A message from Sue as of 1:00p.m. 11/26/08
MRI went fine, in and done within an hour and am now at work. Beautiful, sunny day and it's nice to look out at the colorful trees.
Might hear from the doctor this afternoon or not until next week. Surgeon is out until Monday so won't get the surgery date until Monday.Feeling good and looking forward to a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday!
Had a nice visit with a friend in town from CT - we went to our favorite Mexican food restaurant. Good food, great conversation and laughter.
Blessings!
Love you!!
Sis
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
MRI appt. has moved from 11/25 to 11/26
An e-mail from Sue this morning:
Yo bro!
Good morning and hugs and kisses to you! Turns out the MRI is tomorrow (Weds.) at 8:45....when I listened to the message again last night to review what I was supposed to do I realized she (the scheduler) said "Tuesday the 26th". Called and confirmed the MRI is actually tomorrow at 8:45. No word from the surgeon yet, will call today to see when we can get this scheduled.
All is well here, really looking forward to a big Thanksgiving celebration with the combined Mason/McCormick clans.
Wish you were here too! Our brother Mike Jr. is a dork.
Love you,
Sis
Yo bro!
Good morning and hugs and kisses to you! Turns out the MRI is tomorrow (Weds.) at 8:45....when I listened to the message again last night to review what I was supposed to do I realized she (the scheduler) said "Tuesday the 26th". Called and confirmed the MRI is actually tomorrow at 8:45. No word from the surgeon yet, will call today to see when we can get this scheduled.
All is well here, really looking forward to a big Thanksgiving celebration with the combined Mason/McCormick clans.
Wish you were here too! Our brother Mike Jr. is a dork.
Love you,
Sis
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Update as of 11/23/08
An update to Sue's prognosis. (Please read the 11/21/08 blog update to understand this update)
Sue is actually having an MRI (not surgery) this Tuesday @ 8:45a.m. The doctors want to have a complete picture of the abdomen and liver and remove all chances of any cancer since they think there might be something called stenanosis that if it goes untreated will become scerosis. Another one of God's gifts to find something that could have gone undetected and would have been something serious in the future. (We will have more info on this stenanosis after Tuesday's MRI). Once they have a clearer picture of the liver and abdomen, they will then review everything and plan the surgery. Most likely to happen in the coming 2-3 weeks.
Here is an outline of the tentative surgery plans:
Surgery is similar to what I described a couple weeks back regarding a mediastenoscopy. The doctors will perform a biopsy of the lymph node adjacent to the right lobe of Sue's lung which is where the tumor is located. If the lymph node shows signs of cancer, they will stop the surgery and start radiation and chemo the following day or week.
If the lymph node is not cancerous or is infected, they will proceed to remove the malignant tumor and remove the upper right lobe of her lung. We all pray at this point that the healing begins. More details will follow after the Tuesday MRI.
Continue to keep Susan and her school kids in your prayers.
Greatly appreciated,
Matt
Sue is actually having an MRI (not surgery) this Tuesday @ 8:45a.m. The doctors want to have a complete picture of the abdomen and liver and remove all chances of any cancer since they think there might be something called stenanosis that if it goes untreated will become scerosis. Another one of God's gifts to find something that could have gone undetected and would have been something serious in the future. (We will have more info on this stenanosis after Tuesday's MRI). Once they have a clearer picture of the liver and abdomen, they will then review everything and plan the surgery. Most likely to happen in the coming 2-3 weeks.
Here is an outline of the tentative surgery plans:
Surgery is similar to what I described a couple weeks back regarding a mediastenoscopy. The doctors will perform a biopsy of the lymph node adjacent to the right lobe of Sue's lung which is where the tumor is located. If the lymph node shows signs of cancer, they will stop the surgery and start radiation and chemo the following day or week.
If the lymph node is not cancerous or is infected, they will proceed to remove the malignant tumor and remove the upper right lobe of her lung. We all pray at this point that the healing begins. More details will follow after the Tuesday MRI.
Continue to keep Susan and her school kids in your prayers.
Greatly appreciated,
Matt
Friday, November 21, 2008
Do you believe in miracles?
No cancer in Sue's liver......No cancer in Sue's liver......No cancer in Sue's liver......No cancer in Sue's liver....
I am determined to dunk a basketball tonight since I am so elated by the news. Let me see if I can explain clearly.
-This time last week Sue is told from the pathologist that from the scan results, she was diagnosed with cancer in her liver and they were cancelling the surgery and doing a biopsy to see the type and level of cancer present in the liver. Lowest point in Sue's life.
-Late this afternoon, she receives a call from Dr. Karulf who doesn't quite know how to explain the results based on their conclusive evidence last week about Sue's cancer. The biopsy revealed no cancer in the liver, even with two additional scan results. Sue's response to Dr. Karulf was that she knew God can and would perform miracles. He did not respond to the comment. :-o
-This means there is no sighting of her cancer metastasizing which means the lymph node next to the tumor might be infected or if cancerous, might not have spread. (Notice the word "might" used often)
-Surgery is back on for Tuesday at 9:00a.m. to view the lymph node and either remove it, close her up and start chemo right away or best option: surgically remove the malignant tumor and treat an infected lymph node.
-The doctor did see something else going on in her abdomen area and wants to view it further. Does not look serious, but still wants to check it.
Last week at this time, I had aged 10 years and while reflecting on Sue's life, didn't quite understand asking God "why Sue?" Many supporters have been praying for Sue and if you believe in miracles, you just witnessed one. When Sue called me tonight and gave me the results, we both agreed it was God's plan.
I will update the blog later, just know that as of this minute, she has a malignant tumor in her right lung, a swollen lymph node adjacent to the tumor and no other detection of cancer.
It's time to go dunk a basketball. :-)
Sue says "thank you God and bless you all"
Matt
I am determined to dunk a basketball tonight since I am so elated by the news. Let me see if I can explain clearly.
-This time last week Sue is told from the pathologist that from the scan results, she was diagnosed with cancer in her liver and they were cancelling the surgery and doing a biopsy to see the type and level of cancer present in the liver. Lowest point in Sue's life.
-Late this afternoon, she receives a call from Dr. Karulf who doesn't quite know how to explain the results based on their conclusive evidence last week about Sue's cancer. The biopsy revealed no cancer in the liver, even with two additional scan results. Sue's response to Dr. Karulf was that she knew God can and would perform miracles. He did not respond to the comment. :-o
-This means there is no sighting of her cancer metastasizing which means the lymph node next to the tumor might be infected or if cancerous, might not have spread. (Notice the word "might" used often)
-Surgery is back on for Tuesday at 9:00a.m. to view the lymph node and either remove it, close her up and start chemo right away or best option: surgically remove the malignant tumor and treat an infected lymph node.
-The doctor did see something else going on in her abdomen area and wants to view it further. Does not look serious, but still wants to check it.
Last week at this time, I had aged 10 years and while reflecting on Sue's life, didn't quite understand asking God "why Sue?" Many supporters have been praying for Sue and if you believe in miracles, you just witnessed one. When Sue called me tonight and gave me the results, we both agreed it was God's plan.
I will update the blog later, just know that as of this minute, she has a malignant tumor in her right lung, a swollen lymph node adjacent to the tumor and no other detection of cancer.
It's time to go dunk a basketball. :-)
Sue says "thank you God and bless you all"
Matt
Biopsy is complete: Find out late today or Monday
Thank you again for all your support, prayers and well wishes. Sue had a successful biopsy (as far as biopsy go) yesterday and was up and around later in the day. She stated the results will determine what steps need to be taken now that they see the entire picture. let me try and recap where we are and the next steps:
-Results come out today or Monday and will be reported by her pulmonary specialist
-Sue will meet with her oncologist to determine game plan (when to start chemo and what to expect....timing, length and all other details)
-We will take this suggestion, the scan results and any other information down to the Bay Area
-Sue will be meeting with the best in the industry as we have meetings being set up with UCSF (Dr. Mann) , Stanford and a team at the cancer center. My best friend in the world, Mike Dougherty is in the process of setting up mtgs. based on all the footwork he is doing while battling his own cancer. (You can read his blog at http://www.mikejendougherty.blogspot.com/)
-They will review the documents we will send in advance to hear their approach based on what they see. If different than the Portland team, then decisions will need to be made and who will perform the next steps.
Sue continues to be an inspiration to all. I received the following e-mail from my cousin Kari yesterday and thought it should be shared with others. Another example of how Sue is a reflection of Christ and an inspiration to us all. Sue has a life story to tell and once we get through this treatment stuff, I can't wait to see what she does moving forward. Sue doesn't know words like pity me, why me, or shrugged shoulders. Every time we talk, she opens up the conversation about today is a great day and I am blessed to be in it.
Matt,
I wanted to tell you how proud we are of your sister. What an amazing woman of God she is...an example to all of her strong faith. On Tuesday, I stopped by the school with Cameron to pick up Kaitlyn and to visit with Sue and another teacher (friend). Her name is also Susan and is the mother of Roland's best friend. Several of the teachers at Fowler knew Sue was waiting for the results of the tests on Friday. There was a mix up by the Dr.'s office and my friend, Susan got the call (I believe this was no mix up, but God's plan). Sue's and Susan's phone numbers can be inverted. They also share the same initials...SLM. The Dr.'s office asked if they were speaking to Susan (the wrong one) and informed her that they got the lab work back and that the test results were not good. Susan knew then that this message was meant for Sue and immediately informed the Dr.'s office and placed them on hold while she found Sue. She then prepared several of her closest friends at Fowler, so they could be there after the call. God planned it all out! My friends comment to me on Tuesday was how strong Sue is and how strong her faith is. How her attitude around the school is so positive to the students and staff. You should be proud of her!!!
She is in our thoughts and prayers many times a day. So many of our family members and friends at church are praying for her too! God is in complete control. Isn't it nice to know that we serve the Great Physician.
Love,
Kari
-Results come out today or Monday and will be reported by her pulmonary specialist
-Sue will meet with her oncologist to determine game plan (when to start chemo and what to expect....timing, length and all other details)
-We will take this suggestion, the scan results and any other information down to the Bay Area
-Sue will be meeting with the best in the industry as we have meetings being set up with UCSF (Dr. Mann) , Stanford and a team at the cancer center. My best friend in the world, Mike Dougherty is in the process of setting up mtgs. based on all the footwork he is doing while battling his own cancer. (You can read his blog at http://www.mikejendougherty.blogspot.com/)
-They will review the documents we will send in advance to hear their approach based on what they see. If different than the Portland team, then decisions will need to be made and who will perform the next steps.
Sue continues to be an inspiration to all. I received the following e-mail from my cousin Kari yesterday and thought it should be shared with others. Another example of how Sue is a reflection of Christ and an inspiration to us all. Sue has a life story to tell and once we get through this treatment stuff, I can't wait to see what she does moving forward. Sue doesn't know words like pity me, why me, or shrugged shoulders. Every time we talk, she opens up the conversation about today is a great day and I am blessed to be in it.
Matt,
I wanted to tell you how proud we are of your sister. What an amazing woman of God she is...an example to all of her strong faith. On Tuesday, I stopped by the school with Cameron to pick up Kaitlyn and to visit with Sue and another teacher (friend). Her name is also Susan and is the mother of Roland's best friend. Several of the teachers at Fowler knew Sue was waiting for the results of the tests on Friday. There was a mix up by the Dr.'s office and my friend, Susan got the call (I believe this was no mix up, but God's plan). Sue's and Susan's phone numbers can be inverted. They also share the same initials...SLM. The Dr.'s office asked if they were speaking to Susan (the wrong one) and informed her that they got the lab work back and that the test results were not good. Susan knew then that this message was meant for Sue and immediately informed the Dr.'s office and placed them on hold while she found Sue. She then prepared several of her closest friends at Fowler, so they could be there after the call. God planned it all out! My friends comment to me on Tuesday was how strong Sue is and how strong her faith is. How her attitude around the school is so positive to the students and staff. You should be proud of her!!!
She is in our thoughts and prayers many times a day. So many of our family members and friends at church are praying for her too! God is in complete control. Isn't it nice to know that we serve the Great Physician.
Love,
Kari
Monday, November 17, 2008
An update directly from Sue
Hi dear loved ones and close friends,
Just got off the phone with the radiology dept. and the liver biopsy is scheduled for Thursday, the 20th @ 9:30 am. I check in at 8:30 and the fun begins.....should be done by noonish.
Had a wonderful day with the kids - every day of normal activity is so good. My long term sub came in to job shadow with me, good that she can be here to learn the ropes, but weird to think I may be turning my classes over to her for a long time, perhaps the entire school year.
We all know it's a rough road ahead but God is so good - I feel fine and for however long that lasts, it's a gift. I'm fighting this tooth and nail.
Love you all so much,
Sis/Susan
Friday, November 14, 2008
Heavy prayer needed: Today was a tough day
Today was a day Sue considered one of the low points in her life. She spoke with Dr. Karulf this morning who confirmed two questions from the Tuesday scan.
1. The detection in her liver is positive. There is cancer in her liver.
2. The lymph node adjacent to her malignant tumor also has cancer.
This tells us that the cancer metastasized into her liver through the lymph node which means they will not be operating this Tuesday and will start chemo soon after they run a test or two in different areas of Sue's body to ensure the only areas of cancer found as of today is in the tumor, the lymph node and her liver. They will test her brain and a few other areas to make sure her treatment is adequate for the 3 areas they detected through her scans.
Part two was just as tough. Telling her students today was emotional and full of questions and anger. There were children that asked questions like:
Will you lose all your hair?
Will you wear a wig?
How long will you be gone?
Will you die?
In Sue's typical fashion, she addressed the questions direct, but positioned it where children can understand. There are students who have a great deal of hurt in their lives with promises made, but never kept and now someone they look up to and place trust towards, is now telling them she will be getting treatment for a dreaded disease and is not quite sure how many days she will be in school. Sue had one specific boy who would not look or address her when Sue announced the cancer to her students. He stormed out of class very angry and later in the day when Sue was walking down the hall, he walked toward her without looking in her eyes and gave her a huge hug to support what she is going through.
Very tough for her students to understand why this is happening to their teacher.
Later in the day, fellow teachers and staff came by Sue's class to deliver a gift basket full of chocolate. Sue always communicates that no matter what this cancer is doing to her, at least she knows she can have her chocolate and enjoy it. She has an abundance of supporters at Fowler middle school and is so thankful for the friendships.
Finally, even though today was mentally exhausting for her and the news she heard was not something to lift her spirits, she still found opportunity to praise God and remind us all that HE has a plan for her.
Please continue to pray for Sue. Pray that this cancer is curable and that she continues to fight this dreaded disease until it's out of her body. When Lance Armstrong had his cancer that spread into the brain, he fought through the chemo and radiation and turned out to be a fairly healthy person with 7 Tour de France yellow jerseys. I know Sue is a fighter and will take this head on as they begin to plan out the next steps regarding final tests and chemo treatments.
Continue to pray.
Greatly appreciated,
Matt
1. The detection in her liver is positive. There is cancer in her liver.
2. The lymph node adjacent to her malignant tumor also has cancer.
This tells us that the cancer metastasized into her liver through the lymph node which means they will not be operating this Tuesday and will start chemo soon after they run a test or two in different areas of Sue's body to ensure the only areas of cancer found as of today is in the tumor, the lymph node and her liver. They will test her brain and a few other areas to make sure her treatment is adequate for the 3 areas they detected through her scans.
Part two was just as tough. Telling her students today was emotional and full of questions and anger. There were children that asked questions like:
Will you lose all your hair?
Will you wear a wig?
How long will you be gone?
Will you die?
In Sue's typical fashion, she addressed the questions direct, but positioned it where children can understand. There are students who have a great deal of hurt in their lives with promises made, but never kept and now someone they look up to and place trust towards, is now telling them she will be getting treatment for a dreaded disease and is not quite sure how many days she will be in school. Sue had one specific boy who would not look or address her when Sue announced the cancer to her students. He stormed out of class very angry and later in the day when Sue was walking down the hall, he walked toward her without looking in her eyes and gave her a huge hug to support what she is going through.
Very tough for her students to understand why this is happening to their teacher.
Later in the day, fellow teachers and staff came by Sue's class to deliver a gift basket full of chocolate. Sue always communicates that no matter what this cancer is doing to her, at least she knows she can have her chocolate and enjoy it. She has an abundance of supporters at Fowler middle school and is so thankful for the friendships.
Finally, even though today was mentally exhausting for her and the news she heard was not something to lift her spirits, she still found opportunity to praise God and remind us all that HE has a plan for her.
Please continue to pray for Sue. Pray that this cancer is curable and that she continues to fight this dreaded disease until it's out of her body. When Lance Armstrong had his cancer that spread into the brain, he fought through the chemo and radiation and turned out to be a fairly healthy person with 7 Tour de France yellow jerseys. I know Sue is a fighter and will take this head on as they begin to plan out the next steps regarding final tests and chemo treatments.
Continue to pray.
Greatly appreciated,
Matt
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Update on Sue as of 6:06p.m. 11/11/08
Hello again Susan Mcormick supporters.
I just spoke with Sue and here is the update as of 6:06p.m. tonight.
She spoke with her G.P. Dr. Kelly Scott late this afternoon and the following was the report.
-Clean scan
-Something on the liver (could be Red Herring which Sue explained to me is when activity is going on but unrelated to the cancer). Still need to analyze it further
-Will have her come back Friday ay 7:30a.m. for another scan (focused on the liver)
-No signs of cancer anywhere else in her body except the tumor and lymph node adjacent to the tumor in her lung
-Sue will feel much better when she speaks with the Pulminary specialist Dr. Karulf tomorrow morning to confirm what the G.P. stated this afternoon. (There can be a difference of opinions)
-Surgery is set for November 18th at 11:00a.m.
As for the surgery:
They will review the lymph node first. If the swollen lymph node is infected, they will proceed to take out the cancerous tumor and treat the lymph node with whatever heals an infected lymph node. This is the best case scenario.
If the lymph node is cancerous, then they will stop the procedure and start chemo asap.
Rationale: If they remove the tumor, Sue will need time to heal and chemo would not be able to be applied for weeks. This would not work as the threat of cancer spreading fast through the nodes is a high possibility.
Again, keep in mind this information came back from the G.P. and Sue will find out more tomorrow with Dr.Karulf. For stage 2, this is great news and will pray that this is confirmed tomorrow morning. Stage 3 is Friday's liver scan and stage 4 is surgery on 11/18.
Thank you all for your continued prayer support.
I could use a good nap.
Matt
Update on Sue's Test as of 1:30p.m. 11/11/08
Hello Susan Mcormick supporters. She got home from the cat scan and dye injection as of 10 minutes ago and said it went well and relatively easy for the 40 minute test. The fact that they perform a cat scan pre and post of the dye injection is to compare and contrast the results to see what was present prior to the injection.
The radiologist will see the results this afternoon and communicate his/her findings to all three of Sue's doctors. They tried to warn Sue that it might be a couple of days before she hears the results, but obviously they don't know Sue. She will be calling first thing tomorrow morning until she gets a response from her doctors.
Thank you Annie for being with Sue this morning. You are an angel.
Continue to pray hard and know HE has a plan.
Love,
Matt
Thursday, November 6, 2008
November 11th is SUPER TUESDAY and prayer support is crucial
This Tuesday, November 11th, Sue is having a PET scan to determine the severity of cancer. This process is where Sue drinks a dyed nuclear glucose solution that attaches itself to energy spots like the heart. Since cancer is also considered a high energy spot, it would attach itself to the cancer showing more than just the tumor or if it has spread amongst the lungs and anywhere else it is located. If the PET comes back clear, Sue will have media stenoscopy on 11/18 between 9-11:00a.m.. The procedure is to go in through the throat and take a chunk of the lymph node out to see if there is any cancer in the node. They will only do the media stenoscopy if the PET scan is clear. If it is not clear, than there are other deeper issues and chemo would be started right away.
We do not want cancer spread throughout the lungs and we do not want cancer in the lymph nodes. In fact, we just want the cancer that has been detected in the tumor so it can be removed and Sue can go on living without the stress of wondering what is going on inside her.
The great news is that Sue’s heart is full of Jesus and has asked me to spread the news like wildfire and seek prayer support for Super Tuesday when she finds out the details from the PET scan.
Please pray hard daily. Jesus has a plan and I believe it’s for her to continue to sprinkle gold dust on us daily for decades to come.
We do not want cancer spread throughout the lungs and we do not want cancer in the lymph nodes. In fact, we just want the cancer that has been detected in the tumor so it can be removed and Sue can go on living without the stress of wondering what is going on inside her.
The great news is that Sue’s heart is full of Jesus and has asked me to spread the news like wildfire and seek prayer support for Super Tuesday when she finds out the details from the PET scan.
Please pray hard daily. Jesus has a plan and I believe it’s for her to continue to sprinkle gold dust on us daily for decades to come.
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