pathology report

The pathology report is in and after speaking with Dr Vrodos yesterday George has grade 4 glioma blastioma, which means he has about 11 months to live. He is having more intensified physiotherapy to help his coordination and he will be transferred to Darwin sometime this week for further hospitalisation and physiotherapy. Once there he will undergo radiation treatment and perhaps chemotherapy, the oncologist we saw before in Darwin will advise on this. Dr Vrodos informed me he will have a leap in better health then a plateau stage before deterioration and the need for palliative care. My youngest son Kieran and I knew this information on Wednesday evening but waited till the pathology report was in to start to tell others.

Our daughter Sam was there and added some insightful questions and later in a phone call some observations about how to talk to dad about this and his reaction, after the doctor left all the family left to talk about this between themselves and I was gifted with a quiet time to tell George and come together as the spirit children we are. We both cried, and then this great man I married said his wishes for the next 11 months are to celebrate our family life together. We talked about his decision some years ago to know the Saviour and his lack of fear as he approaches him.

Sitting at my friend’s house in Beaumont, I thought how incredibly blessed we were; we currently have daylight savings here and spring has bloomed in Adelaide and the hay-fever tablets are selling like hotcakes. Because it was such a balmy evening my friend's giant German shepherd dog, named appropriately 'Rommel' was doing his best to herd me towards the gate for a walk. I am ever obedient to a higher power structure so we walked and he smelt every bush and twig and tree in a beautiful garden housing area; however he missed the dead possum half way across the Common much to my relief. While walking I talked to my Father in Heaven about the gifts he has given me, especially the time in 2011 when I was able to introduce George to his sister Jean and her husband John. Then yesterday I was able to "put off the world" and become spirit children having a human experience on the way to a Celestial world. I am humbled beyond mere words for these experiences.

B DAY operation

George had a successful operation going in at 2pm Tuesday, Dr Vrodos rang me just before 6pm to say I could visit in 30 minutes. The Critical Care unit nurses and Doctor were very supportive as son Kieran and I approached, they said he had woken up asking for me and when we gently woke him again he entertained us with 'Monty Python' type quips and wanting to learn Tatum?? and Tagalog so he could tease the nurses. We put it down to the drugs he was hooked into. I did suggest he could go back to learning about and using computers to be told he wanted to do something useful. So that part of the brain is intact!!! The staff gave him physical responses to meet with holding hands and push pulling on hands and feet and the difference was remarkable  from before the operation. It looked as if he had regained a lot of control over the left side of his body.

I meet with the neurosurgeon this afternoon Wednesday during his rounds for more information and we all wait on the pathology report.

Thank you all for your support, prayers and words of comfort.

BRAIN SURGERY IN ADELAIDE SA.

George and I will be flying down to Adelaide tomorrow, George will be admitted that afternoon to The Memorial Hospital North Adelaide. I will be staying in a friends house about 6 klms away, which is a great blessing to us.

On Monday George will have a G.P.S. guided MRI of his brain, sounds kind of exciting we thought, then Tuesday afternoon he will be operated on by Dr Nick Vrodos and Dr Sandler, he will have a specialist anesthetist in attendance because of his lung condition. Dr Vrodos said that he needs to excise the 2 gliomas as George's quality of life without their removal would deteriorate rapidly. He is expected to stay in hospital for one week then have rehabilitation for a further 2 weeks. Kieran our youngest son will fly down Tuesday and stay with me, daughter Samantha will arrive with partner and 3 children on Thursday after driving over from Melbourne. Youngest daughter Kim, husband Kerrin and two small children are flying in tomorrow thanks to Kerrin's boss generosity in paying for their flights both ways. Daughter Thea is still in Europe and son Nick in Houston, we communicate by phone daily and skype.

We are all in good spirits though I found the need to have a Thai massage this afternoon, now all my aches are reminding me that the Thais are the same as Chinese massages I have had - designed to remove my pin number by torture!!!!

I will keep you up to date as events progress.

God bless

DAD'S BEEN DECOMMISSIONED

George is out of Darwin Private Hospital and home with us, as we were packing up at the hospital he made one of those famous 'Dad comments' about life, work and family, I laughed and said that he was now decommissioned and life had changed for him and us.This provoked funny comments from daughter Sam, dad and myself about his decommissioning and images of Naval docklands with rotting hulks. This morning he said his brain was now a 2.5 cc whipper snipper and that produced sound effects from Sam and a wry comment from me of did he really think  he went as high as 2.5?
The Shaw sense of humour an outlook on life is alive and kicking back in the face of a serious situation. As son Kieran said "I don't do sad unless I'm drunk" or his football team losers the final game to Melbourne AFL Club.
George has been diagnosed with a glioma tumor on his parietal lobe with a secondary one closer to the top of his head. We see the neurosurgeon this coming Thursday 10th at 6pm. The treating doctor at the hospital said that he would require a biopsy which will be carried out in Adelaide, South Australia. Further treatment will depend on the biopsy results but may include radiation treatment here in Darwin NT. More information will come to us at the next doctors appointment on Thursday.

As Sam and son Jacob are here with us at present we have them in our bedroom and George and I are in my office, me in the single bed and father on a two layer futon mattress beside me, the first night when I stood up to head out to the bathroom at about 2am I forgot about the futon and nearly toppled over onto George, though asleep he twitched and moved in his sleep showing his sense of survival was awake and looking after him, 'old soldiers never sleep properly' as a friend once told me. I must admit the NT News headline of elderly man with brain tumor killed in sleep by wife falling on him did have me giggling in the bathroom for some time.
DAD and SAM