Original 4-17-09
Hi Friends,
Just wanted to let you all know the latest on Caleb.
The infectious disease DR. stopped antibiotics on Friday and the surgeon pulled his PICC line on Monday (Caleb was very happy about that!), we have to be at GUH on Tuesday (21st) at 9AM for an 11AM surgery, it will be at least a 5 hour surgery to remove the tumor (which is benign!) and longer if they call in the neurosurgeon and need to go in through his head. After talking with the head and neck surgeon we realize the surgery is more extensive than we thought. He showed us a pic from the CT scan that shows the tumor from an angle that shows it extends to his upper right nasal sinus cavity (like above your eyebrow) close to his brain. The concern is leakage of spinal column fluid after it is removed so they will need to “patch” that area and if they can’t get it out through his nose they will cut down the side of his nose and if that doesn’t work they call in the brain surgeon. Dr. Newkirk will not know until he is doing the surgery.

The DR said to plan on at least a week in the hospital, he explained to Caleb that when your brain is involved they watch you very closely and that’s why the extended stay. Caleb is doing well and facing the upcoming surgery “boldly”, trusting God and not seeming anxious, planning his 17th birthday party for Saturday (his actual BD is the 20th) and doing Taekwondo and hanging out with friends as much as he can this week. Oh, and sleeping a LOT!!!

Mark and I are very pleased with this surgeon and also the neurosurgeon. Georgetown University Hospital has been wonderful to us and we feel we are right where God wants us to be. We have great confidence that He knows all our days, loves Caleb more than we ever could and knows the plans He has for Caleb. We are truly blessed to have Caleb as one of our sons-as well as the other 3!!

So…..if you happen to be one of our praying friends, J please keep Caleb, us, and the surgeons in your prayers in the next few weeks.

We’ll keep you updated as we can.

Blessings,
Genoa & Mark and the boys

OH…and for any of you who didn’t know the first part, Caleb spend 9 days in Georgetown with bacterial meningitis , it was a pneumococcal virus that traveled to the brain via the tumor, which we knew nothing about until they did the CT scan to see why he was having a horrible headache, blurry vision and sick to his stomach. Praise God we got him to the ER very quickly where they diagnosed him and send a helicopter for him to transport him to Georgetown on March 19th. We came home from the hospital on the 27th with a PICC line and 2 more weeks of IV antibiotics.