This morning

It's about 9am, and Dad, Mom, and I had a restful night at the Mennonite guesthouse after a looong day in the waiting rooms.  Derek is still sleepy, but he seems in good spirits and is hungry for breakfast.  His greatest pain right now is when the blood pressure cuff starts up each time.  He saw the resident doctor before we got here, but he doesn't remember much of what he said.  We hope to see the surgeon later today to get more details on how surgery went and a realistic outlook and answer some questions we have about further treatment.

Here are some popular questions in everyone's minds:

1.  Is it cancer?
2.  What are the treatment options?
3.  How long is the life expectancy?
4.  Is it curable?

We really don't know these answers definitively.  Some research suggests that certain doctors would call this quite malignant because of its aggressiveness, but our doctor did not answer us straight up with a yes or no to question #1.  We have not discussed all of the treatment options yet, but we know they plan to do radiation in about 1 month or once he is recovered from this surgery.  If you google the papillary meningioma, you will not find a very positive outlook for #3 and #4.  This is considered a grade III tumor. 

We continue to trust in our Almighty Healer.  He has our best in mind.  Col. 1

We love you all, and please keep us in your prayers.  I'm a little more emotional last night and today, seeing Derek in this state.  However, we have been thankful for low pain, rest, and caring staff.

Love,
Leann