Live from the waiting room!

Day zero of Mom's new spine.

Mom and Dad arrived around 5:30 a.m. Chuck Taylor was here to see Mom off into surgery, along with my brother Scott and his girlfriend Ana. Mom was prepped for surgery around 7:30 a.m. (she got a dose of what Dad calls "happy medicine"). At 7:45 she went into the OR, and the first incision was 8:25.

So, now it's four of us (Dad, Tim, me, Debbie), hanging out at the hospital for the long haul. I'm utterly thrilled that instead of the typical hospital waiting room with a blaring TV and frantic hospital staff, we have managed to ensconce ourselves in a quiet, semi-private waiting space, complete with wireless signal and super-comfy furniture. Wow! It's the nicest hospital waiting room I've ever come across. It's especially appreciated, since we're going to be spending lots of time here over the next couple of days.

We are all hunkering down with our laptops, working on projects, enjoying the calm day, appreciating the chance to be together.

We have been receiving updates on Mom's condition about once an hour. I'll keep you posted throughout the afternoon. Thanks to the host of you that are out there praying and fasting for Mom at this very moment.

For more updates on Mom's surgery throughout the afternoon, hit the "refresh" button on your browser. I'll try to update whenever we get news from the OR, maybe once an hour.

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10:40 am EST - Another update phone call from the OR. We are loving the helpful communication from the surgical team. Dr. Horton is moving into the fusion part of the surgery. He's moving from one tricky part of the surgery into another. The doctor has surgically separated several vertebrae which had compressed upon each other and grown together over the years. Now he is fusing Mom's vertebrae into one giant "super-vertebra" (that's my term, not the doctor's). More updates soon.

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12:15 pm EST - Mom is doing great. The surgery is going really well so far. We have many fans of Mom gathering here in the waiting space. The doctor is now beginning to put titanium screws into Mom's spine. We're thinking that Mom will be gaining a few pounds during the surgery because of all the metal being added to her back.

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Update from Dad - 1:30 pm EST - Just heard from Monique in the operating room (1:20 PM). Things are proceeding normally with Cheryl's surgery. They continue to work on the spinal fusion, which is going to include all the vertebrae from the sacrum to T5, which includes most of her spine. Progress involves drilling holes and inserting stainless steel screws and rods to support the bone graft. Thanks for your continued prayer. We should be somewhere near the halfway point. More later.

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Update from Dad - 2:40 pm EST - Just heard from the O.R. (2:35 PM). Cheryl's surgery is ahead of schedule. All the hardware bracing is complete and the vertebrae are in place. Dr. Horton is now harvesting bone from her pelvis to place in the inter-vertebral spaces. Once that is done, the surgery is complete. She will then be released to Intensive Care. We who are waiting will be transferring to the family ICU waiting area where we will meet Dr. Horton and hear his report. Everything looks very good at this point. More later.

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Update from Dad - 4:00 pm EST - The bone is in place between Cheryl's vertebrae. Now the difficult work of installing the two unifying stainless steel rods begins. They will bring together all the bracing hardware and finish the operation. They estimate another two hours or so. So, in the end, the surgery will take 11-12 hours, which is pretty close to the original estimates. It has been a long day, but things are still going well. I hope the next update will be the last one of the surgery proper. Thanks for praying.

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6:00 pm EST - The operation is complete! Mom is getting sewed back up right now. We'll get to meet with her doctor and see her briefly in about an hour. She'll spend the night in ICU.

I look forward to meeting the doctor that just helped give so much quality of life back to my Mom. It'd be cool to give him something more than a handshake. Like, say, a giant steak. Or a foot massage. He must be exhausted every time he completes one of these incredible surgeries.

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Update from Dad - 7:00 pm EST - Cheryl's surgery is at last over except for closing the wound and doing the necessary antiseptic preparations. I am waiting for a call from Dr. Horton, which will come as soon as he has finished these final steps. She will be taken to ICU next, where I will be able to see her briefly. Everything went well and now the long healing process begins. She won't wake up until tomorrow sometime. Please pray that post-op difficulties will be minimal and that her bone graft will be successful. About 12 percent of bone grafts don't work, and that really complicates things.

Thanks to all of you for your prayers and your concern for her and us. Today has been long, but the steady succession of people who have been with us in the waiting room has made the time pass much faster. Thanks for all of you for sharing your time with us. Good night!