Update from Kerry Underhill
Date: 6/27/08
Well it has been a while since I have updated the site. I want to
apologize for that but I find myself away from the computer and
spending more time with our beautiful family. Many people have
inquired about Ray and how he is doing and what is happening regarding
his treatment......so I figured now was a good time to update everyone.
The past few months have been hard on Ray and our family. Since
January, Ray has had a few MRI's with continuous tumor growth. After
consulting with an oncologist, Ray was placed on 2 different oral
chemo medications without success. He is now taking an IV chemo once
a week up at Duke with hopes that this will slow down the tumor
growth. On top of fighting the battle with the nasty tumor, Ray has
experienced several bouts with aspiration pneumonia and was recently
hospitalized with blood clots in his lungs but told the doctor he
needed to be released in time for Keaton's 13th birthday.
We take each battle as it comes and do what we have to do to
fight. Unfortunately with Ray's swallowing difficulties, the
aspiration pneumonia will be a constant challenge. I could not be
more proud of Ray and how he handles it all with such dignity and
grace. He continues to go to work each day for several hours and
that is a true testament to the man that he is......he never lets
anyone down. But I am most proud of our children Keaton and Olivia.
This is the hardest on them and each day they do their best to keep
smiles on their faces and positive attitudes. To be a child
again........I admire them because this is a lot to handle for Ray and I,
and I know it is hard for them. I have been blessed with amazing
children and an amazing husband. I know our family will get through
this together.
Thank you all for your constant support and for still checking in on
this site and sending Ray messages. We read them everyday and they
truly are comforting.xoxo
Kerry & Ray
Update from Kerry Underhill
Date: 2/13/08
We got the call today from Duke University and Ray will be starting his chemo tomorrow. The doctors are still hoping that they can get him on a clinical trial drug that has not been approved by the FDA, but at this point it is a whole lengthy process and they do not want to waste time. So we will do the Gleevac treatments until we hear about the other. Ray was very honest about how he doesn't want to sit around and wait because he feels that time is against him. It is such a horrible position to be in ... So I am glad that we are being proactive at this point. We will have his blood tested on Friday to get a baseline count, and then we go back to Duke in a few weeks unless they change his drug.
So the next phase of our journey is starting tomorrow. Please keep the positive energy coming our way.
xoxo
K & R
Update from KERRY UNDERHILL
Date: Monday, November 5th, 2007
Hello my friends. I just wanted to let you know that yesterday we did spend a very long stressful day at Duke, but Ray's first MRI was good. The tumor has not grown since the radiation. We were very happy about this. There is a sense of protection knowing that the radiation is still in his body and keeping that tumor in control. So now we gear up for our next MRI in January. We are hoping to find the balance in life so we do not continue to live 3 months at a time full of stress--easier said than done.
So keep those positive thoughts coming our way. YES ... one down.
We love you all and could not get through this without your love and support.
- Kerry
Update from KERRY UNDERHILL
Date: Friday, AUGUST 24th, 2007
Well we have been back home for a few weeks now and we are finally
settling in. The kids start school on Monday and they are both
excited. I think Olivia is a bit more excited than Keaton but it
will be good for them to get back into a routine and be with their
friends. Ray and I are doing well. Ray is getting stronger each day
and is even going into the office for a few hours each day to get
back into his routine. It is good for him to get out of the house
and to be creative in his own office space. He is truly an amazing
man. I knew this when I met him but he continues to amaze me each
and every day. He is very tired, still has not been able to take
anything in by mouth but we are working on just getting him stronger
at this point. Ray wanted to have a break from the doctors for a few
weeks and just be able to recover without someone poking at him all
the time. We are planning on contacting Duke for some follow-up
appointments soon and Ray will have his first MRI at the end of
October. We pray each day that the radiation has done what it needed
to do to kill his tumor. From this point it is just a wait and see
process. Each clear MRI brings us closer to our goal. Soon Ray will
start back with his speech/swallow therapy and his physical
therapy. Once he does that, I think he will be feeling even better.
We are getting ready to celebrate our 15 year anniversary. I am the
luckiest woman in the world. I am so blessed to have such a
wonderful family. We will get through this. Thank you all for your
messages of hope and love. To our family and friends on both
coasts.......we love you so much and could not have made it this far
without your support, love and encouragement. Please continue to
pray for Ray and keep sending your inspiring messages.xoxo
Kerry
Update from KERRY UNDERHILL
Date: Friday, July 27th, 2007
Well, today is the day that we have been waiting for.
Ray has his last treatment at 3:00 today and we can hardly wait. As I am packing
up the mountains of "stuff" we have to bring home, Ray is visiting
with his longtime friend Lance and it is so nice to hear him laugh. It
seems like it has taken forever to get to this point and to be done.
Today is just unbelievable. I am filled with so many different
emotions. The people at Loma Linda have been so kind to us and so
supportive. To go somewhere everyday, doing the same thing everyday,
gets very hard physically and emotionally. But the nurses, staff
and fellow patients and family are always ready to talk and to make
each day special. We have met so many people who, on a daily basis,
deal with cancer and other diseases and they manage to keep smiling.
They have watched Ray each day have a hard time and always ask "How
is your husband today?" I have gotten so many compliments about
Keaton and Olivia and how strong they are and what well-behaved
children we have. I couldn't be more proud of my family on this
day. We did it......we made it and we are ready to go be with our
friends for a few more days and then go home to our family and
friends in Wilmington.I will never forget this experience at Loma Linda. I have made some
friends there that I will cherish forever and I will remember
everyone's face. Especially a sweeet little boy named Raul who
suffers from a brain tumor at the age of 6. His face will be in my
mind always and I will pray that he wins his battle. This experience
has changed our lives forever and I pray it has done what we needed
it to do to heal Ray. There is a comfort in going to the hospital
each day, having them watch over Ray, but now that will be in our
hands. As long as we are together, we can do anything.So, thank you to everyone at Loma Linda for your support. Please keep
writing your inspiring messages to Ray and our family.
We will be in touch soon.xoxo
Kerry
Update from KERRY UNDERHILL
Date: Monday, July 23rd, 2007
This week Ray will finish his last 5 radiation treatments. Words
cannot express how excited we are for Ray to be done with this
chapter of his battle. We are hoping that when he finishes and we
head home, he can start working on regaining his strength, gaining
some weight and get back to his speech/swallow therapy. Our goal is
to get Ray eating again so that he can have his feeding tube
removed. One step at a time and we will do it. We are just counting
down the days until he "graduates" from his treatments. After
Friday, we are planning on heading back down to San Diego to spend
our final days in California relaxing with our dear friends. The
countdown is on!
Update from KERRY UNDERHILL
Date: Wednesday, July 9th, 2007
Hello EveryoneI know it has been a while since my last update and I appreciate your
patience. Ray is on treatment number 33 out of 44. He will
officially be a "Senior" in his treatments at Loma Linda. When you
first start there they give you a badge with your name and the state
that you live in labeled on it. This is so that people can see that
Loma Linda treats patients from all over the world and it is a
definite conversation starter. You also receive colored dots which
indicate where you are in your treatments. Today Ray will receive
his final dot which shows he is winding down to the end. What an
accomplishment. It has been a hard road so far for Ray and for
Keaton, Olivia and myself. Ray is very tired, sick and ready to head
back to N.C. to the security of our home. These treatments have not
been easy on him and unfortunately, he has experienced many different
side effects. Each day he does what he has to do to get through it
and with the support of the amazing people at Loma Linda, he does
it. The kids and I are so proud of him and we just want him to get
better. So please keep sending your inspiring messages because we
all read them everyday. Thank you all for being so supportive and
for loving our family. We truly appreciate it.xoxo
Kerry
Update from KERRY UNDERHILL
Date: June, 2007
Sorry we haven't written in a while but we finally feel like we have gotten settled into our life here at Loma Linda. First we would like to thank all of the people who dontated items for the auction, all of you who placed bids on an item and those of you who actually won items. Thank you so much from the bottom of our hearts for caring and for your overwhelming generosity. We are still in shock. But this could not have happened without the help of our dearest friends, our amazing friends.....you know who you are.....that made this all a reality. Words cannot express how grateful we are to you for giving up so much of your lives to make this auction come to life. We are forever grateful and hold you close to our hearts. We love you.
So we are now living life here in Loma Linda. Ray has had about 15 treatments so far and he is scheduled to go for 44 treatments. Ray is an inspiration daily to our family. He is going through so much right now but each day he does his best to get through it and still manages to keep us all smiling. This is by far the hardest thing we have ever gone through and I tell Ray each day that soon it will be over and he will be healthy again. Keaton and Olivia are so blessed to have such an amazing man as their Dad. I am so thankful for my life with him. We will get through this and soon it will all be a distant memory.
The kids are doing well. They miss home but love our weekends down in San Diego. Thank God for our friends here. I can't imagine going through this in a state where we did not know anyone. We look forward to our weekends away from the hospital and around our dear friends who keep us busy. If just for a couple of days each week, our friends here help us to enjoy our life away from the hospital.
To all of our family, friends and those of you who we have never met but leave such inspiring messages on the site, thank you so much for caring for our family, for your support and love, we feel it and we appreciate it. We love and miss you all.
xoxo
Kerry, Ray, Keaton and Olivia
Update from SEAN MORTIMER
re: The Auction
Date: Thursday, May 24th, 2007
The Ray Underhill auction is over and raised a crapload of cash! Damn,
I don't think anybody was expecting the support skaters threw in. I've
said it before, but the most random people fired in boxes of gear and
straight up donated money to Ray (not included in the auction total).
Makes one proud to be a little dirtbag skater.
I know for Ray—because he said so—that the support from everybody
meant more than anything else. (That said, he's staggered by the
amount raised.) Big, small, rare, common, collectable, strange—it all
impacts Ray when he needs it most. Thanks to everybody who helped make
this happen by donating and shooting the positive thoughts. This was
truly a skateboarder's auction: For skaters by skaters.
Miki Vuckovich shot almost 1,000 photos and took one for the team by
taking charge of shipping over 150 different items around the globe.
(Some dude from South Korea bought stuff.) When he and I talked about
doing this auction a few months ago, we were shooting to maybe make
around 10 Gs. Ah, how we underestimated skaters. Jaimie Muehlhausen
set up Ray's website and did all that cool internet stuff. Jill from
Grind For Life is not only an ebay ninja, but answered any questions
Miki and I had (being ebaytards, that was a lot) and processed all the
high bids. G for Life rules for hosting this auction. You ever need a
charity to hook up, Grind For Life is the one. And, of course, Ray
Underhill for inspiring all of us. Rock on Runder!Ray's tumor is currently getting its ass kicked at Loma Linda.
Runder will be there for the next eight weeks.Thanks. Take care. MORT
HERE IS NOT EVEN CLOSE TO A COMPLETE LIST OF HIGH BIDS:
Winchester sweatshirt: $104.72
Ortiz framed shot of Lance $ 305
Stacy's skateboard: $ 520
Grant's framed Tommy G picture: $430
Blue Bat Cab Re-issue: $227
Signed Underhill deck (to his roommate): $307
Signed Lance deck: $178
Signed Colin McKay: $76
Gonz artwork: $1,425
Powell General Issue limited re-issue: $182
Tony Hawk's old deck (1984): $332
Signed Bam deck: $145
Nate Sherwood deck: $80
Galley Proof Rodney book: $338.34
Year of Adio shoes: $374
3 Pack signed Zero decks (Thomas, Cole, Allie): $282
Tommy G shoes: $130
Fishlips Gator deck: $406
Year of DVS shoes: $460
Cab's board: $255
Winchester hoodie (Vintage): $105
Ortiz shot of Lance: $305
Bucky's skateboard: $485
First issue TWS: $255
Ben Horton hand painted deck: $193
Hackett's Hill Bomber: $96
Swank shot of Underhill: $75
Bucky's helmet: $103
Jamie Thomas T-shirt: $91
G&S vintage jersey: $200
Pro Tec Party package: $585
Year of Osiris shoes: $425
Tony Hawk's skateboard; $1,025
Ed Templeton painted deck: $701
Flip team signed deck: $102
Mike V's WI Animal Man deck: $1,100
Mike V's Vallely Skates deck: $355
Mullen's Skater of the Year trophy: $800
Danny Way's World record deck: $430
Year of Dekline shoes: $400
Year of Autobahn wheels/bearings: $202
Bam cast signed deck: $429
Mullen deck: $204
Tom Green board w/Cliver art: $361
Grant's shot of Tony: $225
Bill Danforth package: $221
Ben Horton hand painted deck: $193
Rodney Mullen used skateboard: $610
Signed Roscopp "Face" re-issue: $158
Signed Kendall re-issue: $157
Signed Roscopp "Target" re-issue: $223
Pack of Plan B signed boards: $342
Mark Mulroney art: $152
Mark Mulroney art #2: $122
Joe Brook picture: $104
1999 Birdhouse team signed deck: $315
3 Pack Consolidated one-off decks: $1,552
Bam's hat and signed deck: $208
Gold plated Destructos: $134
Hackett Iron Cross complete: $143
George Thompson hand painted deck: $150
Altamont clothing vouchers: $792
Dino jr. signed poster: $78
Used Fishlips Underhill: $
Chris Cole X Games deck: $520
Jeff Phillips sticker: $158
Grant's photo of Miller at Upland: $512
Pack of vintage stickers: $106
Tommy Guerrero CD: $28
Year of Vans: $495
Body Count skateboard: $103
Year of eS shoes: $405
Year of Etnies: $400
Year of Emerica: $405
Danny's deck from Hawaii contest: $238
Grant's Pierre pic: $200
Dustin Dollin's deck he won Bayview Rumble on: $51
Shaun White's ridden snowboard: $1,190
Grant's shot of McGill: $213
Vintage Cabs: $200
Roots Hurricane Relief poster: $128
Grant's shot of Miller grinding fullpipe: $580
Signed Jason Lee deck: $213
Willy Santos used deck: $103
House of Kasai deck: $123
Signed new Jamie Thomas deck: $115
5 pack signed Flip decks: $305
Danny Way sample shoe: $103
Year of DC shoes: $467
Transworld video collection: $106
Scary George Thompson painting: $510
Ron Lemon painting of Ray: $362
5 Fuel decks: $113
John Mayer tickets: $840
Morrissey tickets: $899
Vans Cab slip-ons: $129
Veriflex board—vintage: $2,000
Brigade signed Animal Chin DVD: $425
Brigade signed Ray Underhill deck: $802
Brigade signed Ray Underhill deck #2: $535
Brigade signed Ray Underhill deck and signed Chin DVD: $710
Z-Boys book signed by team: $455
Photo class with Grant and Tony Hawk: $2,800
Signed Lance Armstrong helmet: $610
Update from Kerry Underhill (Ray's wife)
Date: Friday, May 3rd, 2007
We just wanted to thank everyone for all of the kind words of support for our family. We were so happy to be back in San Diego with our dear friends and thank you all for coming to the dinner and showing your love for Ray and our family. We are continuously overwhelmed by the outpouring of love we feel from everyone and we surely felt it that night. We are still talking about it.
We are home now in Wilmington, gearing up for our next trip back to California. Ray will start his proton radiation treatments on May 21st at Loma Linda Hospital. He is scheduled to receive treatments 5 days a week for 8 full weeks. We are ready to get this process started and we know that this is what Ray needs to fight this tumor. Please keep him in your thoughts and please continue to keep in touch. It will be a long process for our whole family but together we can accomplish anything.
Thank you again for being such amazing friends. We love you all.
Kerry Underhill
Update from Kerry Underhill (Ray's wife)
Date: Wednesday, 11 April 2007Words cannot express how thankful Ray and I are to all of you who have posted such inspiring messages and donated so generously to the auction. We are so overwhelmed by the love and support that you all have given to our family.
Ray, my Mom and myself took the drive again to Duke yesterday for a swallow test. Ray still has a moderate to severe swallowing problem because of the nerve damage to his tongue but we finally felt that we got some good news. They are allowing Ray to introduce liquids that are thicker than water but not as thick as pudding into his diet. All of his nutrition will still be taken in by the feeding tube but this is definitely a step towards other foods and liquids. We were so happy to hear this news. You don't realize how much you take just having a drink of water for granted until you are faced with something like this. It truly makes you appreciate the little things in life a bit more.
We will be heading back to Duke next week for some more follow-up visits and then we are off to
San Diego on the 21st for a few days to meet Ray's doctor at Loma Linda Hospital.
Thank you all so much for caring.
xoxo
Kerry
Update from Kerry Underhill (Ray's wife)
Date: Monday, 9 April 2007
Hello Everyone……First, Ray and I would like to thank everyone
for all of your kind words of support. We always knew the skate
community was filled with lots of great people and all of your generosity
shows it. Ray has been doing well lately. A lot has been on his plate since
he was first diagnosed with a chordoma tumor in January. He had a
surgery in February that successfully removed 50% of his tumor and will
be receiving proton radiation in May at Loma Linda hospital in California
to kill the rest of the tumor. Since his surgery he has been working very
hard to restore his swallowing and his speech. He currently has speech
therapy 3x a week and will be having several tests in the next few
weeks to see if he has made some progress. I know he is just waiting
for the day that he can get rid of his feeding tube and make a stop at
Starbucks. Ray did have surgery on March 26th to repair a paralyzed
vocal chord. He now loves having a voice and we love hearing it.
We have a long road ahead of us with this treatment but we want
you all to know how much we appreciate your support. Our son Keaton (11)
and our daughter Olivia (7) will be joining us in California for Ray’s
treatment. To be away from our kids for 8 weeks is just much too long
and I think Ray needs to have their smiling faces around during his treatment.
Again, thank you all from the bottom of our hearts for all that you have done
for our family. We are a blessed family and Ray, Keaton Olivia
and myself are truly overwhelmed by all of this.
Kerry Underhill
Update from Sean Mortimer
Date: Thursday, 5 April 2007Hey everyone. Hope all is well. Talked to Ray this morning and he
sounded good. Had his first undisturbed sleep since the initial brain
surgery. He's still sporting the mechanical spit sucker and has to use
it every five minutes or so. He's having speech therapy three times a
week and goes in for a swallowing test sometimes in the next few
weeks. He says he's lost around 10 pounds and "has no ass. It hurts to
sit on wooden chairs." Then there was the jokes about skate buttpads
of yesteryear. The 26th—28th of this month is a pretty firm date for
the head/helmet radiation fitting at Loma Linda, CA.
He's been checking out the messages on Rayunderhill.com and is blown away.
He says he still can't believe so many people have his back.
The auction is coming up quick. I know how sucky we are at
deadlines but if we can get everything in by the end of this week or
early early next week that would be sweet. Once we have all the gear
lined up, I'll make a list and send it to everybody to see the
goodies.
Thanks again for everybody's support.
Take care.
Mort
(note: if you are interested in donating to the auction, please coordinate with Sean Mortimer: email)
Update from Sean Mortimer
Date: Friday, 23 Mar 2007
Hey everybody, I'm not sure who knows what, so I'll just lay it out in this
email. Ray Underhill was diagnosed with a brain tumor last year and
had a solid chunk of it hacked out last month.
As if that didn't suck enough, the surgery jacked Ray. The
location is directly behind his throat and has caused a truckload of collateral
damage. Ray lost his ability to suck/swallow (yes, he has made many a
joke on this disability) and must have his spit sucked out of his
mouth with a suction tool, otherwise it can drain into his lungs. His
vocal cord was paralysed also, so his ability to talk went bye bye.
The doctors are going to do another surgery to replace that cord
before he gets the big radiation gun aimed at his head to sizzle the
remainder of the tumor.
The radiation .... Ray will have 6-8 weeks of radiation in Loma
Linda, CA beginning sometime in the next few months. Five days a week, with
weekends off. He'll be out here with his wife, Kerry, but his two kids
will be back in Wilmington, NC. Kerry is trying to figure out a way to
have them visit. Ray will have to find a place to stay in Loma Linda
and the insurance only covers the actual radiation. The insurance
company stormtroopers are doing their usual and even fought with Kerry
about paying for Ray's delicious "food" that he has to pour into his
stomach. "He'd have to eat anyway," was the quote I heard.
So the short version: Ray is a rad guy and he's in a bad
physical place right now. He hasn't said anything, but with
deductibles and expenses, the brain surgery bill is a tad more than a
visit to the free clinic.
We're organizing an eBay auction to raise some money for Runder. If any of
you can donate product/one-of-a-kind thingamajigs/autographed
gear/collectibles/photos/artwork/anything, it would help a lot.
Thanks.
Sean Mortimer