Anna's First Surgery

If you don't know already, my sweet Anna has Gorlin Syndrome, a very rare genetic condition where her body's cells don't know when to stop growing. She has lots of small skin cancers (basal cell carcinomas) all over her body. Today she had her first surgery to remove two of the larger cancer spots. It was a quick procedure, a 'burn & scrape,' and that's exactly what the doctor did. I held Anna, and a very, very thoughtful friend entertained her while the doctor took what looked like a razor blade and cut out those spots (picture moles). Then the doctor took a mini soldering iron thingy and burned the area to create an instant scab and prevent infection. The whole thing took less than 30 minutes, but it was pretty traumatic for me. Anna said, "No, doctor, please, no," while she was doing it. Tears! Oh, I cried, Anna cried; thankfully my sweet friend kept trying to talk to her, encourage her, and distract her.

Here's my precious girl before the surgery:

And, here she is in 'recovery' at Sweet Frog, her favorite frozen yogurt place. Ha! She had stopped crying even before we left the procedure room. She's such a trooper!

She's in preschool at Rise, and it has been just a blessing. Anna is talking so much more, and I can tell that she's really benefiting from all the therapies built into the preschool curriculum.

Thank you, Lord, for always providing!

Here's her farm that's hanging on the wall outside of her classroom:

Anna the farmer! Isn't she the cutest thing?! Each day they add a new piece to the farm. This morning before her surgery, they made a pigsty with pudding paint. How fun!

God has also provided us with some new friends who are also affected by Gorlin Syndrome. This family lives very close to us, and they have been so generous with their time in sharing their experiences and encouragement.

Y'all, I just cannot say it enough:

God is so good!