Dear Praying Family,

It's Sunday morning at 11:45 and we all back home after attending early morning service. Barb did well Friday afternoon and night. She also did well yesterday (Saturday) but she did have two slight seizures 2 minutes in duration. We were expecting those as the brain surgeon who did the gamma-knife surgery said it would cause some slight swelling and that is what causes the seizures. She has not had any additional seizures for the last 20 hours. Please continue to pray that the gamma-knife surgery did it's job and that it will result in the total elimination of the brain lesion. Thank you for standing with us on this journey of faith.

In Christ

Dave & Joan



It's 11:50 in the morning here on Friday and Barb is back home after the gamma-knife brain surgery. Joan and I took her in at 6:30 and she was the first patient. They placed a halo on her head which they attached with four pins that go down into the skull bone a little bit so as to prevent any movement. She then went in for a 15 minute MRI which they looked at right away and then plotted out how to pinpoint the gamma-knife. She waited for about an hour before going in for the surgery that lasted around 30 minutes.

The doctors and entire staff were really good to explain everything prior to and after the procedures. They said the tumour/lesion had actually shrank some due to the steroids. They did detect one other very small "spot" which they said was not necessarily a beginning lesion but they went ahead and treated it as well. Their post-procedure comments were "It was a piece of cake" which we took to mean that it did not present any difficulties that might have made the procedure more difficult or more risky. Now we have to wait 3 months before the next MRI on the brain which the Dr. indicated could actually show an increase in the size of the lesion which is normal as the cancer cells begin to die and are absorbed and disposed of by the surrounding cells/tissue. He said it could take up to year before the lesion entirely disappears. Our prayer is that nothing else manifests itself over the next three months.

In a few days to a week she will go in to see her primary oncologist to schedule a colonoscopy as they want to check to make sure nothing is happening. Her previous CT-MRI indicated a little thickening of the wall and while they don't necessarily suspect anything they want to make sure as it could effect the chemo treatment which we are guessing will start in another 2 weeks. Barb is certainly not anywhere near being "out of the woods" We simply continue to pray that the upcoming treatments will be effective and that God will intervene and bring complete and total healing. It definitely has to be a "God thing" because her doctors tell her it's currently treatable but not curable. But we all know who has the ultimate power to heal.

We are not going to send a general update out until Sunday just to give time to make sure she does not suffer any adverse side effects from the procedures she just went through and the meds she is on. If she is feeling well enough she is talking about going back to teaching on Tuesday. Her principle is supportive and will allow her all the time off she needs to keep on an even keel. Her doctors are also supportive as they want their patients to live as normal a life as possible for as long as God gives them life. Teaching is wonderful therapy for Barb and her staff is so caring and helpful. It also keeps her health care benefits active which is important when you are getting treatment at one of the most expensive hospitals in the world.

Lots of love

Dad & for Mom and Barb