Finally an update

It has been one month since Chris has had surgery. He has been healing well and regaining his strength and energy.  He actually has gone back to work and has been traveling again to Headquarters.  It's been nice to have a slight glimpse of normal life again.  Today we met with the Oncologist to go over Chris' further treatment.  Chris will start chemo on Monday in pill form.  They are going to do some testing on his tumor they removed, to see what kind of chemo he should do -- so the pill form of chemo may change in January.  Tonight as I dropped him off at the airport we were listening to Christmas music.  The song that came on was "Breath of Heaven". In the song Mary says,  

Help me be strong
Help me be

Help me

Breath of heaven
Hold me together
Be forever near me
Breath of heaven
Breath of heaven
Light up my darkness
Pour over me your holiness
For you are holy

CT and I looked at each other and he said," isn't it weird that the words to this song describe my emotions completely." What was interesting was it was completely how I was feeling too. I'm ready to get chemo started, to get it behind us, but at the same time I'm anxious for this part of it.... will he be strong enough to get through it or will I be strong enough to manage everything while he is going through it.  

Again thanks for everyones continued prayers, we really appreciate them.

November 12 -- Update

We are so grateful for the all the support and inquiries about my progress.  There isn't a whole lot to report, other than I am feeling better and getting stronger each day.  I still fatigue easily but am starting to feel much more like my usual self.  Over the past two days my appetite has started to return, I even ventured out for a dinner date this week!!  Thursday night I was able to sleep through the night for the first time post surgery, so things are starting to get back to normal.

After my surgery, pathology tests were done to see if I have a genetic condition called Lynch Syndrome. Often people under the age of 50 who develop colon cancer have this syndrome.  Carriers of this condition are much more likely to have reoccurring cancer.  Test results show that I do not have Lynch Syndrome which is a blessing.

Overall the pathology reports have been overwhelmingly positive.  The tumor did not perforate the colon wall, the lymph nodes came back cancer free, and the tests were negative for Lynch Syndrome. However, because of the aggressive nature of the tumor, traces of cancer were found in the nerve endings of the area of my colon that was removed.   This is called perineural invasion.  Because of the perineural invasion there is a strong likelihood that I will need to undergo chemo therapy to ensure that the cancer doesn't spread and is eradicated from my body.  Currently our surgeon, Dr. Kim is consulting with Oncologists about my case.  We have a follow-up appointment with Dr. Kim this Wednesday and at that time will explore the best course of treatment moving forward.

We are so appreciative of everyone's concern and faith on our behalf.

All the best,
Chris

One Month

A month ago today, as I lay on my hospital bed, the effects of the anesthesia slowly dissipating from my body, my gastroenterologist announced that a cancerous mass had been discovered in my sigmoid colon.  In that moment everything changed and yet the core of who I am and what I believe solidified and provided a foundation of strength for the challenges ahead.

Those who know me know that my faith is central to my life.  I truly believe that we are each a son or daughter of a kind, loving Heavenly Father who knows us, loves us and whose deepest concern is our happiness.  While He doesn't necessarily place trials in our lives, He allows the normal challenges of being human to be part of our lives.  During the trying times of our lives He doesn't abandon us nor does He usually take away our challenge.  Rather, as we turn to Him, He increases our capacities and abilities to meet our circumstances through the grace of His son, Jesus Christ. I have experienced that enabling power in numerous real and tangible ways over the past month.

While I am terribly embarrassed about the amount of attention I have received, I am completely overwhelmed with gratitude for the innumerable acts of faith that have been performed on my and my family's behalf over the past month.  Hundreds of  individuals have prayed for us, fasted for us, and strengthened us through acts of service and kindness.  A direct result of this unified faith on our behalf has been the gift of peace.  During the past month I have not experienced fear, despair, or even anxiousness.  I have been blessed with a spirit of peace, hope and comfort.  A favorite scripture has been a source of inspiration, "The Lord our God did visit us with assurances that he would deliver us; yea, insomuch that he did speak peace to our souls, and did grant unto us great faith, and did cause us that we should hope for our deliverance in him.  And we did take courage ... and were fixed with a determination to conquer ..."  Alma 58:11-12

We have been blessed to be guided to a wonderful surgeon who skillfully performed my operation. We are grateful that my body has responded and is healing quickly.  I am sore but not in pain.  I lack stamina but am growing stronger each day.  The results of the procedure and pathology test have been overwhelmingly positive.  That being said, the tumor was categorized as "ugly" and "aggressive" and has left traces of its mark.  Dr. Kim stated that I am 85-90% cured.  Over the next few weeks we will be determining the best treatment path forward.

So much can happen in one month.  Our lives have been altered for the better because of the events of this past month.  In the classic movie "It's a Wonderful Life" the lead character, George Bailey, receives a note from his guardian angel, Clarence, that reads, "Remember, George:  no man is failure who has friends."  This past month has been my "It's a Wonderful Life" moment.  I am so grateful for each person and relationship that has added to the tapestry of my life.

Thank you for all you have done for me,

Chris

Playing to WIN

Yesterday Chris kept up on his walking.  He actually was walking laps. Each time he would go out in the halls he would try to beat his last record.  I went out walking with him a few times and after the 9th lap I told him I thought he should sit down and rest.  He said, "If you're tired, go ahead and go back to the room and rest. I am going to beat my last record."  Then he would say, which became his motto--" You play differently when you play to WIN."  He is playing to WIN !!  Earlier this morning he couldn't sleep, so he went out twice and wore his fitbit and went two more miles !! Wow, his recovery is going so much better than expected and we are so grateful.  He's been doing so well that Dr. Kim discharged him from the hospital this afternoon.  So he is HOME and resting.  Before we left the hospital we got some of the pathology reports.  Dr. Kim called it a complicated pathology report because the good news is he is at a Stage 2A because the tumor hadn't penetrated the colon wall.  They removed the lymph nodes they were worried about and all 28 lymph nodes came back CLEAR!!  Such wonderful news!!! On the flip side, Dr. Kim called his cancer an ugly cancer that was very aggressive. We still need to get results for some genetic markers and should know within a few days.  At that point we will be closer to knowing if more treatment will be needed.  Dr. Kim and all of us are thrilled with the results that came back today.  We are so grateful for Dr. Kim, we feel we were guided to choose him. We are grateful for  the nurses, the nurses aids, all the staff at LDS hospital, and we are grateful for our army of family and friends who have stood by our side and helped us be strong.  We are grateful for our Savior who has been mindful of us and has taken care of us during this hard trial.

Walking

Chris did well last night after surgery. I think we are finally getting his pain managed.  The big goal last night was to have him walk and sit in a chair. If you know Chris well,  you know he is an over achiever and does nothing half way. At about 10 pm he felt he was ready to walk, but instead of just walking to the chair he wanted to walk all the way down the hall.  At this point, his nurses could see he was too tall for the bed that he was in --so right then and there a new bed was ordered.  I guess when you are 6ft -6inches tall there are some perks! He slept well last night, I think the new bed helped, and woke up this morning alert and wanting to do more walking. Yesterday was an exhausting and emotional day for me. I'm so glad we are on this side of the surgery. Hearing the tumor was encapsulated was the best news I could have ever heard. We are so so grateful for everyone who has had us in your thoughts and prayers. I believe there is so much power in prayer and it definitely has blessed our family.  So thank you everyone.

Successful surgery

Chris went into surgery at about 12:20 today.  The surgery unit was a little behind schedule. He got out of surgery at 3:18.  We were expecting the surgery to go  about 3 hours and it did.  Dr. Kim was pleased with how the surgery went.  He said the tumor was one of the bigger ones he's seen.  The good news was the tumor was totally encapsulated, so the tumor hadn't grown beyond the colon wall. We will know if the lymph nodes contain cancer in a few days after being biopsied. We feel like the Lord has guided  us to a very skillful surgeon and know we were in very good hands today.  As we were waiting for the surgery, we got a picure of all the FJH basketball players at breakfast today. They were wearing ribbons in support of Mckay's dad fighting cancer and being in surgery and wouldn't be able to go to the game.  This picture made me teary.  We have the best support group out there and thanks for supporting McKay on a very big day!  Go FJH they won!!! 78-27 - way to go!!

Hard News

On October 6, 2016-- Chris went in for a colonoscopy and they found a mass in his colon.  A week later it was confirmed that the mass was indeed cancerous.  As you can believe,  it turned our world upside down.  Chris had just been released as bishop for our ward the week before and had valiantly served in that calling for 5 years.  He also the past year had been working a rotational position for his company in Delaware.  We were looking forward to having him home more and spending quality time with him.  So now...... fighting cancer is our new mission.  We at this point don't know what stage he is at.  They were worried the cancer had spread to his liver, but with 2 different CT scans they aren't worried about that.  He also got a scan of his lungs and that came back clear!!!  Life has been full of scans, blood work, and many dr. appointments.  Today, Chris will get surgery to remove 1/3 of his colon where the mass is.  At that time, they will take out the lymph nodes that are around the mass, which the surgeon is worried about. The lymph nodes will be biopsied to see if the cancer has spread.   We are ready to get more answers and to  tackle cancer!!! We are so appreciative of everyone's prayers and fasting in our behalf.  Believe me, we can feel them and our burdens have been made light. We our humbled by all the goodness around us for such amazing family, friends, neighbors, and ward family who have come to our aid by bringing dinner, helping with the kids, driving carpools, countless treats, goodies and gifts.  We have been so blessed and through all this we feel peace that everything will be ok.

We feel we are at a point where doing a blog is the best way to update everyone on Chris' condition. Feel free to tell people about this blog, if they don't know about it,  we just ask that you don't share this blog on social media.  

We are ready to move forward and be FIERCE---- and as our 11 yr old says " We are going to kick CANCER in its face!!!!!!