Exciting News!

Lori had her port installed on Monday with no problems.  She is still a little sore today but she experienced the benefit of the port on Tuesday when she did not have any burning during her chemo. Her blood counts were in great shape and her weight was up a half a pound. All of these things we are grateful for.

Dr. Picozzi then told us that it looks like its time to look at Radiation.  We have been praying for this but when we started to talk about it with Dr. Picozzi it became a reality that was a little overwhelming. You have to remember when we first found out what type of cancer we were dealing with Radiation was out of the question so needless to say this was a blessing we have been looking for.  Dr. Picozzi also mentioned that if Radiation is as successful as he plans it to be we may be looking at surgery to remove the pancreas (Thank God!).  Lori and I were shocked at the news because this is what we wanted to hear but when we actually heard it we both almost passed out.  Picozzi then set up appointments for CT scans and consultation with the radiologist December 1st.  We are asking our prayer warriors to keep this date in mind and pray for guidance and grace for our doctors and our family. (Thank You upfront!)

Dr. Picozzi then spent some time talking to Lori about her woman's retreat she had last weekend with her church. This was a great weekend for Lori.  She feels like she is getting closer to the other ladies in the church and Lori stood up and told her group her story and her feeling of being lead by God to where she is at now.  This left Lori emotionally drained and fulfilled at the same time. 

During our conversation with Dr. Picozzi we also found out that a superior court judge out of Boston is making a weekly trip to see Picozzi for the same protocol Lori is on. Picozzi is excited with Lori's attitude, progress and spiritual outlook on life.  Picozzi is also an adult bible school teacher so he likes to share his faith with her.  In speaking with Picozzi's nurse yesterday, Nancy informed me Lori is providing a spirit that is uplifting to her department. Nancy says Lori's progress is both wonderful and exciting for them too.  Nancy also told me that not only is a superior court judge making the trip to see Picozzi but lots of celebrities and powerful people from Europe are also making bi monthly trips for the same protocol.  Praise the Lord, we have been led to the right place.

With all of this great news comes the reality that we will have to stay is Seattle for 5 to 6 weeks starting on December 13th.  Picozzi wants Lori close to the Hospital during her radiation/chemo so he can monitor and adjust as needed.  Needless to say this puts an emotional strain on us being away from our family, kids and support group in Spokane.  We know that things will work out but being away from our comfort area is scary for us.  We will have the kids stay with us for two weeks in December so it looks like we might celebrate Xmas in Seattle.  I have also reserved a one bedroom hotel with washer and dryer/full kitchen for this say so we will be close to the hospital (1 mile) and comfortable during our stay.

Ashton finished up her Volleyball last week and Tony has started his AAU basketball.  Tony had a tournament this weekend where we won 1 and lost three.  The three games we lost were by 1, 2 and 4 points so the games were close and fun to coach. The one game we won went into two overtimes.

We now have everything winterized so bring on the snow.

Keep up the positive prayers and thoughts, our family feels the power everyday!