Surgery and Pathology Report

December 20, 2010

I wanted to let you know what’s going on around the Cozette household. I had surgery on December 13 – laparoscopic – to remove my ovaries. My right ovary had a mass on it, but all the Drs. who looked at the pictures were convinced it was benign. So, the surgery was just something that had be “be done”.

We got the pathology report from the surgery on Friday, December 17. The report came back that the tumor was malignant. That’s the bad news. The good news is that the report indicates there was no evidence that it had spread and appears to be contained. The other bad news, though, is that to be certain all the cells are dead, they are going to recommend further treatment. We will know for sure what that involves after we consult with the oncologist next week on the 28th.

Needless to say, we were hoping for a different report. But, I am confident that God is in control. It’s a total miracle that the tumor was found. Dr. Scoles, who is our general physician, said that this type of cancer typically isn’t found until it is in much later stages. God was watching over me and helped me to “sense” that something wasn’t right.

We are going to take this journey one step at a time during the next few months. I’m looking forward to spring when this will hopefully all be behind me. In the meantime, I need your prayers. I’ve never been sick in my life so this is a new experience! As I approach my 60th birthday, I’m going to finally have to “grow up”!! :-) Pray for Steve too! He’s a great nurse, but I’m sure this will be a long haul for him too. After all, he might have to miss a racquetball game once in a while! :-)

I’m thankful that the Gary McClanahans (my brother and family) have decided to come for Christmas “on their way” to North Carolina to see my sister-in-law’s family. They are bringing all the food and doing all the cooking. I’ve been instructed not to do anything. So we should have a wonderful Christmas celebration! I wish the same for each of you!