Gone Home

Finally, Jeff has gone home. He has been restored and will be waiting for us to join him someday. Until then, he will remain a part of our lives and will be present in all our most joyeous times. The example of his life will give us strength throughout ours.



We will celebrate Jeff's life on Tuesday, November 2nd, at 1:00 p.m. at the First Christian Church of San Marcos, located at 3105 Ranch Road 12. The phone number to the church is 512-396-1926.

Slipping Away

I'm sorry to have to share this news, but Jeff will soon be leaving us. I'm happy to say that he is resting very comfortably and is in no pain. He is under Hospice care at CTMC hospital in San Marcos. Please join us in praying for this journey to end soon. He has fought the good fight, has left his mark on this world and in our hearts, and is now deserving of his rightful place in a world more beautiful and peaceful than anything our minds can comprehend.

In my next post I will share with you our plans to celebrate his life.

Thanks for taking this journey with us, and for your prayers, friendship, love and support!

The Latest

Jeff is still here and is still living his life. The manner in which he does it may be a bit different, but he is still participating.



He enjoyed a weekend in South Texas for the annual "Birdy, Birdy", i.e. golf in Uvalde and dove hunting at the ranch. Jeff and Carlton are usually the cooks for Truman and his buddies. This year I think the duties were shared by all. Such a blessing for Jeff, his Dad, brother, and friends. I don't think there's any place on earth that he'd rather be than down south.



We will continue to enjoy our time and make the most out of every day.

A good week

Ok, can someone explain this to me? Let's see: Monday - slept about 20 out of 24 hours. Tuesday - went to Maggie's volleyball game. Wednesday - Bird hunting with his buddies for opening day of dove season. I don't mean just went along for the ride. He shot a bird! Tonight we went to 2 of Maggie's 3 tournament games at San Marcos High School. I don't know what I expected, but this is the strangest ride I could ever imagine!

Grateful for these good days!

Update

The hardest question in the world to answer is "how's Jeff?" He is such an enigma and a contradiction.

We are at home under Hospice care. Jeff is sleeping a lot, but when he's up, he is still walking, talking, poppin' off, etc. He was even able to muster the strength to go to Maggie's volleyball game on Tuesday!

He is experiencing some confusion. He has blood clots in his legs, but nothing can be done because blood thinner's would cause hemorrhaging. Medication is preventing any pain. He still looks like Jefe'. The only difference is that his head is buzzed, but he still has that mustache! After 26 years, I still don't know if he has an upper lip!

How much time? Only God knows. We've all seen miracles happen time and again around this man.

It is a difficult time, but it's not an impossible time. We are just one of so many other families who experience these things every day. We are grateful for the love of God, friends, and family, and the strength that is provided by each of these.

So to answer the question "how's Jeff":

Pretty good for a guy in his condition!

We're Home

We got home this evening. Which inning is this? How many rallies? This guy goes from 0 to 60 quicker than anyone I know! He's weak, but he's walking, talking, eating, and is at home. I REALLY hope we have a little stability for a few days! I'm beat!

Just Another Day In The Life.................

Since I last posted, Jeff has finished his radiation, was extremely weak for a week or two. Then one day he went out and played 9 holes of golf. Don't ask me how, but he was out there and he swung a club. That's good enough.

This past week he went to work a couple of days for a couple of hours each day. I don't know how much work he did, but I do know that he had some good lunches out! Friday we went to Wimberley to watch Maggie's volleyball scrimmages. He then went with his brother and a couple of other guys for a weekend at the ranch in South Texas. He apparently had a great day on Saturday. He drove the tractor a little and ate a lot! Had he been able to drink a beer it would probably have been a perfect day.

This morning when Greg went to get Jeff up to go to breakfast, he looked to have had a possible seizure and was pretty unresponsive. Greg called 911 and the Uvalde EMS came out. After evaluation they decided the best option was Star Flight to San Antonio. Once again Jeff got another helicopter ride. Maggie and I went to SA and convinced them to transport him back to San Marcos. They didn't want to, but we wouldn't take NO for an answer.

It took most of the day, but he is now resting comfortably at CTMC in San Marcos. Once again his entire left side was paralized and he seemed to be pretty out of it. However, when we left around 8:00 this evening, he was using his left hand. His leg was still not moving, but I bet it is by morning. He is being treated for aspiration pneumonia. It appears that this was all brought on again by a small bleed in his brain. I have a feeling this will become somewhat routine.

Just another day in paradise!

A lot to talk about!

Wow! Where to start!



On June 22nd, just 4 days before Brad's wedding, Jeff had another "episode" at the house. I was able to get him in the car and to the hospital before he went into another full-blown seizure. However, once there, things deteriorated quite rapidly. I was being asked to make an impossible decision. Save him or let him go. Needless to say, with a wedding just 4 days away, I simply couldn't let him go, at least not yet. But by the grace of God, the decision was made by God to keep Jeff around without the assistance of a respirator or other extrodinary measures. I was told at that time that Jeff was paralized on his entire left side, and that there was no telling at that point what his mental capacity would be.



Fast forward to June 26th, WEDDING DAY! After 2 days in ICU and 2 days in a regular room, Jeff Breed, aka Superman, put on his tux at the hospital, was excourted to the church in his wheelchair, at which time he stood and walked his daughter down the isle at his son's wedding! WHAT AN UNBELIEVABLE GIFT! Not only that, he danced with both Maggie and I at the reception, AND participated in the grand march! His doctor commented that it took a super-human effort to do what he did.



On June 30th, Jeff and I made a round trip visit to MD Anderson to discuss our next step. Long story short, Jeff has chosen to try a new radiation therapy with a doctor in Austin. It is very directed and is a new, cutting edge procedure. Our hope is that Jeff's quantity AND quality of life can be extended. He is not ready to give in to this monster. His will and strength are hard to understand, but quite an inspiration. He should start the radiation next week.



I hope and pray that Brad, Maggie and I will grow to have just a small amount of the strength that Jeff has shown. I also pray that he will continue to enjoy and exhibit the "peace that passes all understanding."



Much thanks to all who have been there for us through this journey. Your love and support is invaluable.

Back Home!

We are so thankful to be back home! Jeff is sleeping a lot, as he should after that kind of trauma. Maggie and I are playing tag-team, taking turns staying around the house with him. However, that may not be necessary much longer. The car keys are unavailable once more because of the seizure, but Jeff has no problem with that. He doesn't mind being chauffeured around!

Onward and upward.

Not home yet

Well, perhaps I jumped the gun a bit. Jeff was not able to come home today. The bleeding has stopped and he is stable, but kidneys aren't working properly yet. He also seems to have some lingering effects from the severe brain trauma. Only time will tell if that will improve. We also have no information at this time as to the status of the tumor. Just know that we are now truly living one day at a time. I believe that God had nothing to do with this happening, but that he has everything to do with seeing us through it.

Time to report

I've not posted in quite sometime, as everything has remained pretty much the same. However, it's now time to catch up.

On May 26th, after a routine MRI at MD Anderson, it was discovered that Jeff was experiencing a small bleed in his brain. This is a side effect from the chemo treatments. In short, it was decided at that time that the treatments were of greater risk than benefit. The doctors recommended taking him off the treatments for one month. We would go back on June 30th to see if the bleeding had stopped and determine our next plan of action. The bad news was that he would not be receiving treatments. The good news was that he would be feeling better, just in time for our son's wedding on the 26th.

Unfortunately, last night Jeff had a seizure. I called 911 and received immediate assistance and Maggie went to get Dr. Julie, our God-sent, who lives just down the street. Jeff was taken to CTMC in San Marcos, then star flighted to Brackenridge Hospital in Austin. It appears the seizure was caused by a pretty severe brain hemorrhage. The situation was quite grim, but once again, Jeff seems to have dodged another bullet, at least for now. Incredibly, the bleeding seems to have stopped. He is in stable condition and was told that there is a possibility that he will get to come home as early as tomorrow!

Many prayers have been answered. I think it is safe to say that Jeff's plan is to be dancing at that wedding 11 days from now! Please continue your prayers, and thank you all so much for your love and care.

God Bless

Good News!

Jeff's latest visit to MDA was better than expected. The MRI showed the same mass that was there last month. The Dr. says it is most likely tumor, but the good news is that it has not grown. If anything, some of the cells seem to be dying! In short, the "miracle man" just keeps rockin' on! His treatment plan will remain the same. Why mess with success?

To celebrate, we are now in New Orleans, technically for the ACE Hardware Convention, but more realistically for a little breather. I must say, it's a little tough to fully enjoy N. O. when you can't really drink and your stomach can't tolerate too much "spice", but we will certainly make the most of it. I feel kind of bad that Brad and Maggie have to stay home for work and school, but good news always makes life a little easier for them as well.

Thanks for sharing this journey with us. Your prayers and cares make all the difference!

Update

It's been quite some time since I've posted anything. That's because things have been rocking along amazingly well, and perhaps they still are. I'm sure some of you have watched "48 Hours" on TV from time-to-time. Here is our 48 Hours episode:

Jeff got his scheduled MRI on Monday the 22nd. We got the results on Tuesday the 23rd (which just happened to be my birthday.) The report was not good. It appeared that the tumor was growing again, but our doctors recommended we go back to M. D. Anderson and see if there were any new options for us. We took the images with us. After looking at the films himself, our neurologist said that he could not say definitively whether it was tumor regrowth or simply scar tissue! His recommendation is 2 more rounds of Jeff's current treatment and an MRI in a month. He feels that he will have a much better idea of what is going on at that time.

Once again, we are grateful for better news than we had expected, but this roller coaster ride is not much fun! Jeff remains calm and positive. The rest of us, not so much. Actually, we are hanging in pretty well. Thanks for the prayers, and again, keep 'em comin'!

Our Christmas miracle came in the form of an MRI! The results show no sign of disease! What does this mean? We don't know, and neither do the doctors, except to say that Jeff is doing much better than ever expected at this point. The Avastin continues to buy him time, and no one can say with any certainty how long this "remission" will continue. But then who really ever knows what their future holds. We are grateful for every day, and trying our best not to second guess anything. I think the biggest blessing we've been given is the ability to truly live one day at a time, be TRULY grateful for friends and family, and to "lighten up, it's Christmas!"

With Jeff continuing to do pretty well, and our 25th anniversary coming up in December, we took an imprompto trip to Caifornia. It was WONDERFUL! We started in San Francisco, toured the wine country, and spent time on the Northern coast. The weather was cool, the food and drink was outstanding, and the company wasn't bad either! What a blessing to have been given that time together. Still friends after all these years!

I'm just cuttin' to the chase. Jeff had an MRI on Friday that revealed regression of his tumor! In otherwords, it's shrinking!!! The Avastin seems to be doing it's thing! We were stunned with the news! Jeff gets the treatments every other week. It's not a walk in the park, but.......... it could certainly be worse. We are grateful and encouraged by these results. His battle is far from over, but what a blessing for today! Keep the faith and keep those prayers coming! Thanks to you all.

Jeff had his second treatment yesterday and he continues to do quite well. His Dr. was amazed at the difference from the last time he saw Jeff 2 weeks ago. He is driving, working, hunting, and following the San Marcos Lady Rattler Volleyball Team. It has been wonderful! Every day that he feels well is a blessing!

Not that I'm surprised by anything Jeff does, but today he drove himself to work! This is his first solo flight since March! I bet there were a few looks of shock and dismay when that beg red truck pulled up out in front of Breed & Co. His first treatment of Avastin was Tuesday last week. Not only did it NOT make him sick, he feels better right now than he has in months! Though his battle continues, we are so grateful for the good days.

I guess it's time for an update, as it's been quite sometime since my last post. Much has taken place since the surgery. Long story short, that stupid tumor was showing signs of regrowth just a couple of weeks after surgery. However, at our 2 week post op visit to MDA, I couldn't get the Drs. to listen to me and do another MRI. They assured me that Jeff's headaches were caused by the surgery itself, not the tumor. They may be the experts, but I have become one! I knew where the signs were pointing, and I think Jeff did too. But we followed their lead, which suggested that Jeff might enroll in a trial that was about to close. As it turned out, his bloodwork excluded him from the trial. As the expert I've become, I didn't want him to participate in that trial. I didn't think it would benefit Jeff.

At my insistance, and with the help of Dr. Julie, our dear friend and wonderful physician, Jeff got another MRI, and guess what the results showed. Regrowth! Jeff started a new treatment plan yesterday combining Avastin with another chemotherapy. Avastin has shown some good results for slowing the growth of these tumors. Now, one day after the first treatment, Jeff is planning to go to the golf course with his buddies and hopes to feel well enough to make another trip to the ranch in South Texas with the guys. He is definitely making hay while the sun's shining!

He says he's "chosing" his attitude. If he can do it, so can you and I! He is a wonderful example to his family and friends!

Thanks for the continued prayers.

Jeff endured yet another 7 hour surgery today. He will be in ICU tonight and hopes to move to a private room tomorrow. More tumor was removed. We hope the surgery will provide good health so that Jeff can enjoy dove and deer season this Fall.

Again, I can't say enough how proud I am of my husband and his strength of character.