He's out of surgery and awake!

UPDATE, THURS. 0930: Alrighty! Just spoke w/ a nurse at the Neuroscience ICU, where Michael spent the night. She stated that he was alert and oriented and chatty. He had a good night overnight, a bit nauseated, but slept well. I told the nurse that if he got out of line, we could handcuff Michael to the bed or deploy pepper spray (just a joke kids, gotta have some levity here!) So, what else? Mom, Dad & I are going to visit him momentarily. As you can imagine, this has not been easy for us. We did get our rest (as many of you kindly reminded us to do), Mom and I snored and we all slept soundly. Visiting hours - ICU's are a bit more stringent, so it's only family for now, but will keep you informed as he gets relocated to a permanent bed. Total time in hospital should be 3-5 days (including yesterday, we think) We continue to need your prayers and good thoughts, know that each one is appreciated!


All - The last few hours have been trying for all of us. Dr. Stieg came in around 1:30 to tell us that Michael made it through surgery A-OK and Michael "was rock stable." Dr. Stieg feels that he was able to remove the entire tumor and that it was most likely a "primary" tumor (a GOOD thing).

We are not through the woods yet. We are awaiting pathology results (3-5 days) and will then discuss any type of therapy for Michael, if necessary. Dr. Stieg has an "idea" of what type of tumor it could be, but I'd rather not go into speculation, etc. Please understand.

We were able to see Michael, he was awake, somewhat groggy and he spoke with us. He is in some pain and has been given the appropriate medication and will most likely sleep the rest of the day and night. He will be in the ICU overnight and will be moved to a semi-private room at some point tomorrow.

This has been one of the toughest days of our lives. PLEASE keep those good thoughts and prayers coming our way. Mom, Dad & I are holding up as best we can and are pulling together to be strong for Michael. Visiting hours will be posted as soon as we know and as soon as we (and Michael) feels comfortable seeing people. PLEASE understand if that isn't for another day or two. PLEASE feel free to e-mail myself (tjwhyte@hotmail.com), but please try to not call or text unless absolutely necessary. Mom, Dad & I need a bit of rest, we're getting old, ya know?!

UPDATE @ 5:50 PM - Some have asked about his spirits going into surgery. Michael was a champ, let me tell you, cracking jokes, talking sports, and is truly an inspiration to Mom, Dad & I.

WE LOVE YOU ALL. WE CAN'T THANK YOU ENOUGH FOR ALL THOSE THOUGHTS, PRAYERS & WELL-WISHES. OUR STRONG SPIRITS TOGETHER WILL KEEP MICHAEL GOING STRONG! KEEP THEM COMING!

T.J., Mom & Dad