September 29, 2011

Here's the latest from Rich..

I am still mostly at home due to lack of energy, but since last Wed. (9/21) I have been able to muster enough stamina to get to the office for 2-3 hours a day, in a largely unsuccessful attempt to make a dent in the backlog that has accumulated over the past five weeks. 

My next surgery (to reverse the ileostomy) is scheduled for Oct. 11, so only 13 more days of bag problems!  But the surgery will knock me out of action for another couple of weeks, after which I start a four-month round of strong chemo (which may also keep me out of action).

According to the doctors, last month's surgery was highly successful as far as the rectal cancer goes.  All of the lymph nodes surrounding the tumor were found to be clear of cancer.  If the tumor was the only cancerous growth, I would be cancer-free with no risk of recurrence, according to the doctors. 

However, an MRI conducted a few days before the surgery shows a hot spot in my left pelvis, and my oncologist says that this is likely to be cancer.  We are not going to deal with it until after the four months of chemo, which may have an impact on it.

Because of my being out of work so much, and the likelihood that this will continue, it looks like my law partnership will end, which is another downer.  But the Lord will provide.

I continue to thank God for the great outpouring of prayer from so many people -- it is very humbling and encouraging. Cheers, Rich

Prayer update!

Rich had the tumor removed. It was a difficult operation because it was a large tumor;. The doctors removed 16 lymph nodes, and praise God, all were clean of cancer. In three  months they’ll remove a temporary colostomy. Rich will have chemotherapy for two-four months.

Please pray for his 87 year old dad , who is in rehab. He’s very weak, disoriented and not eating anything.

Please pray for Rich Collier, a dear friend of Gateway Pregnancy Center

Richard F. Collier, Jr., Esq. is the President of the Legal Center for Defense of Life, Morristown, NJ, whose volunteer attorneys provide pro bono legal advice and representation in matters involving abortion and euthanasia.

Rich is on the Advisory Board of Life Choices Women's Health center in Phillipsburg, and a longtime friend of the Gateway ministry. In 1997 he tirelessly worked on behalf of Sonia Jackson and her daughter Messiah (now age fourteen).

Medical Update

July 26, 2011  Rich writes: "Please thank everyone for their prayers and their concern.  And please let them know that their prayers are working!  (Not that that should be any surprise.)  I had the last of my initial radiation and chemo treatments last week, so I got through the first six weeks OK, without any major side effects -- thanks to the abundance of prayers that have been poured out for me, which is very humbling.  Next stop is surgery to remove the tumor, which is now scheduled for August 23.  I will be in the hospital for 4-7 days, then at home for a while.  Then back into much stronger chemo for about four months.  Praise the Lord and pass the ammunition!"

June 29, 2011, Rich writes:

“I just finished my third week of radiation and chemo; another three weeks to go, after which they will do surgery (probably in early August) to remove the tumor (and find out for sure whether the cancer has spread).  After the surgery, I go back into (much stronger) chemo for at least four months. 

So far, I have not experienced any of the side effects they warned me about, but this is the week when the side effects normally appear, so I just wait and watch.  Cheers, Rich”