Novemeber 16, 2023

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Greetings from Memorial Sloan Kettering!  

For those with a short attention span:  Ty is mid-way through a surgery that began about 4 hours ago.  According to the half-time report, the surgeons are still working on removing the tumor and will then turn their attention to reconnecting all the spare parts.  Sort of like a giant game of high-stakes Operation.  The nurse seemed cheerful.  I think that’s good. 

For those with a longer attention span:  I think this is really good news.  Ty and I got a scary call yesterday from the surgeon, who said that he was re-re-reviewing the scans, and thought that he kinda, maybe, sorta, saw something that might suggest that the tumor was too enmeshed in the arteries to be resectable.  He gave us the option of going ahead with the surgery anyway, with no guarantee that he would be able to remove the tumor once he sliced Ty open.  (To provide the appropriate degree of ominous background: If the tumor cannot be removed, then the prognosis becomes far worse). So, the mid-game report from the OR nurse is, to my mind, good news.  I am not opening the champagne just yet, but I might have a celebratory sip of cold coffee (Surreptitiously.  😎 No food or drink allows in the surgical waiting room).  

More updates to follow.