{"id":787009,"date":"2012-12-11T15:18:26","date_gmt":"2012-12-11T15:18:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.centerdeep2.com\/riverbendprep\/?p=787009"},"modified":"2012-12-11T15:18:26","modified_gmt":"2012-12-11T15:18:26","slug":"a-season-of-miracles","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.centerdeep2.com\/riverbendprep\/2012\/12\/11\/a-season-of-miracles\/","title":{"rendered":"A Season of Miracles"},"content":{"rendered":"

Greetings to all our loved ones!<\/p>\n

Incredible things have occurred and I am excited to share with you what is going on regarding my mother. \u00a0If you have been following this closely, you are aware of the ups and downs of this journey. \u00a0Mom had been given a terrible prognosis regarding the complications of an thoracoabdominal aneurysm surgery and decided not to have it. \u00a0We all came to the realization that she was going to die soon and began the grieving\/getting affairs in order\/saying goodbye process. \u00a0The doctors gave mom up to two months to live., (which, by the way, past five days ago).<\/div>\n
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My uncle Bob (a retired general and vascular surgeon) encouraged us to get a second opinion. \u00a0We did that, and received the same information. \u00a0However, we came to realize that it was not a true second opinion because these doctors all collaborated and consulted each other the first time and are within the same network.<\/div>\n
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My uncle encouraged us to see a doctor at Stanford. \u00a0He is one of the best regarding this surgery. \u00a0Mom really struggled agreeing to do this. We had all gone through so much and mom had made peace with the reality of dying. \u00a0The idea of pursuing treatment and a glimmer of hope was hard to grasp.<\/div>\n
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Regardless, my aunt Annie and uncle Art flew with my mom to Stanford. \u00a0We met them there on Sunday and got ready for a day of testing on Monday.<\/div>\n
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Monday morning, first thing, she went in for a CT Scan. \u00a0She could not eat prior and was hungry after. \u00a0The next test was at a different location, so se found a restaurant between the two and enjoyed a wonderful breakfast. \u00a0Everyone especially loved the bacon (a place called\u00a0Stacks<\/a>)<\/div>\n
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We still had about 2.5 hours to kill. \u00a0We wanted to make sure we knew where the other place was and went to find it.<\/div>\n
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Lo and behold, the hospital is right next to a large shopping mall! \u00a0(I am sure you know where this is headed…)<\/div>\n
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I borrowed a wheelchair from the Nordstrom customer service and we shopped Nordie’s for a couple of hours. \u00a0Mom exercised her Visa like the seasoned shopper she is. It was a fun diversion.<\/div>\n
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The next test was the pulmonary function lab. \u00a0Mom had never had this test before. \u00a0The tech gave us some encouraging feedback before we left. \u00a0This is atypical of technicians to give any feedback, and it lifted our spirits.<\/div>\n
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Then, she has an echo cardiogram. Immediately after that, we met with Dr. Miller’s nurse. \u00a0She questioned mom on what her understanding is of the procedure, and also prepped us to meet the doctor. \u00a0She said he was a “redneck” ( meaning he was a “call it like he sees it, no nonsense guy”, who always wore cowboy boots and sometimes a cowboy hat. \u00a0She encouraged us to just sit and really listen to what he has to say. \u00a0She then left the room to get the doctor.<\/div>\n
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Dr. Miller<\/a>\u00a0introduced himself, then invited mom to go for a walk with him. \u00a0Annie, Art and I waited in his office. \u00a0After about ten minutes they returned and here is what he shared with us:<\/div>\n
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