Miracles

The MRI results from yesterday's surgery show that the surgeons extracted more of the tumor than they thought. The goal was 90%. We were told that anything less than 90% leaves us with "dismal" results. It looks as if the surgeons were able to remove close to that golden 90%--right where we need to be in order for radiation to be successful. It could be more than that but we are at least close.

The other good news is that the remaining tumor has shifted away from the brain stem. When going over the first MRI scan, our neurosurgeon with over 40 years experience said that he had "never seen a brain stem so distorted" by a tumor that is "as big as it gets". It now looks like the remaining tumor has moved into the empty space created from yesterday's surgery. Another miracle.

This news explains the feelings of peace Brent and I felt yesterday afternoon and evening, even when we heard that only 50% was removed. We just kept saying to each other how surprised we were at how good we felt. Now we know why.

This news changes our plans for the near future. We should know the exact plan tomorrow, but we believe the plan will be to operate again within a week. Now that the tumor is in a safer spot, it should be easier and faster to remove. After this next surgery, we would evaluate how much is left, and decide on a treatment plan from there.
One unknown right now is the part of the original tumor that had surrounded the major artery supplying blood to the brain. That was deemed "untouchable by surgery". We don't know if that has shifted at all but we assume and are hopeful that it would respond well to radiation.
We should know more tomorrow.

For now, we are in awe at the the power of prayer and the hand of God in our lives. We feel like the whole world is praying for us. We feel that strength and cannot tell you how grateful we are for it. We know Heavenly Father loves us and is mindful of our needs and wants.

Clearly, we still have a long stretch ahead of us but this is a HUGE step in the right direction on that long road. We have witnessed a miracle. There may be people out there who will call it coincidence or luck, but knowing how the odds were absolutely stacked against us going in to surgery yesterday and knowing how the surgeons honestly felt surgery went afterward, I know we have witnessed a miracle. A miracle that can only happen through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and in the supreme power of humble prayer.