Qui Locutus - Formerly The CathApol Blog - a Catholic Apologetics Blog
Defending the Faith and keeping Catholics Catholic!
Scott Windsor, MEd. - aka: CathApol
It's been a little while since my last update, but it's time now!
Recap:
In July a colonoscopy found cancer in my colon.
August 11, I had surgery to remove 18 inches of my colon. He also took out 13 lymph nodes (and for good measure, my appendix!), one of the 13 lymph nodes showed cancer as well. Then came recovery from surgery.
Last week I got the results back from a CT of my chest, my lungs are clear of cancer! Previous CT of the abdomen, prior to surgery, showed the liver is clear of cancer too! If the cancer spread to other organs, the next place is usually the liver or the lungs.
October 5, I am scheduled to begin chemotherapy to remove any microscopic cancer cells which may remain. Chemo will be every 2 weeks for 12 sessions (6 months).
Well, it's been a tumultuous 2 weeks for me. A week ago Monday I had a colonoscopy - and the doctor found a cancerous growth in my colon. Surgery is scheduled for August 11th to remove a section of my colon, a fairly large section. There is a non-cancerous polyp (perhaps pre-cancerous) that was too big to remove during colonoscopy; and there is a cancerous mass. Both are on the right side, one higher than the other, but this means there will be a rather large incision, then 5-7 days in the hospital for recovery. He will also remove the lymph nodes in that area and have them biopsied.
So far, pathology looks good - there is nothing pointing to the cancer spreading, but we won't know that for sure until pathology comes back post-surgery. If pathology comes back clean - then I will be cancer free and it will just be a matter of healing/recovery and back to work. Of course, the opposite is true, if it does not come back with an all-clear, then we will be talking chemotherapy and radiation with oncology.
So, I thank you in advance for your prayers and support!
Well,
today marks the final day of the Spring Semester for me! I have a
break for a few weeks, so hope to get back into the swing of some
apologetics!
I also mentioned, "Almost NOT!" in the title.
and that is because a week ago last Friday I found myself in the
cardiac cath lab at the hospital where I work! Backing up a bit... I'm
a bit overweight and want to start an exercise program to get back into
shape - but in recent years, especially recent months, I've noticed I
"run out of gas" way too quickly. So, not wanting to literally kill
myself to try to get back into shape, I schedule an appointment with a
cardiologist associate (and friend, who happens to be a Greek Orthodox
Christian) for Thursday, April 20th. Well, on Monday, April 17th I was
just carrying a laptop computer (a rather heavy one, as laptops go, but
still - a laptop) from one side of the hospital to the other (where my
office is located) and about halfway there I started wondering if I
would make it all the way to my desk! I pressed on and made it, but sat
in my chair and had to "recover" for about 10-15 minutes before going
back to work.
So, later that same day - my wife and I met with
another doctor friend of ours and I told them about what I had
experienced - they both said, "You're not really waiting until Thursday
for your appointment, are you?" I said, "I guess not!" My wife and I
went straight to the cardiologist office and they worked me in for an
EKG - it was normal. He scheduled me for an echo and a stress echo on
Wednesday, changed my meds a little and gave me a prescription for nitro
to carry with me at all times. Well, the echo was fine - but for the
stress echo, I could not last the 6 minutes on the treadmill they wanted
from me, and the images from the stress echo were not conclusive
enough.
Then comes my Thursday, April 20th appointment. My
doctor explained that my heart was in great shape! I have an ejection
factor of 75%, which I guess is very good! However, based upon my
symptoms - he was 99% sure I had a blockage. He said, "I have time for
you in the cath lab for tomorrow at 1:45 - well, I knew something was
up, but I was not expecting to go into a cath procedure the next day!
Friday
morning, I went to work as normal (didn't want to just sit around
thinking about it all day) I got off at 11am and my son (one who is
still in the Navy) came into town, and we went to the local parish -
where I tracked down a priest who heard my confession, gave me communion
and anointed me. Surgery went fine and my doctor found a 90-95%
blockage in the LAD artery (Left Anterior Descending) and they
immediately inserted two stents.
The following video is not of my heart, but the blockage is the same amount and in the same spot, so my video likely doesn't look much different (still trying to see if I can get a copy of that).
I stayed overnight, went home
the next morning. Everyone was saying how much better I'd feel after the
procedure - to be honest, I didn't feel any different - not
immediately.
Then, last Thursday, I had parked my car at
the bottom of a fairly large hill on our hospital property - but I went
in through a lower door and took the elevator back up to the second
floor, same elevation as my office at the top of that hill. After work, I
was in a hurry to get home to meet someone - and I raced off to my
car. I got to my car and realized, "Dang, I left my keys back at my
desk!" I did not have time to go the elevator way, I looked at the hill
and said to myself, "Well, here's the first test of the cath/stent
procedure!" I climbed the hill with no trouble! Then last Saturday my
son graduated from Grand Canyon University - we sat near the top, and I
avoided the escalator, taking the stairs - NO PROBLEM! After graduation
we walked, nearly a mile, back to the parking garage and then I walked
up the stairs to the 4th level - not stopping even once! A week or so
earlier, I would have stopped at every level to catch my breath! OK, I
AM feeling MUCH better than I did prior to the operation!
Anyway,
God wasn't quite ready for me yet, and sent me a wake-up call and a
second chance! Several people mentioned, including my doctor, that I
narrowly averted "the widow maker."
So, PRAISE GOD!
AMDG,
Scott<<<
--
Accendat in nobis Dominus ignem sui amoris, et flammam aeternae caritatis. Amen.
Fr. Mitch Pacwa, S.J. suffered a heart attack on Saturday, April 16, 2016. He is responding well to treatment, but keep him in your prayers.
As many of you may know, Fr. Pacwa took over Mother Angelica's "Live" program when she suffered a stroke years ago.
Here's the statement from EWTN regarding Fr. Pacwa:
Statement of Michael P. Warsaw, Chairman & Chief Executive Officer,
EWTN Global Catholic Network:
"At about 6:30 p.m. on Saturday evening,
April 16, 2016, Fath...er
Mitch Pacwa, S.J. suffered a heart attack while here in Birmingham. He
has responded well to the angioplasty that was done Saturday night. In
typical Fr. Mitch fashion, he commented, 'Apparently Heaven doesn't want
me and Hell is afraid I will take over.' We ask our EWTN Family to keep
Father Mitch in your prayers as continues his recovery."
Today begins the Fortnight of Freedom in many Archdiocese/diocese in the United States. This campaign was started four years ago by the United States Bishops to raise awareness that our religious liberties are in constant danger in the US and that Christians abroad are still being persecuted for their faith. This year's theme is the "Freedom to Bear Witness," focusing on the freedom to bear witness to the truth of the Gospel. The USCCB website has many resources available for the Fortnight of Freedom to help make US Christian aware of the dangers our modern society poses to religious freedom.
From the USCCB website:
The Fortnight for Freedom: Freedom to Bear Witness will
take place from June 21 to July 4, 2015, a time when our liturgical
calendar celebrates a series of great martyrs who remained faithful in
the face of persecution by political power—St. Thomas More and St. John
Fisher, St. John the Baptist, SS. Peter and Paul, and the First Martyrs
of the Church of Rome. The theme of this year's Fortnight will focus on
the "freedom to bear witness" to the truth of the Gospel.
"[A] healthy pluralism...does not entail privatizing religions in an attempt to reduce them to the quiet obscurity of the individual's conscience or to relegate them to the enclosed precincts of churches, synagogues or mosques." --Pope Francis,Evanelii Gaudium (The Joy of the Gospel), para. 255.
O GOD OUR CREATOR,
from Your provident hand we have received our right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. You have called us as Your people and given us the right and the duty to worship You, the only true God, and your Son, Jesus Christ. Through the power and the working of your Holy Spirit, You call us to live out our faith in the midst of the world, bringing the light and the saving truth of the Gospel to every corner of society.
We ask You to bless us in our vigilance for the gift of religious liberty. Give us the strength of mind and heart to readily defend our freedoms when they are threatened; give us courage in making our voices heard on behalf of the rights of Your Church and the freedom of conscience of all people of faith.
Grant, we pray, O heavenly Father, a clear and united voice to all your sons and daughters gathered in Your Church in this decisive hour in the history of our nation, so that, with every trial withstood and every danger overcome--for the sake of our children, our grandchildren, and all who come after us--this great land will always be "one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Prayer and image: Copyright 2012, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Washington, DC. All rights reserved.
"I cannot fail to recall the many instances of injustice and persecution which daily afflict religious minorities, and Christians in particular, in various parts of our world. Communities and individuals today find themselves subjected to barbaric acts of violence: they are evicted from their homes and native lands, sold as slaves, killed, beheaded, crucified or burned alive, under the shameful and complicit silence of so many." --Pope Francis, Address to the European Parliament, Nov. 25, 2014
I humbly ask the readers of CathApol to pray for Dave Armstrong's mother. She is very ill and has undergone risky surgery today. Here is the request he posted to Facebook yesterday:
EXTREMELY URGENT PRAYER REQUEST: MY MOTHER LOIS, 89: LIFE-THREATENING CONDITIONS AND SURGERY
I made a request a few days ago. Things keep getting worse. First it
was dehydration, then a small heart attack and heart surgery, then
another surgery to drain fluid from her heart, and discovery of
cancerous tumor. We're still waiting to see what kind of cancer and how
bad it is. Then we were told she needed another operation around the heart (Saturday morning), with a danger of 20% of something seriously going wrong. Without the operation, we were told she would likely die in a few days.
Meanwhile I have the worst stomach and vomiting of my entire life. I
ate something wrong around noon and it's gotten worse and worse: either
food poisoning or a bug, or just the extreme stress and shock. So I ask
for prayer for my stomach. I threw up over and over, with gaps
in-between, and now I think I will again, but can't, and still have the
stomach ache. Terrible blood sugar, too, from no food for 12 hours.
Please HELP dear friends with prayers and passing the word. ! This is
one of the worst days of our lives. All our four kids had to find out
today. HELP! https://www.facebook.com/dave.armstrong.798?fref=ts
Dave's Mom in 2011
Now thirty minutes after he posted this, Dave's stomach issues resolved! Continue to pray for his mom, as I am, that she be given comfort and strength to endure this trial and that God's Will be done in her life. Amen.
At my parish in Phoenix, Mater Misericordiae, the two priests were attacked last night and one of them, Fr. Walker, who was only 28, is dead. Fr. Terra was injured severely and is in a local hospital. Please remember both of them in your prayers.
April 19, 2014 - Frs. Walker and Terra at Easter Vigil
I posted the above this morning, I didn't have much time because I was just waking up to get ready for work when I heard the news. My heart is very heavy with sadness for both priests, one whose suffering was over quickly, the other who continues to struggle for life.
We've lost a great soldier for Christ and a well loved spiritual leader in Phoenix. The FSSP has lost a brother and the whole Catholic community, especially in the Diocese of Phoenix is in mourning.
Fr. Walker's parents were in Chesapeake, VA when they heard the news and left early this morning for Phoenix. Five priests of the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter (FSSP) in the Diocese of Richmond will offer a Solemn Requiem Mass on Monday, June 16th at 6PM at St. Joseph's Church, 828 Buford Road, in Richmond, VA. All are invited to assist at this Holy Mass.
Addendum 6/14/2014:
A report heard on the radio (still looking for a transcript of this) indicated that the suspect was arguing with Fr. Terra, when Fr. Terra tried to end the discussion the suspect started beating him. At this point Fr. Walker came in and tried to stop the beating - and the suspect pulled a gun and shot Fr. Walker in the chest then fled - somehow attaining Fr. Walker's keys and taking his car which was found abandoned a few blocks away.
Fr. Terra was able to absolve Fr. Walker and administer Last Rites. It was Fr. Terra who called 911 and as paramedics arrived he was, barely alive himself, still trying to perform CPR on Fr. Walker. When help arrived Fr. Terra "went into survival mode" himself and was barely conscious. The only description we have of the suspect is that he is a white male in his 40s - and the police are not definitively saying there is only one suspect.
Fr. Terra's condition has improved to "stable" but is still in critical care. Please continue praying.
Mass Times for Sunday will be at regularly scheduled times:
7am - Low Mass
9am - Low Mass
11am - High Mass
Addendum 1 - 6/16/2014:
An arrest has been made. No details as yet. More to follow.
Fr. Terra's condition is improving and is expected to make a full recovery, he has been moved out of ICU.
Requiem Mass for Fr. Walker, was held at 10am at St. Catherine of Sienna Church in Phoenix, June 16. Fr. Terra was in attendance, in a wheelchair.
Addendum 2 - 6/16/2014:
The man arrested, based on "strong physical evidence" from the scene was Gary Michael Moran. Moran was recently released from prison where he served 8 years out of a 10 year sentence - he was released in April of this year.
Gary Michael Moran - Suspect in murder of Fr. Walker and beating of Fr. Terra.
Addendum 6/22/2014:
"June 11th is the best day in the life of Gary Moran," according to Fr. Lee who preached on the Feast of Corpus Christi at Mater Misericordiae Mission in Phoenix, "for he now has Fr. Walker, the priestly fraternity of FSSP, the parishners of Mater Misericordiae Mission and countless other Catholics praying for the salvation of his soul." May God have mercy on him and bring his soul to salvation in our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
A good friend of mine underwent surgery this morning. I have not heard how she's doing, please say a prayer for her. I pray for God's Will to be done. Will you join me? I don't have her permission to post any details or even her name at this point - so if you can just pray for "Scott's Friend" - I'm sure God knows your intention and mine and can connect the two!
4/15/2013 - Boston Marathon rocked by two explosions.
Two bombs went off, more devices reportedly found. Two dead, dozens injured. Let us pray for comfort in this time of suffering and loss.
Let us not rush to judgment and perhaps cast blame on the wrong parties, and for now pray for comfort and peace for those individuals directly affected. Lord have mercy.
More later, sent this from my Windows Phone.
OK, home now... some updates.
They are now reporting 3 dead, about 140 injured, some critically - including several with loss of limbs.
On my drive home I heard an interview with someone who saw a child, untouched by the physical explosion, but just standing there in complete shock. Not all the victims were physically hurt.
Continued prayers for ALL those affected by this act of terrorism.
Update, 4/16/2013 - No additional explosives found or detonated.
The only devices found were the two which went off, there are no other bombs in the area. No word on suspect(s) and no organization has taken credit.
Suspicious bag at the location of the second bomb blast...
Update, 4/17/2013
Death toll has not climbed, still at 3. 170 people injured. Over a dozen still in critical condition. Several conflicting reports throughout the day of arrests made, but ultimately authorities said no one has been arrested yet.
Update, 4/18/2013
I pulled the pictures I posted earlier as the FBI is saying the two individuals pictured below are the suspects and that "Suspect #2" was seen dropping his backpack at the location of the second explosion just moments before it blew up.
Suspect #2 Suspect #1
Update, 4/19/2013
Brothers, Tamerlan Tsarnaev and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev have been named as Suspect #1 and #2 respectively. Last night they attempted to rob a convenience store and in their flight they killed an MIT Police officer. A bit later Tamerlan was killed in an exchange of gunfire with the police - it has also been reported that some sort of explosive vest also went off and contributed to his death. Dzhokhar (friends pronounced it Jokhar) is still on the loose, but at the time of this writing, is cornered in a home in Watertown, MA which is surrounded by police and FBI.
As of this evening it is reported that Dzhokhar is alive and has been arrested.
Lord have mercy. Let the people of the Boston area get some rest tonight.
Prayers for Dr. Scott Hahn, underwent emergency surgery for perforated bowel, his recent FB entry was:
Came
out of successful two hour surgery with lots of gratitude and pain.
Will be in hospital for next 3-5 days; 2-4 weeks in recovery. Your
prayers are greatly appreciated. AMDG
UPDATE 1/26/2012: Dr. Hahn is recovering well and has already returned to teaching! Here is what he wrote on his Facebook page last night:
What a joy to launch my new course, The Theology of the New Evangelization, on the Feast of the Conversion of St Paul. Two hours and forty minutes never went by so fast. I got to re-discover what St Paul taught and lived so well: "My grace is sufficient for you." One week ago it didn't seem possible.
I wish to thank you all for your prayers and thoughts. I must say, this has been the hardest 3 weeks of my life. I got a whole new appreciation for Our Lady of Sorrows. As I sat there in the pew for the Requiem Mass, I looked up at the statue of Our Lady of Sorrows and saw the sword piercing her heart/soul as a representation of Luke 2:35 - which of course foretold of her Son's suffering and death which she witnessed firsthand... after witnessing all that my daughter went through for the last three weeks, ending in her death - I believe I was given a sense of what Our Lady suffered through. Although I've seen this representation and I understood what it meant... I did not and don't think I could have had the appreciation I have for it now.
On Saturday, our priest stopped by and dropped off about 30 cards which were made by the students of the school at the church. Julianne was very touched by these cards. One depicted a little girl on a hospital bed with a ladder which led up to Jesus and Mary and said "they are waiting for you," and asked Julianne to remember her when she reached Heaven. Juli read through each card in genuine appreciation.
As the day progressed, concerns were raised that she may have another bowel obstruction and a CT scan about 11pm confirmed this. I was called back to the hospital by my wife. When I arrived she told me that Julianne on her way to the CT scan said, "I'm sorry mother." After assuring her she had nothing to be sorry for, Juli said, "No matter what happens, know that I will love you forever." It became clear, she was saying good-bye. When I arrived my wife woke her - Juli reached to me and said, "Don't leave me." Taking my hand, I held her for a good hour after she released me. She was still breathing, and her heart was still beating... but clearly "she" had left and all that remained were chemical reactions in her body as it slowly shut down. At 3:33am Sunday morning the doctor came in and let us know it was over. We stayed with her for several more hours... her brothers were there and several of her aunts and uncles as well.
Julianne died on February 6th, 2011 and was buried on the 11th. Until the morning of the 11th, I was questioning... struggling... with "did we do enough?" She had already been intubated twice and had to undergo emergency surgery for a bowel obstruction. When it became apparent she had a second bowel obstruction... AND she had made it clear that she did not want any more tubes and no more surgeries... while I could have tried to do the heroic thing and ask the doctors to perform the surgery again. Another surgery would have been against her wishes and there is no guarantee the outcome would be any better than the last time - putting her through all that pain and suffering again. Still, I struggled until the morning of the 11th. At 1am I awoke struggling with those thoughts still - and stirred for two hours before forcing myself back to sleep. Just before I awoke I had a dream which set my mind at ease...
I dreamed I was back in the ICU with Julianne - but the ICU was like a terminal at the airport with planes parked all around it. One of the planes was scheduled for demolition as it was deemed not fixable. I thought to myself, "I can fix that plane." (I am not airplane mechanic!) So I worked on the plane between visits to Julianne - and finally said, "OK, the plane is fixed!" A nurse asked me if I had started it up to see if it runs. I replied that I didn't want to wake the children. Suddenly the plane burst into flames and was destroyed. I stated, "Wow, I guess that plane just wasn't meant to fly again." With that, I woke up and realized - God had already determined it was Julianne's time to come home and more "heroic" attempts would only increase her suffering and not change the final outcome. I am at peace.
[12] And we will not have you ignorant, brethren, concerning them that are asleep, that you be not sorrowful, even as others who have no hope. [13] For if we believe that Jesus died, and rose again; even so them who have slept through Jesus, will God bring with him. [14]For this we say unto you in the word of the Lord, that we who are alive, who remain unto the coming of the Lord, shall not prevent them who have slept. [15] For the Lord himself shall come down from heaven with commandment, and with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God: and the dead who are in Christ, shall rise first. [16] Then we who are alive, who are left, shall be taken up together with them in the clouds to meet Christ, into the air, and so shall we be always with the Lord. [17]Wherefore, comfort ye one another with these words. (1 Thessalonians 4:12-17 DRB)
I'm sure many of you have heard the news of Arizona Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords being shot in the head at 10:10am MST, Saturday morning, January 8, 2011. As of Saturday evening she's clinging to life, but the doctors are optimistic for her recovery, perhaps even a full recovery. Let us remember her in our prayers.
The Honorable Judge John Roll, a friend of Giffords, had just left morning Mass (as was his usual routine on a Saturday morning, going to Mass at the cathedral then going home to "due the floors") and heard Representative Giffords was doing a "Congress on the Corner" (a town hall-like meeting, she was fond of doing), so he decided to stop by and say hello. Judge Roll ended up being in the wrong place at the wrong time. A 22 year old gunman opened fire on the small crowd. It is estimated there were 24 to 36 people there - and 19 of them were shot! Judge Roll, may he rest in peace, is among 6 who died today, another was a 9 year old girl - and we don't know anything more, yet, of the other 4 who were gunned down.
For those who lost their lives today we pray, eternal rest grant unto them, o Lord; may your Perpetual Light shine upon them; may they rest in peace. Amen.
Addendum January 10, 2011: Monday morning, about 48 hours after the incident, Giffords is still hanging in there with no deterioration of her condition, which is a good sign. She's under a drug induced coma to allow her body to heal. Time will tell but things are still looking optimistic for her prognosis. Those killed were:
Christina Taylor-Greene, 9, a student at Mesa Verde Elementary
Dorothy Morris, 76, a retiree
Judge John Roll, 63
Phyllis Scheck, 79, a retiree
Dorwin Stoddard, 76, a retiree. His wife was also injured, sources say
Gabriel (Gabe) Zimmerman, 30, Giffords' director of community outreach
Left to right top row: Christina Taylor-Green, Dorothy Morris, Hon. John Roll; bottom row: Phyllis Scheck, Dorwin Stoddard and Gabriel Zimmerman (AP Photo)
A word of note, Christina Taylor-Greene was born on September 11, 2001 amidst the tragedy of that day - and dies on a day of tragedy as well. As notable as these two events are Christina's parents make it clear, Christina's life was full of ambition and energy - she was their little angel (I would say she still is) and will be remembered that way. She had recently received her First Holy Communion. The reason Christina was there was due to the fact that she had recently been elected to the 3rd Grade Student Council at her school and was very interested in politics. She was there to learn more about Gabrielle Giffords and her political life. Christina was also pictured as a "Faces Of Hope" child (portraits of children born on 9/11).
Baby picture from "Faces of Hope" book by Christine Pisera Naman.
It is reported that Dorwin Stoddard gave his life shielding his wife from the crazed gunman. His wife is reported to be among the wounded as well.
