Feb. 7th - What a birthday!

The One and Only - Mr. Inspiration Phil Breakwell.....

Phil aka Philtron, Amazing Phil, Foof, Philiiiiiiippppeeee, Philip Colin, Flip-Flop, Hot Stuff, Love of my Life....

Hello Family and Friends!

Phil and I thought the best way to communicate with everyone was to keep a blog on Phils progress and his road to recovery.  Phil and I can not thank all of you enough for the outpouring of love, prayers, (yes, Phil is very appreciative of all of the Prayer Warriors out there) food, visits, calls, texts, emails and support from family and friends.

Again, we love and appreciate all of you!  

Phil and Carla



Tuesday - February 7, 2017

Greay way to spend my 54th birthday!

Happy 54th Birthday Phil!

Sitting in Northside Forsyth was not how we intended on celebrating Phils birthday.  Phil did not feel 100% and mentioned to his boss he thought he was having a stroke.  Was it because I called him crying 30 minutes earlier that I hit a deer and damaged our car?  Or was it because our son John and his girlfriend Megan were moving in with us that night from Colorado? Nope. His symptoms were subtle yet concerning to him. His right side was a bit gimpy, typing was not as accurate, forgetful, more tired than usual, and his mobility in his fingers on his right hand had decreased.

Oh, how long did he have these symptoms?  A week.

When did I find out about these symptoms?  When Kathy from his HR department called me and said they just called an ambulance for him. In all fairness, Phil was really chalking this up to old age.  

After a brief exam with the doctor, a CAT scan was ordered. After an hour the doctor came in and flat out said, "there is a mass on the left side of your brain and we want you to have an MRI".  No sugar coating AT ALL from this doc.  Hmmm.....

OK, Phil goes in for his MRI.  The 2 hour wait for the results seemed like an eternity.  The neurosurgeon came in and sat down.  A very mild, calm guy who proceeded by asking many questions if Phil was right handed, left handed, family history, but mainly the usage of his left hand. Yes, he is left handed doctor.  He confirmed the large mass on the left side of the brain was a tumor which was causing his motor skills on the right side of his body to not be at 100%.  I recall the doctor mentioning the words tumor, cancer and some other large words.  I just remember asking over and over if tumor and cancer are the same thing.  I was in a fog.  Phil being the realist he is, kept saying, "yes, it is!"

A biopsy was then ordered the following day.

I had to rush home to pick up clothes and personal items for Phil.  I went to the parking lot, walked around in the rain, could not find my keys or the car and called my sister Julie.  I was truly in total disbelief.