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June 2008
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“Home run”

These are the words the neurosurgeon used regarding Elijah’s surgery today.

Liz called me tonight to let me know that the surgery was a great success today, they got “all” of the tumor (from what they can tell), and they believe it was a papilloma, the benign form of the tumor.

So far, Elijah is recovering well. He’s not showing any signs of neurological damage-they were concerned he may have some problems with the right side of his body, but so far it looks like his arm and leg are moving normally. He’ll probably be in ICU for a few days, and from there, they don’t know how long it will be before they can take him home. It’s a little too early to tell. The shunts are still in, and it’s a good thing they were put in because they’ve been draining quite a bit since they were placed. They don’t know yet if he will be shunt-free or if he’ll need one more long-term. Either way, they’re very positive about what’s to come.

Ironically, when I was pregnant with Noah, during my routine ultrasound around 20 weeks (actually, about 5 years ago at this time of year!), a choroid plexus cyst was found in Noah’s head. It eventually resolved, and Noah has no signs of any problem with his choroid plexus. I asked Liz if there could be any correlation. She said she had asked the doctor about that, remembering my story, and that of a friend of hers who also had ultrasounds that showed the same thing. Her doctor said that Elijah actually has/had a cyst as well as the tumor, and there is probably no relation between the cyst and the tumor. He also stated that if she were to look back at her ultrasound from when she was pregnant with Elijah, she may be able to see the beginnings of the tumor, now that they know what to look for. Apparently, it wouldn’t have been anything that would have raised any red flags at the time.

Liz and her family are very thankful for all of the positive thoughts and prayers that have been going out to them and Elijah. The power of prayer can be very strong.

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