Saturday, July 25

Sorry that I didn't get this posted yesterday, but I was exhausted last night. We had another doctor's appointment yesterday and I thought we were meeting with the radiation oncologist, but apparently he was on vacation, so we have an appointment to see him next week. We did see Dr. Torres, the oncologist and he gave us the rundown of what's going to happen with the chemotherapy. This treatment will consist of a pill that Mom can take at home each night before bed. The side effects are supposed to be lesser than that of intravenous chemotherapy, so that is something we're all very thankful for. It appears that we'll start the radiation treatments the first week of August following our appointment with Dr. Jeung.

In addition to seeing Dr. Torres, we also met with a neuropsychologist who's primary concern was the neurological and motor functioning of the brain. He did several cognitive and motor tests with Mom and said he was very pleased with her progress. He told that any time there is injury to the brain, be it a tumor, surgery, physical blow, etc, that there can be residual side effects. He asked me questions about her behavior and tried to determine if we had noticed any changes in the time before diagnosis, or from the surgery until now. He also told us that by no means is a tumor in the brain ever a good thing; however, the area that her tumor was located generally doesn't have very severe side effects. So, apparently, by God's grace, if you have to have a brain tumor, the place Mom had hers is the best place to have it!

God's blessing just keep overflowing onto us! We were provided another meal last night from Rick Harper, another one of Dad's fellow Albright Power co-workers. Yesterday, following our appointments, Mom and I had lunch and made another shopping excursion. All of you ladies at the County Clerk's office will be relieved to know that we finally made that much anticipated trip to Victoria's Secret! Mom had two coupons and shared with me, so we both got some free underwear! You'd think we won the lottery! Last night was the Good Neighbor Days parade, and we made our way into Bruceton and met up with Justin and Allison there. It's always nice to see them and get to spend some time together. How fitting that it is called "Good Neighbor" days because we have been so blessed with good neighbors, near and far. Mom became the highlight of the fair grounds and got hugs and kisses from so many people. It was really great to see everyone and hear about all the prayers that are being prayed for her healing and recovery. She has taken on the attitude that this tumor has become more of a blessing than a burden as we've been so graciously taken care of by our friends, family, doctors, and nurses. God truly works in mysterious ways and Mom is a living testament to His wonderful grace and power.

I will leave you today with part of my devotion from yesterday. My scripture was from John 16:33, You will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world. Jesus said, "In the world you will have tribulation." He didn't say that you could have tribulation or that if you aren't a good person, tribulation will come your way. Jesus flatly stated that you will have tribulation. But the wonderful promise of Christ is that while you will have trials and tribulations, "Be of good cheer, I have overcome the world." Mom is such a great example of this scripture. With all of her tribulation, she has been of good spirits the entire time. We should all strive to have such faith and good cheer when dealing with our everyday trials that aren't as serious as a brain tumor, and even with the ones that are!