Tuesday's Report (Sept 9)

Well, Wednesday is upon us. The classes are handed off to able hands. Projects are buttoned up and on hold. Shea is working on technical support for communication and diversions. Kearney has arrived and performed a ferocious clutter patrol and is generally bringing peace and order. Law school friends are tending the dogs. Now, all our attention is on health.

I have something to help me sleep, and have taken it. We report at 6:15 a.m. The "facilitators" (markers) are placed by the surgeon at 7 a.m. That takes around half an hour, and then there's an hour of MRI to create images for the "stealth-guided surgery." The operation itself is scheduled to start around 8:30 a.m. Blood has been banked. Michael and the girls will be in the surgical waiting room at Carle with their cellphones and wireless to communicate. Carle has a surgical liaison nurse who travels the operating rooms and provides periodic reports.

With a mixture of relief and apprehension, and floating on the amazing love and support you provide, we're moving into the active part of this adventure.

I am profoundly grateful for what all of you have and are doing for us. We are sustained by it.

The fear, of course, is that what defines me will be diminished (or worse) by this experience. I don't anticipate that outcome. None of us do, but we'd be foolish not to admit it exists and to be afraid of it. Having done that, though, we're focusing on other things, including the vastly more likely positive outcomes, even if it takes some time and work to get to them. None of us are afraid of hard work, and we know we have what it takes to do it, so sign us up. The exciting part will be learning how many of the symptoms of recent years were tumor-related and to relishing life without them again.

Stay tuned for developments, which Kearney, Anna Shea and Michael will bring to you. I am looking forward to resuming the narrative personally. You know that I have an intense drive to communicate with you and will as soon as it's feasible.

My love and thanks to everyone. See you on the other side of this.

Tina