The Next Step and Beyond

As always, we thank everyone for your prayers over Tzadok's condition. We have explored the possibility of seeking a second opinion, but insurance and financial strain are making this path difficult to pursue. So, for the foreseeable future we will continue with the study at St. Jude, but my precious wife remains uncomfortable with the prospect of radiating our son's brain, which is to be expected. The pressure of this situation continues to take it's toll on the family, and we are desperately seeking peace from the Father because we know through his peace we can endure any trials or tribulations. Our calender for the next few months begins on Oct. 19 where we will leave to go to St. Jude to begin pre-radiation testing. The testing will finish around Oct. 31 and we will then leave immediately for Jacksonville, FL where we will begin proton therapy on Nov. 3. Radiation will finish some time in mid January if all goes well and we will be returning to Tennessee shortly there after. This, of course, is a tentative schedule because in the medical world things can always change, but as things stand now we will not be in town for Thanksgiving or Chanukah this year, and maybe even Purim as well. All this is overwhelming for us to think about and consider, which leads to our specific physical needs and prayer requests we have for the next step of Tzadok's journey.

First, please pray for the Father's shalom to cover us, so we can walk boldly through the next stage of treatment. Another prayer request is for no side-effects from research or proton radiation to affect Tzadok both short and long term. Next are our physical needs. The cost for this stay in Memphis and Jacksonville will be considerable, so we need help and support to be able to function as a family throughout this trip. Hotel costs alone for this event will exceed $3000 dollars! So a secure place to donate to our family has been set up through the website Go Fund Me. To keep things simple, the title of the donation site is Tzadoks unexpected journey, but here is the link directly to the donation page: http://www.gofundme.com/fw49xs Your prayers and support mean so much to us, and quite frankly without all of your support we would not be able to continue to walk this challenging path.