This might better explain the complete lack of photog upload for the past few weeks. I've been taking them, but the last thing I thought about was uploading them...
From my Dad to our family regarding the past few weeks (once we actually had something to tell them):
Dear Family,I didn’t mean to go all Paul Harvey on you. However, as we immerse ourselves into the middle of the holiday season, Robin and I wanted to bring you up to speed on a situation our family has been dealing with since before Thanksgiving.
About a week before Thanksgiving Kendra called Robin and told her she had found a lump in the middle of her back. She thought it might be something she developed over the course of starting a new exercise program with Mike about a month earlier. However, due to her history, she was concerned. Robin advised her that it was probably not a big deal, but that she ought to contact her family doctor soon to have it checked out.
Kendra took the advice and called her doctor that afternoon. Her doctor got her in the very first thing on the next day. After looking at it and reviewing her history with cancer, the doctor sent Kendra from his office directly to the hospital for an ultra sound. While we all felt grateful for the quick action, we also had our concern ratcheted up a notch or two by the fact that the doctors all seemed to be very concerned.
She had the ultra sound on the Friday before Thanksgiving. Afterwards, all the doctor could say was that there was a mass located in her muscle but the radiologist would have to be the one to make a further determination. Bear in mind that while these events were taking place her doctor was leaving on vacation and house guests were on the way to Mike and Kendra’s house for an eight day stay. Not the best timing for either event.
After a long weekend, she got word from her doctor and telling her that it was probably a good idea to prepare herself for the worst, but hope for the best. (Cancer patients who have received radiation as part of their treatment are nine times more likely to develop tumors in the radiated areas later in life than the general population.) An MRI was scheduled to take place the next day, Tuesday. While these details were all taking place, Mike picked his parents up from the airport for a stay scheduled long before these events took place, Robin and I were making preparations to host Thanksgiving for the Workman family. We told Karley and Dustin about the situation but no one else in the family. There was no need to alarm anyone else until more facts were known. But to say we were distracted is an understatement. The MRI confirmed the location and more details about the mass, but a biopsy would have to be performed to identify exactly what it was. Because of the holiday, that was not able to happen till just two days ago. (How long do you think this past week has been?)
The biopsy was performed at the hospital on Wednesday, three days ago. More waiting. Thursday night the doctor finally called with definitive information. The bad news: there is a tumor on the bone in her back left shoulder. The good news: it is benign (at this point) and is probably not related to her earlier illness (what are the chances?).
The reason for sharing all this information now? First as a praise for answered prayer. Second, because there are still issues that need to be dealt with that affect short term planning to one extent or another.
Surgery will need to be scheduled to remove the tumor as quickly as possible so it cannot develop into something else. It is not clear yet just when that will happen, but more than likely in the next week or two. There is a chance that could preclude Mike and Kendra from traveling for the holidays. If they are able to travel, we’re sure that Kendra will be in some discomfort and sore from the procedure followed by fifteen hours in a car. We wanted you to be aware of that. We may be going to Denver to help if for any reason Mike and Kendra needed assistance. We’ve told them one or the other or both of us would be there on 24 hours notice, whenever that might be. (You can see how that might have an impact on any holiday plans.)
Good news: at this point, it doesn’t look like any further action will be needed after the surgery. More good news: as a result of all of this, Kendra has done a lot of research and discovered things that her oncologist should have been doing on a yearly basis that have not been taking place to look for other common problems. She is looking for a new oncologist. The best news: Mike has been wonderfully supportive, helpful and caring throughout this entire ordeal. As parents, the toughest part of this has been seeing your child suffer from a long distance away and not be there to help and guide the process. But it makes all the difference to know that Kendra has found someone to fill that role in our place.
So there you have it. A bullet dodged. Prayers answered. Life goes on with only minor adjustments rather than major upheaval. We are optimistic about the future in the long term; looking forward to Christmas with family in the short term. If any of the plans have to get altered along the way, we’ll let you know ahead of time and you will know all the details as to why. If you feel lead to contact Kendra to offer words of encouragement or support, I would advise you to do it through email or send her a note. Between dealing with insurance companies, doctors, hospitals and still working full time for Ford she is physically overwhelmed, not to mention emotionally exhausted.
We look forward to seeing you all soon and celebrating together,
Kurt and Robin
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