Sisters

I just got home from a visit with my sister Patsy and her boys. Thursday she had surgery to remove a Schwannoma tumor, which was benign, that was growing in her neck. It was a procedure that came up quickly but she was in great hands. The doctor operating on her was rated in the top 1% of ENT specialists in the Nation. He was amazing and answered all our questions during the procedure. He even scrubbed out to talk to us about how everything was going. We feel so blessed that we were in the right place. He removed a tumor the size of an egg from her neck and had to go to the base of her skull to get to all of it. SCARY!! No one expected it to be that big. You can do X-rays, CAT Scans and MRIs but they still didn't expect it to be that big. My husband was amazing! When we found out she was having surgery and how severe of a procedure it was he immediately said he would take time off to help. He took two days off of work and rearranged some things to help with all my orders at the store plus the kids. I am so blessed! I had to make sure everything was ready to go for Valentine's Day. On Valentine's Day I left Mankato at 1pm to head up to the cities. I spent the next few days with my nephews, sister and brother-in-law. I am grateful that I am able to do that and was able to be there with all of them. I did come home Saturday and spent some time with my family and kids. Sunday night Charlie and I headed back up to help make Sean's birthday cake and spend today with them. We were able to celebrate Sean's birthday with him today and had a great visit. I enjoyed every second of my nephews and getting to be with my sister and brother-in-law. She is recovering well and wishing she could heal faster. We have to remind her that it takes time and it has only been a few days. She looks great and her incision is healing. We are all so grateful for all the prayers, well wishes and meals that were provided for them. It is amazing how friends pull together and just make it happen. Wednesday she will get her stitches out and see her doctor. She is anxious to ask some questions and just hoping to get some answers on lasting changes. We are all hopeful that in time some of the effects from the tumor will subside and she can return to a new normal. I enjoyed my time with everyone and hope they all get back into a routine nicely. Happy Birthday Sean!