I just wanted to write to all our prayer warriors out there and give you an update. Sunday morning Carl was having severe acute belly pains that worried me to the point of calling his doctor. She wanted us to go to the emergency room, but my tough little cookie was determined to wait it out. Understandably so, ER co-pays generally being large sums of money, and likely result in the scheduling of further testing likely done at a later date. So, come Monday, when the belly pains had been on and off through out the night his doctor ordered a new scan to see if there have been any changes. Carl has what appears to be a fluid collection near his pancreas, that is a common result of such a large surgery. It has not changed in size on the previous two scans. This among a few visual markers on CT have lead the doctors to be very sure that it is just a benign fluid collection. These collections can sometimes cause pain. Worse case they may require surgical draining.

I cannot tell you how or why these tests unravel your nerves the way they do, but they surely do for me. Carl is calm as a cucumber. He shared with me his thoughts while laying completely still on the scan table yesterday. It was such a lovely and yet painful thought, that I must share. Carl said he that while he was laying there praying to Mary ( as he always does, sweet catholic boy that he is), a thought entered his mind about all the thousands of people that had previously laid on that very same table. He thought about those people being alone and all their prayers being whispered to save their lives. Much like his very same prayer that day. It was powerful to think about all those prayers being lifted to God!

Hope and prayer have become two very powerful words to our family this past year. The prayers of hundred flooded in on social media, via phone, and in person yesterday. We are as always so humbled by the love of our prayer warriors. Perfect strangers praying for us all morning at the beach!!!! Receiving loving cards from friends old and new praying for our fight! It is amazing to know that all these people care about your life!!! I often think of those close to me that have committed suicide, who were hopeless, and alone. If they could have only seen the outpouring of love that really existed for them in the world, could that have saved them. It is hard to say.
Hope, prayer, and love. Those are things that keep the soul alive. As we wait, I pray for all of you! Your love and prayers have taught us both how good the world really is!!! Thank you!!! As I watched from afar another cancer wife lose her partner this weekend, I realized that life on this earth is not permanent for any of us. That wife in particular, loved everyday like it was her last! It was a lesson I will take from her journey and carry in my heart, as we fight on! No matter what the outcome of the test today and those to come in the future, love, prayers, and hope will always be in our hearts. Keep y’all posted. I have not waited by the phone this much since I first met Carl 😊🙏!