....Free and Clear!!
I have been sort of hush-hush about the whole situation. Please don't take it personal. Some things are hard for me to talk about until I can wrap my head around the details. This news took awhile to process. Tammy is at home and in recovery now so I feel it's safe to go into the details because I won't 1) overreact 2) bawl 3) blow things out of proportion AND now can focus strongly on the positive without fighting internally with my negative ego.
Tammy is Rick's older sister. For whose of you that haven't met her yet, she is the poster child of health. Exercises daily, eats pretty healthy (was on a "clean" eating kicking for a while) and one of the nicest people you will ever meet. I'm blessed to say I married into the best family. Tammy had difficulty breathing during a 5k race this spring. At first we all chalked it up to the fact she ran her first race ever in 21
mins. Quite a feat in itself. I mean, come on, who does that?
So she decided to go in and see if she could get medication for her self-prescribed
ashma but instead found out she had a
polyp in her nose. While in outpatient surgery to remove, the doctor discovered that it was 5 ½ inch tumor in her nasal cavity. Tammy went home for a strained recovery after losing a lot of brain/spinal fluid and blood. Still at this time, we were told everything was
ok. The tumor was sent off for its procedural testing to discover something
wasn't quite right. After additional testing, it was discovered to be a rare form of brain cancer. I'd insert the name here but frankly it's so long I can never spell it correctly to Google it.
A second surgery was scheduled with three specialists. The first time slot was a week before school started so Tammy opted to push it out one month "just in case" the recovery was the same or worse than the first time. In additional, more extensive testing the specialists felt that the cancer had rooted to a bone over her eye in front of the brain. Their hope was the bone blocked it from reaching her brain. This would be rare but the best scenario. The surgeons had prepped her and the family that they may need to remove a donor bone from behind her ear to insert should there be concerns once in surgery, or worst case scenario, they would select a synthetic bone to utilize in lieu of the one infected. The surgery was to be 5 hours minimum in length. The family collected at the hospital to blow up the joint with our positive energy and prayers. After 7 hours of surgery she was taken to recovery and we were given the formal update. The surgeons elected to shave the bone. The bone actually protects the
dura. If the
dura was damage it would affect the recovery time and the amount of fluids Tammy would have lost while in surgery (directly impacting her brain). There were 2 small nicks that sealed on their own. Other than that, things went better than they expected.
Tammy looks amazing having just undergone surgery. The whole surgery took place through her nose. Her very
little nose. I was expecting swelling, bruising, and a bloody, scabbed nose when we went to see her in recovery. Nope. She looked like her normal self.
Last night we got the best news we could have gotten. The pathology report came back as clear. The extra bone they removed around the targeted spot showed no signs of cancer. That leads the doctors to believe they removed all of it with
no additional treatment required. That means
NO chemotherapy or radiation treatments. The prognosis for this type of cancer to return is slim to none. It looks like Tammy is in
complete recovery.
I want to take a chance to thank everyone that offered their support and prayers. I'm blessed to have the best friends and family that were there to listen and let me
cry on their shoulders or answer my zillion texts, no matter the crazy hours at times.
I'm not a hugely religious person. I do believe in a higher power that protects us all. I have always felt comforted by that feeling. A little strange given that I was not raised in a religious household and that half the time its contradictory to my other beliefs. I just feel there is. I can't define it. I prayed harder than I ever have before. Some of those prayers I actually assumed the position hoping it gave me a direct connection for my request somehow. Some praying took place in line waiting for a coffee, staring at my computer screen as I forgot the task at hand or holding onto my husband in tears. In situations, both good and bad, I always lean on the fact that everything is suppose to happen for a reason. The reason we have to discover and there in lies the struggle when you try to find good in something that doesn't make sense. I feel that this has opened my eyes again to the importance of family. I forget or sadly, take advantage, of the relationships that I have. I can't say I won't forget again because,
after all, I am human. But this event has made me see and be thankful for the relationships that I have. Each and everyone of you. Smooches!!
Tammy - go sit down and rest like you are suppose to or I am coming over with the duct tape. Don't push me. You know I'll do it :)
Finally!! Alex got to play (his away number is 38).The weather was absolutely horrible. You know, the cold sideways rain that you question if it's really snow masquerading. Rick was at his traditional NRA banquet with Geoff so Tony and I made the trip to meet up with the rest of the family at the JV Football game in Whitmore Lake. We were getting a true stomping and in runs Alex for the 2 of the 3 last plays of the game. Whatta Rush.....
