The Latest

(Laura Beth Shields, Catherine Hutton, Emily Hutton Porter)

Pathologists have been unable to agree on the type of liver cancer that Catherine has. Slides may be sent to the Mayo Clinic for their opinion; if so, results may not be in until next week. The lung biopsy went well today--extra drugs, plus a less painful procedure than the liver biopsies made it easier on her. If the lung samples come back negative for cancer, she will likely be a candidate for a liver transplant; if these lesions are determined to be malignant, she will not have a transplant. Her oncologist has started the wheels rolling for a possible transfer to a hospital in Houston, TX that deals exclusively with cancer. The more complicated her case becomes, the more likely she will be transferred. Lastly, she is still on for the PET scan on Friday (not CAT scan--sorry).

Specific prayer requests are for continued wisdom for the pathologists as they diagnose the type cancer she has; and that the lesions on her lungs are not cancerous, so that she might remain a potential candidate for a liver transplant.