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Saturday, October 23, 2010

Hank update: upcoming brain surgery. Please keep praying.

Here's a note from Cris on Friday night:
First, let me say thanks to all of you for your kindness, your generosity and love that you continue to surround us with, we cannot do this without your support. Thank you, Thank you...
OK, as you know Hank had a seizure on Monday the 18th. On the 19th at 11pm he was transfer to UCLA, where his Doctors could monitor, test and try to find out what was going on. He stayed in ICU for a couple days including his birthday.
As the days went on, he continued to get better and today he was discharged. Yes, we are home.
We were told that nothing was going to be done at the moment, they were just going to observe the tumor and bleed for a while. This was the residents telling us this info, Dr. Liau was out of town at a conference.
Well, just as we were about to leave, Dr. Liau showed up, she told us that the tumor is growing fast and that the bleed is under the tumor so she's not sure how much the area is bleeding. Then she told us that she would like to do surgery as fast as possible since the tumor is growing so rapid. The last MRI Hank had was on the 12th, 1 day after surgery. It has grown a lot since and now the bleeding. She first said that she would like to do it on Monday, yes, 3 days from now. As you can imagine, we were surprised. When she went to check her O.R. schedule, it was booked. So for now, Hank will be back in surgery on Monday, November 1st. Yes, it is scary, but what choice do we have. They cannot do anymore chemo or radiation, so for now surgery is the only option. She will plan on giving him the dendritic cell vaccine some time after surgery.
Goodnight, Cris
Thanks for continuing to pray for Hank, Cris, and their family.

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Note from Hank's wife. We need to pray.


Hi everyone,
We're back at UCLA in the ICU. It all started on Monday afternoon, Hank woke up from a nap and had trouble speaking. With the help of friends I took him to LB Memorial, they think he might have had a seizure so they took him to get a CT scan and found a bleed. They kept him in the ICU for observation and decided it was best for him to go back to UCLA, so we are here now waiting for tests and results. He is unable to speak well and is still having problems comprehending. I will keep you posted as we find out anything new. Thanks for your continued love and support.
Cris

Monday, October 18, 2010

Please pray for Hank


Please pray for our friend, Hank Zavaleta. Hank is a brain buddy of ours who was diagnosed with GBM in 2003 and is exceptional not only as a seven-year GBM survivor (off the charts), but also as a champion of faith, courage, and action. He meaningfully inspires the people around him – fellow firefighters, church family, and brain tumor patients and professionals. He and his wife Cris have invested precious time and energy to help Cranium Crusaders raise I think $150,000 to $200,000 for brain cancer research at UCLA. Click here for their website. We’ve also witnessed Hank in action at UCLA’s brain tumor conferences and the upbeat way he brings hope for other brain tumor patients and their families. Hank is just an incredible guy we feel privileged to know.
 
Hank’s story was featured several years ago on the UCLA Neurosurgery website. Click here. 
 
Sadly, an MRI in September revealed a new area of tumor growth after years of treatment with surgery, radiation, chemotherapy, a clinical trial cancer vaccine, and a clean MRI in July. Another brain surgery at UCLA last Monday went well in spite of some visual side effects. Then Hank & Cris learned a post-op MRI shows even more new tumor growth in an area behind his left ear. Dr Liau and UCLA’s brain tumor board will explore options that include more surgery, Avastin, or vaccine, but Hank will need to heal for a few months before having new treatment. This is obviously heavy news for a battle-tested family who’s been thrown into crisis mode again and is trusting God for the days ahead. Please join Susan and me in praying for healing and peace for Hank, Cris and their daughters.
 
Here’s a CarePages message from Hank on Saturday that includes a powerful word of advice from a brother who’s had his priorities sharply focused:
although i struggle with writing 4 now, please know that i feel all of ur love 4 us.
please keep us in prayer.....live....love.....and forgive,
hank
Thanks for praying.

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

On faith


With over three years since Susan’s brain tumor came along, we've come to accept the reality of our situation and trust God with the outcome. Every now and then I’m reminded of the grim statistics, and saw another today: fewer than ten percent of people with GBM are still alive five years after diagnosis. Still, Susan has outlived the average survival of 12-18 months and has responded to treatment each time her tumor has grown. So, we keep in mind that statistics are a collection of data about a topic, and they don’t determine the outcome for a person with brain cancer. As I noted recently, Susan has had no great improvement, but hasn’t had any nasty complications for a number of months, while her tumor has been stable for a year. Our stance remains the same – trusting God, praying always, hoping for the best, and ready for anything.
 
Given our outlook, we haven’t needed to ask why. I think lots of people get stuck there. Upheaval is frustrating. It doesn’t make sense. It’s not fair. It’s natural to bog down in it, shake your fist at the sky, and demand, “Why?” But we accept that if the question is unanswerable, we waste a lot of resources asking it. Instead, we’ve found peace in trusting the Lord and his good, mysterious plans for us, and focusing on our response to our situation. That's a work in progress; but we have peace. Even so, the desire for understanding remains, though not in a disruptive way. It just makes me wonder – what is God doing?
 
I was invited to sing on the worship team at church on Sunday at 9:00 and 10:30, an activity that used to be a weekly routine but now is something we can manage once in a while when Bob asks and when Susan is doing well. We used to be at church for hours on Sundays, interacting with lots of different people all over the campus. Lately it’s different – we park in a handicapped space near the side entrance, scoot into the sanctuary sometimes on time, visit the restroom after the 9:00 service, get home so Susan can rest, and interact with whomever we might see within that small space and time. But this Sunday we were there for several hours once again, more mobile, and able to run across a variety of people. The recurring comment amazed me: people are praying for us. We know this, but Susan and I continually heard words like, “I’m praying for you.” “We pray for you every night.” “You’re in our daily prayers.” “Our small group prayed for you this morning.” It was awesome to hear, in random encounters, over and over again. The message was unavoidable. It made me wonder – what is God doing?
 
Last night while dreaming I heard a voice say, “Faith is like a tree. It sends down roots and grows strong and tall, stretching its leaves to the sky.” Then I heard another voice. “No, faith is like a feather, delicate and blown around by the wind, and completely unable to fulfill its purpose on its own. But with others, connected to the body and the wings of the Holy Spirit, it soars to unimaginable heights.” THAT made me wonder.

Saturday, October 9, 2010

Easy trip from pre-op to post-op

After deciding Susan would not have the Inter-stim bladder pacemaker implanted for good, there was still the matter of the electrodes placed in August in her low back – foreign objects now with no useful purpose. The outpatient procedure on Wednesday at UCLA to have them removed went smoothly and made us grateful to put the issue behind us. After checking in at 7:30am, Susan got to pre-op about 8:00, went into surgery at 8:30, and was in recovery in less than an hour. By the time I saw her a bit before 10:00, she was able to wake up and start shaking off the anesthesia. I was impressed with her chipper mood and the quick progress she made without complications or much pain. We left by 11:00, had a bite to eat, and zipped home. She was a bit tired that afternoon, but only slightly more than normal, and has been feeling well since.

This procedure going smoothly is more evidence of how well Susan is doing these days. She has frequent episodes of headache and fatigue and needs several hours of rest, but she usually revives later or by the next morning. She’s stable. There’s been no great improvement, but no nasty complications either for a number of months. We’re thankful. We sense God’s hand holding and guiding us, and we’re aware of the continual prayers people lift up on our behalf. God is keeping us – and we’re doing well.

When I was filling out Susan’s pre-op forms and came to the section about religious and other preferences, there was a question about preferred communication style. I recall the choices were “verbal,” “written,” “demonstrated,” and “other.” I overcame my brief urge to check “other” and write in “puppet show.” But I love the thought of it.
Later, when we went to the Plaza Deli for our meal, Susan’s turkey sandwich order came up before my chicken Caesar salad. During several minutes of waiting, I gathered up utensils, napkins, and drink refills. Susan wondered where my Caesar salad was. I said, “They’re looking for an emperor, but they’re awfully hard to find these days. They keep getting murdered. It’s the senators – and the hemlock.”