Waiting on One Result

The past week of scans, procedures, and blood products is behind us and now we wait for results. Actually, we have all the results but one. And that ONE is the determining factor in what treatment road we proceed down. So we wait for the call Monday morning to know if Tuesday's trip to San Francisco is a one day party or a week long party. (Transplant meeting to discuss risks and fill out paperwork vs. admittance for the MIBG radiation therapy).

On Thursday, before the bone marrow biopsy and aspirate, the MIBG and CT scan results were in our hot little hands. The doctor's overall summary of their contents was of improvement. But a few things aren't quite that settling to the parent reading the report. The liver metastases (cancer spots) are smaller and there appears to be no evidence of bony metastases. Good. However, there appears to be increased cancer cells near the resection site (where tumor was removed) which could be new disease, but also could be just residual cells, but no one really knows unless a biopsy in done and that is deemed to invasive at the moment. Not so good. We're trying to trust that it's nothing to cause alarm.

We hoped to get a sense of what the biopsy results might tell us from the scans, but we are still completely clueless and anxious. As we anticipated, it comes down to the bone marrow biopsy results to see what is left in his bone marrow because we want it as clean as possible before transplant. And that result must come last! At this point we feel peaceful with either road because both provide increased likelihood of the tumors not recurring.

Ryan and I often discuss the contents of our prayers because we feel like we have so little control over anything at this point. Of course, we pray that William will win this fight, but we know that it is not going to disappear overnight. Where would the fun be in that? A good friend shared in her testimony at church today a reminder that the Lord doesn't take away our challenges, but gives us the strength to get through them. So, although we want to plead with God that this trial will come to an end soon, even more, we want the wisdom to make the right choices and decisions at the proper times. Like King Solomon in 1 Kings 3:5-12, we will pray for an understanding heart.