Sorry for making everyone wait for an update on Kelly, but as you can imagine, the day of the surgery and the following days have been full, and my focus has been on Kelly. Friday, August 31, Kelly went into surgery at 1:30pm. At 6:00pm the surgeon came and talked to me, after which I was able to visit Kelly in recovery. Kelly was awake and feeling a little nauseous from the anesthesia, but she was alert enough to ask the two questions that concerned her the most. Being that there is a risk of stroke during brain surgery, Kelly’s first question was – “did I have a stroke?” – No, the surgery was successful in that way. The second question – “is it cancer?” – That was the hardest question I’ve ever had to answer – Yes, it’s cancer. And it’s high grade. Immediately after opening Kelly’s skull, the surgeon identified the “mass” as a tumor. The initial pathology report confirmed cancer. The tumor is fairly large and is wrapped slightly around a main artery in her brain, so they couldn’t remove too much without risking a stroke. The following day I talked with the surgeon after they had the full pathology report. They already had a plan in place for Kelly’s treatment. The chemo for this type of tumor is a tablet – not intravenous – so it isn’t as extreme. There will also be radiation therapy. The plan is about 12 weeks and another MRI will be taken about half way through. We’ll know more in the next few days as to the when, where and how. But for now, Kelly is back home. She wanted to be home to heal from the surgery and prepare for the future. She has family around her giving her 24/7 round the clock care. Kelly wants to again let everyone know that she is reading and finding comfort in all of the comments and messages, whenever she can. She is so grateful for all of the encouragement, prayers, thoughts and gifts. Kelly is strong in mind and spirit, but there are still moments of insecurity. The first thing she wanted to do when she got home, was soak in a tub. And as she lay there washing away the feeling of the hospital and the surgery – she stared at the water and asked me – “why did I get cancer in my brain?”. She wasn’t looking for a medical answer or a spiritual answer – she just had a moment of “why?”. Kelly wanted to do this update herself on video, but right now she’s a little tired and rest is the best thing for her. But she’s asked for pictures to be taken through all of this, and she’s taken some herself, and these are the ones she wanted to share.
Steve
Kelly Abbass - I Have Brain Cancer 