Lyndee's Benefit Concert Recap

Lyndee's Benefit Concert was held at Playland Skate Center in Austin which donated the space. Beer Land came out and did the alcohol vending and gave a portion of their profit. Jason's Deli provided the catering at no charge. Matt Davidson who is in a band called Bitter End was able to book three other local Austin bands, who also donated their time and energy: The Carrots, Whitman and Grace, The Grackles, and a band called Sound Team (who just signed on with Capitol Records) came out to play. Sound Team was the headlining band.

There was a raffle for donations received, which were a free helicopter ride for two, flying lessons, and Austin City Limits tickets. The raffle alone brought in over $800. A silent auction was held that contained over 30 prizes ranging from digital camera, iPod Nano, camcorder, salon packages, gym memberships, season football tickets for RRISD, Round Rock Express baseball tickets, baseballs autographed by the Atlanta Braves, restaurant gift cards, tanning memberships....and numerous others. Also, silicone wristbands were sold at a price of two dollars. The wristbands are blue and purple and have Lyndee's motto "Live Life to the Fullest" and her initials engraved on them. There are many left over if anybody would like to purchase one. Donations buckets were set up around the area for people to just drop money in and the grand total was just shy of $11,000. The total was $10,908 to be exact, but there are still some people that need to be contacted about the silent auction prizes and collect money from them.

Contact Laura for info on wristbands. Also, she was the mastermind behind this Benefit Concert, she deserves some praise. Drop her line, I know she would appreciate it.

Lyndee's Benefit Concert

Our friend Lyndee has been battling cancer and is in desperate need of some financial relief from medical bills. So we are throwing one huge "party" to raise some money and raise her spirits. Friends & family are encouraged to come...complete strangers are welcome too!! Even if you don't know Lyndee, you'll fall in love with her the minute you meet her.

Entertainment will be provided by bands such as The Carrots, Grace & the Grackles, Whitman and Sound Team.

Food & Beverage provided by Jason's Deli and Beer Land.

Ages 18 & Up. $12 admittance fee and numerous raffle and silent auction prizes. Skating also permitted (but no drinking and skating please.)

Remeber friends don't let friends skate drunk. :)

Also an appearance made by the Texas Rollergirls.

So come out and have a good time!!! It's all for a good cause. Contact Laura for pre-sale tickets @ 619-1755 or laura.morin@ci.austin.tx.us. Or if you can't attend but would like to donate you can also contact Laura by her cell or email to set something up.



Hosted By:

Laura M, Paige P, Casey R, Kim T & Shelley S.
e-mail



When:

Thursday Apr 20, 2006
at 7:00 PM



Where:

Playland Skate Center
8822 McCann Dr
Austin, TX 73301
US
View Map

More Hospital Time

Early Wednesday, Lyndee and her mother made a trip to the Emergency Room. Lyndee had woken up early that morning with severe pain in her mid-back area and was having trouble breathing. Once at the hospital, it was not clear to the E.R. doctors what the problem was, so she was admitted and waited for further testing.

I flew down late Wednesday and stayed in the hospital with her that night. Thanks to the help of a morphine drip, she got a good nights sleep, I wish I could say the same. Thursday after a sonogram, it was determined that she had developed a couple of blood clots in her leg from lying around all day everyday. Although blood clots can be very serious and sometimes fatal, I was relieved to hear that this was the problem and not her cancer developing further. Her doctor prescribed her Lovenox, a blood thinner. She has to give herself a shot twice daily for the next two months.

In other news, a few of Lyndee's good friends in Austin have organized a benefit concert for her. I am not sure about all the details. I do know that it is taking place on Thursday, April 20th and it is open to whoever would like to attend. I will get as much information as I a can and post it soon.

Infection Not Actually Infection

Lyndee's "infection" turned out not to be one. Actually, her problem was due to poor circulation in her leg. The tumor in her thigh has put a large amount of pressure on the main artery located adjacent to the growth. This has caused swelling and a lack of blood circulation, which in return causes severe pain.

After arriving at the hospital yesterday, her doctors assessed the situation and gave her instructions to return home and to completely stay off her leg. She has to lay 99% of the time with her leg elevated. I am not for sure if this is better or worse news, but this is the diagnosis. Hopefully, the chemo will take effect soon, reduce the size of tumor, and relieve the pressure on her artery.

In other news, some action has been taken by her congressman in Round Rock. Congressman Carter has put in the proper paperwork to ask for a hearing of dyer need. This is most that the Congressman can do, however it may not be necessary. Due to the new information on Lyndee's condition, a hearing may not have to take place, according to her social worker.

More news to come.

Infection Calls for Hospital Visit

Lyndee had her second chemo treatment on Friday. Her particular chemo works by inhibiting fast growing cells from splitting or duplicating. This is how cells are created. A cell will divide into two cells and the two cells will divide into four cells, therefore having twice as many as before. You can see how this will produce a large number of cells very quickly. However, with normal cells, one cell will divide until completely surrounded by like cells. It has an innate ability to recognize when enough cells have been produced. Cancer cells do not have this ability, therefore they continue to divide at exponential rates. The chemo prohibits the cells from dividing or keeps the tumor from growing.

This has both beneficial and adverse effects. On one hand, the cancer has halted growth and in some cases begins to die. On the other hand, all fast producing normal cells halt duplication also. This refers to things like red blood cells and hair follicle cells and is why hair usually falls out during chemotherapy. Red blood cells are basically your immune system, so when there is a decrease in these cells there is a decrease in your immune system.

Unfortunately, Lyndee's immune system has taken a blow from the chemo. She is prone to any kind of sickness and an infection has developed in her leg. She does not have the immune system to fight it and had to take a trip to the hospital this morning. I do not know what her doctors will do to treat it, but some options are antibiotics or a blood transfusion. Hopefully antibiotics is all that is necessary to rid her of the infection. I will update with more info as soon as I hear something.

Chemotherapy to Start on Friday

Dr. Posada, Lyndee's Oncologist at Scott & White, has arranged for her to see Dr. Patel at MD Anderson. However she going to start her chemo treatments this Friday at Scott & White, under the direction of Dr. Patel. This is good news. She is going to receive the exact same treatment as she would at MD Anderson, and this will allow her time for the financial situation to work itself out.

On Friday, she will go in for an one hour treatment. She will then wait eight days and go in for a two to three hour treatment. She will then wait two weeks and repeat the process; a one hour treatment, eight days, a two hour treatment, and two weeks off. She will undergo this cycle of treatments three times. I am not sure how the chemo will be administered but she will not have a port implanted in her chest. A port is basically a device to inject the chemotherapy intravenously. This is the worst part of chemotherapy according to Lyndee.

Sometimes I feel that everything I post is bad news. So I have decided to write about something great to end this particular post. This past weekend, some very close friends of ours tied the knot, Dane Hardy and Alex Lipscomb. I couldn't be happier for the two. Lyndee and I were on hand to help them celebrate their new life together and we had such a great time. Amidst all of this drama and tragedy, life still surrounds us with beautiful things.

Call to Action

I regret to inform you that Lyndee's condition has worsened. She received the results from her CT scan last week and they weren't exactly the results we had hoped for. She has a total of two tumors, one located in her thigh and the other is in her pelvis area. There were also some spots that are suspicious for metastasis located on her lungs and lymphnodes. Needless to say, her condition is very serious.

On top of her medical issues, we are having trouble getting her into the hospital she needs to be in, M.D. Anderson in Houston. Anderson is one of the top hospitals for sarcomas in the world. However, her Medicaid and Social Security has yet to come through and M.D. Anderson is hesitant to treat her for the fear of not being paid. She receives assistance from Williamson County, however they can only pay a portion of the bill and Medicaid pays %100. Lyndee is waiting on a hearing with Social Security and until then will not have Medicaid. So we need one of two things to happen, her social security to come through immediately or to find a sarcoma specialist at M.D. Anderson to see her knowing her financial situation.

I am asking you, the readers of this blog, to help. If you know of anybody with connections at M.D. Anderson I urge you to call them with the intention of speeding this process up. Also, call your congressman and demand answers. It is a tragedy that Lyndee has fallen through the cracks of the Social Security system. She is the person that Medicaid was designed to help, yet she cannot receive it due to the fact that her situation is unique and does not fit the mold for immediate acceptance by Social Security. Again, I am forever grateful for your prayers and well wishes, however this is a time for action. Thank you.

Please feel free to email me kennyf99@hotmail.com

Congressman Neugebauer - Lubbock County
http://randy.house.gov/
Lubbock Office
611 University Ave.
Suite #220
Lubbock, Texas 79401
Phone: (806) 763-1611
Fax: (806) 767-9168

Congressman Carter - Williamson County
http://www.house.gov/carter
Round Rock District Office
One Financial Centre
1717 North IH 35
Suite 303
Round Rock, TX 78664
(512) 246-1600

Dear Friends,

The past year of my life has been an emotional roller coaster. I have seen someone that I love fight for her life. Unfortunately, I am writing to inform you that the fight is not over.

After my last post several months ago, Lyndee had undergone surgery to remove the second tumor and a vast majority of her quadriceps. The surgery went well and her recovery was a remarkable one. Lyndee had even begun her re-acclamation to normal life, trying to get back into school. I abandoned this site hoping that it was all over, but it is not.

Lyndee, as of the last couple weeks, noticed some swelling in her leg. Immediately, our thoughts were that she had pushed herself too hard and her healing leg became inflamed. However the swelling worsened. To make a long story short, she received a couple of tests/MRIs and the bad news came.

The new growth is located in relatively the same spot, but has intertwined itself with some blood vessels. This makes it very hard to remove the tumor in it's entirety. Therefore these blood vessels have to be removed. There is a slim possibility that a specialist can graft blood vessels from another area in her body to replace the ones to be taken. If this does not work, more than likely her leg will be amputated.

This has been very devastating news to me, Lyndee, and her family. We greatly appreciate all of your thoughts and prayers, and I hope that you continue to keep her in mind. Lyndee is still determined to beat this and I am determined to help her.

I will try to post as much as I can, however my time is limited. If you have any questions please feel free to email me or call me. Lyndee has been bombarded phone calls, so please send the questions my way and the support to her.

Sincerely,
Kenny Furr
kennyf99@hotmail.com

lynd_21@yahoo.com

Good News, Bad News

Bad News

Lyndee's biopsy came back with some dissappointing news. The growth in her leg is cancer. She will have surgery this Wednesday to remove the entire muscle that the tumor is embedded in. Unfortunately this in one of the four quadricep muscles which make the majority of the thigh. She will have a much larger scar and most definitely have rehab in order to learn to walk again.

The surgery is being performed at Scott & White Hospital in Temple. I am not sure how long her stay will be, but hopefully not too long. I will travel down there on Wednesday, get the news, and post as soon as possible.



Good News

On Saturday October 1st, a charity run event in Lyndee's honor is going to take place on the Texas Tech campus. There will be a one mile, two mile, and four mile run/walk. In order to run in the event there is an early registration fee of $10 and a late registration fee of $15. Also, we have been providing advertisements to local businesses for a donation of $250. For that donation they recieve a 20" by 20" sign with their company logo showing support for Lyndee and Texas Tech students. This event is part of the Parents Weekend Agenda and is to follow the Saturday morning breakfast scheduled for those visiting parents. We hope to get as many people involved as we possibly can.

For more information on how you can be a part of this event, please email me at kennyf99@hotmail.com.

I Am Back

This summer I basically abandoned this site for several reasons: first there hasn't been much news, second I have been extremely busy, but mostly I had hoped this whole ordeal was over. Unfortunately it is far from over.

Lyndee's surgery was a success and the pathology report was very promising. Since the time of the surgery she hasn't done much except letting her leg heal and some rehab. Last Monday she had a follow up appointment in which she had an MRI performed. The MRI results showed a new growth. This does not mean that the cancer has returned. It could be a number of things related to the complications of surgery. However she will have a biopsy this coming Monday to determine what this growth is for sure.

If the growth does turn out to be cancer, the plan of action is to completely remove the muscle in which it lies. She would have one of the quad muscles removed and will not have to deal with chemo or radiation again. Let's hope the growth is not cancer.

Surgery Report

Lyndee's surgery was a success yesterday. Dr. Brindley felt good about the margins he took around the tumor. He never actually saw the tumor, it was incapacitated in a ball of muscle and tissue. This is a good sign meaning that is was completely contained in the mass removed. Of course we must wait on the pathology report to know for sure. The tumor was the size of a softball and the nurse claimed it was the biggest sarcoma she has seen. Luckily the nurse did take a few pictures of the tumor as requested by Lyndee and I will post them as soon as they get developed.

It was a difficult operation. The surgery was expected to be one hour in length however it took over two because Dr. Brindley had to dissect around numerous blood vessels and nerves. He removed one muscle, part of another, and a large branch of nerves that control the thigh muscles. He felt confident she would be walking with little trouble in three months.

Lyndee was released from the hospital yesterday evening. She has been in quite a bit of pain which is to be expected, but she is strong and determined. Lyndee is moving around well with the aid of a walker and slept soundly last night.

Thanks for all the support and I will soon update with more details of the surgery after some further research.


Here is her address if you would like to send her something.

Lyndee Antilley
8410 Anderson Mill Rd.
Austin TX 78729

A beautiful young woman, with or without hair. 

Surgery Date: Wednesday May 18th

Lyndee is scheduled for surgery on the 18th of May. Dr. George W. Brindley will perfom the surgery. He plans on removing the tumor with at least one inch margins. In one area that is dangerously close to a main artery he will be unable to get such large margins. Dr. Brindley will be removing quite a bit of muscle, therefore she will have go through physical therapy to rehab her leg post-surgery. This is the day she has been waiting for and she still needs your support.


She will be at Scott & White Hospital in Temple. I am sure she will be there for a couple of days if you would like to send a Get Well card or something of that nature.

I will do my best to update ASAP with news of the surgery's success. Thanks to all.

Read the University Daily Article

UD article on Lyndee

How Can I Help?

First, pray for her.

Second, write Lyndee an e-mail. It really makes her feel good when she gets messages from people supporting her. Or write me an e-mail or give me a message and I will relay it to her.


Third, you can make a donation to her Medical fund. I have set up an account under my name for the benefit of Lyndee at Plains Capital Bank. It is set up under my name for the sole reason that this is how the banker recommended I do it. It is called a FBO account (for the benefit of) and is a very common account used in similar situations such as medical funds, fires, and other emergencies. Plains Capital Bank has many branches all over the state of Texas. Here is a link to their locations: http://www.plainscapitalbank.com/shared/locator/subsidiary_locator.aspx?subsidiary=2



There are several different ways to donate money.

1. Drop cash or change into designated donation jars located around Lubbock and various other cities.
2. Write a check made out to 'Kenny Furr for the benefit of Lyndee Antilley Medical Fund', and mail it to 3806 28th Lubbock TX 79410, or give it to me personally.
3. You can also make a direct deposit at any Plains Capital Bank location. The account is under Kenny Furr/Lyndee Antilley Medical Fund. I was told by the banker not to give out the account number, but the tellers should be able to find the right account with this information.
4. If you are a Plains Capital Bank customer then you can simply wire the money directly from your account. I am not absolutely sure how this is done so I will not give any advice. However I feel sure that the bank teller can assist you with this transaction.
5. Or donate over the internet. PayPal provides a service that will let people donate money over a secure encrypted server. This link will take you there.

If you would like to set up a donation jar in your store front or wherever email me at kennyf99@hotmail.com.

All donations are greatly appreciated. Thank you and God bless.

Lyndee Gets the Press She Deserves

The University Daily is to print an article on Lyndee this coming Tuesday May 3rd. I am not sure of it's content but it should discuss her treatments, her medical fund, and the importance of insurance for younger adults. Thanks to all who emailed the UD and made this article a reality.

In other news, Lyndee has finished radiation for now. She is scheduled to undergo surgery on the 18th of May. After that she may have to do more radiation and chemo, though it is not known for sure which one. It all depends on the success of the surgery. Thanks for everything.

Radiation Off To a Quick Start

Lyndee has one week of radiation in the bag and only four more to go. She travels every morning to Temple to get her leg zapped and then she goes about her business. Lyndee is in and out within an hour, not counting driving of course.

In other news, Lyndee could have a story written about her in the Texas Tech school newspaper. The writer has made contact with me through email however I have yet to hear back. If you would like to help send The University Daily a message about writing an article on Lyndee. The people at The University Daily may need some convincing if you know what I mean. Please show your support for Lyndee by writing the UD. Thanks.

EMAIL ME
EMAIL THE UNIVERSITY DAILY

Join Lyndee's Mailing List

Since news with Lyndee is developing at a slower pace I have decided to start a mailing list to inform people when new posts have been created. It's a simple process when I post some information I will also send a mass email to everyone on the mailing list to let them know that something has been posted. If you would like to join Lyndee's Mailing List, please email me with your email address at kennyf99@hotmail.com. I promise not to give out this information and if at any time you would like to unsubscribe to the list just drop me a line and I will remove your name. Thanks.


Join the List

MRI Results

Lyndee's MRI showed a small reaction by the tumor, which was expected by her doctors. The purpose of the chemotherapy was to completly clean her body of bad cells and not to shrink the tumor. In fact her particular kind of tumor is not expected to react to chemo at all. Lyndee's tumor did react, though only a small amount. The radiation treatments are supposed to be the more effective of the two. She is to undergo one radiation treatment a day five days a week for five weeks and then hopefully surgery. Each individual treatment should last only one hour and does not have the side effects of chemo. I have complete faith in her doctors because they are the best at what they and have years of experience. Keep checking back for more updates.

Radiation to Start This Week

Lyndee spent the week with me in Dallas. I was there visiting my father who recently got a liver transplant. He is doing well and if you are interested visit his site. www.rickfurr.blogspot.com

Lyndee headed home today because she has an appointment with her radiology doctor and her surgeon tomorrow. Radiation treatments are probably going to start this week and continue for the next couple of weeks. I don't want to report what is to follow because things have changed so many times and they probably will again. But continue to keep her in your thoughts and prayers.

No News is Good News

Things have been moving slowly since Lyndee's last trip to the hospital. She has been ecstatic to get a break from the chemo and has taken advantage of her time off by visiting her sister. Lyndee is scheduled to get an MRI on Thursday of this week. Then we will have some concrete answers as to how the tumor is reacting. That is all the news I have today, but if your interested check out my father's site that I have set up. He is waiting on a liver transplant.

http://rickfurr.blogspot.com

Lyndee Goes to Dallas

Lyndee has been feeling quite a bit better in the past few days. She has gathered enough strength to visit her sister Christi in Lewisville, which is just north of Dallas. From my understanding Christi and Lyndee have been making the rounds through uptown Dallas shopping.

Lyndee will get an MRI sometime later in the week. Then we will know for sure how the tumor has reacted to the chemotherapy treatments. As of now she is to start localized radiation very soon. Her doctors estimate four to six weeks of these particular treatments. After that I have no clue. Keep checking for updates.

In the Hospital Once Again

Lyndee has become quite a familiar face at Scott & White Hospital. Unfortunately she started reacting badly to the chemo yesterday and made the trip to the cancer division there. Amongst the typical problems of weakness and nausea, she has a number of open sores throughout her digestive system starting in her throat, but not the immune system to fight it. That chemotherapy is truly something evil.

I just hope this is the last time she will have to go through this.

How Do I Help?

First, pray for her.

Second, write Lyndee an e-mail. It really makes her feel good when she gets messages from people supporting her. Or write me an e-mail or give me a message and I will relay it to her.


Third, you can make a donation to her Medical fund. I have set up an account under my name for the benefit of Lyndee at Plains Capital Bank. It is set up under my name for the sole reason that this is how the banker recommended I do it. It is called a FBO account (for the benefit of) and is a very common account used in similar situations such as medical funds, fires, and other emergencies. Plains Capital Bank has many branches all over the state of Texas. Here is a link to their locations: http://www.plainscapitalbank.com/shared/locator/subsidiary_locator.aspx?subsidiary=2



There are several different ways to donate money.

1. Drop cash or change into designated donation jars located around Lubbock and various other cities.
2. Write a check made out to 'Kenny Furr for the benefit of Lyndee Antilley Medical Fund', and mail it to 3806 28th St. Lubbock TX 79410, or give it to me personally.
3. You can also make a direct deposit at any Plains Capital Bank location. The account is under Kenny Furr/Lyndee Antilley Medical Fund. I was told by the banker not to give out the account number, but the tellers should be able to find the right account with this information.
4. If you are a Plains Capital Bank customer then you can simply wire the money directly from your account. I am not absolutely sure how this is done so I will not give any advice. However I feel sure that the bank teller can assist you with this transaction.
5. Or donate over the internet. PayPal provides a service that will let people donate money over a secure encrypted server. This link will take you there.

If you would like to set up a donation jar in your store front or wherever email me at kennyf99@hotmail.com.

All donations are greatly appreciated. Thank you and God bless.

Next Step: Surgery

Lyndee entered the hospital this past Tuesday for her third and hopefully final round of chemotherapy. She is scheduled to be released sometime today. The next step in the process is surgery. Though surgery could be preceded and will be followed by localized radiation treatments. Fortunately, radiation will not be as intense. She will go in routinely for short half hour long sessions and will not have extended stays in the hospital.

In other news, the donation cans have surprisingly been a success. I was at a local establishment last night where one of the donation jars was located. Though not much money was received, many people were reading it and talking about it. There was one fellow who tried to walk off with it but stronger heads prevailed. Oh well, I guess that is to be expected. I will report later with more news.

Lyndee in Lubbock for the weekend. Third chemotherapy treatment starts Tuesday Feb. 8th. 

Emergency Room Visit

On Friday Lyndee made a trip to the emergency room and ended up spending the weekend in the hospital. She had an infection in her esophagus that prevented her from eating and gave her breathing problems. They pumped her full of antibiotics and will hopefully release her today, though hospitals have a tendency to postpone things. Oh well I am glad we have 'em.

Lyndee's oncologist (chemo doctor) wants to do one more treatment of chemotherapy. Then I am assuming they will try to cut the tumor out, of course after her immune system has recovered. I have been very encouraged throughout this process. There have been bumps in the road but things are looking good. Thanks to everyone who has helped and don't forget to tell your friends, word of mouth is the best way circulate her story.

Kenny kennyf99@hotmail.com lynd_21@yahoo.com

Donate Online

Donate more conveniently. PayPal provides a service that allows you to donate over a secure online connection. You can use a bank account, credit card, or debit card. It is very simple, just click on the button below, fill out the information and your done. I can't say thanks enough.

kennyf99@hotmail.com

2nd Round of Chemo to Start

Lyndee is to start her second round of chemo today. She will have a continuous treatment (24/7) over the next four days.

Some people I have talked to are confused about how this treatment is administered. It is a fluid that is feed intravenously through a catheter implanted in her chest. Her particular type of chemo looks like the red sugar water that is fed to hummingbirds, which explains the nickname hummingbird given to the chemo. She can get up and walk around, however she is attached to this machine that pumps the chemo into her. She is not confined to a bed.

Thanks for all the emails we have been receiving. Please keep them coming. kennyf99@hotmail.com lynd_21@yahoo.com

Update

On top of having cancer, Lyndee had her wisdom teeth removed yesterday because one of them had gotten infected. When it rains it pours.

Her blood counts have rebounded from the first chemo. They had gotten low immediately following the treatment. But all in all she is doing well. Of course all I know is what she tells me on the phone, but today I am driving to Austin to see her, so I will know if she has been telling the truth.

I believe she starts her next chemo on Tuesday. I will keep you posted.

Kenny kennyf99@hotmail.com

Mark Saves The Day

Well, Lloyd and I started boxing up all of Lyndee's stuff to put in storage Friday afternoon. The men always get stuck with jobs like this. Oh well I guess it's part of the job description. Thank God her landlord donated about 25 to 30 boxes or else Lloyd and I would have been up a creek.

Today began early. I turned on the shower at about 6:15 A.M., then the fun started. Luckily Mark showed up at 11:30 and showed us what a beast of man he is. Unfortunately we missed the basketball game that we had planned to go to, but we caught the second half on TV. Thanks for all the help Mark. Lyndee is now a resident of A-plus Storage on 96th and University.

Not much news with Lyndee. She was running a fever last night, which with her depleted immune system can be very dangerous. I am assuming that everything is ok now, cause I have heard nothing different. I will keep you posted.

Lyn in the hospital room. 

Lyndee's First Chemo Treatment Behind Us

Lyndee completed her first chemotherapy treatment on Friday. She took it like a champ, although four days in the hospital about drove her insane. She is doing good and as of now is experiencing only a little nausea.

The medical fund has started rolling. I will be placing donation jars around Lubbock and I plan on sending mass e-mails and letters to get the word out. If you would like information on donations or you would like to put a donation jar in your store front, you can e-mail me at kennyf99@hotmail.com. Thanks.