When Covid first made it's mainstream appearance in 2020, I realized very quickly that I had a new pet peeve: the word "unprecedented" 😩 

At first, it was only because I didn't agree with what the media was saying. Where these really "unprecedented" times? What about the black plague, yellow fever, the Spanish flu, or Polio? The idea that no one had ever suffered through what Covid was putting us through now was an insult to our history. 

However, as the pandemic went on, the word became so widely and wrongly used that it was almost comical! Joey and I began laughing at it's use in the news or in daily conversation. Part of our reaction was to avoid the frustration that we felt, but it was also because it no longer made sense! If it ever was true, the precedent had been outlined very clearly by now. No more "unprecedented" experiences when Covid had been in the U.S. for two whole years! Also, just so we are on the same page here, let's make sure we understand the root word here.

Precedent (noun): An earlier event or action that is regarded as an example or guide to be considered in subsequent similar circumstances.

Thankfully, the word that now sparks rage inside of me (ok, maybe not rage, but close!) has filtered out of the media slowly over the last few months. I now feel safe watching Covid news without the fear of hearing such a cringe-worthy word. Little did I know, back in 2020, that I would be thinking of my pet peeve as Joey and I drove home from his Doctor visit yesterday, living through our very own "unprecedented" experience.

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When last we left off, Joey and I were beyond excited to update you all on the BEST news of all! We had just talked to the liver doctor who said his scan didn't look like cancer at all. Low and behold, his biopsy was completely clean and proved he DID NOT have cancer!! However, that was all we knew back then. The next few months would be a whole lot of change for us, which would require any further testing to hold off. Let me update on the lost time first.

Joey had basically just been handed a new lease on life. He had been feeling slightly run down now for a while, plus this roller coaster of a life and his health was exhausting. When the news about the biopsy came back, he was ready to make some changes. He attempted a new job working in a train yard (another bucket list item he checked off!) but it didn't work out the way we had envisioned it.  He is currently mulling over going back to school for his Master's and changing his I.T. direction a bit. In the mean time, he is playing the stay at home dad roll and loving it! It was a bit of a transition for all of us as a family, but it seems to make everyone really happy right now. This change allows me to increase my client load more, attend more births and keep doing my doula work, which has just been a huge blessing. it also allows Joey to spend more time with the kids and be available at the drop of a hat, since I have a pretty demanding on-call schedule.  Plus, the kids love the extra daddy time!

Fast forward to a few weeks ago. Now that our home life is back on track and set into a routine again, we decided it was time for Joey to finish the testing on this strange growth on his liver. The doctor ordered a PET scan and some blood work. Once the tests were done, the doctor wanted us to come in to discuss it all. It was all pretty routine, once again.

"First and foremost," the doctor said, "your scan showed absolutely NO cancer cells in your body."

Let me say that again for the people in the back. NO CANCER CELLS IN HIS WHOLE ENTIRE BODY! Seriously! Even the doctor was a little dumb founded. She said, "To be transparent, we have no idea what happened. It was there... and then it wasn't! There is no precedent for this! I don't know if you all are religious at all... but the only explanation I have is that it was a miracle." Us too, my dear medically minded friend, us too!! His blood tests were all showing that his health was improving gradually, despite what science said would happen. PRAISE THE LORD!!

That wasn't the end of the conversation, however. There were a few decisions that had to be made regarding our next steps. First, although he doesn't have cancer, it doesn't mean he might not get it in the future. Having PSC and UC definitely increases his risk of developing cancer at some point in his life. Second, his PSC means that he still has a dying liver. Yep, he still has stage 4 cirrhosis of his liver. Thankfully, we already knew this fact. Back when he was diagnosed with is Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis in 2015, the first thing we were told was that it slowly and continually kills the liver. We also know that the only way to cure the PSC, is through a liver transplant. The subject of a liver transplant has come and gone through the last 7 years since his diagnosis, so it's not a taboo subject for us. 

The doctor went on to explain that Joey's MELD score was currently at a 16. A MELD score is short for "Model for End-stage Liver Decease" and is the score they use to decide how sick the liver is and when to do a transplant. It looks at things like dialysis frequency, creatinine, bilirubin, INR and sodium levels and can go as high as 40. You need at least a 15 to be referred to the transplant list. Previously, having this specific type of cholangiocarcinoma disqualified his from the transplant list. They told us that it would be too risky and may shorten his life even more. Now that his PET scan is clean and his blood tests are improving, the doctor is FINALLY recommending Joey for transplant list testing!!! Obviously we know that his MELD score is just barely over the qualified number, but at least we can get the preliminary testing done and have him on the list for when it gets higher or if he suddenly gets sicker. Hopefully it won't be needed for another few years or even longer,  but just knowing he is on the list, brings us peace. The idea of a transplant is obviously a bit scary, but in comparison to terminal cancer, we'll take it!

Things to pray for:

-PRAISE for the miracle and blessing of Joey's life!!!!!

-Praise that we have wonderful doctors who are giving us the best they have to give and helping us achieve all that Joey needs.

-Pray that the testing goes well and everything comes back the right way, so Joey can be placed on the transplant list. 

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU to all of you who have diligently prayed! We firmly believe that it is because of the power of prayer and faith that God allows miracles happen! We love and appreciate all of you beyond words!