Surgery Date Changed

Vince and I went to UCLA yesterday for his pre-op appointments. He had an MRI, 2 xrays, blood work and saw the doctor and it only took 4 hrs! One thing I have learned through all this is that you need to be flexible and patient. I always bring a book and my computer with me so that I can get stuff done and be productive.

Actually, I really feel very blessed to be at those appointments with Vince because we always meet the most amazing people. I met a mom of a 25 yr. old special needs young woman and she was having a hard time with some tests that they needed to give her and she kept screaming, "get me out of here", "get me out of here"! It's not the most pleasant thing to hear while you are in the hospital walking down the hall, but bless her heart, you could tell she was scared.

When I met her mom and she told me about her daughter and how they had to do various tests on her liver and that she had many things wrong with her. I told her about Vince and we just looked at each other with tears in our eyes and we had an unspoken connection because we could really feel for each other and how hard it is to watch our children suffer, even if they are adults, but they will always be our baby. As she got up to leave, I asked her if I could have a hug and she said, "I'll take all the hugs I can get". I saw God at work by having another tender heart to comfort. There IS joy in suffering:)

Vince's surgery was changed from Tuesday to Monday, again flexibility is necessary. We have to be there at 5:00 a.m. Surgery should be around 7 a.m. and approx. 4 hrs. long. We did see the MRI immediately and the doctor was showing it to us while we were there. He said that he does think that he can save the elbow joint, but he said that for sure the shoulder joint will be replaced. I will know more of the details after it's over and I'll keep you informed.

Dr. Eckardt's #1 goal is to save Vince's life before anything else, so he just wants us to be aware of the possibilities that are involved, so we are informed. What we thought was interesting is that he told us that in the 1970's and earlier, if you were diagnosed with Ewing's you would have no hope and you would just die. Do you know how blessed that makes us feel, knowing how far medicine has come in the last 30 yrs? Even though cancer is a tough thing to fight, at least there is an excellent chance of cure.

Vince played basketball tonight on his team, "The Beirdo's" for the last time. He is staying active since he feels so great. He is taking good care of himself and just wants to do as much as he can, even with a tear in his Meniscus:) The guy has a huge pain tolerance for sure! Mikemo didn't play tonight because he went to Florida for a skate demo and he will come back Sunday night, just in time for Vince's surgery.

Mikemo got his first shipment of the "Mikemo" shoe, which should be out around the end of the year. It think these are just samples and the colors may change when they finally come out.
Here is a photo of Vince and Mikemo holding the two different color options. I sure wish they would smile! I bet if Ty were taking their picture they would smile!! LOL!



I do have a few prayer requests this week for our family. We are all going through different health related issues and we are asking for clean reports all around! Also, for Mikemo as he is away in Florida.

Thank you to Pastor Murry for all your prayers and ongoing support for our family! You are a special blessing to us! Thank you for the Bible verse listed below!

Thank you to my Bible study ladies for praying for my family! You are awesome! I feel loved!

Thank you Cathy for being such a great friend and always being there for me for the last 34 yrs:)

Thank you Anne, my prayer warrior and the best piano teacher in the universe!

Pastor Mark and his wife Michelle and their two sons, Jaxon and Levi...thank you for praying for Vince and of course all of us! We need all the prayers we can get!

Thank you to our parents and all our extended family, we know that it's not easy for you to be at a a distance and watching Vince go through this trial. We are so grateful to have each one of you praying for him.

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows.
2 Corinthians 1:3-5