Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Update On My Brother

Thank you for all of your prayers. My brother had a biopsy on Monday and the results came back today. For those of you who did not yet know, the first doctor's assumption that the tumor was Lymphoma was incorrect. The tumor was actually in his left lung. Anyway, today, the results showed that he has a Lung Carcinoid, which is cancer. It is quite rare and accounts for no more than one percent of cancers. This one that he has is fortunately Typical, meaning he is likely to be cured once he has the half of his left lung which has the tumor surgically removed Vs. Atypical which is whole other story. This is a great thing when it comes to cancer, that is, if it all plays out in the best scenario. So, please continue to pray for that. In reading, this Typical Lung Carcinoid can be removed leaving Steve a 90%-100% 5 year survival rate (meaning they live anywhere beyond 5 years). This is fantastic news Vs. just lung cancer, which we feared, having only a 15% 5 year survival rate. We were all pretty afraid. So, after surgery he should be just about normal again in about 3-4 months, although he will be able to start moving around just days after the surgery, in fact, it is expected for proper healing. Please, continue to pray for him through his surgery. The date is not yet set. I'll keep you posted. Thank you.

Sunday, July 12, 2009

Pray For My Brother

Today I found out that my brother, Steven, had been admitted to the hospital. I don't know all of the details. I know that last night he was walking at Graffiti Night with his family, when his heart started racing out of control and he could barely breath. He was admitted in the hospital right away. His heart rate was higher than most of the doctors had ever seen. They could not slow it down, so they had to stop his heart temperarily. It seemed to work. They did other tests and sent him home 6 hours later. Today, the hospital called for him to come back to be scanned because something was seen on his prior x-rays. After the scan results, he called and told me that the doctors found a golf ball sized growth above one of his lungs. The heart problem was most likely caused by the growth getting so big that it pressed against his heart. That may have been a blessing in disguise, otherwise, the growth wouldn't have been found until it was too late. The doctors think that the growth is Lymphoma. He is due for more testing as soon as possible. He is only 27 in two days, too young for this kind of thing. So, please, include him and his family in your prayers and ask others to do the same. Thank you.