Waiting...Waiting...Waiting

We prayed to prepare our hearts and minds for biopsy results. We were led to Philippians " Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your request to God. And the peace of God will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus." We felt we needed a quiet environment to reflect, pray & prepare while waiting so we went to a lake resort outside Atlanta. Deb had a peace about her that I can't describe as we talked, walked, hugged and focused on positive thoughts & the future. I'm trying to be strong for her and I'm gaining strength from observing her faith - amazing! We received the call from Dr Gidey, the Internist Wednesday evening with news that Deb has an operable and curable cancerous tumor in her pancreas. The final pathology report had not been completed but there were no indications it has spread . The location of the tumor increases the odds for successful surgery, low complications and reduced recurrence risk. Emotions quickly turned to resolve - with God's help ..and the best medical expertise..we can beat this! Dr Gidey got the Oncologist, Dr Szabo on the phone to discuss next steps and his recommendation for surgeons. That evening we began our own search for the best. We called and discussed options with a top pancreatic specialist at MD Anderson in Houston. My sister Sue works for a group of surgeons at UAB Med Center in Birmingham, one of which is their top pancreatic surgeon who has successfully performed this surgery many times. He provided valuable insight & questions to ask and offered to perform the surgery. We reached out to one of my colleagues at Bowne who quickly put us in touch with a good friend of his - the head of Neurosurgery at Emory in Atlanta. After several email exchanges he referred us to the top specialist in this field at Emory. When we called for an appointment the way had been paved for what normally would have been a difficult accomplishment - a quick appointment on Monday with Dr.Staley, who trained at MD Anderson. We are feeling very positive about Emory. Every Doctor and medical professional we have encountered has been great and God's hand is guiding our path.