The Phone Call

Well, there is something I may not have told everyone but I guess now I can share a little something that I didn’t make very public before now.

Martin was diagnosed with Mesothelioma in January. In June when his brain tumor showed up, they changed his diagnosis to PSEUDO Mesothelioma. What is that?

In some cases, clinical and macroscopic presentation point strongly to the diagnosis but often enough the patient has another underlying disease; malignant neoplasms of the lung as well as other organs (skin, pancreas, prostate or kidney) can mimic pleural mesothelioma and if so, are defined as ‘pseudo-mesothelioma’.

Some scientist – somewhere

After they removed the brain tumor it had to be sent off for biopsy. A week or so later we get a call from Dr. Ripley, he tells us they don’t know what it is. He continued by saying, Meso is very very rare and now with this brain situation it is even more rare. That is super scary when the doctor that takes over for the renowned Dr. Sugarbaker, tells you this news. He suggested some sort of specialized testing beyond what was already done. They told us that insurance may not pay because it was very specific and expensive testing that was done. Without flinching, Martin asked, if being able to identify this would help his kids in the future. The doctor said it would. So Martin said, “yes, I want to do anything possible to help my kids now and later on.” That is who Martin was -putting the kids first is what he did.

The test results came back as an adenocarcinoma – something – something, originating in the thoracic (lungs) area. They pretty much had to come up with a name for it. I always called Martin an extremist but WOW.

Now fast forward to two weeks before Martin passed, the lawyer calls and tells me we need to have a conversation and it’s not easy. Well since I didn’t plan on Martin dying, I was ready to get this over with. Very gently the lawyer, Josh, says we will need to do an autopsy when the time comes. There was paperwork that needed to be signed so they could do what was needed.

We live in Chambers County and in Baytown (most everyone else in Baytown is in Harris County) and that tends to blow everyone’s minds when you need 911 or something from one of them. “It’s a geographical oddity!” We pretty much get pawned off to whoever didn’t get the original phone call. Anyways, that is a story for maybe another post later.

Because of the conflicting diagnosis, these pathology samples were going to have to happen. So it did happen a couple of days afterward. I have been a nervous wreck waiting on the results. Even though Martin knew that was what he had because of all the exposure he experienced, the hospital tests still were unclear. It’s been 2 months and I am exhausted from worrying about not hearing anything yet. I know autopsies take a while but this is something that was done by private parties, and the results are sent straight to the legal pathologists. – No that’s not a real person’s title but I can’t think of a better way to say it.

Today while I am standing in the front yard watching Marley sunning for over 40 minutes, I decided to check in and ask about the paperwork that I had just received. Without warning, Josh says, “We got the pathology test and we can absolutely confirm that Martin DID HAVE mesothelioma.” I don’t know that I have ever collapsed but I did at that moment, completely and to the ground. It was over, and Martin was right- as usual! The relief was unreal. But then came the thought that it still didn’t matter, Martin is still gone and won’t come screaming down the road in his noisy truck eating his DQ Blizzard. I miss him.

Thank you for taking such good care of us when you were here with us and even now that you are not walking this road with us.

Wendi, Payton and Connor Mon

I was sure by now
God, You would have reached down
And wiped our tears away
Stepped in and saved the day
But once again, I say “Amen”, and it’s still raining

As the thunder rolls
I barely hear You whisper through the rain
“I’m with you”
And as Your mercy falls
I raise my hands and praise the God who gives
And takes away

I’ll praise You in this storm
And I will lift my hands
For You are who You are
No matter where I am
Every tear I’ve cried
You hold in Your hand
You never left my side
And though my heart is torn
I will praise You in this storm

I remember when
I stumbled in the wind
You heard my cry
You raised me up again
My strength is almost gone
How can I carry on
If I can’t find You

As the thunder rolls
I barely hear You whisper through the rain
“I’m with you”
And as Your mercy falls
I raise my hands and praise the God who gives
And takes away

I lift my eyes unto the hills
Where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord
The maker of Heaven and Earth