Surgery Day

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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.