NEW SURGERY DATE AUGUST 21
Okay, lots of information today. We met with Dr. Pearl, the vascular surgeon who will be in on Dad's surgery. He's responsible for removing the vein that is involved in the pancreatic cancer. He was so positive and encouraging about Dad's prognosis for a positive outcome. He will remove the cancerous portion of the vein and then will either attach the two ends or graft a portion of his jugular vein if needed. He did a physical exam and dad's stomach is soft (this is the only time that is actually a good statement) and lump-free. This is a huge relief since his abdominal pain was really worrying us.
We just received a phone call from Dr. Nemunaitis about 15 minutes ago. They got the FDA approval for their production lab to begin making the vaccine yesterday (praise God)! This is a HUGE deal. The FDA is the master of their own universe and set their own timetable. Mary Crowley has been working 24/7 to get this approval. So now they can officially make the vaccine. The downside to this is they will not be able to produce it until August 21st at the earliest. The tissue for the vaccine has to be fresh and cannot be frozen. Therefore, Dad's date for surgery has been postponed until August 21. Needless to say, we are quite disappointed about this development. But Dr. Nemunaitis made it quite clear we could still have the surgery on August 10, we just couldn't have the vaccine if we did. Duh! Kind of a no-brainer. August 21st it is. We also went over Dad's recent stomach pain and other symptoms that have cropped up over the past three weeks. He reassured Dad that this is entirely consistent with the effects of the radiation. It causes inflammation of the stomach and intestines. He reiterated that the treatments Dad has undergone over the past few months are quite extreme and his lack of side effects is remarkable. To be experiencing some now is of little concern unless their is a dramatic escalation in pain or changes in his body.
So, in spite of our diappointment over the delay, all the reports are encouraging and the surgery is a go. Stay tuned just in case there are any unforeseen delays or postponements.
Portland and Hawaii were awesome! The time with the family was sweet and it was a blessed respite before getting on the medical madness train. Here are a few pictures of our time away.
Amazing sunset in Portland. Rivals anything seen in Hawaii. This one lasted almost 45 min. Pictures show Mom and Dad, DeeDee and Robert, Hector and Caleb, Tracy and Cari, Kristin and Lindsey.
Eating our way through Maui. First at the Gazeebo, then at Momma's with Lyle and Lydia and the Fam. What's not shown is Bubba Gump's, Maui Taco, Penne Pasta, Plantation House, Kimo's, BJ's, Maui Taco again, the Gazeebo again. The doctor told us to fatten Dad up, and we took that advice verrrry seriously (burp!). Pass the Pepcid AC please.
The girls (sans DeeDee who was wiped out in the room) at the Ali'i the first night, (and the boys, of course). The house at Puamana was trashed, so they put us up at the Ali'i for a night while they cleaned our place. A fortunate coincidence that Lyle and Lydia were staying there.
The final sunset of the trip: fat, tanned and happy!
posted by Cari at 8/01/2006 06:37:00 PM
5 Comments:
Precious Tom,
As I have heard of your abdominal pain and anxiousness, I am reminded of several things that I believe the Lord wants you to remember as well. First, the battle is His and His alone. We must always remember this. He is the Victor and He has purchased the victory over sickness and disease. Secondly, there is life and death in the power of the tongue. Our words and yours are very critical at this time. You must keep yourself rooted and grounded in the words of the Lord as they are Truth and they are Life to your mortal body. You must keep your eyes fixed upon the Lord and all that He has done in and for you during this battle. He has not left you alone, nor will He ever! He has given you power to tread upon serpents and scorpions and upon all the power of the enemy and nothing shall by any means harm you! He loves you with an everlasting love. You must remember the good works of His hands and give Him praise and glory for it! You can trust in God for He is not a man that he should lie. You must think upon those things that are good and pleasant and edifying to your soul. As you have done this in the past, you have had no pain. As you have trusted in the Lord, you have walked free of symptoms and side-effects. That is the walk of faith. Walking by faith and not by sight. Faith is the evidence of things not seen. You are not alone. You have a great cloud of witnesses who are in heaven rooting for you as well as a host of earthen vessels who are standing with you strong in faith and in the power of our Lord and Savior and healer!
I love you so much and will stand strong until the day you are declared completely healed! To God be the glory for all the great things He has done!
Suzanne
Seriously, how good is God??? I cannot believe the timing of the vaccine approval, this is one more miracle to add to the pile that we've experienced over the last six months. I know it's hard to delay the surgery again, but I remain stunned by God's faithfulness every step of the way. As always, my heart is with you Grandpa, I love you and am praying for you! :)
Tom,
Wow, what a wonderful time I had with you and the family (thanks for my Cari-fix). It's so great to continue seeing God working through this whole process, what with the timing and all... can you get the royalties on HardeVax? I think you've earned it!! ;-)
Love ya'll so much!
Next year in Jerusalem! Tracy
Hello Precious Tom,
Bob and Joshua and I are praying for you, really big right now. Your life is one of the strongest testimonies of what I believe it means to truely live as a Christian. You are strong, steadfast and courageous. The bigger the battle, the bigger your faith. The more the enemy wants to defeat you, the more you trust in God, our strength and hope. "The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and will bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom. To Him be glory forever and ever. Amen." (2Tim 4:18)
When others would shrink back and be fearful, you step forward and be bold.
Your life examples this verse, "We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure." (Heb.6:19)
We all believe with all of our hearts that God is going to heal you completely, Tom. We're here for you and you are ever at the forefront of our praylist.
Bob wants me to add these verses for him, "The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their cry;...The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them; He delivers them from all their troubles....A righteous man may have many troubles, but the Lord delivers him from them all. (exerpts Psalm34:15-19).
Sweet Tom, we know as we know that you are not going to be cut short of one wonderful day that the Lord designed for you, from long before time began. He will protect you and heal you.
We're all crazy about you, endeavor to pattern our lives after you, and are all on the TomTeam. In short, we need you to show us how to truly lay your life down for others, the way Jesus did.
We love you and are standing in the gap for our Beloved Tom.
Nelda, Bob and Joshua
Suzi and I are so thankful we had the opportunity to have dinner with Tom and Eileen last month. What a blessing both have been to our lives.
We continue to keep Tom in our daily prayers.
Dudley
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