Feb 13th, 2008

We just returned from Hopkins. Today was a good day. We received good news from our doctors (as much as "good cancer news" can be). As far as they can tell, the tumor next to the spine is not intertwined with the spine itself! This is very good news. As we sat in the doctors office this morning, looking at MRI images, he showed us a picture that shows the 2 cm tumor. Next to the tumor was a slim, narrow black line, which he believes to be a "separation" between the spine and the tumor!
The other great news was that there were no other tumors visable on any of the other MRIs. The presence of other tumors will be officially ruled out next week after a MIGB scan (next Thurs/Fri), but for now, they are working with this being the only tumor! This is also very good news.

We are still waiting on an official surgery date...could be Friday or next Tuesday. Thank you for your prayers for us and for Sarah!

We spent Tuesday afternoon in pediatric post op after Sarah had her MRI. It took her a while to wake up from the heavy drugs they gave her...so she slept on her mommy for a few hours. She got sick a couple times from the anesthesia, but all in all, the procedure went well. She was in the MRI area for 3 hrs, while they did multiple MRIs checking for the existence of any other tumors.

We will be meeting with the Pediatric surgeon this morning at 9am to discuss the results of the MRI. We are praying for a good report!

Monday, February 11th

Jen, Sarah and I went to Hopkins today to meet with our Oncology Pediatric Doctor. We were once again grateful for the team of men and women there. Our doctor sat and talked with us for over 2 hrs, answering all our questions...of which we had plenty of them!

We talked with him and he gave us what the week will look like:
Today was just blood work
Tomorrow - Sarah will have an zoomed in MRI on the tumor so the surgeon will know if the tumor is intertwined with the spinal cord. He will use this MRI to figure out his course of attack during surgery.
Wednesday - We will meet with our Pediatric surgeon to review the results of the MRI, and to map out the plan for the surgery.
Friday - Surgery...hopefully. I say hopefully because if the tumor has intertwined itself with her spine, then a pediatric neurosurgeon will need to be brought in to participate in the surgery. Hence, the surgery will be much longer of a surgery. If this is the case, the surgery might not happen til early next week, because they need to line up the surgery room and the doctor's schedules. During surgery, they will perform a spinal tap, and draw bone marrow to determine if the cancer has spread to the bone marrow (which can happen with this type of cancer).

In all this craziness, we are comforted. As Charles Spurgeon says, "In losses, crosses, and troubles, you realize God's presence more conspicuously than ever. The Bible does not say that when you walk along the flowery path or rest on the soft green bank, "I will be with you." It does not say that when you walk on the close cut grass, which feels like carpet under your feet, "I will be with you." I do not remember reading a Scripture promise like that. But God does say, "When you pass through the waters I will be with you" Is 43:2 He gives a special promise for a special time of trial. To meet the doubts of His troubled child, He says, "Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; you are Mine."

Dave

Friends

We are being blown away by the support and love we are receiving on a daily basis by friends near and far. Our family is caring for us well, and our friends are caring for us well. I am very privileged to work at a place where all my best friends are. These men (and their wives for Jen) are our closest friends. They care not only for our physical needs, but our spiritual needs as well. They are caring for our souls during this difficult time.

The senior pastor of our church, Joshua Harris, and one of my best friends, recently sent Jen and I an email that encouraged our souls. A portion of the emails reads as follows:

I just wanted to remind you that God loves you and your girl with an everlasting love--and these circumstances don't change that. Even though we don't have answers the cross shows us God's heart for us and his purpose and power to redeem all suffering.

I wanted to pass on two questions from the Heidelberg Catechism that encouraged me recently. I hope they encourage your soul...

27. Q. What do you understand by the providence of God?

A. God's providence is His almighty and ever present power,[1] whereby, as with His hand, He still upholds heaven and earth and all creatures,[2] and so governs them that leaf and blade, rain and drought, fruitful and barren years, food and drink, health and sickness, riches and poverty,[3] indeed, all things, come not by chance[4] but by His fatherly hand.[5]

[1] Jer. 23:23, 24; Acts 17:24-28. [2] Heb. 1:3. [3] Jer. 5:24; Acts 14:15-17; John 9:3; Prov. 22:2. [4] Prov. 16:33. [5] Matt. 10:29.

28. Q. What does it benefit us to know that God has created all things and still upholds them by His providence?

A. We can be patient in adversity,[1] thankful in prosperity,[2] and with a view to the future we can have a firm confidence in our faithful God and Father that no creature shall separate us from His love;[3] for all creatures are so completely in His hand that without His will they cannot so much as move.[4]

[1] Job. 1:21, 22; Ps. 39:10; James 1:3. [2] Deut. 8:10; I Thess. 5:18. [3] Ps. 55:22; Rom. 5:3-5; 8:38, 39. [4] Job 1:12; 2:6; Prov. 21:1; Acts 17:24-28.

Our great God is governing every cell in this universe. Be patient in this adversity, brother. Be strong in the Lord. He will sustain you day by day. And we’re going to walk this road with you. You’re not alone.

The truth of who God is and how he relates to this created world are sustaining us everyday. We are headed to Hopkins in a few hours to begin preparatory treatment for surgery. We should learn more today about what this week will look.

Dave

Sarah Faith

We wanted to keep as many of you up to date as we can, and will continue to do so through the blog as we are able. Here is an email that Dave sent out last night.

Some of this news you may already know, and some you may just be hearing of. Jen, Sarah and I just returned from Pediatric Oncology at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore. We were referred there immediately after an MRI at Shady Grove Adventist hospital revealed 2 tumors in Sarah. We went to SG earlier this week because Sarah was showing symptoms of digression in her motor skills, like walking and balance. We went right from SGAH to JHU. The doctors at JHU are some of the finest in the world. And despite being in high demand, we sat at length this evening with three doctors who specialize in pediatric oncology and they showed absolutely no sense of hurry, making us feel like we were the only cancer patients in the whole place. We left very grateful to God for the gift of medicine and very grateful for the oncology department at JHU.

It is most likely that our little girl has cancer, a form known as neuroblastoma. This is cancer of the peripheral nervous system. One of the tumors is right next to her spinal cord, which is why she is experiencing the odd side affects she has been experiencing. From the MRI readings they received from SGH, they were not able to detect the second tumor near the liver and at this time are limiting it to the one tumor near the spinal cord. They will do further MRIs to confirm this.

We will be home for the weekend for some much needed family time, and on Monday at 1pm, we will return to Hopkins to begin days of more testing: blood, urine, bone marrow, bone scan, another MRI and CT scans, all designed to learn more about the tumor before surgery can occur. The doctors are trying to get the surgery done by the end of next week. After surgery, we will begin treatment of some sort. The type and length of the treatment will be determined by what they find during surgery.

At this point, we have been told by our doctors to be preparing ourselves for the likelihood of a treatment and recovery process that will take no less than six months.

Please pray that the tumor is not intertwined with the spinal cord. If it is, we will have to have a neurosurgeon do the surgery with oncology surgeons. And please pray for a full healing from her all cancer and ataxia.

Jen and I are so grateful for your friendship and ongoing prayers. We have been carried along by them. We are also being very well cared for by our care group and family, from visits in the hospital to simply being there with us in the down times. We are grieving a lot, but we are aware of God’s grace. He loves our little girl more than we do, and we trust him.

Sarah

We've had quite a week. On Sunday we noticed that Sarah was having trouble walking and falling down quite a bit. On Monday we took her to our pediatrician, and he called a neurologist who wanted to see us right away, who then after seeing him, sent us right away to the hospital. On Tuesday morning she had an MRI and a spinal tap, and had tons of blood and urine work done. We are grateful that after all that, the result is nothing terrible. She actually has some sort of virus which is affecting the cerebellum, which is the part of the brain that controls balance and coordination, which would be why she has lots of shaking and is unable to walk normally. It is amazing to watch just a fraction of how the brain works. Other than the way this is affecting her physically, she is otherwise unaffected. She is her normal fiesty self, and was amazing during her time in the hospital. We were well cared for in the hospital by some friends and once again our family helped out heroically with the other kids, which allowed Dave to stay with me the entire time in the hospital. More importantly our friends cared for our souls as well. Helping us to see God's grace even in the most difficult circumstances. We are trusting in the Lord with the continual unknowns, what kind of virus is this, how long will it last, have the physical symptoms peaked at their worst yet? We are doing well and grateful that it is nothing worse. Thanks for all of you who have prayed for us, and expressed your care for us. We are grateful to not have to do this alone.

Like Daddy

One of the things I love about Dave is how much fun he can have with the kids. He's always looking for creative things to do with them. Since Alethea has been taking violin lessons, Mikaela of course has wanted to play some kind of instrument too. So, since Dave knows how to play guitar, we thought that would be a good one, so he could teach her. I love the way she is looking at him so intently. Right now she just strums along in her own little way. It's so cute. They sit and play worship songs while the other kids dance along. Fun times!!