Hope

Friday, February 19, 2010 at 5:22pm

Over the last two days Emmett has been through a series of tests, each of which resulted in the worst case scenario. The final test today was a PET scan (cool nuclear physics I’ll explain to you if you want). It was the first glimmer of good news. Although the cancer is all over his abdomen, it is not in his bones. I never thought I would rejoice to know the cancer is only all over his abdomen, but praise the Lord it is not in his bones. This brightens our outlook, even if only slightly.

It will still be a long, painful road ahead. The wool gathering is done, so the oncologists will meet and then we will all decide on a course of action. Next week is when we get the numbers on percentages and years. It may be a question of healing, it may be a question of how many years we can buy him. We just don’t know at this point. But we do have what we need now, hope. It stole in the room quietly this afternoon and now overflows our hearts.

For the moment we are so well taken care of that we can only wonder at the amazing love of our friends. Apparently there is food coming out the windows of our house, friends have opened their homes to our relatives, and all we have to do is ask and someone coordinates whatever we need. But the road ahead is long and may often be dark, so if you haven’t had a chance to help, we will certainly need you in the months or years to come.

Right now we need to get Emmett capable of going home, which means regulating his meds and discussing options for keeping his esophagus open. We hope to be home in a few days, and they’re planning on putting a stint in his throat on Friday, though that may change. The oncologists will meet with us next week to discuss our options for treatments and give us percentages and time lines.

So this weekend we rejoice, though we continue preparing for the long and painful battle ahead. He’s ready to fight and so are the doctors, so please continue to pray with us in this long season. Thank you so much for your prayers. They were answered in both small and large ways today.