Counting

When I was growing up, like many kids in my community, I spent my summers away from home at an overnight camp. I can remember the exuberance I felt each summer on the first day of camp knowing that weeks of laughter, silliness, and friendship stretched out before me with no end in sight. But inevitably, after weeks of pure fun and countless memories made with my friends, that last day of camp would soon be upon us, and when sadness would seep into our final days together, our counselors would remind us: "Don't count the days. Make the days count." It's been over 20 years since I was a camper myself, yet these words have stayed with me all this time. Our oldest daughter will be leaving this weekend for her first summer away at camp, and I am sure she will hear that same sentiment while she is there...

Make the days count.

Yesterday, we went down to the University of Chicago so that Derek could get new scans taken of his tumor. Following the imaging, we were able to meet with Dr. M, Derek's surgeon. While we do not have official results from the scans quite yet, Dr. M reported that the scans looked even better than the scans from two months ago, which means that we will continue with the game plan of removing the tumor. A date has been set for August 18th.

The procedure that Derek will need is called a distal pancreatectomy and splenectomy with a possible need for the Appleby procedure, which would include vascular reconstruction. Dr. M noted that the encroachment of the tumor near the celiac artery has regressed significantly, and he feels confident that he will be able to remove the tumor. At this point, we are hoping for what the surgeon calls an R0 resection, a surgery that achieves microscopically negative margins surrounding the tumor. We have learned that R0 gives patients the best possible outcome, while R1 and R2 are considered palliative because cancer cells would be left behind. We are hopeful that Dr. M is able to complete the surgery without complications and that he achieves an R0 resection.

Dr. M had remembered a conversation we had back in May about our hope of scheduling the surgery on a date after our oldest daughter returns from overnight camp. We explained that if possible, we wanted to give our daughter the chance of seeing her dad relatively healthy before he is weakened by surgery. After our last visit, Dr. M went ahead and set the surgery for nearly one week after our daughter's return home. As an added bonus, the surgery has been set for August 18th, and in the Jewish faith, the number 18 holds significance. We take comfort in knowing that Derek's surgery will be on the 18th, a symbol of life and living.

Now that the date has been set, we know the exact number of days that stand between Derek's seemingly healthy life and his surgery. But we won't be counting down the days until surgery. Once a countdown begins, it's easy to become detached from the present and miss important moments in life. Throughout this month, rather than counting the days, we will be making the days count.

We probably won't be posting another blog post for several weeks, but we welcome anyone to join our text group by texting @BigDFaust to 81010. We will be using this feature for updates leading up to surgery, on the day of surgery and the days following.

Thank you for all of your positive thoughts, love and support. We're one step closer...

xoxo