Thursday, January 31, 2013

Latest MRI

Earlier this week, Susie did her regularly scheduled, once every month MRI.  Today, we met with her doctor in Indianapolis to go over the results and do a regular check-up.  We are happy to report that her brain is healing well.  The MRI is stable, showing no signs of tumor growth or new tumor activity. 

So what does this mean?  Well, it means that the Lord is keeping her tumor at bay for now and we are thankful.  Last Friday, we crossed the one year mark of when Susie's tumor was first discovered.  That felt like a major accomplishment.  The doctors initially told us most people with her diagnosis have a recurrence within 2-4 years, they are hopeful that Susie's might be at least 3-5 years before recurrence happens.  We are hoping it never comes back.  We'll see how the Lord writes the script.
The reality is Susie's brain can grow new tumors at anytime as nothing is guaranteed and there is no rhyme or reason to when and how they grow.   Unlike other cancers, the brain only needs one tumor cell to remain to form into a tumor.  So every time we hear and see her MRI is stable and her brain is healing, we will be celebrating.  Lord willing, we will be celebrating a lot every two months.  Hopefully, you won't get tired of celebrating with us, where ever you may be. 

Susie will begin her next round of chemo on Monday.  We will do at least 3 more rounds of chemo over the next 3 months.  The hope is to slow down any tumor cells that remain.  After the 3 months, we will assess what our next steps are.  We will continue to monitor her brain with an MRI every two months. 

We are so thankful for our medical team.  Each one has been great.  They have treated us well and cared for us deeply, all of us.  They did a great job today of making Charlie and Annie feel at home.    We are thankful for great friends and family who have helped us in many ways and have shown us great love and support.  Today some of the kids teachers and our neighbors stepped up to watch the kids so we could make the drive out to Indianapolis.  Ultimately, we are thankful and stand in awe of our God and Savior who has sustained us through this.  We give the Lord our sincere honor, praise, worship and adoration as He showers His love, grace and mercy over us. 

Thanks for praying for us, caring for us, staying up-to-date with what is going on.  We truly appreciate it.  Last year heading into Super Bowl weekend, we were getting ready for a Giants win and a craniotomy.  This weekend, we'll spend some time with some friends, take Susie out on a date, and preach a sermon on Sunday! 

2 comments:

  1. Your faith in the Lord is astonishing. Your experiences are a testimony that God is truly in control and the fact that you have stayed positive throughout this entire process is such a blessing. I know that God has a higher purpose for all of you. I will continue to pray for Susie and the rest of your family.

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  2. Hi,

    I have a quick question about your blog, would you mind emailing me when you get a chance?

    Thanks,

    Cameron

    cameronvsj(at)gmail.com

    ReplyDelete