George Seddon, a pharmacist and church leader in Georgia whose bladder cancer returned spreading to his pelvis a year ago is to undergo surgery on Monday 29 November 2010. Please see the following from his wife LaVonda:
Pray for George and all of us as we approach the surgery on Monday Nov. 29th! George has peace, and says that God has definitely led us to the surgery. I agree. The doors were closed to any surgery at all previously, and doors have miraculously opened again. George has had chemo since last Dec. and does not feel that he can handle any more, not to mention the previous rounds of chemo in 2008.
The surgeon says that he feels confident that he can remove all the tumor, but to do so will require taking out some of George’s pelvis bone. Not because the tumor has spread to the bone, but because the tumor is wrapped around the bone in the sciatic notch. The surgeon said that if he attempted to unwrap/remove the tumor from the sciatic notch, there would be the chance of leaving behind some of the tumor or microscopic cells of the cancer. This removal of pelvis bone will leave George with a surgery created hernia, but the surgeon does not feel that the hernia will be much of a problem, and under the circumstances feels that a hernia will be a fair tradeoff.
George has lost sensation in his right foot and parts of his hip/leg where the tumor has interfered with the sciatic nerve. This is why he can’t drive. He has learned to walk with a cane using muscles in his hip and higher up. The surgery may also lead to more sensation loss. The surgeon thinks that the tumor has already severed the sciatic nerve and if George does loose more sensation it will not be significant. The surgeon believes that George will still be able to stand and to walk after surgery, but cannot make guarantees. George is ok with this risk, and says that he is not having the surgery to be pain-free, or to be able to walk, but to remove the tumor/cancer.
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