Update on Matt's Surgery

Dear Friends and Family,

Thanks so much for your concern for Matt and our family. Matt went into surgery around 7:00 last night, and they finished up at 11:30. The main tumor was quite a bit larger than what had shown up on the original ultrasound. The surgeon described the tumor as “hugging” one of the nerves that control the vocal chords, and spent an hour and a half dissecting that part of the tumor to spare the nerve. The four parathyroids appear to have been left intact and functioning normally. Matt was back in his room by 12:30, and settled in by 1:00 a.m. He walked a little bit at 3:00 a.m., and has shown a lot of improvement since then.

The anesthesiologist took pictures on our camera during surgery, for anyone who is interested. We promise not to include them in a general email.

Again, we are grateful for all of the concern and prayers extended on our behalf. We are thankful that it appears things have gone so well. We should have biopsy results by next Monday. Although we’d hoped to go home this evening, the surgeon just stopped by to say that Matt needs to stay another night to have potential bleeding monitored. We’d appreciate your continued prayers for Matt’s full recovery.

Blessings,

Lisa and Matt