On Friday, Jack and Naomi had a Zoom call with a Mayo Clinic thoracic surgeon, Dr. Stephen Cassivi. Jason and Tim joined the call. The doctor introduced himself, reviewed what he knew about Jack’s case, and described how the surgery would happen. Jack wrote this about the visit:

After meeting this afternoon with the thoracic surgeon from Mayo via Zoom our family decided to go ahead with an expedited surgical schedule. If we waited for a more convenient time the mass would get larger and possibly involve the organs around it. It is considered cancerous so time is important.

Initially we thought we could avoid surgery, but after extensive testing (which continues) we have no other option. The surgery is July 7th with a recovery will be 6 to 8 weeks at home. The prognosis is very good so we are confident that everything will return to normal - as long as the republicans don’t gain control!

There’s an old Yiddish saying, “Make plans, God laughs.”1 So we’re going to stay light on details for now. As plans firm up (for testing and their results), we’ll share them here.

Right now, we’re focused on the July 7th surgery date and what it will take for Jack to be ready. Dr. Cassivi said the there are three things Jack can do to get stronger,

  1. stay active (not sedentary),
  2. eat a balanced diet, and
  3. get enough sleep.

Jack’s three-for-three on these, and he plans to continue begin active, eating well, and getting the rest his body needs.

Thanks for all your thoughts and prayers as we make our way through this, one day at a time.

  1. “Mensch tracht und Gott lacht.” ↩