It's a Brain Blog

Today is Tim's sixth day back at Stanford. He went in for a second surgery on the 16th. The surgery time was 6-7 hours. When Dr. Steinberg went into the brain, he found the malformation to be much worse than he expected. Nearly 2 1/2 centimeters of the mass was removed this time. Dr. Steinberg said that Tim would have certainly died without the surgery. He felt confident that they were able to remove all of the mass and did not have to sever any nerves in the process. He accurately predicted that Tim would be temporarily paralyzed on the left side of his body and the right side of his face. Tim will spend the next couple of weeks at a rehabilitation hospital in the valley. Dr Steinberg expects a full six-month recovery and he emphasized the importance of staying encouraged and patient through the process of rehabilitation.

Tim is quite anxious to go home! He really wants to take a shower. Sponge baths just aren't all that great after all! His hearing has improved a little bit and he is able to move his fingers on the left hand a bit as well as his left leg. He spends a lot of time sleeping and listening to music. Nearly everything is exhausting to him- as you can imagine. He is anxious to see friends again and will let everyone know when he is ready for visitors. Cards are an encouragement to him and can be mailed to 1505 Newport Ave., San Jose 95125. Tim is not able to speak clearly enough to talk on the phone, but today he is speaking a little better than he was yesterday.

We will write more on a daily basis. Please continue lifting Tim up in prayer during this time, as it is very important for him to not lose hope.

Thank you for being such good friends!