Surgery Day in Houston
Rucker Update 11/12/18
Today we are at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas. This morning Rucker underwent curettage surgery on his right femur to remove the tumor that has been causing him so much trouble since June, when he first broke his leg.
Good riddance! Yes, it was a blessing- but more of a curse. If not for that tumor causing his leg to break, it would have taken longer for his cancer to present itself. However, the now twice broken leg has been the source of much of Rucker’s pain and immobility- that for a kid really is the worst part of this.
We are very thankful to have Dr. Valerae Lewis’ expertise in Orthopedic Oncology. She was pleased with the procedure, which was successful in removing the tumor and surrounding areas of bone. In its place, she placed bone graft against the growth plate and cement with reinforcement rods. The main goal of this procedure is to give Rucker his mobility back. The secondary purpose was to get rid of the tumor causing all of the side effects. If it were not causing issues, or not presenting side effects, we would have treated this site later in the plan. This may cure the cancer in that one location, and may not, but for now, it is the right thing to do for Rucker.
We will begin physical therapy tomorrow and we hope Rucker will gain some confidence in his newly fortified leg. The plan is to recover and begin rehabilitating it in Houston and return home this weekend. In a couple weeks, we will have surgery in Birmingham to remove the primary tumor and his left kidney.
As you know if you have been following along, this is a marathon. We have much left to do… at least two more surgeries, more chemotherapy and radiation. I have never run a marathon, but I must imagine after the 3rd mile you are like “I got this, what’s the big deal?” Then you get comfortable, and something else begins to hurt, then after like mile 9 you say to yourself “there is no possible way I can make it to mile 20-whatever it is!” We just passed mile 9 and are looking for our second wind. We may have found it in Houston. I will be certain when I see Rucker running and playing with friends again- going down the slide and not just wishing he could. So in the meantime, keep handing us the water from the sideline and cheer us on. We appreciate the support, prayers and well wishes; it means more than I can explain in writing.
Rucker as always, is truly awe-inspiring. He is spunky, smart and is full of wit. He takes on all challenges with an impressive resilience. He does get grumpy, and even whines sometimes, but a wry grin and a joke or two are usually close behind. He loves to learn, especially about what the nurses and doctors are doing to him. He often tells his nurses and doctors how he wants to be one when he grows up, to help others go through what he is doing now. I believe he will.
Last night, after he persistently inquired as to how our airplane was able to fly, we had a long discussion about the Wright Brothers as we were lying in bed. I told Rucker that Orville was bald (in what I thought was a white lie that would make him feel good about his head). After he fell asleep, I fact-checked myself on some of the particulars of the story I had just told Rucker about the history of flight. What to my googling eyes should appear... Orville was bald! (See first picture attached for proof). The moral of my bedtime story to Rucker (even though I got the year wrong, and the state where Kitty Hawk is, and the length of the flight), I told him they were able to fly because they worked hard and never gave up on what they wanted to accomplish. They had many failures and setbacks, but never quit. I believe we can apply that here in our marathon.
We have miles to go before we sleep, but I have my hospital couch bed right next to me, so I will sign off!
Katie and I thank you for all of the love and support.
