Why I Survive

It's my birthday.

2011-03-19T16:10:00.001-04:00

It's my birthday today. I have a beautiful wife and a wonderful son. God has blessed me!

Summer Time

2010-09-05T22:42:00.001-04:00

Liza and I had a great summer. First we went up to Emerald Isle, NC and we meet up with Liza's family. We had a great time there. We hung out at the beach and a few local dinner plays. We were at Hammocks Beach State Park and got to see 20 or 30 Dolphins. Dad got to see a Osprey eating a fish. Mom took a whole lot of pictures.
Then went came home 55 cucumbers red and 3 zucchini. We pickled 5 jars of them and gave some away.

Liza took her students to Mexico for 4 weeks. She will probably write her Adventures in Mexico sometime.

I stayed home with the dogs. I got invited out a couple of places since I was bachelor. Then my parents came and stay with me.

Testimony

2010-05-15T02:40:00.004-04:00

James 1:2-8 Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does.

I am going through a long battle with cancer and a stroke. God has kept me faithful. Be at http://www.riversidecommunitychurch.org/ Sunday at 5.30pm(5-16-2010).

Columbia College

2010-04-08T19:13:00.001-04:00

Dr. Spell--a professor at Columbia College--asked me to come in and talk about what happened to me to her Speech Language Pathology class. I think that is the first time I have gone through the story without crying. It was good for me and hopefully it helped out some of the people in the class.

I wrote him and he wrote me back!

2010-02-26T16:13:00.005-05:00

I wrote him (the Dr. from my previous post) and he wrote me back!

My query:

Dr. Jim -

I read about the work you have done with rats who were paralyzed. I had a stroke about 4 years ago that paralyzed the right side of my body. I was 29 and had testiculer cancer. My right leg is getting better but my hand is all balled up. I would do anything to get function back in my arm. Could you please keep me informed if there is anything you could do to help me? If you begin clinical trials with humans, I am interested. I am in South Carolina, but would be willing to travel. Thank you so much for the work you are doing.

Thanks for your time.
Ben

His response:

Ben,

I'm so sorry to hear about your stroke.

We are now negotiating for clinical trial initiation with two pharmas, but these wouldn't start before fall or winter, so please contact me again mid summer for an update.

Jim

New stroke therapy successful in rats: Protein completely restores motor function

2010-02-17T10:38:00.007-05:00

Maybe this can help me...

James Fallon mobilizes existing stem cells, causing them to proliferate, migrate and eventually differentiate into new cells (shown by the red area back left) that fill in the damaged brain, returning function to the stroke victim. (Credit: Photo by Daniel A. Anderson / University Communications)

Science News

New Stroke Therapy Successful in Rats: Protein Completely Restores Motor Function

ScienceDaily (Jan. 13, 2010) — People with impaired mobility after a stroke soon may have a therapy that restores limb function long after the injury, if a supplemental protein works as well in humans as it does in paralyzed rats.

Two new studies by UC Irvine biologists have found that a protein naturally occurring in humans restores motor function in rats after a stroke. Administered directly to the brain, the protein restores 99 percent of lost movement; if it's given through the nose, 70 percent of lost movement is regained. Untreated rats improve by only 30 percent.
"No drugs exist that will help a stroke after a few days. If you have a stroke, you don't have many treatment options," said James Fallon, psychiatry & human behavior professor and senior co-author of the studies. "Now we have evidence there may be therapies that can repair damage to a significant degree long after the stroke. It's a completely unexpected and remarkable finding, and it's worth trying in humans."
The studies, carried out by UCI postdoctoral researcher Magda Guerra-Crespo, chronicle the success of a small protein called transforming growth factor alpha, which plays critical tissue-forming and developmental roles in humans from just after conception through birth and into old age.
"TGF alpha has been studied for two decades in other organ systems but never before has been shown to reverse the symptoms of a stroke," Guerra-Crespo said. No lasting side effects were observed.
In the first study, published in the journal Neuroscience, scientists sought to learn whether TGF alpha administered directly to the brain could help rats with stroke-induced loss of limb function, typically on one side -- as is seen in humans.
When put inside a cylinder, healthy rats will jump up with both front legs, but stroke-impaired rats will use just one leg, favoring the injured side. When given a choice of directions to walk, impaired rats will move toward their good side.
One month after the study rats suffered an induced stroke (equal to about a year for humans), some were injected with TGF alpha. Within a month, they had regained nearly all their motor function, hopping up with both legs in the cylinder exercise and not favoring a side in the directional test. Rats that did not receive treatment improved just 30 percent.
Scientists examined the rats' brains and found that TGF alpha was stimulating neuron growth. First, it prompted adult stem cells in the brain to divide, creating more cells. Those cells then turned into brain cells and moved to the injured part of the brain, replacing neurons lost to the stroke. These new neurons, the scientists believe, helped restore motor function.
"It's becoming more and more clear that the brain is like any other organ: It has a lot of potential to regenerate," said Darius Gleason, a developmental & cell biology graduate student who worked on the study. "We are just emulating nature by giving a little nudge to what the brain is trying to do itself."
In the second study, appearing online Jan. 11 in the Journal of Stroke & Cerebrovascular Diseases, scientists placed TGF alpha in the rats' noses, simulating a nasal spray. They used a slightly different chemical version of the protein to render it more stable on its journey to the brain. After a month, the injured rats had regained 70 percent of their function, indicating that the intranasal method also works well.
"We saw the same phenomena," Fallon said. "It wasn't as profound, but we still ended up with very significant behavioral improvements and the same regenerative anatomical process."
UCI researchers Andres Sistos, Tina Toosky, Ihsan Solaroglu, John Zhang and Peter Bryant also worked on the intracranial study. Guerra-Crespo was supported by a UC MEXUS postdoctoral fellowship, Gleason was supported by a California Institute for Regenerative Medicine fellowship, and the research was funded by unrestricted gifts to Fallon.

Wow... Snow!!!

2010-02-13T15:53:00.008-05:00

We got 8.6" of snow. The ground and trees looked beautiful. It's the most snow we've had since we have been here. The kids and adults were giddy playing in the park.

Tim Dominick/tdominick@thestate.com

This is out front of Nathan's house.

Holly, Ben, Liza and Tag

2010-02-12T12:00:00.002-05:00

My Church

2010-02-05T21:05:00.004-05:00

Liza and I are involved in a church plant in Columbia, SC. It has been meeting for about a year. We started off in a friend's house, then to a community center, and we rented a building where we meet at night. Our church is Riverside Community Church. My wife sings on the worship team. We also have small group on Tuesday nights. I like meeting in small groups because it's easier to become a part of other people's lives that way, and to encourage each other and hold each other accountable.

Six Month Check-Up

2010-01-30T01:27:00.003-05:00

I recently had my six month check-up. No cancer! But when I went in the doctor told me of someone else having testicular cancer. I offered my number to them and hoped they would call.

He is a young guy going through some of the same stuff my wife and I were going through. We just sat there and encouraged him and we ask that you would keep him in your prayers. He seems like he has every chance of beating it just like I did!

It has been raining...

2009-10-05T12:00:00.003-04:00

It has been raining... all night and all day.

In Remission

2009-09-01T12:52:00.007-04:00

I am going to the doctor every six months for CAT scans. I drink READI-CAT 2. It has a barium sulfate suspension 2.1%. I have to drink 450mL 2 hours before going and then another 450mL right before the CAT scan. It tastes like chalk.

Barium Sulfate

Every 12 months I go get an MRI of the brain. That one is easier.

So according to plan I am going to be cancer free in about two years!!!

1/2 Tribesman and 1/2 American

2009-08-31T22:30:00.009-04:00

My Mom and Dad went to Bryan College in Dayton, TN. If I had gone there I would have graduated in 1999. Instead I went to University of South Florida... go Bulls...

Yumm... grasshoppers.

2009-08-27T13:33:00.004-04:00

LEER Family Outreach

2009-08-24T13:28:00.006-04:00

I have been working on a new blog. LEERfamilyoutreach.blogspot.com (Latinos Educated Empowered and Renewed) is a non-profit organization dedicated to the success of Latinos in Columbia, and the betterment of our society.

Please become a Follower.

Our Anniversary

2009-08-21T16:32:00.001-04:00

image via flickr

My wife and I went up to celebrate our 6th anniversary in Saluda, NC. We did some shopping, we ate at the Purple Onion, and went to a waterfall.

We wouldn't recommend the place we stayed--talk to us before planning your trip to Saluda. We had a really good time.

My Family

2009-08-02T09:59:00.005-04:00

Holly, Liza, Me, and Tag

Some pictures from PNG

2009-07-30T12:59:00.000-04:00

My Mom is proofreading the Bible translation.

My Dad is using an old drill (non-electric).

Brad, Heather and I sitting on our bed.

Here's what our friend would have done preparing for war.

This man brought me an eagle and my Dad didn't let me keep it (I'm still bitter).

Pastor Rick, March 30, 2006

2009-07-28T13:11:00.001-04:00

Pastor Rick, March 30, 2006
Dad just sent me a copy of this update that he posted to his congregation back when I first had the brain surgery.

UPDATE ON BEN SPEECE
From Pastor Rick, March 30, 2006
I plan to be back in the office this coming Monday. Let me give you some information on what is happening here with Ben.

On Sunday, Ben suddenly took a turn for the worse. He was experiencing shortness of breath and complaining of abdominal pain. At the emergency room his family doctor ordered a CT scan of his chest, and that revealed multiple tumors in both lungs and a larger tumor in his liver. Around 5 PM his right arm and leg went limp.

On Monday morning, another CT scan of his head revealed that the area affected by the bleeding had grown and the pressure was distorting the configuration of the brain. A neurosurgeon was called in, and he said without surgery Ben would soon go into a coma and slip away.

On Tuesday, the oncologist reviewed with us what the blood work and CT scans presented and outlined what he planned to do to combat the cancer once he had confirmation from pathology as to the cancer type.

On Wednesday morning, the pathology report confirmed what Ben’s family doctor and oncologist suspected---that the cancer is testicular. There is a chemo therapy regimen to which this type of fast growing cancer responds quite well, and that was begun yesterday afternoon. The treatment runs in four cycles and will be completed around the fifth of June. The oncologist sent the data on Ben to a Dr. Einhorn at the University of Indiana. He is the leading researcher on this type of cancer, and he approved of the regimen which has been set up for Ben. The oncologist wanted to know if Dr. Einhorn would recommend that radiation therapy be included in the regimen, but he said not at this time. The survival rate for patients with this type of cancer at the advanced stage following this chemotherapy is 48%. The chemo regimen is very toxic to the body, and in the process of destroying cancer cells it will also destroy good cells. The effect will be cumulative, and Ben will be sicker with each round of chemo, but the oncologist said it is necessary in to order to eradicate the cancer cells.

Since the surgery Ben’s speech is improved. He is able to push with his right foot and has made some very tiny movements of his right arm. The effort required is considerable, but at least there is something there for the physical therapist to work with. As Ben gets weaker with each successive chemo cycle, that will make it more difficult for him to cooperate with physical therapy.

Ben is alert and ate a little of both his lunch and dinner yesterday. He doesn’t open his eyes much but responds to everything he is asked. He also has retained his sense of humor. I know because he told me yesterday that I making things really complicated. He has lost a lot of weight and is fortunate that he is going into this phase with a little extra weight on his frame. He still has a shunt in his head and will for some time. When they feel he is ready to leave ICU he will go directly to the cancer institute, and if he improves sufficiently will be sent home and do the chemo therapy as an outpatient.

We are very grateful for the outpouring of prayers and concern on Ben’s behalf. Our trust is in the Lord who gave himself for us.
Pastor Rick

New Cutting Board

2009-07-23T20:22:00.000-04:00

My dad has made me a new cutting board out of New Guinea walnut and it fits perfectly in my sink. There are three tines that come up from the bottom of the board to hold my vegetables in place. I am working on become left handed, one-handed really.

Here are all the other gadgets we've bought to try to make-up for my right arm. Some of them help, but nothing is quite the same.

slideshow

2009-07-23T10:28:00.000-04:00

Turkey Eggs and Lizard Tails

2009-07-17T15:18:00.000-04:00

1978 till 1992 I lived over seas. My Mom and Dad put this together for me to explain from a kids perspective the work they did as missionaries.

Part 12: My Second Surgery in Indiana

2009-07-13T17:37:00.000-04:00

My second surgery was in January and it was a Retroperitoneal Lymph Node Dissection. It's a 12 inch incision running the length of my chest and belly, so it goes through some very painful muscle groups.

I got up and walking around 3 times the day after the surgery. I was still retaining fluid, but nothing that the doctors were worried about. They said that's pretty common after surgery and that it would continue to get better.

The good news is that the pathology report showed that what they removed was mostly dead cancer cells and some teratoma--NO active cancer!

(My wife wrote this to all the people out there praying) Things have been pretty quiet here--which is always good in my book. The one problem is that the swelling caused by all the fluid weight-gain hasn't gone down at all. It seems like a minor thing compared to everything else he's been through, but it's making him miserable. Because of the discomfort, he doesn't feel like eating or drinking. He's hardly eaten anything since the surgery. The only things we've been advised to do are for him to be as active as he can be (which is difficult when he's this uncomfortable) and to keep drinking (when he already feels bloated). So, could you please pray with us that this swelling will go down quickly and that if there's something else causing it, we'll find that out quickly and put a stop to it.

Part 11: First Surgery in Indiana

2009-07-06T11:22:00.001-04:00

Dr. Christiansen was in constant communication with Dr. Einhorn (Lance Armstrong's physician, and the inventor of the cure for testicular cancer). Dr. Christiansen thought that since the teratoma (pre-cancerous masses) was wrapped around my aorta, that I would have to get a thoracotomy (evidenced by the scar).

Dr. Kesslar scheduled the surgery for October at Indiana University. They removed 1/4 of my right lung and large amounts of teratoma.

I was out of it from the medicine but my mother-in-law (Kirby), Nathan, Melissa, MJ, Aaron, Amanda, Brad and Liz came up to keep my wife company.

I probably was scared. But I don't know how long we stayed. Liza and Brad drove back from Indiana. I really wasn't comfortable on my ride back despite all the medicine. My back was hurting from the staples and from the removed rib, and everything else.

Why everyone should have parents like mine

2009-07-04T10:40:00.000-04:00

This picture is from our vacation in the mountains. Then Mom and Dad came and spent the rest of their "vacation" at our house. Dad and Mom helped me a lot. Dad and his washing and waxing the cars, fixing the faucet and the leaking sink, tightening the doorknobs, organizing the shed, sharpening the mower blades... what a vacation! Mom sewed pillows and curtains. We had a regular sweat shop going here!

It is hard for me now so I really appreciate them.

Why I Survive

2009-07-02T10:05:00.000-04:00

I decided it was time to change the name of my blog to something people who don't know me would recognize. I haven't really been a part of the "survivor" community. Maybe it will be good for me to talk to others who have been there too. Maybe it will be good for them too.

On Vacation

2009-06-24T08:24:00.000-04:00

Just in case anyone is wondering why Ben hasn't posted as of late, it's because he's suffering up in the mountains with family and friends while I'm enjoying myself here in Columbia going to class. This is the "cabin" they're staying in courtesy of a good friend John Smilde. I've linked to his website because during the first year or so of Ben's battle with cancer/stroke John kept a moment by moment update for all of our friends and family on his website. What a great friend! We really couldn't have survived this whole ordeal if it weren't for everyone who supported us. So, thank you.

Discs being sold to help Ultimate Frisbee Fanatic

2009-06-10T13:36:00.000-04:00

Here's an article that was written for a CIU publication that came out in the Fall of 06. This meant a lot to me.

Discs being sold to help Ultimate Frisbee Fanatic

http://www.ciu.edu/news/benspeece/
http://www.ciu.edu/

It was just another day at the office. The water cooler talk centered on March Madness. Twenty-nine-year-old Ben Speece and the other guys at the Blue Cross/Blue Shield call center in Columbia were having a friendly debate over which teams would make it to the college basketball tournament Final Four. When Ben, a 2003 graduate of Columbia International University returned to his desk, he started "talking funny" as he describes it. A co-worker next to him said, "You sound horrible."

Ben's boss was summoned who immediately knew something was seriously wrong and took Ben to the emergency room. He was diagnosed as having an egg-sized hemorrhage in his brain. How it got there was a mystery to doctors. Two weeks later, things got worse. Ben had trouble breathing. He went back to the hospital. Further testing revealed cancerous tumors in his lungs, liver and lymph nodes. He lost consciousness. Brain surgery came the next day. That's when a tumor was also found in his brain.

Ben Speece and his wife Liza with the Frisbees soon after Ben's surgery.

Just a few weeks prior, Ben was flinging a Frisbee with other CIU graduates and current students who share a love for the fast paced game of Ultimate Frisbee. Thursday nights would find Ben at the weekly pickup game. But now he had lost the use of much of his right side. When the pathology report came back it was determined that Ben had Testicular Cancer that had spread throughout his body. Chemotherapy began immediately. And though Ben's prognosis for recovery is good, medical bills are mounting.

But his Frisbee friends are doing something about that.

One of them is Nick Hauser, a CIU Seminary student who also works in the university's Development Office. Nick and the other Ultimate Frisbee players were reminded of another athlete who had battled Testicular Cancer: Olympic bicyclist Lance Armstrong. Many are familiar with Armstrong's yellow "Live Strong" bracelets that were sold for cancer research. It was decided they would do something similar.

"We had first thought about doing wrist bands, but we thought the most fitting thing for Ben would be an Ultimate Disc," Nick said.

"Ben is a very passionate Ultimate Frisbee player. He was always teaching people how to throw an Ultimate Disc. He would order a quantity of discs off the Internet, teach someone how to throw and then say, ‘Here's your first disc.' Ben was always giving discs to people. People who play on Thursday night would say Ben was the one who taught them how to throw a Frisbee."

Initially the Ultimate Frisbee crowd had 200 of the $10 discs printed. They sold out quickly. More are on order. The proceeds are given to an emergency fund set up for Ben and his wife Liza at Columbia Crossroads Church where they are members.

Sale of the Ben Speece Frisbee is helping the CIU alumnus pay his medical bills after cancer surgery.

Printed on the Frisbees is Ben's name, a website address where people will soon be able to keep track of his progress, and The Bird of Paradise. Ben grew up a Missionary Kid in Papua New Guinea. The Bird of Paradise is on the flag of that Southeast Asian country.

What does Ben think about what his friends are doing for him?

"It's awesome. They didn't tell me until they had the Frisbees. They just showed up (at the hospital) and said, ‘Hey man we've got something for you.' That was really cool."

The cancer has caused Ben's speech to be slurred and halting at times as searches for the correct words. He is in rehab getting back the strength and motion in his right arm. He vows to play Ultimate Frisbee again soon.

"I hope my condition improves. I have my right arm back and I hope to play in eight to ten weeks. I'm going to be back."

Part 10: Going Home

2009-06-02T12:17:00.001-04:00

Going home was great. I slept in my own bed. But rehab continued. The therapists came to our house 3 days a week. In PT I did leg exercise and little by little I started walking again. In OT she stretched and exercised my arm. In Speech Therapy I would read lists of words, or do flash cards or do exercises with my face to strengthen the muscles that were affected by the stroke.

Some of the challenges I faced were simple things like going to the bathroom, getting into the shower, getting into and out of bed. I lived in my green recliner (see photo), but I couldn't stand up on my own. My mom or Liza had to wait on me hand and foot. I was still sleeping about 20 hours a day.

Part 9: Chemo/Rehab

2009-05-28T08:50:00.000-04:00

Rehab was a long process and was so hard I was sleeping 20 hours a day. First they were getting me to sit up. My neck muscle were so weak I could only sit for five minutes. Next was getting me to stand up. It was a miracle when I took my first step (evidenced by the photo). Three year later I am still working on getting my life back.

Part 8: Chemo

2009-05-25T21:17:00.000-04:00

After I left ICU, they moved me to the cancer center. I was happy to be alive. Florida was playing in march madness. I got to lay around and watch Florida win the national championship. My team at work sent people to visit me everyday.

After several days my father told me that my maternal grandfather had died. They did not want to worry my mind with something else. I was sad that I would not be able to go to the funeral.

I remember the speech therapist holding up a flash card of a pencil or a fork and I could not think of the word. PT and the OT would get me to stand up and walk. I would exert all my energy getting to the standing up position then I would have to go back to sleep.

Part 7: ICU

2009-05-21T12:05:00.000-04:00

There were a bunch of my friends visiting me when I was at ICU. I remember some people who visited me, but really I just wanted to keep sleeping. I do not remember anything about starting chemo. Now I realize that everyone was afraid I was going to die. I felt my dad keep working my leg and my arm because they were paralyzed by the stroke.

Part 6: Our World Crumbles

2009-05-18T12:15:00.000-04:00

I remember going into Richland and I had trouble breathing. I began to lose consciousness...the next thing I remember I was in ICU and I had a big bandage on my head. My dad was singing hymns, which was comforting, but all I wanted to do was sleep.

Part 5: Back to the Hospital

2009-05-14T10:40:00.000-04:00

The next two days I was "taking it easy." My wife was there, and my parents drove up from Florida. I was feeling fine and Sat. night it was getting hard for me to breath. I told Liza and we went back to the hospital.

Part 4: The Wrong Conclusion

2009-05-11T13:21:00.000-04:00

They moved me to Baptist and said that the Doctors there are good. As soon as I got in there they wanted to do an MRI of my brain. After that I was very sleepy. They thought I was allergic to the contrast dye (this helps them get a better "picture" of the brain). What was really making me so groggy was actually the stroke, not an allergy. While I was in the hospital I celebrated my 30th birthday with Ed, Liz, Marjorie, Melissa, and Liza.

The Doctor's conclusion, after many tests, was that I had a hemorrhage and they didn't know what had caused it. They said it was not a tumor. So I left the hospital to spend the night in my own bed. They told me to take it easy and to come back in a few weeks.

Part 3: The Initial Diagnosis - From Providence N.E. to Baptist

2009-05-09T17:30:00.000-04:00

We got to the ER and plenty of people were there waiting. I checked in and was heading back to my seat. As soon as the nurse read my symptoms, they called me back immediately. The Doctor came in and said, "You have an egg shape hemorrhage in your brain." My wife was already there and we cried. We could not figure out how I had gotten the hemorrhage in my head. I did not want to react to keep my wife from reacting. The doctor came in and told us that the Providence hospital did not have the neurology department I needed so they were going to move me to Baptist...

Part 2: The First Signs

2009-05-07T09:41:00.001-04:00

The first time I knew something was wrong is when I felt a sharp pain in my head and I started to drool. That happened for a second. I had never experienced something like this before. I was walking in about to speak with someone and my words were all jumbled. I told my manager. I could not remember my doctor's name and I could not remember where my wife was employed. My manager said he would take me to the ER...

Part 1: Before the stroke

2009-05-06T13:10:00.000-04:00

I was working at my Job. I had recently been hired on as the Team Lead in the first level support group. I had been working there about three years but I was new at this position. I had been feeling fine except my back hurt. So I went to my Doctor and got some pain medicine...

The Story

2009-05-05T11:54:00.000-04:00

March 14, 2006 is when it all went terribly wrong...