Jill

Hi everyone,

As some of you know, Jill has recently undergone emergency surgery for what appeared to be a localized tumor in her colon. It turned out to be more widespread than that, and she had a bilateral ovarectomy in addition to a hemi-colectomy. They also saw peritoneal studding, which is evidence of cancerous growths on the lining of the abdomen. I'm really sorry if you're hearing it here for the first time.

In short, my wife has cancer, and it appears to be aggressive. They removed 99% of what they saw, but it was impossible to get all of it. We won't know for a few days what the tissue of origin is, which determines the treatment options. We have our heads up, and we have a lot of support, and Jill is in one of the best places in the Northwest, receiving excellent care.

To find out more about Jill, and to keep up with her progress, I'd recommend bookmarking this site, which is dedicated to providing regular Jill updates. I won't be doing that here, except as inspiration for other thoughts that I'd like to express.

My basic message to those concerned is that Jill is not dead. Jill is still Jill, and she is going to be around for as long as we have her. I'm not grieving her, and you shouldn't either. The surgeon said that it is going to be an uphill battle, but he also said that long term management was also a good possibility. We just don't know enough yet. She would like to hear from you, though, and she'll be increasingly available on the phone over the next week.

We are so lucky to have so many great friends who have already extended offers of help, or who have offered to come out and lend a hand. Even just thoughts of support are welcome. Thanks to all of you. Really.