Chances

Ok, it is back to me! Thank you to my wonderful sister-in-laws for the great job of posting till I could get to a computer.
I have very sad news today. We are SO greatful for all the miracles that have and are happening. Josh is recovering from the surgery so much faster than the doctors thought was possible. With that said, we received the pathology last night. Josh has a MEDULLABLASTOMA tumor. Even though I knew this was coming I somehow thought that they would tell me it was benign. I am heartbroken to tell you that this is an aggressive tumor that spreads to the spinal cord quickly. They will do another MRI of his spine tomorrow to see if tumors have begun to form. They will also do a spinal tap to look for cancer cells in the fluid. That is done 2 weeks post-op. If it has not spread we have an 80% chance. To make that happen he will have radiation AND chemotherapy for about 9 months to a year. They will radiate the entire brain and spine for 5 weeks every day. They will also do chemo once a week. He then gets a 2 week break and they start a full protocal of chemo for the next 9 months. He will be bald, his growth could be affected, and he could have substantial memory loss from the treatment. There may be more side affects but we will have an oncology appointment just to talk about that later.
I am sorry to just lay this out but we want everyone to be clear about where we are. I am not losing hope, 80% is a good number. But Josh will be asked to endure more than I would ever put on a child. Please, we need you. Keep praying, I am convinced that your prayers made all the difference in this surgery. Look how fast he is recovering! Also, I can see that he has begun to feel isolated and sad. Call him if you have time. Write him letters about your families if you are far away. Don't talk about the cancer- just about him and you and the normal things going on.
I would give my life to take this from him but I can not. My child is no longer just mine, he is becoming all of ours as we love him and pray for him and care for him. Gordon and I love him but he needs more than just us now. I know that Heavenly Father loves Josh, and Jesus Christ stands at his side. Thank you for standing beside us too. Thank you for loving him like we do. Mostly, thank you for making us strong enough to walk down this path we have been placed on.

PS. We will get out of the hospital tomorrow or Monday at the latest. We are just waiting on that MRI.