It’s been a great year for Lizi. Well, mostly.

Last August, she and Siobhan moved to a two bedroom apartment about four blocks from our home. Lizi likes being closer to (our) home while still having the independence of an apartment.

In the fall, she started attending a young adult Bible study and soon after decided to attend the church as well (Lombard Gospel Chapel.) We know several families there, so it’s been a little like coming home for Lizi. She even found Marshall cousins there. A few months later she started volunteering at Awana.

She got a new job at Chik Fil-A, less than two blocks from her apartment. It has been a great job for her, with a wonderfully accommodating boss and friendly co-workers. We’re so happy that she can walk to work instead of taking a taxi or relying on us.

When John retired in January and started getting Social Security, Lizi was able to receive a portion as a dependent child, switching from the SSI that she’d been receiving since she turned eighteen. This gave her a raise in “pay” and also released us from the stricter rules and reporting requirements. (In 2014, we learned that Lizi couldn’t be out of the country for more than 30 days without losing benefits. Normally, that wouldn’t have been an issue, but with a sister in New Zealand and retired parents, it could have been problematic.)

Speaking of New Zealand, Liz was able to travel back there to welcome her new niece. Besides visiting Anne, James and Charlotte, she enjoyed the friendly Kiwis and just about everything about the countryside. She also enjoyed meeting Christina, who also has Williams Syndrome and Pastor Simon (“Boom! Hallelujah!”) who has a dearly loved sister with Williams Syndrome. He was so encouraging.

She also has been drinking less soda, walking more and eating a bit better, resulting in a fairly significant weight loss. She looks great, though in light of the following, we are a little concerned.

Lizi has always been a bit of a hypochondriac, frequently asking me if she can see one of our doctors for one complaint or another. I usually try to put her off for a few days and every once in awhile bring her in to be checked. At one such visit, our most persnickety physician saw her for a complaint of ear pain. He noticed her neck and examined it, feeling a nodule on the thyroid. (Lizi has always had a somewhat prominent Adam’s apple and this was entirely unrelated to the reason she was seeing the doctor.) He asked us to get an ultrasound. That came back with the recommendation that we follow up with a biopsy.

We ended up having the biopsy done the day before I left for New Zealand and getting the results during my first few days there. The doctor was supposed to call me, but he ended up getting through to Lizi first and I heard from her: “tumor,” “surgery,” “suspicious.” I spent a few maddening days trying to reach the doctor.

Although Lizi hoped to have surgery right away, Dr. Nielson wanted to wait until we returned from New Zealand. He didn’t want her traveling for at least six weeks post-operatively, and felt that it wouldn’t make much difference to wait. Lizi and John visited my doctors and the surgeon again, and made appointments for the first days after our return. I read a book about thyroid health and asked to have a few more tests performed to rule out autoimmune disease and also check possible causes of her weight loss. So far, everything except the biopsy–including her thyroid function numbers–has been perfectly normal.

The biopsy report isn’t even conclusive, though our surgeon says they are 95% sure that Liz has papillary cancer of the thyroid (the best type to have.) He will excise the nodule, examine the surrounding nodes, and do a frozen section biopsy while Liz is under anesthesia. If it comes back positive–which is what he expects–he will remove the thyroid. Dr. Nielson did my parotid surgery a couple years ago so I trust him. He is also kind of goofy and fun for Elizabeth.

Liz is a little anxious about the upcoming surgery, but is generally handling it well. With a little extra TLC, she will probably do just fine. Please pray for her today (Tuesday, June 14) as she undergoes the surgery, around noon. Pray for peace that passes understanding, good health and rest. She is doing this on a somewhat jet-lagged body (and so are we.) We will likely spend two nights in the hospital and then she will stay at our house until she feels ready to be on her own again.