My Sister's Surgery

My sister Melissa will be having surgery this Tuesday morning to remove the tumor they found. So far the news has been that it's benign, but Mayo wanted more tissue to do more testing. The drs decided that surgery is the best way to go right now. Because the tumor is located between her lung and heart, they will be going in through the sternum... just as they would for open-heart surgery. For those who want to, please pray that it goes well, and that the news continues to be good. Thank you!

*Her surgery is scheduled for 7:30 am tomorrow. I wish so badly I could be there with her, but
she is 8 hours away from me. I love you, Little Miss, and will be praying for you all day!!!

Good news!

Mayo Clinic said there's no evidence of cancer cells in the tumor! They do want to do more testing though and will either do another biopsy or surgery. Surgery is not my sister's top choice, as the procedure would be like an open-heart surgery with a big recovery time. Mayo also said that it is acute and chronic inflammation with fibrosis. I think... in other words... there was an infection, inflammation, making the tumor. Thanks for your thoughts and prayers!

Monday's the Day...

of sadness or celebration--but either way, it will be with complete trust in God. I found out today that we will definitely find out on Monday whether or not my sister's tumor is cancer or not. Again, we would sooo appreciate your prayers about this!! It's the uncertainty and fear of the unknown that is so scarey, and so we place it in the hands of the One who does know. I always have to remind myself the second part we often leave out of trusting is to also do the resting. If we say we do trust God's plan for our lives, then we must hand it completely to Him and not worry about it. Sooooo much easier said than done. Trust and Rest. So I'm telling myself now...Rest in knowing that whatever the answer is, it will somehow be the best thing. But am I still wholeheartedly putting in my request to the Lord?? You bet!

An Update...My Sister

I found out that my sister's biopsy was actually sent to Mayo Clinic for diagnosis, so results will not be back until Friday at the earliest and possibly not until next week. The hospital did take a "quick look" at it, and they thought it looked cancer-free, but that is not definite. Also, they were not sure what the mass is at all. Yes, it's all very confusing, I know. If Mayo says it's not cancer, and they still can't identify what it is, then they still have to do surgery on her to look at it and, I believe, remove it at the same time. Here's the tricky part-- the tumor is right between her right lung and her heart. So surgery means basically the same opening-up procedure involved with open-heart surgery. Please pray that news will continue to be that it is not cancer, and that they will be able to identify it so that surgery is not needed. Also, she seems to be in some pain and is very sick and weak from everything.

Again, wish ya knew my sister. Some of you do. Think of the most genuine, most sincere, sweetest, most fun person you've ever met, and that's her. I wish I were half the person she is. She is my mother through and through. My older sister and I usually just laugh and say, "Yep, Miss has that angelic quality that we seem to be missing." All in sisterly fun.

A few moments from this trip that I'll never forget...

* When I first saw Miss in the hospital, she hugged us with that beautiful, sweet smile of hers.
* Seeing her sit up so that she could hold her Baby Audrey for a minute.
* Watching her tonight sing "The Itsy Bitsy Spider" to her.
* Hearing Miss thank little Audrey for that little smile she gave her mommy.
* Knowing that I'd be blessed to be half the awesome mother she is...
* I helped her get into bed tonight. She just seems so sick and frail right now. I wanted to pray with her, so I asked her exactly where the tumor was. She silently raised her hand to
her heart, over slightly to the right. I placed my hand there and prayed--

"Dear Lord, please heal her now. Please take away whatever is wrong, and make her well. God, I love her so much. She is a blessing to us all. Please give us all strength and peace right now..."

Please join me in this prayer... we would appreciate it so much!

Keep Praying for My Sister...

Yesterday, my sister had an MRI. This basically confirmed that it is a tumor/mass in her chest cavity. She had a biopsy done right after, but unfortunately we won't have those results until sometime Wednesday. We are all waiting very anxiously and are very, very scared. Please keep praying that this is nothing serious. I know she would really appreciate it!

Pray for my Sister

We don't have much information now, but my parents just called and said that my sister has been taken to the ER. She has pneumonia, but in the chest x-ray they also found a mass on her lung. They're doing a biopsy on it now. Her bloodwork also indicates that she may have a blood clot somewhere. She is my younger sister and is only 31. Please pray for her that they'll find out quickly what it is, and that it will be nothing life threatening after all! She lives 8 hrs from us, so Mike and I are packed and ready to go. I am scared right now. I love her so much, so please pray!