Super Glue. August 17, 2015.

August 17, 2015

Okay folks so I am in Seattle again! Boy let me tell ya, that was NOT an easy trip. Yesterday we left at 9 a.m. and we didn’t get here to the Collegiana until 9:30 p.m. We had bumper to bumper traffic nearly the entire time. As some of you know I have road rage and traffic tries my patience more than almost anything so it was a great opportunity to practice reminding myself that I cannot change the situation by getting mad, and I’m not going to get there faster by being impatient. Anyway we finally got into Seattle and we had to get the key to our room from the Washington Tower. We got lost because there was construction, of course because it’s Washington and they don’t have summer, they have construction. So we pulled into a parking lot and my Mother hops out of the car with her map and NO PHONE and just waltzes down the alley alone! I was left sitting in the car replaying every Law and Order scenario in my head. “What if a hobo finds her and hurts her?” “What if a group of drunk guys tries to mess with her?”  Every creepy creep that walked in her direction made my anxiety sky rocket. Just as I am beginning to speak truth to myself and get out of that terrible mindset, this man, about 26 years old, clearly high, walks up to the car and tries to get in! WHILE I AM SITTING THERE. Oh my gosh my heart started racing and I slammed my hand onto the horn. He jolted out of his zombie high and I yelled at him to leave. He ran off and left me there wanting to cry! It was so scary to me you guys! Talk about a way to welcome us into our potential new neighborhood! Of course Mom came back fine and got quite a kick out of my little story.

So I woke up bright and early at 5 a.m. and got prepped for surgery. This one was an easy hour long surgery and I was able to leave around 11 a.m. to head back to the Collegiana. Unfortunately we did not get the answers we were seeking so prayers that the results will come in tomorrow would be much appreciated! I just have 3 incision marks and my pain is mild compared to my other surgery. And get this, they super glued me shut! I almost feel like a college bro that cut his foot and couldn't afford band-aids so he just dabbed some glue on it. It's kind of funny to me. Dr. P was able to get a good sample using the laparoscopic technique so that was a blessing!

The Collegiana is a cancer house here in Seattle right near the UW medical center. I was kind of nervous because I had no idea what to expect, I mean it’s kind of like a dorm style building and it’s offered at a cheaper rate. I am actually pleasantly surprised! The room is nearly the size of my apartment in Spokane with 3 beds, a little sitting area, and a good sized bathroom. We are right next to the shared kitchen and we are on the top floor so we don’t have any noise from any upper floors. Then we had the opportunity to meet our neighbors, a woman named Rose and her daughter. They are from Kansas and guess what, Rose has Merkel Cell Cancer! Now while this is not an exciting thing, I mean I wouldn’t wish that on anybody, but of all the cancers for my neighbor to have the Lord blessed me by giving me Rose! It was so cool to be able to meet someone in person who is going through the exact same thing as me. To be able to relate to how she is feeling and having her do the same, it was just refreshing. She has a very positive outlook on the situation but please add her to your prayer list!

I’m still on drugs so I’m not going to try to say anything more than a factual update, but I’m recovering well and I appreciate all the prayers! Oh and as some of you saw, we released our first YouTube video yesterday! The channel is called "themerkelmiracle" if you want to look it up. I will also add a tab to the blog with a link so just look at the top. I am so excited to allow you to see my journey on a virtual level and I hope you all enjoy the channel. We created it as another way for you all to follow my journey but we are also praying that it can provide another form of financial aid for my medical bills. The more subscribers, views, and likes to the channel the more opportunities we have to raise money, yet another blessing! Thank you all and love you all.