Harder Family

Harder Family

Friday, February 10, 2023

Update 2/10/23 - The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

 Psalm 103:1 "Bless the Lord, o my soul, and all that is within me, bless His holy name."

Today is the day before the 8 year anniversary of Wayne's grand mal seizure that revealed a lemon size brain tumor that later was found to be terminal. God has graciously given us 8 long years with this diagnosis.

Unfortunately, today at Wayne's MRI, we were given some unpleasant news. Wayne's MRI shows lit up areas, including two cysts that are rapidly increasing with fluid. We have to wait until Monday to hear if this area has a blood supply. That simply means that if there is blood supply, there is an active tumor growing that they can't clearly see on the MRI. If there isn't blood supply, we still aren't out of the woods. We will have to repeat the MRI in 4-6 weeks to see how the cysts are growing and make sure there isn't tumor growth. With glioblastoma, things can rapidly change. 

With all of Wayne's recent seizures and other symptoms, we knew something was going on. Although this isn't the news we wanted, at least we know the source of the seizures and the weakness that Wayne has been experiencing on his right side. Even though you think that you are prepared to hear unpleasant news, nothing prepares you to receive bad news. My stomach has been in knots all day. It was hard to eat and focus on the long drive home. I am so thankful for my worship play list and a large chai tea that fueled the six hour drive home.

So where do we go from here? No matter the outcome on Monday's news, Wayne is most likely looking at brain surgery. They have to relieve the pressure of the cysts because they are putting pressure on his brain and causing weakness on his right side, along with the seizures. We would follow up with another MRI in 4-6 weeks and then make plans for surgery. If the news Monday reveals tumor, we would have surgery sooner. We will have to travel back to Chicago to meet with the surgeons and come up with a plan. Thankfully, Wayne's original surgeons are still at Northwestern. 

As you can imagine, our kids are a bit emotional. I think I am in survival mode and still running on adrenaline. I am sure in the next few days that this will all hit. The bottom line is that are we so thankful for all the extra time God has given us with Wayne. We have beat so many odds at this point. So, we have much to be thankful for. God has provided so much healing in my life from my past trauma that I am in a better place right now too and the kids have a great support network. We would still covet your prayers as we face the upcoming weeks. So much is unknown. We don't know what trips we will need to cancel or what life will look like a few months from now. Please pray for God's wisdom and guidance as we move forward.





Positive Highlights: homeschool is going well and Shan Chen passed his drivers permit test! Watch out on the roads for him.








1 comment: