Tonight I am deeply thankful for my cousin Wendy and her husband Jonathan who took time out during the busy holidays to call us and encourage us to get a second opinion. Jonathan had sent us a recommendation to the Huntsman sarcoma team, but it was during the holidays and everyone else had told us we could consult with oncologists after the surgery.

Wendy called me--was it on New Year's Day?--and told me of some of the things they had learned the hard way about dealing with a rare form of cancer (Jonathan, a pediatrician, was only in his mid thirties when he was diagnosed with a rare bladder cancer). Because of her I called Huntsman the very next day, even though it was the Friday after a holiday and I was doubtful anyone would be there or that we could possibly get in to see anyone before Shane's scheduled surgery.

Jonathan called us during half-time of the U of U/Alabama game and asked good questions that made us even more determined to get more information before going ahead with the scheduled surgery.

Now, thanks to their recommendations, we've already taken action to rule out metastasization. We have a team of doctors/nurses and medical staff much more experienced in this type of cancer. The putting back together part will be a part of the surgery--which means Shane will recover and be able to put this past him much more quickly. And instead of a huge L-shaped scar across the left side of his face, Shane shouldn't have any visible scarring at all.

I will be forever grateful that they didn't hesitate or wait to share their experiences and knowledge with us. They changed the outcome of this for us--indeed our entire experience. And in such a significant way. I know they were heaven sent.