Email from last night...

Hello All, For those who didn't receive it, here is the text from the email that I sent out last night. Jay Before I get too far, I need to thank all of you on behalf of Kari and our entire family. We have struggled to find the right words to describe the support that Kari has received since we announced her fight with cancer. Surprised, overwhelmed and humbled are a few that come to mind. Your collective thoughts, prayers, cards, phone calls, flowers and visits have made this far easier for Kari. Also, the meals and care for our children have been invaluable. Today was the next big step for Kari. She had a pretty grueling day of surgery that started about 6:30 this morning and ended late in the afternoon. The medical staff at Loyola was caring, professional and compassionate. By their accounts, everything went flawlessly. Kari had a bilateral mastectomy. Additionally, they removed a mass of lymph nodes in her right arm. Right now, she is in a fair amount of pain and nauseous, but doing well considering everything. They are going to watch her closely tonight and into tomorrow. There is a chance that they may release her tomorrow afternoon but we are in no hurry. Friday is the more likely case. Her mom, Diane, will spend tonight with her in the hospital to keep an eye on things. She has 4 to 6 weeks of recovery ahead of her. Over this time, she will be restricted in what she can do, including holding the kids. I know that this will be very difficult for her. We will meet with her oncologist within the next week to chart her course of treatment. It will almost certainly include 4 to 6 weeks of chemotherapy. There is a modest chance of radiation therapy, but we won't know this for sure until we meet with the oncologist. Again, thanks to all who called, texted, emailed today cheering her on and looking for updates. I did my best to keep you all up to date with the play-by-play coverage. Also, thanks to those who spent the day with us in the hospital helping us pass the time and lending your support. Having you there meant a lot to us. Please watch our blog for updates over the next few weeks. You can get to it at www.team4harris.blogspot.com. As we promised, we have been trying to keep just as many updates on the kids on the blog as we have updates on Kari. Sincerely, Kari, Jay, James & Katie The Harris Family