DoddemaGen

It’s taken me a while to write this. We’re still recovering from the shock of it all. It still seems like a dream and definitely everything was a whirlwind.

Let me start at the beginning. Kara has always had this odd bump on her left forearm. It’s been there for at least as long as we’ve been married. We noticed it getting bigger in the summer of 2007 and getting more painful. She went to the doctor and was told that it probably was just a calcium deposit and take some tylenol. It wasn’t until November that she went to a specialist to find out why she was in so much pain.

The specialist became concerned after seeing the X-Ray and MRI results. To him, it showed all signs of a tumor. He sent the results to Salt Lake City and we waited about 3 weeks before we heard anything back. One we did hear from them, they immediately wanted us in Salt Lake for surgery.

It’s been a hectic day but I’m pleased to say that Kara’s surgery went well.  She had a thermal ablation (I think I got that right).  If you don’t know what it is, research it.  She’ll be hurting for a few days but should be feeling lots better by the end of the week.  Estimates are that by the time her blood level reaches normal, she should be a brand-new person!  That’s a good thing.

So thank you for all your prayers and well wishes.

I apologize for being gone for so long.  My internet connection was done for a time and the local cable guys took over two weeks before coming to look at the problem.  As they’re the only cable guys in Missoula, it’s best not to complain too much or the wait can be even longer.  I’m not rocking that boat!

In the meantime, I’ve been doing lots of genealogy.  I’ve added more individuals from the information given me by Rob Leeuwerke, Henk Doddema and Barbara Kuhns Cumming.  I believe I have over 3000 names now in the database which is pretty cool.  I’m continually amazed by the influx of information.  I imagine a big bonus is that I’m doing all the entering.  If that is all it takes to add extra information about our families…I’m all for it.  I have the time.

I’ll probably be a little slow the next couple of days while I catch up on emails, updates to the site (technology does not take a rest even though my cable guy does), and my wife’s operation this upcoming Tuesday.  Although only about a 20 minute procedure, it’s still a pretty big deal for me.  This is the love of my life going under the knife or laser as this case appears.  It’s personal for her so I won’t go into details but it’s a very serious matter and her health has been compromised enough.  She should be an entirely renewed person by the time she heals up from this.  I look forward to her being healthy and energetic again!

So until then, keep sending your information, keep us in your prayers and know that we are that much closer to making our history complete!