Saturday, March 8, 2008

MRI looks good

Hey everyone, just wanted to right a quick note to say that today's MRI looked surprisingly good. There was very little tumor remaining on his brainstem and the radiologist said that he couldn't really even measure it. It was still there, but it was significantly reduced in volume. This was not the "official" read of the film; we'll get that in the mail in a few days, but anyways we'll take good news when we can get it. Like I mentioned in earlier posts, usually you don't see a lot of change until 3-4 months after radiation, so hopefully this means it will continue to shrink.

It was wierd to be back in Memphis so soon, it felt like we had been gone for a long time. It was good to see Jennifer and Matt and WK last night and eat dinner with them. Today however, joseph did not enjoy himself, and neither did we. He basically screamed until they knocked him out which was 2 hours later than scheduled. Then it started snowing in Memphis. Really snowing. Then uncle Sam rushed us to the airport and then we sat in our plane for 3 hours waiting for the plane to de-ice. So we didn't get in until about 2:00 AM. Extra special thanks to the Slotkins for staying with Holly tonight into the wee hours and to Suzanne and Matt for waiting at the airport for us. We are surrounded by such amazing people. Thanks for the prayers and for every way that we are being supported. Now on to the beach.

50 comments:

trmills said...

Hey! We are praising God for the good report from the MRI! I'm so happy! And praying that the beach will be a peaceful family time. We love you all!

Ann said...

We are so happy to hear the great news. Hope great news keeps on pouring in. Have a great holiday in Florida it's a great place to be lots of time to relax and have fun.
love from all over here
Ann

Jean Joiner said...

Praise God!! I'm in tears as I usually am when I read your blog. We'll be praying for your time at the beach!

Anonymous said...

We are so thankful to God for the great news. May you have a wonderful, relaxing time at the beach! Love, Kissell's

Buddy Buds and Friends! said...

Have a great time at the beach! I am so thankful and sending praises that the MRI showed improvement! You are in my prayers daily!

Anonymous said...

Wow! Wonderful news!! Thankful you guys have so much support from all the great people in Atlanta as well. Enjoy the beach. Hopefully the cold front will pass soon so you can enjoy some of the best weather FL can offer this time of year! Love, Catherine

Anonymous said...

Praise God from whom all blessings flow . . .! Giving thanks for such wonderful news! Enjoy the beach! Love, Mel & Steve

Anonymous said...

Praise God for good news! Wishing you a amazing week at the beach full of childlike joy and awe.

the Bobecks

Unknown said...

That is great news! Great sign. Hopefully this news will just build in momentum!

Anonymous said...

We love you guys so much...we'd pick you up from the airport any day, any TIME, again and again.
It was a pleasure to see you, if only for a few minutes, and to hear Joseph's precious voice and to laugh with you.
We are so happy to hear that the report was better than you anticipated.
Have a great time at the beach.
Suzanne

Anonymous said...

Praise God for the MRI report. How thankful we all are for such good news. The NHA staff prayed early yesterday morning and then our Headmaster led the whole school in praying for Joseph during devotions. I am so sorry for the long day and the trauma little Joe P. and you had waiting for the test to start, and then waiting on the plane for 3 HOURS!!!! My goodness! Can't imagine how stressful that must have been. We pray that you have a restful time at the beach and that you will enjoy each moment you have with your family. We love you, Mimi and Big Daddy
P.S. We got a little over 2 inches of snow. We are enjoying Matt, Jennifer, and Winnie Kate's visit.

notes of em said...

PRAISE THE LORD! we will continue to pray for an ever shrinking mass.... we have tears of joy and celebration at our house for you all. We hope the beach is relaxing and joyful for you all...
love from knoxville,
emily miller
p.s. please keep updating, even if its just to say "hi"

Jennifer said...

I am so happy to have the news. What a great surprise. It was so good to see you guys. I'm sorry we scooted out of town earlier than expected. I fully expected to see you again before you left. So glad Sam gave you a ride. Have fun in FL. I love you guys. Gill - hope the coat comes in handy at the beach.

Our family said...

We are praising the Lord for your wonderful news and are asking Him to take the tumor completely away. We will continue to pray daily for you all.
Love,
Nathaniel, Rebekah, Anna Walton and Olivia

Anonymous said...

GREAT NEWS on MRI....miracles can and do happen. Enjoy the beach and being together. Revel in the positive news and time together. LOTS OF LOVE. Cannot wait for your return to Atlanta for some more fun times. Mchouls

Christy said...

How absolutely fantastic!!! So sorry about the dreadful plane experience - 3 hours!? Madness. I hope you're all awake enough today to enjoy some sand and sunshine.

Sara Beth said...

Oh how wonderful! I was praying for a celebratory trip at the beach!
I am praying you will rest and have a sweet time together.

Anonymous said...

We were thrilled to hear the results so far. I kept going to the blog all day waiting on the news and although I doubted you would be able to write friday we were happy that you did none the less. I hope the good news helps you to relax and have a restful (and much needed) vacation.

Anonymous said...

YEAH!! Praise the Lord. We are rejoicing with you in the good results from the MRI. We will pray for continued healing for Joe P.

Anonymous said...

There is alot of praise and thanksgiving being lifted up to God for this good report. Have a great vacation!! Love, Martha and Karl

Anonymous said...

Praises!!!!! Have so much fun together in Florida!!!
Meredith (from KY)

Anonymous said...

That is such awesome news, and made our day! We are continuing to pray for you guys every day and hope the good news keeps coming! Have a great time at the beach together! We think about you all the time!
Glen and Kelly Iannucci

Holly said...

Praise the Lord for the good news today! I am so happy for you guys! You have so many people continuing to pray for you that I guess the results today really don't surprise me! Love you guys lots!!

courtney said...

That's incredible! God is so incredibly amazing... Have a GREAT time in FL.

Anonymous said...

So, so excited! Praise God! I can't wait to come by and see you guys when you get back from the beach. Have a wonderful time... I hope it is warmer there...

-Sara

Anonymous said...

Gill Allen Joe P. and Holly bear..so glad y'all arrived safely in Sandestin and that you feel !relaxed already! Eli and David and Bella-Claire did some good sledding in fact they took off we thought they might reach the road..Phil pushed a little too hard! They had a very fun time..of course it has melted now so Im glad they started early.We are still praising the Lord for Joseph's amazing healing..the next Mri.will be even more amazing.Thank you to all the prayer warriors and all the bloggers for all the prayers and words of encouragement.We serve an amazing and wonderful Saviour.We love you all dearly and are very happy for the weather forecast to be so good for the next few days.Enjoy your vacation use lots of suncreen make some videos and have a blast.Sleep sound in Jesus.Love from Nana Grandad David Sarah=jane Phil Eli Bella-claire and Deakin.P.S. You can listen to Sam at www.olemiss.ruf.org

Anonymous said...

We are praising the Lord for you guys tonight. What wonderful news. We'll be praying that you all have a wonderful family vacation and such good timing, I'm sure! God Bless You, The Hess Family

Anonymous said...

We too are praising God and will continue to everynight! Thank you for the report. Glory!
Randi Booth
Mom of Nate and Tony
www.chrisandrandi.us

Anonymous said...

Goodmorning! I bet the sun is bright in Destin! It is warming up here today and I am sure all the snow will melt away by the afternoon. I pray that today is a blessed day for all of you. We are praying constantly.
It was great talking to everyone yesterday on your drive down. Give Joseph and Holly a big kiss and hug from Mimi and Big Daddy. We love you all so much.
P.S. Winnie Kate says "Hody" all the time and walks around kissing her picture. I have had fun playing with her.
P.S.S. SJ, the pants came from Express, not Limited; it was great seeing you today and your whole family. Love you!

Courtney said...

Yay, I'm so happy for the good report! What amazing news!

Love,
Courtney S.

Anonymous said...

So thankful to hear the great report!! Somehow not surprised, as I truly believed God was going to answer this most earnest prayer of so many, many of His children. He continues to use this whole experience in amazing ways to show His mighty power and love and faithfulness. Wishes for a wonderful, relaxing, sun-filled and joy-filled week! Love, Jeanne

Unknown said...

This is such great news. Hope you guys have a wonderful time at the beach. Seems like just yesterday that Evan, Angela, and the kids were down there with y'all....then again, it must seem like a lifetime ago for you. I will continue to pray and expect more miracles. Marilyn

Anonymous said...

Wow - amazing. We're praying that the news continues to get even better for Joseph. Enjoy your week together!
Love,
Tracey

Anonymous said...

Great news. I can't wait for our kids to meet Joseph one of these days. I have to make sure I pray for him first every night, because otherwise they all keep leaning over into my face saying "...and for Joseph Peabody... and for Joseph Peabody...". I hope it won't be too overwhelming when I point you guys out to them some day and they all charge after Joseph, screaming like he's the fifth Beatle or something. Have a great trip.
Blessings -
The Deavers

John and Sue Burch said...

Giving Him thanks and glory for how He has shown His care for you ALL - especially little Joseph! We will be in prayer that the tumor continues to shrink and GO AWAY! We have shared with our big team here about Joseph's needs and they are praying too! Have a wonderful time of rest and enjoying each other and His creation! The beach and the water seem to do it for me! Praising Him along with you - John and Sue Burch, MTW Puerto Rico

The Loeffels said...

I am overjoyed to hear this news. I pray for a special time at the beach. Will continue to pray wholeheartedly.

Q's NEWS said...

Praise God for your great MRI results. I am sorry about your flying troubles though, but hopefully it won't happen again.

I hope you guys have the best beach vacation ever!

Love from WV,
Susan

Anna Tester said...

Alright! And there is nothing better than some good vitamin D!! We will be praying here while you all enjoy there! xxxxooo Anna Jason and Hampton

Brea said...

Wow, praise God! We will pray that the tumor will continue to shrink into oblivion! Enjoy your time at the beach!

Anonymous said...

Good to hear the good news. We'll keep praying for further and complete healing.

Mario DaSilva (David's guitar teacher)

Anonymous said...

Yay! So glad to hear such encouraging news on this first MRI!

Tony & Lizzi

Anonymous said...

Shared in devotions this morning about Joe's MRI. The whole school clapped! Wish you could have seen the faces of children as they heard the good news. They just lit up with joy! I asked them to keep praying!
Hope you are loving your time in Destin. I pray you are enjoying each moment as a family.
We miss you and are praying constantly.
Love, Mimi and Big Daddy

Anonymous said...

Hope you are enjoying some sand and sun. Bella-Claire said to me the other day "When can we go to Atlanta?" I asked her why she wanted to go there, and she looked at me funny and said "to play with Joseph"...duh mom.
miss you all and will be praying for lots of fun and relaxation (at night as I"m sure there's not too much rest with your 3 and 2 year olds running wild:) for the week.
hope you get to do a little outlet shopping Gill:)
love you
sj

Anonymous said...

Wonderful news about the scan! God really can do anything. Have fun at the beach and we look forward to seeing you when you get back.
Vivi

Anonymous said...

Great to hear! We love you and are praying for you!

Anonymous said...

Great to hear! We love you and are praying for you!

Sorry for the repeat, but I accidentally hit enter and sent it anonymously.

Anonymous said...

We are all so excited about the results of the MRI. God is so good! You all remain in our prayers.

Love,
The Fulghums

Anonymous said...

In the tradition of NHA's birthday book celebration, we will just say: HIP, HIP, HOORAY !!!! I had shared last week in the Brentwood Academy 6th grade moms bible study about your family and to please pray for Joe P.'s healing. Several of the moms went to the blogspot to read your testimony of crisis, struggle, and ultimately faith. One of the moms who attends the study was at devotions Monday when Mrs. Peabody shared the good news. So, she shared the good news with us at the 6th grade moms bible study. There were tears flowing on your behalf. I can't tell you how excited, thrilled, and overwhelmed with joy we are for you. It's been such a privilege to share this journey with our daughter Amy who loves Mrs. Peabody dearly !! Amy was so excited about the news and couldn't wait to tell us when she came home from school on Monday. Of course, I already knew but wasn't about to burst her bubble. Enjoy your time in Destin!! Relax on the beach. Go to one of the amazing spas Gillian. But most of all, just enjoy being together !! Continuing to pray in Franklin !!

The Partains

Anonymous said...

Hello little fishies aka pirates aka cars!How is sunny Sandestin.Joe P. you will be a little fish by the time you come home and you too Holly -Bear.C.P.A were beaten in the quater finals of State by 1 point in the last 3 seconds!! ouch ouch We missed our cheer-leader Holly.Oh well Davey will finally be able to catch up on some rest..although he starts soccer to-morrow.We love you all dearly sleep sound in Jesus ...lots of love and hugs and kisses Nana Grandad and David

Anonymous said...

Wanted to say hi from Central America. Praying for Joseph. Tell him I will try to find a tiger tooth while here.
Love, Karl