The News that changed our lives.

Thank you all for your prayers! God is good and we are all doing fine over here at the Palmer house. We had a very big scare last week. If you want to read the whole story in full detail, I would suggest going to my husband's blog (click here). He is a much better writer and took the time to write the whole thing out. 

Shaun was not feeling right a few Thursdays ago and went to the Doctor. The Doctor decided that he should go in to have some blood work done and a brain MRI, just to be safe. Well Friday we got a phone call that no one ever would want to get. The Doctor told Shaun that he had a large lass in the back of his brain. My heart sank to my stomach; I was terrified. I immediately broke down in to tears... How could this be happening? Why my husband? Why this at such a young age? All of the worst thoughts flashed into my brain.  We spent the weekend in shock...what was this going to mean? how big was the mass? will he need brain surgery, chemo, radiation?  am I going to have a husband in a few years? I know it sounds weird, but we were scared out of our minds! All weekend we could do nothing but wait. We couldn't talk to any Doctors to get our questions answered. That was the hardest part....waiting. We spent the weekend crying, praying, reading the bible, going to church, talking with friends and family, and wondering what was to come. I've never felt the way I felt that weekend. It was the worst emotional pain that I had ever felt. It was so hard to be the strong wife for my husband, when I knew that I was just as scared as he was inside. 

Well, Monday came along and it was time for me to try to go back to class. All of the while, Shaun spent the day trying to see a neurosurgeon. That afternoon he was able to see one at Barrow's Neurological Institute. That neurosurgeon referred him to see a different surgeon who would know more about the certain mass that Shaun had.  The next two days Shaun spent waiting to get into the next surgeons office. All of the waiting was extremely hard for the both of us. Thursday, we were finally able to see the Neurosurgeon. She showed us his MRI pictures and explained to us what it was. It is either an Arachnoid cyst or a Dandy-Walker Malformation. Both are congenital, meaning it has been growing with Shaun since he was born. She said that there is no reason why Shaun should have surgery right now. It is not putting extra pressure on his brain and isn't causing any problems. His brain has been used to it being there and has grown around it. She said that all we can do is monitor it and make sure that it does not grow anymore.  This is the best news that anyone can receive, after finding out that there is a mass in their brain. We are extremely grateful that all we have to do is watch to see if anything happens. God is AMAZING! He knew exactly His plan for Shaun and I through the whole thing. It was amazing to see His work throughout the week. 

Thank you again for all of your prayers, phone calls, meals and notes of encouragements! It was such a blessing to hear how many friends, relatives and people who didn't even know Shaun who were on their knees every day praying for him. It was one of the things that encouraged us in our time of pain. Even though that week was such a rough and exhausting week, we can now look back at it knowing that because of the suffering that we went through it grew our faith in Christ.  I can honestly say that I am not the same person that I was over a week ago.