Blog 101 - To those of you who are new to blogs and blogging, I wanted to give a brief overview of how to use this site. There are authors and followers. Authors are Val and Connie. Followers are all of our wonderful support system that continue to follow Bru's journey through this battle. Authors create posts, followers can read posts and comment on posts that have been created. As a follower you don't have to log in in with an account or sign in to comment. If there is a post that you are interested in commenting on, just click the comment icon below the post itself. Once you have typed your post, you must choose an account just below the text box, choose anonymous! If you are looking for all of the posts to the blog, scroll down the page and look to the right of the screen, every post is listed there by month and day. It's listed chronologically starting newest to oldest. If you want to add pictures, please email me at emtp1124@yahoo.com with a description of the picture and the caption you would like underneath it. Blogging is very similar to Facebook and other social sites, but it doesn't have the ability to post things to the blog like you do people's walls in facebook. If you are having problems viewing the blog, it may be because of settings that you have on your internet browser . You can type the URL into your smart phone browser as well and see the blog pretty well. If you want updates sent to you anytime things are updated, subscribe to the blog by email. This option is at the top of the page on the right hand side of your screen just above the picture of Bruce. If you have any questions, please feel free to email me at emtp1124@yahoo.com.

Thursday, November 10, 2011

Strap yourselves in - it's gonna be a wild ride!!

Let me begin by saying THANK YOU already for the outpouring of love/support Bruce and I have received thus far.  It takes a village, right??

Ok, on to the more critical information.  Bruce has a glioblastoma (tumor) in the right frontal lobe of his brain the size of a tennis ball, crossing the midline of the brain into the left frontal lobe.  This is a terminal condition, period.  The only question is how long he will survive.  Could be six months, 1 year, 2 years, 5 years.  The brain is a miraculous organ, but all the experts cannot predict survival rate.  He is scheduled for a craniotomy next Thursday at Hackley Hospital in Muskegon.  Approx. time of surgery, 3-4 hours, followed by chemo wafers inserted into the tumor cavity and radiation 2 weeks post-operatively.  He is expected to come through the surgery intact, meaning no loss of vision, speech, or with paralysis but the neurosurgeon cannot guarantee that as he doesn't know exactly where the tumor lies until time of surgery.  He is expected to be in ICU for 2 days, followed by 2 days on regular hospital floor, then home. On the day of surgery I will be able to access and post to the blog and give up-to-date information on surgery, recovery, etc.  t is our wish to do this locally because we want our family and friends involved and, quite frankly, the GOAL is to keep Bruce positive, upbeat, as close to normal Bruce as he can be, while being able to enjoy a good quality of life for however the good Lord allows him to be on this earth!    Feel free to share the link to the blog titled Bru-ha-ha with whomever you feel would like to follow it and read the blog to keep up to date on his progress following surgery and throughout our newest journey into the unknown.  Please be assured that Bruce appreciates all of your concern and well wishes (he is confused b/c of medications he's on right now to prevent seizures), but we will be looking at this blog from time to time to see what people have posted.  Please, please feel free to leave comments.  This is our best way to communicate with everyone.  We appreciate your support of our decisions as to how to move forward, and we certainly look forward to hearing from you!!  Please say a prayer that surgery will be successful.  - Val
Posted by at

7 comments:

  1. Connie MaximNovember 10, 2011 at 10:26 AM

    We love you very much mom! We will be there in any capacity possible! There is always a bigger plan in place! Love you all very much!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Cheryl Anne FarmerNovember 10, 2011 at 11:25 AM

    Just wanted you to know that I will be praying for you over here in Hell! :-)
    Cheryl Anne

    ReplyDelete
  3. R L KerkstraNovember 10, 2011 at 12:05 PM

    I will be there for you....Whatever it is. Been there, done that.
    "B"s brother Jack had the exact same cancer in 2006. He was an employee for our coompany and we walked through it with him.
    *Take time to love each other like never before.
    *Laugh at the crazy and also stupid things.
    *Talk about the good, the ugly, and the bad.
    *Take time for the both of you.
    *Learn to say NO when you don't feel like doing something. People will understand and if they don't, that is OK.
    * Have that extra glass of wine. It won't hurt a thing.
    *After the proceedure, take a trip. Knowing that things are changing, enjoy the journey. You might see the world through different eyes.
    *Be thankful for everyday that you can spend together. It will make a different.
    *When you think you cannot do another day, pray.
    it really helps.

    Remember you are truly loved and you have a host of friends and family that would love to step in for anything you need. That even means when you need a hair cut, a work out, a massage or a meal.

    Hugs and Blessings to you all.

    ReplyDelete
  4. BarbNovember 10, 2011 at 2:49 PM

    Just wanted to let you know you are and will continue to be in my thoughts and prayers. ~Barb Musser

    ReplyDelete
  5. Paul G. BrandellNovember 10, 2011 at 4:13 PM

    We all know the old saying, "When life gives you lemons, make lemonade". Well, when you're mixing your lemonade, don't forget to add the hard stuff!

    You guys are in my thoughts and prayers. Stay strong and positive.

    - Paul

    ReplyDelete
  6. Nadine SchutNovember 11, 2011 at 10:14 AM

    Thinking of you guys and praying for you daily. We are here for you whenever and for whatever we can do to help. Remembering great summer parties at your place, New Year's Eve (how many bottles of wine?!!), and most recently our fabulous trip to the T&C with you. JoJo misses us all!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Sharon SweetNovember 11, 2011 at 10:57 AM

    Bruce and Val, I hope you guys know how much I love you and your family. Anything you need, yadda, yadda, yadda... I'm here for you. We've shared a lot of experiences over the years -- some sad, some hilarious, some downright boring. Just want you to know, I plan on continuing to be your "fifth wheel" on this ride. What's our favorite saying, Val? "I've got your back." XOXOXO
    Sharon

    ReplyDelete

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)