They say its 'who you know...'

While we were waiting for a biopsy appointment-and without any sort of diagnosis-we were assigned to an oncologist. If that isn't ominous, I don't know what is. We got a call on Monday before Thanksgiving from a very nice lady who said she was our 'care coordinator'. Care? Care for what? We decided we needed some better answers.Since we were going to need a copy of Steve's CT scan for the next doctor we went ahead and requested a copy. During the course of that phone call, Steve decided to ask the clerk to read him the radiologists report. It was then that we realized something pretty serious was going on. There wasn't simply one lesion - there were multiple ones. Not only on the pancreas but the liver as well. With this new information its starting to become a little clearer. But Steve is still getting sicker and all the doctors do is give him pain medicine but aren't really addressing his symptoms. In desperation we contact our reliable primary care provider of more than 20 years. He has seen the CT report and intimates that there are probably malignancies BUT he knows 2 guys that are finally doing well after similar diagnosis'. while that wasn't very comforting he did do something that finally gave Steve some measure of relief. He prescribed  enzymes for Steve to take every time he eats.Apparently his pancreas wasn't making any digestive enzymes so that's why everything upset his system. The enzymes were a godsend. They did and do make life more tolerable. But still we had to wait for Tuesday...
Why did I title this the way I did? Well, I believe that if you know God, he makes sure you get introduced to the right people. The rest is up to you. A few long time friend have made all the difference in this journey so far. I will  share a few examples...

On October 27th, a dear friend who had moved away a few years back showed up at my door for a surprise visit.While I love her to death, this was still very unusual. We enjoyed catching up and then I asked what had brought her out this way since she was living in Arizona. She told me her sweet husband had sent her out here to visit with family because he felt she needed a break. Their lives had been turned upside down by a cancer diagnosis or her husband in July. As she shared this with me a chill went up my spine. We chatted some more and then I told her she was awesome and hard things happened to awesome people.We said out goodbyes but what she told me shook me to my core. Steve had been sick for a few weeks and was preparing to go to India a few days later. I now know that our Heavenly Father sent her to me to prepare me for what was to come.

The week and a half of waiting for the biopsy was brutal as questions swirled and Steve's condition worsened.As I mentioned before, a friend connected us with a Pancreatic specialist at Mass General. What I didn't mention was how great and attentive this guy was. Working only with info he had from our friend Steve, he took my calls, answered my questions and called to check on Steve throughout the weekend. Steve wasn't even his patient yet. I believe that speaks volumes to the integrity of this man and to my friend Dr, Steve.

Once we had our final diagnosis -Stage 4 Small Cell Pancreatic Cancer-our oncologist in New Hampshire told us he wanted us to get a second opinion in Boston. Another dear friend to the rescue. Our friend Frank works for a company that is well acquainted with the Dana Farber Cancer Center in Boston. He recommended a few people we should talk to. By this point my feelings are pretty raw so I asked Matthew to make the calls. He told them the doctors said he needed to be seen urgently. They told him Steve could be seen in February. FEBRUARY?!!! I wonder when they schedule for when you AREN'T urgent? When Matthew mentioned it to our friend, he made a few phone calls and got us in just a few days later.
Some people might call that favoritism. I believe it is the good will that these dear friends have  built up that inspired people to help them-and in turn us-to get the care that we urgently needed. And it truly is all about 'who you know' when you know Who is in charge.

Oh, I feel to share one more thing. More than a year ago Steve had a kidney stone. In the process of diagnosing it, an overly cautious doctor ordered more than the standard x-ray. He also ordered a CT scan of Steve's abdomen. They did not have him drink the dye for contrast so Steve didn't realize this was not the standard test. He also had never had anything like that wrong with him before. We now understand that was the hand of the Lord. Because we had that scan from last year. It made it easier for the radiologist to recognize a problem this year. He noted in his report that there was a dramatic change from last year. Information that was key in getting us to the right doctors.