Another Mudcatter and I have been in ongoing communication with Mudcatter NeilD. Neil has been diagnosed with cancer and has been undergoing chemo treatment.

Neil and his wife, Christina, {who has posted here as a guest} have been giving us updates about Neil's condition. But since Neil is such a private person, until today he was reluctant about informing others about his serious condition. However, I received permission today to post this thread asking for prayers and good thoughts for him.

Here's an excerpt of the email I received from Neil today:

"During the last week, while I was getting my third round of chemo, they did a Cat-scan and the MRI to prepare for my upcoming operation, which as you know was supposed to be the amputation of my leg at the hip. They did the scans on Thursday and the Orthopedic surgeon was scheduled to come to see me on Friday. Well he came in at 4:30 Thursday with a big smile on his face and said that the tumor had shrunk so much that he is now going to be able to remove
it and save my leg. He won't even have to remove the femur and replace it with a steel rod.

This was the miraculous reaction to the chemo that I fantasized about but NOBODY believed was going to actually happen. I will lose 80% of the muscle in my thigh and will always have a stiff legged limp but what the heck. There is still a 15% chance of infection that would take my leg after all and a 10%chance of a remission but these are still my best odds yet. The Cat-scan was clean as well, meaning that it still hasn't shown up in my lungs yet. The chemo has hit me a bit harder this time around AND I get three more rounds after the surgery, but , believe me , I'm not complaining about the side effects considering how unbelievably well it is working."

-snip-

NeilD's surgery is scheduled for February 2, 2009. While Neil has received good news that his tumor has shrunk, he still needs our prayers, good thoughts, and best wishes.

This thread provides an opportunity for us to send our Mudcat energy out to Neil. Those who want to send a private message to NeilD can also do so.

Please post to this thread and let Neil know that we surround him with positive, healing thoughts.