Update on Brad

Well, we received good news and bad news from the doctor yesterday. The growth in Brad's mouth was a tumor called an Ameloblastoma. Basically, it is a fast growing tumor that stems from the tissue in your mouth that produces enamel for your teeth. While not cancerous, it is very serious and must be removed or it will continue to grow. This will involve the removal of tissue, teeth and bone. The good news, according to Dr. Koch, is that everything they will remove can be reconstructed. This is an extremely rare tumor and Brad's doctor has only seen 4 in his 34 year career. He has only operated on 2. Knowing this, he told Brad that if it was his son that had this he would want him to see the best. So, he is sending Brad to a doctor at Emory to perform the surgery. While this is scary for us, we realize that it could be much worse. We are grateful that Brad became so concerned with the first hint of a sore in his mouth and went immediately for medical treatment. Most people do not realize they have this until they have a growth so large it is causing facial deformity. We still don't know a lot yet, just what the doctor said and what we have read on the internet. It appears that it will be long road but, like I said, it could have been so much worse. Thank you to all those that have been thinking about and praying for us. We will continue to keep you updated!