Update - Monday, December 21, 2009

Msgr. Gibbons sends the following message: "I got an early Christmas present today---the best one I could have asked for. I went to Moffitt Cancer Center this morning for a PET scan. (The last scan was three months ago, and I've now been off chemo for six months.) Today's scan came back clean. The two doctors who studied it told me, 'We tried hard to find something, but it's clean.' I kept saying, 'I can't believe it!' This is the longest period of time I've gone since my diagnosis with no cancer being detected.

"Thank you for continuing to keep me in your prayers. Have a wonderful celebration of Christmas. May peace reign in all our hearts."

Update - Monday, September 21, 2009

Msgr. Gibbons sends the following message: "I have been off chemo for three months, and today I had a follow-up PET scan at Moffitt Cancer Center. As soon as the scan was finished, my surgeon was able to access the films on the Moffitt computer system. He came to the examining room and told me that the scan shows no evidence of active disease.

"Needless to say, I was thrilled beyond measure. I am breathing easier now. The surgeon is amazed that the chemo has continued to work so well on me.

"Thanks to all for your continued prayers and support. My next scan will be around Christmastime."

Update - Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Msgr. Gibbons sends the following message: "I had a colonoscopy today at St. Anthony's Hospital in St. Petersburg. This was the first one I've had since my diagnosis in April 2008 and the subsequent surgery.

"The test went very well. No problems in the resected colon, the gastroenterologist says. It looks good and healthy. The doctor says this is the 'best result' possible.

"The doctor ended by saying, 'See you back here in two years.' That was great to hear. I hope the cancer was listening. Of course, I'm also monitoring the broader situation with PET scans every few months, as directed by my oncologist.

"Thanks to all for your continuing support and prayers."

Update - Thursday, July 02, 2009

Msgr. Gibbons sends the following message: "I had a PET scan at Moffitt Cancer Center on Monday of this week (June 29th), and it turned out "normal." In other words, there is no visible evidence of active cancer. This is the second time I’ve had a normal scan since I started chemo again in March.

"I finished up my chemo treatments on June 18th. The great news is that there will be no more chemo as long as my scans continue to be normal. The doctors will be monitoring my condition carefully. I will have the scan every three months, at least for a good while.

"I thank you for all your support and encouragement. Please continue to pray for me and for a complete cure."

Update - Monday, June 15, 2009

Msgr. Gibbons sends the following message: "Tomorrow I begin my last chemo cycle. It will be the eighth cycle I’ve had since the cancer cropped up again in February. This cycle will last three days, ending on Thursday, June 18. What a relief that will be.

"Looking back on it, these eight cycles have been a little easier than the eight cycles I did in summer 2008. The drugs are exactly the same, but I’ve adapted to the process more now, both physically and emotionally. Last year I was just five weeks out of surgery when the chemo started, so my body was weaker. Having proof that the chemo is so effective in fighting my particular cancer makes the process more palatable emotionally. It would be harder to endure it if the chemo were just a stab in the dark. My oncologist is very proactive in managing side effects.

"As I’ve mentioned previously, I am in remission. I will have a PET scan at the end of June, to establish a new base line. Then I’ll be scanned every three months, to keep an eye out for any recurrence. I feel good and strong. People tell me I look good. My appetite is excellent. I have to pace myself, to make sure I don’t get overly tired. The keys are sneaking in a little nap every afternoon and not over-scheduling myself.

"Thanks for your expressions of solidarity, your prayers, and your kindness. I’m so glad I’m not alone on this road. You are with me, and God is with me. That makes the road smooth."

Update - Friday, May 15, 2009

Msgr. Gibbons sends the following message: "Now that I’m back in remission (based on the April 27 PET scan), I’m doing an additional four cycles of chemo. This is something like insurance, to attack any cancer cells that might be under the radar screen and aren’t showing up on the scan. Thus I’ll be having chemo treatments every other week, through June 18. After that, I’ll be closely monitored, with PET scans every three months.

"I had the first of these ‘insurance’ cycles last week, and the next one starts on May 19. The chemo cycles are no fun; but they are obviously working in my case, so it’s a fair trade-off for being healthy.

"After my most recent PET scan, my surgeon was amazed. He said, ‘God is obviously on your side.’ (Though he is a Catholic and a churchgoer, he hadn’t made such statements before). I have the impression he never expected such good results from the chemotherapy. I told him, ‘Yes, I do think God is on my side.’ But I added to myself, ‘This doesn’t mean that God is not on the side of those who don’t get good results from their treatments.’

"My oncologist continues to be very optimistic about my case, and he is taking good care of me. He emphasizes the tremendous strides that are being made in the treatment of colon and other cancers. Some cancers that used to be thought to be incurable are now being considered curable. I appreciate his unfailingly positive, upbeat, optimistic view.

"Some out of town friends have come to see me in recent weeks, to make sure I’m doing OK. These have included a seminary classmate (who’s a pastor in the Diocese of Pensacola-Tallahassee); one of my college roommates; and a priest friend who’s a pastor in the Archdiocese of Boston.

"The college roommate is a psychiatrist in Atlanta, and his avocation (developed after college) is birding. He’s good at it, able to identify at a glance any and every bird. Whereas, for example, the birds at the beach are all sea gulls to me, he was pointing out all different sorts of birds, identifying them by name (plovers, sanderlings, terns, gulls, willets, etc.) Another interesting thing, I think, concerns his family. He was raised a Baptist, was pretty much an agnostic at best in college, and didn’t go to any church for years. His wife, I don’t think, was very religious, either. There was no connection to the Catholic Church in their backgrounds at all. When his children were middle school age, he started going to a Methodist church, and I guess he dragged the children along. Both his children, a boy and a girl, became Catholics when they were in college, either inspired by friends or by participation in Catholic student centers. And they both continue to be very involved in the church. His son is teaching religion in a Catholic high school in California. You never know where and when the Spirit’s wind will blow.

"Again, thanks for your ongoing support, prayers, and encouragement. I still need all those things."

Update - Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Msgr. Gibbons sends the following report: "I had a PET scan at Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa yesterday morning (April 27), and it was "normal.” That is, it was clean! The spot that had shown up as active cancer on the February scan is no longer ‘lighting up,’ and no other spots ‘lit up’ either. My oncologist calls that ‘best result.’

"Based on what the oncologist has told me previously, I expect that next week I’ll be back on chemo, for the first of four more cycles. That will bring me to mid-June. Those additional four cycles are like insurance---to kill off the cells that may still be lurking under the radar. Tolerating the chemo becomes easier emotionally when I know it’s working.

"One of my doctors told me in April last year, right after my diagnosis, ‘This is going to be a marathon.’ I’m happy to still be in the race.

"Thanks to everyone for your prayers and support. I am deeply grateful.”

Update - Thursday, April 16, 2009

Msgr. Gibbons sends the following message: "Today is the first anniversary of my cancer diagnosis. I remember exactly the words of the doctor that morning as I awakened after the colonoscopy: ‘You have a malignancy, and it needs to come out, and it needs to come out fast.’ Things did move fast from that point on.

"Here I am, a year later, still going strong. Your prayers and encouragement have sustained me through all the twists and turns this year has brought. I am grateful.

"I celebrated the Holy Week and Easter liturgies with a deeper appreciation this year---appreciation for God’s love, for the gift of faith, for the grace of sharing in the mystery of the Lord’s death and resurrection.

"I’m off chemo this week, and I’m enjoying the freedom that brings.”

Update - Wednesday, April 8, 2009

Msgr. Gibbons sends the following message on Tuesday evening: "I started another three-day chemo cycle today. I’m home with the pump now. So far, so good. I’m hoping that everything is problem-free with this cycle. I want to be hale and hearty by the time the Holy Week Triduum services begin Thursday evening.

"Last Friday another law school classmate came to see me---this one from Miami. We had a great time reminiscing and catching up. A great blessing of this illness has been the renewal of old friendships and the strengthening of new ones.

"My brother Gordon and sister-in-law Joyce, from Atlanta, are staying at the beach here this week and took me to dinner Sunday night. I assured them that everyone is taking extra good care of me.

"Thanks to long-time Tampa friends for their kindnesses, to all the wonderful St. Paul’s parishioners who watch out for me in countless ways, and to the many people near and far who let me know they’re praying for me. I look forward to celebrating the beautiful Triduum and Easter liturgies. All of you will be remembered in grateful prayer during these holiest of days.”

Update - Sunday, March 29, 2009

Msgr. Gibbons sends the following message: "I made it through chemo this past week, finishing up on Thursday. I had my usual reactions, but we become a little more knowledgeable each time about how to handle them.

"Parishioners and other friends helped me out this week in various ways, through supportive words and presence, through assistance in getting prescriptions filled, and through prayers. Two close friends from law school----our friendship dates back 38 years----flew in from West Palm Beach yesterday to take me out to dinner. They told me they had worried about how I’d look; and they were relieved, they said, to find me looking healthy and strong.

"’Sing to the LORD with thanksgiving, for he covers the heavens with clouds, provides rain for the earth, makes grass sprout on the hills.’ (Psalm 147:8) That’s my hymn for today. Finally the Lord sent rain to moisten our very dry Florida earth. I can’t wait to see the parish field turn green again. It could happen by tomorrow. It’s amazing how quickly the Lord can bring renewal and new life.”

Update - Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Msgr. Gibbons sends the following message: "I started another cycle of chemo yesterday (Tuesday). I was at the infusion center for about 5-1/2 hours, and the time went swiftly. I am home now with the pump, which keeps the chemo going in day and night. The pump gets removed tomorrow. Then I have a week off chemo. I’ll be back on chemo during Holy Week. I expect that the Passion will have new meaning for me this year.

"My doctors are so attentive and caring. They’re constantly tweaking things a little bit to keep the side effects under control while maintaining the strength and dosage of the chemo drugs themselves.

"My oncologist emphasized today that the chemo has worked amazingly well for me. I’m a ‘minority of a minority,’ he says, in terms of the effectiveness of the chemo. Most colon cancer patients with cases similar to mine apparently do not respond so well.

"Today we celebrate the Feast of the Annunciation of Our Lord. On this day the angel Gabriel told Mary, ‘With God nothing will be impossible’ (Luke 1:37). Thanks to everyone for your support and prayers. I feel very united to you in the union of prayer.”

Update - Monday, March 16, 2009

Msgr. Gibbons sends the following message: "I finished up the first cycle of this new series of chemo treatments last Thursday afternoon (March 12th). I was wiped out by the time it was all over. Friday night I slept for 12 hours. By Sunday afternoon, I was feeling normal. I was able to celebrate parish Masses this weekend without any problems. That is a joy. My appetite is great.

"Now I have a ‘no chemo’ week ahead of me. This next weekend we have our annual parish Festival, so the timing is good. Chemo will re-commence on March 24th.

"Thanks to you for your encouraging notes and messages. They keep me strong. I can’t answer each one personally, but please know they are cherished and appreciated.”

Update - Wednesday, March 11, 2009

Msgr. Gibbons sends the following message: "I got re-started on chemotherapy yesterday. I had an hour’s appointment with the oncologist, as he reviewed everything and we discussed these upcoming chemo cycles. He plans to put me through four cycles and then re-scan me, so see how it’s working. That PET scan will be around the first of May. Each cycle consists of three days of chemo every other week.

"Once I met with the doctor, the chemo infusion began. I was there for 7-1/2 hours total and then came home with the chemo pump. I’ll go back this afternoon for 3 hours of infusion with different drugs and then come home again tonight with the pump. Tomorrow afternoon the pump will be removed. Then I’m free (!!) for two weeks, when I start another cycle. I’m glad that I’ll be off chemo during the week of St. Paul’s Festival.

"I made it through last night pretty well. A little head achiness and some fatigue, but I had a good night’s sleep.

"Thanks to all for prayers and support.”

Update - Saturday, March 7, 2009

Msgr. Gibbons sends the following message: "I arrived home last night (Friday) from New York City. I am glad I went.

"The staff at Memorial Sloan-Kettering was friendly and thorough and professional. The doctors interviewed and examined me, and reviewed all my medical records from Florida, disks of my scans, and the pathology glass slides from my surgery. In conclusion, they affirmed the recommendation I have received most recently from all the local doctors----that is, that I resume chemotherapy. Surgery and/or radiation are not recommended at this time.

"The New York doctors stressed these positives----that I feel well and look well, am not having any symptoms, and have so far tolerated and responded well to chemotherapy.

"The Outpatient Pavilion at Sloan-Kettering is a beautiful facility, right in the heart of midtown Manhattan. It occupies the first eleven floors of a high rise, and the hotel where we stayed occupies the upper floors of the same building. Convenient!

"Bottom line is that I will re-start chemotherapy here in St. Petersburg this Tuesday (March 10th). I will be on the same regimen as last year.

“While in New York, I enjoyed a reunion with my sister, my nephew Michael and his fiancée, and my first cousin Fred. We had dinner together on Thursday evening. A good friend who grew up in St. Petersburg took us to lunch on Friday and drove my sister and me to the airport.

“We had time to walk over to St. Patrick’s Cathedral, see the ice skaters at Rockefeller Center, and do some window shopping along 5th and Madison Avenues.

“After this trip, I feel positive and optimistic and am happy to resume chemotherapy, despite its side effects. I did it before, so I know what I’m facing. Thanks to everyone for your prayers and support. I appreciate all the cards and messages.”

Update - Wednesday, March 4, 2009

Msgr. Gibbons sends the following message: “I asked my oncologist in St. Petersburg last week where I might go to get a ‘second opinion’ regarding my treatment. He responded, ‘Without a doubt, Memorial Sloan-Kettering. It’s the best for colorectal cancer.’

“So I am flying up tomorrow (Thursday) to New York City for an appointment on Friday at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. My sister Lynn (who’s a registered nurse) will fly in from Nashville TN to accompany me to the appointment.

“Sloan-Kettering’s Outpatient Pavilion is located in Manhattan, on E. 53rd Street, between 3rd & Lexington Avenues. We’re staying in a hotel right next door. We’ll have dinner in the city on Thursday night with our first cousin Fred Van Vranken and our nephew Michael Gibbons and his fiancée. I fly back to Tampa on Friday night.

“Thanks to everyone for continuing your prayers for my healing. God’s will be done.”

Update - Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Msgr. Gibbons sends the following message: “I met yesterday with my surgeon and today with my oncologist. My brother John and my parishioner Dr. Peter Wassmer accompanied me to both appointments. I expect to have the surgeon’s and the oncologist’s separate recommendations as to the next step in treatment by the end of this week.

“At my request, my oncologist is arranging for me to go to a cancer center out-of-state for a third opinion. I am not dealing with an emergency situation, so I have time to take this extra measure to help insure the best result.

“After meeting with my doctors, I am feeling much more at peace than I did last week when I first got news of the recurrence. The outpouring of support and prayers from parishioners and friends and family has also boosted my spirits tremendously.”

Update - Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Msgr. Gibbons sent the following message: “I had finished chemotherapy last September, and I had a PET scan in November. It showed no active cancer.

“I was scanned again at Moffitt Cancer Center yesterday (February 16, 2009), and I got the report today. There is a recurrence of active cancer in one of the spots where I had it previously, prior to the chemotherapy, in “a celiac node in the upper abdomen.”

“The good news is that it has not spread to any new areas and only came back in that one area.

“I have appointments next Monday with the surgeon at Moffitt in Tampa and with my oncologist in St. Petersburg. Then I’ll have a better idea of what further treatments are in store.

“A friend quoted Margaret Thatcher to me today: ‘You may have to fight a battle more than once to win it."

“I’m ready for the renewed fight. I have good doctors, a loving family, wonderful parish support, great friends, and a merciful God. I feel healthy and strong. I’ve regained all the weight I had lost from surgery and chemo. Thanks for your continued prayers.”

Update - Friday, November 14, 2008

Msgr. Gibbons sends the following message: “I had a PET/CT scan yesterday (November 13th) at Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa. The scan results were “within normal limits . . . [with] no areas of abnormal glucose metabolism.” Translation: there is no evidence of active cancer.

“This is very good news. Since I started chemotherapy around the first of June, I have been scanned three times, first in July, then in September, and now again in November. All three scans have indicated that I am in complete remission.

“I have appointments with my doctors next week, and then I’ll find out when the next scan will be. Please keep me in your prayers. I appreciate them more than you can possibly imagine.”

Update - Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Msgr. Gibbons sends the following message: “There’s not too much news to report. I have been off chemo since September 11th. I’ve finally begun to regain the weight I lost with my surgery and chemo. I gained about five or six pounds in the last couple of weeks. Going to the gym and consuming lots of calories helps. I had a blood test this week, and my counts are fine.

“I’ll have a CT/PET scan at Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, on November 13th. I’ll be nervous about that. Pray that there’s been no recurrence of cancer during these two months I’ve been off chemotherapy. The last scan was on September 16th, and it showed no evidence of active cancer.

“I’m going on a week’s vacation next week with a priest friend, on a cruise from Ft Lauderdale to the eastern Caribbean. My sister will be vacationing the same week on the island of Anguilla (where she lived for five years), and she will meet us for lunch when we dock in St Marteen (just a short ferry ride from Anguilla). I’ve bought two books for the trip, so I’m ready to read, sleep, eat, relax, sleep, get some sun, walk around the deck, work out a little in the gym, and sleep some more. No alarm clock.

“Please continue to remember me in prayer. I got a report, second hand, that my surgeon calls my case a ‘near miracle.’ Your prayers are intimately involved in that outcome.”

Update - Tuesday, September 30, 2008

Msgr. Gibbons sends the following update: “I have been enjoying freedom from chemo. The side effects are gradually diminishing, now that it’s been three weeks since my last infusion. Today I had a blood test, and all the counts were fine. No need for white cell or red cell booster shots. My body is building my blood back up on its own.

“Tomorrow I’m going to the dentist for a cleaning. That’s something you can’t do during chemo. For the first time in my life, I’m happy to be going to the dentist!

“I will have another PET/CT scan in mid-November, to make sure I’m still clean of any active cancer cells.

“I’m keeping busy with regular parish work, but I make sure I don’t overdo it and wear myself out. I’m going to the gym twice a week. I feel fine, and I’m trying to gain some weight. My weight has held steady, but I am about 14 pounds below my pre-surgery weight. My appetite, even during chemo, has been voracious; but it’s hard to gain weight during chemo. Now maybe I’ll put some on.

“My niece Holly (my brother Gordon’s daughter), who was married at St. Paul’s in April 2007, had her first child, a boy, on September 13, 2008. The family is thrilled to have this newest member. Reports are he’s “cute as a button” and looks like a Gibbons. Translation: long legs, long fingers, long toes.

“Your continued prayers and encouragement mean a lot to me. I am deeply grateful.”

Update - Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Msgr. Gibbons sends the following message: “Last week I completed my eighth round of chemotherapy. Yesterday, I had a PET/CT scan from ‘skull base to pelvis.’ The radiologist who read the scan photos wrote this in his report: “The PET scan is within normal limits. . . . I do not see any hypermetabolic foci.” Translation: I’m free of any evidence of active cancer disease, and my complete remission is holding!

“Needless to say, I am thrilled. The plan now is that I will cease chemotherapy and be re-scanned again in December.

“Please keep me in your prayers. You’ve gotten me thus far with your prayers, support, and encouragement.”

Update - Friday, September 05, 2008

Fr Gibbons sends the following update: “Not too much new to report on the health front. Round # 8 of chemo is scheduled for next week, September 9,10 and 11. I will have a PET/CT scan at Moffitt Cancer Center on September 16 for a post-chemo benchmark. I will be scanned every three months thereafter, for a while. If I remain free of any evidence of active disease after several scans, they will begin to space the scans less frequently. That’s the current plan.

“Please continue to pray for me. Your prayers are what have sustained me since the day of my diagnosis in April. God has listened, I am convinced. Otherwise I wouldn’t be in the good position I find myself. But we don’t want to let up on our prayers. I want to move from ‘in remission’ to ‘cured.’ With the good doctors, nurses, family, parishioners, and innumerable friends pushing me along that road, I am sure I’ll make it.”

Update - Wednesday, August 27, 2008

Fr Gibbons has sent the following update: “I began Round # 7 of chemo yesterday. My oncologist is very pleased with how everything is going. He said today that I’ve beaten the odds. He is super optimistic about my long term prognosis. (At least, that’s how I read what he says!). God has been good to me. How could God not respond to so many prayers from my parishioners and friends rising up to him? (Round # 8, the week of September 8th, is scheduled to be my last week of chemo. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel.)

“I sneaked away this past week, for five days, and visited the “high country” of the North Carolina mountains. I stayed in Blowing Rock, close to the Virginia/N.C./Tennessee border, farther north than most Floridians go. I had an ulterior motive going up that far. All my life I’ve wanted to visit Abingdon, Va., where my grandfather Gibbons was born in 1862. I’d never been there. It gave me great pleasure to spend an afternoon walking the streets of this beautiful little town, the same streets my grandfather walked as a boy. (He ended up leaving there at age 22 to seek a better life in the Florida sun. In fact, his whole family ultimately upped and moved to Florida.) I went up Grandfather Mountain (by car!), but I did get out and walk the mile high swinging bridge. I did do some hiking and lots of walking. It felt great, on the third month anniversary of my surgery, to be walking up and down hills and mountains.”

Update - Monday, August 11, 2008

Fr Gibbons sends the following message: "Things are coming along well for me. I'm enjoying the feeling of being 'in complete remission.' Now my prayer is, 'Lord, I'm happy to be in remission, but please help me move from remission to cure. Amen.' But I must admit it certainly feels good to be where I am right now. I shouldn't demand too much too soon!

"Tomorrow I start Round # 6 of chemotherapy, and Bishop Lynch will drive me and sit with me for the six hours or so at the infusion center. He insisted. A high school buddy will sit with me on day two this week.

"Bishop Lynch surprised me last Tuesday with the news that I've been named a Monsignor. The exact title is 'Chaplain to His Holiness, the Pope.' I am grateful for this honor. It's an occasion for me to thank the people I've been privileged to come in contact with in and through my priestly ministry. All of you have made my ministry easy and light, like the Lord's yoke, because you've accepted me as your priest and never ceased to help and encourage me."

Update - Wednesday, July 30, 2008

Fr Gibbons sends the following message: "I got great news yesterday. I am, in my oncologist's words, "in complete remission." The two scans I had last week (CT scan and PET/CT scan) both showed no active disease. The old cancer spots have "resolved" and there is no new disease anywhere. The doctor's conclusion that I am in remission is based on the Moffitt radiologists' analyses of my scans. Needless to say, I am thrilled.

"My surgeon and my oncologist have now recommended that I have another four courses of chemo-----in other words, repeat the chemo regimen I have just finished. So I'll have chemo for three days at a time, every other week, for two months. Now that I know the chemo is working so effectively, I say, "Bring it on!" The purpose of four more courses of chemo is to kill off any remaining cancer spots that are so small as to be undetectable by scan. After the four courses are completed, I will be re-scanned. If I am still clean at that point, says my oncologist, I will come off chemo and then re-scanned every three months thereafter. I am on chemo right now, as I type this message.

"My oncologist explained yesterday that there's risk that my cancer may recur at some point. But he pointed out several good things: we know that my cancer is responsive to chemo; we know what drugs it responds to; and improvements in treatment methods for my type of cancer are coming down the pike all the time, so in the future they will have even better ways of treating me.

"I am grateful, more than I can possibly express, to God, to my family, and to all my parishioners and friends. The prayer support I have received has been incredible. Please, please, please continue to pray for me. Pray a prayer of thanksgiving to God, and ask that I remain in remission permanently."

Update - Wednesday, July 23, 2008

Fr. Gibbons sends the following message: "Last week I had my fourth round of chemo. My appraisal of chemotherapy after two months of treatment? It's rough. But my oncologist works carefully to curtail or at least help me deal with the side effects.

"This week I'm having scans at Moffitt Cancer Center. The initial scan was Monday, and it focused only on the liver. The surgeon afterwards told me that the lesion on the liver is shrinking as a result of the chemo. He says there is no evidence of progression of the disease anywhere else, from what he could see on this partial scan. That's great news! He is recommending two more months of chemo, followed by more scans in mid-September. His hope is that the lesion will have shrunk further by then. He will probably want to operate on the liver then, to remove any remaining cancer.

"This Friday I have a PET/CT scan of the whole body, a crucial test of the overall effectiveness of the chemo. I'm hoping that it will show a clean picture, with no evidence of cancerous cells anywhere (other than the liver, of course). That will be a wonderful answer to many prayers.

"I'm quite certain that my oncologist will also be recommending continuation of the chemo, so I'll be back at the infusion center next Tuesday, July 29th. Onward and upward! The oncologist will have to weigh in also, ultimately, on the advisability of more surgery.

"Last week a man sitting next to me at the infusion center asked if I was retired. I said, 'Hardly!' I then reflected in my heart on how good the Lord has been in giving me the strength and stamina and desire to keep going as pastor of our beloved St. Paul's Parish. I'm happy to still be in the saddle. Retirement is not on my radar screen."

Update - Tuesday, July 08, 2008

Fr Gibbons sends the following message: "I am enjoying this 'off' week, when I'm not receiving chemotherapy. The next round of chemo will be July 15-17. I am pleased with my oncologist, who meets with me regularly, listens carefully to all my questions, and works diligently to minimize side effects. He takes great interest in my treatment and how I'm reacting.

"After the next round of chemo, I will be scanned to see how effectively the chemo is working. The results will determine the next step in treatment. Pray for good results! I'll be seeing my surgeon then for his input, too.

"I go to the gym three times during the 'off' weeks, working with a trainer in efficient half-hour sessions. I'm tempted to use excuses like "remember-I'm-getting-chemo" or "I-just-had-surgery," when he insists on another set of repetitions; but I usually overcome the temptation!

"The parish is doing well. Our new assistant pastor, Fr. Bob Gangolu, arrived and is fitting in nicely. The school renovation project is proceeding smoothly; check the parish website for photos. I'm handling my schedule of appointments and doing regular priestly ministry, but I'm trying to avoid evening appointments as a concession to my need to conserve my strength. The staff and parishioners have everything running smoothly.

"Your expressions of concern and support mean more to me than you can possibly imagine. I know that I am doing well during the chemo because I have so many people praying for me and bolstering me up. God has been very good to me by placing me in this loving parish environment. He is teaching me so much-----about how to walk in hope and trust, about his ever present grace, about the power of his love."

Update - Tuesday, July 01, 2008

Fr. Gibbons began another chemo treatment series today. A life-long dear family friend from Tampa came over to drive him and stay with him during the treatment. They had a great time reminiscing about family and friends and the good ole days. A parishioner, knowing Father likes a Dairy Inn hot dog (with slaw) and a chocolate shake on the long chemo day, showed up unexpectedly with lunch. Sr. Kathleen is taking him tomorrow for day two. (By the way, Father's blood and platelet counts have been holding up well during the chemo).

Father feels like he's getting good at combating the chemo side effects in a timely fashion. But there's one non-medical side effect of the chemo that's harder to handle. He is pretty much "grounded" in Florida during the hottest time of the year, with no chance to slip away to cooler climes. In the last couple of days, people have mentioned to him trips they're taking to the North Carolina mountains, or to the Trapp Family Lodge in Vermont, or other places cool. All he can do is say "how nice!" and internally fight his jealousy. But his time will come. In God's good time.

Update - Monday, June 23, 2008

Fr. Gibbons is in an "off" week, that is, he is not receiving chemo treatments this week. He tolerated last week's series of chemo infusions fairly well. His side effects at the moment are expected, relatively minor, and tolerable. He is able to keep up with parish duties, thanks to the fine help and assistance he has from his staff and fellow priests.

He wanted to share this with you: "On a wall in my sitting room in the rectory hangs a beautiful devotional picture of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. I placed it there deliberately, about two years ago, so that I could see it from my couch, where I sit for my prayer and meditation in the early morning. Jesus has his right hand gently raised in blessing. His left hand points to his pierced heart. Now this picture has assumed a key role in my prayer for healing, ever since a parishioner gave me a prayer card with a prayer that expresses perfectly what's in my heart. I keep the prayer card tucked in the frame of the picture. Several times a day, as I pass by the picture, the prayer card will catch my eye. I'll stop and turn to the picture, pick up the prayer card, and pray the prayer. This is how it goes:

'Lord,
You invite all who are burdened to come to you.
Allow Your healing hand to heal me.
Touch my soul with Your compassion for others.
Touch my heart with Your courage and infinite love for all.
Touch my mind with Your wisdom, that my mouth may always proclaim Your praise.
Teach me to reach out to You in my need, and help me lead others to You by my example.
Most loving Heart of Jesus,
Bring me health in body and spirit so that I may serve You with all my strength.
Touch gently this life which You have created.
Amen.'"

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