Speed Bumps

Beau Slocumb Memorial 100

2011-10-25T00:11:00.004-04:00

The Gresham Family and Gresham Motorsports Park is going to be honoring Beau's life with the running of the "Beau Slocumb Memorial 100" during World Crown weekend, Novemeber 11th - 13th in Jefferson, GA. This was always one of Beau's favorite race weekends! We are so thankful to the Greshams for choosing to remember him this way.

The race that will honor Beau will be held on Saturday night, November 12th. If you are in the Macon area and would like to go, discounted tickets will be available at Chuck Thompson's State Farm on Forsyth Rd.

Check out the press release here

Check out the weekend schedule here

Hope to see you there!

~Maggie

Local Church Connection

2011-09-28T16:51:00.007-04:00

Grab a copy of the September/October "Local Church Connection" if you see a copy around Macon! They are available at many establishements in Macon from El Sombrero and Head Over Heels to Walthall Oil Co. gas stations. Our good friend Chuck Thompson wrote a great article about Beau that is in the current issue!

This is what it looks like so please grab one if you see one!

Click here for more info on the Local Church Connection: http://localchurchconnection.com/index.php

So many people have been honoring Beau in so many ways here lately! The truck race over Labor Day Weekend was awesome and we are so appreciative of the Turner and Newman families for that tribute! Also, the Annual Project Giving 5K/10K honored Beau's memory in a special way last Saturday night! We are so blessed to have such great friends that continue to honor Beau's life in incredible ways!

I will post pictures from both of these events as soon as I can get them on my computer!

~Maggie

Ryan Newman & Turner Motorsports to Honor Beau at AMS

2011-08-15T16:43:00.008-04:00

Newman's ride for the Camping World Truck Series Race at AMS Labor Day Weekend

Beau's signature paint scheme...

Ryan and Beau in Victory Lane after Ryan won the truck race in Atlanta back in 2008

Ryan Newman to Honor Georgia Native Beau Slocumb with Special Truck Series Paint Scheme at AMS

Monday, August 15, 2011

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series veteran Ryan Newman will be behind the wheel of a special edition NASCAR Camping World Truck Series ride at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Friday, Sept. 2.
Newman will pilot the Turner Motorsports No. 08 Brandt/Realtree Chevrolet for 200 miles under the lights at AMS. Both Newman and Turner Motorsports will honor the life of former employee and family friend Beau Slocumb, who passed away from cancer in the spring. Newman's truck will feature the number and paint scheme driven by Slocumb during his driving career. All money received by Turner Motorsports from the event will be donated to Slocumb's widow to assist with medical expenses.
Slocumb, a Macon, Ga. native, began his racing career at Atlanta Motor Speedway in the Legends series before graduating up to the late model ranks. In total, Slocumb earned 131 feature wins in Legends and late model competition. Slocumb then moved on to ARCA competition, making four starts in 2009.
Newman and his family are longtime friends of the Slocumb family and feel honored to be paying tribute to their close friends.
"I look forward to driving the race that my good friend Beau Slocumb always dreamed of," said Newman. "This is his ride; I just wish he were here to drive it. This is for his family and for the dream he always wished would come true. Beau ran a camo car and it will be great to honor him with a Realtree paint scheme and the Chevy Truck. Thank you Turner Motorsports, Team Realtree, Brandt, and Chevrolet for giving us this opportunity."
"I think it's fittingly appropriate that Ryan run a tribute paint scheme to Beau here at Atlanta Motor Speedway because this is where they met," said track President and General Manager Ed Clark. "They met on pit road and bonded into great friends after that. Many of Beau's wins came here at AMS and I'm sure it will mean a lot to all of his friends and family in the area for Ryan to remember him this way, running this paint scheme in the truck race."
Newman has three career Camping World Truck Series starts, earning one win, three top-five and three top-10 finishes. The win took place here at AMS in October 2008. Holding true to his "Rocketman" nickname, Newman also holds the title of most poles at the speedway, with seven poles in Sprint Cup competition and another in Nationwide series action.NASCAR night racing returns to Atlanta Motor Speedway this Labor Day weekend, Sept. 2-4. Tickets for the AdvoCare 500 start at $39 and $19 for students. Children 12 and under admitted free for the Great Clips 300 and the Atlanta 200 with an adult ticket. For more information, call the Atlanta Motor Speedway Ticket Office at (877) 9-AMS-TIX, (770) 946-4211 or visit http://www.atlantamotorspeedway.com/.

**original article found here on AMS Website

http://www.atlantamotorspeedway.com/media/news/594956.html

Ryan Newman honors Beau in Victory Lane interview!

2011-07-28T15:23:00.002-04:00

Our friend Ryan Newman won the Sprint Cup race at New Hampshire a few weekends ago and he dedicated his win to Beau. It was such a great race and we were so proud that Ryan won, but his comments in victory lane and the post-race press conference will stay with us forever! Some of you may not have seen these videos so I am posting them below. This link is to the victory lane interview on NASCAR.com and the video below it is from the press conference. Comments about Beau are at the 8:00 minute mark in the press conference video.

http://www.nascar.com/video/post-race/victory-lane/110717/cup-lou-high-winner/index.html

Slideshow

2011-06-02T09:17:00.001-04:00

What, then, shall we say?

2011-05-08T23:52:00.000-04:00

Romans 8:29

"What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us?"

It's been exactly one month since Beau left us. It still doesn't seem real. I don't imagine it ever really will.

That being said, I believe that God is exactly who He says He is, and for that very reason I believe that He will carry us through this tragedy that was the end of Beau's physical life....but the beginning of a lifetime spent in heaven. Beau is no longer in pain or short of breath. But we are. We miss him so much that it physically hurts, but we can take a small amount of comfort in the fact that he is seeing and doing things that we can only dream about and given the choice, he would not come back to us. Our Sunday School teacher used to tell us nearly every week that "God never promised us an easy life. He just promised not to leave us or forsake us." My family is clinging to this promise now just as we have over the past two years.

Speaking of the last two years, we would not have made it through without the incredible friends and family we have been blessed with. Words can't express our gratitude and there are too many special people to name here but you know who you are. I've found that when horrible, unexplainable things happen (and we've had more than our fair share), it helps me to think of things that I can be thankful for in spite of all the bad. For Beau, I am thankful that he got the chance to do what he loved and the chance to be really good at it. Beau had dreams and he got to live out many of them...lots of people never get that chance even if they live 100 years. He was surrounded by people that loved him and believed in him and these people gave him the opportunity to race at many different levels. He even got to do two days of testing at Daytona before he got sick...he never got the chance to run his race there, but he did travel around that 2.5 mile track at nearly 200 mph and I can honestly say I have never seen him as happy as he was that day!

Another thing I can be thankful for is our Christian upbringing and that fact that Beau knew and accepted Jesus at an early age. I Thessalonians 4:13 tells us not to mourn as those who have no hope because we know that we will see Beau again some day. I literally can't imagine what it would be like to not have that hope at a time like this.

I can also be thankful for Jessica being in Beau's life. The things that they went through together and the way that she took care of him was pure evidence of God being totally in control of their relationship. I don't believe she could have done it any other way. I've never seen anything like the devotion that they had towards one another and I'm grateful that they got to experience that.

In the weeks and months ahead, our family and especially Jessica will have to adjust to a new life...we don't have a choice in the matter. We do, however, have a choice in how we respond to what has happened. We can be bitter and cynical and complain about bad things happening to good people. Or we can choose to praise God for giving Beau a great life and letting us be a part of it. That's what I choose to do. I hope you all will do the same.

I'd like to ask everyone to do something if you feel comfortable with it. Leave a comment below and tell us something about Beau and his life that you are thankful for. It helps me to think of those things. Hopefully it will help you, too.

12/26/84 - 4/8/11

2011-04-10T00:28:00.003-04:00

With a heavy heart I am writing to let you all know that Beau has gone to be with Jesus.

A visitation will be held Sunday, April 10, 2011 from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m. at Northway Church in Macon, GA. The memorial service for Beau will be held Monday, April 11, 2011 at 3:00 p.m., also at Northway Church.

Northway Church

5915 Zebulon Rd.

Macon, GA 31210

http://mapq.st/i2cned

I'm sorry for the short, informal post but words are hard to find at the moment. Thank you all so much for how you have loved and supported Beau and our family...especially over the past two years.

~Maggie

Prayers appreciated...

2011-04-01T10:02:00.012-04:00

It's been quite a while since I've updated everyone on Beau's condition. A lot has happened since the last post where I told everyone that his cancer had spread. Over the past few weeks, Beau's health has taken a turn for the worse. His lungs are covered with tumors and he's been fighting to breathe. From a purely medical standpoint, Beau should not even be here.

Last Monday, March 21st, Beau came home to Macon and saw the doctor who removed the original tumor from his lung two years ago. Scans were done and Dr. Brown told Beau that his cancer had progressed even more since he was scanned a month ago. From the look of Beau's lungs, Dr. Brown said it was possible that he only had days left. That same Monday night, a group of people from our church came out and prayed over Beau for healing and strength. Ever since then, Beau has gotten a little bit better and stayed pretty stable.

In my last post, I mentioned that we were trying to get Beau in with a particular doctor in New York. Initially, he turned Beau down based on his medical records and history because he did not believe he could help. With the help of some special friends, Beau was finally able to get an appointment with Dr. Gonzalez and was miraculously strong enough to make the trip up there on the March 29th. Beau, Jessica and I flew up to New York on the Newman's plane and with the help of Preston and Ted (the pilots) we were able to get Beau to and from his appointments. This was no easy task when you consider we were traveling with a wheelchair, about 10 small oxygen tanks, an oxygen machine and Beau who gets worn out pretty quickly right now. We could not have made it without Preston and Ted...thank God for them!

Dr. Gonzalez was impressed with Beau's determination and even more impressed with his test results. He said that a lot of Beau's numbers and levels were much better than many of his first-time patients. If Beau can stick to the program, Gonzalez believes that he can help him. This program consists of a strict organic diet and a pile of supplements and enzymes in pill form that Beau will have to take daily. There are also a lot of detox regimens that he will have to do. Please pray for Beau to have the strength to keep up with the program and for it to work like it's supposed to!!

Thanks so much to Ryan and Krissie Newman for making the trip possible...and thanks Preston and Ted for lugging us all over New York City. It couldn't have been done without y'all.

Dr. Gonzalez said that as Christians we can look at Beau's situation and know that whatever happens, this is only the beginning...and he's right. Thank you all for making this journey with Beau. You have no idea what all of your prayers, kind messages and visits have meant to Beau, Jessica and our family. Please continue to pray for Beau and Jessica as he begins Dr. Gonzalez's plan. I will update here when I have something new to report.

~Maggie

We're tired of speed bumps already...

2011-02-11T00:37:00.005-05:00

Friends and Family,

Beau learned today that the "infection" in his shoulder was actually more cancer. I'm not sure exactly where it was or how much of it there was but Dr. Frankle was able to cut much of it out during Beau's surgery, which should help with the pain.

For the past few months, Beau has been undergoing alternative treatments for cancer up in NC and he is going to continue on that route. The fact of the matter is that chemo just doesn't work on Beau's type of cancer. It didn't work the first time and he hasn't been given any indication...even by M.D. Anderson... that it could do more than give him extra time...but not a cure. That being said, Beau is currently trying to get an appointment with a doctor in New York who is doing incredible things with cancer patients and alternative medicine. Jessica has spoken to a woman with synovial sarcoma who is under this doctor's care and was very encouraged by what she had to say about her response to the treatments.

For the time being, the doctors in Tampa recommended that Beau receive palliative care to manage the pain caused by the tumor and the surgery. He's being fitted with a pain pump and hopefully when the pain from the surgery wears off, he will be able to wean himself off of the pump. He should be getting out of the hospital today.

As most of you would expect, this setback hasn't seemed to slow Beau down! He will be staying in Florida through next weekend and going to some of the Speedweeks events in Daytona including the Daytona 500.

Please pray for strength for Beau as he faces this ordeal head-on...and pray for Jessica as she faces it with him.

Thank you Randy, Anne and Jason Tidwell for giving Beau and Jessica a place to stay in Daytona. Thank you David Prim for EVERYTHING you have done for Beau...there are no words. Thank you to our amazing friends and family for supporting Beau through this. He needs the prayers and support now more than ever.

~Maggie

2nd Surgery Updates

2011-02-09T11:45:00.002-05:00

Beau went in for surgery in Tampa on Monday to fix what the doctor thought was a misalignment that was causing swelling and pain in his shoulder. When the doctor got in there, he discovered a good bit of infection. He cleaned it up as much as possible, replaced some parts and closed Beau back up to begin fighting the infection. Beau will be on some strong IV antibiotics for a while but they can be administered at home so he won't have to remain in the hospital for that. He's doing really well so far. He's been up and walking around every few hours and Buster says he's in good spirits.

Beau could get out of the hospital as early as tomorrow and he will be staying down in Florida for a couple of weeks. Thanks to Jason, Randy and Anne Tidwell, he's going to be able to stay in Daytona between doctors visits and get his antibiotics at their house without having to go in to the hospital. He will have to go to Tampa sometime next week to have his stitches removed and then again at the 6-week mark for a follow-up appointment.

I had mentioned in an earlier email that he would have to have surgery again to totally fix his shoulder but that isn't necessarily true. They will wait until he has healed up and been through some rehab to decide if they are satisfied with his mobility. Another surgery might not be necessary so that is a good thing. Sometimes things get lost in text message translation so I'm sorry for the confusion about all that :)

Thanks for all of the prayers and support that have been directed at Beau, Jessica and our family throughout this whole ordeal. We have the greatest family and friends that anyone could ask for and are so grateful for each of you.

I will update more when I hear anything new!

~Maggie

Home with new hardware...

2010-12-13T09:21:00.006-05:00

Beau and Jessica are back in North Carolina and he's doing great. He said he could tell almost immediately after the surgery that his arm was in much better shape than it was beforehand. The pain was different and has gotten much better and his shoulder looks alot more normal and in proportion now...probably because it's actually staying in the joint! He's already off the pain pills that he got after the surgery! Below is a picture of the prosthesis that they removed from his arm and a shot of his new hardware...

The bright white pieces are the new prosthesis and from about an inch below the screws up to the top of his arm is the new cadaver bone. It's pretty amazing what they can do these days...

Beau will be beginning physical therapy after his follow-up visit with Dr. Frankle and he's already started working on his cardio by riding an exercise bike. He wants to be in top physical shape so as soon as the time comes, he will be ready to get back in a racecar!

Thanks for all the prayers and support...please keep them coming!

~Maggie

Today Hopefully?

2010-12-09T15:10:00.002-05:00

Beau didn't actually get to go home yesterday. His hemoglobin was low which required a blood transfusion and they wanted to make sure they got his pain controlled before he was able to leave so he's still there. Jessica said he was feeling much better today and they've found some pain meds that are working so he should be getting out today and heading back to NC this weekend. Thanks again for the all the prayers and thoughts.

I'll let everyone know when I hear anything new.

Thanks!
Maggie

Checking out...

2010-12-07T22:10:00.005-05:00

Beau will be getting out of the hospital tomorrow! He's already had two physical therapy sessions and walked around his floor hallway a few times. He will have another meeting with the Doc on Friday and a follow-up appointment in 6 weeks. Thanks for keeping up with Beau through all of this and please continue to keep him in your prayers!

~Maggie

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." Hebrews 12:1-2

Out of surgery and resting...

2010-12-06T21:20:00.000-05:00

Beau came through the surgery just fine and his doctor said that everything went great! Beau will be in the hospital until Wednesday and he has to go to a follow-up appointment on Friday. Then he will be heading back home to North Carolina. Thanks for all of the prayers and support for Beau...please keep them coming!

~Maggie

Snowball Derby Weekend...

2010-12-03T23:22:00.004-05:00

Please click on this link and vote for the "best looking car" at the Snowball Derby this weekend! Vote for Bubba Pollard's #08 car...he changed his paint scheme to Beau's signature camo and orange #08 in honor of Beau!

http://www.speed51.com/2010_Stories/Snowball_Derby/best_appearing_vote.html

~Maggie

Surgery this Monday

2010-12-01T15:41:00.003-05:00

Just a reminder that Beau will be having his surgery this Monday, December 6th. If everything were right with the world, Beau would be racing in the Snowball Derby stuff this weekend down in Pensacola. But since his arm is still non-functioning, he will be watching and cheering for Bubba Pollard from the sidelines. Bubba has added some of Beau's paint scheme to his car as a tribute and we are all pulling for Bubba to do well this weekend in the #08 car!

Updates will be posted as I receive them, but for now, please just pray that the surgery goes smoothly without any complications and that there is enough muscle to work with when Dr. Frankle replaces the prosthesis in Beau's arm.

Here is a pic of Bubba's car from the Speed51 website:

To follow the Snowball Derby coverage go to www.speed51.com and click on the Trackside links for the Snowball Derby.

Thanks for keeping Beau in your prayers!

Good Luck, Bubba!!!

~Maggie

Shoulder Surgery, Part II

2010-11-16T10:20:00.003-05:00

It's been awhile since I've posted. The last thing all of you heard was that Beau would be starting physical therapy and working on getting back to normal with his arm function. Unfortunately, his arm is nearly useless and will require more surgery. Beau will be heading to Tampa, FL for Dr. Mark Frankle to perform a "reverse shoulder replacement" on December 6th. We have reason to be very hopeful that this surgery will provide him with greatly increased function in his arm and shoulder. The gist of it is that Beau's first surgery left him with little to no rotator cuff. The rotator cuff consits of the four tendons that attach muscles to the humerus and allow it to lift and move. Without these muscles and attachments, Beau's arm is nearly immobile. His shoulder is actually out of the socket and he can spin his whole arm around backwards which is kind of interesting but nauseating at the same time :) See what I mean??? You can actually see the ball of his arm bone sticking up through the t-shirt...

The secret to the reverse shoulder replacement is that it utilizes the deltoid muscle for lifting and working the arm and this has proven to be much more successful in patients with severe rotator cuff injuries or no rotator cuff function at all. Beau does still have a deltoid muscle so this surgery should help him immensely. Part of the surgery will also involve removing the titanium prosthesis and replacing it with a cadaver bone that actually comes with tendons in order to reattach muscle. Another great thing about this upcoming sugery is that it will be performed by the man who invented the Reverse® Shoulder Prosthesis...so Beau will be in the best hands imaginable. I've included a link below that explains the reverse shoulder replacement and it's benefits in great detail if you are interested in reading more about it.

http://www.eorthopod.com/eorthopodV2/index.php?ID=dbb85cd4171ee690cff1b8cc7b0a57c6&disp_type=topic_detail&area=6&topic_id=c0cef76579cc52c11d5c9f9092ca1b3d

Thanks so much for keeping up with Beau and continuing to pray for and encourage him along the way.

~Maggie

Chugging Along

2010-08-25T09:40:00.004-04:00

Beau came home from Texas last Monday (August 16th)...since then he has been to Macon, Dublin, St. Simons, back to Dublin and now he has gone back to North Carolina. Who would have thought a "resection proximal humerus with reconstruction endoprosthesis " would have slowed Beau down? Not me...

He did have quite a bit of pain at first but that has been getting better as the days go by. His pain patch is working well, and for the most part, he can get by on one or two pain pills per day instead of one every four hours.

Beau and Jessica will return to Texas around September 20th to meet with the surgeon that worked on his arm. At that time, he should be getting out of the sling and beginning physical therapy. It's going to take a while before Beau will be able to use his arm like he wants to so please pray for patience and determination on Beau's part (although I don't think Beau has ever been lacking in the latter).

Thanks for continuing to support Beau throughout this process...more updates to follow :)

~Maggie

"Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." 2 Corinthians 4:16-18

"Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance...Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him." James 1:2-3, 12

Wardrobe Malfunction

2010-08-16T09:29:00.002-04:00

Does this pocketbook make me look fat?

Beau at the mall in Houston....

Originally, they were told to buy Beau some XXL shirts so he could just put it on over his sling. After this picture was taken, they found out that they could unhook the sling and slide a shirt over his arm and then attach the sling OVER the shirt...so Beau no longer looks nine months pregnant.

Free man...

2010-08-14T17:24:00.002-04:00

Beau just called to tell me that he's been discharged from the hospital! He sounded great...just like his old self and he said he felt really good. They got him started on a pain patch this morning and took his pain pump out this afternoon. They will be around Houston for a day or two to get everything squared away and they should be coming back to Georgia on Monday or Tuesday!

Thanks so much for all the prayers and support. Beau has a long road ahead of him but he's going to be working hard to get back to work and back in the race car.

Thanks for keeping up with his progress...I will continue to post on here over the next weeks to keep everyone updated on what is going on.

-Maggie

Beau's new hardware...

2010-08-12T14:36:00.004-04:00

I foresee complications with various airport security in Beau's immediate future...

This picture is in direct to response to the blog posted by Beau's cousin Jimmy earlier and found here: http://jimmyewing.blogspot.com/2010/08/humerus-comedy-in-two-parts.html .

So as you can see, Jimmy, it's the top part...INCLUDING the ball :)

Thanks everyone for continuing to keep up with Beau's progress....

-Maggie

Day 3

2010-08-11T23:05:00.002-04:00

Beau had a better day today in terms of pain. The doctor doubled his dosage of pain meds and that seemed to fix things without giving him severe headaches like yesterday. He did a lot of walking and ate some dry cereal. He felt good enough this afternoon to send Jeanne for a Jamba Juice...a favorite for all of them since they began spending time in Houston.

When Beau gets released from the hospital in a few days, he will be able to come home immediately. He won't have to meet with the surgeon for a follow up until 6 weeks from now. If everything continues to go well, they will be heading home at the beginning of next week.

Thanks so much for all of the words of encouragement and the constant prayers. Beau is so blessed to have such great friends!

-Maggie

Day 2 continued....

2010-08-10T22:58:00.003-04:00

Beau was able to get up and walk down his hallway at the hospital today. They finally got him some pain meds that he liked and he was able to rest, too. He has been hurting again pretty badly this evening but they are changing the dosages in hopes of getting him some relief. Everything seems to be going pretty well other than that. Thanks for keeping up with Beau!

-Maggie

Day 2

2010-08-10T10:09:00.002-04:00

Apparently the goooooood drugs aren't doing their thing anymore. Jessica says Beau is in a good bit of pain and they are raising his dosage of pain meds as much as they can. He got sick this morning and hasn't been able to eat anything so they are working on that. Hopefully they will get the pain under control soon and he will be able to eat and rest.

Thanks for keeping up with Beau through all of this...and please keep the prayers coming!

-Maggie

Settled for the night...

2010-08-09T23:07:00.002-04:00

Beau is in a room and on some gooooood drugs :)

Thanks so much for the prayers and words of encouragement...

Quick update from surgery...

2010-08-09T17:37:00.002-04:00

Beau is out of surgery after nearly six hours. He is able to move his fingers and the surgeon told Dad that she was able to get clear margins...meaning all of the tumor. He will be in recovery for a couple of hours and they will get to see him in about 2 hours. Everything seems to be going well out there! Thanks for all of the prayers and support...please keep them coming!

-Maggie

Surgery Day...

2010-08-08T23:04:00.004-04:00

Beau will be heading into surgery tomorrow at 10:45 am (11:45 GA time). Please say some prayers for him and his surgical team. The surgery is supposed to last 5-6 hours. Buster and Jeanne flew out to Houston this morning to be there for the surgery and Jessica's mom will be there later in the week. He's got a long road ahead of him in the recovery department but we all know how determined and stubborn Beau is so we're thinking he'll bounce back faster than your average person :)

Beau, Jessica and my family would like to say a special thank you to the Turner family for being so great to Beau and Jessica. Steve Turner is the owner of the motor-sports team that Beau works for in Charlotte, and he's also the one that gave Beau the opportunity to run the four ARCA races that he ran last year. They happen to live near Houston and have given Beau and Jessica a place to stay while they have had to be out there. It's great for them to have some friends out there in Texas where they really don't know anyone else. Sandra, Steve, Kris and James - Thank you all so much for opening your home and your hearts to Beau and Jessica. You'll never know how much you are appreciated.

As Beau prepares for his surgery tomorrow and we prepare to pray him through it, I'd like to leave everyone with a reminder of how blessed he really is and the kinds of friends he has...here is a picture sent to me by some of the great friends that Beau and Jessica have made in North Carolina.....

Back Row:Kim, Bryan, Kathryn, Whitney, Ashley & Buck, Jared, and Steven...Front Row: Ben, Allison and Brooke

"For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently. In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express." Romans 8:24-26

Update #2 from Houston...

2010-08-06T12:31:00.002-04:00

Beau met with an orthopedic surgeon on Wednesday to discuss removing the tumor that is in his arm bone. They have decided to do it this Monday, August 9th. The surgery will invlove removing 17 cm of Beau's right upper arm bone, starting at the ball in the shoulder joint and extending downward, as well as tissue surrounding the tumor site. The bone will be replaced with a rod of some sort. Beau will spend 5 to 7 days in the hosiptal in Houston. He will have to wear a sling for 6 weeks and then begin 4 to 6 months of rehab back at home.

Please pray for Beau and Jessica as they go through this ordeal. It will be a long 6 months but Beau is strong and facing this with a positive attitude.

I will let everyone know of any updates that I hear from Houston...

-Maggie

Update #1 from Houston...

2010-08-04T09:00:00.002-04:00

Beau had his full body PET scan yesterday and there were no signs of any tumors except for the one that we already knew was in his shoulder/arm! They will be deciding over the next few days about removing the tumor in his shoulder and what the plan of action will be. I will let you all know when I hear anything else...

Thanks for continuing to pray for Beau and Jessica!

-Maggie

Prayers would be appreciated...

2010-08-02T00:26:00.002-04:00

Beau and Jessica are headed to M.D. Anderson early Monday morning. Please keep them in your prayers this week and I will post information as soon as we learn it.

I'm not sure of his schedule for tests yet but I know he is having a full-body PET scan plus blood work first. The biopsy of the tumor in his shoulder is not on his patient schedule yet, so we don't know when that will be.

Thanks for all of the support, prayers and kind words that have been sent their way over the past week. We are so blessed to have the kind of friends and family that we have....

~Maggie

Another Speed Bump

2010-07-26T09:41:00.003-04:00

So I haven't posted on here since last November. Beau went for his first round of scans then and the reports were good.

Alot has happened since last November...Beau and Jessica got married on January 16th. They moved to Cornelius, NC (near the Charlotte area) so Beau could pursue his racing dreams. Beau began working in Steve Turner's race shop for Turner Motorsports. He ran a few late model races at Gresham Motorsports Park and did very well. During this time, he was also going to M.D. Anderson every three months for scans and a meeting with Dr. Benjamin. Each times the scans have been clear.

Until last week....

Dr. Benjamin found a tumor in Beau's shoulder on Thursday. We know no details right now but Beau and Jessica will be heading back to M.D. Anderson on Sunday to get a biopsy and do more scans. They don't even know if it is the same kind of tumor as before. As we learn more about what is going on, I will post it here.

Please continue to pray for Beau, Jessica and their families as they face the unknown...but remember that they continue to hope in the One that DOES know.

Thanks...

~Maggie

"But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed but not in despair; persecuted but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body." 2 Cor. 4:7-10

Clear Scans!

2009-11-02T16:42:00.002-05:00

Beau just had his first visit with Dr. Benjamin (his oncologist at M.D. Anderson) last week. He had blood work, a chest x-ray and a CT scan and everything came back clear!! For the next two years, Beau will have to go to M.D. Anderson every four months for scans and appointments. Right now, he's looking forward to racing a few more races this year and hopefully finding a full time racing position for the 2010 season. He and Jessica will be getting married on January 16th and then plan to move to the Charlotte, NC area to be closer to the racing scene!

Thanks for all of your continued prayers and support for Beau!

Back in the race car this Friday night!!!

2009-08-26T14:01:00.000-04:00

Beau Slocumb to Make ARCA RE/MAX Series Debut at Chicagoland Speedway

The 24-Year-Old Will Pilot the No. 32 Wolfpack Rentals Toyota for Win-Tron Racing

MOORESVILLE, N.C. (August 26, 2009) – Turner Motorsports, LLC is pleased to announce that Beau Slocumb will be making his ARCA RE/MAX Series debut this weekend at Chicagoland Speedway, piloting the No. 32 Wolfpack Rentals Toyota Camry. Turner Motorsports and Win-Tron Racing, owned by Steve Turner and Kevin Cywinski respectively, have teamed together for Friday evening’s race, which will allow Slocumb to compete for the established Win-Tron Racing team. Slocumb, a native of Macon, Georgia, has raced in numerous Legends Pro Division and ASA Late Model Races, collecting over 129 feature wins. In addition, the Ansell Cut Protection 150 will be Slocumb’s first race at a one-and-a-half mile track. “I’m very excited and appreciative of the opportunity that Steve (Turner) and Kevin (Cywinski) have given me,” said Slocumb. “To make my first ARCA RE/MAX Series start for two gentlemen who have a winning history is awesome. I went to the shop in Minnesota earlier this week to hang out with the guys and make sure the seat fit, so we are going to have a lot of fun. Hopefully we will leave Chicago with a solid finish and maybe make a trip to Victory Lane.” Slocumb’s path to this weekend’s race isn’t the standard story. It all started a few weeks before the 2009 season-opening ARCA RE/MAX Series race at Daytona International Speedway, when Slocumb coughed up blood, leading doctors to perform a chest x-ray. The results showed a tumor on Slocumb’s lung, which was a rare-form of soft tissue sarcoma, also known as Synovial Sarcoma. This cancerous disease caused Slocumb to put his racing career on hold and travel to Texas for health treatments. Today, Slocumb is in remission and ready to return to the center stage. Turner and Cywinski are pleased to make this dream a reality. “My family and I have been through a lot so far this year, but we are ready to start an exciting new chapter,” continued Slocumb. “Racing has always been something that I have loved and enjoyed to do, and going through the cancer process showed me that life is not to be taken for granted. I’ve been blessed to be in remission, but there are a lot of others out there still fighting this disease. Hopefully my racing career will bring awareness.” In the 2009 ARCA RE/MAX Series season, Win-Tron Racing has posted two wins and numerous top-10 finishes. Driver James Buescher took the No. 32 Toyota to Victory Lane both times, at the legendary Daytona International Speedway in February and at Kentucky Speedway in May. “I have been able to collect a lot of victories in my career,” Slocumb said. “But to add an ARCA RE/MAX Series win would be a very proud accomplishment. The No. 32 Toyota has proven that it can go to Victory Lane and compete up front every week. Friday’s race is going to be a learning experience since I haven’t raced at a mile-and-a-half track before, but I’m up for the challenge. I will be surrounded with good people and it is going to be a fun ride.”

-TMS- Media Contact: Samantha Jones
Director of CommunicationsTurner Motorsports, LLC
James Buescher Racing, LLC

More pics from the Jam...

2009-08-14T23:35:00.004-04:00

Walter Mallard took some awesome pictures at the Bolingbroke Southern Jam and was kind enough to let me use them on Beau's blog...

We can't thank everyone enough for making this such an incredible event...everyone that put the event on and everyone that came out to support the cause! Our family is forever grateful to David Prim, Henry Davis, Tommy Campbell, Kenny Greene and Dre Faulkner for all they have done...

More pictures & video to come...

2009-07-28T13:52:00.004-04:00

Some more great pictures from Saturday night courtesy of Gregg Goodwin...

Molly Stevens

September Hase

Nick Malloy

Handing out door prizes...Mrs. Georgia, Henry Davis and Beau

Henry, Beau and Mrs. Georgia

Thank You!

2009-07-27T12:39:00.004-04:00

If you weren't in Bolingbroke on Saturday night you missed out on a huge party!! What a great night! There is no way to properly thank David Prim, Henry Davis, Dre Faulkner, Tommy Campbell and Kenny Greene (and countless others) for what they have done for our family through this awesome event. I will be posting pictures and video as soon as I can get it all organized but in the meantime...how 'bout this shot??!!

Bolingbroke Southern Jam - July 25th!!

2009-07-17T11:14:00.004-04:00

Hey everybody! The Bolingbroke Southern Jam is only a week away! I hope everyone can make it out for a great evening of music...and also to help welcome Beau home! Please get your tickets as soon as possible. If you are going to buy them through eBay, you only have until Tuesday July 21. Click here to buy on eBay....

There are many other places to pick up tickets around town:

All Atlantic Southern Bank Locations
All Monroe County Bank Locations
Security Bank - Zebulon Rd.
Macon Frames - Vineville Ave.
Utopia Salon - Forsyth Rd.
Save the Date - Forsyth Rd.
Head Over Heels - Forsyth Rd.
Midstate Pools and Spas - Tom Hill Sr. Blvd.
Campbell Collision Center - HWY 41 in Bolingbroke
Chuck Thompson's State Farm - Forsyth Rd.

Tickets are $20 in advance or $25 at the gate on July 25th
(Children 12 & under are FREE)
Starts at 4:00 and goes until Midnight!!

Bands that will be playing:
Wes Heath
Ashutto Mirra
Molly Stevens
A 2 Z Band
September Haze
Big Mike and the Booty Papas
Shane Bridges Band
Acoustic Workshop

Chicken plates, burgers, hotdogs and drinks for sale! Coolers welcome! Bring a blanket or some lawn chairs!!

Hope to see everyone there!!

Welcome Home Beau!

2009-07-09T11:10:00.012-04:00

Follow this link to see the news story and video on Beau that was on 13WMAZ...

http://www.13wmaz.com/news/local_story.aspx?storyid=66537

What a night! Thanks so much to everyone that helped out with the Welcome Home Celebration last night. We had a great turn out and Beau was so glad to see everyone! Thank you Chuck Thompson for helping to plan everything. You've been such a good friend to Beau and our family...you'll never know how much we appreciate you. Thanks to Ed Clark for the kind words you said about Beau and our family. You've been a big part of Beau's racing career since the very beginning and he's blessed to call you a friend. Thanks Joey Hancock for using your unique humor and a great message to remind us that God is in control. Thanks to Dawn Thompson, Toni Slade, Pam Glore, Caroline Harvey, Tom Rule, Dan Wallace, Matt McDonald and David Garrett for providing the music. I've always believed our church has the best worship team and y'all proved it last night! Thanks David Wall and Joanna Hardy and all of the Tech Team for setting up the program and making everything run smoothly! Most people have no idea what goes into putting on a program like that (I know I didn't) and we really appreciate all of your hard work. Thanks also to Kevin Mills and Jack Gregory for representing our church family and for the kind words about Beau. And finally, thank you to everyone who showed up last night to officially welcome Beau home. He said it twice while he was up on stage.."It is SO good to be back in Georgia" and we're so glad to have him back!
I know a lot of people weren't able to make it last night so here are some pictures from the Celebration. It was also recorded so hopefully I will be able to get some copies of it if anyone would like to see it! Also, I will be posting the slideshows from the night when I can figure out how to do that :)
Thanks again for supporting Beau through all of this and for continuing to pray for him in the days ahead!

Beau thanking everyone...

All Beau's friends :)

More friends...

Ashley and Shannon

Greeting Beau

Beau and Allison Parker...his biggest fan :)

Beau and his buddy Crawford Edwards

So sweet...

Beau and Mr. Parker

Beau and Dr. Bob (Lane)

Mrs. Joy..kept us all in the nursery when we were little

Coach Mac!

Coach Mac

Beau looking at the hood that Max Gresham had autographed for him...thanks Max!

Beau and Ed Clark

Jessica, Beau, Jody and Danielle

Marlou, Beau and Charles

Beau and Levon Kitchens

Beau and Joey Hancock with the keychain from the story...

Beau being interviewed for the news...13WMAZ

The Gresham family:

Tony, Frances, Charlie, Beau, Jim, Max and Gail

Max and Beau

Joey Clanton and Beau

Jessie and Beau

Chuck Thompson and Beau

Beau, baby Julia, Charles and Carla

Beau with his Dale picture from Melvin

Mom and Beau

Beau and Maggie

July 8th Welcome Home Party

2009-06-28T16:33:00.004-04:00

UPDATE:

There has been a change of plans with the food and we will no longer be providing Chic-fil-a for everyone. This is an open invitation event and it had to be planned on somewhat short notice since we weren't really sure when Beau would be coming home. There is no way of really knowing how many people we will have and it's too hard to plan food around an unknown like that. I'm sorry for the confusion...please come out and welcome Beau home on July 8th! He would love to see you all!!

Here are some more details on the Welcome Home party set for July 8th:

Where: Northway Church (5915 Zebulon Rd. - Across from Chic-fil-a)

When: Wednesday July 8th - 6:30 pm

Free to everyone..no tickets necessary...

There will be a short "program" of sorts with some singing and videos and some people will be talking about Beau, etc. Hang out for a while after it's over and visit with Beau!

Thanks for traveling this road with us! We're almost home!!!

Done!

2009-06-23T18:17:00.003-04:00

It's official...Beau met with the doctor today and he is done with chemo! He has to have some scans done next week and then meet with Dr. Benjamin on Thursday, July 2nd. As soon as his appointment is over, they will be driving home to Georgia! We are so ready for them to come home!!! We are also so thankful for the wonderful doctors and nurses at M.D. Anderson that have taken such good care of Beau while he's been out there...especially during the pneumonia/E.coli ordeal. Thanks to Sam and Dave Mosley for giving Beau, mom and Jessica a place to stay while they were in Houston. But most importantly, thanks to all of you who have prayed constantly for Beau and our family during this difficult time. You will never know how much that has meant to us and to Beau!

Please plan to join us on July 8th and July 25th as we welcome Beau home:

July 8th - Northway Church (Across from Chic-fil-a on Zebulon Rd.)

- Details to come

July 25th - David Prim's in Bolingbroke

- Eight different bands playing 4:00 pm to midnight

- $20 advance tickets/children 12 & under free

- Go to Buckhorn Farms for more info.

Done with the sixth round...

2009-06-19T09:16:00.005-04:00

Beau is done with what might be his last round of chemo!!!! He is going back to Sam's house today. Mom said all of his blood counts are great and he didn't get sick at all this time. He had a little trouble sleeping one night but never threw up or anything. Beau will have to be in Houston for about 2 1/2 more weeks. He has to get all of his scans done again and meet with Dr. Benjamin but we are expecting him to be headed home on July 2nd. I say we "hope" this is his last round because Dr. Benjamin had mentioned possibly giving Beau another round of Doxorubicin after this last round but he said he was leaning towards Beau being done. They will make a final decision on that sometime next week. I will let everyone know as soon as possible when they decide if Beau is through with chemo...

I can't believe he might finally be done and I can't thank all of you enough for the prayers, thoughts, cards and gifts that were sent Beau's way. Beau has been in Texas since February 23rd! We are so ready for him to come home. Right now, we are planning to have two different parties for Beau. One will be a "welcome home" party that is scheduled for Wednesday, July 8th. This depends on Beau coming home on time so we will have to play it by ear. The other party is actually the "Bolingbroke Southern Jam - Benefiting Beau Slocumb" on July 25th. This is going to be an awesome night of concerts and fellowship to celebrate Beau and what he means to all of us. It will be held in David Prim's front pasture on Pea Ridge Rd. right off of HWY 41. I will provide more details about this concert later this weekend.

Please keep remembering Beau in your prayers and plan to join us on both of these nights as we welcome Beau home!

We miss you!!!

2009-06-14T01:07:00.004-04:00

This post is going to be especially for Beau...

We just got home from our yearly beach trip to Pawleys Island, SC. We missed you, Mom and Dad so much!!! We can't wait until next year when we will all be there again...unless you're too busy racing to go, which would be really nice :)

Beau, we can't WAIT until you come home to us!!! Now that it's getting close, I think we are all starting to go a little crazy waiting for the day to get here! Know that we love you so much and we are all thinking about you and praying for you constantly...if you need a reminder, check out the pics below :)

All of us with our Beau tattoos

Jimmy was so proud...all I have to say is Wow

This was much harder than it looks...don't try it at home.

Daniel, George, Seth, John & Thomas (who is allergic to the tattoo ink but insisted on getting one anyway)

Jan, Maggie, & Ashley

Sixth Round....

2009-06-11T22:42:00.002-04:00

Beau met with Dr. Benjamin today and they decided to start his 6th round on Sunday night/Monday morning. They will only be giving him the ifosfamide part of one of his normal rounds. He will not be getting the doxorubicin part...they may decide to give him the doxorubicin if he does really well on the ifosfamide, but they probably won't. Beau is doing really well now and we are so glad he came out of that bout of pneumonia and E.coli as well as he did!!! Please pray for Beau to come through this round well and for nothing to keep him from coming home on time!

Thanks Max Gresham!

2009-06-08T22:58:00.005-04:00

This past weekend, Beau's buddy Max Gresham raced in the ASA Southeast Asphalt Tour race in Cordele, GA. He had the idea to dedicate his hood to Beau...and they made an announcement for everyone to come down and sign the hood during the autograph session. Buster said every person in the stands came down to sign it and it took an hour to get it done. The Gresham's will be giving this hood to Beau when he gets home. Thanks, Max, for thinking of and praying for Beau and for being a great friend!

Max Gresham

Buster with one of Beau's fans...

Home! (still in Houston)

2009-06-05T23:21:00.003-04:00

Beau got to go home from the hospital this afternoon! He was so glad to leave the hospital but is still getting IV antibiotics at home for a little while. He has a meeting with his doctor on Thursday for a checkup and a chest x-ray to see about the pneumonia. This whole ordeal is going to push his last round of chemo back by a couple of weeks. We're thinking it might be a lighter dose this time but still waiting to hear what Dr. Benjamin will recommend. Thanks for continuing to keep Beau in your prayers...

I would also like to ask all of you to please keep Summer Neel and her family in your prayers as well. They are long-time friends of our family and Summer is battling cancer again (and recovering from a stroke). Go to her Caring Bridge page here to read about her situation and please keep this precious family in your prayers along with Beau!

Still in the hospital...still doing better

2009-06-04T21:53:00.004-04:00

Beau is still in the hospital but he is now on the Sarcoma floor where he normally gets his chemo treatments. He is doing much better than last week and he has been up and walking around some. The doctor told him he needs to do that to help get his lungs working and get rid of the pneumonia. I'm still not sure what they are going to do about the last round of chemo or when they will be able to start it. Beau will have another meeting with Dr. Benjamin on Monday and I think they will decide then. He will probably be in the hospital through the weekend. I believe they are lowering the number of antibiotics that Beau is on for the E.Coli, so that is a good sign. Please continue to pray for Beau to be healed from the blood infection and the pneumonia. He is so ready to get out of that hospital!

On another note, I am going to direct you all to my cousin, Jimmy Ewing's blog. He wrote a hilarious post about Beau today called "He Never Needed a Helmet" and all of you who follow this blog need to read it...you might learn some things about Beau that you never knew before!

He Never Needed a Helmet

Out of ICU

2009-06-01T20:23:00.003-04:00

There isn't much to report today which I think is a good thing! Beau still feels pretty much the same as he did yesterday (MUCH better than Saturday) and they have moved him out of the ICU into a regular room. I'm not sure how much longer he will be at the hospital but I know they wanted the pneumonia totally under control before he could leave. Jessica said all of his vitals and levels are so much better so it should just be a matter of time before he is able to fight it all off. Thank you so much for all the thoughts and prayers headed Beau's way. It truly make a difference....

Since I didn't have much news to give, here are some long overdue pics....

Beau and his buddy, Jerry Honeycutt at the Texas race

Jessica, Beau, Buster and Jeanne at Pappadeaux

Beau and Sam (they are staying in her house while in Houston)

Beau and Jessie

Mom, Shu (Dr. Benjamin's nurse practitioner that they love), Beau and Dad

Jessica's parents, Jerry and Mona with Beau and Jessica at the beach in Galveston

Beau working on his swing on a good day

Much Better....

2009-05-31T13:59:00.002-04:00

Beau is doing much better today! Jessica said that the doctor actually called Beau a "Phoenix" this morning and was very surprised that they didn't have to end up putting him on a ventilator. They are giving him a break from the CPAP today for a few hours and are going to be weaning him off of it until tomorrow. He will probably be in the ICU for 3 or 4 more days until he gets rid of the pneumonia. He will also have to remain on IV antibiotics for the next 3 weeks because of the E-coli. They have some kind of home care program so that he will be able to leave the hospital before that three weeks is up and still get the IV antibiotics. We're not sure at this point what this is going to mean for his last round of chemo. He was supposed to start it next week sometime but I don't know what they will decide to do about that. Thanks again so much for all of the kind comments, thoughts and prayers for Beau. Y'all have made this ordeal a bit better by sticking with us through it all.

Doing Better...

2009-05-31T00:23:00.003-04:00

Beau is doing a bit better now. His vitals are definitely better and his fever has broken again. His heart rate is down to 97 which is the lowest it has been in four days. Jessica said he has been able to rest most of the day. He finally got used to the CPAP machine...at first it made him kind of claustrophobic and panicky. Since everything is headed in the right direction, they will start trying to get him back on the regular oxygen mask pretty soon.

The blood infection turned out to be E-coli. That's not great but not uncommon in Beau's situation. Apparently, E-coli is kind of like staph...it's all over the place and most healthy people just aren't affected by it because they have good, strong immune systems. People with weakened immune systems like Beau's can catch it very easily. The doctor also said that he actually could have gotten it from himself...weird, huh. When your white blood count is super low, you can't even fight off the bacteria that is already in your own body.

Thankfully, things are starting to look up...please keep the prayers coming!

Thanks again for all the prayers...

Breathing problems...

2009-05-30T11:24:00.003-04:00

Jessica called this morning and said that Beau seemed to be doing a lot better last night but that he is worse this morning. His vitals are all still pretty good and closer to normal than they had been but he's struggling pretty hard to breathe so his oxygen saturation is the only one that's really "off". He's also coughing and hacking a lot...which is making his throat irritated and sore.

The doctor came into the room while I was talking to her and said that they were going to put him on a CPAP machine (continuous positive air pressure) to force oxygen into him at a constant rate. This is the last step before intubation (a ventilator) so please pray that the CPAP will be sufficient.

Also, the infectious disease doctor came in while I was on the phone and said that they would know pretty soon what kind of infection he has in his blood...they are still waiting on the cultures and it takes awhile.

Please keep the prayers coming...I will post more when I know more.

Pneumonia

2009-05-30T00:54:00.002-04:00

So they've finally decided that what Beau has is a bad case of pneumonia mixed with a blood infection...and he is still in the ICU. Jessica said that everything is inching in the right direction. All of the different levels that they measure on a regular basis are improving. The doctor said he just needs time to build everything back up and let the antibiotics do their job and he will be fine. She also made it a point to tell mom again that this is just what happens to patients towards the end of their chemo treatments. Their bodies get more and more worn down and it becomes much easier to get sick...and much harder to recover from a sickness. If your white blood count is .0, how are you supposed to fight infections/sicknesses? I think we just got used to seeing Beau handle these treatments so well and bounce back from them so quickly that this really came as a shock. What we need to be thankful for is that he hasn't gotten this sick until now. From what I'm hearing, a lot of patients have these kinds of problems throughout their entire treatment and Beau fortunately avoided that until now.

Thanks for keeping up with Beau...and being faithful with your prayers!

Still in ICU

2009-05-29T12:44:00.003-04:00

So far, this is what I've heard today...They took Beau back to do a CT scan this morning and they are going to do a bronchoscopy at 2:00 pm. He does have some fluid around his lungs so he probably has pneumonia but I haven't heard that confirmed yet. They took out his port-a-cath completely and will have to replace that sometime before his next round of chemo. Jessica said all of his vitals were looking a bit better and his temp. was back down around 99. He is on tons of IV antibiotics and the critical care doc said that they will all kick in pretty soon and he will be on the mend. I'm not sure when he will get out of ICU...I don't know if they will just send him straight home from ICU when he improves or if they will insist on him being moved to a regular room, first. I will let you all know when I hear something new. Thanks for following along and keeping Beau in your thoughts and prayers!

ICU

2009-05-28T22:30:00.002-04:00

They have now moved Beau to the ICU...but don't panic!!! The doctor said it was definitely more out of convenience than out of necessity. There are still absolutely no rooms available in the hospital and the ER is extremely crowded so Beau will get much more attention and better care in the ICU. He's still running a fever (around 102) and they've determined that he has a blood infection. Also, there is an infection near the site of his port-a-cath so they are changing out the wire that runs through it and putting in an antibiotic wire. We haven't heard yet if he has pneumonia and that could still be a possibility. All of his different levels (hemoglobin, white blood count, oxygen levels, etc.) are slowly coming back up, so that is good. The doctor reassured mom again that this is not out of the ordinary with chemo patients. They also have him on a bunch of IV antibiotics and said that we would be surprised how fast it could all turn around...basically he just needs a little time to get all his levels back up and he will be back on track. Mom said he was actually looking and sounding a lot better right before they took him into the unit. Hopefully they will be able to get some rest tonight. I'm sure there wasn't much "resting" in a crowded ER for 36 hours.

Thanks so much again for all the prayers...I'll update again if/when anything changes.

Still in the ER - No room at the Inn

2009-05-28T17:20:00.002-04:00

I talked to Jessica a little while ago on the computer and finally got an update. All of their phones have died so that was the only way I could communicate with them. Beau is still in the ER and he won't be going home today. Luckily mom was able to get a room at the Rotary House for tonight because neither she nor Jessica have slept in almost 48 hours. He still has a fever but it has stalled out at about 100, so that's better than yesterday. His oxygen levels were low this morning so they have had him on oxygen since 10 am. His white blood count has gone from .0 (that sounds pretty low, doesn't it) to .01...so they are going to give him another transfusion.

The ER doc said he could possibly have pneumonia because she heard congestion in his lungs that hadn't been noticed before. They did some kind of test to see if he has pneumonia but it will be 24-48 hours before they get the results. She also said his fever and aches could just be from being anemic. So in short, they aren't really sure what is wrong with him yet but from what I can gather, this is a pretty common occurrence for chemo patients. They actually have a name for his fever...neutropenic fever...which is attributed to chemo patients with low white blood counts so I guess Beau fits the bill for that. I know they will be staying at the hospital tonight but they don't know whether he will get a room or not.

I'll update on here as soon as I know anything new. Thanks for keeping up with Beau and please keep the prayers coming his way!

Bump in the road...

2009-05-27T22:23:00.002-04:00

Beau's been having a little bit of a rough day. He started running a fever in the middle of the night and it continued to climb until it was 102.6 this morning. They decided to head to the Emergency Room at M.D. Anderson because they were told to head straight there if he ever started running a fever over 101. Beau's head was absolutely killing him so when he finally got settled in, the ER nurse gave him some dilaudid. This was Beau's "drug-of-choice" after his surgery in Macon so he was pretty happy to hear that he would be getting some. It must be some good stuff because Jessica said they heard a cop on TruTV call it "drug-store heroine"...so we'll just leave it at that. This helped his headache but when they came back to take his vitals for the second time his temp was 103.4. Eventually it broke and mom said he was pouring sweat...the last time I talked to them his temp was 99.1 so that's good. They also put him on some kind of antibiotic to ward off infection. He will be in the Emergency Room overnight because there are no beds available and the ER doc didn't feel comfortable letting Beau go home. His blood pressure was pretty low, too (88/33) the last time they took it but that could be from the pain meds so they have slowed those down. Please pray for Beau's headache to subside and his fever to totally go away. His white blood count is extremely low and he got a platelet transfusion earlier this evening. I'll update tomorrow to let everyone know when he gets better and goes home.

Thanks again for the prayers and thoughts....

Welcome Home Party...

2009-05-26T22:47:00.002-04:00

Beau is still doing well. I talked to mom today and she said his counts were all pretty low but that's how they've always been right after a treatment. He will probably have to have a transfusion in the next few days. Right now, he is scheduled to meet with Dr. Benjamin on June 4th and then he will be going into the hospital for his 6th and final round shortly after that. He's on the homestretch now! After his last treatment is over, he still has to stay in Houston for about 2 weeks for a follow up and to get another set of scans. Then they will all be headed home! Most likely it will be around the very beginning of July...

On that note, we are in the process of planning a Welcome Home Party for Beau:

When: Wednesday, July 8, 2009

Where: Northway Church on Zebulon Rd. - Macon, GA

Time: 6:30 pm

Who: EVERYONE (the more children, the better) - Free and open to anyone who wants to come welcome Beau home

**Lots of Music and Fun

**There is going to be food provided but I'm not sure what yet...details to come later.

There is another party being planned for a later date in Bolingbroke. I don't have all the details for this party yet but it will be on July 25th and there WILL be tickets sold. It's going to be an outside concert with LOTS of bands playing. Should be a great time....

Thanks for all of the prayers and support for Beau and our family over the past few months. We can finally see the finish line!

And keep the pics coming for Beau's name gallery!!!

Five down - One to go!

2009-05-23T12:19:00.002-04:00

Sorry I have been slack with the Beau updates these past two weeks. I have been in Dallas, GA at the trial for Jenny's killer and I haven't really had a chance to update this like I normally do.

Beau is doing well. He left the hospital to go back to Sam's yesterday and once again, he didn't get sick this round! He was nauseated and uncomfortable but he didn't actually throw up. He's been doing so well and we are so thankful for that. One more round to go and Beau will be heading home!!!

As for the man who killed our aunt Jenny, the jury in his trial sentenced him to death on Friday May 22nd. We weren't able to hold him accountable for his actions and we had to depend on that jury to do that. We feel it was definitely the right decision and we're just glad this part is all over. Click here for the story on his sentencing.

Round Five

2009-05-17T23:08:00.003-04:00

Beau checked into the hospital on Sunday night and will be starting his fifth round of chemo shortly. He's so close to being done with all of this! Beau had a CT scan and a chest x-ray on Wednesday of last week and those both came back clear. He has really had the best possible outcomes in every phase of this ordeal...we are so thankful for that! Please pray that this round of chemo goes as smoothly as the last one...

As long as everything goes according to plan, Beau will be coming home sometime around the very end of June or beginning of July. There is a homecoming party for Beau that should happen around the middle of July and I will put more details on here when they become available!

While Beau is dealing with the fifth round of chemo, the rest of our family is awaiting the end of the trial for the man accused of murdering our aunt Jenny. Closing arguments will begin tomorrow for the guilt/innocence phase and then the jury will deliberate on that. After they decide the guilt/innocence part, there will be another round of testimony for the sentencing phase and then the jury will have to decide whether or not he gets the death penalty. This is by far the hardest thing our family has ever had to deal with and we really appreciate all of your prayers and support...if you would like to check on the news stories from the trial you can go to these addresses and search "Jennifer Ewing" or "Silver Comet Trial"...

Fox 5 Atlanta

WSBTV

AJC Online

Still going strong...

2009-05-12T22:55:00.005-04:00

Sorry it has been so long since I last posted...Beau is still doing really well. He had to have a blood and platelet transfusion on Saturday which is pretty normal during strong chemo treatments. It's a pretty long process and tends to take up most of the day which I know is frustrating for Beau. Jessica's parents visited this weekend and they had a good time.

Beau will be getting some scans done tomorrow (Wednesday) to keep tabs on everything and he will be meeting with Dr. Benjamin again on Thursday. His 5th round of chemo is scheduled to begin on Wednesday the 20th. Please keep him in your prayers and hopefully this 5th round will go as smoothly as the last one.

Many of you who know our family personally, know what we are going through in addition to Beau's cancer. For those of you who don't...we are in the second day of the trial for the man accused of murdering Beau's aunt Jenny Slocumb Ewing on July 25, 2006. We have been waiting a long time for this trial to come about and it's hard for Beau and mom to be out in Houston while the rest of us are here re-living this tragedy. Please add this to your prayer list as well...

Click here for video...Silver Comet Trial

Thanks for all the prayers and support and please continue to pray for and encourage Beau! He's almost done!

Four down...Two to go!

2009-05-04T10:45:00.004-04:00

So Beau finished his fourth round of chemo Saturday night...and got to go home (to Sam's house) Sunday! Mom said he did unbeliveably well this round. He never actually got sick! He felt pretty nauseous a couple of times but they stayed on top of the nausea medication and were able to fight it off. One of Beau's nurses told mom that he had seen a few patients that were able to adjust to the chemo and actually did better towards the end of their treatments so hopefully, Beau will be one of those kinds of patients. With the number of people that have been praying for him and the positive attitude he has had, that wouldn't surprise me at all at this point!

I've been thinking alot about this since Beau was diagnosed and in Sunday School yesterday, Mr. Washburn reminded me of it again...we have soooo much to be thankful for in this situation. It may not seem like it to someone on the outside looking in, but we really do. Things could have been so much worse than they are...

Things to be thankful for:

1. Beau's cancer was only found in his lung. I now know far more about synovial sarcoma than I ever would have imagined and according to my (and Dr. Brown's) research, it RARELY ever shows up in the lung first. In fact, from what we could find, Beau is only the 24th case in the world where it originated in the lung. Usually, synovial sarcoma originates in an extremity and metastasizes to the lung. If that had been the case, Beau's prognosis would have been MUCH worse...something like 2-3 years...because once it metastasizes, it becomes much harder to control. When Beau went out to M.D. Anderson, we were thinking there was a good possibility that he had a tumor somewhere else...thank God the one in his lung turned out to be the only one!

2. Beau was able to get into M.D. Anderson and be treated by the #1 specialist in soft tissue sarcoma. Dr. Benjamin is the chair of the sarcoma department at the University of Texas and M.D. Anderson and according to Beau, he literally wrote the book on sarcomas...

3. Sam and Dave Mosley: Dave Mosley and his wife Sam (friends from our church in Macon) moved out to Houston a few years ago and, then very shortly after that, moved to Hunstville, AL for Dave's job. They just so happened to still have the house out there in Houston and very generously offered to let our family use it for as long as we needed. Coincidence? I don't believe in those....(by the way, if you get the chance, I highly recommend reading the book "When God Winks at You" - it's a bunch of true stories of what some people call coincidences...but I believe they are much more than that.)

4. Beau's response to these treatments has been nothing short of amazing, really. The chemo that they are giving him is some of the strongest stuff out there (doxorubicin and ifosamide if you care to do your own chemo research). It's terrible for your kidneys and your heart but they have been giving Beau heart and kidney protectors with each dose and he has been doing great. He talks about feeling really weird and he has gotten pretty sick a few times but it hasn't been as horrible as he thought it would be. Everyone told us that the worst part of it was the nausea but over the years, they have made drastic improvements in the medication available for dealing with that. There is a drug called Emend that has worked wonders for Beau...Dr. Benjamin said Beau could be a commerical for that drug since it has worked so well for him. Maybe Merck (the drug company that makes Emend) wants to sponsor a race car...you think?

These are just a few things we have to be thankful for...and this is my list. I think once Beau gets done with all of this and can look back on it with some clarity, I might get him to make a list. His will be much more meaningful, I think...

Thanks so much for the continued prayers for Beau...he's on the home-stretch, now!

And please keep the pictures coming!! beaupictures@gmail.com

Round Four

2009-04-29T15:42:00.002-04:00

Beau checked into the hospital late last night to begin round #4 in his treatments. He only has about two more months to go and he will be done! They met with Dr. Benjamin yesterday afternoon and he was very pleased with how well Beau has been doing with the chemo treatments. Hopefully this round will come and go with less nausea and discomfort and he will be feeling like his old self again quickly.

Alot of people have been asking where to get the "Beau Bracelets" that have been showing up in some pictures. My cousin Ashley has them in her store and I am also going to try to get them in the coffee shop at Northway Church on Zebulon Rd. by this Sunday. Thanks for all of the prayers and for all of the pictures that are being sent in...it's great to see how many people are thinking of and praying for Beau!

Ashley's Store:
Head Over Heels
4420 Forsyth Rd.
Macon, GA 31210
(Vineville Crossing Shopping Center)

"Beau" at Talladega

2009-04-28T09:29:00.011-04:00

We know a photographer that lives in South Georgia that takes pictures at a bunch of the local race tracks. He actually snapped this picture of Beau after he won the ASA Southeast RC Cola MoonPie race at Cordele in April of 2008. Yes, that is a MoonPie on his head...this might be one of my favorite pictures of Beau! Too funny...

Anyway, Mr. Dale Hall (the photographer) and his son Jacob were at Talladega for the race over the weekend and they carried Beau's story to as many fans as possible and created a slide show to go along with my image gallery of Beau's name. The sign that everyone is holding says "Pray for Beau" and has his website written down at the bottom. The original video is very clear but Blogger shrunk it down so it's hard to tell what the sign says. Check it out here...

Thanks so much Mr. Hall!!!

(If you are watching this on a Mac, you may need to download the latest version of Windows Media Player software since the video is a .wmv file)

Visit to Houston

2009-04-27T00:35:00.007-04:00

I just got back from Houston this morning and wanted to tell you all about our trip. My brother Daniel and I flew out to Houston on Thursday night to visit Beau. We had the best time! We got to go with Beau and Jessica to M.D. Anderson on Friday so he could get blood work done and they took us on a tour so we could see where they have been spending a lot of their time. We went to the mall and shopped for awhile to pass the time so traffic wouldn't be so bad on the way home. Let me just tell you, traffic is terrible in Houston....ten times worse than Atlanta traffic. We went out to eat, watched movies, Beau and Daniel went and hit golf balls...we had a blast and I am so glad we got to make the trip.

The best thing about this trip for me was that I got to see that Beau is the same person he was before he left to go out there. I'm not sure what I was expecting but aside from having no hair, he was exactly the same old Beau as always. I think I was expecting him to be tired and possibly feel kind of sick while we were there but luckily he's been feeling great! He continues to have a great attitude about everything and I'm so proud of him for that...

Thanks so much for all of the prayers that are being said for Beau...I know that is why he is handling this like he is. He said many times that he can't wait to get back home and see everybody. July will be here before we know it and he'll be back!

Here are a few of the pictures from our trip...

There are pictures like this all over M.D. Anderson of people that have beaten different kinds of cancers. The man in this one has beaten Synovial Sarcoma :)

A bike cop rode up and told us we couldn't take pictures of Federal Buildings since 9/11 happened...obviously we weren't too worried about going to jail...

He also told us we couldn't get pictures of patients going into or out of the hospital because of HIPPA...ooops

Not too interested in shoe shopping...very interested in Brickbreaker

Half way point...

2009-04-17T13:22:00.005-04:00

Beau is at the half-way point in his treatments, now, and he's still feeling pretty good. He feels sick and sluggish a lot but he's dealing with it really well. What a testimony to the power of prayer...can you imagine being in this situation and maintaining a pretty constant good attitude?? I sure can't but Beau has always been really good about that and I think it's one of his best qualities. Since all of this happened, I have never heard him ask the question "Why me??". That doesn't mean he hasn't thought it...but I have seen Beau accept things and go with the flow when other people would be having a meltdown because he understands that we can't always see the big picture...only God can, and that is who we are depending on. Thank you all so much for the prayers that are being said daily for Beau. I'm sure that is the main reason why he is able to keep up this positive attitude.

Mom says he LOVED seeing the pictures that you all have been sending in...he looked at them for the first time yesterday and she said he was blown away! Keep 'em coming, they are helping to keep his spirits up...

Round Three cont'd...

2009-04-13T10:58:00.003-04:00

I haven't talked to mom yet this morning but they are hoping Beau will go home today or tomorrow. His last bag of chemo was started early Sunday morning. He got sick a good bit this round... I thought they were figuring out how to manage the nausea better after the second round but I guess it's different every time. Mom says they have been giving him something to help boost his white blood count and that puts him in a good bit of pain. Please pray that his counts come back up like they are supposed to after this treatment. When they dip too low, they make Beau come in every day for blood work and I think he gets pretty tired of doing that.

Keep the prayers coming and keep the pictures coming, too! The ones I've gotten so far are great! (See below)

Beau's Name...

2009-04-13T00:09:00.065-04:00

Keep the pictures coming!

Northway Church group at Rabun Gap

Beau and Kandice Schreiner at our jobsite in Kansas
Our field crews in Kansas :)

Sue Smith in Australia

Ashley Ann Daniel in Seattle :)

The guy on the left with the sign is a survivor of brain cancer...only given three months to live when he was diagnosed last year...now cancer free!!!

Brain cancer survivor :)

From the Dingmores :)

Adam, Cole, Fafa and Jim Wyatt

Susanna Adams, Sarah Kate Barton, Benjamin Barton, Sarah Adams (and baby Ellie)

Guardian Angel for Beau in front of the Cathedral of Cortona (Italy)

Dave Mosley with Beau's bracelet in the Bahamas

Sam Mosley with Beau's bracelet at Atlantis

From Hwy49Racing

Ella Washburn at Amelia Island

Beau's name made the rounds at Northway Church's Vacation Bible School

Northway Church VBX

Some of the family at Pawleys Island got "tattoos" for Beau

Some of us didn't get tattoos so we had to be more creative ;) - thanks Jimmy

The guys' tattoos - Daniel, George, Seth, John & Thomas

The girls' tattoos - Jan, Maggie, Ashley

Squire Rushnell - The Author of "When God Winks At You" and his wife Louise Duart in Martha's Vineyard

From Dickey Farms :)

Max Gresham's hood at the ASA SAT Race in Cordele 6/6/09 - Thanks Max!!

Travis Miller wearing Beau's bracelet - Thanks Sherian!

From TLC Lawncare - Thanks Levon :)

From the Braves game; Chipper Jones being interviewed - Thanks to the Lanes

Danielle's mom's dog in his 08 shirt for Beau!

Chad & Jennifer Ryan and their hunting guides in Zimbabwe

Chad and his kudu in Zimbabwe...he's wearing his Beau hat :)

Parke Bowen! How precious....

After Bubba Pollard's win in Pensacola 5/29/09

Praying for Beau in Jackson Hole - Thanks Maggie!

Garrett Kettle and his friend Mason - California

From Mrs. Kettle

Chet and Lem Thompson and some helpful friends in the shape of Beau's # 08

Rattlesnakes - Thanks Chuck Thompson & Chet for spotting them!

Maddie James - Memorial Day Weekend at Tybee Island!

The Lane's are praying for Beau!

Josh and Betsy Lane at the Colosseum in Rome

Beau in the Hollywood Hills

Beau's own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame!

Hollywood pictures courtesy of Matthew :)

Judy Brady's 3rd grade classin Danville, CA - Praying for Beau!

Watermelon Capital Speedway friends - Thanks Teresa!

Inukshuk from Northern Canada, used by the Inuit to mark trails and point the right direction - from Frank & Shannon Johnston

Drew & Ben Kelly at Elliott Farms

Beau is doing BERRY good with his treatments!

Parrott Academy JV Baseball Team - Kinston, NC

TK Students Hat Party - Kinston, NC

Parrott Academy TK Students at playtime - Kinston, NC

Parrott Academy Patriot Players drama group - Kinston, NC

Praying for Beau in Steinhatchee, FL - Thomas, Tripp, Reid and Matthew

Shelly Pearson's 2nd grade class at FPD

Maggie Reardon...thanks Maggie!

Stephanie & Willow - Seal Beach, CA

Justin Hoffer - Malibu Creek Canyon X-terra Trail Run Series

Our Friends from Northway Church :)

Pete, Austin, Hayes and Janet Williams - Pawley's Island Pier

From the Brown Edwards family - Thanks Kristy!

The Holiday House at Pawley's Island

Beau's Huntin Buddies

Taylor Kettle's Soccer Team in California!

Parker Bryant is thinkin' about Beau!

By Raegan Sharpton

Thanks to Wrenn, Charlie, Mickey and Mr. T. for this picture! It was taken during an OEF (Operation Enduring Freedom) flight over Pakistan and Afghanistan by some of the "Jolly Rogers", the naval squadron of which Wrenn Landers is a part. They dedicated the flight to Beau...the photo below is the same as the one above but zoomed out so you can see the terrain of Northern Pakistan...thanks guys, we are praying for your safety daily!

"I think it's safe to say that Beau's flight kept British soldiers and the ANA (Afghan National Army) safe from attack on May 2, 2009." -Charlie

Macedonia Moms and Macedonia Unity Group - Highpoint, NC

haha...very creative :)

Newport Beach, CA

Huntington Beach, CA

Sam's still praying for Beau in Huntsville

Brett, Marlou, Katie, Charles, Amy & Jimmy!

Jake, Sam, Emily, Clayton, Anna, Cole & Chase

Chase, Jake and Sam

Mona and Doddy :)

Thanks Allison!

Pawley's Island Pier

From the Atlanta Motor Speedway Family (Thanks Brandon!)

Kate & Carson's new house in Chattanooga

Huck!

Spilled ketchup

Callie and Becky Manley - Bleckley Co. Track Meet

Thanks Sharlyn Green from Hawaii!

G-Mommies Bridge Club :)

Malcolm & Amy Walthall - Desoto Falls in the Chattahoochee National Park

Arbor Day tree planted in Honor of Beau at Lane Elementary School

Legends of Georgia

5K Children's Church - Hopewell Baptist Church - Gainesville, GA

Ladies Bible Study - Hopewell Baptist Church - Gainesville, GA

Mark DeCarlo from "Taste of America" and Mark Johnson from "In the Heat of the Night"

Marie, Lenny, Ashley, David Greene, John and Ashley at the Children's Hospital Charity Casino Night

Charlie Gresham

Melissa's tahoe...

Susannah!

Holly Doss Cosmetics!

The Geico Gecko and Depot at the GA Aquarium

The Easter Bunny with one of Beau's bracelets

From the Campbell's!

Car rally in Italy!

Can you say Stitches??

Praying for Beau from Medieval Times

Small group from Classic City Community Church - Athens, GA

Look closely at the turkey's fans...

Janice Newlin's 6th grade class

Janice Newlin's 5th grade class

Janice Newlin's 4th grade class

Northway Church Kid Stuff

Beau's new car??

Brandon Heath - Download the song "Wait and See"

Third Day

Mac Powell from Third Day wearing one of Beau's bracelets on stage...

Joseph :)

Hopewell Baptist Church (Gainesville, GA) - Willing Workers Sunday School Class

Pine Forest Baptist Church Sunday School Class

Allison Parker and her mother - One of Beau's greatest fans :)
(she has Beau on her t-shirt)

Suga Prim!

Beau (and Clint Eastwood) in Cortona, Italy

Max & Maggie - Cody, WY

From James Beuscher & the Turner family

Artwork by Busta & Chuck - Peach Co.
Thanks Kenny Hipps!

Beau's buddy, Dusty Land

Head Over Heels!

Barnes/Myers Family

Friends from Watermelon Capital Speedway!

Bo Crook and Wild Hog

Beau loves cats :)

Busta doing what he loves to do!

Brannen and Will Ellis pray for Beau in Statesboro, GA

Baby Cade!

Robert Cunningham and friends...Praying for Beau in China!

J.R. Fitzpatrick Camping World Truck - TRG Motorsports

Michael Pope's Super Late Model

Alex Roberts' Race Car
Sammie

Andrea Roberts

Just in case you can't read Spanish, this one also says "Praying for Beau" from a friend in Spain

Round three...

2009-04-08T16:15:00.007-04:00

Beau was able to get a room at the hospital two days earlier than scheduled! He was really excited to be able to go ahead and get started with the third round...the sooner he gets them done, the sooner he can come home to us! He checked in last night and started his third round of chemo at 3:30 am. Mom has been home this week and she is anxious to get back out there. This was the first time she has been home since February 23rd and I know she was glad to see her friends and family and they were glad to see her! She will be going back tomorrow morning.

Please pray for Beau to be able to handle this treatment with minimal nausea. Also, the doctor has told him that each treatment will probably be a bit harder to get over than the previous treatment in terms of Beau's strength coming back, etc. Please pray for him to adjust to this as well as possible. Thank you all for thinking of Beau and our family throughout this ordeal and thank you so much for being faithful with your prayers! Keep 'em coming!

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On another note, there is a project that I would like to ask you all to help me with. I have been following a woman's blog about her baby that has a heart condition for a while now and this idea actually came from her blog. Please read her blog if you get the chance...she is very open about her struggles and her dependency on God and I find it comforting to remind myself that our family isn't the only one that is going through these types of struggles. My Sunday School teacher likes to say "God never said He was going to give us an easy life, He just said He would never leave us or forsake us" and her stories remind me of that.

Anway, on this woman's blog she has a posting that started out with a picture of her baby's name (Stellan) written in the sand. From there it has grown to hundreds of pictures of her baby's name from friends and strangers close by and from different places all over the world...I really can't begin to explain it so please click here http://www.mycharmingkids.net/2008/08/eventually-these-photographs-will-be-in.html to see what I am talking about. It takes a while to load because of the number of pictures but it's pretty neat to look at...

I would like to do this for Beau. I think it would be really awesome for him to be able to "SEE" his name being lifted up in thoughts and prayers from all sorts of different people/places. If you would like to participate in this project, look at the link above to get an idea of what I am talking about and, then, take a photo like the ones shown but with Beau's name...email them to me at beaupictures@gmail.com and I will begin posting them on his blog. Be creative! Some of the "Stellan" pics blew me away! Thanks in advance for helping me out with this...

More updates (and hopefully, pictures) to follow soon!

Still going strong...

2009-04-06T16:33:00.004-04:00

Ryan and Krissie Newman, Jessica and Beau

Beau was feeling well enough this weekend to go to the NASCAR race in Texas! He got to hang out with his buddy Ryan and even got to meet Josh Turner (the country singer)! On Friday, before going to the race, Beau had a CT scan and more blood work done. They met with Dr. Benjamin today and all of Beau's scans are clear!!

Beau should be checking into the hospital on Thursday to begin his third round of chemo...I say should because the past two times, they have had to wait a couple of days for a room to open up. Hopefully that won't be the case this time!

Thank you so much to everyone who continues to lift Beau up in their thoughts and prayers...he's almost to the half-way point!

Updates from Texas...

2009-03-31T14:47:00.003-04:00

I talked to Beau last night and he told me that round two has been harder to recover from than the first round. He has zero energy and hasn't really felt like doing much of anything. His blood counts were pretty good at the end of last week but when he went back Monday for blood work, they had gotten lower. When this happens, they make him come to the lab every day for blood work instead of every other day until the levels go back up. Even though he has no energy, he says he feels alright...just sluggish. According to the doctor, it will probably get harder for him to recover from each treatment but they said everyone handles it differently.

Keep praying for Beau's attitude and spirits to stay up beat as he deals with all this stuff!

Thank you so much to everyone who has sent mail and packages to Beau...that has been keeping him occupied and he really appreciates it!

Two down...

2009-03-25T09:43:00.003-04:00

The last bag for Beau's second round of chemo was started around 9:30 Monday night. Thankfully, he was not as physically sick this round. He still felt nauseated alot but he never actually threw up! Mom said the only thing they did differently this round was a pill called Emend to help with nausea. He was still getting Benadryl and Reglan for nausea but the Emend seemed to make the difference in him not throwing up this time. He will probably get to go home (to Sam's house) tomorrow morning.

In one of the first posts, I mentioned that Beau may be able to come home and do the rest of his treatments in Georgia but he has decided against that. We believe M.D. Anderson is the best place Beau can possibly be for cancer treatment and he would like to stay there for the rest of them...not to mention the hassle it would be to change doctors and go back and forth to Atlanta for blood work every other day. He would probably just end up staying in Atlanta most of the time so he still wouldn't really be "home". This means he won't be coming back to Georgia until July since he has four more treatments to do.

Please continue to pray for Beau to handle the treatments well and for him to recover quickly in between treatments. If he continues to recover quickly, they might be able to put the treatments closer together and get it all over with sooner than we originally thought.

Thank you all so much for walking this road with us but most of all for being faithful with your prayers...prayer is a powerful thing and Beau's story is a great example of that!

More pics....

2009-03-22T23:34:00.005-04:00

Beau and Jeanne at the beach in Galveston before second round...
Joseph Pappy and Beau (favorite nursing assistant)
Learning how to flush Beau's port-a-cath...

Pics from the beginning...

2009-03-22T23:14:00.011-04:00

Coming out of ICU after surgery to remove tumor & upper lobe of right lung...
Incision after surgery...
Beau getting a visit from Thomas and Austin after his surgery...
Not feeling so well during the first round of Chemo...

Beau and Dr. Robert Benjamin - head of soft tissue sarcoma department at M.D. Anderson

Second Round

2009-03-22T15:47:00.003-04:00

Beau finally got into a room on Friday afternoon and is going through the second round of chemo. He hasn't been sick yet which is great! Mom says they have been staying on top of the nausea medicine and trying some new combinations and so far they have worked. She says he has been sleeping alot and he's felt a little weird but that's pretty much it. Please pray for him to stay nausea-free!!

More pictures to come soon!

Thanks for your continued prayers and support...

More Speed Bumps

2009-03-20T00:06:00.002-04:00

Unfortunately, just like the first round, there is a delay in Beau getting into a room at the hospital. He was supposed to go in today and start the second round but they are waiting in the hotel until one becomes available. I think it's pretty frustrating for them to sit and wait since Beau's been mentally preparing himself for the second round so hopefully a room will come available soon...

Please keep Beau in your prayers as he heads in for this next treatment!

Hair brained...

2009-03-13T12:09:00.006-04:00

So Beau's hair has started to fall out...and as you can see, he is pretty amused by this:

The doctor told him that it would be "cleaner" to shave all of his hair right when it started to fall out so it would create less of a mess...

Here is the finished product:

Beau is still feeling good and has a great attitude about all of this. Please continue to keep him in your prayers! His next chemo treatment will begin on the 19th.

Thanks to everyone who has sent cards and packages for Beau!

Good Weekend

2009-03-09T22:51:00.003-04:00

Beau had a pretty good weekend...he's feeling alright and even went out and hit golf balls on the driving range! His white blood count dipped pretty low right after his chemo ended and he ran a fever for a day or so but he's doing alright now. Since his white blood count was so low, he has had to go to the hospital every day for blood work instead of every other day.

Dad and I saw so many people at the race track in Atlanta this weekend that told us they were praying for Beau...many of them we didn't even know. This means so much to our family and we can't thank all of you enough for remembering Beau in your prayers. Prayer is a powerful thing and Beau needs all he can get as he fights this battle.

Thanks for keeping up with Beau's progress!

Home...

2009-03-06T08:56:00.004-05:00

Beau was able to go home from the hospital yesterday. He is feeling better and Mom tells me he wanted Burger King on the way home so I took that as a good sign! He is feeling weak but I guess that was to be expected. Beau's chemo treatments are on a 21 day cycle so he will be going back in the hospital for the second round on March 19th. Meanwhile, he will have to go in every other day for blood work.

We want to thank the Mosley's again for allowing the use of their house out in Houston. Sam has really gone above and beyond...she had her house sanitized by a professional cleaning service for Beau's return, she's done everyone's laundry, made dinner, got Beau lemon meringue pies (his favorite) and stocked the fridge with Gatorade that he's supposed to be drinking while on this chemo. Sam also tells me that packages and cards have been arriving at the house daily so thank you all for thinking of Beau!

I will be posting some pictures soon so you all can see what Beau has been up to out there...

Thank you for all the prayers and well wishes....please keep them coming!!

No Visitors...

2009-03-04T14:43:00.004-05:00

Mom wanted me to let everyone know that Beau is to have no visitors for awhile. The doctor said his white blood count will probably bottom out this weekend which will makes it very easy for him to catch anything that is going around. The last thing he needs right now is to get sick with something else on top of these treatments. They said for him to be around as few people as possible until they can see how he is holding up and watch his counts...he might be able to have visitors after the second treatment but we will have to go by what the doctor says at that time. I know there were quite a few people that wanted to go out a visit Beau but for now, we've been told that it just wouldn't be good for him.

I'll be sure to let everyone know if this changes....

A Rough Few Days...

2009-03-04T11:27:00.003-05:00

Beau has been having a rough couple of days since the last time I posted. He has been pretty sick and hasn't been able to sleep...even with Ambien. He's pretty frustrated by this as I'm sure we all would be, so please pray for him to get over the nausea and get some rest. His last chemo treatment for the first round was on Sunday night/Monday morning but he is still in the hospital so they can monitor his kidney function. Mom says he might be able to go home (to the Mosley's house) tomorrow but they are playing it by ear. Once he goes home, he will have to go back to M.D. Anderson every other day for blood work so they will be up and down the road quite a bit (thank you to Pitts Toyota in Dublin for providing them with a Sequoia while they are out in Texas).

Please keep the prayers coming!

Snow is falling but the hair is holding on...

2009-03-01T13:39:00.004-05:00

Beau is still doing well, thankfully! Jessica's most recent update says:

"Beau had a much better day today than yesterday! He felt well, watched the Nationwide race, and was able to take a shower. Because he started feeling sick a couple of hours ago, the nurses gave him something to help him feel better and rest. Hopefully he will sleep well tonight. Thank you for all the prayers."

I talked to mom this morning and Beau is still feeling good...they are disappointed that they are missing the snow in GA and Beau is disappointed that his hair hasn't started falling out yet (go figure) but aside from that, everything is going great!

I have had a few people telling me that they were having issues with posting a comment...there are lots of options for "comment as" and the easiest option to choose is "name/URL" and then just enter your name...I'm not sure about all those other options!

Thanks for keeping up with Beau...keep the prayers coming!

Day One

2009-02-28T00:10:00.004-05:00

Beau has been through 24 hours of chemo at this point and is doing okay right now. He's had a little nausea and a headache but is in good spirits. Beau will be in the hospital during each round of chemo for 5 days. If everything goes well, he will be out Wednesday of next week and staying at the Mosley's home. Cards or letters can be sent to Beau here:

Beau Slocumb

c/o Sam & Dave Mosley

16407 Canyon Chase Dr.

Houston, TX 77095

Thanks so much for keeping up with Beau's progress...

How it all began...

2009-02-27T22:22:00.008-05:00

A few weeks before Beau was to race in the season-opening ARCA race at Daytona, he coughed up some blood which led him to get a chest x-ray. There was a lesion on his right lung which prompted the doctors to do a CT scan where they determined that Beau had an AV malformation (essentially a tangle of veins that have become swollen or blown up). On Tuesday, January 27th, Beau went into the hospital to have a "simple" procedure done to correct this small problem. When the doctor went in to repair the veins using a cath, they couldn't get the dye to run through the tangled mass which lead them to believe it had to be something other than an AV malformation. The only thing left to do was open Beau up and take the mass out to find out what it actually was. The next morning, Beau went into surgery at 6:30 am and the doctor ended up removing the entire upper lobe of his right lung. There was a 7 cm tumor fully encapsulated inside the lobe and it was sent to pathology for further analysis. Beau remained in the hospital for a full week after the surgery with no word from pathology. Two days after he went home and ten days after the surgery, Beau's doctor came out to the house to tell us that his tumor was a rare form of soft-tissue sarcoma called Synovial Sarcoma. He said that they had been reluctant to call the diagnosis until they ran a DNA test to be 100% sure of the type of sarcoma that it was.

We immediately began discussing options for Beau and M.D. Anderson in Houston, TX was brought up over and over again. If you are not familiar with M.D. Anderson, it is the cancer research hospital at the University of Texas and is considered the absolute best place to be for cancer treatment of any kind. Beau went to M.D. Anderson last week along with Buster(dad), Jeanne(mom) and Jessica(girlfriend) to meet with Dr. Robert Benjamin, the chair of the Sarcoma Medical Oncology Department. He suggested that Beau begin chemotherapy as soon as possible to aggressively treat the cancer. In the mean-time, Beau had a CT Scan and a PET Scan to make sure there were no other tumors in his body. Luckily, the scans came back clear...normally, Synovial Sarcoma begins somewhere else and metastasizes to the lung or elsewhere, so Beau was fortunate to have only had the one tumor in his lung. Beau will be beginning chemo this week at M.D. Anderson and will have to stay there for at least two cycles that are 21 days each. After those two cycles, the Dr. Benjamin will decide if Beau can come back to Georgia and take the treatments at Emory if he chooses to do so.

Please pray for Beau to be able to tolerate the side effects of chemo as well as he possibly can.

Also, we would like to thank Sam and Dave Mosley for allowing our family the use of their house as long as Beau has to be out in Houston.

Thank you for following Beau on this journey and for the many prayers that we know are being lifted up on his behalf!