Yes, I understand that every life must end...As we sit alone, I know someday we must go...

SPOILER ALERT:  Eric's Post-Surgical Report, a Thank you, and a Sad Farewell.

Yesterdays surgery went beautifully. Surgery last a little over 1.5 hours. Dr. Solomon was able to ablate all visible disease in the left lung. There was one point where they were concerned his lung was collapsing, but more time, oxygen, and meds ensured this did not happen. But more then that, I think at that near that exact moment, an Angel was watching over him, you will read about that below.... Eric had to have 3 post surgical xrays and stay in the PACU until 4pm. Surgery started at 8am. It was a long day but he did awesome. his body responded so well to the surgery that Solomon ok'd him to have the second surgery on the right lung in a mere 3 days. The right lung is a little more concerning, as he has had fluid in that lung very recently.

So back we go again to NYC for an appointment Monday and surgery on Tuesday. I think to save some time and stress, we are just going to send Monday night in the city.

                               Eric Right before being wheeled back to surgery...
          I told him the hair net reminded me of the opening of Laverne & Shirley



Also, I would like to say thank you to those who attended the last min benefit at Maggies on Thursday. Eric had a fantastic time, and was really surprised and happy to see so many friends there to support him. It was just what he needed to gear up for surgery the next day. I want to share with you a message he put about the night on his Facebook page. Please ignore the spelling errors and grammatical errors, Eric wrote this last night when he couldn't go to sleep.

Eric F Dial
8 hours ago via mobile

Ugh can't sleep again. But anyway had giving me good time to think. About how to put into words about lastnight at maggies. Sorry for the late responds. The last 24hrs have been very crazy. For those of u that know me I'm not big on speeches and I'm a shy guy. But here goes. I would like to thank Maggies john Nagele and I'm not sure of the others that put lastnight benefit thing together. I greatly appreciate it. But you didn't have to do that for me, I'm sure there is more deserving people people out there more then me. I can't out into.words how i feel. With the love and support everything has giving me and my family. Its was a great surprise coming and seeing all.the support of good friends and people i didn't even know. It was really heart warming. Especially since i had no clue what was happening. And glad i was able to.attend. but anyway don't want to bore anyone with along message. Just wanted to.say THANK YOU. From the bottom of my heart. Love u all. And may god bless each and every one of u like he has blessed me. ♥ ...u know what this cancer is the best thing that could if happen to me in a sick way. It was a reality check to me. To not take things fir granted. And appreciate the things in life u have. And it actually made me a,better person then i was. I take every day in stride one day at a time and live life to the complete fullest. And i think the world be a,better place if everyone did the same.

Finally, I would like to take a moment to pay my respects to another Cancer Warrior who lost her battle with Breast Cancer yesterday. I never had the opportunity to meet Linda Furlong Hill personally. She was a coworker/friend of my friend Jenn. Her husband is a Philly police officer too, so Jenn thought we would have a pretty good connection. Linda was a nurse at Arias Torresdale who found out she had breast cancer while pregnant with her now 2 year old son. Jenn suggested I "friend" Linda, and I am so very glad I did. She became a DAILY inspiration to me. Her spirit and determination to live left me in awe. After her diagnosis 2 years ago, surgery and treatment, she enjoyed several months of remission before cancer reared its ugly head and spread to every part of his body. Even when it hit her brain she STILL WOULD NOT GIVE UP!!! Linda didn't lay in bed and feel sorry for herself, she pushed herself to make the most of what time she might have left.

She wrote the following on her Facebook about me section, and I think it pretty much gives you an idea of what an amazing person Linda was:

"Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."

I am a wife and mother of 3 beautiful children. I lost my Dad to colon cancer in 2004..I myself was diagnosed with Stage III Triple Negative Breast Cancer this year. It was found during my pregnancy in my left breast. I also had a benign mass in my right breast...that also had a 25% chance of turning into cancer so on top of having a radical mastectomy with 7/14 nodes positive removed I also opted to have myright breast removed as well...to be proactive in my treatment. Plus my breasts were so large I would have been very lopsided. My double mastectomy was exactly one week and a day after having my son, due to the aggressive form it was. And I was allowed 4 weeks to heal prior to starting my chemo. 8 rounds...4 with Adriamycin and Cytoxan...and the next 4 with Taxol. So far 5 rounds complete and 3 to go.I also tested + for the BRAC 1 gene..so the removal of my ovaries are also in my future due to the high risk of Ovarian Cancer. And my fear is that my children now have a 50% chance of having the mutated gene. But the GREAT Part is...is that they are now 10 STEPS ahead of cancer and now they can prevent it. Due to the POWER of Knowledge!!! I no longer look at Cancer as something all bad...cause as I see it...it may have attacked me...but it will NEVER take my children or their children...ALL because the POWER of knowledge. My Breast Cancer has SAVED my legacy!! I had my head shaved by my hubby after the 2nd round. Had fun wig shopping....but for the most part I rock my bald head at home and pretty nice hats out in public....and the wig sometimes. It has been a whirlwind of emotions in the short time since I was diagnosed on June 17 2010. The Life Events I have experienced in this short time...I know most people don't in a Lifetime. But I know that is what makes me a strong person and soon to be a survivor. I know the war will never be over but I expect to win the battle over and over again. I try not to think of the "what if's" anymore because I have no control over them....but I do try to just live my life and do me. I have alot to LIVE for...and I refuse to let cancer take that from me. Afterall I am one Tough Bitch....

Linda T. Furlong Hill

3/12/77- 7/20/12

"Fuck Cancer"

Linda, you fought long and hard, and now you are free. Cancer can no longer hurt you...

Past 2 months in 2 minutes

I haven't updated since May, mostly because not much had happened, then life became a clusterfuck. Eric went through 5 rounds of Xeloda before being hospitalized for chemo toxicity. Well that's what they think it was, because they really had no idea. We were stuck at Abington for 6 damn days. I was down the shore for the Fallen Heroes M/C Ride. Eric was supposed to participate, but felt so sick he went home. The next day my Dad took him to the ER, and I rushed home from North Wildwood. It was a long 6 days filled with fever, lost of some bodily functions and horrible blistering skin. And then 8 days later he was hospitalized again.

 The 2nd round of hospitalization this month was kind of weird. We went for a routine visit on monday and Eric felt fine. He had an abscess on his face that had started as a blind pimple. But if you know E personally, this is nothing new with his eczema and history of staph. But when the bloodwork came in the the numbers were not good. His WBC had jumped to 34,000 and Kemeny insisted he be admitted. He had brought Logan to this appointment with us, so needless to say we were not prepared for a stay in NY. Eric was pretty upset they admitted him, especially considering the fact that he had just gotten out of the hospital. Plus it was somewhat of a deja vu feeling, as Eric was hospitalized for 4 weeks right before the 4th of July.

Logan and I stayed at a hotel room that night, and my dad saved the day by coming up to NYC, meeting me on the train platform, and taking Logan home. During this stay Eric felt ok up until he was about to released, thus causing his stay to be extended. He ended up having a staph infection, a rare skull bone infection called mastoidosis (effects 0.004% of the population in developed nations)and ended up with c-diff. (if you look up c-diff it super sucks and is highly contagious). But we were able to get the meds for him to come home, where he will spend 4 weeks on antibiotics. Man can't catch a break.

CEA level had more then doubled in 2 weeks, which concerns me greatly. Eric is not on any chemo right now, and his surgery to remove the lung tumors has been pushed back twice because of infection. His numbers have not been this high since pre liver resection last year. If you scroll down below you can see the CEA level trends since he was diagnosed. Hoping that the reason behind this was the brewing infection, and not more disease growing elsewhere in the body. I do know that the neck/head/brain are good. He had multiple CTs of that area during his stay last week. We have an appointment in new york tomorrow, so I guess we will find out what the next plans look like. Surgery to remove the tumors from the one lung is scheduled for july 20th, with the following lung to be at a date after that. In the meantime we continue to pray. I will probably write more later, but I figure this is the quick update.

 These are pics of Eric when he was up at Sloan.

We passed the time talking about our Respite trip in January care of For Pete's Sake Cancer Respite Foundation

Scans, Scans, Scans...

E had a PET Scan yesterday at Sloan. Afterward he had treatment, but did not meet with the doctor. On March 2nd he will have a CT Scan, which was scheduled before the PET Scan was. We will not find out the results for either scan until our March 5th appointment. This also happens to be my 31st birthday, so I am hoping for the gift of improving health and clear scans.

As always, we ask that you continue to keep E and other cancer warriors in your prayers. We are praying to Catherine McAuley, foundress of the Sisters of Mercy, for Eric's miracle. She has been declared Venerable for all her works, and is well on her way to sainthood. Our hope is that Eric's miracle can be a result of her divine intercession.

O beloved Catherine,
through the power of my
most compassionate Lord
and Saviour, Jesus Christ,
I humbly beseech you to
look with love and pity on
Eric who is ill at this time.
Stir up in me the same
passion that impelled you
to respond to the needs of
your time.

Bless me with the sure
knowledge of your
presence and with a
complete trust in your
providence.

Use once again your spirit
of compassion and your
ardent desire to Alleviate
suffering and to restore
Eric to full health, if it is
God’s holy will.

I ask this in the name of
Jesus who lives and reigns
with the Father in unity
with the Holy Spirit.

Amen

short but sweet

All visible tumors now gone. Doesn't guarantee cancer is gone, but nothing can be seen by the naked eye. Tumor growth burned, as was cells surrounding tumor growth area in liver. Continue receiving 5FU chemotherapy. Meet with oncologist next Monday to discuss if any changes will be made to treatment. Will also review the results of PET scan that was performed.

E did well with the procedure and was able to go home that night.

texting away after waking up.

Thank you for your continued support and prayers.

Just as an FYI- I am not really using facebook much anymore. At least not for posting updates. I limited what people can see as well. So I will continue to use this, as well as the blog for updates. I also went to on a deleting frenzy. Please do not take it personally if you were deleted. Because of some privacy concerns I basically limited my account to close friends and family. Sorry if I offended anyone, although I am sure facebook doesn't really bother many of you.

Thankful....

So far Eric has had 2 chemo treatments with minimal side effects. I have managed to play Dr. Dial pretty well and de-accessed his port successfully. He is still able to go to work most days, but E is pretty tired. CEA levels are still up and down, up this time around. However his liver functions are almost back to normal. Dec 5th we go to Sloan for treatment and meet the chief of Staff for Interventional radiology to discuss surgical options to destroy the tumor.

Today I am grateful for so much. I am grateful for family and friends, and the amazing Doctors and nurses at Sloan Kettering. I am blessed to be spending another Thanksgiving with my husband. A year ago I wasn't sure if this was going to be a reality.

Thank you all for your continued support, especially for Eric, his son Mark, and my son Logan. It means a lot.

Here's Eric and his new pal Gunney. Gunney helps calm Eric.

Some good and some meh

Good: 21st will be eric's last chemo for 7 weeks. Kemeny wants to stop 3 weeks before surgery, and he won't have chemo for 4 weeks after.

Good: she also said he won't have much chemo after surgery. It would just be a precaution. Maybe 2 rounds in may-june.

Good: she was smiling and happy with how well Eric is doing. If you know Kemmeny, you know this is a big deal.


Meh: eric's bloodwork wasn't ideal today, so he isn't getting chemo. He has to get bloodwork done next monday in Philly to make sure he's good for the 21st. She's not too concerned because she thinks bloodlevels are whacked beccause of PVE last monday.

MEh: the 21st in now going to be a NY day, and its during PSSA's. That is going to go over real well at worlk. About as well as a fart in church.

Meh: I have never seen Eric so tired before in my life. It really sucks.

Now I'm feeling so Fly, Like a G6

Woohoo! Spoke with Dr. D'Angelica's staff yesterday. Liver resection rescheduled for April 19th!

Chemo to continue and Eric is working hard to prepare for surgery.

He is also preparing for the "Get Your Rear in Gear" Colon Cancer 5k on March 21st.

Eric was featured on the Gear your Rear in Gear website....you can see his story here

If you would like to help Eric and our Team you can do so 2 different ways, you can either sign up to run with our team, Dial's Dooker Troopers, or donate to our fundraising goal of $1000. We are not even halfway there!

You can donate on the Team Dial Fundraiser PAge. Every little bit helps...from $5 to $500. Please help us reach our goal! Thank you those who have already donated!

You can also participate in our team. You can do so by registering with active.com and signing up for the event. The direct link is here . Make sure you sign up as "Team Member" and look for "Dial's Dooker Troopers" as the team.


Thanks again for everyones support!

The Doctor's Wife

There is an awesome series in the New York Times following the journey of Dr. Bach, a physician at Memorial, whose wife was diagnosed with cancer. I found the blog from a post made on the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Facebook Page.

Much like myself, Dr Bach is blogging about his journey. His series, The Doctor's Wife is very real. In the first 2 submissions I have found myself nodding, tearing up, laughing (the form comment) and just FEELING everything Dr. Bach is going through.

Ok so I am not a Doctor, so maybe I do not know the clinical end, but I am a highly educated young woman who is so deeply in love with her husband that she will do anything to keep in him alive. I have taken on the role of caretaker, and have completely educated myself with regards to colon cancer, especially with regards to Eric's current diagnosis.

I highly suggest everyone take the time to read this frank account of Dr. Bach's journey.


If I could be you, if you could be me
For just one hour, if we could find a way
To get inside each other's mind
If you could see you through my eyes
Instead your own ego I believe you'd be
I believe you'd be surprised to see
That you've been blind

Walk a mile in my shoes
just walk a mile in my shoes
Before you abuse, criticize and accuse
Then walk a mile in my shoes

A personal glimpse into the life of a cancer patient.

Ok so may it is not quite a glimpse, but today I feel the closest I probably ever will to feeling 1/3 of what Eric feels like on a daily basis. I have been stricken with the dreaded stomach virus that is making its rounds with all my friends and family. Logan had it for a day, only puked 4 times and felt better by 4pm the same day. Just to be on the safe side I had quarantined him at my parents house so Eric wouldn't get sick. That was a few weeks ago. But alas, it seems that I finally got hit with this monster. I looked like this poor little girl all day today. Not nearly as cute, and basically laying on the bathroom room floor. I feel even worse now, but moved to the couch and just run to the bathroom every 5 minutes. This sucks. And I only see it getting worse as the day progresses.

Now I know how Eric feels. He probably feels even worse then this. For almost 2 weeks he feels like shit. Feels nausea and stomach pains that leave him miserable and so worn out. When asked how his day is, he usually responds "tastes like shit". Now I know what that means.

Previously, the best way I could have described the chemo effects is a long lasting hangover. You know the ones were all you want to do is stick your finger down your throat to make it go away?? Yea those kind. But now after less then 24 hours of being tormented with the stomach bug, I can empathize at a totally new level. Now I understand why he doesn't want to go out and just wants to go to sleep. I feel it too right now, and I knew mine will pass in a few days, where Eric has until June to fell like shit, with every treatment feeling worse.

Needless to say I am staying away from Eric. I am staying away from everyone. If what my friends have told me is true, this horrible thing lasts several days to clear from your system. UGH!!!!!! I CANT BE SICK!! I need to take care of my family. GRRRRRR!!!!

Eric's mother Kathy, and her friends and family, are holding a benefit this weekend for Eric. The Beef & Beer for Officer Eric Dial~Our Cancer Warrior is being held this Saturday at Turner's in Roxborough from 7-11. There will be excellent food, baskets, and dancing with music being provided by PJ the DJ. It is really kind of them to do this for Eric. A lot of hard work was put into the event, and we thank everyone who attends.

Eric will be heading up to NY this weekend to prepare for Monday's Portal Vein Embolization. To prepare for this he has gone into an isolation. No going out, no crowds, pretty much staying in the house. It's a tough thing to do when you are used to being active, but the doctor ordered it. According to the oncologist, "If you want to continue to be my patient, then you will follow my rules." I guess it hasn't been so hard this week because he is so sick from chemo, but now, as he prepares for this major procedure Monday, and his upcoming liver resection, he needs to follow her rules.

Monday's procedure is an interesting one. The are basically going to shutdown the right side of the liver by cutting blood flow in the artery. If you guys remember from previous posts, the right side of his liver still has all the tumors. With the first part of his liver resection in November, Dr. D'Angelica was able to remove all the cancer from the left side. Anyway, when the cut off blood flow this will cause the right side to start to shrink, essentially "killing off" some of the tumors in the process. While this is happening, the left side of the liver will be forced to regenerate (grow back) at a faster rate. This will give Eric the largest liver section possible when liver resection surgery occurs. Hopefully the resection will be in 6-8 weeks, maybe around Easter time. When we met with Dr. Lee on Monday for chemo he was ecstatic over the latest CT results. He has been so supportive of us, and carries out Dr. Kemeny's medical plan perfectly. It's also nice because we get a little more one on one attention from Dr. Lee because he has the time Dr. Kemeny does not have.

So all in all, we are still fighting the good fight. We keep our faith and sense of humor. Eric keeps pushing the bar because he knows he will beat this. Only a few more months and all of this will just be another obstacle that we overcame. Here's to laughter, love, faith, and courage!

How do you Spell relief: S-H-R-I-N-K-A-G-E!

Well we received some fabulous news on Monday at Sloan, Eric's chemo treatments are working!!! The smaller tumors seem to have all but disappeared, and the larger ones have shrunk to almost 1/2 of the original size. Praise be to God!

Dr. Kemeny was very pleased with these results, and decided to consult with Dr. D'Angelica the liver surgeon. As of Monday he wanted Eric to continue with treatments, but Eric received a call Thursday that D'Angelica wants to start testing and prepping him for the next surgery. This is HUGE!!!!

We met with Dr. Karen Brown to discuss the next procedure Eric will receive to prep for part 2 of his liver resection. In the next few weeks Eric will be getting a Portal Vein Embolization. Basically the will be cutting off blood flow to the entire right lobe of the liver. This is where the remaining tumors are located. This will force the left healthy lobe, to regenerate at a faster rate to prepare for surgery. After this is done, we could be looking at liver resection in about 6-8 weeks....around Easter. God truly is blessing us with this news.

Eric is tolerating treatments well, but with every new treatment his symptoms get worse. His minor setback 2 weeks ago, has resulted in Eric having to have limited contact with people. He has to be super vigilant, as his immune system is SHOT! Especially if he might be having surgery in the near future.

Keep those prayers coming! Thank you all so very much!
~J

When you're weary, Feeling small, When tears are in your eyes I will dry them all...

At first I though today's blog would be about the incredible Benefit that the officers and supervisors of the 2nd Dist ran for Eric...and it will be eventually. There is no way I could write an entry and not recognize everything that the men and women of the district did for my husband. But today became a day of unexpected things.

Eric had an appointment to remove the staples from his stomach, and a chemo consult up at Sloan.

So we made the long commute up for what I assumed would be a fairly quick visit with Dr. Kemeny, the oncologist, then Dr. D'Angelica to remove the staples. I figured today we would discuss various Chemo options, and find out when Eric would have to get his Mediport. But after Dr. Kemeny looked at Eric's blood results, and his current state of health, she decided Chemo would start today. She wanted to be as aggressive as possible and break this cancer's face (it's a Halladay reference). This is somewhat bittersweet. Because Eric was supposed to start Chemo on December 15th, we were planning on ...ummm...."banking" after the stitches were removed today. He was in no position to give specimens with stitches in. Well anyone who is familiar with chemo knows that it carries a very high chance of sterilization. So while I watched the the chemo that is going to help Eric beat the cancer go into his vein, a little piece of me crumbled inside. Because with that life saving treatment, out goes my chances of ever having Eric's child.

Eric will be receiving 3 different types of chemo. His pump will distribute FUDR chemo over the course of 2 weeks, and every 2 weeks he will have a systemic treatment of Eloxatin & CPT-11. The systemic treatment takes a little over 2.5 hours from start to finish. He is supposed to feel super nauseous. Our Rx plan only covers some of the pills Eric needs to control this. I guess I should be grateful some of it is covered, because the one Rx is $350 for 2 pills (it's 2 pills a day) and the other is $60 a pill (the insurance company only covered 13 of 25 pills). But hey its something, and its less that I have to spend out of pocket. He will need this EVERY chemo treatment, so it will add up. We are supposed to get systemic in Princeton, but Eric really feels good here. The people are just so nice. Just found out the Chemo Suite is open until 10p, so we might be able to go up here if he really wants to. Whatever he wants I am game.

Being in the city today made me think of Simon and Garfunkel...and "Bridge Over Troubled Waters". The words are powerful. And it made me also think of the benefit, and all the people that rallied around Eric. God it felt so good. I know it made him want to fight even more! He put the following post on facebook (sorry about the profanity)

Eric F Dial: just seeing all the support tonight makes me more determine to fight this shit even harder. Fuck that its gonna take more then @#*($%* ass cancer to beat me. Knowing thats my family is by my side my brothers and sister in blue, long time and new friends I just met tonight I will beat this no problem.

Thank you everyone for helping my husband fight this battle! I promise I will blog more about the benefit soon. Chemo is almost done. So I leave you with a picture and a song...

Working hard to get my fill, Everybody wants a thrill...

Paying anything to roll the dice
Just one more time
Some will win, some will lose
Some were born to sing the blues
Oh the movie never ends
It goes on and on and on and on

Don't stop believing
Hold on to that feeling

Well things don't always work out they way you plan them, or the way the doctors plan them, hell even the way life plans them. And when you first realize your plans go wrong you are pissed. Then you get over it. Then you determine that you need to keep fighting. That was my day yesterday. Our first real setback since diagnosis.

Yesterday we work up at 7am and got ready to go to the hospital.
We had to be at Sloan at 9:45, but were antsy to get there early. Despite the rain we were able to get some town car to go there. I was pissed because the African dude didn't have a meter and was playing "What do you want to pay?" I finally just threw him a ten, so we could be on our way. I probably over paid, but whatever I am by no means a city girl...and certainly not a NY city girl.

Even though we were early, I am glad they took him back right away. Some vital checks, a lot of waiting, but we knew surgery was to take place soon. One super sweet nurse had a pep talk with E and told him not to be scared. She had him doing breathing exercises...I was laughing, it looked like Lamaze. But it did help. He was much more relaxed....below is BEFORE his pep talk...


At noon they had him walk into the operating room. When I asked a nurse why he was walking, the nurse said studies found that when patients walked into the OR they are not as nervous and scared. You could see that as he was walking and carrying on a conversation with the anesthesiologist.

I was prepared for Eric to be in surgery 6-8 hours. I received a phone call stating surgery started at 12:25pm. I was to be updated at 1:40. When they came for an update they told me Eric was in the first part of the surgery, the liver resection. The plan was to remove the affected areas of the liver (the 2 major tumors positioned mostly on the right lobe [on the picture it is the larger of the 2 lobes] , and a few smaller surface tumors). However when they opened him up, they saw things that the testing did not reveal. Now we were warned this could happen, but at the time it didn't really seem like a possibility.

After 3 hours in surgery I received a call telling me to come back up to the floor, the operation was finishing up. I knew immediately something did not go right. I was expecting to be waiting minimum of 6 hours. Well when they opened him up they saw many more tumors then anticipated, on both lobes. Dr. D'Angelica determined that he could not safely remove most of the tumors without risking Eric's life. Basically, if he cut out all the cancer, Eric might not be left with enough healthy liver to survive. Instead they cut out 2 tumors and burned another in the left lobe. Now the left lobe is cancer free. They removed the gallbladder and installed he HAI chemo pump. They determined that Eric will need to have chemo to try to shrink the tumors on the right lobe, before they can attempt to resection again. Dr. D'Angelica explained that this 2-part resection is the best course of action for Eric.

So here we are...Eric will be recovering at Sloan for approx 6 days. While he's mad things didn't go as planned, he is determined not to let this setback hinder his fight.
He was up and walking several times today...less then 24 hours after major surgery. I am so proud. And, as always, Eric is a wonderful patient and the nurses LOVE him!! But who wouldn't love a handsome guy like him teehee!

Chemo is going to start within the month. After 3 months of chemo Dr. D'Angelica will determine if Eric can have part 2 of his liver resection. That means surgery, and the possibility of being cancer free could be a mere 4 months away!!! Wouldn't that be a perfect 30th birthday present for me considering surgery could take place in March, Colon Cancer Awareness month, AND the month of my birthday. Yippee!!!! Until then, we embrace being temporary New Yorkers, and enjoy the view from the room...

"No one ever carried my load...I'm too young to feel this old"

I giggle when I think about writing about Kings of Leon...I remember this awesome night Eric and I spent with his partner in the 17th (2nd time around) Mark and his wife Kate. We were drinking down in his bar and Mark and KAte were arguing about Kings of Leon...what a great night.

I heard this song not too long ago, and found, while heartbreaking, to be inspiring. It is true that even sad songs can be uplifting.

It's the day before surgery. Getting final pulmonary testing at Sloan before surgery. this nurse is a bitch. I hope Dr. Lee is nicer because I want to punch her in the face. I realize Eric is the patient, but I am the one who knows everything. I keep track of the family history and current treatments. Eric is kind of running on autopilot, so I answer the questions....

Anyway...guess I will blogging more today...its gonna be a long one.

The Campbells Condensed version of our Journey....

At 34 years old Eric did not expect to be diagnosed with Stage IV Colon Cancer...but here we are. After presenting to the ER on September 29th, 2010 with what they believed was a blood clot in his lung, Eric, an otherwise healthy Police Officer, husband, and father was told that he had colon cancer that had spread to his liver.

We are now in beginning the biggest fight of our lives-to beat cancer. Eric was diagnosed with Stage IV on October 4th, 2010, 5 days shy of our 2nd wedding anniversary. On Oct 6th he had part of his colon removed. He was released Oct 9th to seek further treatment. We chose to seek the medical help of Dr. D'Angelica at Memorial Sloan Kettering in NYC. We went back to Dr. D'Angelica on November 2nd to see if Eric is strong enough to have his liver reresectioned. We also met with Dr. Kemeny, the Medical Oncologist who will be providing the chemo and additional treatments.

Eric's liver surgery is scheduled for November 16, 2010 at Memorial Sloane-Kettering in NYC. During surgery they will removed the tumors, gallbladder, and put in his HAI Chemo Pump (see below). Eric will be hospitalized at least 6 days. I will be staying up there with him. Sadly, unlike Abington, I cannot stay in the room with him overnight. I am looking into Hostels...this could be a lot of fun or I could be kidnapped so people can pay to murder me (remember the movie Hostel...lol), however the AMAZING Police Officer's at the 2nd District, are seeing if they can try to make some come of arrangements for me up there.

After Surgery Eric will have aggressive chemo treatment. He will be doing 2 different types. One is hepatic artery infusion chemotherapy (see ) and the other is traditional systemic chemo. He will be receiving these treatments simultaneously for at least 6 months.


This is going to be a long and difficult journey, but he are going to fight with all we have. Friends and family can support us through prayer.

A benefit is being thrown for Eric on November 27th, 2010 by the 2nd Police District of the Philadelphia Police Department. More info can be found on the FOP webpage:

We are so grateful for the love and support shown by so many. Words cannot even express how touched we are.

Special Thanks to the following:
The Kozlowski,Conklin, Conway, Grace & Dial Families
Philadelphia Police Department
Capt. Michael McCarrick, Sgt. Jay McLain & the Supervisors & Officers of the 2nd Dist
Bullets LEMC
Garda MC
Staff of Juniata Park Academy
Staff of Roosevelt Middle School
Doctors & Nurses at Abington Memorial Hospital
And all of our friends!!!
Without all of you we would never be able to fight this battle!

Eric is the amazing husband of Jeaneane Dial. He is the proud father of Mark Dial, age 14, and step-father of Logan Little, age 9. He is a 12 year veteran of the Philadelphia Police Department currently assigned to the 2nd Police District.