Another Andrew Update

I made it to Boise today, and was able to spend the entire day with Brittany, Taylor and my parents among many others who were here to support Andrew and lend their prayers as we waited for the surgery to conclude.

We knew it was going to be a long day, and my dad talked to Andrew about it this morning, asking him how he felt. They talked about how long the whole thing was going to be and Andrew pointed out that it was going to be a really long day for everyone else, but it wouldn't be too bad for him because "time goes really fast when you're asleep". He never once appeared to be afraid or sad and never once complained. Such an amazing kid!

He went in to Pre-Op at about 10:30am and was not out of surgery until about 9:20pm. It took another 30 minutes or so to move him to recovery and then another hour before the surgeon came out to give Brittany and Dave (Andrew's Father) the full update on the outcome of the surgery.

I'm happy to report that he was immediately able to speak, count to 4, grip with both hands and pass rudimentary motor tests. The surgeon said we'd get a better idea for his motor function and vision once he's had a chance for the anesthesia to wear off, but overall Andrew did great, and functionally the outlook is good.

Unfortunately, he also reported that the tumor appears to be malignant - medulloblastoma. They have a few more tests to get back, and want to do another MRI to get a good look at his brain stem and the rest of the area to be sure they got everything, but either way it appears that Andrew will have to undergo chemotherapy and radiation treatments.

They'll also be doing a CT scan to look for any blood clots, and he may need a blood transfusion in the next day because of the blood lost during the surgery, but there was not enough bleeding to make it necessary immediately, which I guess is a good thing.

It's strange to have a desire to celebrate when being told that someone has cancer, but something inside of me just wont let me dwell on that part. Andrew is alive. He's talking. He's moving. He's Andrew. For those reasons alone we have reason to rejoice!

The trial ahead is not a small or easy one, but today we were blessed with a victory!

I got to spend a lot of time with Taylor today, which was wonderful. We spent some time learning Cat's Cradle and Jacob's Ladder string tricks so she can teach them to Andrew. I discovered that this particular game is not one of my strengths. Luckily she is much better than me!

My other sisters and their kids are driving up tonight and will be here to add to the masses tomorrow morning. Taylor is so excited to see them, and I can only imagine that Andrew will have the same reaction. The kids all love each other so much and really love being together. More positive energy to buoy Andrew and his recovery is sure to arrive with them.

Thank you so much to those of you who have sent your prayers and good wishes. I'm lucky to have such wonderful people in my life! Please keep the prayers coming!

I'm going to sleep tonight feeling incredibly blessed.