Successful Surgery!!!

As Megan and I sit in the hospital room at MD Anderson, she is still a little groggy from all of the medications and anesthesia from yesterday's surgery. Therefore, I get the pleasure of updating her blog with the incredible news of AMAZING GRACE. 


The surgery was a complete success. In fact, the results were better than what we could have ever expected. Megan and baby are 100% healthy. Dr. Ramirez told me after the surgery that he was able to remove all of the cancerous cells. He's going to send off some tissue samples and lymph nodes for further evaluation, but if his initial assessment is correct, Megan should now be cancer-free! This means she won't need to go through any radiation or chemo after the baby is born. All she will need to do is have a hysterectomy at the time of the birth. She has truly been touched by the healing hand of God. Jeremiah 32:27 "I am the Lord, the God of all mankind; is there anything too hard for me?" 


The type of surgery performed was a trachelectomy. One of the Anesthesiologists last night told me that Dr. Ramirez is one of only a few GYN Oncologists in the world that is willing to perform this surgery on an expecting mother. How amazing is it that the Lord opened this door to us? The resounding recommendation from the doctors in Atlanta was to terminate the pregnancy, and immediately start radiation and chemo. The Atlanta doctors gave Megan anywhere from a 70% to 85% cure rate, depending on who you spoke to. Fast forward to today where Megan seemingly is cancer-free and the baby is healthy as can be at 16.5 weeks. The power of prayer is undeniable. Prayers from family members, friends, churches, Bible studies, colleagues at work, teachers, students, and friends from all of the above have played a significant role in allowing us to be treated at MD Anderson and leading us to Dr. Ramirez. 


During the visit today from Dr. Ramirez, he admitted that the results from this surgery exceeded his expectations. This is only the 6th time he has performed this surgery, so our hope is that we are paving the way for more expecting mothers to evaluate all options before making a final decision. Next steps: Megan will be discharged from the hospital tomorrow afternoon (Friday). Our flight home is scheduled for Saturday evening. Megan will now be working closely with her OB and Maternal Fetal Specialist in Atlanta. Since part of her cervix had to be removed during the surgery, our concern now turns to making sure our baby makes it to term. A pre-term birth could potentially have serious complications for the health of the baby. Our goal is to get to at least 32 weeks, which means we passed the halfway point earlier this week. 


Please continue to pray for Lil' Bit as he/she continues to develop and grow. It's been a wonderful and fulfilling two days. Megan and I give all the glory to Him. Thank you for everyone's prayers and support. I know it has made a difference. God Bless, Bill