If you're looking for big medical news today is the day to read the blog. Well....sort of. At 6:40 this morning we arrived at the Mayo Clinic. Honestly, it felt like we were walking into an airport. Mayo is quite a bit different than St. Boniface. Anyway, Ramona had a few X-rays and blood tests first thing in the morning and that would be all for actual testing. The rest of the day was spent talking to different doctors and looking at the information from Winnipeg with those doctors. And this is where we put in a plug for Winnipeg. Mayo can't really do much more for Ramona than Winnipeg. First step is to see how the Sarcoma responds to standard chemo (what we're doing). Statistically there is a 24% chance that the tumors will shrink. Winnipeg could not differentiate what type of Sarcoma Ramona has, but now Mayo will try (the little pieces of Mony's body should be shipped down here shortly). Unfortunately, the information specifying the Sarcoma will only do a little bit of good. The type of treatment does not change. From what we know, it only changes the likelyhood of the chemo being effective on whatever type of cancer it is. Here is the interesting challenge. Ideally, Ramona will still have an operation after chemo and then they will remove the shrunken tumors and all will be well. They are still making it sound like a long shot. Ramona will only be a good candidate for surgery if she has an incredible desire to get well (and of course, the tumors have shrunk). I'm so thankful she is such a determined person. On another note, she is starting to lose her hair. This is obviously rough. She is an amazingly beautiful woman.......I wish I could kiss away the pain of losing hair, but it's probably not that simple (I'll try though). I guess it's time to start dealing with wigs.
While sitting in the Mayo Clinic I kind of needed to think about how pathetic we as humans are compared to God. Mayo has these little pamphlets celebrating human achievement and whatever. Then we talk to some of the top doctors in the world about Sarcomas and chemo and stemcells and nutrients and all those things....and the amount they don't know compared to the things they know is unbelievable. We're not even close to understanding the human body.
Anyway, we are done at Mayo for now. We will start to head home tomorrow sometime. We will keep in touch with them about how the treatments are going at home and send all the CT Scans here to Mayo. We will definitely consult these people here if we change treatment plans or need their opinions or want to try experimental treatments.
Check I Corinthians 13 about how many times the definition of love involves having hope and never giving up. It is pretty encouraging.
Prayer requests
Still, that God would be glorified by what we do and with what He does with the cancer.
That the tumors will shrink
The hair loss and next round of chemo will be incredibly hard for Ramona

Thanx for joining us in prayer,
Earl