Over the past few weeks many people have said to us how great it is that Rob is cancer free and it instantly makes us hesitate. We believe the doctors have given Rob the best care possible and we also believe that God can heal Rob completely (we pray for this everyday), however we know the reality is the situation and we hesitate to make that statement. Often with cancer they would never say you are cancer free, but after 5 years they would say you are in remission. The scan Rob had a month ago showed no cancer and we celebrate and praise God for this news. Even the doctor was happy to report the good news but they keep a close eye on Rob for a reason. Cancer is a terrible disease and it can be present and not show up at all on a scan. As I write this I feel a little bit like a "Debbie Downer" but this is the reality we face. The other night Rob and I had a great talk about how we are feeling about everything and how we are processing everything. I am so thankful that we have open communication and are able to be real with each other and support each other. We talked about when we have moments of doubt and fear and how we deal with them. The thing about cancer is that once you are told the news that people fear so much you live in that reality. We don't sit in fear all day everyday but it is something that is in our thoughts more than the average person. Each time Rob has a scan and we have to wait for the results we will prayerfully wait for the news that the scan shows no new abnormalities. God has certainly been evident in our journey and without a doubt he had answered the prayers many of you have prayed. As we go forward each day we pray for the strength we need to get through, for peace, for joy, and for good health. Until you are met with bad health you really don't realize what a gift good health is. We ask that you would continue to pray with us and for us each day. Our deepest desire is that through our lives and our story that God is glorified and that those around us see how great God is.
This month Rob has had very few appointments. This is great that we don't have to go to cancer care all the time however there is some reassurance in seeing the doctor weekly. We did meet with an oral surgeon last week and discussed options for Rob getting teeth. Unfortunately it is more complicated then we had hoped. We even wondered if they could fix what they need to for the teeth at the same time that they do the debulking but this is not the case. The debulking surgery will happen hopefully in the next few months and then about a month after that we will meet with the oral surgeon and discuss the options in greater detail. It is complicated to explain the options on here but he gave us 3 possibilities. The first one would be to fix the flap and get dentures. This was supposed to be the easiest choice but after doing an x-ray Rob's jaw bone was cut down more then we realized. Basically his jaw is cut down to as low as the roots of his other teeth. This makes adding dentures much more difficult. The second option would be to do a bone graft from Rob's hip and then put implants into that bone. They would not even consider doing that for at least 2 years to allow the bone to heal from radiation. The third option would also have to wait 2 years and they would basically cut the jaw bone and grow more bone in between. This is not currently done in North America with the jaw bone but the surgeon felt Rob would be a good candidate. He was very encouraging and although he can't fix things right now he is hopeful he can help Rob. We don't have to make any decisions right now and even when it comes time to decide we will want more than one doctor's opinion. So the plan going forward is to have the debulking surgery and then about a month later meet with the oral surgeon.
The month of March will be a quiet one in regards to appointments which will allow him to rest and work on gaining back his strength. In April he will have blood work and a CT scan and then at the end of the month have a follow up with Dr. Butler. At one point we wondered if Rob would go back to work sometime this spring but we know now this is not likely. He was basically told to get all the follow up work done and give himself lots of time to recover so that when he does return to work he is able to handle it and succeed. It is one thing being at home and feeling good and having energy for the day. It is a different thing to have enough energy to get up early and work 50 plus hours a week. Luckily his long term disability recognizes this and will work with him to make it the best possible return.
Last year at this time our life was still "normal", although it is hard to remember what that is like. There are many bad parts of cancer and sickness but we would be fools to say it is all bad. There are also good things that can come out of this. For example, the reminder of what is important in life and that we are all only here on earth for a short time and that where we go afterwards is the most important. Rob and I know that we have a personal relationship with God and that whenever our time comes we will spend eternity in heaven. We pray everyday that Isaac will make the decision to follow God and teach him what it says in the bible. We also pray that all of our family, friends and those around us would make that decision too. Another good thing is to treasure time with the ones we love and to let them know what they mean to us. Also when you are going through a crisis your need for God is so much more evident and you really rely on Him. We have talked a few times about how God is good and have been trying to use the phrase "God is good, all the time. All the time, God is good" to remind ourselves of this.
Sometimes when things seem overwhelming, you just have to look back and be encouraged that although the journey is tough, we will never have to do it alone. Thank you all for praying for our family and being a blessing and support to us. Please continue to pray for our family as we continue to walk in faith.
Love Karen
