Home Again

We have arrived as many of you know already, but I just wanted to take some time this morning to thank all of you within the reach of this blog for your support, prayers and kind words. You have all brought us much needed strength at this difficult time. We arrived home to find an enormous banner stretching across the front of our house. On this banner were comments from children and adults throughout our neighborhood. As we pulled into the driveway I discovered a backyard free of the bushes that I have been trying to remove since last year. This is an enormous amount of work and I cannot thank you enough. It all was very humbling and I sincerely wish we could thank each one of you personally for all you have done.

Jared is doing so much better and seems to be improving each day. Prior to leaving we had some appointments, in which we discussed Jared's condition. All the doctors were impressed with how well things had gone and how quickly he was healing. The neurosurgeon did point out that the removal of Jared's carotid artery also included the removal of the nerves that wind around it, like I mentioned in a prior post. One of the most evident results of this is his inability to tear up in his left eye. He will also not be able to sweat on the left side of the face. I must admit, it is a small price to pay for what he has had removed from his head. Also, to think of the alternative approaches to remove the tumor, we are very grateful for how this all turned out.

Jared will be returning to Pittsburgh at the end of this month for an angiogram and the removal of Jared's plastic stents in his nose. This will provide a good follow up and assure the doctors that the removal of carotid artery has not resulted in an aneurysm or leakage through the plug that was used to block flow through the artery. This should be a quick outpatient procedure I would imagine, but will give a lot of peace of mind. We are unsure of the dates for his radiation treatment in Boston, but are imagining it happening around the middle to the end of July.

Jaime and I are very grateful for a loving God at this time in our live. This experience has brought about so many tender mercies of the Lord and we again cannot thank you all enough for your faith and prayers on Jared's behalf and the outpouring of love that we have felt. We will most likely not be posting daily for now, but will keep you all updated as we find out more or as we hit more major milestones. Our Heavenly Father does hear and answer prayers and this whole experience has been a testimony to that over and over. Thank you for your participation in all of this.