Surgery Day

^^^^^^^^^

This is my sister Bethany

Alright people. It's the day of the surgery. Bethany is in prep at the moment, but I wanted to explain why she's getting the surgery, as it may be confusing for a lot of people.

Beth and Dad both have a really rare genetic disease called familial polyposis. It basically starts off with a build up of polyps in your colon, and becomes cancer. (There are tons of other things involved with it, but that's the biggie) Dad has had his colon out for years, but Beth has known since she was twelve that she would have to have her colon removed at some point. The only thing is that she thought this wouldn't be coming for several more years. You can imagine how tough it would be to have something like this weighing on your mind all the time, and finding out that you're going to have it a whole lot sooner than you thought.

We landed in Minnesota late on the 9^th, and honestly didn't know if she'd be doing the surgery for sure or not. She did testing yesterday on the 10^th, and at the end of the day was in a room full of specialists and doctors who were discussing possibilities, but in the end were really just scratching their heads. Dad and Beth are really the pioneers for this particular case, so there are dangers no matter what way you turn. The real debate was whether they should put off the surgery and wait (increasing the chances of cancer hitting), or do the surgery, and deal with scar tissue and adhesions. The reason adhesions are an issue is because after Dad had his colon removed, these things formed a desmoid tumor around his vital organs. To remove this tumor would have obvious consequences.

SO. Beth has chosen to do the surgery and take her chances. It's a very scary time, and we need as many prayers, positive thoughts, and good vibes as everyone can muster. If you know Beth, blow up her phone with texts, send her messages on Facebook, or find some way to show her your support. Please and thank you.  

Insanity

SO! I haven't touched this blog-thing in a long time. And honestly, I'm only bothering with it again because my brain is spazzing out a bit from all that's going on. This blog is mainly for my friends and family who want to be kept in the loop, but if you stumble across this, congratulations! I'm another human being who does things.

I normally put up pictures with my ramblings, and as I haven't used this in some time, I will put up an old, extremely unfinished doodle. His name is Tucker.

Ok so, here's the low-down:

Tomorrow, I'm traveling to Rochester, Minnesota to MAYO clinic with the family because my sister is getting her colon removed. This is scary for us, but I can't even begin to imagine where her head-space is like. The most we can do is just be there for her. I'll be there from the 9th-21st/23rd? There will be lots of waiting, but I may use this bloggy-deal as a way to update those who want to know what's going on. That remains to be seen.

Upon returning at the end of the month, I'll be heading out again for the World Steam Expo in Dearborn, MI where I'll be competing in the Miss World Steam Pageant. Woo! Then I'll be back in town for four days, then off to LA for E3 with the GamerFront crew. A brief reprise, then I start my convention job at the Steampunk Funk Bizarre with Sir Montague. Then school starts up again. There will be much going on in between, who can tell what all will happen. 

Here's to hoping everything will turn out alright. If you pray, or send positive vibes or anything, I would appreciate it if you send some along to my sister. Thankies.