Kenny Update--May 3rd

Unbelievable! There have been a couple of times this week that we have wondered if we are asleep and dreaming all of this stuff up. God has been so…God! Gods purpose for Gods reason on Gods timetable. He has been amazing, surprising and sometimes we have found ourselves laughing at God’s sense of humor in so many areas. There have been needs met before there was an acknowledgement from our part that we had a need. Schedules, timing, even what most would see as minor coincidences that have occurred the last few weeks all points to a caring loving God caring for people in the middle of their storm.

Yes we are home from The Ohio State University Hospital and The James Cancer Hospital. They have a fabulous group of individuals that took care of our needs from admission to discharge. The best way to describe them is a servant’s heart in everything they did. This is one of three hospitals that we have witnessed this treatment of patients and parents. Peyton Manning Children’s Hospital – Indianapolis IN, IU – Riley Children’s Hospital, Carmel IN and OSU in Columbus OH. The downside is that – yeah, we have been in way too many hospitals the last 10 years to start rating them. Ohio should take a bow for a wonderful jewel they have.

The Clift notes for Kenny is
90% of the tumor was removed. WAY more than was targeted for the surgery.
All of the compression that was against his brain has been removed.
There was no trauma to the optic nerve or brain stem.
The optic nerve HAD been bowed due to the tumor and is now “relaxed” for a lack of a better word.
The brain is once again free floating in its membrane. I cannot remember the proper term.
Kenny was off of all monitors and IV early Tuesday evening. He has had no pain meds since Monday evening.
Everything and I do mean EVERYYHING went better than could have been hoped for.
Kenny was released from the hospital early because he was doing so well that there was no reason for him to stay.

Next week he will be back at OSU on Tuesday to have the stints removed from his nose and to check the surgical site. The stints were placed there to protect his nasal passages as they were moving instruments in and out. Wednesday he is to have an MRI in Indianapolis to get a final measurement and dimensions of the tumor. Thursday he is to be in Bloomington, IN at the Proton Center to start the prep work for his mask and set up a schedule to start that therapy. For those that have not been thru any radiation they will create a mask for his face. Then it with him inside will be bolted to a table so there is no movement as the Proton beam is delivered.

We are happy to be home but thrilled that so many prayers have been answered. More than we had asked for. We have seen Gods hand in so many ways. From how quickly the tumor was found in February to the amazing surgical/recovery this week. In the midst of the storm it is difficult sometimes to find what is going well. The news is not always what we want to hear, the test results are not what we expect them to be and the storm that hits us usually when we least expect it. We have had what feels like several kicks to the stomach the last 10 years that just takes your breath away. God IS always there in the trial – He will not and has not left. In a million years from now this will be just a memory of a challenge we had faced. While it is difficult today – there is always a reason. We just may not know this side of heaven.

For all of our family that is reading this; that is each of you who have prayed on Kenny’s and our behalf. You will never know the full extent of our gratitude. It has been prayers that have carried us in our darkest moments where we have faced the world and ourselves in the mirror each and every day. We have questioned the disease, we have questioned the prognosis but we have not questioned where God was.

Prayer concerns
A restful period for all of us before next week’s appointments begin.
Kenny continues his amazing recovery.

Praises
Kenny is still all smiles and is his normal cheerful self.
They are everywhere in this note.

~Ken and Jo~