Good News! (Plus the Requested Info on the PayPal Account)

Billy seems to be doing well today!  He's still in pain, and getting pain medication regularly.  But his spirits seem good, and he's kinda spunky.  There's some kind of verbal sparring going on between him and our youngest brother, Danny.  I'm the messenger, but I don't understand the messages.  It's some kind of brother-to-brother thing, and it's fun to watch.

Billy had lots of visitors today, including...

• Matt (a buddy from the honor guard and now from Miami)
• Cristie (a friend from D.C.)

And the steady support team has included...

• Melissa (good friend of Billy's, and wife of Tyler)
• Melissa's Parents:  Judy and Doug
• Melissa's Brother:  Jonathan
• Melissa's Sister:  Laurie
• me :-)
• Jill (our mom)
• Uncle Paul (my mom's brother, and an army vetran himself!  And he wanted me make sure that I spelled his name right.  Everyone's got jokes!)

Melissa's family has been incredible!  Judy prays.  A lot!  Every time you look, she's praying for Billy.  Doug and Judy both know a ton about health and healing, and we've been exploring treatment options with them.  Melissa is a great side-kick.  She's always watching out for what Billy needs.  She make sure she knows everything the nurses and doctors are doing, and she reports back to us when we're not able to be with him.  Lori has brought us food and just made sure our needs have been taken care of.  And Jonathan has been in to visit, and left earlier this evening to help turn Melissa's house into an "army barracks."  We're all staying together over there.  Full house.

We've laughed together today.  It's hard to hug Billy because of all the tubes and wires--but we've spent good time together.  The painkillers knock Billy out.  He fights sleep because he wants to spend time with people.  And he knows we love him.  He's got a good fight in him.  I think we're doing well, all things considered.

For those who are curious, here's the current list of upcoming visitors.  

Tomorrow's (Sunday's) Visitors Include...

• Adrienne (Fort Rucker, AL)
• Kelsey (Washington D.C.)
• Nate (a surprise visit all the way from an army assignment in Germany!  Don't tell!)

On Monday

• Dustin (an army buddy from the Old Guard/Honor Guard, flying in from Indiana)

And Sometime Soon...

• Tyler (on emergency leave from deployment to Iraq...praise God for compassion from the army!)

And on the Paypal Account...
I've also been asked about the Paypal account that Nate and Melissa set up on Billy's behalf.  Here's the post from Melissa (Nate's wife):

We need help.  Our friend William McCotter has been diagnosed with stage 4 stomach cancer.  It is very advanced and he is in a lot of pain.  Will is the most selfless giving person any of us has ever met.  It is our turn to finally give something back.  Donations are needed for treatment.  We are accepting through Pay Pal at Wills.Hope.2010@gmail.com.  Please pray, pass on, and donate anything you can.  Thank you all so much.

If you're interested in giving...

1. Go to www.paypal.com.  
2. Create an account.
3. Click the "Send Money" tab.  
4. Send to Wills.Hope.2010@gmail.com
5. I think you can figure out the rest.  :-)

For the curious...there's $125 there so far.  I'll keep you updated as the amount grows.

Thanks for everything!  Please keep praying for...

• a pain management regimen that works!  (regulation of pain)
• a restful night for all involved (especially Billy)
• Billy's body to fight the cancer
• Billy's body to calm down and start accepting nourishment

Thank you for all the texts and messages!  Even though Billy can't get messages in the ICU, I bring his phone "out" to connect to the towers.  It updates his messages, and when he's awake and alert enough, he reads them.  So keep them coming!

And last but not least, for those who aren't on Facebook, here's a recent family photo.



It's from Bobby's wedding last summer.  From the left... Chris, Bobby, Michelle, Billy, and Danny. And in order of age... Michelle, Chris, Billy, Bobby, Danny. Please keep all of us in your prayers!  We're holding together, but dealing with the shock in different ways.  We're all spread out, and that can be hard, especially during times like this.  Here's where we are these days...

• Michelle (from State College, PA, but currently in Miami)
• Chris (in Durango, CO)
• Billy (in between army assignments...on the move from AL to HI)
• Bobby (with his wife, Blair, in Loveland, CO)
• Danny (attending Bible college near L.A.) 

Thanks for praying and loving us during this time.