Im posting what my brother-in-law wrote to save time. Prayer greatly appreciated. We were scheduled to meet with the neurosurgeon this morning, but he called us last night, instead. The MRI confirms what he saw in the CT scan: A malignant, incurable tumor. I’ve learned in the past week that there is a significant difference between the terms “inoperable” and “incurable.” The doctor says he can operate on Ray, but that the cancer cannot be cured. The only thing an operation will really do is buy time. The amount of time is anyone’s guess, but it’s not a lot. Brain surgery is, of course, very risky and there are a host of bad outcomes. The only real benefit that we can see is that the doctor can get a big chunk of the tumor and analyze it. There is a very small chance (less than 1%) that it’s not a tumor, but just an infection. The doctor is certain, however, that it’s a malignant tumor. So, the dilemma is now whether or not to have surgery. Is the risk of surgery worth the chance that it’s just an infection? It doesn’t seem to be, since the chance is so small. Another thing I’ve learned in the past week is that there is no good answer to these questions. Behind every door is the high probability that things will go very badly. Moreover, any decision we make can (and will?) be second-guessed. It’s really an impossible task. I do know, however, that as a family we’ll fully support whatever decision is made. We all know that none of the options are good. We’re all deeply saddened by this and wish the circumstances were very different. But all that is obvious. We’ll have to make a decision by tomorrow morning. We appreciate your prayers and support. It means more than you realize.
Posted on: Thu, 03 Apr 2014 19:13:13 +0000
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