16 June 1999 Dear Friends, So, that wasn't much of a lull, here comes a letter about me . . . I had an MRI on Saturday, June 5th, which was not interpreted until just before Bill's Fiftieth birthday party on the 12th. So, now we're in for the long haul. The preliminary reading on the films was that I have a tumor the same size that I had on my right side last September now on the left side of my brain. After a brief hesitation, we decided to go ahead with party and just dance in the face of it. We were reassured yesterday that the entry point for a surgery could be similar to the one used previously. They could just go in from the top with as much precision as possible and remove the evident tumor. Bill is asking the hard quality of life questions -- "What happens if ..." He is also keeping me up-to-speed on the limits of my own abilities. For instance, writing these few paragraphs has taken me perhaps three-quarters of an hour! (He is also quick to fetch me out of bathrooms -- the place where I lay seizuring for hours on Labor Day weekend.) Let me pick up where Jeanie leaves off: Joining a call to the redoubling of prayer. We do indeed have new tumor on the left side. The doctors here say that though the treatment worked well (the original tumor bed remains clear), these things are relentless in figuring a way around therapeutic blocks. This one has pretty much mushroomed in nine weeks time, since the MRI (following her seizures the end of March) which was scrutinized so closely. They also say, that for someone who consciously ducked radiation, her progress has been remarkable up to now. And so also hard to predict. We are in the midst of difficult and quick decisions. Please include that in your intercessions as well. We are left facing options, some of which we have worked mightily to avoid. Jeanie is incredibly brave and sweet spirited. The doctors would guess she will be come increasingly lethargic and indifferent. I'm not ready to bet on it. But she does move slow and linger long over small tasks, like calling on your love as above. I add my own. Bill P.S. Beth remains available at the update number (+1 313 841-0166); we will send more word when we have a surgery date certain. Please feel free to pass this along.