It's been an excruciatingly long 10 days since our 3 months scans. While Mac had clear lung scans for which I am so grateful, I asked you to pray for the lesion that was showing up on his cadaver bone. We didn't know what it was, and over the course of the last 10 days it has been referred to as erosion, a lesion and a mass . . . we didn't like any of those terms, but the fact remained that we needed to get in there and see what was causing what looked like the bone to erode.
We were initially scheduled to have that biopsy tomorrow, but around noon on Thursday, I got a call from DeVos that they had room for him the next day, Friday. Mike and I hurriedly made arrangements for the 'little boys,' I wrote sub plans and we boot-scooted it to Grand Rapids first thing Friday morning.
We were initially scheduled to have that biopsy tomorrow, but around noon on Thursday, I got a call from DeVos that they had room for him the next day, Friday. Mike and I hurriedly made arrangements for the 'little boys,' I wrote sub plans and we boot-scooted it to Grand Rapids first thing Friday morning.
Whenever we walk across the bridge to DeVos, the reality of cancer becomes very real to me. All those feelings that made camp in my heart all those days we spent in treatment, they are right there at the bridge waiting to welcome me back. It takes everything in me to keep them at bay and fight back the terror, but one step at a time, we keep walking this journey always knowing we are never alone.
The biopsy itself was pretty straight forward. A radiologist went in with a big ol' needle type instrument and took several samples of the suspect area. Then Mac was sent up to the 9th floor for 2 days of observation to make sure that his bleeding was in check, because, you know, it's not enough to have had osteosarcoma, we have to throw a little hemophilia in there just to make things interesting. Our amazing orthopedic oncology surgeon, Dr. Post, came in on Friday afternoon to check out Mac and give us a bit more information about what exactly they were looking at with the biopsy. He's always been a straight shooter with MacKale. He told him, 'you know MacKale, it could be osteosarcoma, or it could be an infection or something else that was causing the bone to react and erode. Perhaps it's the hardware that was used when the leg was constructed. We don't really know, but we need to rule some things out.'
All we could do now was sit and wait (and pray a lot) for the results which wouldn't be available until the following week. We got our exit ticket from the 9th after two days of visits from friends, non-stop video games,
The biopsy itself was pretty straight forward. A radiologist went in with a big ol' needle type instrument and took several samples of the suspect area. Then Mac was sent up to the 9th floor for 2 days of observation to make sure that his bleeding was in check, because, you know, it's not enough to have had osteosarcoma, we have to throw a little hemophilia in there just to make things interesting. Our amazing orthopedic oncology surgeon, Dr. Post, came in on Friday afternoon to check out Mac and give us a bit more information about what exactly they were looking at with the biopsy. He's always been a straight shooter with MacKale. He told him, 'you know MacKale, it could be osteosarcoma, or it could be an infection or something else that was causing the bone to react and erode. Perhaps it's the hardware that was used when the leg was constructed. We don't really know, but we need to rule some things out.'
All we could do now was sit and wait (and pray a lot) for the results which wouldn't be available until the following week. We got our exit ticket from the 9th after two days of visits from friends, non-stop video games,
intermixed with episodes of boredom,
and mass amounts of junk food. We were first on the discharge list on Sunday morning and made it back in time for Mac to even stop and hit a few balls at Katke with his dad on the way home despite the 40 degree weather. Yikes!
Surprisingly, Dr. Mitchell called us tonight to let us know that the pathology reports were, in fact, back and the results show no sign of tumor and as of now, no infection! (Can I get an 'amen.') We still do not know what is causing the erosion, but we are celebrating the fact that it isn't cancer nor an infection. God is SO incredibly good, and we feel so blessed.
Returning to the 9th floor this past weekend . . . egads! That hard stuff friends. A wave of emotions can creep up on you in a moment and catch you completely blind sided. Fear and guilt are very real. Fear of being shoved back into a battle we don't want to fight again. Guilt at watching other kids fighting that battle. I think God sends us back to this floor so we never forget and so we never stop fighting for more funding and more support for Pediatric Cancer and Osteosarcoma. If that's His goal, He's doing a great job at it. This cause has me by the heart and it won't let go.
Returning to the 9th floor this past weekend . . . egads! That hard stuff friends. A wave of emotions can creep up on you in a moment and catch you completely blind sided. Fear and guilt are very real. Fear of being shoved back into a battle we don't want to fight again. Guilt at watching other kids fighting that battle. I think God sends us back to this floor so we never forget and so we never stop fighting for more funding and more support for Pediatric Cancer and Osteosarcoma. If that's His goal, He's doing a great job at it. This cause has me by the heart and it won't let go.
I find it ironic that today, on my Facebook Memories, the post I did last year on this date . . . the Mother's Day post about faith and a mustard seed came up. I was re-reading that post this afternoon right before Dr. Mitchell called me, and it reminded me, yet again, that my faith doesn't have to be perfect, it doesn't have to be grandiose, it just has to be . . . a little faith will sustain us and make us stronger than before.
As we celebrated over root beer floats tonight and then piled, all five of us, into McCoy's twin-sized bed for prayers, we thanked God for all our blessings and especially for all of you. Thank you for sharing your faith with our family and for continuing to keep us in your prayers.
As we celebrated over root beer floats tonight and then piled, all five of us, into McCoy's twin-sized bed for prayers, we thanked God for all our blessings and especially for all of you. Thank you for sharing your faith with our family and for continuing to keep us in your prayers.
