What we know so far..

Bruce is scheduled for the "whipple procedure" Wednesday June 10th. We feel very blessed that he qualified for the surgery and have high hopes for the future prognosis. The surgery is pretty complicated and he will be in the hospital for several days. All prayers and well wishes are greatly appreciated. The doctors are very optimistic that they will be able to remove the tumor in his Pancreas. We will not know until then whether the mass is cancerous or benign. We will know much more once the surgery is over, but we anticipate that there will be future treatment in the form of chemo/radiation to ensure the cancer does not spread. The doctors are wonderful and he could not be in better care, we are very uplifted by this. Bruce had some routine blood work done with his primary care physician. Dr Weaver noted a spike in his enzyme count and had Bruce scheduled for an epidural. At the time it appeared to be an issue with his Gallbladder. The ultra sound tech was very thorough and found the tumor on his pancreas. Bruce was then scheduled for an immediate CT Scan. Within days he was ushered to Seattle to meet with a new team of doctors. (Of note: His team of specialists were all in town and available to meet with him the Friday directly following a holiday.) 7 days after being diagnosed Bruce will be in surgery. We have been so encouraged by the urgency his doctors and others have shown in making sure Bruce is getting the best care possible. We hope this blog will serve as an easy way to distribute updates and allow Bruce and Jeanie to focus on getting Bruce well. Please feel free to leave comments and questions we can pass along! Thanks to all for the prayers, love and support! It has been overwhelming and so very much appreciated! Love, The Bruce Ricks Family