Family Life and Friendship Network

We finally were able to meet with a doctor about Julie's last MRI brain scan, which was done just over a month ago. It was delayed because Julie's former doctor did not receive the scans over the network the day we had our appointment (the same day as the scan). He did call us after about a week, and I've already blogged about the phone call. We got an appointment with Julie's former doctor a week after the call (2 weeks after the scan), but he was not there. He took a leave of absence for personal reasons that very day, with no indication if or when he would return. It took a couple weeks to get a new doctor and get the appointment set.

The results were worse than we had originally been told. Even while Julie was on three forms of chemotherapy at once, there were a few millimeters of tumor growth in the mid corpus callosum, which is the part of the brain that joins the right and left sides. What's left of Julie's tumor resists all the latest and best treatments. We won't know what the next step is until we meet the doctor next Monday because we need a more recent scan. We scheduled an MRI brain scan on Friday, and on Monday we will meet with Julie's new doctor, Doctor Ward. In that meeting we will discuss experimental treatments, and decide if we want to proceed into the unproven frontier of cancer treatment or if we want to say enough is enough. The scan results will probably give the doctor enough information to give us a prognosis as well.

I'm spending my time comforting Julie. She's said a number of times today that she's scared to die. I suggested that she might best prepare for her own death by going to the temple much more frequently. Nothing is better suited to prepare us for what is to come. Julie will need help in the temple, and I don't want to ask my mom to make a weekly commitment to help Julie when I think there are many others who will also be pleased and honored to help her out. Thus, I will likely be contacting some of you, Julie's family and friends, to attend the temple with us, and help Julie out in the areas I can't.

Thank you all for your support. Sometimes it's all that sustains me. Every encouraging word helps give me strength to continue the fight - a fight that's looking more and more like a last stand. The battle isn't over. Even when it's over, it's not over. We'll keep moving forward, with a hope and with faith in the Healer of Souls, Jesus Christ. I welcome any questions or comments from any of you, my family, my friends.