Friday, December 16, 2011

December 16th update

As a family we come to you from a strange place...it's a mix of sadness and hope that is hard to describe. In the short time (12 days) since my last update, things have taken a pretty drastic turn.

The second-to-last MRI showed essentially a clear scan with two tumors. That was back in late summer. Since that time, Susan has been on the same chemotherapy regimen and had a CyberKnife treatment. The most recent MRI was taken about 2-3 weeks ago and there was both good and bad news. The good news was that those two tumors had decreased in size. The bad news was that the overall scan had gone from "clear" to "cloudy" which turned out to mean that microscopic cancer cells had spread throughout her entire brain. They haven't formed into new tumors (yet) but they have started to cause some pretty dramatic symptoms.

Over the past week or so, Susan's fatigue, left-side motor function, vision problems and disorientation have increased significantly to the point where she is extremely tired and wants to spend the whole day in bed. When she does get up, she needs help to walk without collapsing. At this point she still has a good appetite and is still able to have conversations. In a nutshell, the mind is willing but the body won't cooperate.

We really don't know how much time she has left and while we are still hopeful, we are preparing for the worst. As a family, we will all be around at my parents' house on Mercer Island for the immediate future and my mom would be happy to see those that she cares about and love her.

We are happy to have visitors for 10-15 minute visits. We are fully aware of Susan's current condition and find it difficult to discuss the symtoms she is having, nor are we able to receive much advice right now; we know that you all love and care about her. Her energy level is extremely low and we have to be careful about overwhelming her (and ourselves). If you would like to visit over the next week or so, please let me (Cory) know via email to cory.brewer@comcast.net and we'll be happy to try and coordinate a visit with you.

Please don't feel like we are rushing you in and out...just know that we're looking out for her best interest. We want her to see those that care about her, but we don't want to overwhelm her. We're trying not to schedule too many people per day.

I want to end by saying that WE CANNOT THANK YOU ENOUGH FOR THE AMAZING AMOUNT OF LOVE AND SUPPORT that you have all shown throughout this ordeal. Since we first found out about this a year ago, it has been an unbelievable roller coaster of emotions for everyone involved. Throughout it all, we have been thankful for the Lord's watching over the situation and helping Susan to beat the odds for a long time. By the grace of God she has been able to maintain an infectiously positive attitude that has really carried over to everyone who knows and loves her. Believe me when I say she can feels your arms around her...every day.

Again please contact me directly to coordinate a brief visit.

Sunday, December 4, 2011

December 2011 Update

Susan continues to beat the odds and maintain an incredibly positive attitude, however it hasn't been easy. As of late she has been experiencing a lot of fatigue and a little trouble with her vision. She is going to Swedish again today for an update MRI to see if there may be swelling from her last (successful!) CyberKnife treatment...we do hope that's the case as they can give her something to help the swelling.

Last weekend we enjoyed a really nice Thanksgiving at Ashley's house in Tacoma...she was a fantastic hostess and we all are very thankful for the opportunity to celebrate with our mom. Miraculously she agreed to hand over turkey-baking duties to Ashley =)

We continue to appreciate all of your love and support and we look forward to continued celebration of the holiday season as a family.

Love, the Brewers