This is a “selfie” taken by my love, and wife Corinne, a little less than 24 hours after undergoing a robotic hysterectomy by laparoscopy. The photo shows her upbeat and positive approach to the recovery road that she’s now beginning. There are many emotions that I’ve felt and so many assurances of God’s love to Corinne and to me that I’ve received through this experience. It all began when I received Corinne’s call on my cell phone while standing in Interchange 10 at the New NY Bridge project, about to start an inspection of the project’s Rockland stormwater facilities. She told me that the report from her hysteroscopy showed some atypical cells in the lining of the uterus, and that a full hysterectomy was strongly recommended. I immediately became fearful. Within 2 weeks of the call, we had a consultation with the surgeon, Dr. Angel (recommended by OBGYN Dr. Victory) who did a great job of answering all our questions, and we agreed to the surgery.
We asked for prayers from the Parkminster congregation, the Parkminster Men’s Chorus, some co-workers at Bergmann Associates, friends, and family. Our requests extended further to include my supervisor at the New NY Bridge, who had the same surgery a few years ago. She totally understood that I would need to take a week off, and she offered to pray for Corinne. I also connected with a dear college friend, Ralph, who’s involved in a ministry of prayer. He told me on the day of the surgery he would be traveling alone by car somewhere, and would set aside a time to pray. My new Bible Study group from Redeemer Presbyterian Church, that I meet with on Wednesdays, prayed with me and asked for an update before the next meeting (which I would not be attending in person).
Corinne asked me to pray for her just minutes before she was to be rolled into surgery. As I leaned over her, trying not to pull any of her tubes off, I had this vision of God’s people praying for her, and I prayed confidently “Lord, unleash the prayers of your people onto Corinne and onto the medical team and bless every aspect of this operation”. I prayed that prayer believing that a reservoir full of prayers was about to burst over her, and carry her through the operation. I became sure and unafraid.
When Dr. Angel came to see me in the waiting area about 2 hours later, she reported to me that they had completed the surgery successfully, and had taken 3 scans, none of which indicated cancer. They did not need to prolong the surgery by taking lymph nodes from around the uterus. Of course, there would be full pathology tests, but the cancer risk was very low.
Not that we were still able to have more children, but this event also gives me pause to thank God again for the healthy equipment he provided Corinne with that enabled her to bear, and give birth to 3 children who are blessings to us and to God.
Now begins the recovery. For me, this week is a time to be home primarily to love on and serve Corinne, make sure she heals well, and maybe get a few other things done that are difficult to do when I am away. I miss being home and so far the cooking of meals, washing dishes, and sitting on a stool in my kitchen on my laptop computer has been pleasant.
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