Remembering.....

I know that 3 posts in one day might be a little much. But I've been working the last couple of nights and I wanted to catch up a little bit and share with you some thoughts. Monday May 19th, in addition to going to the zoo was also a little milestone for me. Three years ago May 19th 2005, Dylan had his first craniotomy, brain surgery. He was of course 3 years old. I say first only because he has had two. The second came March 17, 2006. I've been thinking about that and the difficulty that as parents, the decisions we make on behalf of our kids, as well as how much the human body can endure. It is quite remarkable and can withstand more that I had previously given thought to.

The first surgery was due to a abnormal growth in the right temporal lobe of his brain that we found due to a speech delay. During that procedure, his amygdala was removed(which affects emotion and behavior) and the frontal part of his hipocampus was removed (which affects memory and retention). Tough blow to a 3 year old. Results showed that he had a glylialcytoma, a benign tumor.

(That big C is where his scar is. His hair grows over it now.)

The second surgery was due to fluid filled membrane that was increasing in size at an alarming rate, in the same place as the first surgery. Because of his MRI's there was also some question about some cancerous tissue growth as well. I'll never forget the morning of his second surgery, talking with his neurosurgeon, Dr. Kestle at Primary Children's Medical Center in SLC, about the need to consult an oncologist when pathology came back. Jeff turned to me and asked what an oncologist was. It's the cancer doctor, I told him. For all the gratitude in the world his pathology came back clear. But this 2nd surgery came exactly 3 weeks before Jared was born. I was as big as I've ever been and my ankles were the size of grapefruit. But you do what you have to do, because, what else are you going to do?

Today he is doing good. We still face issues about his impulsive behavior and his lapse of memory, but we are so truly grateful for what we've learned and what Dylan continues to teach us every day. We still take an annual trip to Primary Children's for an MRI, check-ups, and we try to play too so it not all about inflicting more torture, or about the 'mean doctors.'