Dear
friends...
Many of you
are already aware of the changes in Caleb’s health but for those of you who are
not we will give a short recap. A few weeks ago we had a scheduled checkup MRI
and in that MRI a portion of the tumor has begun to grow a cyst. The growth of
the tumor was very hard news to hear and as you can imagine we have been in a
flurry of activity trying to get opinions from around the country as to what
our next steps will be.
Vanderbilt
has stated that they believe we should begin chemo treatment as soon as we are
ready to begin. The fear is obviously that the lack of symptoms will not
continue if the progression of the tumor is not stopped. The treatment plan is
a year in duration with treatments approximately 44 out of 52 weeks. While there
are several clinics around the country that agree with treatment there has also
been one respected clinic who urged caution in the treatment, and has considered
continued monitoring.
The newly
found cyst is on top of the tumor and while growth is not a good thing we do
realize that there are blessings we can take joy in. The greatest blessing we
take joy in right now is that the growth has not impacted his vision in any
way. By all clinical signs he is a healthy 8 (almost 9) year old boy. This is
the hardest part of the next decisions we have to make. We know treatment will
be hard on his body and spirit, and in the absence of complications the choice
is a hard one to make.
We recognize
that we have been on this journey for over 8 years now and that many of you
have been with us each step of the way. We continue to be amazed at how covered
in prayer our son and entire family are by this extended body of believers who
care for us. While this is not our first run in with the idea of treatment this
time feels different, and the stakes seem much higher.
Tonight we
are writing to ask you to join with us in a day of prayer tomorrow (Friday 2.27).
We are asking that you pray for clarity, for wisdom and for unity. We are not
promised that life will be without troubles and if this is the path for us we
are willing to walk in it. We know that God loves Caleb more than we could
imagine, and we know that He has a plan for our son.
My friend
who is walking through some hard things with his daughter said something a few
days ago that struck home with me. In paraphrase he said that God has numbered his
daughter’s days. He knows the duration of each one. We are here as parents to
enjoy each of these days and walk with our children through them. This is a
hard thing to meditate on, but at the same time it is a freeing lens to look at
life through.
Nicole and I
desire to be a source of strength for Caleb. We desire for Caleb to know all
that God is to him and how great His love is for our son. We know that this
journey may be tough but we are confident that God will be with us through it.
Will you
join us in prayer on Friday? Will you help us ask the Father for the wisdom
that only He can provide? We know that there is a path we are to walk, and
right now we are seeking His wisdom to make the next right choice.
Blessings
Austin &
Nicole
