Update on TIm

Friday afternoon: 3:00pm
Eric just called me. Ken's dad stopped by his work after being at the hospital. Tim is doing as well as can be considering the circumstances. He is able to move his legs again which is a good sign. The surgery was 8 hours long, and it was done through his back. They had to take part of his spine away to do the surgery. Apparently they used a microscope and took the tumor apart cell by cell, but because they went through the back, they were still unable to get it all. The part of the spine that they took out will not go back in. So they are not sure of the permanent damage caused by that yet. Later on he may have to get that part of his spine fused. ( Shauna being a bone doctor must have just cringed at this) He is in the ICU at Mac and from what I understood, though I may be wrong, he will be in there a week. They are waiting for an MRI now to see how much of the tumor they got, and they are waiting for the cultures to come back to see if it was cancer or not. So they still don't know if there will be chemo. Ken and Shauna are staying in a hotel near Mac as the Ronald MacDonald house was full.
That's all that I have for now! Please keep praying hard to Tim's recovery and that the culture will come back with good results. Or, if it's the Lord's will that it is cancer, please pray for strength for Tim to get through the treatments, for Ken and Shauna to support him through that, and for Kate, who is probably feeling a little lost and confused through all of this.



Friday morning.
So yesterday at 3:15pm we heard that Tim was in Surgery. At 9:30 we were getting anxious about not hearing anything, so Eric texted Ken to see what was going on. Ken said that Tim was still in surgery, and that 2 hours earlier they had heard so far so good.
At 12:30 last night (I guess this morning) we got another text that Tim was out of surgery and that it went well. Most of the tumor was removed. It was not through the spinal card sheath which is a blessing. They will know in the next few days if there is any permanent damage, and in the next week or so they will know if chemo or radiation is required.
So please keep praying for Tim and for his recovery, and that hopefully it is all gone, and that no chemo or radiation will be required! Please also pray for his parents and family that they continue to have strength and courage to get through the next few days and weeks and months.