On May 11th news that changed our life...

Well let me back up here a bit...four years ago Scott was diagnosed with first stage lung cancer. It seemed so devastating, everything took so long to get information, the type of cancer, the treatments, the test involved then finally surgery. Which was more than a success! Moments before they took Scott away to remove the cancer we were told only two things were possible when removing this cancer. One he would lose half a lobe or two the whole lobe it all depended on the position of the tumor.

After a four hour surgery the surgeon came out he walked straight up to me and said "I tried something new, it worked and was a success, Scott still has his lung." then he turned and left the room. I couldn't believe what he had said as I shared the news with the family we rejoiced yet we had no idea what the surgeon actually did. Later, at Scott's first check up the surgeon explained that he tried something new, to split the lung, remove the tumor and fuse it back...that was his success and it made a huge difference in Scott's recovery. With in a couple of months Scott was back out working, although he experienced chronic pain.

For the next four years Scott visited his oncologist on a regular bases. He had one ct-scan early on but could not afford the many others that his doctor was wanting. At his check ups he would have a chest x-ray and blood work, which everything looked good. As of March this year his oncologist dismissed Scott saying he was cancer free. We were all celebrating the good news.

Shortly after the news our family had a bad cold come through the house, the kind that effects the sinuses. Scott and our oldest son Jason had it for the longest but with Scott's "bad" cold he had mild headaches and as he started feeling better from the cold the head aches seemed to stay.
We then thought he had a sinus infection so he tried some over the counter meds. over the next couple of weeks his headaches continued. He would put in a full day of work to find that when he got home he was exhausted so he would sleep. The headaches remained and another wave of spring sickness came through, it was so hard to determine that the headaches were from another source.

On May 11th Scott woke that morning telling me he needs to go to the hospital, he said his head felt like it was going to split open and then he started vomiting. As I prepared to get one of the older kids home the phone rang and it was Jennifer's school wanting to know where she was. When I checked her room she was laying in bed with a terrible headache saying she felt as if she was going to vomit. I began to wonder if we had the swine flu? I made an appointment with Jennifer's pediatrician for that evening and waited for Katie to arrive as she cut her college exam short.

When we arrived at the hospital I saw a young man holding his head and vomiting so I really began to worry that the swine flu was here. The hospital staff moved quickly to isolate us. With in a few minutes they were taking Scott's vitals when the doctor came in the room she immediately said she did not think he had the flu, since their was no fever. She ordered a ct-scan on Scott because of his history with cancer, then asked the nurse to give Scott morphine. I really began to worry but I didn't allow my thoughts to go to far waiting to find out what they had found. With in an hour the doctor came back and told us they saw a mass in the ct-scan and had called to have Scott transported to St. Louis University hospital. We called our oldest son to let him know what we had just found out and he arrived with in a half an hour with his girlfriend.

I then left with Andrea to go home to get Scott's personal belongings and to tell the other children. I was full of so many emotions on that drive home it felt like hours to get there and when I arrived and Katie didn't see dad she knew something serious had happened. As for Jennifer up stairs, I figured it was her migraines and called to cancel her appointment making sure she got her rescue medicine. From their on I kept close time to when she needed it next.

By that evening Scott was being transported to SLU followed by family and friends who had already gathered. He was feeling good at this time since they had given him so much morphine, I could hear him talking to the paramedic in the back.

As the news spread that evening a flood of family and friends started coming to visit, in his room at one time I counted fifteen of us all around his bed. We heard the door open as I saw the nurse walk behind the curtains of the patient next to Scott. We assumed we would get in trouble for having so many in his room, so we all stood still holding our breath. Finally, the nurse popped out from behind the curtains saying "Hi Family!" What a cute way to help us feel comfortable, from then on no one said a word about the many visitors. And the next day they let Scott take walks with us.

The next day Scott had all kinds of test, the doctors were worried why the mass in the brain? They assumed he must have lung cancer again. After a MRI they discovered a mass in his other lung and lobe, which was surprising that he had this cancer in the right lung not in the left. AS they shared their plans with us it became clear that the mass in his brain was most critical and that they had to remove it rather quickly. We then knew it was a matter of a couple of days before surgery and from the surgery they could get a biopsy. But before they needed one from the right lung.

That evening we met with the most humble brain surgeon. He stood before all of us in a crowded room presenting his plan but he made sure that we were all understanding that he was only a tool, that God above was the master of life and death and that it was his decision on the success of the surgery. I stood their in total disbelief that we would have such a surgeon by our side, some how I knew God had waited for this moment that we could have him. Everyone was at ease when he left all feeling as if we knew this was going to be successful.

On Friday Scott had surgery it was so hard to say good bye I felt like I shared him with so many and we didn't have any time since the moment we arrived at the emergency room. They rolled him down a stretcher and I waved as he went into the elevator. We then were told to wait on the third floor in the surgery waiting room, once I got settled down there a nurse came out asking for me. She said Scott wants you back here with him. When I saw him, he said we didn't have any time for our selves since this whole thing started, will you stay with me until they put me under. Of course I would! It was such a delicate time as we faced life and death once again, our love shinned through. We laughed, we cried and we told each other how special each one was to the other, knowing we were never perfect but we knew we tried. I told him he couldn't leave me for he was the only person who ever really understood and loved me. He said he wouldn't!

The surgery was expected to last six to twelve hours. By eleven I was tired and the staff had provided a private room for us. Everyone left to find lunch as I laid down on a couch falling asleep. It seemed like just a few moments later I was being woken and told I was wanted on the phone. When I answered I was told the surgeon was finished and closing up Scott that he would be out to speak to us with in an hour. I began making phone calls for everyone to come back, telling them with disbelief that they were about finished. Very close to an hour later our humble surgeon came to tell us how successful the surgery was, saying that the tumor just seemed to fall right out in one piece. We all cheered and clapped as he gently gave a gesture of bow and left the room. Another miracle...surgery lasting four hours!

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I will finish my update tomorrow as it is getting late...

hugs & kisses

Carrie