It has been some time since I wrote with news about Mary. In fact my last post of that sort was in early May of 2008. So let me begin with a little summary of the last year and three quarters.
After the radiation treatment was completed the doctors began a time of waiting and watching. Cancer is the sort of thing that you have to keep an eye on, regardless of what you have done. Scans were done every three months and them every six months. By June of 2009 our only real concern for Mary’s health, were the bones cracked in a car wreck. Things seemed under control.
Mary had said from the start that she wanted a year of clear scans before beginning reconstruction. (Sounds more like a building than a person when I say it like that.) After checking her schedule and the availability of the plastic surgeon, we decided to start the reconstruction at the end of October. I have to say that the surgery went better than expected and her recovery time wasn’t too bad. Better to expect a longer recovery and have a plesant surprise rather than the other way around.
The fly in the ointment came when the sent some scar tissue removed during surgery out for testing. Pathology reports indicated that some cancer cells existed in the removed tissue. Not at all what anyone expected to discover. So the doctors ordered a new set of scans. Three different types, to see what was going on. Well the scan all came back clear, no sign of cancer. But there was still the pathology reports.
By the end of December the local doctors had held several conferences and consulted with a number of colleagues around the county. In the end the consensus was that a new round of chemo-therapy was our best course of action. Pathology indicates we have some low-level activity, cancer cells are active, but the scans are clear. So we believe it is in a very early stage and treatment at this time will be our best bet to eliminate it before it can become anything more serious.
At the moment Mary and Sarah are about to wrap up an eight-day vacation in England. All indications are it has ben a fun and relaxing time. No work, no phone, no doctors … no worries for a little while. She’ll have a few days to decompress from the journey and then meet with the doctor on Thursday (February 4th) to start a new round of chemo-therapy. This one will be similar to the first but not identical.
Word of the upcoming treatment has spread among the family and friends. It took the doctors awhile to come up with the treatment plan and it took us a little time to wrap our minds around it. I think we are at peace with the plan, if you can say that about this sort of thing. Even before I ask both Mary and I know we are blessed by your friendship and your prayers. God brought us through the first round and will see us through the next.
May the peace and grace of Christ be with you, Mike
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