NED

I'm so grateful that I can honestly say, "Today has been a good day!" January 9th marks exactly 7 months since Nate's last surgery in Massachusetts, and 11 months and 7 days since this all began back on February 2nd. I know that we have a long way to go to get Nate feeling "normal", and the possibility of complications still exist, but I choose to celebrate this day.

I'm 99% sure that I'm not dreaming, I'm 50% superstitious (knock on wood), but I actually feel so much relief that it scares me a little! I think I'm so accustomed to getting discouraging results that I almost stopped believing that the kind of news we received today was within my reach. I was completely ready to hear that Nate did great through the surgery BUT...

We said goodbye to Nate at 7:15. He went to sleep at 8:15 when they started the procedure, and our surgeon came to talk to us at 11:55. The procedure lasted a little over 3 1/2 hours, and of course, Nate did great! We were given a very thorough report, and I was glad that Lynn, Nancy, Destry (sister-in-law), and Don (friend) were there with me to get the good news.

Most of the time was spent working on the area where Nate had the abscess from where his bowel ruptured in July. The abscess needed to be drained again and there was a lot of adhesion in the area. The large colon in the area was encased in scar tissue and was very compromised so she had to remove about 6 more inches of the transverse colon. Nate has about 1 1/2 feet of colon left which should be enough for him to adjust to. After working to free up the colon, she was able to bring the small bowel over to rejoin the two ends. She said the small colon looked very healthy, and she was hopeful that the joining site would hold up well. Nate's liver also has a lot of scarring, which was expected since it was covered in tumors and had to be scraped clean in the HIPEC procedure. She said that if it hasn't caused problems so far, that he should be ok with it. His liver function was all back to normal before this surgery as well. She also said that there weren't many adhesions anywhere else in the abdomen, which is great news!

They were able to get a pretty good look at 2 of the 3 spots in question on the latest CT scan, with an "ok" look at the spot up by the liver. But they were able to biopsy all 3 areas. Our surgeon said that they all looked like scar tissue to her, but she sent biopsies to be sure. Praying for good results there.

As we sat in the little room discussing the surgery, I had the mixed emotions of hope, relief, anxiety, and fear. I was waiting for the "punch in the gut" news we always seem to hear, but it never came! I finally got the courage to ask the doctor if her news meant that Nate would receive the always hoped for "NED" (No Evidence of Disease) status. When she said, "Yes, I saw no evidence of disease", the feeling of relief was completely overwhelming. It felt as if I'd held my breath for a year and was finally able to breathe again. It was one of those times when you realize you'd been missing something only because you'd found it again.

As I sit at Nate's bedside, I'm grateful for the miracle that we received today. Nate is an amazing man with an amazing spirit and a determination that has seen him through some pretty rough patches. He has always been optimistic, grateful, faithful, and patient. I'm overwhelmed for the blessing he is in my life, and for the blessings my Heavenly Father has granted us today. I'm thankful that my children have had the faith to pray for their dad every single day. I'm thankful for all our dear family and friends who remember the Hardy Family in their thoughts and prayers.

As we look ahead, we are praying that the connected bowel will be healthy with no leaks, that the large colon will wake up soon and cooperate, that no fistulas form, and that Nate's elevated temperature and low blood pressure will normalize very soon. I don't know how to thank everyone, but I hope you know how much we appreciate all the love we feel coming our way.

Today has been a good day!