October 10, 2008

Dear Everybody,

This is an attempt at mass communication that I hope will succeed. This is Chuck Eggerth, and I have normally been mailing my updates to three prayer lists, but I went through my address book and added some folks who have not been on the previous mailings, so here goes with an update.

I had brain surgery September 17 to remove a lowgrade tumor, and went back to the doctor today for an update. I am going to need radiation (not gamma knife radiation, as I had previously reported, but regular radiation) and chemotherapy. The radiation will start a week from next Wednesday and last for 30 consecutive weekdays, and I will be taking chemotherapy along with that. I should be back to work right around the New Year. I also will be taking a week of chemotherapy (tablet, not the other kind) the first week of every month for six months after the radiation. The side effects of the radiation will be fatigue, starting about the fourth week of the radiation and lasting for a month after. I could possibly also experience nausea from it and the chemo, but they have very good anti-nausea medication nowadays, my doctor tells me. This will decrease the chances of the tumor coming back from 75% in 5-7 years to 25% in ten years. Quite a gain!

This is all from God, and I am extraordinarily thankful to him for it. It is a gift of time, a gift of perspective, a gift of repentance in order to reform and recreate my marriage and my life. I am seeing so many things I need to change in my relationship with my family. Fortunately, God gives us the gift of repentance to live in! I will need it bigtime in the months ahead, but the great thing about repentance is we simply have to want it, and God will give it to us profusely. And he is very patient, very gentle--he does not show us a whole list, he just focuses on one thing at a time.

If you would like to ask me questions, please feel free to e-mail back or call. I am looking forward to having visitors, and would welcome any of you. If I have missed something, please holler back, and I will tell you all in person.

--Chuck Eggerth