Greetings all!  Today is the 21st anniversary of our marriage. We may not be having a rom-com-like day, but we are spending it together!

We met w/ the surgeon this morning, and he wants me to come see him on Monday. I have one small area in my incision that continues to leak a little, and he just wants to make sure it is not getting infected. It’s not bad, he just wants to be sure. They think I’ll begin to heal a lot better now that the staples have been removed. So it looks like we’ll be coming home on Tuesday, instead. Sigh. I miss my family! And Cooper (dog). And Caspian a little (cat).

By the way: staple removal. KELLY CLARKSON! KELLY CLARKSON!  This was beyond painful. I’ve had staples removed before, but w/ the number of clips that I had and the soreness that was there, I almost passed out.

In other news, I met w/ the HIPEC surgeon as well. We went into the visit expecting him to say that I wasn’t a candidate so we wouldn’t be disappointed. Well, not only does he consider me a candidate, he had a plan that no one had thought of. Because his work requires about 6 hours in the OR and the tumor-removal surgery is highly complicated and would take around 12 hours, his suggestion was that we do the HIPEC first, let me heal up from that, and then do the surgery to remove the primary tumors. Oh. Cool. Good idea. (that’s why we’re at MD Anderson)

I then asked him his time frame, thinking that he would say around 6 months or so. Instead, he said 2-3 weeks.  That’s right. 2-3 weeks. Oh my. Scary, but that actually makes sense. Get in there and treat the area before any of the newly detected disease has any time grow.

He’s going to present his idea at one of their weekly conferences. This is another benefit of these large cancer centers. Medical oncologists, radiation oncologists, surgeons, and other specialists all gather in a room, and doctors present the cases of particular individuals. They then discuss various options in order to come up with a plan that is best for the patient. He will present my case on Thursday, so we’ll wait to hear what is decided.

Just another day in the boat!  Rock, rock, Jesus please make the storm stop! I’ll be honest, I even got “seasick” today.

I’m so glad I’m not alone. My wife sits by my side always. As I write, my mother, Kim and I are sitting in our hotel room enjoying the blue sky and warm sun and the beautiful view of North Houston (cities always look pretty from a distance). And there is so much sweetness around the medical center. You can feel it. It brings comfort and peace. I see so many couples hand-in hand, walking the corridors, with one of those hands bearing a white patient wristband. As hard as it is to fight for your life, it really can enrich the days you have with a love that covers you. And I have this in the greatest of portions through family and friends and my church body.

My heart really aches for the people that I see that are by themselves battling cancer or going through other difficult times. Oh the groans of this broken creation. I’m sure they too find comfort in the presence of love throughout the center. But the greatest comfort is knowing that no one is really alone who puts their faith and hope in Jesus Christ. And if they do, I know there is a body of believers that will give them the love and support they need.

Self-giving love. That is a life of true purpose.

Love and peace

Brent