Dad...

On July 28, 2008 my dad had a Stage IV Glioblastoma malignant brain tumor removed from his left temporal lobe. Since that day, he has made a remarkable recovery although he is sometimes discouraged by the things he still cannot do. He has some lingering problems with speech mostly in finding certain words and numbers which are exacerbated when he is overtired. His doctor said he has regained 90-95% of his previous speech and comprehension abilities and that number should increase with further time and speech therapy.

The tumor they removed is one that will require further treatment with radiation and chemo. He will see the oncologists on Wednesday, August 20th and they will decide the best course of action for his treatment. On average the treatment consists of daily radiation and chemo for 4-6 weeks, Monday through Friday. While he won’t have too many side affects or lose much hair from this chemo, he will have a great deal of fatigue that will last about one month after the last chemo/radiation treatment. Following this, he will have monthly MRI or CAT scans to monitor for any recurrence of the cancerous tumor. As his neurosurgeon said, “this tumor is treatable, not curable.”

While this diagnosis has come as a shock to our family, we have great hope and faith knowing that our Lord will not leave us alone in this fight. Dad is on a number of prayer lists all over the country and we feel the prayers and love that all have offered. Mom and Dad have decided that they will no longer be active in growing daylilies. Dad has already ceased working with the daylilies and Mom will be selling as many of the plants as possible. While they truly enjoy gardening and being in the yard, the number of daylilies they own requires too much upkeep and they have chosen to spend whatever time they have together relaxing with family and friends and enjoying life.

Continue to pray for dad. This will be an ongoing battle and we are believing that Dad will have a remarkable, miraculous recovery.

Thank you!