It's a long and windy road

Our house is filled to the brim with family again since Steve's clan arrived to stay with us for Christmastime, and I love waking up each day to the sound of girlish giggles from little Emma. Mornings are usually difficult for me as I wake up feeling just as exhausted as when I went to bed which is an immediate reminder that I am still sick and it's going to be another day of wearying effort to accomplish the simplest of tasks. But when I slowly descend the stairs and am greeted by a perpetually bouncing delight of a granddaughter who beams, "Hi-ya Gram!" I am reminded that God is good. He is the Father of life, and He has given me a blissful one.

There have been some new developments in the cancer arena in the past few days which we are praying about and continuing to take one day at a time. We were called to meet with Dr. Segota for an unscheduled appointment after the results of my latest scans were received. She told us that the cancer in my lungs and bones has grown, which is to be expected since I have been going without treatment for almost two months, but more concerning is the fact that the MRI showed five new cancer sites in my brain. These cancer lesions have manifested themselves in noticeable physical symptoms, such as my recent inability to maintain balance or be steady on my legs. Since chemotherapy does not treat cancer in the brain, Dr. Segota said the only option for dealing with these new lesions would be a process called gamma knife surgery, which is actually not surgery at all, but extremely localized and concentrated radiation. The obstacle is that this treatment is generally administered to patients with many less lesions than I have in my brain. There is no evidence that gamma knife surgery yields any benefit in terms of life span or quality of life in patients with numerous lesions. However, since there is no other option for treating my brain, Dr. Segota has already set up an appointment for me Monday morning with a highly esteemed neurosurgeon who has extensive experience with gamma knife surgery. He will have to look at my case and decide whether this treatment is a reasonable possibility for me.

After that decision is made, we will have to make another decision regarding chemotherapy. Although the disease in my lungs and bones is progressing, the cancer in my brain has far greater bearing on my life span. It will continue to be a much more serious concern than the cancer in the rest of my body. So Dr. Segota said we will have to have a discussion about whether remaining on chemo is improving my quality of life, or whether its side effects are actually doing more harm to me than good for my body. But for now, we have set that issue on the back burner until we receive an answer about the possibility of gamma knife surgery.

So once again there has been a sudden turn in the road, and I am asking you to join me in prayer for myself, my family, and my doctors as we wait on the Lord to provide us with some critical answers. Thank you and God bless you.