Please Pray

At this very moment, my baby brother, Jeffrey, is having a portion of his skull removed. A tumor has grown there and doctors want to analyze it to determine what type of cancer has invaded his body.

We learned last Friday that he has at least a dozen cancerous tumors - in his skull, his chest cavity, his back near the spine, his left breast, his lungs, his kidneys, his liver, and several throughout his skeletal structure. The doctors were unable to determine which tumor is primary, and that is crucial information for determining the course of treatment which will be most likely to succeed. Today's surgery and biopsy, along with tomorrow's full-body bone scan should help determine the type and origin.

Jeffrey began experiencing severe back pain in March, and has been treated for a back injury for the past 6 months. The doctor finally ordered an MRI two weeks ago and that's when the first tumor was found. Within the next couple of days he shaved his head (he's a former Marine who does this routinely), and discovered a growth there. Suddenly, many symptoms that had been ignored came rushing together.

Each day that passes brings with it an increase in pain, as well as enlargement of the tumors. More and more become palpable every day, confirming the doctors' diagnosis of "aggressive." His decline is rapid and visible...he appears frail already.

Please pray for him. He and his wife, Dawnn, have 3 little ones: Cierra is 8, Thomas is 3 and Benjamin is 1. Pray for his health, but above all, pray that he will be at peace with Christ.

NOTE: Yesterday's surgery was successful. The tumor was confined to the skull and had not penetrated any brain tissue yet, which is good news. I saw Jeff briefly as they brought him to his room. He looked surprisingly good and was alert enough to be aggravated at the "race car driver" who slammed him into walls and doors during transport! If all goes well, he should return home today after the bone scan. We have been told to expect a report tomorrow from both tests.