Butt Seriously

Friends and family, thank you for your patience. We know it’s been a little while since our last update. Life has been life-ing, and I’ll admit I’ve been slacking on keeping everyone in the loop.

Friday Night Lights in the Loy Household 🏈

Fall in our home means football, football, and more football. Our son Bryce is the QB, and you’ll find us in the stands nearly every Thursday or Friday (sometimes even Tuesday and Wednesday cheering on MS and JV games).

For the past two years, Paul has created weekly highlight videos calling them the Game Day Loy Boys. They’ve become a community favorite, and even caught the attention of Wayne Covil from Channel 6, who did a story on them. If you know Paul, you know being in the spotlight is his sweet spot. He’s truly our local celebrity!

👉 Watch the story here

https://www.wtvr.com/news/local-news/game-day-loy-boys-sept-10-2025

Bryce’s Season Cut Short 💔

Sadly, Bryce’s football season came to an abrupt end. On October 3rd, just six games in, he sustained a serious injury during the homecoming game. His kneecap dislocated sideways, tearing the MPFL (medial patellofemoral ligament), along with an MCL sprain and bone contusion.

The treatment plan began with ice and rest, then a brace and twice-weekly PT sessions. As of this week, Bryce has officially finished PT, no longer needs the brace, and is working out several times a week to rebuild strength. We return to the orthopedic doctor on December 17th, hoping for clearance to resume normal activity.

I’m grateful to my father, who took Bryce to most of his PT sessions so I could focus on Paul’s treatments or avoid missing work. We are in awe of Bryce’s resilience. His positive attitude through injury, his dad’s illness, and school has been nothing short of inspiring. His grit amazes us daily.

Paul’s Journey Continues 💪

Paul’s original treatment plan was five rounds of biweekly chemotherapy, followed by radiation. On October 20th, we arrived for his fifth chemo session only to be sent home because his liver enzyme levels were too high, and the doctor wanted his body to rest. That news shook us, since his bloodwork had been steady, but the break was also a relief given how hard chemo has been on him.

During the two weeks before radiation began, Paul experienced symptoms similar to those at the start of treatment, which understandably worried him. But on November 3rd, he began radiation therapy. He now goes every weekday for 30 sessions, with weekly bloodwork, all of which has been in the normal range.

Back in August, his baseline circulating tumor DNA was 15.91. A repeat test last week showed it has dropped to just over 5! That means the treatment is working. We are thrilled and so proud of how beautifully he is navigating this journey.

Carter Stepping Up 🌱🎸

Our little wild one, Carter, has been helping lighten Paul’s load with outdoor tasks. He’s been mowing the lawn, power washing the driveway, patio, and fence, and keeping things in order. On top of that, he’s been learning guitar and you’ll often find him and Paul jamming together in the evenings. We are blessed with two awesome kids!

Gratitude & Faith 🙏

We are forever grateful for the prayers, love, and support from family and friends. Please keep them coming as we truly feel them. God is in the business of miracles, and we see His hand at work in our lives.

Some days are hard, and we feel like we’re falling short. But each morning we wake up is another chance to do better, to keep fighting, and to keep believing that he will be healed.

Much love,
The Loy Family

September 8th – Treatment #2

Paul was back for round two of chemo. The infusion itself went smoothly and wrapped up quickly, giving us time to catch up on a little laptop work while we waited.

Not long after we left the clinic, though, he began to feel the telltale signs of peripheral neuropathy; tingling, numbness, those “pins and needles” sensations in his fingers.

We stopped for a quick lunch at spot of his choice, but the fatigue hit fast. Our plan was for him to grab a nap before Bryce’s makeup football game that evening. If you know Paul, you know staying still isn’t his thing. True to form, he skipped the nap and spent the game in the stands cheering, and occasionally, grumbling the loudest.

By the time we got home, it was after 10 p.m. and he’d hit a wall. Exhausted and chilled, he began to shiver and soon spiked a fever. A dose of Tylenol and a solid night’s rest brought his temperature back to normal by morning.

The fever stayed away over the next few days, but the neuropathy, cold sensitivity, and heavy fatigue lingered. Paul is learning to listen to his body and rest when needed. By Thursday, all that remained was the fatigue; perfect timing because Paul’s band had a gig that evening!

As we continue along Paul’s journey to healing, we remain in awe of the support from our family, friends, and community. We are reminded that God is in control, holding us steady when the road feels uncertain.

The next treatment will be September 22nd. We are keeping the optimistic mindset that his side effects will be minimal.

With love and gratitude,

Laura

---

Tommy the Tumor has taken up residence in a cave that was never meant to be inhabited. It’s time for Tommy to pack up and leave.

Today marks a monumental milestone in this cancer journey: the first day of chemotherapy. Paul’s treatment regimen is called FOLFOX. Every other Monday, he’ll receive a three-hour infusion, followed by a take-home fanny pack equipped with a pump that delivers a slow, continuous dose of chemo for 46 hours.

He handled today’s treatment like a champ, cracking jokes, as always. Before the infusion began, his nurse checked his port to ensure it was ready, since it had only been placed late last week. As she reached for it, Paul yelled “OUCH!” and made her jump. She quickly realized she had her hands full with this one and joked that she might need to give him something to knock him out.

Since receiving his diagnosis a month ago, this day has been long anticipated. We’re relieved it’s finally here and even more relieved it’s behind us. One step closer to kicking cancer out of this cave. Tommy, you’re not welcome here.

Please continue to pray for Paul and our family as we work our way through this journey. We appreciate every single one of you!

Much love,

Paul and Laura

---