Report on the surgery and other findings

Talitha's surgery to remove the old central line and install the new one was a success.

We didn't have an early surgery time which is really hard on little children because you can't eat for eight hours before the surgery and can only have clear liquids up until two hours before. If most of that 8 hours can be during the night while the child is sleeping, it's easier on everyone.

They generally try to work the smallest children in first but since her central line wasn't originally scheduled for replacement till next week, we had to take whatever opening they could find. Today's surgery was scheduled for 1:45pm but then was delayed for another hour and a half. So by the time it was Talitha's turn, she was quite beside herself not being able to eat or drink. (She would live on rice milk if we let her and since that isn't a clear liquid, she hadn't had any since she got up during the night and we gave her a drink.)

Before the surgery, a doctor from oncology came and told us the preliminary test on the spinal fluid shows there are still cancer cells circulating about checking out prime real estate locations on the spine to set up shop. We had hoped the methotrexate would've made the spinal lands and surrounding environments uninhabitable... Looks like there's still plenty of eviction work to be done.

I wish there were more adequate ways to express our appreciation for the countless acts of kindness and support toward our family. We thank you for helping to lift our burdens so that they are light and we are able to carry on.

Last November, I was asked to speak in church on the subject of gratitude. I thought I knew what gratitude was all about. What I learned is that I knew very little about the subject as the Lord provided some very sacred experiences that gave me new insights to the point that the talk was almost all new to me. I have felt since that the experience of giving that talk was by no small means a way to equip me for what was to come just one month later.

I've posted excerpts from that talk in the hopes that maybe others who are facing challenges might benefit more completely as I have from this most unique and powerful tool--gratitude.

Here is a link to "The Enabling Power of Gratitude":
http://talithablack.blogspot.com/p/enabling-power-of-gratitude.html