| [Friday, May 04, 2007] Hi Everyone, A little over 3 months ago on January 25, 2007 Shelsi called me and said "Mom, Eric and I are on our way to the hospital. I just went to Urgent Care and they did a chest X-ray. When they looked at it they can hardly see my right lung. They think it's either Tuberculosis, Valley Fever, or Cancer, so they want me to go straight to the hospital." Well, being her mom, my mind only heard Valley Fever. Somehow I knew it wasn't Tuberculosis, and she and Eric had been living in Bakersfield, (one of the homes of Valley fever), so that's where my mind found it's comfort zone – I knew Valley Fever could be easily treated. At that time in my life Cancer wasn't a part of my personal vocabulary. The next night, January 26, the family gathered in a conference room with the doctor at Ventura County Medical Center. They had run all the preliminary tests, including a biopsy, and it was time to give us the result. His announcement jammed Cancer into our vocabulary like the Great Wall of China crashing onto our hearts. Last Wednesday, May 2, Shelsi went through another battery of tests to determine the next line of defense to combat this dreaded dis-ease. As I write this she is actually on her way back to Cedars because her fever has spiked again. The result of all those tests sounded like great news at first: everything looked pretty good. I was elated. But later, after closer inspection, the doctor added that the tumor hasn't shrunk enough, so radiation will be necessary. At this point this is all I know. My heart is extremely heavy right now - but I am diligently trying to turn that around to once again know for certain that Shelsi is healed, whole and healthy once again. Please know that for her in your hearts and minds, too. http://shelsisentinel.stlawson.com In love and Gratitude ~ Sheri
Shel at Ventura Peir -- May 03, 2007 |