The Decision

I appreciate all of the prayers that have gone up for my mother and for me as we made decisions about this skin cancer thing. It's amazing how you can feel when someone is touching the Throne of God for you!

Mom has definitely decided that she does not want any kind of radiation or chemotherapy. She did decide to go ahead and have the surgery on her arm.

After talking to several medical professionals and friends, we learned a lot of information. This type of cancer (squamous cell) can metastasize rapidly, but as one good friend/medical professional said "at 88 nothing moves very fast", so there is a valid medical reason to do a little more surgery.

The Dermatology Surgeon told me that the plan is to do the surgery under local anesthesia. He's planning on taking about a 3" area around the site and going down through all 7 layers of skin. It will leave an open wound (I'm thankful that the nursing center staff has wound care professionals on staff!) that will need care and packing a couple of times a day. (Since she's diabetic, they want the wound to heal from the inside out to avoid any serious infection.)

The tissue will be sent away for testing to see if the cancer cells are found in more than just a local area. If there are cancer cells in the outside edges, then Mom will have to go through some blood testing and a full-body scan to see if there are other pockets of cancer.

Worst case scenario--the cancer has already metastasized. This will require a lot of prayer as we make some very difficult decisions and have some very difficult family conferences.

Best case scenario--there are no other cancer cells out of the immediate area of the biopsy.

Having already talked to my brother,Paul, my SIL & friend, Beth, Lady Lemon, Jessica, and Ross, we are preparing ourselves for a worst-case answer and praying for a best-case. It has been soooooo hard watching Mom decline inch by inch over the past several years that I don't really have any problem with saying "Good-bye". I 'm confident in where she is headed, and I KNOW that she will be in a much better place!! I'm not being callous. I know I will face grief and sadness as she passes, but I, also, have a great hope in knowing that I will see her again.

I told my girls that really the best thing I could hope for her is that she would fall asleep one night and wake up in her Father's Arms. No fight, no struggle, just sweet peace and release!

I can't think of much of anything that is more beautiful than the ending of this life for a Child of God who has served Him for more than half of her life. She would truly be going Home!