From: Curt Estel
Sent:
Subject:
Dear Friends and Family,
First, the good news.....Eric is doing
well. We have a new oncologist who thinks that surgery may NOT be necessary.
This is what we have been praying for. Eric is scheduled for another CT scan
this month which should help determine the next step.
Now, for our new request: As though we
have not already taken more than our share of your prayer time.
Yesterday, Curt had a procedure done that revealed that he has cancer of the
esophagus. He had been having trouble for several weeks/months and had seen
several doctors who treated it as though it were acid reflux while at the same
time doing some tests to check his heart, since he had severe pain in the
center of his chest. The test was the kind where they go down your throat with
a scope, a procedure that should take about one hour. After three hours, they
called me in to reveal the serious news. The reason it had taken so long is
that they did several biopsies during the test. The doctor was sure enough that
it is cancer that he told me right away; not waiting for the results of the
biopsy and the written report of the test results used the term “malignancy”
twice.
Today Curt had a CT scan and we have
an appointment with a thoracic surgeon next Tuesday. Whether they will treat
with chemo, radiation, or do surgery immediately, we do not know at this point.
I told the doctor that I believed that
our son’s experience over this past year, coming from a diagnosis of stage four
cancer to health, had prepared us for this day. So
again, we are trying to “count it all joy as we ENCOUNTER this trial,” knowing
that God is
Would you join us again in a chorus of
prayer to the Heavenly Father asking for another miracle in Curt’s
behalf? It means so much to us to even be able to count you as our friends and
family. You have been so faithful to us over the past year and we are depending
on your support again.
At this point in time, Curt is feeling
okay. We have adjusted his diet to soft foods. He is at choir rehearsal as I
write this.
We will keep you posted as to new
developments. Again, thanks for joining the prayer team for the Estels.
Love,
Vi and family