Well, I sit here at home with the flu (or roto-virus). Whatever it is, it has wiped me out. The Lord uses things like this to force me to slow down and get some rest. It has certainly been a busy season. Praise God that I have a wife and family who tolerate my moanings.
The following is an update I just recieved from Robert Boer. For those of you who are new to my blog, Rob used to work at Parkview and is now the Director of Music for Montreat College. He had surgery on a brain tumor several months ago. Here is the update from him...
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God’s blessings to you all! May you continue to grow with Him, as I have been unable to stop sharing how much God has done in my life despite having a brain tumor that will always be monitored and always be a threat. I will focus my life, teaching and conducting on Jesus Christ and work at helping Montreat College growing as a dynamic focus on Him.
We spent three days at Duke the first week of May as we had our first baseline MRI to determine what might happen with the remainder of the tumor. Monday night we had the MRI; Tuesday and Wednesday we met with some folks from the Brain Tumor Center as well as the surgeon. We got a chance to see the sliver that remains of the tumor. It seems that it’s still a Grade II, which is a fairly inactive tumor. Brain tumors can at any time change to Grade III and begin to grow, which would change treatment.
For now this baseline, post-operative MRI is what they will start with, and praise the Lord that I do not need to treat it with chemotherapy right now. It’s often possible, but to do so now would cause more problems as side-effects than to help get rid of more than would be affected. For the next year I will get an MRI every two months to check for growth. In two months I’ll get one in Asheville and they’ll send it to Duke; in four months (the second week of September) we’ll have a 2-day trip to Duke to have one there and meet again with the Brain Tumor Center and the surgeon. Hopefully, no significant growth will appear, which would have them do a biopsy to check the grade level and put me on chemotherapy. After a year of a schedule like this, if there’s no growth, the MRI scheduling will be less frequent but still be active for many years.
So I’m gaining some ability each day, though my language is not yet back to normal and my physical ability is not there either. Part of the problem is the amount of anti-seizure medication I am taking because of the intensity of seizures I had at day 6 after surgery at the hospital and am on 3 different kinds of “stuff” to make sure those dangerous seizures don’t happen again. The management of the medication is being run by a doctor here in Asheville and over a long period of time hopefully it will be decreased and it’s affect on my system will continue to improve. I have already begun to plan on next year and have already begun spending energy on next year’s classes to get them ready! The Lord willing, I’ll continue to regain strength and be ready to be very full time with my classes and as Director of Music Activities at Montreat College.
So thank all of you so much for your prayers for me as I move through a lot of changes. The prayer and support of the college and our church has been incredible. Thank you all so much for your help, particularly for your prayers. Jesus is not just part of my life; I must lay completely at his feet as I try to deal with having a brain tumor that could at any time grow towards sending me out of this world to spend eternity with Him.
May God bless your life and draw you toward Him more and more, to focus all your work on Him!
Robert Boer
5 Old Lakey Gap Rd.
Black Mountain, NC 28711
828-664-9886
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