Chris Update 11/13 6:00pm

This is Skye's sister, Amber, she is away from her computer but wanted to get this update out there as soon as she could. Chris and his family is in need of our prayers.

At this time the prognosis doesn't look good. The doctors are fairly certain that it is cancer, they will be sending off a piece of the tumor for further testing after the surgery to verify, but they expect it to confirm their prognosis.

Part of the tumor is located in the "highway" of his brain, I believe this area is the part of the brain where your frontal lobe connects, they CANNOT cut or operate around this area, so this is a high area of concern.

Chris is scheduled for an 8:30am operation, however, this could get moved if an ER case comes through during the night. They expect for the surgery to last anywhere from 6-8 hours. They will be putting Chris under for the initial preparation, but once they are in, they will wake him up. By doing an awake surgery Chris is less likely to end up with any permanent brain damage or physical impairments (speech, memory, body control, etc.) They will be testing him throughout the surgery to find out where they can operate and where they can't . The more they know the more of the tumor they will be able to remove. Chris had a second MRI done today with more extensive testing (he was moving fingers, talking, spelling, etc.) so that the doctors would see exactly what areas of his brain have been affected and what areas are not. They are still trying to find out anything they can, the more they know the more effective the surgery.

The doctor's best guess is that they will be able to recover 60% of the tumor and as long as nothing unexpected occurs during surgery he should have his motor skills and full body function, with a one-week hospital stay. They would like to remove 90-95% of the tumor to give Chris the longest life expectancy possible.

Specific Prayer Requests and Other Details:

~ Chris CANNOT have a seizure during surgery, if he does, he will either not make it through surgery or he will end up with serious brain damage. A seizure is NOT an option!

~ Even with a successful surgery, they are giving Chris 1-2 years of life expectancy. They cannot ensure what his time will look like or be like, a large part of that is dependent on how much of the tumor they can remove.

~ Depending on Chris's recovery and how his cut heals, he will be starting chemotherapy within 2-3 weeks. Then in the spring sometime, he will go in to see a neuro specialists to discuss his options. At this time, depending on what they are able to do, his life expectancy may change.

~ Praise: the tumor is only in his brain, it has not spread to other areas of his body.

~ They do expect for some brain swelling after surgery, so they are cutting a crevice to allow for this.

~ The doctors gave them a 60% chance that Chris will wake up tomorrow after surgery, the same Chris that he is today.

~ The tumor itself has it's own blood vessels, making it risky to operate around.

At this time Chris' spirits are up, he is optimistic for the surgery and is grateful for his life the time he has had already and the time he will have. The family is all together at the hospital and they are all remaining very strong and optimistic. They have had many visitors today, keeping the atmosphere as light as they can. They will all be staying in Madison tonight, to ensure that they can be with Chris again in the morning before surgery.

"Trust in Him at all times, O people;

pour out your heart before Him;

God is refuge for us." Psalm 62:8