A New Journey - Another One We Don't Want to Take

We've recently been given some words no one wants to hear. Mass. Cancer. Malignant. Metastatic. Melanoma.  God, how I hate those words. And now, cancer has reared it's nasty head again in my family. This time, it's my dad.

Several months ago, Dad noticed a spot behind his right ear lobe that looked like a pimple. It didn't hurt, so he didn't let it bother him. A few months later, he noticed that it had started growing. It was causing some issues and had become a little tender. So, he scheduled an appointment to have it looked at. The first biopsy test was inconclusive. After the first biopsy, his neck was starting to hurt more. A second biopsy was done and was also inconclusive. After the second biopsy, the pain began to get so bad, that he was unable to sleep without taking a pain pill. And he does NOT like taking pain pills. During all of this, the ENT discovered Dad also had a lump on his thyroid and recommended that Dad have it removed, which he did. The ENT told Dad that he would have to see a specialist about having the lump in his neck removed as scans had shown it pressing against his facial nerve. That surgery was done just before Thanksgiving.

When the surgeon came out after the surgery was finished, he told Mom that he was 99% sure that it was cancerous. He just didn't know what kind. The tumor was sent to the lab and we waited for the results. And waited. And waited. And waited.

On Thursday, December 13, 2018, we finally got the lab results back. Metastatic Melanoma. We were told the reason it took so long was because they were hunting down the pathology reports from a melanoma Dad had removed from his right cheek back in 2013. Once the two pathology reports were compared, it was discovered that the new tumor had identical markers to the melanoma removed 5 years ago. 

I've been holding off on posting anything until the family was notified. Now that they have been notified, I've asked Dad if it's okay for me to journal his journey. It was so much easier with Caleb to just update the blog and post a link for everyone. That way, we didn't have to say the same thing 70 times a day. Dad has given his blessing. 

So, the new direction of the blog will focus on Dad. My wonderful, loving, handsome, 73-year young dad. The man my mom has loved for over 51 years. The rock of our family. A steady, firm hand when I needed it. A loving hug when I felt as if nothing and no one else could hold me up. After all, I'm Daddy's little girl. Yes, I realize I'm almost 48. But, I will never stop being Daddy's little girl. And he will always be my daddy.

Angel