First, The Good News.....

Thank you, all, for waiting so patiently to hear the MRI results. Thank you for your love and prayers on Nathan's behalf. I'm sorry you had to wait and wonder. My prayer and wish was that the tumor would be gone, but my hope is that God is good, no matter what.

Nathan was a brave, good boy and held still so well without anything to watch for the first time, since the MRI equipped with the DVD player was occupied. The MRI tech seemed happier and peppier than normal after it was done, which got me wondering. Then, up in the oncology clinic, Nathan's nurses were extra happy, like they had something up their sleeves, which got me wondering.
The doctor came in very happy and said something like, "Well, the TUMOR is doing very well."
I said, "There's a 'but', isn't there?" Then he showed me the pictures from 3 months ago and from now. Aaron came in and the doctor said the same thing to him, and Aaron said, "There's a 'but', isn't there?"

First, the very good news: the tumor is reduced by about half of what it was back in September! Thank you, Lord. Now, the concerning news: there appears to be another cyst (fluid-filled sack) right in the area of the tumor. At least, that's what they think it is; they could be wrong. It's small, and is thought to not pose much of a problem. If it grew very large, then it could block the ventricles where brain fluid drains, and he could get brain swelling. That would mean another brain surgery to drain the cyst. They think there's a small chance it would go away on its own, or it may just stay the same size and cause no problems. The solid tumor is what could do permanent damage, so it's the most important thing that it is shrinking.

The nurses DID have something up their sleeves: they brought him in a belated birthday cake and gift.

Nathan accepted the results very matter-of-factly, without any fear, and was happy to see the tumor looking smaller. He just wanted to get on with the really important business of hammering wood and building something (they're calling it a fort) with Dania, which they have been working on every spare minute. That's what he thought about during all the hammering noises of the MRI.