surgery update

It was a difficult surgery--over seven hours--but the tumor is out.

They also had to remove her entire stomach, spleen, a small portion of the liver, and approx. 60% of her pancreas. The surgeon said her body won't even notice the spleen and piece of the liver being gone. The pancreas is a bit trickier as it is the one most likely to cause any post-op problems/infections. As for the stomach--did you know you can live just fine without it? I don't know all the technicalities, but essentially part of your small intestine becomes your "new," smaller stomach. This adjustment will probably entail the longest part of her surgery recovery, as her body has to get accustomed to the new set-up.

She is in the ICU for a few days, and then will remain in the hospital for a few weeks after that. Though it will be a tough road, we have every reason to believe she will make a complete recovery from the surgery. She is already exceeding expectations by being taken off the ventilator before the end of the first day.

So what about the cancer? The tumor was very large. It was also filled with over two liters (!) of blood. There was simply no possible way for them to maneuver around it and remove it without some bleeding into the abdomen. Obviously that creates some concern in terms of the long term prognosis. Still, we won't know anything until they get labwork back and know more about the tumor itself. It is fairly certain that she will go back on the Gleevac/imatinib--probably for several years--in order to guard against any relapse.

It's a lot to process, I know. However, I have to say that today we are feeling simply relieved that the surgery is over, that the tumor is out, and that there is no remaining sign of disease in her body. There are still some unknowns, yes, but Jenny is strong. It will be okay.

We will keep praying for strength and peace, and with gratitude for all of your love and support. We just can't say thank you enough.