Ready to Roll....

At the end of a long week, the treatment plan has been determined. Four specialists held a neuroscience conference today to study my Dad's case and develop the treatment plan. He will start with radiation to the tumor in his skull and the surgery to remove the kidney will follow the radiation. Prior to the radiation treatment starting, he needs to have another CT scan, an MRI and to be fitted for a body and head mold that will be made to hold him firmly in place while the radiation is performed. These procedures are scheduled for next Wednesday, and from there it will take about 10 working days for the molds to be made. So, we estimate that it will be approximately 3 weeks from now for everything to be in place for the actual radiation treatment to start. There will be a total of 5 treatments, which will occur twice a week. The type of radiation(called Sterotactic Radiosurgery or Synergy S for anyone who is interested in the technical stuff) that is best suited to shrink the kind of tumor my dad has is only available at 8 Radiosurgery Centers in the country and the Radiosurgery Center in Willliamsburg, VA happens to be one of the 8! He should have minimal side effects from the radiation; some fatigue is all that is really expected.
My mom and dad believe they are getting the best care possible & feel blessed that everything that needs to be done can take place right there in Williamsburg. They are very confident in the team of specialists that have been assembled to care for my dad and are ready to press forward. Everyone they encountered during the various appointments this week was caring, informative, professional and efficient. We are very thankful for that.
My parents asked me to include this on their behalf - "We are so incredibly grateful for the outpouring of love, prayers and concern and feel honored to know so many wonderful people. There are not only people all over the U.S. praying, but in other countries too like Canada, Brazil and Germany & we thank all of you. We are mindful that there are many good friends and family who are also battling serious illnesses and we want you to know that we are praying for you too."
We are keeping our fingers crossed that everything goes according to plan and that there might even be a chance before the radiation starts for my mom and dad to slip in a trip up to Canada to see my daughter, Megan, graduate from High School. Of course that’s a secondary thing, but would be so awesome if they could make it. We will keep you posted on how everything is going!