Today (10/15/13), Kenan and Billy are in Philadelphia at
Thomas Jefferson University Hospital.
They arrived Sunday, the 13th.
Kenan had scans on Sunday, then met with Dr. Sato and his team on Monday,
and received her 12th immunoembolization from Dr. Gonsalves today. She had to lay flat on her back for six hours
after the treatment and was finally able to get up around 5 pm. Dr. Gonsalves hit her pretty hard with a
concentration to specific areas in her liver.
Both Dr. Sato and Dr. Gonsalves called her amazing, yet again. Of course, we all know Kenan is amazing, but
there is even more reason as I write this blog entry. Let’s backtrack a few days.
Early Sunday morning, October 6th, Kenan woke up
with a terrible pain in her tail bone area. The pain was so bad that Kenan
and Billy went to the MUSC emergency room and spent the day there while a team
of doctors tried to figure out the problem and determine a plan of
treatment. It turns out that a fast
growing tumor emerged in her sacrum and the tumor began pressing and intertwining
with nerves in that area. The decision
was made to check Kenan into the hospital on Sunday and do surgery on Monday to
remove the tumor. Dr. Patel, a neurosurgeon at MUSC, did the surgery and Kenan was released to go home on Tuesday.
Billy was a trooper and went to work the next morning! I was the nurse for the day. Kenan improved with each passing day. I was comforted to see an amazing support
system of friends who checked in on Kenan and Billy. From my generation (Baby Boomers), I am used
to seeing friends bring over casseroles and desserts. I am happy to report that tradition continues
with Generation Y.
It is good to have a child who is a fighter! As a career educator, a child who fights
conjures up some frightful predictions and future outcomes. However, in this case, I am a proud, proud
Mom of a child who is a fighter! She is
fighting a mean, aggressive, enemy. In
true Kenan style, she meets it head on at every turn. She is killing it with kindness, a gentle
spirit, putting others above self, and living each day fully. She keeps the enemy at bay by top notch
medical treatment, faith, prayer, eating healthy, exercising, and hard
work. She circles the enemy with
supportive family, friends, co-workers (William Bird is an awesome company), a
sense of humor, and most important, a loving, supportive, easy-going, husband
Billy. He’s AMAZING, too! Hey, we should all fight this way.
I always try to include a funny story. This time, let me think…well, there is the
story of Kenan recovering in the hospital in Charleston on Monday night. They came in at 1:00 am and took her down for
an MRI. When she returned to the room,
all lights were on and she sat up in bed the rest of the night with her work
laptop on her lap. I was snoozing off
and on. As I peeked over, I thought my
little girl worked all night. Then, I
caught on she actually fell asleep with one finger on the keyboard. If there are any of you that received an
email from Kenan Monday night, October 7th and there was a line of
rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxttttttttttttttttttttttt’s
– it was a good effort after having surgery just a few hours earlier.
Kenan and Billy will return to Charleston on Wednesday
afternoon. I am sure she will be worn
out for a few days---but I know she and Billy are most appreciative of your
love, prayers, and positive thoughts.
Sue and Kenny
