Dear Friends,
This is Lisa.I am so sorry for the lapse in posts to this blog. We are at home now and I want to bring you up to date.
On the day of surgery, Hannah was taken from recovery for a post-surgery MRI. By the time we saw her in a room that evening, all of the laptops were inaccessible. Nathanael entered the previous post from my Mom's computer while he and Meredith were making their way home from Vanderbilt.
Hannah is making a good recovery. She has the normal struggles with pain management and such that occur after surgery . We have so much for which to be thankful and your prayers meant the world to us. The MRI showed no evidence of the tumor after the surgery! We are still waiting for the pathology report. The doctor explained that the tumor is considered benign because these tumors do not metastasize to other parts of the body. The pathology report will grade the tumor. We will then know how fast the tumor grew and whether or not there will be a need for follow-up radiation. There is a risk that there are a few cells lurking around. We pray this will not be necessary.
Hannah is still taking steroids which will taper off for the next two weeks. We are praying that there will be no swelling or inflammation in her spine when we cease the steroids. Apparently there is some risk of this which could cause complications.
Our Lord has been so near to us and I know that your prayers were crucial. In the days leading up to surgery, I really did experience His peace in a way that was incomprehensible.
I write irregularly in my journal. While waiting to hear the facts of Hannah's surgery, I was in the hospital chapel reading and praying when I read an entry that I wrote about 14 years ago. Here is that entry.
"Luke 7:11-17, is the account of Jesus raising from the dead the son of a widow. The truth of her situation seemed to be, "My son is dead; I am alone". When the disciples were in a storm at sea, Jesus was asleep in the boat and the truth of their situation seemed to be, "We perish". I am so conditioned to believe that facts point to or lead to the truth that I often miss The Truth, the person of Jesus. I must look to Him, not the facts surrounding any given situation. Jesus raised the widow's son back to life and Jesus calmed the sea."
God used that entry to minister to my heart and it was shortly after when the doctor gave us the facts of Hannah's surgery. He told us that he was encouraged but he made no promises. We had to wait.
I can't tell you how wonderful it was to see Hannah returning to normal during the next day. I wanted to cry from the relief.
I cannot place a value on your friendship and your prayers. I wish I could hug and thank each and every one of your personally. We will continue to update the blog when we have news. If God brings Hannah to your mind, you know how to pray.
Lisa, for all of the Lees