More Good News

As we approach the end of the year things are looking good. Healing from the surgery continues, and Mary is still following the doctor’s orders limiting lifting and stretching too far. The highlight of the week came when checking with the various doctors for appointments after the first of the year.

 At this time the radiation is on hold! The doctors have talked and everyone is extremely please with the results, so a scheduled CT scan has been canceled. We meet again with the surgeon and the oncologist after the first of the year to see what the next steps will be. Our biggest concern at this time is lymphedema in Mary’s right arm. This is a swelling caused by removal of the lymph-nods during the surgery. Otherwise things are good and we are looking forward to the new year.

Our Christmas Letter

This is obviously a bit late, but it’s the thought that counts. I have been working on our family Christmas letter, now a New Year’s letter. It is almost ready to be printed & mailed, so I thought I would make it available on the blog for all of or e-friends. (Actualy I posted most of it on Christmas Eve and a few of you have found it.)

So I invite you to take a look at the Thurmond’s Christmas/New Year’s greeting on the blog (you are here.) Look for the Merry Christmas post. Or if you prefer you can wait for the printed copy to arrive in the mail. I figure we missed the Christmas rush so there is less chance of it getting lost.

To all of you a very Merry (if belated) Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Your prayers and wishes have been a blessing to us in 2007. May the peace and grace of God be with you and yours in the new year.

Mike and Mary

(There are more than a few of or friends who are not connected to us via email and the Internet. Hard to believe but some folk just aren’t in the world of e-news. Or maybe it is just that I haven’t asked. If you are one of these and would like to added to my email list just drop me a note or add a comment to the blog. I’ll be happy to add you to the list.)

Merry Christmas

Here I sit on Christmas Eve, watching Monday Night Football and waiting for the family to gather for the 11 o’clock Christmas Eve service. Truth be known I left the game to come work on this overdue message. The contrast of Monday Night Football with the birth of Christ, provides a unique view on life in the United States; and I suspect much of the developed world. All too often we focus on the small matters that fade away, while overlooking the truly important things that are right in front of us. I hope you have been able to look past the hype of our world and appreciate the true joy of the season.

We have taken to sending out a Christmas and New Year’s greeting the last few years to share a little of the past year with you our friends. I don’t write nearly often enough and find it hard to sum up a whole year in a page. Like last year Sarah has lent a hand in compiling this message and if I had followed through with her beginning this message would have gone out much sooner. But as you will see this has been a tumultuous year with more than its share of challenges, but I am getting ahead of myself. Let’s start with our girls, Sarah and Rebecca.

Sarah has decided that her calling is in middle school education. After a year as a substitute teacher, much of it teaching eighth grade science, she has decided to get a masters degree in middle school education with a focus on math and social studies. To that end she enrolled in Columbus State University this fall and has been splitting her time between Columbus (Georgia) and Atlanta. Other than the mileage on the car and the gas bill; she has done quite well with A’s and a B, while keeping all her social commitments in Atlanta.

After three years of higher education Rebecca has decided to pursue a career in marketing. She is the inside sales representative for a contracting company and has developed a knack for getting them on bid lists and finding her way through the corporate phone mazes that many firms have put in place. I believe she is also learning a little something about construction and bid preparation.

Our church and our family have become active in doing hurricane reconstruction for homes along the Mississippi Gulf Coast. It is sometimes hard to believe but a year and a half after Katrina and much of the Gulf Coast is just starting to recover. We have developed a relationship with the Long Beach Presbyterian Church and have sent six teams over to help home owners rebuild. The folks in Long Beach say they may be doing this for the next five years.

In June of this year Mary was diagnosed with breast cancer. A biopsy confirmed the diagnosis and then scans to check for any further evidence showed a Hodgkin’s tumor behind her breast bone. Needless to say this took the wind out of our sails for little while. After catching our collective breath, we sat down with the doctors and came up with a treatment plan. Most of you reading this message are aware of this and have been very supportive. There are a few people, not on our email list, who are learning of this for the first time. If you are one of these you can get the full story in my blog, see the end of the message for details.

The important news is that the treatment plan is working. Six doses of chemo-therapy over an eighteen week period, followed by bilateral mastectomies has driven all signs of the cancer from her body. Test in early January will determine if follow up radiation is necessary to complete treatment for the Hodgkin’s. It has been a challenging six months but we find ourselves at the end of the year with the worst of the journey behind us.

One final milestone of sorts should also be noted. After two years as president of Clifton Sanctuary Ministries; Mike was replaced by a new president in November. He will continue to serve on the board of directors with a focus on our fund raising efforts in the New Year. Clifton Sanctuary Ministries works with men who are homeless in Atlanta. Founded by Clifton Presbyterian Church in 1979 it continues to shelter thirty men each night in the sanctuary of the church. For the full story I refer you to the web site www.CliftonSanctuary.com. It is a very unique ministry that has played an important part in all our lives.

Let me close by wishing all of you a very Merry Christmas and a Blessed New Year. It cannot be repeated often enough that we collectively thank all of you for your prayers and support during the past six months. We hope to see many of you during the upcoming year and if we can’t be with you know that you are in our prayers. May God’s peace and grace be with you now and throughout the year.

Good News

Praise God! That is the only way I can find to open this message and the news it contains. Mary’s surgeon called last night during dinner. After passing inspection by one of our unofficial call screeners, my daughters, he shared the pathology reports with Mary. A friend sharing dinner with us said beaming was the word to describe the look on Mary’s face.

Pathology reports that everything was clear. No signs of cancer in  any of the breast or skin tissue, and all of the lymph-nodes form both sides were clear! The chemotherapy has done its job. This is not to say that the journey, as Mary calls it is over; but a major phase has been completed with the best of all possible results. This was the desired result when the plan for chemotherapy followed by surgery was mapped out.

The biggest news here is that we will now revisit the need for radiation. Over the next two weeks we have appointments with the surgeon and the primary oncologist to go over these result and Mary’s general health. Not to get our hopes up but to have a doctor open the possibility of passing on radiation is an answer to prayer. This of course focuses primarily on the breast cancer so we still have the Hodgkin’s to be considered. Of course the ultimate objective is to see the cancer removed and the chance of recurrence reduced to a minimum. Avoiding radiation shortens the treatment process and opens the door to a wider number of reconstruction options. Radiation has an adverse effect on the skin and takes some of the simpler options off the table.

We pray now for continued healing, recovery form the surgery; thanks that the chemo has done its job, and wisdom in deciding our next steps.

May the peace, grace and love of God be with all of you.

Two Days at Home

Mary has been home now for almost 48 hours, but who’s counting. She is still a little run down but that was major surgery, so she has a right to be. While I tried to work during her stay at the hospital I still seem to be behind. We are still waiting to hear/see the actual pathology report but initial indications from surgeon were good. This is a big step in ridding her body of the cancer but we still have a long way to go before the treatment is complete. On the other hand after 31 years together an year or two is not the long in the grand scheme.

Even these short notes seem to take an inordinate amount of time, so I best get back to work. Those less important tasks that seem to need constant if not immediate attention.

Back at Home

We made it home today! While there is still much healing to take place, getting home is a big step. The hospital staff was good but there is still no place like home. What we need now is time to rest and recover. We don’t expect to hear anything further for a few days yet. Mary goes back to the surgeon on Thursday and then will meet with the Oncologist the following week. Most of this is just checking to see how she is doing. Chemo and surgery has dropped a number of blood counts. So she is taking a hand full of supplements to get her levels back where they need to be.

If have a few minutes during the next couple of weeks, a phone call might be nice. Short visits will also be in order once she gets her strength back. Four weeks at home will be a challenge. All words of encouragement and prayers for patience are appreciated, as we begin the road to recovery.

Moving Forward

Surgery was on Wednesday, December 5th. I sent out a brief note that afternoon, to let everyone know that to surgery went well and that Mary was on her way to a room. I have started to post a summary a couple of times but just haven’t found the time. So let me bring us all up-to-date.

Wednesday was along day. It started at about 4:30 in the morning. We checked her in at about 5:30 to get things ready. Everything was setup and she was ready to go at about 7:30. After a brief prayer and some hugs, Mary was off to the OR and the rest of us headed to the Cafe to get some breakfast and begin the wait. At about 8:30 we got the word that the actual surgery had begun.

A number of friends dropped by to lend some support while we waited for news from the OR. Dr. Hardcastle and the OR staff kept us informed as the day progressed. We had been warned that i would be a long day but there were no surprises and by about 3 PM she was on her way to PACU (new name for recovery room.)  By 4:30 she was upstairs in a room and relatively aware of her surroundings. Thanks to each of you that made it by on Wednesday and to each who took time to say a special word of prayer on Wednesday. I understand that a number of folks stopped by the church to share some time in prayer.

Since Wednesday Mary has made steady progress. She has experienced only a little pain and the doctor has been steadily disconnecting the tubes and IV’s. Today she went for a walk about the room (suite) and up the hallway. If all continues the plan is to release her on Sunday.

Before moving on I to thank some special ladies, Connie, Kathy, Carol and Dottie. Long time friends of Mary they have come in each evening to spend the night with Mary. Turns out she has been a very good patient, needing only a little attention. Never-the-less their presence allowed us to go home and get some rest at night. One of them also alerted us that the hospital has VIP rooms. This is a larger patient room with a small kitchenette and an extra room, complete with its own bathroom. If you have to spend time at a hospital this is the way to do it. Even came with its own coffee pot. The patient doesn’t get to see it but the rest of us were able to spread out a little more than usual.

The doctor came in on Friday and changed the dressing, with some help from Mary’s mom and myself (we rolled gauze bandages.) He said everything was looking good. Her red blood cell count had dropped some, the result of chemo & surgery, but with a little medication it is now headed back up to the desired range; without a transfusion. While this was not a minor procedure, it has not had the same overall effect that major abdominal surgery does. That came from Mary herself, who would know, having done that before.

She is resting comfortably now, reading a book, and ignoring the television. Dr. Hardcastle visited today, and said she was looking good. His plan is to come by on Sunday morning and remove the last drain and her IV line. Once that is done he says she can go home. While she is not supposed to lie around in bed but she is supposed to take it easy for 3 to 4 weeks.

I think that brings us up-to-date. If you want more of the medical details drop Mary a note or maybe a phone call next week. I’ll get into details of our next steps in my next post. Until then we thank each of you for your continuing support and prayers.

May the peace and grace of our savior be with all of you.