surgery update

Dear family and friends,

I wanted to send an update on Christoph's behalf regarding his surgery this past Tuesday. The surgery went well, and the doctors were successful in removing his thyroid, the tumor, as well as the lymph nodes on the right side of his neck. Because of his previous surgery in December, the doctors had a harder time navigating through the scar tissue, which caused this surgery to last over 8 hours. He stayed overnight in the hospital for observation, and was discharged the next day. He has significant shoulder pain from the operating table, as well as some swelling around the neck, but is resting well at home (his sister's house in DC). We have been blessed with a lot of support and love these past weeks - including having his mom, dad, and brother Matt all fly in from Fargo and Wisconsin, as well as his sister AnnaLisa and her husband Murray, our gracious hosts throughout it all.

Thank you for all of your emails, cards, phone calls, and visits. While it has been a difficult road to travel at times, we are grateful for the outpouring of love that we have received from each of you. Please continue to pray for Christoph's safe recovery, and for his heightened energy level in the coming weeks. Next step is radioactive iodine treatment, which we look to start in late August.

And so now it's onward into recovery, and preparing for our upcoming wedding.

In love,
Taryn (& Christoph)