HAPPY BIRTHDAY, EMILY!!! After only four and one half hours of surgery, the entire tumor has been successfully removed. It had not ruptured and all surrounding tissue appears to be fine (several lymph nodes were biopsied just to sure, however.) We will not know exactly what it was or what treatment comes next until the lab results return in a few (2 or 3) days. Momma and a much thinner (and lighter) Emily are currently resting in a private room at the hospital.

Until then (and after then, I'm sure) we all could still use your prayers. Emily has more than a few tubes & wires attached to her (including a Broviac catheter that she'll have for the next six months plus) and will have most/all of them for the next few days. Her pain medication causes a histamine (itchy) response which is also making her very uncomfortable, but she's here and alive and has good prospects for making a full recovery. Please pray for her continued recovery, her comfort, and for the simplest post-operative course of treatment (i.e. minimal chemotherapy, no radiation, etc.)

Shannon is in what her mother calls "Momma-mode" -- focused and protective of Emily. She's doing a great job seeing that her daughter has everything she needs. The rest of us are hanging in there, too. We still have four to six days in the hospital ahead of us but, with God's help, we're managing.

Thank you for all of your (continuing) prayers. God has heard them all and is working in a powerful way.

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