I wasn’t going to post about this as it involves something in my life which is quite personal. But at my daughter’s request. I am doing so now.
Last week my daughter, son in law, and their 3 sons who currently live in St. Louis decided to spend their summer vacation in Chicago. Last Thursday after a noticing some discomfort in her middle son’s arm, my daughter decided to take him to a pediatrician to check it out. After the appointment an afternoon of fun was planned for the family and then they looked forward to concluding their vacation with two very large family Shabbos meals, one with our extended family; the other with my son in law’s extended family.
As we waited for my daughter to come back, I received a call, from my daughter crying hysterically. She told me an X-ray was taken and they suspect a tumor. They believed my grandson was afflicted with bone cancer. Upon receiving this call, my knees buckled and I could barely stand up. I could not believe my ears. What was supposed to be a nice ending to a pleasant vacation turned into a horrible moment. Everything in my world changed at that moment. I could barely retain my composure. I am not the kind of father that can be a rock under trying and emotional moments. I react. No one expected this. It happened so suddenly. And it shocked us all! The pediatrician suggested that they immediately return to St Louis and deal with the situation there.
Within an hour or so, they were all packed. Moments later they left to return back to their home in St Louis.
My grandson was checked into a children’s hospital and had an MRI. It was determined that the probability of bone cancer is at about ninety percent. We are all very worried. I have not stopped thinking about it. The biopsy is about to take place (within the hour). And a bone scan is scheduled after that to see if it spread. Of course there is still a ten percent chance that it is nothing more than an infection. And that is what we are all hoping for. But we are also very realistic about our expectations.
I would ask that anyone who can to please Daven for a Refuah Shelaima for my grandson, Reuven Ben Tova Chaya.
