David Kuo

Welcome to David Kuo's friendly update page. This page has been provided so that David can update you on the status of his former brain tumor and so that you can write to him your thoughts and prayers on the sign guestbook page.



Please see the recently updated Journal Entry from David below. Please continue to pray for David's full recovery!

Journal

Tuesday, May 20, 2003

Dear Friends,

As we did last time, this update has to begin again with thanks to you all. Not a day goes by that Kim and I aren't stunned and amazed by your love, faithfulness, generosity, and care. At each step of our journey your support for us has meant different things - strength and comfort in those hard initial days, courage and its cousin (encouragement) as we went through the surgery and its immediate aftermath, peace and hope as we now face the future. We thank you for all for each part of it.

The past couple of weeks have truly been weeks of renewal for Kim and me. We were tempted to go away and spend some time on a beach but ultimately decided we wanted to recuperate in our (almost) newly renovated house. We didn't want to pack bags, make planes or generally travel. We've taken a lot of walks, had long talks, read, watched movies, spent time with friends and prayed - oh, and slept a great deal too.

Now to the update - sexy stuff first. We got the final pathology reports last night. One was from NIH and the other from one of the country's top pathologists in Boston. Both agree that my particular tumor was a 'mixed glioma' made up of both 'oglios' and 'astros' (my not-so- technically-accurate terms). Both also agree that these cells show no evidence of being 'high grade' cells - those that are rapidly dividing. Instead, they are 'level 2' cells meaning that they are 'low grade.' Other tests run by the Boston pathologist similarly suggest that these are not 'angry' cells, and divide very slowly.

Kim and I had both hoped the reports would say this was purely an 'oglio' tumor - the kind that if they recur tend to do so in decades. That it wasn't purely this particular type was initially a blow for both of us. As much as anything we were hoping we could simply wash our hands of this and move on, with an MRI every six months or year.

But the news we got was hardly bad. If this tumor recurs, the doctors believe it will do so at some undetermined point between when Level 2 astrocytomas recur (usually measured in years) and when Level 2 Oligodendrogliomas recur (measured in decades). Recurrence would mean reexamining options and considering treatments like radiation. Of course, it is also possible it might never recur - and that is certainly the prayer that we'd ask you to continue to pray in the coming days and years.

When we first heard the pathology reports, Dr. Fine (Chief Neuro-Oncologist at NIH) warned us that this was, in many ways, the most frustrating of all possible diagnoses. Not, obviously, because of the threat it poses but because of the uncertainty it presents. After hearing all the possible outcomes, we are tempted to agree - the lack of certainty is hard. The seemingly endless list of things that could possibly go wrong is also hard to grasp.

Yet we know this diagnosis is really just a microcosm for all our lives - we are not promised tomorrow (or even our next breath). Solomon put it succinctly, "We do not know what a day may bring forth." This lack of certainty, however, does not mean that we are mere biological accidents drifting along on the winds of chance. Rather, we believe that the lack of certainty is just the beginning of faith. We know we are not alone and that God is with us in all of us - that we will never be on our own. We also ask that your prayers for us continue - that as the months and years progress, you will remember to pray for our total and complete healing and for no recurrence of this tumor.

What next? Let's see - MRI's every three months, more tests here and there, and possibly the Marine Corps Marathon this fall. Anyone want to join me?

Let's hope that when Kim and I return to work next week that our quality of work is far better than the current speed of my lumbering. On the work note, we owe so much to the everyone at our respective offices - in particular, Tom Wheeler and Christina Martin at the Cellular Telecommunications and Internet Assocation (CTIA) and Jim Towey and John Bridgeland at the White House. Their generous and enthusiastic support in every way and at every turn was instrumental to our healing.

As we go forward and are tempted to worry, we will remember the words of Jesus 2000 years ago, "Consider how the lilies grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you."

We really do thank God for his blessing and care every step of this journey. Our trust is truly in Him.

We hope that you will all stay in touch and feel our prayers and love for each of you. We certainly feel yours.

Much love, David and Kim

PS - We always want to hear from you and welcome emails at our home account: johndavid.kuo@verizon.net and kim.kuo@verizon.net.

Look at past journal entries

Hospital Information:

Patient Room: N/A

We are HOME!
3108 Circle Hill Rd.
Alexandria, VA 22305
703.548.1315

Email address  : johndavid.kuo@verizon.net

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