February 2, 2014

I realize that it has been a quite a while since I last posted. It has been an eventful start to the new year.

I remain busy establishing myself as a freelance writer. It is a slow and tedious process.  Each day I write as much as I can. It all depends upon the jobs that are available. Some jobs pay well and others do not. The important thing is that I continue to write and to put myself out there.

Just after Christmas my Uncle underwent a kidney transplant. My uncle is my Mom's twin sister's husband. I was raised very close to this family and my cousins are more like brother and sister to me. My Aunt and Uncle are more like a second set of parents. He had been waiting on a kidney for over a year and it was a real blessing that one was finally available. As always it has a sad side because someone had to lose their life to make that possible.  During the transplant doctors discovered that there were tumors on the adrenal glands. After lab work, these tumors were found to be cancerous. As my Uncle recovered from the surgery, tests were done to see if there was any more cancer in his body. Sadly, more cancer was discovered. It is basically all over his body. He was diagnosed with stage four cancer. Before they could start treatment, they needed to let his body recover from the surgery and to make sure that the kidney continued to function properly. For a while after the surgery his new kidney did well and he was able to undergo one treatment of chemotherapy.

For several months leading up to the surgery, my uncle experienced severe pain in his legs and hips. It is now clear why he was in such pain. The cancer is in his hips and he has a grapefruit size tumor in his lower leg. Recently the doctors have discovered that this tumor is eating away at the bone. Orthopedic doctors want to insert a plate into his leg. Some of his cancer doctors want to treat it with radiation, while others want to continue his chemotherapy. Right now, because his creatines remain high and he continues to be dehydrated he cannot withstand any sort of aggressive therapy.

Doctors now fear that his body is rejecting the kidney.  If this is the case, he cannot be treated aggressively for his cancer. We are awaiting news about the kidney at this time.

In the mean time, he is resting and trying to stay positive. He has two children and eight grandchildren whom he loves dearly. He wants to continue to be able to enjoy them and love on them. He has a loving wife and a loving extended family. He has every reason in the world to fight this and I know he will. He always stays positive. He is a brave soul. I love him very much and I pray for him every day. I think that right now we have to place it in the hands of God. God created him and he knows the plans he has for my uncle. I pray for God's will in this whole situation.

I will keep you updated and will try to keep this updated more regularly.

Bless you all!

Scarlet