The Journey

Thanks for being so patient with us and still continuing to follow our post. This has been a time of healing from the surgery and trying to digest all that has happened since the turn of the new year. It has been a road that no one would choose to travel, yet we have seen the goodness of the Lord each day, especially looking back and seeing how many times he has covered us in His protection before our knowledge of Bobby's brain tumor (like being on top of our tobacco barn about 4 stories high and dismantling it by himself in the Fall) Charlie Bailey what were you thinking with your blood clot and Bobby's brain tumor...that was a great team...and certainly kept all those angels busy!!!
This week was busy with appts. on Monday, Thursday and Friday...Bobby's stitches came out..and has healed nicely...then we met with our radiation oncologist & our medical oncologist (the doc who will monitor our chemo treatments)...
The diagnosis is a stage IV glioblastoma multiforte. A rapid growing agressive cancer but we were encouraged that great advances have been made in the last five years that have been able to prolong the quality & quantity of life. No cure has been found for this disease yet. So we just need to put our hand in our Saviors and walk this walk together...our next big hurdle will be tolerating the chemo and the radiation and we pray for a favorable outcome. We also pray that all these medicines will stop making Bobby feel so bad..so that he could feel more apt to do some more things and not be housebound.
How can we even begin to thank everyone for the calls, cards, meals, visits and encouragements. No one could be more blessed by the love and concern we have been shown.
We are trying to get Bobby set up with his work e-mail address here at home..& you are also welcome to e-mail us at gloryflowerfarm1@aol.com.
We are going to try and start getting out more as His health will allow...perhaps even coming to visit YOU so don't be surprised if you find the Snow's on your doorstep one day in the near future! God Bless you for every pray you have uttered up for my Snowman....I imagine God has heard Bobby's name quite a few times over the last couple of weeks and we know that God hears and inhabits the praises of His people...May He receive all the Glory!
In His Precious Grace,
Bobby & Elaine

Day by Day

It is hard to believe that one week ago tomorrow, we along with so many loved ones waited to hear the outcome as Bobby went through a left craniotomy...aks brain surgery! And that only three days later we were getting the boot from the hospital!!! We do want to say that there is only grand things we could say about AAMC...and our time there. The staff, nurses, techs, and drs. were amazing...but most of all God has been so amazing from the beginning of this journey and Bobby says we WILL give Him all the glory for what He holds in the future.
Not much more to say accept Thank you, thank you, thank you for all your prayers...Please keep them going as God leads you. Bobby will get His stitches out on Monday, and we will meet with our Oncology team on Friday, 23rd...and we will know what our treatment plan will be.
Bobby continues to heal...his black eye is turning yellow...good sign..that he will soon be back to his usual good looks!!! Your cards and encouragements via blog have been great reading for him..bless you....it is truly a gift of love.
We are still trying to limit visitors..but I'm sure Bobby could use some fresh scenery besides my face & the fams...so if you would like to visit please call first...and we will see what's what for that day.
Much love,
Elaine & Bobby
Psalm 23

The Next Step

How quickly life can change..pardon the cliche but it's true...we do need to cherish each and every day because we just don't know what is around the corner...The one thing that is certain is that we have a BIG God and He is more than enough to meet every circumstance and need. We have seen it each day as we faced the days challenges and at the end of the day saw how God was victorious in each of the specifics. I can't begin to express how much we have felt all of your prayers carrying us through..strangely enough I can honestly say the peace of God has absolutely been present and I am eternally grateful for all of you and your prayers!!! Your comments on the blog has made us laugh, cry, but most of all made us feel so loved!

So now we take each day, one day at a time. The giant we will face now will be meeting with the oncology staff...and getting through what treatment they will recommend. As Bobby has constantly repeated to us "It is what it is" so we will face what "it is" with confidence that God is in control. Bobby is resting at home and still needs some time to heal. Meeting with folks is a little tough and emotional right now...so for the next couple of days we are trying to limit visitors and give him time to get on top of things, but your calls, e-mails, and encouragements via blog have been priceless.

We came home to a clean house, clean carpets (thanks to Bobby King/Econojet) you did a fabulous job and we are not ashamed to give a great plug for the company! Ha!

The last thing is if I have not told my kids lately (that of course includes Rachel, my daughter-n-law) you are the greatest!! You have been everything anyone could have wanted to be by their side in a difficult time..and I am so blessed by all of you!



Love,

Elaine and Bobby

He's coming Home!

Though the drs originally projected the release date to be Sunday they are sending dad home today. We are sooooo excited. Thanks to Bobby King the entire upstairs carpets have been steam cleaned. And a team of people joined Rachel and I today to sterilize the entire house. So we are ready and germ free!

We did receive the pathology report and the tumor is malignant. However, we are in high hopes that we will continue to beat this thing through the next step of treatment. Keep checking back for visiting information. We would like to get dad settled into home and monitor his progress before too many people come by - but know that he has already said that he is looking forward to both reading the comments and writing his own post as soon as he can.

Thanks for everything and continue to pray for the wisdom of the next team of drs that we will be working with in the coming weeks.

Much love,
The Snows

Breakin all the rules!

We have been told by the dr. that we have "officially" broken every hospital rule...for example:

Rule #1 - only two visitors at a time.

Snow response - how does 20-30 people work?

Rule #2 - No overnight visitors in the ICU or Critical care unit.

Snow response - Elaine is not leaving the hospital - so just deal with it and work around her

Rule #3 - Only one person to a hospital bed.

Snow response - yeah right! Move over dad!

Here you can see a picture of dad right before he was wheeled off to surgery - thumbs up and all!

Keep up the prayers! He is up and walking around today and was finally able to eat a meal of jell-o (yum!) More information coming as received.....

Love,

The Snows

If dad goes MIA from the hospital - this is where you can find him!

Dad's favorite location - in a boat at Smith Mt. Lake!!!

90% of the tumor removed!

Hello everyone!

We heard some great news from Dr. Sullivan today. He said that he was able to remove more that 90% of the tumor. Additionally the MRI following the surgery showed significant progress in reducing the swelling of the surrounding area. Also, it seems that the tumor was contained to the operation area and has not expanded to other locations in the brain.

Whoo Hoo! Yeah! Down with that nasty tumor!!

Today as I mentioned earlier was a "down" day so we expect that the pathology results will be shared with us tomorrow. This will then provide information that will direct our options for next steps. Dad and I were just going through the names of all of the people who have visited or left messages via the blog - he was overwhelmed with emotion and sends his love and thanks. He is in high spirits and even told the doctor to "do good work" since he plans to be back on the boat and wakeboarding this summer!

For those interested in delivering meals Susan Bailey has offered to coordinate the deliveries. You can reach her at: 301-908-2068

One final request is for everyone to also lift up George Anderson in prayer. Tomorrow he goes into surgery at Hopkins to remove a patch of Melanoma.

Psalm 23.

Much love to all and have a great night!
Bobby, Elaine, Melissa, Justin, and Rachel

Another GREAT day!

Just stepped out of the room to leave mom and dad to themselves for some much needed sleep. Dad has been transferred to his own room in the ICU and is still making great progress. His speech is still improving and now rest and relaxation are important to assist his body with the healing process. We are so thankful for all of the visitors as it has helped to pass the long and sometimes scary hours of hospital time. But at this point we would like to request that visitors hold off from joining us at the hospital until he is transfered home. The next few days are critical to the healing process and we will certainly need your support in the weeks and months to come.

Should you feel inclined - I know that mom will be in no condition to grocery shop or make meals so once we are released from the hospital your assistance with meals would be greatly appreciated. I will provide information and updates over the next few days as I receive it. Mom reviewed all the comments and posting this morning and was bursting with joy - she is really looking forward to sharing these with dad when he is a bit further along. So KEEP the comments coming!!!

Much love,
Bobby, Elaine, Melissa, Justin, and Rachel

Surgery Success

At 3:00pm today the nurse rolled dad through a crowd of over 30 family and friends into surgery. In the moments prior to being admitted Mom, Melissa and Justin stood close holding Dad’s hand and saying “I love you” as frequently as possible. Dr. Sullivan entered the room and answered any final questions we had and Mom asked if she could pray for him. We all held hands and prayed a prayer for Dr. Sullivan of wisdom and guidance.

After the prayer we decided that we needed to establish a “sign” for Dad to use after surgery to indicate success in a nonverbal way. Dad then lifted his hand and gave us a thumbs up as he left for surgery.

Nearly 3.5 hours later Dr. Sullivan emerged delivering the news that the operation had been a success and though the road to victory was not complete – one big hurdle had been accomplished. As we crossed the room to visit Dad in the Intensive Care Unit he caught sight of us and smiled and gave us a double thumb’s up! He recognized all of us and greeted us by name. He is talking in complete sentences and his speech pattern has already improved significantly. What a BLESSING!!!

Words cannot begin to capture our thanks to everyone who has sat with us, prayed with and for us, posted comments on the blog, sent text messages, and called to express their support. Please continue to pray…..we have at least 3-4 more days at Anne Arundel while they monitor his recovery. We also expect to receive more news on the condition of the tumor tomorrow after they have run tests on the biopsy.

We LOVE you all!
Bobby, Elaine, Melissa, Justin, and Rachel

Update: Tuesday Jan 6th

Greetings to everyone!
Today was another very full day at Anne Arundle Medical Center. Dad is in high spirits - taking everything in faith and stride. We have had a steady stream of friends and family which has helped to pass the time. Amazingly this time of pause for fellowship has been such a gift and we are eternally grateful.

We met with the neurosurgeon (Dr. Sullivan) who recommended that we push the operation on the tumor from Thursday to Wednesday. So for those praying we need maximum prayer coverage starting at 1pm Tuesday. Dr. Sullivan said that the operation will last 2-3 hours. The surgery is expected to remove more than 50% of the tumor and will provide a large enough sample to determine the status of the tumor (malignant or benign). The rest is in God's hands.

We welcome anyone who would like to visit tonight and tomorrow. Visiting hours are 8am-8pm. He will go into surgery at 1pm and will exit sucessfully around 4pm.

Thank you for your prayers, love and support.
Blessings,
Bobby, Elaine, Melissa, Justin, and Rachel

Laymen's Terms as of Monday, Jan 5th, 2009

Bobby was taken to the Emergency Room at Anne Arundel Hospital on the morning of January 5, 2009. The MRI revealed a brain tumor. The hospital is running several tests Monday - Wednesday to rule out other potential issues and on Thursday, January 8, 2009, Bobby will be operated on. The doctors are only performing a biopsy on Thursday. It will be a surgerical procedure rather than a needle biopsy since there is fluid in the mass. This process as I understand it will provide a better view of what's going on than a needle biopsy and the surgeon will be better prepare for the unexpected (i.e., fluid) with a more invasive procedure.

Would you please keep him in your prayers that the mass is not cancer and they are able to either operate or treat. Thank you for your prayer support!