Praying for Ken

The following words are copied from Ken Walter's Caring Bridge Site. I am not sure who wrote them, but they are not my words, but the words of Ken's family!

Ken has been having ongoing issues with his right foot and leg since June. He saw a few Orthopedics who thought the problem was related to a back injury and previous surgery two years ago. The past few weeks the numbness and spasms became greater and more frequent - even traveling up his arm. Ken starting experiencing numbness in his right hand and arm and extreme weakness in his legs.

The doctors first thought that Ken had a mild stroke so they ordered a CT scan and an MRI of the brain. The CT scan showed swelling in the brain and the MRI showed a mass on the left side. Ken was admitted to the hospital and met with a neurosurgeon Saturday morning. The neurosurgeon informed us that the mass was a probable stage 3 or 4 glioma (brain tumor) and that they wanted to proceed with surgery as soon as possible. The tumor is located on the motor highway which controls Ken's motor skills on the right side of his body. The doctors are hopeful because the tumor is located on the surface of the brain, not deeper in the brain tissue. They think the tumor has been growing for only two or three months, so we caught it in its early stages.

During surgery the doctor removed the tumor from Ken's brain and it was determined to be a stage 4 astrocytoma. In a CB update, a" family member said, "This was by no means the diagnosis we were all hoping for, but as we said earlier it's only the beginning of the fight, not the end." http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/kenwaltner

After just a few days in the hospital with therapy and many prayers and lots of love, Ken was able to update his own Caring Bridge today. What a blessing to me!

Friday, December 25, 2009 11:16 AM,

Well, it is time to hear from the guy who has been causing all of the commotion.

First of all, you can not imagine how much all of your support means to me. It simply has overwhelmed my thought process as my family reads the messages and identifies each and every author who has taken the effort to encourage me. Also, all of the phone calls, visits, cards and gifts have been very much appreciated.
A few things I have learned:

*There are angels among us who appear when most needed. Some of you have taken on this role without knowing it.

*When things get really difficult, it is essential to take one day at a time. (sometimes 1/2 day!)

*Be willing to accept assistance from family and friends when needed. Independence is great, but the time will come when each of us will be humbled and require assistance.

*The biggest thing that I have learned in the past few weeks and years is that Ken is not in charge. God is in total charge (PERIOD)!

*I never realized how much my son and his family, daughter and immediate family love me.

*And finally, my wife, Cindy, is the greatest angel of all.

Our walk with God is really quite simple. When we hit the pearly gates I believe St. Peter's spreadsheet will contain the following criteria:

-Believe and accept
-Submit
-WE WILL BE JUDGED HOW WE TREAT PEOPLE HERE ON EARTH. (by the way, each of you have a check mark on his spreadsheet by this one)

Well, it is time to close. I wish each of you a Merry Christmas. Thanks again for your support, your messages have been priceless!!!

Best Regard and may God bless you.

Merry Christmas,
Ken