A bit more on the surgery

Once again, the surgery went according to plan. It lasted approximately 7 hours. It lasted that long not because of any complications, but because the surgeon wanted to be careful and make sure he got everything. The tumor was quite large, approximately 7 inches. It was shaped something like a football and weighed about a pound and a half. Brian saw pictures of it, and he compared it to a nerf football. The stage of the cancer looks to be either stage 1 or stage 2. It is most likely not stage 3, but they won't know more for a few days. The doctors are quite certain at this point that it is not stage 4 or 5 since the cancer has not spread to any other organs or lymph nodes. The surgeon did remove a couple lymph nodes just as a precautionary measure. They will be tested.

The only real concern the surgeon seemed to express was related to one spot on the tumor that looks a bit different from the rest. The surgeon said he would be surprised if what Reese has wasn't Wilms tumor, but they won't know for sure until they receive pathology tests back in a few days. The spot on the tumor that looks a bit different could be nothing.

At this point, the main thing we need to pray for is Reese's pain. She will be in a considerable amount of pain for the next few days. She is currently in pediatric intensive care. She will most likely be there for 1-2 days. They will be giving her Tylenol and other narcotic-type medications. Pray that Reese will be in as little pain as possible. Pray also for Brian and Amy as they help Reese deal with her pain and recovery.

Once again, I am so very proud of Brian and Amy. They are handling all of this in such a strong way. They are such great role models for the rest of us.

I plan to go visit again either Friday or Saturday. Thanks again to all of you who have sent gifts to them. I know they appreciate anything (text messages, emails, facebook posts, etc.). They read everything and are very grateful for the love that they are feeling from all of you. If anyone wants to send something with me, just let me know and I will take it with me when I go.

God bless all of you for praying for precious little Reese!

Wes