Maggie’s surgery is confirmed for Monday morning – August 22. We will report at 6:30 am to Batson. We’re not sure what time the procedure will begin as that will depend on case load, with younger patients taken first. I’ll update as soon as she is out of surgery. We may not know the exact nature of the suspicious tissue for several days until the pathology report is available. We were told to prepare for a two-three day stay. We’ll hope for that a prepare for a bit longer so we’re covered.

Maggie is at peace during this time. She would much rather have surgery than a chemo infusion. She views this break as a vacation from the side effects brought on by chemo. She is enjoying a weekend in Nashville for a family wedding with my sister and her cousins. She loves a party! We will pick her up in Meridian Sunday afternoon and stay in Jackson to allow us a complete night of sleep prior to reporting for surgery. (We don’t care much for the idea of being jolted awake by an alarm at 4:00 am. No amount of coffee can make that more attractive)

Thank you for committing to pray for Maggie and the family. We feel strengthened just knowing of your concern. We are grateful, too, with the response to our website. We started making plans for Leaf by Leaf as we approached what we thought was the end of Maggie’s treatment and remission. We were in hopes that moving into a post-treatment phase (and more free time) would allow us to realize our plans for a deeper ministry through our blogs with freedom to move beyond cancer as a constant subject and main backdrop. God had other plans. We learned in May that the lung nodules were growing again prompting a return to active treatment. What should we do with Leaf by Leaf? Put it on a back-burner or use it for ministry through our current circumstances? We felt led to do the latter.

We may be slightly hampered in our ability to post and write under the schedule we originally planned. Our desire is to offer encouragement and hope through our own challenges to give each reader hope in their own struggles. Thank you for patience and support. Please spread the word about what we are doing here and share our words if they touch you.

Have a restful weekend and God bless.