Hospital

It all started with a cold. 
Brianna wasn't feeling well last Sunday December 10, 2017 so we decided to take it easy and let her rest. The next morning she seemed to be feeling better and was able to eat regularly. We had several appointments that day including Radiation and a visit to see her eye doctor on Monday. Our main concern was that Brianna's right eye was starting to close similar to her left eye at the start of all of this. Over the weekend we thought that maybe her eye was closing because of the swelling from radiation. We decided to ask Dr. Goble (Radiation Oncologist) about his thoughts and what he thought we should do. He had started her on a steroid to help with the swelling but it didn't seem to be working. He felt uncertain as to why things were as they were. It is not everyday that they have cancer patients who are pregnant which only makes things more difficult. Following meeting with Dr. Goble, we headed over to see Dr. Lindsey. He felt the vision was good but the eyelid was drooping. He informed us that we wouldn't be able to do any temporary fixes with surgery because they didn't know if this was temporary or not. He designed some sort of crutch to help keep Brianna's eye open. It seemed to help a little but it also didn't so on our way home Brianna took it off. As we were driving home, Brianna asked me to pull over and she threw up everything she had eaten that day. As she wasn't feeling well, I took work off and stayed home to care for her and Watson. She didn't keep anything down the rest of the day. Tuesday, she was feeling a little better and was able to eat a small amount at each meal but still not what we would have liked. Wednesday she started feeling sick again and threw up both breakfast and lunch and then just didn't eat the rest of the day. Thursday she still wasn't feeling very well. She went to see her OB-GYN, Dr. Perrone, and she seemed a little concerned and ordered some Zofran for the nausea to better help Brianna. We then headed over to Radiation and she got zapped. We then met with Dr. Goble and he felt concerned as well. We discussed that her eye still wasn't any better and he decided to increase how often Brianna was taking her steroid. The steroid was to help with the swelling in her brain caused by the radiation. He gave Brianna some Ensure and Boost to try and get some calories in and to help her try and eat some. My mom took Brianna home and she didn't really eat much. By the time I got home from work, Brianna still wasn't eating and wasn't feeling well. It was decided that she needed to go to the ER and get some fluids. They gave her IV fluid and some Zofran via the IV which really helped her feel better. We were in the ER from 7pm till about midnight. Needless to say it was a long night!

Friday morning Brianna was feeling better still and ate a little for breakfast. She went to radiation and was able to get a little bit of lunch down. When I got home at 3:30 she was throwing up again. It just seemed like she was having a terrible cold that she couldn't get over. She wanted to rest and not eat anything that night and I agreed. She seemed to be switching back and forth from feeling nauseated or having no appetite at all and that was the case all week. Saturday she didn't really eat anything at all as she wasn't feeling well. By the end of the day she was feeling a little better and tried to eat some soup but it didn't settle well in her stomach. Sunday morning it was decided that she had gone long enough and she had lost 5 pounds which is no bueno when pregnant. She was asked to head to the hospital to be admitted.

We took Watson to Grandma Geddie and headed to the hospital. As she was a direct admit when we arrived at the ER they checked us in and then took us right up to her room. They started and IV and got some medicine to help with her feeling nauseated. By dinner she was able to finally get some food down. It still wasn't perfect but she was feeling a little better. I went home and took care of Watson while Brianna rested. I woke up and was ready to go but Watson wanted to sleep in which he never does! He work up and I finally got him to my parents and then I headed to work/to see Brianna. She still wasn't feeling herself when I arrived but she was feeling a little better. She was hoping to go home but they decided that they needed to get things under control and see what was going on. By lunch she wasn't feeling again and was starting to lose her appetite again. She rested all afternoon and then they moved her to a new room later in the evening. She didn't really feel like eating dinner but did eat some of it. She asked me to stay the night with her so Watson stayed with Grandma and Grandpa Geddie while I stayed at the hospital with Brianna. Today the doctor came in and told her that she needed to stay at least one more day which made Brianna pretty sad. She didn't eat much at breakfast and she only had an appetite for fruit at lunch. She rested some and Watson, Grandpa Geddie and Aunt Laura came to visit which was good! She also talked to some family and her best friend Sadie and I think that really lifted her spirit. She ordered a decent size dinner and she ate it all! She seems to finally be feeling a little better. I think her appetite is going to come and go but as long as she is getting food down and keeping it down that is great! The plan moving forward is to have some in home health where she has the IV at home to keep her hydrated and give her the constant mediation so she can keep up her appetite. The C-Section is in two weeks so they want to keep her up and going for that. Hopefully we will have more information tomorrow and she will get to go home!

We are constantly reminded of the love that you each have for us. Thank you for your constant gifts especially your gift of love. We feel your prayers, we are strengthened by you and we know that we are not alone. We are constantly reminded of the love that Heavenly Father has for us. The best blessing has been the fact that I work here and I am constantly able to come and see her and make sure she is doing okay. It has been a miracle in our lives being a part of this CHI St. Joseph family and we know that we are so very blessed. We know that God lives and although we may not always like our path, it is the only way that we can become who we were meant to be. We know that Heavenly Father is mindful of us and we know that we are loved. Again we thank you for your love and prayers as we truly feel strengthened. May God bless each one of you with the blessings you may need at this time.

Together....

It's been a while.....

I realize that it has been a while for any updates. I figured people weren't all that interested but I have been told otherwise. First things first, Brianna is doing well. She has gone through 4 weeks of Radiation. She only has two more weeks! She is very excited to be done with it. She goes everyday Monday-Friday to the Cancer Center for treatment. She still doesn't feel any pain but the radiation makes her really tired. She tends to go to bed around 8-9 and just feels tired all the time. The treatment is pretty quick. She puts on a tight mask a the machine does its job for about 10 minutes. Everyday she comes to the Cancer Center and typically my mom brings her. It is nice because I am able to walk over and see her and often we end up having lunch together with my dad as well. 

Recently we noticed that some of her symptoms have gotten a little worse. She has started having some issues with her cognitive functions. She has a harder time trying to explain what she is thinking. It is often difficult for her to finish her train of thought. This has been very difficult for her as she feels a little embarrassed by it but she also feels it is difficult to talk and say what is on her mind because she can't. I constantly remind her that she is wonderful and that she can take her time to talk. Sometimes she chooses not to talk because it is easier for her to just not talk but I continue to encourage her to talk as she has so much to say :) We have also noticed that her right eye, her good eye, or rather her right eyelid has started to droop. We are hoping that this is due to inflammation or swelling but we really aren't sure. The doctor started her on some steroids to try and help with these symptoms so we are hoping that it is swelling and not the tumor spreading. I know what you are thinking, can't they just do imaging to know for sure? That is what I thought. The answer I was given was no, as they would not be able to determine for sure even if they did do the imaging. 

We obtained a little more information regarding the pathology results. I will do my best to sum it up and explain it simply. As expected, this is an Anaplastic Astrocytoma or Grade 3 Astrocytoma. The mutations were observed and it was found that she does not have an IDH1 or IDH2 mutation. Typically this proves to be a better prognosis if these mutations are found within the cancer. However, the worst prognosis with the K27 mutation was not there either. She does have a mutation H3F3A G34. My dad and I were talking about these results and we discussed that these results don't change anything as the treatment is the same regardless. This is also true because the cancer that she has is the cancer she has and the genetics don't really change that. This is a pretty tough cancer and it is pretty intrusive. The doctor explained the most cancers expand like a balloon being filled with air. Brianna's cancer is more like a tree with different limbs and the roots are at the brain stem. This is one of the main reasons why she can't have surgery. Although it doesn't look perfect, we continue to have faith and believe in God. 

Moving Forward:

I just wanted to give you an idea of what we are looking at moving forward. Brianna has 8 more days of Radiation. Her parents will arrive next Wednesday which will be a great help but more importantly a great support for Brianna at this time. Brianna will be given two weeks off following Radiation to rest and relax. She will then have a C-Section scheduled for January 3rd 2018. The baby will be delivered at 32 weeks, 8 weeks early, and thus will stay in the NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit) for at least a month and a half. Luckily we know the best Neonatalogist (my dad) who will care for the baby. Two weeks after the C-Section, Brianna will begin her Chemotherapy. Although this is the most wonderful time of the year, it will be the most busy time of year for the Geddie's. 

A lot of you have asked how I am doing. To be honest, I am pretty tired. I has taken a lot to care for Watson and Brianna, keep the house clean, take care of the meals, attempt to attend as many appointments as I can, work, and all the other many things that I do. In essence I attempt to keep things as "normal" as I can which helps us relax and feel like things will be okay. I know that as difficult as it can feel for me at times, I know that Brianna is having such a harder time and I focus on uplifting and encouraging her. We both continue to keep our heads up and strive to find the peace and happiness we seek. 

To those of you that continually support and lift us up; THANK YOU! We would not be able to do all this without your faith, love and prayers. There have been many near and far that continually find ways to serve our precious family. We will never be able to thank each of you enough but know that we feel your prayers, we feel your strength and we feel your love. Thank you for who you are and for all the many ways you find to serve us. 

A couple of weeks ago, Brianna started loosing some her hair. It has gradually gotten worse as time has gone on. Last week our family had the flu and it was pretty rough. Brianna didn't feel like tending to her hair during that time and after she was feeling better, she asked me to tend to her hair. This was a difficult task as it was extremely messy and as I attempted to clean it all up, handfuls of hair fell out. This was pretty emotional for her but honestly she was just more annoyed with the fact that hair was constantly EVERYWHERE! A week later, she decided that she was done with watching her hair fall out and decided that she had had enough. She asked me to shave her head. I did just that and a little more. She never asked for all of this and shouldn't have to walk alone. I have attempted to be there every step of the way and this is not different so yesterday, we both shaved our heads. Its a bit drafty, but we are loving every minute of it, together. Pics are below :)

As we look back on all that we have been given this Christmas season, we are reminded of the true meaning of Christmas. A Savior was born and through Him and His Atoning Sacrifice, we can overcome this mortal world and return to live eternally with our Father in Heaven. It is easy to look inward but this Christmas season we strive to find ways to serve and find ways to thank Heavenly Father for this gift. Although times are tough right now, we are growing closer as a family and we are becoming more united. We are also each gaining in our testimony and love for the gospel. We testify to each of you that God lives. He knows each of you individually by name because you are His child. He loves you and His desire is that you return to live with Him as a united family. God loves us so much that He sent His son, Jesus Christ, so that we could have a Savior to overcome our shortcomings. It is by and through Him that we can overcome this frail mortal existence and return to live with God. We testify that God has a living prophet on this Earth today and Christ leads His church on the Earth today through Him. We know the Book of Mormon is true and is indeed the word of God. We invite each of you to learn more and read for yourself so you too may know. We know that our Family is Forever and no matter what may come in the future, we will always be together. 

We wish you a Merry Christmas from our Family to yours. May you feel the Love of God this merry season and know how grateful we are for each of you and for who you are. May you know that our lives have been strengthened because of you and we hope that we will be able to pay it forward. Please reach out to me if you have any other questions or would like to know more.

~The Geddie's

And so it begins.....Treatment-Day 1

Well, I haven't posted in a while and most of that is because I kept hoping we would have gotten the final pathology to report out. As of yet, we still don't have the final pathology so we just like all of you just keep waiting. As it has been a while, there are some things that we need to catch up on.

Wednesday November 1, 2017-CHI St. Joseph Cancer Center
For those of you who don't know, I completed my internship for my Master of Health Administration at CHI St. Joseph Health. Shortly after the completion of my internship, I was hired and joined the CHI St. Joseph team. I mention this for two reasons 1) St. Joseph has been working really well with me though all of this. They have been willing to give me time off for all of the appointments and they have all shown a lot of understanding and compassion and that has meant the world to me. I don't think we will ever be able to thank them for everything. 2) The cancer center that Brianna will begin treatment at is with CHI St. Joseph which makes it really nice as I can just walk over from my office for all of the appointments. Anyway, Brianna, my mom and I went to the first appointment with Dr. Scott Goble the Radiation Oncologist. The Cancer Center houses both the chemotherapy and the radiation treatment so we had to find our way to the right desk. Upon completing check in at the registration desk, we waited at a table with a puzzle. We worked on the puzzle for a bit and then we were called back. They took Brianna's blood pressure and weight and then we were taken to a consult room to wait for the doctor. The doctor came in and asked some initial questions like most of the doctors had already and then decided he wanted to perform some physical test. We were taken to another room where Brianna had to change into a gown. He came back in and tested her arm strength and checked the baby and then we headed back to the previous room. The doctor came back in and began discussing treatment. As we didn't have the final pathology, Dr. Goble stated that everything planned was a plan until we knew for sure the report in order to move forward. He stated that Brianna would need the full 6 weeks of treatment. He discussed that the chances that the radiation will harm the baby are very low especially as the tumor is in the brain. However, he decided that in order to be even more precise and give the baby the best chance, they would have Brianna with her chin to her chest for each treatment so that the beams would have minimal opportunity to be directed towards the baby. He informed us that a mask would be created to keep her head in place during each treatment and it would be made at another time. He let us know that Brianna won't lose all of her hair from radiation but she will lose hair where the direct beams are from the path of radiation. We asked what our chances were and he informed us that each case is different and unique and we just need to hope for the best. Brianna was scheduled to come in tomorrow to have her mask designed and set for treatment as well as an MRI and CT scan. He let us know that they would need updated imaging in order to design the best treatment path and create a most probable image of the tumor. After all our questions were answered, Brianna went with my mom to get some food and I went back to work. The next appointment wasn't until 1:30 pm with the medical oncologist so I decided I should go get some more work done.

We met back at the cancer center around 1:30 pm. The radiation oncologist is the doctor that will manage the radiation portion of the treatment. The medical oncologist is the doctor that will manage the chemotherapy portion of the treatment. We met with Dr. Jenkins and he discussed the treatment plan. Brianna would complete 6 weeks of radiation, have four weeks to rest and then start chemotherapy. I say four weeks for rest but she will be having the baby during that time so there won't be much rest involved but she has to have four weeks off of radiation before starting chemotherapy. Dr. Jenkins reminded us that there is only one approved drug for this type of brain cancer and that will be discussed more following completing radiation. He discussed at this time his services wouldn't be needed much until the radiation was completed. We asked the rest of our questions and then we headed out. Brianna headed home and I went back to work.

Thursday November 2, 2017-Cancer Center
Brianna headed to the cancer center to have her mask set. I felt that my services were not needed for the appointment so I stayed at work to begin catching up on my work. Brianna said it didn't take too long to make the mask but it is very tight and very uncomfortable. The good news being that radiation treatment should only last 10-15 minutes each day so she won't have to wear it very long. After the mask setting, she had a CT scan at the office. The MRI however had to be completed at the hospital. She had to come over to the hospital after lunch for the scan. After lunch I went downstairs and met up with Brianna and Debbie who gave her a ride. We talked for a few minutes and then she was called back for her MRI. Following her MRI she went home and rested. As for me, back to work!

Friday November 3, 2017-Sunday November 5, 2017
Brianna had an appointment with the OB-GYN today. This would be the last time that she would be seeing Dr. Rice for a while as she will be taking time off for her delivery! Dr. Rice is due any day now. Brianna also needs to start seeing more specialist regarding her baby and the deliver so she will be switching doctors. Again, I didn't feel that my presence was needed for this appointment as it would be a quick follow up. My mother took Brianna to the appointment. Dr. Rice did some catching up and checked the babies hear beat. In order to transfer care, they obtained all of the paperwork and after all that the appointment was over.  Brianna will be going to see a more in depth OB-GYN doctor and a perinatologist. An appointment has been scheduled for the Perinatologist next Wednesday and the OB-GYN for December 1st although that is likely to change and be sooner. I should be leaving to go hunting with my dad but Brianna and I decided it would be better if I was home for the weekend to help with Watson. It was also decided that we have had so much going on it would be nice to just rest and relax. We worked on getting the house somewhat back in order on Saturday as well as doing some much needed shopping. We mostly rest however as we were all very tired. On Sunday we went to church and felt a breath of fresh air. Following church we went home and all took a nap. Following our nap, the Edmondson's came to visit with us. It was wonderful to spend some time with them. We have served in various church callings recently with them and it was nice to just have them with us. Following their visit, we started cooking dinner as we were having Sam and Angela some friends come over for dinner. We made Venison fried steak, mashed potatoes and a fruit salad. It was a lot of fun having them come over. Following dinner we put Watson down for bed and played some games together. We played a game we have never played called coup. It was a game about lying to each other to win which was a lot of fun. I decided to go ahead and buy it so we could play it some more and get better.

Monday November 6, 2017
We both made dentist appointments as it has been a couple of months and we figured it would be easier now before all of the appointments and radiation. The dentist was wonderful and worked with us well. He goes to our church and just was magnificent. He informed us that he would only be billing insurance and whatever they didn't pay we would not be responsible for. That truly was a blessing and that is why I share this story. We pray for help, we pray for blessings and that was a huge financial blessing for us. We will never be able to thank all of those who help us during this time from financial help, time driving Brianna, the letters, the prayers and all the other amazing acts of service. God is with us because each of you are with us. We continue to be blessed from each and every single one of you. We love you and will never be able to repay the love and service you share with us. We hope that you will know how much we love and appreciate you for all you do for us and we thank our Heavenly Father every day for the angels that He sends us through you. Thank you.

Wednesday November 8, 2017
I feel like I haven't been as useful to Brianna upon our return from the Mayo Clinic. My work is very understanding and would be more than willing to let me go but I feel the tI am not needed at every appointment and thus I make myself available for the most important appointments. I also am a person who wants to work and to do so diligently. That is how I was raised and that is how I continue to live. That being said, Brianna had an appointment with the Perinatologist today. The appointment was in the Woodlands which is about an hour and a half from College Station. As the appointment would last 30 minutes or less with the doctor and it would take all afternoon, it was best that I stay at work. Brianna and my mom took the trip down to the Woodlands without me. It is difficult to make those decisions at times because I want to be with her all the time to help her but I know that one of the ways I help is by having a job. Anyway, my mom and Brianna had a great time at the appointment. She met with the doctor and had an ultra sound and saw our baby boy again. He is already another pound bigger so he is growing perfectly! They performed another 3D ultrasound and both of them loved that! The doctor said baby is doing great and we will continue to monitor as radiation begins and as treatment follows. It was decided that a C-section would be the delivery route for certain and that steroids would be started immediately to mature the lungs for the baby just incase anything happens during treatment. The reason for this is to allow the baby the best chance in case the deliver has been done sooner than expected for any reason. That was very reassuring for us as we want to be prepared for anything that comes our way. Today was a pretty long day and we were all exhausted by the time we got home. I had to pick up Brianna and Watson from my mom and dads and then we needed to go shopping for some food. Following shopping we had to eat dinner and get Watson to bed and the whole routine was later than we like which just makes us even more tired. Overall we are doing okay, just a tiring day today.

Treatment-Day 1 (Thursday November 9, 2017)
We were told that today would just be a simulation where they align all of the lasers for treatment. That is precisely what happened as well as a treatment. Brianna has begun her radiation. We arrived a the cancer center at 11:30 and it was very quick! They took her back, made sure the laser was aligned the way that they liked it and they ran the first treatment. It was very quick. We then went and talked with the doctor. Dr. Goble informed us that everything seemed to be lined up just the way we expected it. She had to put her mask on and lie down for this big massive machine. The door to the room was the thickest door I have ever seen. No one is in the room during the treatment except for Brianna of course. She told me she didn't feel a thing although she did smell a burning smell and I told her that it was her brains being fried! (That isn't totally true). We asked Dr. Goble if everything seemed good and he told us that it did for treatment. He let us know that we just have to wait and see but they were giving Brianna the strongest dose they could and the science and math seemed to show that nothing would really affect our son which was good to hear. He showed us the updated MRI which did show some growth even from two weeks ago. After we had all of our questions answered Brianna headed home and I went back to work. Brianna took a well deserved nap and woke up with a terrible headache. I called the doctors office and they informed us that this would be normal for the first several days of treatment. We were told to have Brianna take some tylenol which she did and she started feeling better. We then received a phone call that Brianna needed to head to the OB-GYN to receive her first shot. My parents picked her and Watson up and I met them at the office. We walked in, got a shot and walked out. It was very fast. She will receive two shots, one today and one tomorrow. She began her daily treatment of radiation today and will be receiving radiation every Monday-Friday at 11:30 am.

Brianna has been informed that she has a Grade III Astrocytoma with a non mutated IDH1 which from what we have been told and informed makes the brain tumor tougher and less likely to respond to treatment. We continue to pray and hope that all will go well. We are amazed at all of the help that people have given us and for the love that is being shared. We have seen a handful of miracles and blessings because of each of you. We have also set it up with friends and family to have someone hr each day with Brianna from 11-1 to help with Watson for lunch and putting him down for a nap. What a wonderful blessing this truly is for Brianna. Again, we are amazed at the love and support we have received.

Brianna's best friend Sadie created a Fund Me page to help us pay all of the medical bills. We thought that was pretty amazing and we hope again that no one feels obligated to donate. We continue to share because we know there are those who keep asking what can they do to donate and that is why we share it. It is likely that we will need $14,000 to pay off all of the bills. We have already reached half of our goal for the funding page in just a week and that has been truly amazing. (Link has been listed below) We know that this is going to be a challenge for us and we continue to remind ourselves that this is not a race but a marathon. Brianna and I continue to put our trust in God. We know that the loves us and although this can seem like a difficult time, "With God, all things are possible". We know that our Family is Forever and we know that no matter what comes our way, we will face this head on as a family. We will never be able to thank each of you and we hope that we will help you learn with us as we continue to keep the faith through this trail.

https://www.youcaring.com/briannaunbornbabyboy-994138

Home Sweet Home

Saturday October 28, 2017- Monday October 30, 2017
Well we don't have much of an update. We left Rochester on Saturday morning and headed to Minneapolis to fly home. Brianna and Watson slept on the drive up. The flight was about 30 minutes late but overall everything went well. All three of us slept the entire flight. When we arrived in Dallas it took about an hour to get all of our gear and get to the truck due to some mix ups. Once we were finally at the truck we had about a 3 hour drive until we were home. After driving for about 30 minutes we decided to stop and get some dinner which put us that much further behind. By the time we were on the road again, it looked like we would get home around 11 pm and indeed we did. It felt so good to be home again. I carefully took Watson inside and changed him and laid him down. His eyes opened, he looked around and smiled as if he knew exactly where he was....Home. It is always a peaceful feeling being home and knowing you are where you are comfortable. It truly is an amazing feeling. When we arrived home, we had a wonderful surprise waiting for us. Our friends Justin and Molly and Derek and Camila had come to our home and decorated with food, notes and encouragement. It was wonderful and we were reminded yet again, that we are not alone and we are loved.

We received some news today that Brianna has Anaplastic Astrocytoma Grade 3. This is a pretty rare and strong brain cancer but we believe she can beat it. She will begin treatment in the next few weeks. She will begin with radiation followed by chemotherapy. We will begin to make appointments with oncologist this week and get things going so we can get ahead of this. We feel your prayers and your strength and we thank you continuously. We know that there is a purpose for everything and we continue to put our trust and faith in God. As we continually put our trust in God, we continue to feel strengthened through this.

Our friend Sadie started a funding page for us. We aren't asking any of you to donate unless you feel a desire. We feel that anything helps whether it be financial or prayers because it all helps us at this time. Our hope is that we continue to keep the faith and we hope that we will continue to learn from each of you as we continue through this journey. Whatever happens, we hope no one feels obligated to donate.

https://www.youcaring.com/briannaunbornbabyboy-994138

On Monday (today), my dad and I scheduled Brianna's appointments for Wednesday morning. Hopefully from there we will have a better understanding of the plan moving forward. She will be meeting with Dr. Goble the Radiation Oncologist. Hopefully we will be able to create a treatment plan and understand what the plan is for Brianna. Although we have some difficult mountains to climb in front of us, we feel hopeful and excited to move forward.

Mayo Clinic-Day 10 and 11 (An Almost Diagnosis)

Mayo Clinic-Day 10 (Thursday October 26, 2017)
I woke up to a text from my beautiful bride. It was nice to hear from her because she was mostly out of it yesterday. She and I texted for a while and then spoke on the phone. She said she was feeling a lot better. She wanted to know how long it would be until I came to see her. Watson and I started getting ready and got the grandparents up and going. It wasn't until 8:30 am when we got to the hospital. For simplicity sake, we left Watson at the hotel with Grandma and Grandpa Geddie. When we arrived, Brianna seemed very excited to see us and she just lit up the room. Brianna told us that Dr. Meyer had already been around to see her and let her know that she would be discharged that morning. Dr. Meyer also told her whether the results from the biopsy came back good, great and if not, she could beat this. He also let her know that if she ever needed anything, she could reach out to him for support. I was again reminded of the great compassion that people have and how the Lord cares for His children in His way, although we may not always recognize it. Often physicians state that patients will be discharged in the morning but it isn't until 3 or 4 pm by the time the patient is discharged. That was what I was expecting, but by 10 am Brianna was walking out the doors with us to return to the hotel. The rest of the day wasn't too eventful as Brianna simply rested most of the afternoon. We went to a Chinese buffet for dinner which was pretty good although it depends on whom you ask. After dinner we put Watson down for bed and went to play some games with our parents. We played the games we played the other night and it was SO much fun. I have never seen our parents laugh so much at one time. It was a true blessing to be with family and feel of their love. My parents fly home tomorrow so they did some light packing. We also have a couple appointments scheduled for the morning so we will be back at the clinic tomorrow.

Mayo Clinic-Day 11 (Thursday October 27, 2017) "An Almost Diagnosis"
We awake a little anxious today as we are still awaiting biopsy results. We spent some tie with Watson in the room before heading down to breakfast. Our first appointment was at 8:15 am and we had a bit to do before heading out. Oh I forgot to mention, we woke up to snow. It was pretty chilly today and the snow was coming down which slowed us down a bit. I helped my parents finish packing and packed up the car as they would leave following our first appointment. With everyone all covered up, we headed out to the clinic. The snow was coming down fast and it felt like we were in Idaho again (where Brianna and I went to school). It took forever to get into the parking garage. We ended up dropping Brianna and moms off so they could head to the appointment while the boys went to park. We got up to the 8th floor and the girls were already back in the room. It wasn't too long after we joined them that the doctor came in the room. We met with Dr. Joon Uhm a Neuro Oncologist. He first explained that we were still awaiting biopsy results but it was important to meet with him. He stated that several colleagues had discussed Brianna case over the last few weeks and were convinced that Brianna had a Glioma. The biopsy results were not in yet but the pathologist had done a frozen sample and at first glance, the biopsy looked like a glioma. There are still many test that needed to be completed in order to have a true understanding of what is going on. He informed us that he feels that this is at least a stage 3 glioma (brain tumor or brain cancer). First, there are some final test that need to be completed but the doctor felt certain that it would be at least stage three but he informed us that staging really doesn't determine the tumor anymore, the genetics do so we still await those results. Second, brain cancer does not normally travel to the rest of the body so that is good. Third, Brianna is young so the brain is not as good of soil at her young age so that may be a pro for her. Now, I know the next question. What about the baby? Well this will truly depend on what the biopsy results come back to tell us. We should know by the end of next week for sure. I say almost diagnosis because we are simply awaiting to know if this is a stage 3 or stage 4 tumor. Moving forward, Brianna will begin radiation therapy in two weeks which is only to allow her surgery site time to heal. She will begin radiation and have 5-6 weeks of treatment. She will then have 4-5 weeks for recovery and then she will begin chemotherapy. There are a lot of details that we still don't know and this plan may change if the results come back as stage 4 because we will need to be a little more aggressive. Again, what does that mean for baby. Dr. Uhm assured us that radiation was almost completely safe for the baby and there should be no affects from radiation. This is good news because that allows the baby to stay in the womb for at least another 10-12 weeks. By then Brianna will be 32-34 weeks and labor can be induced prior to Chemotherapy. This was a big sigh of relief as this will give baby Geddie that much more of a healthy chance. We were informed to start setting things up now even though we don't have results, so the team can be ready as soon as we have the information. We will begin appointments back in College Station as soon as we return. Dr. Uhm answered all of our questions that he could at the time and informed us that he would call once he had more results.

Following the appointment with Dr. Uhm, my parents headed to the airport and we went to go give thanks to Dr. Flanagan for all that he did for us. We really have been taken care of here at the Mayo Clinic and it has mostly been due to Dr. Flanagan. We have been so blessed being under his care and I am thankful that we have had the opportunity to work with him. After our goodbyes we headed back to the hotel. We ate lunch and then we all took naps which were very much needed. Brianna and I packed after our nap while Grandma and Grandpa Turner watched Watson for us. We went to dinner at a pizza buffet and then came back to put Watson down for bed. We then went and played games with Kim and Terry. We all fly back home tomorrow. Although we are flying home with heavy hearts, it has been nice to obtain a diagnosis and be here at the Mayo Clinic. We are so thankful that we came to obtain information so quickly and because of that we can start treatment right away. We will never be able to thank each one of you for your love and support especially moving forward. We recognize this may not have been our hope and prayers but what we do know is that Heavenly Father loves us and sometimes He answers prayers in ways we do not understand. We will continue to pray and we will continue to have hope. We know that our family is forever and that is worth fighting for. I know that Brianna has a lot of fight in her and she is going to beat this. Please if you have any questions or just need to talk, please each out to us. We want you to know that although we may be scared at times, we know we can overcome this. Brianna is the strongest woman that I know. She truly has a heart of gold and she appreciates each one of you as do I. We are going to need help from family and friends moving forward but we know we will be taken care of.

We head home tomorrow and are excited to be in our own home and cope with our emotions back at home. Although Brianna may have been "almost" diagnosed with Brain Cancer, we will beat this. Thank you again for all your love and support and we promise to continue to keep you updated as we gain information. A wise friend once told us that "this disease does not define Brianna. She is still beautiful and she is still Brianna. Brianna can beat this". We hold our heads high and ask you to do the same. May each of us find the strength to find ways to serve others who are in need and we promise to do the same.

Mayo Clinic-Day 9

Mayo Clinic-Day 9 (Wednesday October 25, 2017)

We rolled out of bed around 4:30 am even though I had been awake since 4 am. Brianna needed to do her special shower wash so that was the first thing that needed to be done. After showers, we got dressed for the day and got everything that we needed for the day. I told Brianna to pack a light bag to have when the surgery was over. We left the hotel around 5:30 am to get to the hospital on time. It was a quiet ride as we were both very tired as well as a little nervous for the day to begin. Upon arrival we headed inside to the receptionist. There had to have been at least 100 people there in the lobby waiting area prepping for surgery. I have never seen anything like it. We checked Brianna in and were informed that a private room would cost a little extra which I was more than happy paying as we have so much family here. We were told to go and sit down and someone would be with us shortly to take us back. 

After a few minutes we were called to go to the next stage of the process. We walked down the hallway and up an elevator to the Surgery Prep Prep area. I say Surgery Prep Prep area because this was all the paperwork and vitals and what not that needed to be completed prior to Surgery Prep. Brianna changed into her gown and put all of her clothes in the bag she brought. Soon after a Chaplain came and asked us if we were doing okay and if we needed any spiritual care they could come and tend to us. We thanked him for coming and let him know we didn't need anything at that time. As he was leaving, a pharmacist entered the room to verify medications. As Brianna really isn't taking anything except her prenatal vitamin, that visit was pretty short. Then two nurses came in to take Brianna's vitals and ask her some post procedural questions like how she will manage getting around after the procedure. During that time the surgeons assistant came and answered any remaining questions as well as reviewed Brianna's head and initialed where the surgery would be performed. I was then taken on a short tour of where I could stay, what the process would be for updating me as well as what to do if I decided to step out. I was informed that there would be a case nurse who would call me or talk to me when the surgery actually started and when it was finished. That really brought some peace knowing that I would be continually updated. When I returned the nurses finished up and it was time for Brianna to head back to Pre Surgery. This was the point that we had to separate as I was not allowed back in the Operating Room (OR). I kissed my sweet wife and told her that everything would be okay. I let her know that it would be like a dream for her and it would be over shortly. I told her that I loved her and that I would see her soon. She smiled and told me to get some rest which we all knew wasn't going to actually happen. I watched as they wheeled her down the hall to prep for the next steps. 

I then went to the waiting room and wrote Mayo Clinic-Day 7. I knew I was behind so I was attempting to catch up. Both sets of parents were now texting me and making sure I was doing okay as well as wanting to know if I was coming back to the hotel. I told them I did want to go eat as well as see Watson but I wanted to finish my blog. I was told to do whatever brought me peace. I finished writing the blog around 7:30 am and headed back to the hotel. I was told that Brianna would only being Pre Op for an hour and then would be in surgery but I had not received a call yet. I figured they had just forgotten to call. Not thinking too much about it, I ate breakfast with my family and just relaxed for a bit. I started with Watson, Kim and Terry and they shortly went to their room to prep Watson for the day. I then ate with my Dad and shortly after my Mom joined us. We watched some Rhett and Link (silly YouTube channel called Good Mythical More look it up) which allowed us to laugh and just breathe. As we were walking back upstairs, I received a phone call at 9:24 am that Brianna was just now going into surgery. I was amazed that it took that long but was glad to hear things were moving along smoothly. My mom wanted to go to a store so I gathered everybody so we could go to Shopko as we attempted to burn some time. We shopped at Shopko for about an hour and then I had another phone call stating that the procedure was completed and that they were sewing Brianna back up. At that point we knew we could head back to the hospital. 

We were told to go to the 8th floor and wait in the family waiting area. On our way to the Hospital, Watson fell asleep. After parking, I carefully picked up and he stayed asleep as I carried him through the halls. At one point there were two people pushing loud carts and they even stopped to let me walk by as Watson was sleeping. I thought that was very nice. We arrived at the family waiting area and I continued to hold Watson as he slept. After about 5-10 minutes our name was called to go downstairs to speak with Dr. Meyer regarding the biopsy and how everything went. We were put in another waiting area for another 5 minutes. We then were called to another room where Dr. Meyer would come talk with us. As we got into that room, Watson woke up. The 5 adults in the room attempted to entertain Watson to the best of our ability. Shortly after entering the room Dr. Meyer came to speak with us. He let us know that Brianna had done wonderfully and that there had been no complications. He stated that there was not bleeding and he was able to extract 5 tissue samples which will allow them to get the testing that they need to perform. He informed us that it could be a few days before there are any results and asked when we had planned on traveling home. I informed him that I had hoped to fly home Saturday. He felt that would be a little soon or results but set up a couple of appointments on Friday for us anyway. I then received a phone call from the nurse for Brianna letting us know that Brianna was in her room, awake and asking for us. Dr. Meyer didn't want us to keep her waiting and let us know that he would keep us updated as he received any news. We headed up to see Brianna as a family.

As we arrived, Brianna looked very groggy and very sleepy. She said she was feeling a little nauseous but overall was feeling good. She didn't feel any point at all which I was happy about. She had a bandage on her head and it made her look like the Pope. We each took some time talking to her and rotating through. At one point Watson was getting to be too much and Terry decided to take him for a walk. I was informed later that while they were out there, Watson ran into an elevator and Grandpa Turner ran to get him out but couldn't get in the elevator fast enough. However, he was able to get his arm in there before the doors shut but apparently that didn't allow them to open. He was stuck there with his arm between the doors and Watson terrified in the elevator with no one else there with him. Some nurses came and helped open the door for Terry and he was able to get Watson out. During this time I was in the room talking with Brianna. She let me know that the Anesthesiologist had taken really good care of her which made me feel really good. She said that he held her hand has she was falling asleep and told her that everything would be okay. He continually monitored the baby and kept him safe. The baby is doing fine :) She and I talked quietly for a little bit and then I let her know we were going to eat lunch while she took a nap. 

We headed down to the cafeteria and grabbed a bite to eat. Some of the food was similar to the clinic however some was different which allowed us to get a different taste for some food. It was nice just sitting together eating lunch and just having good conversations. We discussed what consults would be needed moving forward and what the plan of action would be as well as other topics. After a while, Watson no longer wanted to sit in his high chair. I looked out the window and noticed a very large courtyard and better yet there really wasn't anywhere to go once you were in there. I decided to take him out there and just spend a little time with him there. He seemed to really enjoy running around outside and I could tell it was allowing him to burn off some energy. After about 30 minutes we headed back inside and I asked my parents if they would be willing to take Watson for his nap again. They agreed that Brianna should have her parents there and they could take Watson. Kim had already gone back to visit with Brianna when Terry and I started heading hat way. I realized halfway up the elevator that I still had the diaper backpack so I called my parents and met them outside so they could have what they needed. I then headed back to see my beautiful bride. 

When I arrived she was still very sleepy and very groggy. I sat in a chair next to her and just held her hand. It felt so nice being so close to her. I then decided that I was going to take a nap and sat in the recliner. Realizing that my brain wasn't going to shut down so easily, I began writing Mayo Clinic Day 8. Brianna then needed to use the bathroom and everyone was asked to leave but she Okayed me staying. After she was settled back in her bed we spoke with the nurses for a bit. Brianna has two nurses today, Laura and Lauren. Lauren is a nurse who just graduated and Laura is her trainer. Both of them are very young and they were very nice to us. We talked about how different healthcare is and how well Brianna was recovering. Kim and Terry came back shortly after and just relaxed with us in the room. As Brianna was drifting off to sleep I decided to follow up with my Boos as to how things were going. Katie, my boss, has been very willing to work with me through all of this and it has been such a blessing to not have to worry about work these two weeks so I could focus on Brianna. I did however end up talking work with her and it was nice to see how things are moving along. I look forward to going back to work because I really do enjoy my job and what I do. As I was talking with Katie, Brianna pushed her nurse call button so I quickly got off the phone and tried to see what was going on. Brianna said that she was just feeling light headed and wanted to be rearranged. The nurse was glad to do so and wanted to know if Brianna needed to use the restroom. She informed the nurse that she needed to and we again were asked to leave. This time I left to get some water as well as use the restroom myself. 

Kim, Terry and I sat in a waiting area by the elevators and it was so nicely air conditioned which really meant it was time for a nap. I woke up and Kim and Terry were gone. I headed back to Brianna's room and there they were. Brianna was resting in the recliner. They had moved her there to prep for dinner but she didn't seem to want to hold any liquids down. I was told that she decided to throw everything she had been given up and that she just had been given some more meds to help with that. After the drugs were administered, Brianna just wanted to sleep. I called my parents and we arranged to have them come to the hospital and then we would go to dinner. Kim let me know that the nurses were talking with her about the Neurosurgeon Dr. Meyer. They informed Kim that it is very difficult to get on Dr. Meyer's as he is one of the best and is so busy. The nurses told us that we had gotten him. This was another prayer answered that Brianna would be given the best chance and that was another witness to me that God lives and he knows the needs of His children. 

We headed out to dinner and had several failed attempts of picking a location until we decided that Denny's was the place we would be eating. Watson seemed really tired but I could tell he was hungry. We spent some time in Denny's sharing stories and just enjoying our time together. Following dinner, I had a very difficult decision to make. I had to decide who needed me more, Watson or Brianna. I ended up choosing to go back to the hotel with Watson as I could tell he needed me to be with him as it had been a long day. I decided that he needed to be comforted by at least one of his parents tonight. When we got back, I gave Watson a bath which he seemed to really enjoy; I then got him ready for bed and read him some stories. I put him down and he fell asleep within 10 minutes. Considering he is in a pack n play and in a faraway place that seemed really fast. I then started writing this blog. I was really missing Brianna so I decided to text her. She just back with me and said she was starting to feel better but they had just given her some more medication and she was still very sleepy. She wanted me to share her love and convey how grateful she is for each one of you. I told her that I chose to be with Watson tonight and she confirmed that I had made the best decision. 

All in all, today was a good day because Brianna and the baby were healthy and protected during the procedure. The biopsy went well and we will have results soon. Trust me; we are just as eager to get results as you are. We are planning on going and visiting Brianna first thin in the morning following breakfast. We are hoping she is feeling a lot better in the morning. We cannot thank you enough for the prayers on behalf of our family and for Brianna and the baby's safety. We know that today many prayers were heard and answered. We continue trust in the Lord with all of our heart and we encourage you to do the same. I know that God loves us and that He has His hand involved with this. I know that we can overcome all things and I know that through Him we can find peace. May each of us find peace to our souls this night. 

I am falling asleep as I write this but I knew people wanted to know how things went today. We love you and we thank you for all you do for us and on our behalf. May we each be unified during this time and may we each draw closer to our Heavenly Father. Until Tomorrow...

Mayo Clinic-Day 8

Mayo Clinic-Day 8 (Tuesday October 24, 2017)
I have decided that sleeping in doesn't happen in Rochester, MN. Our first appointment today wasn't scheduled until 9:35 am. Our son, however, decided to wake up at 5 am. I attempted to get him to go back to sleep for about an hour and then just gave up. I brought him over to the bed so he could just be close to Mommy and Daddy. He stayed there with us for about 30 mins. After that we decided to go ahead and start getting ready for the day. Watson hadn't showered last night so we decided that he needed one too. We gave him a bath and he just seemed a bit off. It was almost as though he had forgotten that we were his parents. After we all showered, Watson started to act more like himself which was nice for us because we were worried he no longer liked us! About this time, we could tell that Watson was getting hungry so we started rounding together all the family to head downstairs to eat. We all ate breakfast together which was a lot of fun. Watson ate a TON of food. Again, it was nice being surrounded by family and to feel of their love.

Following breakfast we headed to the Mayo Clinic for Brianna's MRI. This was her third MRI since we have gotten here. This MRI was necessary for the Biopsy for tomorrow. They are taking images of the path they should take in order to have the most success. They do this by placing markers on Brianna's head and that allows them to align everything up. While Brianna was getting her MRI, the rest of the family attempted to relax in the waiting room. I say attempted to relax because Watson cannot sit still. This is a quality that I have a love/hate relationship with. I love that he has a lot of energy and has so much joy but I also have a hard time with the fact that he can never stay still. Grandpa Turner took him for a little walk to keep him occupied for a bit and then I took him for a walk and then Grandma Turner let him watch Moana for a little while, then Grandpa Geddie let him play with his phone. It really is true when people say it takes a village to raise a child and I am glad that both grandparents were there to help me take care of him. I was grateful that we had not brought him by ourselves because that would have been pretty difficult. Eventually Brianna came out of the MRI and we headed to have some lunch.

Lunch was busy as always except this time we had a lot more people to help figure out what they wanted. While we were in line Grandma and Grandpa Turner took Watson for a diaper change as well as some time to release some energy. Grandma Turner let us know that they saw a violinist and pianist and Watson just stared in awe which was funny to hear as he doesn't tend to sit still! We ate a good amount of food and enjoyed our lunch conversation. I then asked Grandma and Grandpa Geddie to take Watson back to the hotel for his nap and they were happy to do so. Grandpa Geddie informed me later that he took a nap in our room while Watson was in the pack n play which I am certain he enjoyed.

Terry, Kim, Brianna and I headed up to the Neurosurgeons floor following lunch. We had an appointment with Dr. Meyer the Neurosurgeon to discuss the biopsy for tomorrow. We checked in and then were almost immediately called back. We waited for an hour for Dr. Meyer to come in although it felt much longer than that. Dr. Meyer came in and reexplained that surgery could not be done to take out this Tumor as it was too deep in the brain and he would do more damage than good if he tried to remove anything. He explained the risk of the biopsy to both Brianna and the baby and explained that they were very low and that we had a great team for tomorrow. He went over the scans and reminded us where the biopsy would be taken from out of he brain. His nurse then went over the logistics for what time the surgery would be scheduled for, where it was, what she could or could not eat prior to surgery (she had to fast 8 hours prior to surgery) and so forth. The biopsy was scheduled for 6 am tomorrow morning. That means we have to leave the hotel by 5:30 am to get there on time for check in. Brianna was also given some special soap to prep tonight and tomorrow morning for the surgery as well as being informed that she couldn't get her hair wet due to the markers from the MRI. After all of our questions were answered, we were instructed to head to the business office to verify that everything was all set financially for tomorrows visit. We headed down stairs and were informed that everything was all set and that we were good to go.

At this point, we had nothing left to do at the clinic so we headed back to the hotel. When we arrived, Watson had just woken up. Brianna was pretty exhausted so she wanted to take a nap. She went to the room and did so after asking her parents to watch Watson for us. I knew we needed some things from the store as did my parents so I went along with them to Walmart. I mostly needed some diapers for Watson but also wanted some time to myself to not have to make any real decisions or have to think too much. I felt pretty overwhelmed at the moment and just needed a small break. While at Walmart, I found a Nintendo Switch and just played the Demo game for a few minutes to kind of unwind. As simple as that was, it helped me feel a lot better. It was nice spending some alone time with my parents. We were there for a while and then we headed back to the hotel. Brianna had just woken up when we arrived back and she was in the room talking with Kim. Watson and Terry joined shortly after. We decided that it was time to go to dinner and it was Brianna's choice as she wouldn't be eating much the next few days. Brianna decided on a local burger joint called Newts. The food was great and we had a lot of fun spending time together as a family.

Following dinner we came back to the hotel. We had decided that Watson shouldn't sleep in our room so he didn't have to wake up when we did so early in the morning. We asked Grandma and Grandpa Turner to keep him for the night as they don't get to see him as often. We put his pack n play in their room and got him ready for bed. Once he was down, the rest of us went to our room to play some games. My mother had gotten a few games including a fart machine game. It is very similar to UNO but when you play a card with numbers you hit the fart machine. If it farts, you are out. We had a blast playing that game and Terry ended up winning. We then decided to play UNO Dare, a new game we bought out here. Instead of drawing two or drawing four like in the regular UNO, you can choose to do a dare instead. Some of them are really funny and the game brought a lot of laughter which has been commonly called the best medicine. We played a couple of rounds and then decided it was time for bed. Again, we were reminded of the precious gift it is to be in such a loving family. We truly have been blessed with goodly parents and we couldn't' be any happier.

Tomorrow is going to be a long day but we trust in the Lord with all of our hearts. We belie in continued revelation, especially through prophets. We believe that Joseph Smith was called to be a prophet and as such was able to receive revelation. One revelation that he received was "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart. Doubt not. Fear not." Although tomorrow may be a long day, we are putting our trust in the Lord. We know that it is through Him that we can conquer our fears and truly feel peace. Brianna and I know that we can overcome the trials of this world because of our Savior Jesus Christ and because of our Saviors Atoning sacrifice. We know that we will find peace throughout these difficult times as well as we know that our family is forever. This knowledge continues to bring us peace. We also feel of your love and prayers and cannot thank you enough. Tomorrow will be the first step in deciding what is really going on with Brianna and we are grateful that we have this opportunity to find out so quickly. Thank you again for all of your continued support. Until tomorrow...

Mayo Clinic-Day 7 (Surprise #2)

Mayo Clinic-Day 7 (Monday October 23, 2017)
Once again we had to wake up early. We had to meet with Dr. Flanagan at 7:15 am thus we were up at 5:30 am to have time to shower and eat. Breakfast was nice today as we didn't have to eat alone. We ate breakfast with Kim and Terry. Terry agreed that the Biscuits and Gravy were very good. :) Following breakfast, we headed over to the Mayo Clinic. We arrived not the Neurology floor, checked in and were almost immediately called back. Dr. Flanagan has always gone out of his way to take care of us and it has been wonderful. Dr. Flanagan reviewed the CT of the lungs with us as well as the MRI and CT of the brain. He reminded us that at this point, after talking with several physicians the best course of action at this time would be the biopsy of the brain. Dr. Flanagan answered some questions and then told us that we could follow up with him following the procedure. We explained that we were hoping to head home Saturday and he informed us that we could come by Friday and have one last appointment and anything that came up after Saturday he could call us and inform us of any changes. I asked Dr. Flanagan if he thought there would be any more appointments for the day and he said that there would be nothing else for the day and we could go do anything that we wanted. I decided that Brianna needed a pick me up so we went to the mall.

Not just any mall, we traveled to Minneapolis to the Mall of America. The Mall of America was AWESOME! We got there around 10 am and started walking around. We started at Nickelodeon Universe which is a massive amusement park inside the mall. We looked at the rides and there were a couple that I thought about riding but it was just too expensive for my taste but it was fun looking at all of them. The mall was fairly empty considering it was Monday morning. After we walked around the amusement park, we went to LEGO world. WOW. I have never seen such massive LEGO figures. There was one (picture below) that was about 2 1/2 stories high! I can't believe I missed the sign up sheet for the job that was building LEGOs for the rest of my life. I still have time to change careers right?!?! Following LEGO world we started walking around the first floor. The Mall of America has 5 million square feet. It is a very big place to walk and there is a LOT to see. After a bit of time on the first floor, it was time for lunch so we headed to the third floor which is basically a GIANT food court. There are some stores on the third floor but it was mostly food. Brianna decided that she wanted A&W for lunch. They had a special that with any combo you could upgrade your drink to a float which of course everyone wanted except for me. I like floats but just didn't want one at the time. I bought Brianna one of the nice A&W mugs for her float to go in and she really liked that. Lunch was a lot of fun. We shared a lot of stories and had a lot of laughs especially with some of our impersonations. After lunch we continued our quest to walk the whole mall. I asked Brianna what she wanted specifically and she wasn't sure. I asked if she wanted a manicure and she said she would really like that so off we went to find a nail salon. Terry and I "rested" as the girls go their nails done. Brianna looked pretty happy after that. We then split off and went to some stores separately. When we met back up it was time for some dinner although after our lunch we weren't all that hungry. We left the mall and headed to Panera Bread to have some soup for dinner.

We arrived at Panera Bread and ordered some soup and Mac N' Cheese. I needed to buy some time so I asked the worker to hold off on bringing us our food for about 10-15 minutes. Why did I need to buy some time you ask? At that very moment, my parents as well as Watson, were on their way to a rental car from the airport to come to Panera Bread. I didn't want Brianna to wonder why we would just be staying at Panera Bread so I needed to create some sort of slow down for why we were there. I looked up from our table and saw my parents and Watson come through the door. Excited to see them all but wanting to keep it a surprise I simply looked back to Brianna. We were sitting in a booth away from the door so she hadn't noticed. It felt like an eternity waiting for them to come around the corner. They let Watson walk towards us first. He got close, I picked him up and put him on the booth and he went and hugged Brianna. She hadn't really noticed what was going on and when she did she was very excited. It was very emotional to have Watson with us again. We are very grateful for all of those that have taken care of him and to those that will continue to take care of him moving forward but it was SO NICE to hold him again and see his sweet smile. After that, my parents came over and Brianna just seemed amazed. We then ordered the rest of the food and ate dinner together. We probably spent at least another hour just visiting and enjoying that precious time together. Following dinner we headed back to Rochester and arranged everything for bed. We obtained a pack n play for Watson to sleep in and put him down for bed. We then spent about an hour in my mom and dad's room just catching up and spending time with them. We are now getting ready for bed as we have another long day tomorrow. However, we don't have to be there until 9:35 am so at least we get to sleep in.

Again today, Brianna and I are reminded of the strength that comes through family. There was so much peace today knowing that we are not in this alone. Having our parents here as well as Watson helps us feel that we can do anything to overcome this. We cannot thank each of you enough for your continued support and for your prayers. We hope that each of you can feel of our love and gratitude for all that you continue to do for us. We want each of you to know that we have a strong testimony that Families are Forever. We can be with our families again after this life and be reunited with those that we love. This life is short and is not at all the end of our eternal progression. We know that God lives and that He loves His children. We continue to put our trust and hope in Him. We invite you to do the same. Until tomorrow......

Mayo Clinic-Day 6

Mayo Clinic-Day 6 (Sunday October 22, 2017)
Today was a wonderful day! We woke up and began getting ready for church. Yes we are far from home but our church is worldwide and we were able to find the nearest location for church. Our family and friends decided to do a special fast for Brianna and the baby and for the biopsy to go well. Fasting is an opportunity to go without food and water for at least 2 meals to allow us to be more spiritually connected with Heavenly Father. As we give up the physical needs, our spirit is able to draw more strength from the Lord. When we fast, we ask in deep sincerity for blessings and put our faith and trust in the Lord. We attended church with the family that reached out to us on Wednesday night. It was so nice to be around so many people and feel of their love. We were able to worship together and draw closer to our Heavenly Father as a family. While we were at church, the family that came over on Wednesday asked us if we would like to join them for dinner. What a wonderful blessing and another prayer answered in a way that we may not have expected.

We headed back to the hotel following church and played UNO Dare together as a family. IT WAS THE BEST! We laughed so hard and just had a wonderful time together. UNO dare allows you to either take the draw twos and wild draw fours or to do a dare that is provided. Some of the dares are like Talk like a robot until your next turn or don't smile until your next turn and if you fail, you draw the cards! SUPER FUNNY! It is nice to have her parents here so that we can laugh with them and just feel comforted. Following the game we decided to take naps. We only rested for about an hour when one of Brianna's cousins (Ted) showed up (photo below). He and his family live in MN and so they traveled about an hour and a half to come and spend some time with us. Ted, and his two daughters Cambell and Sophia came to visit with us for a couple of hours. It was so much fun spending time with them an just watching those sweet girls. They were very bright and happy. Ted and his family gave us a card and told us that they were praying for us. They headed out to head back home and we headed to dinner.

We had dinner tonight with the Brewer family (picture below). What a wonderful family. The Brewers have 7 kids and they are all so wonderful. When we got there, the kiddos were jumping on the trampoline and I asked if it would be okay to go and join them. I was told that would be okay. We played popcorn where you jump up and down and then land on your bum and whoever goes the highest is the judge for the next round. It was a lot of fun and it was nice to just spend some time with the kids. After a few minutes we were told that it was time for dinner. Sister Brewer was gone on a trip so it was just Brother Brewer and the kids. Dinner was AMAZING! It was so nice to get a home cooked meal instead of going out to dinner again. What a blessing it was to be in their home tonight. They were filled with so much love and laughter and we truly felt as though we were part of the family which was such a tender mercy. Following dinner and dessert, I went to the trampoline with the kids again for a little longer while Brianna, Kim and Terry talked with Brother Brewer inside. We all came inside and decided to play Ninja for a couple of rounds. Ninja or as I call it Ninja Destruction is where you get in a circle and you take turns going around the circle attempting to slap each others hands. (it is better than it sound I promise!) We had a lot of fun playing and it was such a nice time being with family (although we aren't technically family we are all brothers and sisters right?). After a few rounds of Ninja, we decided that we should head back to the hotel and get some rest. We will never be able to thank the Brewers for their love and their sacrifice for us tonight. It was truly a wonderful evening and we all felt so much peace leaving tonight. Once at the hotel we simply relaxed as a family and now we are getting ready for bed.

Over the past several days I have been thinking of the song below called Blessings by Laura Story (Lyrics found below). I think too often we think that the blessings that Heavenly Father are limited and that is simply because of our human minds. Brianna and I wanted to share these lyrics because we know that God does live and that He does hear and answer our prayers. However, He often answers in His own way and in His own time. We find great strength knowing that God knows us and loves us. We know that He lives. We know without a shadow of a doubt that He knows us and He knows what we are going through. He loves us and we know that in His due time, the Lord will allow us to understand the reasoning behind all this and allow us to be healed in one form or another. Healing will come and it will be through Him.

Brianna and I wanted to thank each of you again for your love, faith and prayers on out behalf. We feel your strength and we feel of your love. We cannot thank you enough for all you are doing for us. Many have asked if there is anything that you can do. At this point, we just asked for continued prayers for strength, understanding and for safety. We love you and we thank you.

Blessings by Laura Story
We pray for blessings We pray for peace Comfort for family, protection while we sleep We pray for healing, for prosperity We pray for Your mighty hand to ease our suffering All the while, You hear each spoken need Yet love is way too much to give us lesser things Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops What if Your healing comes through tears What if a thousand sleepless nights Are what it takes to know You're near What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise We pray for wisdom Your voice to hear And we cry in anger when we cannot feel You near We doubt Your goodness, we doubt Your love As if every promise from Your Word is not enough All the while, You hear each desperate plea And long that we'd have faith to believe Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops What if Your healing comes through tears What if a thousand sleepless nights Are what it takes to know You're near And what if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise When friends betray us When darkness seems to win We know the pain reminds this heart That this is not, this is not our home Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops What if Your healing comes through tears And what if a thousand sleepless nights Are what it takes to know You're near What if my greatest disappointments Or the aching of this life Is the revealing of a greater thirst this world can't satisfy And what if trials of this life The rain, the storms, the hardest nights Are Your mercies in disguise

Brewers, Geddie and Turners

Terry, Kim, Cambell, Sophia, and Ted

Geoffrey, Brianna, Cambell, Sophia, and Ted

Mayo Clinic-Day 5 (Surprise)

Mayo Clinic-Day 5 (Saturday October 21, 2017)
We finally didn't have to go running around to doctors appointments. A beautiful day to sleep in right? Unfortunately my mind has an issue with shutting off lately...I woke up around 5:30 am and couldn't go back to sleep. I tossed and turned for little bit and then decided to just get up. Brianna was able to sleep in until around 6:30 am but even that wasn't sleeping in. We stayed in our room and were being pretty lazy until around 8 am when we decided to go and get some breakfast. I know some of you are wondering....Biscuits and gravy? Nope, I decided to have hot cocoa and Brianna had some cereal. Why I feel like sharing these little details with y'all, I am not sure but I do. Anyway, following breakfast we realized we needed to do some laundry. We had only packed for five days as we didn't know how long we were going to be here. Knowing we are going to be here until next Saturday at least, we decided to do some laundry. TALK ABOUT ROBBING US! The washer was $1.50 per load and the dryer was $1.25 per load. We also paid for detergent and dryer sheets. We ended up doing to separate loads. We ran out of money and I didn't want to go all the way to the store yet because I had a surprise for Brianna and wanted to wait until we went out for that. I went to the front desk and they allowed me to take out a "loan" of quarters as longs I promised to pay them back, which I did. We started the laundry and then headed to our room. As I was behind on blogs and other paperwork, I began to work on that while Brianna went to take a nap. She sleeps a lot more now and I am not sure if it is the pregnancy, the tumor or the stress but I am certain it is at least a mixture of all three.

I finished the blog while working on laundry and Brianna continued to rest. I watched some sports and then part of a movie and around 1 pm, I decided that we would need to leave the hotel for Brianna's surprise. We went to get lunch and ended up at Subway (Eat Fresh). While we were in line and ordering our sandwiches, the manager explained that her computer had crashed and that because we were in line while it happened she felt the need to pay for our lunch. This was a wonderful blessing for us as we have been spending so much on all the eating out already. Again, another tender mercy that the Lord knows us and knows our needs. We ate our lunch and then walked around Walmart getting some supplies that we were in need of.

Meanwhile, what Brianna wasn't aware of was that her parents had been flown out to Rochester, MN to help take care of her. I had it all set up. When they arrived, they were to take a shuttle to the hotel while we were out. I had prearranged with the hotel manager to have a key waiting for Kim and Terry to have access to our room. They arrived and waited in our room patiently. They arrived while we were eating lunch, but we still needed some supplies from Walmart so I quickly moved through the store to get what we needed without letting Brianna know I was rushing. I was very excited for her to get to her parents as I knew that would really bring some much needed comfort. We arrived at the hotel and headed up the stairs and the maid was in our room. Not knowing if Kim and Terry were in there, I told Brianna we should go and wait while she finished. Kim texted me and told me that they were indeed in there so we went back as the maid was leaving. I walked in and Kim and Terry were hiding behind the wall so I just kept walking as if nothing was out of the ordinary. Brianna followed and as she came in she turned and looked and seemed shocked! She didn't believe that her parents were actually here. We spent the rest of the day spending time with Brianna's mom and dad and just relaxed around the hotel. We also went to dinner and had some fun just driving around together. The rest of the evening we just relaxed and shared stories in our hotel room as well as showing videos. Kim and Terry were pretty tired from all of the traveling so they went to bed early.

Today has been a wonderful day being around family. It is always amazing to me that family can change the attitude of what is going on because we are able to fully feel the love of others around us. It was so wonderful having someone to take us in their arms and tell us that we were not alone. Today Brianna and I were given the tender mercy from the Lord of having family here. We were reminded yet again that Heavenly Father loves us and knows our needs. Brianna needed her parents here and they needed to be here to help each other through this. (I needed them too!). We know that the power of prayer is real. We know that Heavenly Father loves us and that He has a plan for each of us to return to live with Him. Heavenly Father has a plan for each of His children to return to live with Him because He loves each one of us. He knows each one of us individually and He wants us to feel of His love. We know that Families can and will be forever. We know that our family will be together forever. Heavenly Father lives, He knows His children and their needs. Jesus Christ is the Savior and the Redeemer of the world and through Him we can find peace and everlasting joy. We know without a doubt that prayers are answered and that our family is forever.

Thank you forever and always for sharing your love with us and praying for us on our behalf. We will never be able to thank each of you enough for your love and support. Please know we feel your prayers being answered and we know that we are loved.

Mayo Clinic-Day 4

Mayo Clinic-Day 4 (Friday October 20, 2017)
Well we were supposed to sleep in today. Around 5:30 am my brain woke up and I wasn't able to sleep. I tried to go back to sleep but couldn't. Brianna was sleeping deeply and I didn't want to disturb her so I went down stairs and read my scriptures. I went back around 6:30 and Brianna was up. We talked and watched some TV in bed and just relaxed. Around 7:45 Brianna said we should start getting ready and go eat some breakfast. We got ourselves ready, slowly, and went down and had some breakfast. Biscuits and gravy again? YUP. For some reason I felt really anxious this morning and my gag reflux was acting up. For those of you who don't know me very well, when I am anxious/stressed I tend gag a lot. After we ate and headed to the clinic I was feeling better and stopped gagging. We headed off to the Clinic for the CT of the lungs. We arrived and had to travel al the way to the other side of the clinic. It is hard to describe just how big this place is. I think it is easily a mile long! I don't know if it is that big but it is definitely huge. I have described this place like DisneyWorld for a health administrator so I have enjoyed seeing how the process works. Anyway, Brianna was called back for the CT scan. This one took a little longer than the CT of the brain. This was the first day all week that we didn't have to be there all day! We actually got to leave the clinic and headed to lunch. Dr. Rose, the OB, let us know of some good places to eat around and one of those was a pizza joint. I have been eating pizza all week so why ruin the trend? We got this amazing pizza and some drinks and headed to a park.

I think it is important at this point of our life to take some time to reflect and also spend some precious time together. We laughed, talked and had a wonderful time together and it was almost like we weren't at the mayo clinic and that we were just living a special moment together. Truly, this is how I feel with every moment with Brianna. I am so lucky to have her and I feel like every moment with her is like a dream come true. As we were finishing eating, a homeless guy walked by so we decided to talk to him. We had gotten too much pizza so we gave the rest to him and he looked very happy about that. We told him to have a good day and then we headed out.

Brianna wanted to know how close the nearest temple was so I decided to look it up and realized it was only 1.5 hours away. For those of you who don't know, in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, we build beautiful temples. The temple is a holy place where we go to worship Heavenly Father and to find inspiration and feel peace. We decided that because our doctor was out for the day that we wouldn't be called back in for more test so we wanted to take this opportunity to go to the temple together. However, Brianna reminded me that Dr. Flanagan was going to call us to go over the CT results. As we were talking about him and wondering if when he would call, my phone started ringing. It was Dr. Flanagan and he wanted to let us know that he had reviewed the results and there was no sign of a tumor or any cancer in the lungs which was a relief. We felt very relaxed and we felt we had nothing holding us back from going to the temple. We headed to the stores to get some nicer clothes and then went to the hotel to rest before we headed out. I took a nap while Brianna talked with her family. She woke me up and told me it was time to get ready to head out. We got not he road and started heading to the temple in St. Paul, MN. We needed to be there by 5:45 pm and we were pushing it close to get there on time. I probably shouldn't say this but I didn't really have time to get gas and we made it there on fumes! Luckily shortly after attending I got some gas and we were okay but I definitely took a risk.

Attending the temple was one of the best choices we have made all week. We were able to feel such peace there together. It was an opportunity to leave the troubles of the world behind us. We turned our phones off and just spent some time in the temple. We came out refreshed and stronger than when we had gone in. We both felt that this was the best decision for us today. We started heading home and Brianna wanted dinner so we went out. It was so nice to spend time together again. It has been nice having all these dates as we haven't been the best doing a weekly date night so it has been nice catching up on dates even if it isn't the best reason for having all these dates. We headed back home and now we are getting ready for bed. The next couple of days will be a little slower as the clinic is closed on the weekends but I will continue to update as we go.

We were both reminded again tonight that Heavenly Father knows His children. He knows us and we know that He loves us. We feel that love through each of you as well as through Him. We know that Heavenly Father knows you. He loves you and through His love you can overcome all things. In our weakest moments, we are not alone. Although we may feel abandoned at times, our Heavenly Father will send us the comfort that we need in the moment that we need it. Whether it is someone talking to us or just a thought of being loved. We know that God lives and that He loves us. We testify that we can overcome all things by putting our faith and trust in God.

Thank you again for all your love and support. I am finally caught up and will continue to keep all of you up to date. Please let us know if there are any questions that need to be addressed or answered. Until tomorrow....