Have you ever received a phone call with news that had you paralyzed in that moment? Sept. 21st, 2016 is etched forever in my mind!
The day was a beautiful Fall day in Sept. 2016.The breeze was calm and inviting with the perfect temperature. After babysitting our daughter’s little boy Nate while she went to the hospital for an MRI, I went home and tried to run a few errands… but in the back of my mind, I wondered what they would find. It couldn’t possibly be anything so terrible that it would shake our lives….forever… could it?
A few hours later the phone rang. Chills ran through my veins as I heard Brianne’s shaky voice say, “It is a massive tumor, so big that they are sending me right over to the ER”. A deep breath. “It will be ok Mom.” Then a pause. “Ok, it actually isn’t good!” More crying…
“God has you, He is in charge and we will make it through this!” Were the only words that could come out of my mouth. In that moment I wanted so bad to believe those words. We had NO idea what this journey was really going to look like and how it would change all of our lives, as we knew it. (Looking back now at that moment, I have seen how those words weren’t mine. He did have her, He was in charge and has been all along.)
After grabbing my husband and heading to the hospital, we finally got a chance to hug her! The massive tumor screamed volumes from the screen in the ER. Everyone was solemn as we waited to find out what was next. They had to see which Dr. would be on call and who felt comfortable enough to work on this massive, ‘One in a Million’ brain tumor. 3in. x 4in. x 2in.
Although the doctors seemed overly concerned, they were not in any rush to remove this massive beast before they had a clear plan, or in this case, as clear of a plan as possible. Brianne's husband, who for months refused to consider this any more serious than stress, now seemed to be more on board and played the part of a concerned spouse well.
It was amazing how calm Bri seemed at times. She always looked for the good in everything. She joked, played, and waited like the rest of us. However, the rest of us didn't have a massive tumor waiting to change our lives. Her brightness always filled any room, from the time she was a little girl, and even now she lit up the room and welcomed everyone who entered.
We had no idea of the pain and struggle she had born over the past many months and maybe years. When we needed to get something out of her purse, it hit us hard, her purse was filled with Ibuprofen. She never complained, she never showed how much pain she was in. She did her part as a wife, mother, school teacher so well, that few ever knew of her struggles.
They did not let her go home but rather straight to the ICU, while they took days to figure out how they would approach this precarious situation. We took walks down the hallways, watched movies, and it all seemed so surreal seeing her in the ICU but not super sick like all the other patients… until two days later for surgery early on Friday morning, Sept. 23rd.
And her forever, did change!
**This blog and journey is from our perception, our reality as we lived both the difficulties and the triumphs. Others may have their own perceptions and reasons unknown to us as to what they did and thought. Because of this some names have been changed. These experiences and more have shaped our determination to do more, be more, and to inspire!
***We have long debated sharing anything about Brianne's divorce but decided that if you don't know the depth of her trials, it would be hard to know the height of her victory. Even then, Brianne has never wanted to focus on all the negative challenges, but she wants to concentrate on all the tender mercies and miracles.
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