Friday morning update

Hi everyone,

This morning has been better for Curt. The pain from the surgery is lessening, and for the first time he actually felt like watching the news on tv (we’ve been keeping it quiet in the room since the surgery at his request). The doctor came by and is pleased with his progress, and the infection appears to be under control…his temp was just 99 during the night. They had him up and walking yesterday, but it was torturous! More of the same today, I’m afraid…no mercy around here…hahaha!

Seriously though, the sooner they have you up and around, the sooner the digestive system will kick back in and you can being to eat again…five days with no food does wonders for the figure! Please pray for increasing intestinal activity so the doctor is able to give the go ahead for the food to begin.

Back from a quick break – the nurse just had Curt up and walking down the hall. The pain was much better than yesterday – yay! The nurses are wonderful here…they are so caring and encouraging, and very informative. It’s a beautiful day in Kahului…our room gets the morning sun, which is a cheerful reminder that the “Lord’s lovingkindnesses indeed never cease, His compassions never fail. They are new every morning!”

Thanks again for your prayer support through everything! In times like this we realize just how precious our church family is to us!

Love you,
Patti and Family

Emergency Surgery Update

Thank you Lord! And thank you all so much for praying!

For those who may not have heard, Curt was experiencing some abdominal pain after the surgery, and when they couldn't find the source of the pain, they re-admitted him to the hospital to do some more tests. They did a CT scan at 4pm yesterday and it showed a perforation in the bowel, which is a very serious situation that requires emergency surgery. The surgeon was not very encouraging when he spoke to us just minutes before they took Curt into the operating room a little before 6:00. He said "It doesn't look very good... I'll do my best." Three hours later he met with us in the waiting room and said he couldn't believe how good it looked when he got in there, compared to what he saw on the scan. He said the small intestine had actually "reached over" and sealed off the perforation in the large intestine. As a result, there was very little spillage into the abdominal cavity. He cautioned us that we are not out of the woods yet, and that the next 5 days are critical.

Our admitting nurse just stopped by to see how Curt is doing, and she said she asked the surgeon today how the operation went. He told her that in all his years as a doctor (he's close to retiring) he has never seen anything like it. The small intestine actually compensated for the defect in the large intestine. He said "That guy is a fighter! His body really fought that thing."

Of course, we all know who did the fighting, and who directed that healing!! Your prayers were heard, and we are all so grateful for God's power and His mercy.

Thank you again for faithfully praying over this last week, and please stand with us in prayer especially over these next few days as Curt recovers from this surgery. He is in a lot of pain, but his body is strong. He definitely is a fighter...he's getting through this.

We're still trying to limit his visitors - pretty much to family. He needs all of his energy to help him heal right now (it really takes a lot out of you to carry on conversations when you're dealing with pain, it can be pretty draining). Overall he is doing well, and we hope to have him home soon. We thank you all for your support and prayers!

With our love and gratitude,
Patti and Family

Emergency Prayer Chain Request

This is an emergency prayer request sent out late yesterday to the prayer chain...we're so sorry it didn't make it to the blog before now. There has been so much going on!

"Hi Everyone. We're back on Maui and Curt is so glad to be home! He is experiencing some complications from surgery today. They are going to do a CT scan at 4:00 to see if there might be a possible blockage in the intestines. Please pray the scan is free of obstructions and that they are able to clear everything up quickly! He's also running a low-grade fever and the doctor thinks he has a little infection at his IV site which they will treat with antibiotics. He's not up for visitors just yet, but hopefully he will soon be over this hurdle.

Thanks so much again for all your prayers and support!!

Thank you,
Patti and Family

The lab results are back

Well, we got the news today and it was not what we had hoped. The doctor told us that the tumor is a gliosarcoma, which is a rare and very aggressive form of brain cancer. Statistically, life expectancy with this type of cancer is 6 months to 5 years. Curt is in great physical condition and there are a number of treatment options available, so we are hoping and praying for a good outcome. We have peace in knowing that God's plans for us are loving and sovereign, and that He is in complete and total control.

We are so thankful to all of you for praying for us during this emotion-filled week. As we move forward, please pray for wisdom for the doctors in developing a course of treatment. Please also pray with us for the cancer to go into complete remission and for Curt to be healed, for we know with our God all things are possible!!


Patti

A Post About Curt Franks

My name is Amy Dopart and my parents and I live here in Northern California but had a place in Kihei for many yrs at Kihei Kai Nani across from Kam II. I've grown up summer & holidays on Maui and we'd go to Hope Chapel when we visited the island.I am now 36 yrs old and wanted to share with everyone that I was in Maui on 10/11/08 for my honeymoon. I had only been married for a few days when my husband (31yrs) had a massive stroke in Kihei & was rush to Maui Memorial. By the time we arrived at the hospital he had full facial disfiguration, full left side paralysis, blindness & going completely unconscious. At that point I was faced with so many unimaginable decisions to help save my husbands life and I felt terrified & alone.

A nurse called me aside and said that there was someone in the emergency room waiting area to see me. I was all alone on the island. I couldn't think of who could be in the waiting area for me. I walked out and there was Pastor Curt!! What a warm & wonderful face to see. I felt a calm come over me that I could not explain. (I did not know my mom had called Hope Chapel on my way to the hospital while I was in the ambulance and Pastor Curt had arrives in minutes!) He hugged me and we sat in the emergency room and he prayed with me. He, at that point, was my family, part of my christian family to help in any way he could to sit and listen, pray and just hold my hand. I know that I was probably in shock, but I just remember his kind face. I never forgot it!!

That night in ICU was the longest night of my life! Not knowing if my husband would live or die, if he would ever be able to speak again or even give him a hug, but I would just go over in my mind the prayer Pastor Curt said.

My husband awoke from his coma a few days later & we spent the next few weeks at Maui Memorial. Weeks later he was cleared to fly home in a wheelchair, but unfortunately 3 days later had 2 more strokes and we spent the next 2 months at John Muir Hospital in Walnut Creek, CA.

Through the power of prayer and our family so diligently taking him to speech, occupational & physical therapy for months along with doctor appts, coumadin, etc. in August my husband, Dae Kim, made a full physical recovery. Even his doctors were baffled. He was a real testament on how the Lord heals.

I am writing to tell Pastor Curt that I think of him so often and how he helped me through one of the most difficult days of my life. After he prayed with me, I was able to go back in that emergency room and make important medial decisions calmly and with the Lord's help. I had to signs the papers decide what medicine to give to him and that he needed to be put on a ventilator because he was slipping into a coma.

When I heard the news of Pastor Curt, I wanted to let him know, that I too am praying for his recovery and I wanted him to know that out of all his life's work, he touched my life and I know the Lord has the ability to heal. I just saw his picture on his blog and that wonderful smiling face and it brought a HUGE tear to my eye. I prayed for him all last night and today and I am so glad to hear the surgery went well. He gave me hope in Maui and now I wanted to pass that hope back on to him. It brings new meaning to the words "Hope Chapel".

I figured since he in in the hospital, emails might not reach him.If you could please tell him again how appreciative I am and how blessed I feel to have had him there at the crutial point in my life & for praying with me for just those few minutes. I am eternally grateful.

I will continue to pray for Pastor Curt and your whole church family.

Your sister in Christ,
Amy Dopart

A little update

Dr. Liem just stopped by to give us an update. The follow-up MRI this morning came back clear, they do not see any part of the tumors left. Praise God! We are still waiting on the pathology results. Dr. Liem is very pleased with dad's progress, and said that at this rate should be able to go home before too long.

Craig and Joe were such a blessing yesterday during Curt's surgery. This would be so hard without our church family, you have all supported us so much and we are forever thankful for it.

Thank you for your continued prayers. Dad loves the Certs picture, you guys are something else =)



John

We Love You, Curt!

[click photo for larger view]

We just want you to know that we are all in this together! We are praying for you, and we love you guys so very much!

With love from the Hope Chapel staff, interns, and volunteers: Chris, Ben, Steven, Glenn, Chris, Brandon, Lisa, Christy, Starr, Vanessa, Jena, and Janis.

Surgery Complete!

The surgery was a success! Both of the tumors in the brain were completely removed. There were no signs of tendrils from the tumors. Dr. Liem also said that the tumors originated in the brain and did not come from another location. The tumors have been sent off to a lab for testing. This is when we will learn if the masses are cancerous or benign. We expect the results in a week or so.

Curt even cracked a joke to Jeffrey 45 minutes after getting out of surgery.

We are all very thankful and encouraged by your support. Before the surgery Patti was reading all of your comments posted on this blog to Curt and it really lifted both their spirits.

Please continue to pray for the lab results. These results are crucial in the next steps towards recovery.

The night before

Curt, prepping for the surgery on Tuesday. The "Certs" (not really Certs) on his forehead will help guide the surgeon to the exact placement of the tumor with millimeter precision using the MRI during surgery.

Surgery Tuesday, April 20th at 1:00pm

Curt's surgery is scheduled for Tuesday at 1:00pm. Dr. Liem said that it will take 3 to 4 hours. Please pray for God to guide the surgeon and his team's hands and minds during the operation, and that they will be able to remove both tumors completely without harm to Curt's brain. Also, please pray that the tumors are benign, and that Curt will not have to go through chemotherapy or radiation treatments. Thank you all so much for your prayers, we are very blessed to have such a dedicated church family at Hope!

Love,

The Franks

Sunday Morning Update

Hi Everyone,

We just met with the neurologist, Dr. Liem, who is chief of neurosurgery at Queen's Medical Center. He will be the one who will perform Curt's surgery. We were very impressed with the doctor. He is from MIT and was chief of neurology at Tripler Hospital for years before Queen's.

Dr. Liem is also an expert in Gamma Knife Surgery, which is a procedure that pinpoints very thin rays of radiation directly into small tumors, thus protecting the brain from larger doses of radiation. The doctor had reviewed the MRI and says that this could be anything, and that biopsy is the only way to confirm the diagnosis. He said that the tumor being in the frontal lobe places it in a favorable location for the surgery, as there are no important functions located there (i.e. speech, motor, vision etc.) The tumor is also very accessible.

He recommends doing the surgery as soon as possible, and to bypass the biopsy process altogether. They will go in and get out as much of the tumor as possible, with the use of interactive magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) during the surgery, which will help them to pinpoint exactly where the tumor is as they operate. The surgery should be scheduled in the next couple of days. Then it will be diagnosed with the use of the tissue recovered from the surgery.

They have Curt scheduled for a CT scan of the abdomen/pelvis and chest, to rule out any other possible cancer sites. He does this at 11:30 this morning. He's been on "nothing by mouth" since 12 midnight last night...they gave him some ice chips to eat a little while ago. He just had to drink a big bottle of something in preparation for the scan.

He's in very good spirits...no headache whatsoever because of the steroids they are giving him for the swelling. He and John have been watching the golfers right outside the hospital room window...the room overlooks a golf course...that's been a little bright spot in the morning!

So, all in all, we are encouraged very much from where we have been the last couple of days. Please pray that the surgery goes smoothly and safely, that they are able to get most or all of the tumor, that they are able to make an accurate diagnosis. Please also pray for wisdom as they develop the after-surgery treatment plan. Thank you all so much ... we love you!!


Patti Franks

Reviewing the Tests

The doctor just visited. He said that after reviewing Curt’s tests it looks positive that they will be able to remove the tumors without having any huge side effects. Curt is currently scheduled for a CT at 11 this morning. They still don’t know much about the tumors, but are sounding optimistic that this will have a good turn out.

Thanks for your prayers. We aren’t out of the woods yet, so please keep on praying.

Megan

Update

The physician stopped in and gave us an update. There are two masses, one larger than the other. The neurosurgeon looked at the films this morning, and he wants to do a biopsy. They are going to put Curt on some medication to reduce the swelling, and will do the biopsy tomorrow.

We won't know more until they have some tissue to examine. Dad is still in good spirits. The physician was very cheerful and said there is a chance that the masses could be something less serious than cancer. One good sign, she said, is that there were no nausea or other side effects that came with the headaches, although fatigue did follow.

I will post again when we know more. Thank you for your prayers, we are blessed to have such a strong church family. The outflow of love and prayers has been amazing!



John

Catching Up

Hi Everyone,

My name is Megan Franks, wife to John Franks, daughter-in-law to Curt and Patti. I’m going to do my best to keep this blog updated with the current facts and prayer requests.

To catch you up, yesterday Curt Franks had an MRI. His test revealed a tumor in the left portion of his brain approximately 3cm in size. We do not know if it’s benign or not. We have been told both. He was checked into Maui Memorial Hospital last night. At this time, Curt is in the process of being MedVac over to Oahu. There he will get a biopsy, which will reveal better information as to what this tumor is. Patti and John will be on Oahu with Curt.

We ask for your prayers as we know they have the power to move mountains. Pray that Curt receives the proper care and good information as to what this tumor is. Pray that the Lord guide the minds and the hands of Curt’s doctors. Pray for peace for the family.

Curt is in good spirits. Making jokes with all and being his typical self.

First Prayer Request

This prayer request was emailed by Hope Chapel senior pastor, Craig Englert.

I just got a call from Patti and Curt. Because of all his migraines the doctors had him do an MRI this afternoon. Sad to say they discovered a brain tumor. They want Curt to check into Maui Memorial tonight and run some more tests to get a better look at what it is, and if it's cancerous or benign. Please pray for Curt and his family, and of course for God to totally deliver him from this affliction.