Welcome

Welcome to my blog, which I am writing for my own sake as much as for my family and friends who have been so faithful and constant in their love and support.  I am constantly reminded of God's faithfulness through His Word and through the loving outreach of those in my life.
Our U-turn began in late July of 2012 when I began to experience unusual discomfort in my abdominal area.  I can only liken it to morning sickness, which is not forgotten with age, unfortunately.  The symptoms increased, necessitating a visit to a gastroenterologist who correctly diagnosed the need for gall bladder removal, preceded by a procedure called an ERCP, during which he would remove what appeared to be debris in my bile duct.  The ERCP revealed that the problem was not debris but was, in fact, a thickening of the tissue in the wall of my bile duct.  The gall bladder was removed the day after the ERCP, thankfully revealing no problems, but further examination of the bile duct was required.  Fast forward to an endoscopic ultrasound, the revelation of the need for surgical removal of the diseased tissue and the hitting of the fast track to my current situation.
We were blessed to be transferred into the capable hands of Dr. Lawrence Koep who was honest in telling us that he would not know what we were dealing with until he got to my innermost parts.  Best case scenario, removal of diseased tissue with a pathology report of benign.  Second scenario, removal of tissue with a pathology report of malignant but having clear borders within the bile duct.  Worst case scenario, diseased malignant tissue but with the necessity of invading surrounding organs in order to get clear borders, requiring what is called a Whipple Procedure.  (Google it...it isn't pretty!)  Surgery revealed the need for a Whipple, I was officially diagnosed with Cholangiocarcinoma and the adventure began in earnest.  We were thrust into the previously unknown world of cancer.
Along the way we have been blessed beyond blessed by the indescribable, quiet, freely given guidance of a local physician friend who came into our lives some years ago through dove hunting at our dairy.  His counsel has rendered words useless.  His recommendations of professionals in the field have resulted in the best possible care, from oncologist to PET scan interpretation, to port placement.  My brother, Dave, A Physicians' Assistant in Tucson,  has been pummeled with questions from us and never fails to give wise counsel when he has the immediate answers and when he is unsure of the specifics of our questions he consults his professional peers and never fails to get the needed information to us, clearly translated into layman's terms.  (You will read more about Dave later.)  And to make our journey even more blessed outside our local area, a long time precious friend, an oncologist in California, has been available 24/7 to answer any questions we could possible have.  What a testimony to an Awesome God Who is quietly leading the way and opening doors for us before we even knew they needed opening, giving credence to the beautiful truth in Philippians 4:6,7: "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.  And the peace of God which passes all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus."
And off we go!