Houston, We Have Arrived

Spoke with Darrell and Teresa this afternoon. They arrived safely in Houston and are at M.D. Anderson awaiting a second round of tests. Teresa said that many of the tests the doctors there are performing have already been done, but they want to validate the data.

Darrell and Teresa flew to Houston today on the Devon Energy corporate jet piloted by their son-in-law Michael who is a new corporate pilot for Devon. He and Kelsey were married March 14 of this year.

Keep Darrell and Teresa in your prayers today. They are in a new city, facing new situations among people they don't know and they both need all the rest they can get.

I have posted their email addresses at the top left of the blog so feel free to communicate directly with them.

The Call

This past Sunday afternoon my cell phone rang. I looked at the caller I.D. and saw that it was Ed Fanning, one of my life mentors. I smiled. I always enjoy our conversations.

"Hey, Ed. What's up?"

"Oh, nothing much." That wasn't like Ed. He always has something going on. I instantly recognized something in his voice that I had heard only a few times.

"What are you doing Tuesday for lunch?" He asked, getting straight to it.

"I think I'm free. Why? What are you thinking?"

"Have you heard the news about Darrell Moore?"

"No, what's going on?" Darrell and Ed and I had worked together for several years at Nextel in Oklahoma City. Darrell and I were Sales Managers and Ed was our G.M.

"Well, he went to the doctor the other day thinking he had a kidney stone. When the doctor finished examining Darrell he had discovered a tumor in his kidney. After a few more tests other doctors determined he is already at stage four."

The news hit like someone slamming the brakes on my world. For the next few minutes, nothing else mattered. It was as if my ship had come upon a place in the sea where no wind blew. In sailor's terms, a dead calm.

Of course I made lunch on Tuesday. And so did thirteen other of our co-workers from the days at Nextel. We re-connected, hugged, laughed and tried not to cry. 

Thursday (May 22, 2008) Darrell is headed to Houston and M.D. Anderson. 

If you know Darrell, you know that he will somehow find the bright spot in all of this. You also know that should you spend time with him, the conversation will always end up focused on what is going on in your life. 

Darrell is never too busy to take time for anyone who calls or drops by for a visit. If I can learn one thing from him it is this. Regardless of what I am doing or how important or critical the activity, the people God brings into my life are always more valuable than the task at hand.

This blog will provide regular updates on Darrell's progress. From time to time I hope to include some stories that everyone will find enjoyable. Please feel free to subscribe to this blog by entering your email address in the "subscribe" section. This way, all the updates can be delivered directly to your inbox.

Thankfully,

Darrell's Friend