Tuesday, February 27, 2007

Aaron Browning...

Just wanted to give you an update on Aaron Browning. Yesterday he had his surgery and he made it through perfectly! He is now in recovery and is moving his arms and legs and is responding to questions properly.. these are all very good signs. Dr. Pearson reports that the operation was a success and that he was able to remove all of the mass.

I would like to thank all of you that prayed for this family and ask that you keep it up. They are now waiting to hear if the tumor is benign... which of course we are all hoping very much for.

If you would like more information check out www.aaronbrowning.com for details.

Thank you

Austin & Nicole

Saturday, February 24, 2007

Rally for Another...

It sure is strange how it seems like a month ago I didn't even know anyone who knew anyone who had a brain tumor and now I seem to be running into folks all the time who are either going though something very similar or have gone through it in the past. Just this week the fourteen year old son of a friend of ours was diagnosed with a brain tumor... his condition is much more advanced than Caleb's and they have opted to operate on him on Monday morning.

The Browning family is in desperate need of your prayers. At 07:00 on Monday morning the very same Dr. keeping watch over Caleb (Dr. Pearson) will operate on Aaron for 10-12 hours in a very delicate procedure. Please ask the Lord to heal their son and grant Dr. Pearson wisdom as he operates on Aaron. The Lord has seen this family through some amazing things and we have no reason to doubt He will do less in this circumstance.

If you would like more information on Aaron check out www.aaronbrowning.com where you can sign up for the latest information.

Thanks for your time.

Austin & Nicole Henderson

Wednesday, February 21, 2007

Another One Down...

Today we met with Dr. Pearson (neurosurgeon) to review the MRI from last week. As you know we were praying that the mass would be gone. While we didn't get this news, which is saddening, we did learn that the mass has not changed and this is a good thing. This means that the they are not concerned with the potential that we are dealing with an aggressive tumor, and for this we are thankful.

The next steps for us are really more of the same... Caleb will see the eye doctor in early April and he will have another MRI in three months. Until then we will just be praying that the mass will be taken from him, that he will continue on the path of development he is on, and that he won't have complications from the tumor.

Thank you all again so very much for your prayers and concerns... it is a wonderful feeling to know there are so many friends who care for our family. We love you all.

Austin & Nicole

Tuesday, February 13, 2007

Made It Through...

Well we made it through the MRI.... Caleb did a GREAT job, he sure was brave. This time they put a bit of gel on his hands to ease the pain of the I.V. and boy did it make a difference. He didn't shed one tear when they poked him, which is a lot more than I can say for the last time.

Unfortunately we probably wont know much more for about a week. We are scheduled to return to the Dr. on Wednesday the 21st for our review of the scans. The basic hope is that we will review the images and find no change or better yet.... that the mass is gone!

We will keep you all posted as soon as we have new information.

Thank you all for your sweet calls and notes today. We have been so humbled by God's demonstration of grace through each of you that we really do not even have words to convey our feelings. Please know that we are thankful to have each of you on our side as we walk through this time.

Sincerely,

Austin & Nicole Henderson

Sunday, February 11, 2007

MRI Date Changed...

Hello all,

Just wanted to let you know that are MRI date has changed. The reasons are not really related to the urgency of the scan but rather some scheduling conflicts and procedural issues. At any rate the MRI is now scheduled for Tuesday the 13th.... you're right.. that's two days from now. So for those of you would like to pray for us and the outcome of this procedure we would appreciate your prayers this Tuesday. A great many of you have stated you will be fasting on this day and I want you all to know how much we truly appreciate your dedication to bringing this cause before the Lord... Please continue to do so on our behalf.

As far as updates go all we really have to say is that Caleb is a fun-loving and goofy little kid who is basically running all over our house and cutting his 8th tooth! It seems like yesterday that he was born, my how time flies.

Thank you all for your thoughts and concerns... we will update you when we have more information.

Sincerely,

Austin & Nicole Henderson

Sunday, February 04, 2007

Latest News...

First off let me say how sorry I am for the long delay between postings. So many of you have called, emailed or written notes of encouragement asking about Caleb, and we are so thankful for your thoughts and prayers.

The latest news is this... Caleb has seen the Oncologist and the Ophthalmologist in the past two weeks. Both doctors agree that there is a mass on his optic nerve and that it is not operable without damaging his vision. They both agree that there is a great possibility that this mass is benign and there is a possibility that it will simply do nothing. There is of course also a possibility that it will grow and cause problems that we will need to address, however we have chosen not to dwell on that which we cannot control.

As far as the diagnosis for Neurofibromatosis (NF) there is not nearly enough evidence to support even a conversation about really. After a bit of reading it turns out that while it is not a necessarily uncommon condition (1:3500 to 1:40,000 births depending on the type) it is a clinical diagnosis and the patient has to demonstrate multiple symptoms, of which Caleb has only the possible glioma.

All of the doctors agree that the best plan right now is just to observe this mass. We need to determine if it is growing and if so at what rate. He is scheduled to have another MRI on the 21st of February. The doctors will use the images gathered from this visit to compare against the previous scans.

Our prayer at this time is that they will either find no change or better still a total reversal of diagnosis and determine that the mass is gone. We believe that the Lord can take this away from him with a single breath, we are praying to this end. The word tells us that we can courageously approach God and that we do not have because we do not ask. We ask you to boldly step before Him and ask Him for this on our behalf.

As you can see from the most recent photo gallery Caleb is growing and changing all the time. He is walking incredibly well and saying daddy, which usually is pronounced di-dy. He is such a blessing in our lives and we are so very thankful for every moment we are with him. He is presently suffering from a double ear infection and a bit of a cold that he can't seem to shake, but otherwise healthy as a horse. He has a great attitude and is a joy to be with.

Thank you all for your continued support and prayers.... we are grateful for each of you.

Austin & Nicole