Sierra

What a day it has been.

We arrived at Oakland Children's Hospital this morning and were sent directly to Neurosurgery and Neuro oncology.

The mass in her frontal lobe is definitely a tumor. Currently, it's about the size of a shelled walnut. Thankfully, we seem to have caught it early, and it's still appears to be away from any areas that would challenge memory, speech, etc. Doctor says he's guessing it's still benign, but he's not comfortable with it being in there, especially with how quickly her symptoms have appeared. So she will be undergoing major brain surgery as early as tomorrow morning. It's a very long procedure....would be started in the AM, and wouldn't be done till late afternoon, so securing the OR so quickly is going to be a challenge. More than likely, it will be done on Monday, but she will need to remain in the hospital till then.
They will be removing a part of her skull. The location of the tumor, they shouldn't have to cut into her brain too much to get to it, but it's not going to be an easy procedure. They will remove the tumor, put the bone back in place, and will secure it with plates. She will be in ICU for a couple days, and in the hospital for 3-7 days if recovery goes well. If she needs any rehab, that will obviously prolong her stay.
We will find out about week after her surgery if it's benign or malignant. If it's benign, she will have to come back once a month for a while to get repeat MRIs. If it comes back malignant, then it's a whole other level of care, and will be followed by chemo and radiation. Worst case scenario.
For now, she's handling everything like a trooper. So proud of her, and how she is handling it. Wish I could say the same for myself.
Please keep her in your prayers. She needs them more now than ever.

For our Carson Valley friends: A friend of ours has our four bigger kids. Makenley is with us. If surgery is delayed till Monday, I will head back and make further arrangements for childcare, and spend a little bit of time with my babies before things get even crazier. But, we are going to need some help. Makenley isn't even supposed to be on the floor, or at her bedside, and she can't stay the night. So, the two of us are in a hotel tonight, while Ken stays with Sierra. When Sierra gets out of surgery, and is in the ICU, I'm not really sure how we're going to manage. So, if you're available to help watch our kids, or if anyone is free to come out to Oakland with us to help, let us know. And our friends in Sacramento/Oakland, if anyone is available, also please let us know.

Thank you so much for all the continued prayers and support. It means so much to us.