About a month ago, on Monday, November 2, 2009, Corbin was driving home from work while talking to me on his cell phone, when all of sudden in mid-sentence all went quiet. “Corbin? Are you there?" I probed. Finally, his voice broke the silence as he responded. He told me he was having trouble breathing and experiencing other very unusual symptoms. I was really scared. He had pulled over to the side of the road, but he needed help to ensure he was able to get home safely. I was without a car, so I called my mom and relayed to her what he was experiencing. After a short while, he called me back and said he was okay and could probably drive home just fine. I didn't feel good about him driving, however, so I insisted that he still allow my parents to come for him. When he got home, he described to us in greater detail what had happened, including the specifics of his unusual symptoms.
He said he smelled something gross and got a weird taste in his mouth, as his head clouded over and pressure mounted in his chest. He had never felt anything like it. Now, if anyone knows me, they will know that anytime I have a question about something, I always like to do a quick Google search for some basic information on the topic of discovery. So, after a brief Google search focusing on the symptoms he described, everything seemed to point toward seizures.
The following day, on November 3rd, we went to the doctor, and he leaned toward diagnosing him with the swine flu, which didn’t seem to corroborate our research at all, so we wanted to seek out a second opinion. The next day we went to another doctor, and he said Corbin’s symptoms sounded like seizures. To be sure, he wanted Corbin to have an MRI, which they scheduled for the next day.
We were at my parents’ house when Corbin got a phone call from the staff at the MRI office. They wanted to change the time of his MRI when Corbin suddenly had one of his seizures while they were on the phone. So, instead, they decided to have him go in for his MRI that same day. The doctor wanted an EEG done on him as well, which they were able to do at the same appointment. They called us later that day with the results, explaining that Corbin had a brain tumor on the left side of his brain. Our doctor referred us to Dr. Cach, a neurosurgeon in Idaho Falls for specialty care.
Our appointment with Dr. Cach was scheduled for Monday, November 9th, which just seemed so long away, especially as Corbin began to have seizures more and more frequently. Corbin's parents talked us into calling Dr. Cach’s office to see if there was any way we could get in to see him earlier, but they said it just wasn’t possible. We did ask them, though, to please give us a call if there was a cancellation that opened up their schedule to accommodate us any sooner.
Well, it turns out they did have a cancellation, and they called us on Thursday, November 5th to see if we could come in that day. Dr. Cach told us a little more about the tumor, but unfortunately things just didn’t sound very positive. He explained that because of the kind of tumor and where it was located, it would be extremely difficult to remove without causing peripheral damage to the brain. Dr. Cach ordered a biopsy for the following day, Friday, November 6th. The biopsy went really well, but Dr. Cach was still concerned that Corbin would more than likely lose his speech and the movement of his right arm upon the tumor’s surgical removal. 
After Biopsy
Corbin stayed the night in the hospital on Friday, November 6th. While in the hospital, Corbin didn't have any seizures, but over the weekend, he had more than eight during the day and three or four at night. On Sunday, November 8th, we took him to the ER to see a neurologist about his medicine. They upped his dosage, which seemed to help the intensity of the seizures, although he was still having them just as often. When he would have the seizures, he would often have crazy visions and feel extremely weird. With the higher dosage, he seemed to be able to tell they were coming on and they weren’t as intense.
Meanwhile, we wouldn't find out the official results from the biopsy until Thursday, November 12th, so we just waited and thought of the worst possible things that could happen. While we waited in desperation, we felt we just had to do something, especially since the doctor didn't sound very hopeful. We decided to visit an herb lady in Utah that a family member recommended to us. We drove down to meet with her on Wednesday, November 11th, and she gave us some herbs to try.
On Thursday, November 12th, we went back to meet with Dr. Cach. He explained that Corbin’s tumor was an astrocytoma tumor, and that he really only knew of one doctor who could successfully and completely remove the tumor—Dr. Gazi Yarasgil, a 78-year old surgeon in Little Rock, Arkansas. After a little more research on the internet, we discovered he was actually 84 years old, which concerned Corbin’s parents and a lot of my family, but we felt really good about things, so Dr. Cach sent Corbin’s MRI out to him on Friday, November 13th.
Corbin received a call on Monday, November 16th from Professor Yarasgil's nurse, who explained that the professor could in deed remove the tumor and would like to meet with us on Friday, November 20th and could perform the surgery the following Monday or Tuesday. We were very excited and simultaneously just as scared. We got our travel plans all worked out over the next couple of days. On Wednesday, November 18th, we spent time with Maxten, knowing how difficult it was going to be to leave him behind for two weeks or perhaps even longer if things didn’t go as planned. On Wednesday night, we headed to Utah in preparation for our early morning flight out to Little Rock, Arkansas on Thursday. We had our appointment with Professor Yarasgil on Friday morning at 8:45.
It was a nice meeting with the Professor. He taught us a lot about the brain and specifically about Corbin’s tumor. It was a lot of great information, and we were very hopeful. He raised our spirits with his gentle humor and friendly demeanor, noting that people with this kind of tumor are very smart. Of course, that made us laugh. After our meeting with him, I felt really good about the surgery. He explained that most doctors cut into the brain, which is why many patients lose speech and body movement, but he was confident he would not cut any part of Corbin’s brain. His confidence and hopefulness were so reassuring and quite the contrast from our visits with Dr. Cach.
After our meeting with Professor Yarasgil, Corbin had to have several tests done, including an MRI four times stronger than the one he received in Idaho Falls, a chest x-ray, a speech test and an eye test. We then met with the Professor again that afternoon, at which point he informed us he would like to do the surgery on Tuesday, November 20th.
So, we settled in for a relaxing weekend in the cozy southern auspices of Little Rock. We went down to the "Little Rock" and went to the Little Rock market. We rode around on the bus system and saw most of Little Rock. Corbin's parents went to Bella Vista to see some family on Saturday, November 21st. On Sunday, November 22nd, we went to church, where we met so many friendly people and collected pockets and pockets full of phone numbers of members who sincerely wanted to help. Later that day, we picked up Diane at the airport. On Monday, November 23rd, we continued our pursuit of all available tourist attractions and interesting sites, including the Clinton Presidential Library and Museum.
Surgery Day
At last, the day of Corbin’s surgery finally arrived. The Professor had told us to return to see Corbin around 3:00pm, so we returned around 2:00pm and were surprised to learn Corbin was already out of surgery. He got there at 6:00am and was prepped for the surgery until 9:00am. It took the Professor just three hours to remove the tumor and another two hours to sew him back together. He was expecting it to take much longer, but he was pleased that it went so smoothly.
We got to see Corbin around 5:00pm that evening, although he didn't respond much at all to our presence. We went back in at 7:00pm, and he was responding more. In fact, the Professor wanted me in there more because he was responding so well while I was there. He wasn't talking yet, and he still wasn't moving the right side of his body, but he was expected to improve in time. Each time we saw him that night he was responding better and better. They sent him over to ICU for the night, and Blake’s family came in from Chicago around the same time.
The next morning, Wednesday, November 25th, Corbin had a follow-up MRI done, which showed that the tumor was completely gone. We went downtown, walked on the bridge by the "Little Rock", played at a cool park, and rode the trolley. Every day we saw Corbin, and he was improving rapidly. At first, he began to move his leg and then his arm and began talking more and more. Then, his fingers started to move and in just a couple of days he was walking.
On Thanksgiving Day, November 26th, we had a yummy Sam’s Club turkey and a big feast along with it. Perhaps the food tasted so good because we recognized more than ever the bounteous blessings poured down upon our family during this faith inspiring crisis at this special time of year. More than anything else, we were grateful that everything went well with Corbin’s surgery and that he was recovering so quickly.
They moved Corbin from the ICU into Room "H823." I had the hardest time understanding the nurse on the phone when she tried to explain his new whereabouts because of her deep Arkansas accent. Here “H” and “8” produced the same sound in the same syllable, but it was us that sounded funny to everyone, not her. They all laughed jovially at me for not understanding the local language.
Recovering
The next day was Black Friday, November 27th. Diane, Shelley and I went shopping, stopping at Kohls and Target and finding things a bit calmer than we normally see in Idaho on the busiest shopping day of the year. Later that day we went to the Peabody Hotel and watched the ducks march down to the fountain. We also went to the H.U. Lee Garden, a marvelous memorial to the Eternal Grand Master of Taekwondo and the martial arts. Then, we went to the Little Rock Bridge again, so we could see it at night.
On Saturday and Sunday, we continued to watch Corbin progress toward recovery, and on Monday, November 30th, he had his 32 stitches removed, and he was released from the hospital, although we had to stick around town for a few more days resting and visiting in the hotel.
32 Stitches
Leaving the Hospital
On Wednesday, Shelley, Paula and I went shopping at thrift stores in town. It was so nice to be able to relax and spend time with them.
Finally, on Thursday, December 3rd, we met with the Professor again. He told us that Corbin was doing really well and that he could go home. He explained that we would need to come back in February for another MRI to monitor his progress and check for any potential changes. That afternoon, we flew to Salt Lake City, where at last we were able to see our sweet little boy, who was just as anxious to see us. When we came into view, he came running as fast as his little legs could move his body along. The next morning on Friday, December 4th, we drove home, and more than ever are we glad to be home. On top of that, we are so grateful for Corbin’s fast recovery, for so many faith-filled prayers and special fasts. We could not have done it without all of your support. We love you all! Thank you so much! Miracles still happen today!
