Along the Way

Times of Testing

A Difficult Decision

      The year was 1973.  It was a typical summer filled with church activities.  The only unusual thing was the way Jean would occasionally stop, stare, swallow three or four times, and then continue what she was doing.  At the time I thought it strange but did not ask questions.  Because we had started early one morning and had one of those non-stop days, we agreed to call it quits around 10 p.m.  At 11 p.m. I was awakened by Jean shaking violently.  It had been 12 years since her first brain tumor operation and before that she never had such a seizure.  That stare and swallowing I later learned is called a mini-seizure.  (The violent seizure is called a Grand-mal).  Because it was the first of many, I was terrified.  After she quieted down, I called our family physician and explained what had happened.  It was midnight, but he told me to come to his house. He gave us samples of the medication, Dilantin.  “Bring her to my office first thing in the morning,” he said.

      The next morning after examining Jean, he suggested that we see a neurologist.  It was evident that the brain tumor was growing again.  Because the results of her first brain tumor operation had been so successful, we contacted the same surgeon we had seen before.  An appointment was set for September.

      After consultation with him and many tests, the tumor’s return was confirmed.  This time, however, an operation would be more difficult; the tumor had wrapped itself around the area that controls movement, speech, and sight.  He made it clear that if Jean did not have the surgery, she would die.  However, because of the location and size of the tumor, there was a chance that Jean might not survive the operation.  Jean’s forty-third birthday was November 6th.  The operation was scheduled for November 7th.  She would be admitted in the hospital on the morning of her birthday.  Since the surgeon had moved his office to Holyoke, Massachusetts, we planned to arrive at Brattleboro, Vermont, on the fifth, stay overnight, and then travel south to the hospital in Holyoke.

      The outcome of the operation lay heavily on our minds as we began our long drive.