Detours, Directions, & Discouragement

With the year round road construction that happens in the state of Utah, we have become very familiar with the Detour sign. Its one that can cause tremendous frustration as well as delayed arrival to a desired destination. It can also give someone the opportunity to travel roads and see sights that they may have missed had they hurried on their way. It appears that we have just run into one of those signs in regards to Madeline's treatment. For a little over a week Madey has been experiencing some unexplained back pain. As she checked into the hospital Monday, to take care of her next chemo treatment, the doctor thought it would be a good idea for Madey to have an MRI, the result was another tumor. Most likely the same type of tumor she had in her pelvis, this time it is attached to one of her vertebrae. Our detour has led us back to the Huntsman Cancer Institute for five radiation treatments that will hopefully reduce the size of the tumor and provide relief to Madeline's back. Madey had her first radiation treatment on Wednesday. She received a lot of hugs from the employees there, they missed her amazing smile, but were sad to see her return under these circumstances. After she finishes radiation we will wait a couple of weeks and then run more scans before meeting with doctors to determine the best route for our continued journey.
Like most detours this one has been discouraging and unwanted, but as we move forward in the journey we know that there will be new sights and experiences that will hopefully enhance our trip. Its okay from time to time to get off the beaten path and look around, their might be an unexplored waterfall, a new landscape, or even a Moose.
While talking to Madey about her feelings, she said "it feels a lot like a hike we took while camping at Tony Grove a few years ago, every time I got tired you told me to keep walking because the lake might be just around the next bend and what a shame if we quit now and miss it. Once we reached the top of the mountain we realized we had to still climb down the mountain and through the valley...it was a long hike. " We eventually found the lake, it was pretty and worth the hike, mostly because we were all hiking together. The walk back had its challenges but since we knew the path and where it led we were more than happy to walk it.
We continue to have faith, hope, and courage and we walk this under explored trail. But we know that with the faith and prayers of others we will be strengthened, supported, and lifted on our journey.