8:30am: We had a busy night, but managed to get a few hours of sleep. There were more blood tests and she got a bath and had her hair washed with a special solution. She wasn’t thrilled about a 4 am bath time, but was a trooper anyway. At 5:30 am they finally let her get a good sleep and she slept hard, slack-jawed and completely still. They came to get her around 7 am and we got to walk with them down to the OR. They gave her a sedative while we were saying goodbye and she got very woozy and sweet. She was perfectly content and we felt very at peace. We spent a few minutes in the hospital chapel praying and crying and entrusting her to THE ONE who formed her in the secret place. Now we are together with our friends and family in the waiting room. Please continue to pray..we appreciate you all so much.

First Update, 10:45am: They called to let us know that her central line is in and surgery began about an hour ago. Just now got the call that they are in the brain and are starting the tumor removal.

Phoebe a couple of months before her diagnosis.

Second Surgery Update, Noon: Just got the hourly call from the OR. They reported that Phoebe is doing great and they are still working on the tumor. There is a beautiful atmosphere of prayer and hope in this waiting room and we are surrounded by those we love. Our dear friend Katherine Ewing, has been here since 6:30 am interceding in Phoebe’s room, she has committed to stand until Phoebe is out of surgery and doing well. This morning as I was praying over Phoebe, the Holy Spirit put the words “fall away, fall away, fall away” in my mouth. I just spoke to the tumor and my prayer was that it would fall away. An hour later I received a message from my friend Robin Osteen that the Holy Spirit had placed it on her heart to pray that the tumor would just “fall away”, and that that was what she was praying out over Phoebe. Just now, one of DeDe’s friends texted her and said that the words “fall away” keep coming to her mind as she prays about Phoebe’s tumor surgery. God is on the move, putting prayers in the mouths of the saints. Thank you Jesus for total involvement in all of our cares. I stand amazed…Third Update, 1:45pm: Phoebe is still doing great. They said they might be done in just an hour, so we are praying that that means the surgery was more simple than they anticipated.

Finishing up, 2:15pm: The neurosurgeon is finishing up and will be calling us soon to consult with us about the surgery. Phoebe will still be in the OR for an hour while they get her cleaned up and then she will be brought back to her room in the ICU.

From Summer:  I have taken over the post as Amey and Nathan were just called back to speak with the doctor. Please continue praying that he will deliver great news!

Amey will have more details later but here’s the gist of it:
The surgeon feels that it went very well. The tumor was very vascular so Phoebe did need a blood transfusion but she is doing really well.  They got the vast majority of the tumor out and the biopsy results could be in as early as next Thursday or as late as two weeks from now. The surgeon did say that she should feel better immediately. Amey and Nathan are in there with her now.  Thank you so much for all of the amazing messages and prayers! Please keep them coming!

Pray for fever to break: Phoebe is having a hard time and we need prayer for her fever. It is 103.5. They have given her Motrin and are about to give her an ice bath. Please pray for her fever to break and she feel relief.

Amey’s Post Op Update: I think we expected to hear that the tumor had completely “fallen away” when the surgeon came to speak with us. The news was good, but I wanted it to be GREAT. They were a bit surprised at how vascular the tumor was, and indeed the EXACT prayer that we still need to be praying is that the tumor will FALL AWAY! The surgeon was pleased with how the surgery went, but did warn us that sometimes there are “microscopic fingers” of tumor tissue that cannot be discerned from healthy brain tissue.Those “fingers” are what need to fall away. He prepared us for the possibility of a malignant diagnosis with the tissue since it was so vascular and told us that chemotherapy in pill form or otherwise, would most likely be the next step. We were not given a “go home” date, and expect that much of that will be dependent on how Phoebe does tonight and tomorrow. Right now she is singing with her Grandmothers, lying on a cold blanket filled with ice water and covered with wet rags. We need to see this 104 temp come down. She is alert and totally herself and that is great to see. Right now we are taking it moment by moment because that is all we can handle. God has upheld us today, used the body of Christ to minister to us, and been faithful to bring our Phoebe through a big procedure. Thanks you all for your words and prayers and encouragement. I will update frequently as we ride out the next days and weeks and months. We thank you, and Phoebe Lucille thanks you..from the bottom of our hearts.

Fever Gone: Thank you for praying! Phoebe’s fever broke. The doctor said that the tumor put pressure on the pituitary gland that controls the body temperature. With that pressure gone, her body will be out of wack for a while. She is calm and happy now. Tomorrow she will have an MRI to see what is left of the tumor in her brain.

Finally, a moment to sit down and breathe. Phoebe is tucked in to bed after a long day of laxatives and seeing various specialists. I pray she can just sleep tonight without too much interruption, poking and prodding. Tomorrow is a big day. Things have been so hectic and I just need a few moments with my girl. I look forward to sleeping next to her tonight and just soaking her in.

Phoebe a few months before her diagnosis

The surgery process will begin tomorrow around 7:30am. First, an hour or so of anesthesia prep and then 5-10 hours of surgery with hourly updates. Today has been about prepping her body for surgery and much attention has been paid to getting her electrolytes balanced and getting her system cleaned out. We have seen several specialists since this tumor touches a few different brain centers. We have met with an Oncologist, an Ophthalmologist, and an Endocrinologist as well as the infectious disease doctors. We learned that whenever there is a brain tumor, benign or malignant, Oncologists are involved in the process. We will not know until tomorrow if this tumor is cancerous. Our neurologist explained to us that the TYPE of tumor it is, rather than IF it is cancerous or not, is the more important issue. He explained that one could have a cancerous tumor that was very easy to remove and would not cause further concern in the future, and that one could have a benign tumor embedded in some very serious parts of the brain that would cause several serious issues, so “cancer or not” is not the real question. To a degree, this was comforting to hear and we were even more comforted when he told us that it appears that Phoebe’s tumor has grown primarily in the open areas of her brain. He is of course guardedly optimistic when he shares with us, balancing our hope and the reality of the situation very well.

The tumor sits and seems to have it’s root on the optic nerve center, so a portion of the mass will be left there as it is too risky to cut so close. The remaining areas of tumor left after surgery will most likely be shrunk with a pill-form of chemotherapy. If there is an aggressive cancer, a more aggressive chemo regimen will be instated. We have not discussed those details in depth though, because until the biopsy of the mass, these are all just projections. We will have more answers tomorrow. The infectious disease docs were brought in to discuss the history of the parasite situation and they decided that for now they would wait to re-test her stool until more time has passed since the completion of her anti-parasite meds. They are not concerned that it is an issue right now.

The Ophthalmologist dilated and evaluated her sight and confirmed that her optic nerves were inflamed and the Endocrinologists are keeping an eye on her for the possibility of a certain type of situational diabetes related to the tumor’s pressure on the pituitary gland. So, we have several things at play here and we are praying for the most simple outcome.

Please pray for Phoebe’s electrolytes, that they would balance out and be in the right place for surgery. Please pray that the tumor would fall away easily from the brain centers that it is touching. Please pray that the tumor would be benign. Please pray for our neurosurgeons and their team and that Phoebe would sail through surgery without complications. And please pray for her 3 big brothers who are being shuffled between family and friends right now, that they would be given grace during this time.

We have been so amazed, brought to tears, overflowing with gratitude, for the report that thousands are praying for our sweet girl during this time. Seeing the Saints of God respond and unite like an army for our daughter has been so precious to us. We thank you, each and every one.

Because He lives, Amey …Phoebe’s Mama