what a week, round 2

"I would have despaired unless I had believed
that I would see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living.
Wait for the LORD;
Be strong and let your heart take courage:
Yes, wait for the LORD."
Psalm 27:13-14

This verse sums up 2011 so far.  Because without the belief that God's goodness is surrounding me in the wait, I would most DEFINITELY despaired.

Saturday evening I got a call from Micah's sister letting me know they had taken her mom to the ER.  She was having serious abdominal pain and her skin was turning yellow.  A CAT scan revealed something in her pancreas blocking her liver.  They thought it could be a tumor, so she was admitted about 3AM Sunday morning.

Fast forward to Wednesday- the oncologist met with the family to tell them what he found in the tests that had been done so far.  Basically they were met with a couple different scenarios- the cancer could have NOT spread and be contained in the tumor.  This would lead to a very intense and invasive Whipple procedure.   If the cancer HAD spread to other areas, we would talk about different treatment options depending on the extent of the spreading. Only 2% of patients fall into the first scenario...

A series of tests were ordered for Friday morning, a PET scan and a laparoscopic, centrifuge test.  These would reveal a clearer picture of where exactly the cancer was in her body.  We left the hospital Wednesday and Thursday nervous and asking the Lord for the cancer to be contained in the area capable of being removed.

Today was a day filled with waiting.  John Mark went with my parents to hang out and play for the day so I was able to be with Micah.  A little over 2 hours after she went back for the test, she was back and immediately taken back to be prepped for the next series of tests.  They let us know the first test had revealed only 2 small spots on her liver, so she was cleared to go on with the next test.

After 8 hours of waiting, the surgeon came out to let us know the cancer appeared to be contained to the tumor.  They removed part of the spots on her liver to be biopsied.  If the results of the biopsy and the other test come back clean, they will move forward with the Whipple procedure sometime next week.

To say it's been an intense week would be an understatement.  Through it all I have seen the peace that transcends all understanding in Micah and his family.  I have felt the support of the body of Christ- through prayers, messages, coffee, sitting with me in the waiting room, staying the night with me... we are blessed.

There's still a long road ahead of us, and I would ask you to please pray.  We know that the Lord is Sovereign and in control of every circumstance of our lives.

"there is a light
that burns brighter than the sun
He steals the night and casts no shadows
there is HOPE
should oceans rise and mountains fall
He never fails"
--take heart, hillsong
(aka my life theme song)