A Magnolia's Heart Beats

Thank ya'll so much for praying for Jimmy! Jimmy is doing so well and we give God all the glory for answering our prayers.

Jimmy was diagnosed with malignant melanoma for the 3rd time and this is the second time it was removed from his brain - successfully!

The surgery went very well and much more quickly than the previous surgery as they didn't have to re-map and take time navigating. The tumor was much smaller than last time, about 1/4 the size. It had rounded nicely and the surgeon was able to get it out pretty much in one piece. He also removed scar tissue from the previous surgery in May and some more tissue surrounding the tumor. He examined the bone very closely and does not believe it's in the bone. He is sure that these are leftover cells from the last operation, ones that were microscopic and decided to grow. We are excited about this, as it doesn't necessarily mean the cancer came back, just that it re-grew. This is a huge praise!

He was a little nauseated yesterday from anesthesia and pain meds and his blood pressure did go up some, but that was to be expected. Since he is on steroids to keep swelling down he doesn't rest as well as some might from other surgeries, so he was constantly watching the monitor and hyper-alert as to headache, nausea, etc. He asked several times for ice but was denied anything until 8:00 p.m. last night, when he drank a sprite. He kept it down, which was a good sign! Jimmy talked to everyone who came to visit him in ICU and mentioned minor details to show he was thinking clearly. For example, he called my sister's baby by name. He thanked me for taking time off from my job, and mentioned specifically the agency I work for. In a family as big as ours, anyone would have a hard time keeping this straight. Before I stepped out last night to give him and Susan some time alone, he told Susan to tell the boys (their 8 year old twins, James & John) that he was planning on watching the USM game with them on Saturday. How sweet is that? We are very excited that he's doing so well!

Dr. Morirarty, the neuosurgeon who is really an angel in disguise, came by this morning and said Jimmy is still doing well. Jimmy told him the date before he asked. He held up the proper number of fingers and still has excellent speech function, except that he still cannot say the word anesthesiologist. Were hoping brain surgery would fix that but alas, twas not to be, LOL. He never can say that word.

He will go to a room today and start eating. He plans on sending him home tomorrow; Thursday for sure. He will heal better at home. Since there is no dressing on incision, the sooner they get him home, the less chance for staph.

They will do the gamma knife procedure within 4 to 6 weeks and he can start back on chemo pills 2 weeks.

Please keep praying for him as he recovers and prepares for this gamma knife procedure. This procedure will kill any of those cancer cells that may have been left behind. I haven't had a chance to research it but from what I've heard it's like direct radiation to the spot and around the spot.

Our God has truly blessed us and heard our prayers. We are now praying that this is the last invasion of cancer in Jimmy's body and that He will put a hedge of protection around him so that he will heal and continue to serve God mightily.

Thanks so much for your prayers. Jimmy feels God's handprints on his life, touching him with each of your prayers. His faith in God is so strong and is such an inspiration to me!

Love,