Home Sweet Home!

Happy Valentine's Day, to all of our friends and family!

I got the best Valentine's present possible. It was a good day today. As many of you know, Sarah came home from the hospital today. This morning was filled with final preparations and tests to make sure she'd be ready for what being at home would throw at her.

Her physical therapy this morning consisted of walking up and down a flight of 16 stairs. She did an awesome job and the therapist said she passed the exam with flying colors. She, then, walked back to her room. They, also, brought in a walker for her to bring home so she can get around without any trouble. She spent a good portion of the day napping and gathering up strength in preparation to come home.

We got home around 4:00pm this afternoon and Luci and Eva were very happy to see her. It took Eva a little while to warm up to seeing Mommy without some hair, but she eventually ran over to Sarah and gave her a big hug. That made Sarah's night and she had the biggest smile on her face that I've seen for a while. A few friends stopped by to say hi and drop off flowers and dinner.

Sarah walked up the stairs all by herself and took a shower. Her mom, Jane Ann, washed her hair for her right after she got home and she looked totally different after that.

Sarah is happy to be in her own bed and wearing her own clothes. She seemed much more awake here at home and more talkative. It was nice to see her smile more, too. She's also getting her appetite back which is nice to see.

We want to thank the wonderful nurses and doctors for all they did over the last week. Without them we wouldn't be to the point we are, so we are forever grateful. We, also, couldn't be where we are without such wonderful friends and family and the amazing support and prayers we received.

In the days and weeks ahead as Sarah recovers, we will be talking with Dr. Nardone and his team in planning for the next surgery that will remove the second half of the tumor (they believe it to be a Schwannoma. It is a benign nerve sheath tumor made up of Schwann cells.). We are looking forward to the second leg of this journey and getting the rest of the tumor removed so Sarah can move on and begin to recover completely. We will continue to keep everyone up-to-date on how she is doing.

Thanks, again, for all your love and prayers!