After months of very bad headaches that kept getting more and more frequent, we went the the doctor who scheduled Joanna for a CAT scan on Sept 9 to rule out anything in her head. On Sept 11 we found out that Joanna had a brain tumor the size of an orange in the left side of head. This is the part of the brain that controls language and motor function on the right side of the body. That afternoon we checked into the hospital in Halifax. Eight days later, Sept 19, it took the surgeons almost 8 hours to get about 90% of it out. They told us they go slow and don't look at the clock:) The distinction between tumor and brain was not well defined, and the tumor had grown into some of the surrounding brain which is why they couldn't get it all. Fortunately their was no brain function within the tumor, that would have been much worse. She came through surgery very well, with no memory loss, and only slight weakness on the right side. She was awake for most of the surgery so the surgeons could check brain function well they worked. They said she did very well answering questions during and after surgery. The initial result from pathology showed a less aggressive kind of tumor, however, the final results will take a few weeks to come in, so we cannot say for sure that it is all benign.
Since the beginning we have been encouraged and comforted with the knowledge that hundreds of people are praying for us all over the world. Our loving heavenly Father was well aware of Joanna's tumor, and we saw His hand of control on the whole thing. God used this in our lives to help us realize that He holds our lives in His hands, and He has us here for His purpose! We still don't know what tomorrow will bring, but we trust God for today! A big thank you to all of you who prayed, emailed, called, visited, and sent food & gifts it was a big encouragement to us! Continue to pray for Joanna's recovery from the surgery, and pray that the tumor was benign and requires no further treatment.
In His Care
Curtis, Joanna, Natalie, Reuben and Kaylie
After months of very bad headaches that kept getting more and more frequent, we went the the doctor who scheduled Joanna for a CAT scan on Sept 9 to rule out anything in her head. On Sept 11 we found out that Joanna had a brain tumor the size of an orange in the left side of head. This is the part of the brain that controls language and motor function on the right side of the body. That afternoon we checked into the hospital in Halifax. Eight days later, Sept 19, it took the surgeons almost 8 hours to get about 90% of it out. They told us they go slow and don't look at the clock:) The distinction between tumor and brain was not well defined, and the tumor had grown into some of the surrounding brain which is why they couldn't get it all. Fortunately their was no brain function within the tumor, that would have been much worse. She came through surgery very well, with no memory loss, and only slight weakness on the right side. She was awake for most of the surgery so the surgeons could check brain function well they worked. They said she did very well answering questions during and after surgery. The initial result from pathology showed a less aggressive kind of tumor, however, the final results will take a few weeks to come in, so we cannot say for sure that it is all benign.
