An Update And Another Decision To Make!
An Update And Another Decision To Make!
Well, today we received the update and now we have another decision to make!
This morning, two tests were done. At about 8:30 am an ultrasound was done on Judah’s neck to look for changes to his thyroid gland and lymph nodes. Then, at about 11 am a CT scan was done on his chest to hopefully rule out the possibility of cancer having spread to his lungs which would have been cause for great concern.
Happily, there was no evidence to suggest the presence of cancer in Judah’s lungs. This is HUGE! Praise God for this!
One of the reasons for concern about his lungs was the fact that one of his lymph nodes had been noticeably enlarged for about a year, but was only recently diagnosed as problematic. So, the cancer had evidently been cooking for about a year. So we’re thankful that the problem has been contained.
The ultrasound on Judah’s neck area didn’t indicate a significant enough change in the size of his lymph nodes or the condition of his thyroid to change their thinking, so the doctors remain convinced of the need for thyroidectomy and the removal of several suspicious lymph nodes.
And, so now we have another decision to make. Move forward with surgery immediately or not.
Our past experience has taught us that the wisdom and leading of the Holy Spirit is always the best course of action.
We can either:
1) Proceed with the thyroidectomy within the next couple weeks. (Even though the recovery rate is about 95%, the surgery is not risk-free, so this would call for vigilence too.) OR,
2) Continue praying for God’s healing intervention and the retention of his thyroid gland and postpone the thyroidectomy. This decision would not be unreasonable based on a couple Biblical principles. (1) On at least one occasion, even Jesus had to act repeatedly to get the miracle he sought. (Mark 8:22-25) If the Son of God had to persevere to see a sick person get healed, there’s probably a lesson in that for us. (2) In Revelation 5:8 and Revelation 8:3-5, we learn that evidently, on some occasions, a certain volume of intercessory prayer accumulates in heavenly “bowls” of some kind before a decisive intervention occurs here on earth.
Here in America, we tend to prefer that we get things we want very quickly. I wish miracles were microwavable like popcorn. Our experience in 2002 to 2003 taught us otherwise.
In 2002, we felt the clear leading of the Lord to postpone the recommended bone marrow transplant by about 9 months longer than the doctors recommended. The procedure at that time was considered high risk and there was no plan B if it failed. When we finally did the procedure, it was successful and the recovery process, though fraught with scary moments, ultimately gave way to victory. My working theory for why God directed us this way is that we needed the extra 9 months to mount the spiritual strength to ensure that Judah survived the risky procedure. Even with 9 additional months of prayer and fasting by hundreds of faithful friends and family, there were several times when his life was nearly lost to complications of various kinds because his immune system was basically nonexistent until after the BMT was done and the bone marrow grew back. Deborah and I will never forget the numerous instances of miraculous reversals within hours of sending prayer updates to those praying with us! Some of you will remember getting email prayer alerts when Judah would contract a life-threatening fever. Within minutes of sending the email, the fever would miraculously disappear to the surprise of the staff WITHOUT antibiotics or other medical interventions to bring it down and with NO functional immune system! It was both scary and amazing all at the same time.
In our situation now, we have a few clear God-indicators to go on:
1) Just days before the onset of this event, Deborah had a troubling dream in which God showed her Judah’s health being threatened and a “tooth being removed.”
2) Several weeks later, I had a strong impression during a morning prayer time that we should not give up his thyroid without a fight and Deborah had a dream in which the Lord said very clearly, “Don’t concede!”
3) About a week ago, Deborah had a strong impression from the Lord that this conflict would be a short one, which corroborated an impression I had received around the same time that the conflict would not be grueling like the previous one and would not require the same level of mobilization of energy, effort, and resources to resolve.
So, as then, we now get to decide our course based on what the Lord has been showing us.
At the moment, we are leaning toward option 1 above. But we’re going to pray, listen, and discern over the next couple days until we’re sure. We’ll be praying with Judah and the kids to reach a place of unity and peace around what to do.
Thank you for your prayers. As I’ve said before, only in heaven will we be able to fully appreciate the powerful impact of your fasting and intercession. We wish we had adequate words to express our gratitude for your help.
Your willingness to fast and pray for Judah’s life illustrates heroism at its finest!
Warmly,
Eric and Deborah Dombach
