“So…What is Next with Karen?”
Update for Saturday July 23rd, 2016

You prayed and we sensed your prayers. I mean we really sensed your prayers. We asked you to please pray that the Lord would superintend every step of our way during Karen’s Cyber Knife surgery. We obviously never experienced this before and we both knew that we and our medical team really needed the Lord’s direction. Clearly we saw His blessing throughout it. Let me very briefly share just several of the evidences of His hand that was leading us.

First, Karen was supposed to have a prescription filled for steroids. On the morning of each Cyber Knife treatment she was to take one of the steroids. There was a stack of papers through which we were to read and make ourselves as familiar as possible. Somehow we both forgot the prescription. Out of a sound sleep, at around 3:00 on the morning of her first surgery, the Lord awakened me. The sense was so strong I immediately started praying for each of our family. The sense didn’t lessen. Then the Lord reminded me of the prescription. Inside I panicked! But to my joy and delight, good old Walgreens, about five minutes from our home, is open twenty-four hours a day! At 4:00 her prescription was filled. I was so very relieved that I wanted to hug the pharmacist. However, I assumed he would misunderstand my joy. So I contained myself to simply explaining to him what the Lord did for us that morning and how he was part of that great blessing.

Second, the surgical team allowed me the privilege to come back into the suite where she would undergo the procedure. I was with her while the technicians suited her into the very tight shield that covered her from the neck to her legs. I watched while they situated her on the table in the midst of the green laser lights coming from multiple directions. I felt mixed emotions as they secured the heavy mesh mask over her face. She squeezed my hand before I left amidst the reassurance of her tech nurse who said, “She really is going to do fine.” But I knew how hard it would be to lay motionless for over an hour. I knew how hard it was going to be not to cough. Any movement in her upper body other than breathing, including coughing would stop the surgery. The computer for the robotic arm guiding the radiation would stop. It would then need to recalibrate. Less than forty-five minutes later, one of the actual doctors (there are three medical doctoral specialists all participating in the procedure) stepped out to see me and let me know that she was doing amazingly well. All four procedures went without any incident until the very last when she coughed once. All the medical team told me that she is a wonderful patient. They marveled at how the procedure went without stopping with my Karen. How good the Lord was to us.

Third, Karen has really been battling nausea, flu-like symptoms, and generally feeling miserable. Each of the four times that the Cyber Knife surgery approached we really wondered how she was going to get through the treatment. Incredibly, the Lord took care of the sickness for that period of time. She was able to walk from the parking garage, through the bridge to the hospital, and through the lengthy walk through Lerner tower and down to the radiation department in University Hospital. She didn’t want me pushing her in a wheel chair. It didn’t seem to impress her that if I could drive a full sized sixty-six passenger bus I could certainly safely navigate her on board a wheel chair. But I digress! Each time of the procedure the Lord really lifted the sickness and we clearly saw His hand blessing her.

Lastly, folks specifically prayed that we would be able to navigate downtown Cleveland from the Westside to get to the University Hospital-Seidman Cancer Center. We have such a wonderful surgical Radiation Oncologist. On one of the mornings of Karen’s procedure, as the team was prepping her with the shield and mask, and lining her up with all the laser beams, Dr. Ovy sat with me and just chatted out of concern as to how both of us would navigate the last two procedures as the Republican National Convention was taking place. He too would be coming in from the Westside. He shared with me the back streets that were recommended to him by hospital leadership. That meant a lot to me and his directions really worked. It took longer; but we had no trouble getting to and from the hospital. Several times we saw a dozen motorcycle officers with their lights and sirens blaring as the lead processions of buses carrying delegates to the Quick and Loans Arena. That was pretty impressive. But even throughout the rush hour traffic, highway closures, tens of thousands of added folks in our city, the Lord blessed us with highways that we could navigate safety as we were surrounded by folks that appeared to be learning how to drive. Every day when we saw someone driving in a crazy or reckless manner, I looked at my sweetheart and said “Exclamation point!” I think I said that two or three times on the way in and two or three times on the way out. Sometimes I said it two times in the same sentence. I write all this to say how good the Lord was to us as He kept us safe in our travels.

Karen has come safely through the four massive Cyber Knife radiation surgical procedures. She has no burned skin as projected she might. She doesn’t have excessive fatigue as projected she might. She did sleep through much of the RNC each night; but I’m not sure that had anything to do with Cyber Knife. So what is next?

Now we wait. On August 15th we meet with our regular Oncologist to discuss what type of therapy she will have in the future.

On August 19th she will undergo a CT scan of her lung to see if indeed the mass is obliterated. After the last surgery, the specialists give the lung a full month to make absolutely sure that the mass is gone.

On August 24th we meet with the Radiation Oncologist to learn the results. I will let you know as soon as we learn the results and what happens next.

This we know. God has and continues to be very good to us. This morning in my Bible reading time I came to the following. “It is a good thing to give thanks unto the LORD, and to sing praises unto Thy name, O Most High: To show forth Thy lovingkindness in the morning, and Thy faithfulness every night” (Psalm 92:1-2). That’s just what Karen and I would like to invite all our friends to do with us. Thank you so much for your friendship and prayers. How can we begin to communicate to you how much you mean to us?