April 10, 2012 Update

We continue to feel a spirit of gratitude for the continued support. Have I said that before? Sorry, I can't help it.

Overall, Drea is recovering well. We had our first follow up appointment with the surgeon, Dr. Weed, yesterday in Miami. He was pleasantly surprised at how strong her voice is getting, considering that he didn’t expect her to have much of one at all coming out of surgery. She is still tired and sore where she had the angio-embolization in her legs. Her neck doesn’t hurt much but she doesn't have much of the feeling back on the right side of her face. Eating and swallowing continues to improve as well. Last week, she experienced a pretty strong level of pain in her arm, but the pain level has subsided in the past few days. The surgeon told us that it's difficult to predict whether any of the symptoms of losing the vagus nerve (voice, swallowing, other pains) will get better or worse, but the good news is that all the symptoms are relatively minor. We decided to see how things develop over the next few months before we decide about possible procedures on improving her voice. The next appointment with Dr Weed will be on July 2.


We've started receiving some of the bills and wow, thank God our insurance is covering the majority of it! Even with insurance, we are still facing some major payments out of pocket. We haven't asked anyone for anything but one of the most encouraging parts of this whole experience has been the unsolicited generosity of the people in and around our lives. We continue to say it because we continue to experience it, but we are so grateful for the meals, fruit baskets, cards, prayers, help with the kids, etc. That brings up another amazing token of generosity.


Many of you are familiar with Connect, the young adult ministry that we are involved with. For those who aren't, Connect is a ministry in SW Florida and our mission is to "connect" young adults with Christ, each other, and our world. This ministry has been a major part of our lives since the week that Drea and I met. Through this ministry, we've grown together spiritually, served on service projects, and I took my first international mission trip to Haiti a few years ago. (I'll be going back next month and bringing Ty with me!) The ministry has evolved over time and I am currently one of the co-directors. I serve alongside an awesome team of five other board members and an even larger leadership team. The website is www.WalkConnected.com if you want to know more about it. The reason I mention Connect is that they have decided to host a "Spaghetti Dinner" fundraiser for us next week to help with some of the bills. Details are here: https://www.facebook.com/events/340351982685074/

I apologize for not being able to write more updates after the daily posts while we were in the hospital but time just hasn't allowed it. That, and overall, Drea's progress has continued to improve without any major hiccups since we left the hospital. Signing off with gratitude (did I say that yet?)....

March 27, 2012 Update

We got home Saturday and Drea continues to recover. The emotion that summarizes where we are right now is gratitude. Gratitude for a God who continues to show His grace, love, and power over us and this situation. Gratitude for family, friends, and even people we've never met who continue to show our family overwhelming generosity, love, care, concern, and prayers.


Drea's voice is still weak but able to communicate. Eating is still a challenge but able to get some softer foods down. She's not resting as much as she should but that same attitude is probably one of the reasons she's recovering quicker than expected. The drainage tube was removed yesterday. Stitches come out Friday. A follow up with Dr. Weed will be in 3-4 weeks and then another surgical procedure to improve her voice is not definite, but probable.


To add to the chaos, I had developed pain in my foot two weeks ago, but didn't have time to deal with it because of our hospital stay. I walked into a local podiatrist yesterday to have it checked and ended up undergoing toenail surgery. Not a fun experience, but based on what Drea went through, I know I'm not getting any sympathy. 


For those of you who are local, we added a request to our care calendar. The boys enjoy walking through our neighborhood hunting for sticks, bugs, etc. If anyone is interested in coming by the house to walk/hang out with them for a couple hours, it would be a huge help to give them a fun activity and give us some time to work/catch up on things around the house.

To sign up, here's the link to the Care Calendar: 

http://carecalendar.org/logon/106419

CALENDAR ID: 106419
SECURITY CODE: 9136

Thanks again everyone!

March 24, 2012 Update

Ty and Bryson, Mommy and Daddy are on our way home!!!

March 23, 2012 Update

I know that many of you have been checking this blog for updates. I'm hearing that some of you, maybe many, are starting to anticipate and get used to the daily updates. Updates will continue periodically, but daily updates in the future are unlikely, unless of course, I'm approached by a corporate sponsor.

Drea's progress can best be described as "so far, so good." We are so thankful for all of your prayers and are confident that God is listening and answering (James 5:16). She was able to speak (softly) just after surgery and has been steadily improving. She was moved from ICU into a less restrictive room around noon today. Also today, she was able to eat small portions of mashed potatoes and some foods with similar consistency. She is not yet able to drink water/liquid without it being thickened, but that should improve over time.

Believe it or not, there's a good chance we'll be headed home tomorrow! We were told to expect a post-surgery stay of 3-7 days. 2 would be happily accepted. Drea doesn't want to get her hopes too high, but one of Dr. Weed's assistants told us tonight that it is probable based on Drea's progress. Most of the tubes/IV's were removed tonight. She still has a drain coming from the incision but that will be removed Monday.

If we're released tomorrow, you can expect a post will soon follow!

March 22, 2012 Update (4:00 pm)

Drea's out of surgery and in recovery. Drea's mom and I just saw her briefly in recovery. I spoke with Dr. Weed around 3:00. Praise God that they did NOT have to go through the temporal bone to access the tumor, which is good news for the length of recovery in the hospital and more importantly, means that her hearing in that ear did not need to be sacrificed. That's the good news. 

Unfortunately, as expected, the vagus nerve needed to be removed. The vagus nerve affects many functions, and this means the recovery process will take some time. How long? It could be days, weeks, months, no definitive answer. The carotid artery in that side was removed but that is inconsequential. Common assumption is that the carotid artery is so important, but because there are two of them and other nerves can take over the same functions, sacrificing one isn't a problem. No other nerves were removed, which was a possibility and is good for the long term. Dr. Weed said the tumor was very close to the nerve which controls the tongue but that nerve is safe. Many nerves were moved and manipulated so there will be recovery time to regain strength in those.

She will be in ICU somewhat soon. She's expected to be sleepy or sleeping most of the day. There are still a ton of what if's and unknowns, but so far, everything has gone as initially expected. As we learn more details about how her swallowing, voice, and other functions were affected, I'll keep you all updated.  

March 22, 2012 Update (1:00 pm)

Drea was kept in ICU again last night. She had most of her tubes/wires removed in the afternoon which gave her more room to be feel comfortable. Despite some difficulty with her ability to swallow, she was able to eat and drink pretty well throughout the day. The low point was after one of the doctor's assistants came in for a status update. While nothing big picture was much different, we were told the rehab might take a little longer than expected and the hospital stay might be a few days longer and it all suddenly became more real. That was emotional. But another doctor's assistant came in later and was more optimistic. Since Drea was confined to a bed for a few days, her mood was temporarily lifted when her nurse told her she would help her wash her hair. Men and women are different species!

This morning started early. They started the paperwork at 5:00 a.m. to discharge Drea from Jackson Memorial. I walked her down to the car and we drove across the street to check in for surgery at the University of Miami Hospital at 7:00 a.m. Drea recited Psalm 50:15 and I read Isaiah 41:10 and 2 Corinthians 4:17-18 to her before she went into surgery around 9:00. Dr. Weed will be removing the tumor and overseeing the surgical process. The surgery could last anywhere between 3-12 hours. It all depends on how high up the tumor extends and if the 2nd surgeon (ENT Telischi) or the 3rd (neurosurgeon Morcos) are needed to access the tumor from the ear or head. Hopefully and prayerfully, he only needs to use an incision in the neck to remove it. Then the next phase of recovery and rehab can begin.

Continued thanks to all of you who have let us know that you've been praying and sending warm wishes through text, email, Twitter, and Facebook. It's helped us both! She's been able to check some messages on her phone, but I don't know if she's read all of them. I know she hasn't been able to respond to every message because her hands have been loaded with IV's and her vision has been blurry at times. I read every message sent to me and I try reading most to her. Please continue praying!

-Brandon

March 21, 2012 Update

Drea's feeling good today. It's noon and she's still in ICU. We hear conflicting stories about how long she'll be here. She slept well and ate a good breakfast this morning. We just received a phone call that she will need to report to UMiami Hospital tomorrow at 7:00 a.m. for the surgery.