Hurdles to Pass

Derek is on the mend! One of the big hurdles that he had to overcome was to pass gas. This is a sign that his intestines are working and that it was safe to remove his stomach tube from his nose and start normal foods. So we had the whole family working on fart cheers to help the process. Some of the best ones were the following:

(From Grandma Peggy)

Lean to the Front,

Lean to the Back,

Stand Up, Sit Down,

Blow it Out Your Crack!!!

(From Grandpa Randy)

I See London,

I See France,

I See Dad with Inflated Pants!

(From Jenny and Greg)

Hey Derek!

Hey what?

Hey Derek!

Hey what?

Do you smell it?

Oh no!

Our butt is high, our gas is there,

Now we'll fart up in the air!

Poot and go!

Poot, Poot, and go!

The cheers were so successful, that Derek had success last night and was rewarded this morning by having his nose tube and epidural removed. He also was allowed to start eating real food and lunched on orange juice, Ensure (which he is holding in the picture), iced tea, and chicken soup. Not sure what he had for dinner- will get a report from his Mom when she returns from the hospital this evening. The surgeon even suggested that he may get to come home tomorrow. Regardless, he will definitely be coming home Wednesday.

We have been trying to keep the laughter going as we received more challenging news. The pathology report came back confirming that the colon tumor was cancerous and that three out of the eleven lymph nodes that were removed also contained cancer. So, in 3-4 weeks after he has sufficiently recovered from the surgery, he will go through a 6 month chemotherapy treatment. We are hopeful that the surgery has left him cancer-free and that the chemo will reduce his chances of the cancer coming back. We really appreciate all of the support we have received from friends and family as this has been very difficult. I never thought that I would be facing this kind of thing at the age of 34. However, we continue to be positive and in good spirits (some days it is easier than others). Derek is getting all of the treatment that he possibly can to beat this! I love him so much. I just wish there was some way that I could snap my fingers and make it all better.