Dr. Zampell called this afternoon at 1:17 PM to inform me that my pathology report came back NEGATIVE! There are no further signs of cancer in the tissues removed from my shoulder or in the sentinel lymph nodes removed from my armpit.
I take full responsibility for being stubborn and putting this surgery off for so long. Had I listened to my wife, who had bugged me for years to have this ugly patch of skin examined more closely, maybe I wouldn't have ended up with this kind of surgery. Hind-sight is 20/20, I know, but in the future, I will get all suspect items looked at immediately, if not sooner!
My heart-felt thanks go out to the surgeons who took care of me at the Manhattan VA Hospital. I wish I had all of their names, but Dr. Jamie Zampell, my reconstructive surgeon, really made all of this happen, and managed to get everything expedited. I also thank the staff who took such good care of me for those few short days I was there. Everyone was polite and caring, from the orderlies who took care of my room to the nurses who came in to deliver my meds and check on me. As most people do, I hate hospitals, but my stay at this facility was an exception. I would not hesitate to put myself in their care, if, God forbid, I ever again need the expert care I received from them.
There was a reason we moved to Pennsylvania, and that reason was family! And my daughters and sons-in-law stepped in and made sure that I got the help I needed in getting to NYC for all of this. They insisted that they would drive me to and from the hospital, and went above and beyond to accomplish that. Together, they made four 200-mile round trips, because "that's what family is for!" And I love all of them so much for that! After 66 years of life in Florida, I am finally home here in PA! My family is Amanda and JT, Annie and Dave, and 7 wonderful grandchildren. God bless all of them!
And finally, and most importantly, I have to give God the glory for what He has done for me, and for us, in this process. The world might call it luck or coincidence, but Jen and I saw miracle after miracle happen during this time of trials. Every time we ran into an obstacle, we prayed, and that obstacle was removed. Schedules were revised, rules were changed, the unavailable became available. From the time my melanoma was diagnosed until it was removed, time was never wasted. A doctor made a 30-minute walk through the Lower East Side on a holiday to care for me. And the end result, a negative pathology report, was just the icing on the cake! God has been with me and Jen, and with my family, during this journey. We had people who didn't even know me personally praying for me - a local church pastor called me and told me that their prayer group would keep me in their hearts while I was in NYC. That's faith for you!
And now it's time to get back to our lives here in Palmerton. This little detour has been closed, and we've got other things to do!
No comments:
Post a Comment