Howdy from Texas!! I am happy to report that Mark is now tumor-less and doing well! God is Good!
We arrived at MD Anderson early this morning. We prayed together with the doctors and nurses before they wheeled Mark away. Then the waiting began...again. Luckily we have Ben & Lisa Harris with us here in Houston. They have been so helpful on this journey, and today they provided not only solid ministering to the both of us, but also live music (including beat box), comic relief, and some walks down memory lane. What a blessing they both are to us and our family! The waiting game was much easier with them by my side.
Dr. Rice came out about 12:30 to report that the surgery went well. Talk about relief! The greatest news is that the tumor was completely removed. “Ned” is now taking up residence in the Pathology Research Department here at MD Anderson. I’m sure he’ll be a popular guy there. Adios Ned!
More good news—there was no infiltration of the vessels which means the aortic specialist did not need to be called in. In addition, even though the tumor was highly vascularized, there was not enough blood loss to require a transfusion.
However, the not-so-good news is that the nerve that innervates the left vocal cord had to be removed. It was just too intertwined with the tumor and not salvageable unless some of the tumor were to be left behind. We knew this was a possibility. Mark will likely be somewhat raspy for the time being. We will worry about the implications of this later. We are confident that some awesome speech therapists will be coming our way. And a surgical correction later on down the line is also an option. For now we will enjoy his “Chris Stapleton-esque” style. Mark was already singing along with some Zac Brown Band songs and I think he sounds pretty darn good.
Thanks to everyone for your love and prayers today. You helped Mark and his docs get through a tough surgery, and you helped this nervous wife get through the wait. 🤠
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Melanie and Mark, we are so happy and relieved to hear the news the surgery went well! Thanks be to God!! Mark, hope your recovery goes smoothly. Enjoy the dilaudid ;-)
ReplyDeleteWell that's about as good as it can get. Thank you for taking the time to let us know, and the prayers continue, with hope and with thanksgiving!
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