The tuesday after that initial monday meeting started with a bang. We had been in the emergency department at Sunnybrook all night. They wanted to do surgery on Kev as soon as possible to prevent the impending colon blockage from occurring. We had gone home only to return at 10pm that monday evening, and by 3:45 am they had done their own tests and scans in order to proceed that morning. I kissed Kev on the forehead and told him I would see him in a couple of hours and headed home. I needed the time in the car to cry..to let out some of the emotions that I had been holding in in order to be strong for him and the kids. I sobbed all the way home.

I was back at the hospital the next morning just in time to hear his name called for surgery. His surgeon Dr. Tan was with him as I entered his room, explaining exactly what he was going to do and why. He was patient and kind and answered all of the questions he could, making us both feel more confident. It was to be a tumor bypass, hopefully done laproscopically to minimize any recovery time. They wanted him to start chemo right away, and a full surgery to do the tumor resection of his colon would need too long a recovery time. The chemo just couldn't wait, though they didn't want him to have a blockage during chemo either. This surgery was the compromise.

I walked down with kev being wheeled beside me towards the operating room area. Both of us were silent, pensive. When we got to the place where I could no longer go with him, I leaned over to give him a kiss, willing all the positive thoughts and prayers from friends and family that had been pouring in to wrap around his heart and keep him safe. Then, I waited.

It was the longest three hours of my life, though I did not have to pass the time alone. Kev's mom was with me as well as my friend Deanna who coincidentally works at the hospital. It was still a long wait. Dr. Tan was kind enought to come find me in the dining area when the surgery was over. He was relieved that it had been done as the blockage was already occurring. It was also a successful bypass, the tumor not invading other organs as feared, just the liver to contend with. The fever he had post op. went down and it was time to go into recovery mode.

Only two days in the hospital after surgery and Kev was itching to get home. He couldn't sleep there and the food was not helping matters either. They agreed to let him come home as long as a home care nurse was in order.

For the second time in two weeks we packed his things and walked hand in hand out of the hospital.