We Have the Path Report

You know, since the beginning of this ordeal, it's been very hard to accept difficult days after we've had good days. It was easier to understand when Mom was in the middle of treatments and things seemed to get worse. Afterwards, though, I imagined things would get better...only to have her hospitalized twice. Now my mind automatically thinks every single day should be better. Not so today. It wasn't necessarily a bad day; it was just not as good as yesterday and the day before. Mom was in a bit more pain, and honestly, sometimes it's hard to stay upbeat when things aren't great. It's hard for me to accept because I'm 'Susy sunshine' - I've been a positive person for the most part. I'm optimistic. I want everything and everyone to just be happy-go-lucky all the time. When it's not so, it can be challenging for me not only to understand but to deal with it.

Anyway, all that to say that it wasn't a bad day, but we've had better. That's just how it is sometimes, and it's during those times that we have to look beyond the present circumstances and to...what? Off of ourselves and to God, who has our lives in His hands. He knows the why's of the what's. He orchestrates everything according to His will and for our good. Why He allows ugh stuff sometimes is beyond us, but this is for sure - He does and will use it all. Nothing goes to waste.

On a really great note - we got the pathology report from the entire removed tumor, or tissue area. The surgeon's PA told us over the phone, which is something she says she rarely does, but we've become really close to her and (she) didn't mind telling us.

The report says something like this (oh, and we'll get a written one on Tuesday, after which I'll be able to give a better report) - what was removed was now just scar tissue. It had the complete treatment effect. Three additional levels of testing revealed no more tumor cells were there, no more cancer cells. Eighteen lymph nodes were removed with the margin, and ALL of them returned negative for tumor (cancer). ALL margins were negative.

So what that says is that the treatment did what it was supposed to - not only did it shrink the tumor, but it basically just left it as scar tissue. It was dead. There were no living cancer cells. And the margins from what he removed had no cancer.

Friends, that's AMAZING news. Isn't my God good?