Tomorrow is the big day. We have spent this evening consulting with the oncology resident and the pediatric surgeon resident about tomorrow. Just for the record that oncology resident is awesome and I think I got snot on her shoulder when she held me when I sobbed. She is human and awesome and I am so thankful we are here.
Just a funny story that happened here. We have a VHS in our room and VHS tapes in here. We have watched the Lion King and Beauty and the Beast 6 million times today. David has announced that he wants to be the Beast next year for Halloween and he wants Hope to be Belle. I cried to the oncology resident about whether is would be okay to buy his costume for next year and she smiled and said sure:) We celebrate little victories around here. There have been times that I have been so hopeless today that I wondered if my little buddy would even be here next year. That is how emotional and scared we are.
Tomorrow David's kidney and adrenal gland will be removed in the afternoon. This is a pretty big surgery for a little guy and he will probably enter PICU for a day or two afterwards to control his pain. They will also insert a Porta-cath for future chemo treatments. I can't even talk about that right now.
The good part of this is that they truly believe that this is a Wilms tumor in his kidney. The good news is that you can treat the kidney affected by simply removing it. The bad news is that unfortunately his cancer is stage four because it has metastisized (sp?) to his lungs and there are many nodules on his lungs. This is the part that worries us. The oncologist wants to remove his kidney so the chemo can focus on those darn blasted nodules on his lungs.
We are still scared, we dread David enduring this big surgery and we know the post-op can be kind of hard on him. The good news is that this little guy is hilarious and is keeping us laughing. We are getting ready to cheer on the Hokies here in Wahoo Land.
The other thing is that the CT scan that was suppose to be done this afternoon has been put off until the morning. We know the surgery is "suppose" to be mid-afternoon tomorrow so that realistically means early evening by these time standards. This place is awesome but with so much coordination that needs to happen around here time moves slow.
Here is what we are praising God for:
Jesus-we feel Him here with us and we know that he is sustaining us.
Our care-we are where we should be.
David-he has perked up considerably and is making us laugh! We are watching the Hokies and he is one fired up fan even here in "enemy territory"
Ashley and friends-Ashley is here with us and she has been such a blessing to us. She cares for David while we get to listen and consult with all these specialist. He loves her and she can get him to do stuff that he is not wanting to always:)
Our cheering section-we feel y'all's love and we know that everyone is praying. It gives us goosebumps to know that you all are praying and loving our sweet boy.
Chemo-The good news from the oncologist is that the chemo required for a Wilms tumor is typically outpatient. Considering the fact that I have two more babes at home this was welcome news:)
We will update as we know more:)
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The Robinson Family,
ReplyDeleteGod is Good and he will watch over Little David. Prayers are strong in Orange tonight! If there is anything--we are a lot closer than you think! Susie and Bobby Swope
Laura and Mike,
ReplyDeleteEven though I have never met any of you, except maybe in passing. I feel like I know you because of Ashley and Jason, they are some of my best friends, and I can tell you they are definitely Dave's biggest fans. Please know I am praying for all of you. I know you all are loved and treasured by so many. Laura, your strength and faith is an inspiration to us all. Please know you have all of our support, prayers and love. A friend of mine in TN was calling her friend in California to start a prayer chain there, so probably by the time you read this, Dave will be in prayers heard around the world. He is such an amazing little guy, this is just a small hurdle and God and all of you and all of us will make sure he clears this hurdle. Take care and God Bless.
Laura and Mike,
ReplyDeleteI don't know if you got the text I sent earlier, but I want you to know how terribly saddened we all are by this news about David. I couldn't focus on teaching today because my brain was too busy sending up prayers. The entire school community and the town of Marion is praying. I know from personal experience that God answers prayers and miracles do happen. Kariann and I are thinking of coming up on Saturday, but we don't know if we should. We don't want to intrude or put any additional strain on your family. Please be honest with us about this. Do you think David would be up to having company on Saturday? Perhaps we should wait until later in the week. Please let us know what you think we should do. You know how much I love this little guy. I have loved him since the first 5 minutes I spent with him. We want to somehow show him how much we care. Thank you for these blogs and for keeping us informed on what's going on.
Tena
Laura and family,
ReplyDeleteWe are sending David and you guys big squeezy hugs. We have been praying since the moment we heard about him. Please know that there are many people who love David and are standing as prayer warriors and intercessors on your and Mike's behalf. You are not alone in this battle! Lots of love, Nikki & Katlinn Walker
I am friends with Tracey Armbrister. My nephew, Landon Payne is also at UVA receiving cancer treatment. He is also 6 years old. He was diagnosed with stage 4 Burkitts Lymphoma about 3 months ago. He is actually there tonight waiting to have a lumbar chemo treatment in the morning. I just wanted you to know how great they are at UVA, which I can see you are finding out. Landon was so weak and sick in the beginning. He has gotten stronger and has had some really good days. The power of prayer. Maybe they could be little hospital buddies. I know it's so important for them to have some sense of normalcy through all this. You and your family are in my prayers.
ReplyDeleteErica Greer
Praying for your family, you could not be at a better place, my son's friend has spent many days, weeksplus there, and his family has nothing but praise for everyone there. These will be new members of your extended family, they will make you feel as close to home as you can inder the situation. Many prayers will be lifted for David, his surgery team and family. Keep your faith and be comforted that many some you don't know are keeping you in prayer. Faith and Prayer are Powerful!
ReplyDeleteYou still are praising God. Even in the midst of everything going on, you are still adamant about that. This speaks volumes to me and I'm sure to many who are reading. It also minimizes our daily trials and squabbles to see your thankfulness written in such a profound and BIG way!
ReplyDeleteMany prayers for David and your family.
Kimberly Kilgore
Laura: My thoughts and prayers have been with you all day knowing that today was "the day". Your faith and support of others will carry you through. When I was 16 and my sister 15, she had to go to Roanoke Hospital for several brain surgeries and today she is married and lives a good life w/ limited problems. I never cease to look at her and see a Miracle. God's grace, his healing power, and his love shown to us by so many people helped our family get through that year. She missed a year of school and had to learn to walk, talk, eat, etc. all over again. She got sick right when school was out for the summer and I stayed with her just about that whole summer in that hospital and she seemed more like my child than my sister. Please know that when people say they are thinking about you and praying for you...they really are!!! I can vouch for that. We will continue to pray for you guys and look forward to your return home. God's amazing grace will guide you each day.
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