One of the things the good Lord has blessed me with is the ability to (usually) appropriately crack a joke to ease tension sometimes. My dad helped establish what I like to call “distraction humor” when I was young. A perfect example of this would be when we were watching TV and a Victoria Secret commercial popped on the screen. Instead of trying to get me to look away, he would say to my mom “honey, how did they get these videos of you?!”. It was very effective because I would immediately turn away, not EVER wanting to imagine my mother that way. Gross.
These days I find myself looking for ways to distract myself and my wife from the challenging news received. The only way a clear scan in April is a bad thing, is when there is a new thing found on a scan in August. On August 1st Elizabeth had a CT scan that showed a new spot on her liver. This prompted an MRI which was on the 13th. The MRI showed a “concerning lesion” on her liver.
Now that fall is getting near, the best joke I can input at this point is to just say “The Detroit Lions” or for our Ohio family, “Cleveland Browns”. Two of our favorite jokes right there... giggle giggle.
The spot on her liver is too small to biopsy at this point to determine exactly what the spot is, but the MRI ruled out a hemangioma (clump of blood vessels). With that ruled out they have to assume it is metastatic cancer, though it could be a cyst or a-typical hemangioma. We’ll pray for the latter.
So the question that follows is “what’s next?”
Treatment actually doesn’t change. The treatment protocol they have her on is the same whether advanced stage 3 or stage 4 breast cancer. Now we get the wonderful experience of waiting until December for another scan to see if the spot grows, stays the same, or simply disappears. Again, pray for the latter.
Peace at the willow tree
This shift also means we’re probably going to shoot for late fall or even next summer for our big thank you party. I know you were all anxiously waiting for the invite. With the added scans and “challenging mental state”, we have not gotten quite as much done on the property as we had hoped by this point in the summer. I may put out the Bat-signal for some help completing things if anyone is bored and wants something to do.
If you are one to love doing drywall or weeding a garden, we have a place for you to scratch that itch.
These days I like to walk around my property at night. Being in the country I love the peace and sounds of nature under the moon and stars. Its in this place I am reminded that it is only in the darkest times of a day that we can see the incredible beauty and expanse of the universe God created. God is beyond our comprehension whether we pay attention or not.
I recently learned that my phone takes some sweet night pictures. I hope you enjoy my small glimpses of wonder from my yard at night. Hope they help remind you what a big God we pray to.
-Duncan
