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 Gettin’ there!

Oh my friends. I am saying this more and more and I realize I might be putting myself on an emotional watch list somewhere. No straight jackets please.

These last 3 weeks have been an absolute dream. A realized miracle I was never brave enough to ask for. Truly. God has generously displayed His magnificence and redemptive nature through this faith-filled human, (me), and why He has chosen this girl I do not question. I am just so overwhelmingly grateful. So grateful I could cry at any point during the day with such chest crushing joy. Have you ever had that?

It’s indescribable.

I had my 2 week post op last week. 68 staples evicted. Scab paaaaartaaay! Then we went over the volumetrics. The scans where you can actually see in 3D what is left over and what he removed. He successfully removed 46 cubic inches of tumor people. I am no math major but I think that could have been another almost brain inside my brain. I don’t know if you have ever had the opportunity to see a doctor’s face after God equips them to perform and and execute these miracles-but the authentic joy at being a part of what was the impossible is just the sweetest thing to witness. God gave me a super surgeon and super PA. So loving and kind! Such a blessed gift. This just does not happen. To my wonderful friends and family, thank you for your loving and impactful prayers. All the love and encouragement. I do feel as though God gave all of us a restart/ rebirth/ reset.

Friends, this is what you dared to pray for. 46 cubic inches….gone. You can also see the crazy growth over the years specifically over the last. 

The green is old news. Old tumor. She gone! The blue would be the remnant. .6 yes POINT 6 cubic cm. It’s truly unbelievable. I still want to cry. Every day.

The next time you think you’ll forget to pray, or glance over a request, I pray you will remember I am here. This miracle happened because we/ you all asked and begged and pleaded. It did not have to be this way. Yet, He would still be the same good, ever faithful, ever present God we would and will continue to serve with joy and privilege. He is so full of grace and mercy. These acts of love-they last forever. As does He. Please always pray-you can be a part of God’s answered prayers over and over again in this life. What a beautiful gift for those you petition for as well as your own soul.

Many of you ask, so I share. Recovery has been as good and it has been in extra large part because of all you. Your meals, help, rides, grace, texts, calls, walks, cards…it’s just the best and carries us so far. Chad has been such a gift. The man is my hero. To our parents, my aunt and our beloved friends, our extraordinary church…where would we be without you?

The physical healing is up and down. (Expected). This is by far the biggest surgery, biggest recovery. Much healing and redistribution needed. I am slow. Tire out easily. Get confused. Eat. Try to read, eat. Headache, sleep, eat. I dream about pajamas more so than chocolate which says a LOT people. 

Aaand…no seizures!!!

This is mind blowing in itself..speaking of miracles. My eyesight is better!!👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼 Thank you Jesus!! Texting and writing is getting better-ish too.  I think…no one really tells you if you don’t make sense, except my spawn. They are pretty consistent with that. Trying to figure out stupid and necessary things is exhausting y’all.

I do have a pocket of fluid where my incisions meet-we have to get rid of that in order to minimize the risk of a CSF leak. (Where the fluid would come out and I go back to the hospital). In order to minimize this, I have to be as upright as possible, both day and night. Walking is important. it gets everything circulating-thus I am be the lady walking/ hobbling around our neighborhood all day every day. The only lady who, by the way, makes a 28 minute mile look challenging. Your welcome. Confidence booster over here. 🙂 Taking lots of drugs.The kind people do side deals for. There is no commission big enough to make me want these meds or their side effects for myself or anyone else. Praise the Lord this is my reality, and praise Him again for these meds that have allowed me to recover with my pain managed. Driving…is left to you all for the most part. For the obvious. Lord willing I will be getting back on the road soon though. Don’t worry, I drive in the right lane, 10 below speed limit and I white knuckle it the whole way. No music. You’re welcome.

Thank you for your loving and faithful prayers. I love you all!

Happy Sunday!!!

Good news. Mama made it home today!!!!! Michelle asked me to post something quickly to say thank you for all the texts and love that she’s received so far. Unfortunately she’s having to relearn the whole text message thing so she’s asked for some grace in responding to everyone in a timely fashion. She says “I love you all and appreciate all you’ve done for us and my babies”. Will share more later. The good news is that Michelle’s vision is improving and she’s back to her “I’ve got this” ways.I’m sure she’ll get back to everyone ASAP,  we appreciate the love and prayers until  then.

xoxoxo,

Michelle and Chad

 

Hey all. Just wanted to give a quick update ~48 hours post surgery

the good:

– MRI and scans came back with great results and confirmed that the neurosurgeon removed about 95% of the tumor in total.  We’re praying this means she done with surgeries for a while and they can attack the remaining tumor with alternative means. Pray the remaining tumor doesn’t grow at a rate that we’ve seen over the past few weeks.
– Michelle’s up walking the halls of Hotel Hoag. She did some stairs today as well.

In my professional opinion she’s way ahead of the curve and doing great.

She has been complaining about her eyes being “fuzzy”. She’s had difficulty reading and why she hasn’t been able to respond to all the outpouring of love she’s received. Please pray that this is just a part of the recovery and that she gets her full sight back here soon.

thank you!

chad and michelle

Each of you have changed me. Forever. You have been God’s tools and instruments in my life to bless me beyond my wildest imagination. I love you so big!!! You might have signed up to bring a meal. Asked awkward questions that I actually appreciated, encouraged me when you had no idea I deeply needed it. Perhaps you brought me juice lunch and groceries again and again? Maybe you heard about me through a friend, and showed compassion on me and my family and prayed or shared. 

Driven me around consistently. Listened to me tell a story that had absolutely no meaning for you. You didn’t give me huh?!face. 

The common thread? You all are the same tribe that lovingly prays for me. Is there an any more meaningful act of love than a heart felt petition on behalf of a sister and friends’ soul? Negative. It is sacrificial, done in humility, and a completely intimate request and conversation between our One and Only.  Thank you friends for your commitment to faithfully draw near to our King’s throne on my behalf! My prayer through this all is that this bananas trial grows your faith as deep as it does mine. That in years to come we gladly share of these miracle laden surgeries and recoveries, wash and repeat, in complete awe. That we learn His nature on a deeper level and that we would actively seek to have His eyes and heart for others. So much so that we would be the light drawing people to salvation. That friends, is the success we seek, defined. What a beautiful thing this would be!! 

Thank you from the bottom of my heart for every single prayer, sharing my requests, asking for prayer…

Do you have any idea what Tuesday felt like? Getting into the car I felt like a kid getting picked up for a surprise. Not like the fearful chapter ahead where I felt like I was jumping off a moving train. Chad I both were ready and given this most beautiful promised, perfect peace. And then….2 hours of not awkward/ maybe a little awkward silence ensued. 

Next….they found a hair. How funnnn. Can you Imagine? 7 hours on 2 other surgeries, sanitized for a 3rd time and there is a hair. The room now has to be transformed for the 3rd time into the cleanest, coldest  freezer in Orange County. Doesn’t everything almost die at 32° anyway? For sure that is where my freshly shaved legs go to flatline. Let me tell you how thrilled I would be as a nurse on team discovery. 

Not. You know that hair blower was crowned hated nurse of the week. My heart goes out to you human. 

Fun fact: have a battle wound.

So how am I? Welp. Better question is how has God answered our prayers? In His amazing Grace-I am alive! So thankful. So eternally thankful. I can hear. I can see. (I do have a floaters. A lot of random ones.) Headaches are strong and steady. Trying to come up with a pain management plan with doctors and nurses has been the challenge. I am in a lot of pain. A doctor specifically assigned to this role has walked through this door, and I am not going to lie, while he is aggressive, I do believe it will help. I need to get an Uber on the speed dial, but there is relief to be had for these debilitating afflictions in real time. I truly need to get over it and just accept the help when I get to that point.

I only accidentally touch her 20 times a day with dirty nails. Walking through through that web of you are probably going to die of an infected wound not a brain tumor or stroke is a fun little game I have been playing as of late. And friends, that’s all I got! Time for this old lady to hit the hay. Smooches.