Benign...

Although we were thrilled when we received the "benign" diagnosis, as the agonizing days of recovery passed we couldn't help but ask ourselves if Daryl was enduring such a challenging surgery and recovery for no reason. Should the tumor simply have been watched? Would anything bad ever have happened.... anything worth enduring the agonizing recovery?

So before I left Baltimore I asked the Surgeon point blank - if the benign tumor had been left in, could it have changed and become malignant/metastatic? His answer was a quick and certain "yes." By removing the tumor, Daryl has been cured surgically while the tumor was still benign...before it had a chance to grow and spread (metasticize) to the lymph nodes or grow into other areas of the pancreas. Leaving it in would have left Daryl at a high risk for a metastatic diagnosis down the road.

So, as horrible as this experience has been for him, it was necessary and curative. I think he has to keep reminding himself of that every day!!