Milestone

Esther's surgery went the best it could. Today we were peaceful and calm. Thank you for praying! Dr. Bruny was able to remove the tumor and it was pretty well encapsulated and wasn't stuck all over the nearby tissue. This is not typical for neuroblastoma, so we are thrilled. She also removed some surrounding lymph nodes and of course, her adrenal gland. The tumor had basically encapsulated the gland, only a small sliver was visible. Her kidney and the surrounding vessels looked great as well as the vena cava. Dr. Bruny expected to need to scrape cells off the tissues and veins surrounding the tumor, but was pleasantly surprised to not find much to scrape away.

This is really a gift from God and we are so thankful. It didn't have to be this easy, but it was. Our attending doctor, Dr. Garrington and our primary nurse, Kerri, came by and they were both so thrilled that the surgery went so well. This was a milestone.

We've relocated again and are on the 6th floor. Esther has a great nurse tonight who is going to make sure we stay on top of Esther's pain.

The last couple of weeks have been wearisome and just plain hard. It has been hard to just pick my feet up and take a new step, to muster hope that this road will end. God knew this and was kind to give Esther such a favorable outcome. I don't want to let my circumstances dictate my joy, but this is something to rejoice over and I feel hopeful. It sort of feels like when the baby sleeps through the night after months of getting up and you're just surrendered to fatigue. Then all of a sudden the baby sleeps and you wake up a new woman. God makes all things new and today He has renewed my hope.

God was also kind to give us the gift of company. Anthony's mom was with us today. We also were able to talk with Aly's mom and dad and Mark & Emily, Thomas' parents. Esther and Thomas were in surgery about the same time and Thomas finished only a little while after Esther. Anthony's mom went back to see Esther and I sat with Thomas' parents. I was joking it would be fun to have Thomas be in the recovery bed right next to Esther. Guess who was there when I went back to see Esther!

At our home a crew of people came to help move furniture and tear out the carpet.

Today felt like a shower of generous gifts from a God who loves us dearly and was just what we needed. The source tumor for the cancer in Esther's body is gone. While the road ahead is intense, this milestone is a big victory.



 

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