Overview
- 9 hours of surgery went well
- No clear consensus on next treatment
- I have an amazing family
- Keep Praying!
Spring in the SOuth
A SUBHEADING
I have lived in many parts of the United States – Florida, Minnesota, Illinois, California, and Alabama. I love falls in Minnesota – the turning of the leaves and the crisp October mornings. Falls in California as well with the coming of the Santa Anna winds and some clouds after 6 months of endless blue skies. But in Alabama, I like the springs best. The warm weather before getting too hot, sitting on the porch before the mosquitos show up, and the wonderous flowering of the dogwoods and other trees that turn every neighborhood into a colorful parade of surprising color. It’s especially appreciated this year.
Five weeks ago I underwent 9 hours of surgery to remove what was left of the main tumor mass: I lost about 20% of my liver, my gall bladder, and ten lymph nodes. The nine hours was longer than expected, but it was a fully robotic procedure. I came out with eleven small incisions across my torso, but it was far less invasive than a fully open procedure. There was significant inflammation around the cancer tissue, but that just confirmed the immunotherapy had been working.
While I had the surgery on Friday, I was able to go home on Sunday, after only 2 nights in the hospital. I started going for walks in the park near our house on Tuesday. I have continued to get better and stronger over the past few weeks and have returned to work, but I am still not my normal self. I just don’t have the energy at the end of the day, and my digestion is a bit off, likely due to the loss of my gall bladder, but I am on the recovery road.
While I have spoken to several doctors who have called my treatment and surgery recovery remarkable, I can only give credit to God for his hand of mercy. I am not an ambitiously heathy eater or disciplined exerciser, nor do I feel like a ‘cancer warrior’ committed to battling this dreaded disease. I am just man trying to show up every day, take his medicine, eat the right stuff, go for a good walk, and let God do the healing. He has used my doctors and surgeons to apply wise counsel and effective treatments, but I humbly give God the credit for the arrangement of the circumstances. I have learned new dimensions to understanding God’s providential and sustaining hand, as well as the effect of the support of prayer.
Finally, I need to call out my family, and especially Karly. My kids have consistently been encouraging and loving, kind and thoughtful even as they have had to experience the fear of the unknown while still working on being a kid, each at their own stage. I am so proud of each of them.
Karly has been extraordinary. This has been so hard on her to watch my struggles, offer encouraging words when she has been feeling the fear. She had to sit in the waiting room for those nine hours wondering and worrying, praying, and facing the wall of fear. She has been the one to keep me going with healthy food, tea, supplements, and prayers. Every day for months and months. She has kept the family moving and learning and growing with a fierce determination that put herself last. I can’t help but feel incredibly blessed to have her in my life. I am not worthy of the love she has shown me, but I want to be. I want to love this exceptional woman that God put in my life. And I want to do it for many years to come.
So, what’s next? The pathology report was encouraging – Everything was cleanly removed, so it does not look like any of the tumor was left. However, It was stage III advanced cancer that had reached the lymph nodes, a virtual highway to the rest of the body. So far, eight different doctors and oncologists have not reached a consensus, but some kind of follow-up treatment is almost certain. I expect another 3-6 months of immunotherapy, and maybe some reduced chemotherapy treatment. We should have a plan by the end of the week.
Spring is a time of renewal, when the hand of God puts on display the beauty and wonder of life that is thriving. We are trying to walk in that spirit of thriving each day. We are incredibly grateful for all the prayers and encouragement we have received. We both feel that it was the prayers that have carried us through the last 9 months – and we hope for whatever the next few months hold, we can continue to hold close to God and all his provision.