UPDATES March 28, 2008

UPDATE
March 28, 2008

Jack has had a very good last 2 weeks. After all of the anxiety and depression issues that he was experiencing, one of the important factors that the doctors told us was that Jack had to begin integrating back into the living. They also started him on a very low dose antidepressant (10 mg) of celexa. He has been on that for 2 weeks and it has seemed to brighten his spirits.

As most of you know by now, by the grace of God, we are determined types. So when the doctors said Jack needed to get marching – remember, we are “in the army now”! We got marching. Jack has a completely new schedule. He has begun going to “Peoplefit”, the health club that we mentioned last time. He was assessed by the physical therapist, Pat, who specializes in neurophysiology. He feels strongly that he can get Jack to a four pronged cane versus his hemi-walker that he has now. The cane would be much less cumbersome. Jack has been 2 times this week. He really enjoys it. He is using equipment that attaches his weak leg and arm so that he can exercise that part of his body as well. One of the most important parts of this experience is that Jack is with other people, many of whom are not infirmed, but some who are in worse condition than he is. Perspective is so important for all of us.

The other exciting event for Jack these last 2 weeks is that he has gone to Nano-C for a few hours one day each of these 2 weeks. Jack needs to demonstrate to himself that he has more of a brain left than he realizes. As we have mentioned previously, he has indicated that he is not sure that he has much of his brain left. The doctors told him that he has all of his brain left and that he has the ability to use more of his brain than most of us ever try to use. Now he can demonstrate that fact.

As you know from the last update, he insisted on moving up the MRI scan and doctor’s visit. He was very convinced that he was declining. Yesterday, Jack had his MRI scan and today we had the doctor’s visit. We have good news thankfully. The Lord has answered our pleas. Jack’s scan looks improved over January. By improved, the jagged margins where the tumor was treated and removed are still the same, except smaller. The margins are also more defined meaning not so broadly lighted. The best way to describe what it looked like is to use a marker versus a pencil in outlining the edges. In January, the margins looked outlined with a broad marker. Today, it was a pencil line. Dr. Cosgrove said that he believes that he has necrosis (tissue death) still occurring. He said he would not say there is no tumor inside the space that we view but it is not known from the scans. Scans at best are not perfect images. However, if the tumor were actively growing, the size would not be decreasing. We are most thankful for the news. It brightened our day as we contemplated the mercy that the Lord continues to extend to us.

As all of you know by now that our hope and prayer is that our Lord will be magnified in this, that His will is accomplished, and that regardless of the journey that we are on that we are submitted happily to Him, who alone is worthy.

We have had other wonderful events happening as well. Last Saturday evening, we resumed our Bible study with our dear friends, Harry and Carolee Howell, with a phone call from our now England residing other couple, Mike and Jo Domenica. We have gone to our favorite Italian coffee shop, Café Dolce in Winchester. Tonight we are planning on going to see “21”, a movie based on a true story of MIT students who beat Las Vagas for a long time by traveling on weekends with lots of money from rich Boston folks.

The Lord willing, I am dropping out of work and family for week, for a battery recharge beginning April 7. My sister, Suzanne, is coming from NC to help keep Jack marching along with Annette and William and of course, Courtenay, Jonathan, and Megan.

We continue to covet your prayers. Pray especially that we can be as the Psalmist David when he wrote Psalm 46:10 – 11
“Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations; I will be exalted on the earth. The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.”

Blessings,
Carolyn and family