February 8, 2011 in Uncategorized with 17 Comments

This morning, Gray underwent surgery in an attempt to remove the tumors in his abdomen and around his aorta. He was taken into surgery at 9:30AM and his surgery and recovery took several hours. When the surgeon came into our waiting room to deliver news of how the surgery went, “nervous” isn’t a big enough  word to describe how we felt. I’m certain that the entire room held it’s breath in unison, hanging on every word leaving the surgeon’s mouth. As she spoke, though, we were happy to learn that Gray’s surgery went very well! Once the surgeon was able to get a look at Gray’s tumors she explained that all of his tumors “looked” like dead cancer cells. The tumors were hardened and, apparently, that’s a good thing! Because the tumors appeared to be dead, they didn’t remove much of them today. Instead, they took a biopsy from several of them and scraped as much as they could from his aorta. We should get the results on whether there are any cancerous cells left within the week. If his tumors are cancer free then the tumors don’t have to be fully removed from his body! We are so thankful for the news so far and hope for more good news to come! As gray woke from surgery he wasn’t too happy to find that he had tubes running from his nose and his arms and hands were restrained in soft casts to keep him from pulling and tugging at all of the tubes coming from his body. He was groggy, very thirsty and plain ol’ upset. Now, later in the evening, Gray is experiencing some pain but is doing his best to rest. He’s doing very well considering all he’s been through today and overall he’s been quite the trooper! He’s so brave! Thank you all for your prayers and many well wishes today. Please continue to stand in prayer with us this week as Gray recovers from surgery. After recovery we will remain in the hospital for Gray’s sixth round of chemo. We, along with Gray, are exhausted. While we care for Gray we hope to get even the slightest bit of rest for ourselves. Today was a long day.

A reminder of how fragile life is. How sweet life is. How kind it can be. A reminder that our baby is still our baby. His tiny toes. His sleeping eyes. His demanding voice! A reminder not to take anything for granted. Not a breath, not a sigh, not a laugh, not a grin. A reminder not to take any moment for granted. A reminder to love.

“My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will never be shaken.” Psalm 62:1-2