Send Ronnie to Paradise
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“Cancer can take away all my physical abilities. It cannot touch my mind, it cannot touch my heart, and it cannot touch my soul.” –Jim Valvano
This quote applies to my friend, Ronnie Tinney; it describes the way he chooses to live his life. Ronnie’s battle with cancer began November 22, 2013. One month shy of his 40th birthday. His diagnosis: squamous cell carcinoma stage IV – lung cancer.
Action had to be taken quickly. The plan his doctors decided on was either partial removal or whole removal of the lung followed b y chemotherapy treatments. The final decision would be made once they opened his chest. On December 12th, 2013 Ronnie underwent surgery. The doctors ended up having to remove the entire right lung. It was also confirmed at that time that the cancer had spread to several lymph nodes. The doctors were hopeful that the cancer in the lymph nodes would be able to be taken care of with the chemotherapy. Before Ronnie could begin chemotherapy; however, his body needed to heal. The removal of the entire lung is very traumatic for the body, as it needs to learn to compensate with the surviving lung. It wasn’t until February 2014 that doctors felt Ronnie would be strong enough to begin his treatments. They hit him hard with chemo hoping to get it knocked out of him. He took the chemo like the champion he is, and even continued working throughout striving for normalcy. April 14, 2014 marked his last chemotherapy treatment. All he could do now was wait until testing to see if the plan worked.
It seemed like an eternity, but on October 23, 2014 it was finally test day. Family and friends had high hopes. The treatments had to have worked and the news today was going to be Ronnie was cancer free. The news delivered by the doctors that day was the exact opposite. Not only was Ronnie’s cancer not in remission, he had four new masses in his chest. Everyone had the same question: now what? As the doctors continued the news got worse. The cancer was too aggressive. It was terminal. Treatments were not going to save his life. It was possible although that the treatments could prolong his life. That was the hope. That is what we clinged to.
With the current diagnosis given, it was suggested to Ronnie that he acquire a second opinion. So on November 11, 2014 Ronnie visited Cancer Treatment Centers of America. After studying Ronnie’s case, and performing their own tests, CTCA (Cancer Treatment Center of America) confirmed the previous diagnosis. It was a brutally sad day, but he was willing to fight for everyday he could spend with his family. Ronnie chose to continue with treatments in the hopes that the cancer would at least stay contained. On November 17th, 2014 Ronnie began chemotherapy and radiation treatments at CTCA.
On April 12th, 2015 after months of treatments, it was again time for testing to see if it was working. Family and friends were again hopeful. Today we wanted to hear that the current tumors did not get bigger and there were no new masses. But it was another devastating blow when the doctors reported that the cancer was still more aggressive than the treatments could handle. The cancer continued to spread with the most recent tumors in his right eye.
Not willing to let the latest results break his determined spirit on April 24th, 2015 Ronnie will be begin a new infusion treatment. It has just recently been approved by the FDA. The infusion has some nasty side effects but the hope is that it will attack the tumors and will be the treatment the cancer responds to.
As hard as it is to accept, Ronnie will not have the privilege of growing old so it is very important to cherish everyday he is given. Life is all about experiences and one experience Ronnie would like to have is to visit paradise here on Earth, Maui, Hawaii. I would be forever grateful if we could make this happen for Ronnie; his loving wife of 21 years, Denise; and his wonderful son Nic, a freshman at OU. A little donation can go a very long way to making this happen. But, if you are unable to contribute financially, please say a prayer or a positive thought for my friend who fights to live every day.
On behalf of the Tinney family and myself, I thank you.
This quote applies to my friend, Ronnie Tinney; it describes the way he chooses to live his life. Ronnie’s battle with cancer began November 22, 2013. One month shy of his 40th birthday. His diagnosis: squamous cell carcinoma stage IV – lung cancer.
Action had to be taken quickly. The plan his doctors decided on was either partial removal or whole removal of the lung followed b y chemotherapy treatments. The final decision would be made once they opened his chest. On December 12th, 2013 Ronnie underwent surgery. The doctors ended up having to remove the entire right lung. It was also confirmed at that time that the cancer had spread to several lymph nodes. The doctors were hopeful that the cancer in the lymph nodes would be able to be taken care of with the chemotherapy. Before Ronnie could begin chemotherapy; however, his body needed to heal. The removal of the entire lung is very traumatic for the body, as it needs to learn to compensate with the surviving lung. It wasn’t until February 2014 that doctors felt Ronnie would be strong enough to begin his treatments. They hit him hard with chemo hoping to get it knocked out of him. He took the chemo like the champion he is, and even continued working throughout striving for normalcy. April 14, 2014 marked his last chemotherapy treatment. All he could do now was wait until testing to see if the plan worked.
It seemed like an eternity, but on October 23, 2014 it was finally test day. Family and friends had high hopes. The treatments had to have worked and the news today was going to be Ronnie was cancer free. The news delivered by the doctors that day was the exact opposite. Not only was Ronnie’s cancer not in remission, he had four new masses in his chest. Everyone had the same question: now what? As the doctors continued the news got worse. The cancer was too aggressive. It was terminal. Treatments were not going to save his life. It was possible although that the treatments could prolong his life. That was the hope. That is what we clinged to.
With the current diagnosis given, it was suggested to Ronnie that he acquire a second opinion. So on November 11, 2014 Ronnie visited Cancer Treatment Centers of America. After studying Ronnie’s case, and performing their own tests, CTCA (Cancer Treatment Center of America) confirmed the previous diagnosis. It was a brutally sad day, but he was willing to fight for everyday he could spend with his family. Ronnie chose to continue with treatments in the hopes that the cancer would at least stay contained. On November 17th, 2014 Ronnie began chemotherapy and radiation treatments at CTCA.
On April 12th, 2015 after months of treatments, it was again time for testing to see if it was working. Family and friends were again hopeful. Today we wanted to hear that the current tumors did not get bigger and there were no new masses. But it was another devastating blow when the doctors reported that the cancer was still more aggressive than the treatments could handle. The cancer continued to spread with the most recent tumors in his right eye.
Not willing to let the latest results break his determined spirit on April 24th, 2015 Ronnie will be begin a new infusion treatment. It has just recently been approved by the FDA. The infusion has some nasty side effects but the hope is that it will attack the tumors and will be the treatment the cancer responds to.
As hard as it is to accept, Ronnie will not have the privilege of growing old so it is very important to cherish everyday he is given. Life is all about experiences and one experience Ronnie would like to have is to visit paradise here on Earth, Maui, Hawaii. I would be forever grateful if we could make this happen for Ronnie; his loving wife of 21 years, Denise; and his wonderful son Nic, a freshman at OU. A little donation can go a very long way to making this happen. But, if you are unable to contribute financially, please say a prayer or a positive thought for my friend who fights to live every day.
On behalf of the Tinney family and myself, I thank you.
Organizer and beneficiary
Shawna Aldridge
Organizer
Yukon, OK
Denise Tinney
Beneficiary