Blessings

As I sit here thinking about what to report on Bryan, I started counting our blessings. We are blessed beyond measure and for that, we are truly grateful. We are blessed to have found each other young in life and to know that "A cord of three strands is not quickly torn apart." Ecclesiastes 4:12 We are blessed because after a couple of years of trying to have children, we had a set of twins, then another child and then another. We are blessed because all of our children have come to a saving knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! We are blessed to have a family, a church family, a community of church families and others all over the world praying for Bryan and his quick recovery. We are blessed because God saw fit for Bryan's cancer to be found early so more options may be available to him for treatment. We are blessed that the Lord is in control and although it is a valley for us, the battle belongs to Him! We know that mountain top experiences are wonderful and we praise God for those times. But, remember, nothing grows on the mountain top, but oh how awesome and fertile the soil is in the valleys. Pray that as we travel this valley that we find strength, peace and comfort from the Lord.

On August 8, 2008, we were on our way to pick Blair up from camp. She had been a cabin leader in training for the summer at a GA camp and the whole family plus G'ma were excited that she was FINALLY coming home. She's was missed dearly but she was right where God wanted her to be. We were also going school shopping which was a great surprise to the kids. When we stopped for lunch, Bryan told me that he thought he might have a kidney stone. He has a history of stones, so, this wasn't that unusual. However, the pain felt a little different than the usual pain of a kidney stone, which, from what I understand, is unbearable. Anyway, we continued with our day and the pain subsided for the most part. Keep in mind that this was the first pain EVER that he had.

On Monday, August 11, as I was talking with him on the phone, he told me that he needed to go to the doctor because, although the pain was minimal at this point, something was not right. I immediately made him an appt. for Wednesday, August 13. When he saw the doctor, he was told he may have an infection and was given antibiotics for 10 days. However, on Monday, August 18, they seemed not to be working so I called the doctor to see if he could try a different medication or if something else needed to be checked out. The doctor called Bryan and scheduled an ultrasound on Friday, August 22. He worked through Thursday and was off Friday for blood work and the ultrasound. (BTW, I don't think he could've worked past Friday because he was getting more and more uncomfortable by the day.) It was performed exactly 2 weeks after the first sign of pain. Within fifteen minutes or so of the ultrasound, they did a chest X-ray which was very alarming because we had not spoken to the doctor about the ultrasound results. We were given the hospital number and told to have the urologist on call paged so we could discuss the results. We called the doctor expecting the worst. He scheduled Bryan for emergency surgery on Monday, August 25 to remove the mass. At this point, we didn't know what kind but we knew it had to be removed.

Surgery day was on Monday, two and a half weeks after initial onset of pain. He was an "add-on" so, of course, it was a very long day. We reported to the hospital at 1PM and at 5:30, he was wheeled back to surgery. Before surgery, the doctor told us that according to his lab results, it was a malignant tumor and that we would know more after the pathology report. I asked him how long it had been there and was told "not very long." It was a very agressive form and he was glad we didn't wait to call when the antibiotics were not working. Praise the Lord that we didn't wait.

So now, sixteen days after surgery, we've been for a CT of the abdomen, a CT of the chest and more lab work. The oncologist told us that he is 10 years older than most patients diagnosed with testicular cancer and his were the lowest levels (blood tests) that she had ever seen. The levels are very important because the higher the levels, the more advanced the cancer. So far, his lab results have been dropping and continue to drop weekly. We pray this will continue. Also, the CT of his chest was normal, that's a huge PRAISE! That means, it hasn't spread to his lungs. The CT of his abdomen showed slightly enlarged lymph nodes which doesn't necessarily mean cancer but they are concerning so we have to keep a watch on them and, maybe at some point, have them removed. The other option is chemo. We will keep you updated.

This week, we are looking forward to homecoming at the high school football game. Our twins are both involved. Our beautiful twin daughter, Blair, is being sponsored by her friend, a senior tackle (and will be escorted by her daddy). Her very handsome twin brother, Blake, (kicker, punter and defensive back) is sponsoring a lovely friend. Our beautiful daughter, Karmen, will be cheering with the J.V. squad and our beautiful Kaelynn will be cheering everyone on with me in the stands.