ashley writes and more

Dan and Ashley are home in LA. After spending one night in the hospital Dan was released. Sunday they brought Toulouse, their new adorable kitten, by and watched the end of the 9er-Raider game ( first 9er win!) on their way south.
The game plan is for Dan to get his hip replacement done before the end of the year in LA and return to school in January to finish his teaching credential for high school math.
The doctor biopsied the tumors before frying them and NO CANCER CELLS were detected in the biposy. Hallelujah! The doctor was not hopeful that Dan's liver will grow back, however, we know the Creator who made Dan's liver in the first place and so we can ask Him to heal that liver so it could regenerate and prepare Dan for what lies ahead. These two brave young people who I love very much have been through so much. Please Lord, make their path smooth.

Isaiah 26:7-9
The way of the righteous is smooth;
O Upright One, make the path of the righteous level.
Indeed, while following the way of Your judgments, O LORD,
We have waited for You eagerly;
Your name, even Your memory, is the desire of our souls.
At night my soul longs for You,
Indeed, my spirit within me seeks You diligently;

This is Ashley's blog from last Friday:
Today, some of Dan's tumors got cooked.

We drove to the hospital early today and were greeted by amazing fog rolling over the Golden Gate. Despite the reasoning for the trip, it's so nice to be back home in Northern California.

Anyway, Dan got checked in, prepped, and was ready to go on time...too bad the anesthesiologist was not ready to go until 2 hours later. (I hope she had an emergency!) Finally, Dan got taken down to the procedure room and I was allowed to follow him until it came time for the anesthesia. He was already on the table when the docs let us know his blood levels were low (platelets 79, H&H 8.9-9.5). They were worried about needing to transfuse, but felt confident about proceeding.

After about 3 hours waiting, Dr. Sze came out to let us know everything went well. The 2 biggest tumors were fried/melted leaving some dead tissue to be resorbed by the liver eventually. His liver still hasn't grown much, so it seems like going with radio-frequency ablation (RFA) was a much better idea than surgery. Also, the last 2 tumors are very small (watermelon seed sized) and not growing. This means that Dan can wait a few months before another RFA cycle. To Dan's delight, he can probably get his hip replaced before he starts school. We'll have to scramble to find a surgeon, but it could happen.

Tonight, Dan will stay in the hospital for observation. His new wound is only a couple centimeters and covered with a big band aid, but there is still a chance for bleeding. The chance is low, but it's safer for him to be here tonight. Also, he can get the "good" pain meds. Though, he says it just feels like he got punched in the ribs. He has already talked the nurse into removing one of his IVs by mentioning that they could leave the bigger gauge in his hand so that the one is AC wouldn't beep at night. Good grief, he's a pro. He ate dinner fine and hopefully, it will stay down because he is already asking for more food!

Please be praying that Dan's liver heals fine and that there is no internal bleeding resulting from the procedure. Also, pray his good eating continues (he's halfway to his pre-Whipple weight!) and that his pain can be easily controlled. Finally, pray we can get some sleep tonight and get out of here safely tomorrow morning. We're hoping to drive to our apartment on Sunday with a healthy Dan :)

Finally, I know several people who are suffering and could use your prayers as well; two women with breast cancer, Kathy and Beth, and a young man, my brother-in-law's nephew, Patrick was in a serious accident and has brain damage and not doing well.

Also my friend Yang Chen passed into glory last Friday surrounded by family and close friends after battling with lung cancer for almost 3 years. His story is eloquently told on his website:

http://family.adoctorsjourneywithcancer.net/Default.aspx

He leaves behind his wife, 3 children, a ministry (http://www.gomets.org/), and many dear friends. He was always faithful to pray for Dan and we spoke several times regarding Dan since his specialty was gastroenterology.

Thanks for your love, support and prayers. They mean so much to us. You mean so much to us.