elizabeth,

You don't know me and your father has only met me through e-mails, but I hope to be an encouragement to you. You see, I am a 6 year cancer survivor myself. But equally important, I know a young woman who has a similar form of Non-Hogkins Lymphoma to the one you are fighting.  She attends the same church as my husband and I. 

She found out about her illness at 20 years of age. She was engaged to be married and had already conquered two open heart surgeries (non-related to the cancer). She went through many weeks of chemo, lost all her hair and was just a very sick gal. But, her treatments put her into remission, her hair grew back in more beautiful than before, and she did get married.  She is still in remission (4 years now), and just 6 months ago gave birth to twins. Bouncing baby boys!! 

They are beautiful and so is their Mommy. That kind of beauty only God Himself  is possible of creating. So I am challenging you to let go and let God. He can do all things!! I don't even know you but there is one thing I do know, you CAN make it through this. I will be praying for you to have strength and courage to fight. That is what it takes.

My son Daniel is also serving in the U.S.Navy.  You service people make us all proud!! If you don't mind I would like to put your name and name only on our prayer chain. You will have people all over the world praying for you. I will not do this until I get the okay from you.  God Bless you Elizabeth!!

With many prayers, 

Lorrie Coffey


Written 5/21/07 ...

We have great news (all glory to God).  It sounds scary but she has a very treatable form of Non Hodgkin's Lymphoma (NHL) known as Primary Mediastinal Large B-Cell Lymphoma.  She started chemo on Saturday May 5 and responded very well to it.  She was released from the hospital to out-patient status shortly after the chemo but had to be readmitted early the following Sunday morning due to a high fever.  All is well though and things should be more stable for all of the subsequent cycles.

It will be a long haul for her and her family with 6 to 8 cycles of chemo (21 days between each treatment) followed by radiation therapy.  However, she has a wonderfully positive attitude and is under the most amazing care with the latest technology employed in the diagnosis and treatment.  We could not be more impressed with the Navy and the military treatment of our sick and wounded.

I am also very appreciative of my Sandia management for allowing me to be there for her.  Her hospital visit was very hard on her with all of the procedures and uncertainty.  I was able to greet her at the airport and to be there for her entire hospital stay with the hospital staff allowing/encouraging me to stay in her room with her 24/7 the whole time she was in the hospital.  She told many family members that she could not have made it without me there with her.  I could not have been there if it were not for the support of my management here at Sandia which I will always be grateful for. 

I will be asking for more time off as I help her through the treatment and recovery process.  My wife and mother in law will also be there for her so she will never be alone while undergoing treatment.

I have provided a little more information at her website (www.empnavy.us) but not much more.  I'm not sure how much detail she wants me to go into on her web site (and she has not felt well enough yet to review it) so I am holding back a little.


Written 5/18/07 ...

I just got back home from San Antonio today.  She has a very treatable form of lymphoma and is already responding well to chemo.  Michelle and I will be taking turns visiting her in San Antonio and it does not look like Elijah and I will make any trials until possibly September at best.

Thanks again to all of the MANY NMTA people who have offered their time, finances, homes, campers and yes, even airline tickets!  As it is now we are OK but we may have to take you up on some of those offers!  I’ll try to get back to each of you personally as soon as I can.

Someday (maybe soon) this will be a whole new section for her www.empnavy.us website.  I can tell you this, the Navy sure takes good care of their sailors and their families.  As an in-patient she had six (yes six) cancer doctors, three Cardio-Thorasic surgeons, and two teams (of at least six each) of residents and interns.  She got kind of sick of talking to doctors but we explained to her that too many doctors is a GOOD thing to have these days!  As an out patient she has two cancer doctors and a whole team of nurses who specialize in cancer patients to manage her health.  In addition, she has expedited entrance back in to the hospital if she encounters any problems which, unfortunately, she did and was readmitted shortly after her initial release.  However, all turned out very well and they are very happy with her progress.


Written 4/25/07 ...

For those of you who do not already know, Monday night we learned that Elizabeth's doctors in Guam have found a "large mass" (about the size of an adult fist) in Elizabeth's chest near her heart.  It has been causing her health to steadily deteriorate and could have been the source of much of her health problems even as far back as boot camp but we do not know for sure.  We are all shocked and surprised by this because Elizabeth has always been so healthy all of her life.

We spoke with Elizabeth extensively last night and she says that she is feeling much better now.  She is very up-beat about the whole thing and making plans for her future.  According to one of the nurses I spoke with Elizabeth spent 4 hours with the Chaplain yesterday.  According to Elizabeth the chaplain told her "I am here to cheer you up which is good news.  If I was here to make sure that you are right with God that would be bad news!"  He ended up inviting her to have dinner with his family which includes 5 daughters.  He said "What's one more mouth to feed?" 

Elizabeth has been getting lots of dinner invitations but so far she has turned them all down.  I told her that she needs to accept some of the offers.  She says they are all trying to be her family but they are not her family and only we are her family.

I spoke with one of her doctors pretty extensively last night and she informed me that Elizabeth will be sent to Brooke Army Medical Center (in San Antonio).  This doctor told me that this facility is one of the best in the nation and that Elizabeth has been accepted by a very good doctor.  When I asked her about private institutions like M.D. Anderson or UNM she said that Elizabeth is still active duty so she must at least start out at a military installation.  She said that they do refer patients to M.D. Anderson but only their most complicated cases that they do not think the military can handle.

I did a little research on Brooke Army Medical Center and it seems as good as any.  They seem to have a very good thoracic surgery department so if her diagnosis requires surgery she should be in very good hands.  Depending on what the prognosis and plan of action is we may have some other options as well (including the possibility of bringing her home and having the treatment done at UNM) but we just need to take these things one step at a time.

The doctor said they would decide on Thursday early afternoon (tonight our time) when and how to send Elizabeth after reviewing her progress.  They are trying to bring her vitals back up to as close to normal as possible.  It seems when she finally went in her vitals were very low - she was not in very good condition.  Here hemoglobin was strikingly low.

There are two transportation options for sending her home.  One is an emergency medi-vac (which is slower because it has more stops on the way) and the other is through commercial airlines.  We will not know which of these options they are going to choose until they review her vitals (again, tonight our time).

So, our plan is that I will drive her car to San Antonio to meet her there when she arrives.  If she is going back by commercial airline I will probably have to start driving to San Antonio tomorrow morning.  If not I will probably be in to work tomorrow.  Since there is so much doubt I have filled my timecard out with the assumption that I will be here tomorrow.

Once in San Antonio I plan to stay until they do a biopsy and we establish her treatment plan.  After that I will stay as long as I can before using up too much of my paid time off.  My wife will then fly out to be with her and I plan to fly back.  If her treatments continue out there my wife will continue to stay there with her as long as necessary.  If it looks like it will be a long term treatment program we will consider the possibility of bringing her home and getting her treatments at UNM.  It all depends on what is best for her.


Written 4/24/07 ...

We got a call from Elizabeth’s doctor last night around 10:30 our time.  They found a large mass (about the size of a fist) in her chest near her heart.  They will be sending her back to the states to a cancer specialist near us to do a biopsy and decide what to do from there.  We don’t know where that will be but I told the doctor the most important thing is the best doctors possible.