Praying for Josiah Herring

Please keep this little boy in your prayers. He is Josiah Herring, the son of Jason and Susie Herring and the grandson of Pastor Dean Herring. Bro. Dean used to Pastor Heritage Baptist Church in Glennville. Josiah has a brain tumor and the following is the latest update from his Dad. It just breaks my heart and makes me so thankful for my healthy children:

This evening we were finally met by the doctors. They informed us that they believe Josiah's tumor is a central neuroblastoma or PNET (Primitive Neuroectodermal Tumor). This tumor is malignant and has to be aggressivley treated with surgery. Chemotherapy and radiation will be used after surgery, but chemo and radiation alone cannot stop this kind of tumor. It is very important that they are able to remove all of the tumor. It makes no difference in the final outcome if one-third or ninety percent of the tumor is removed. There is a 60 to 70 percent chance of recovery with full removal. Without a complete extraction, the chances fall to around 25 percent or less.

The problem the doctors face with full removal is where the tumor is located which is on Josiah's thalamus. The thalamus is the processing center for the brain and it controls many of the vital functions of the brain and body. Whereas some areas of the brain are more tolerant to surgery, the thalamus is highly sensitive because of the incredible complexity of the organ. This means that first, the odds are against us in being able to remove the entire tumor, and second, the risk is much higher in removing anything at all. The walls of the tumor share the same blood vessels with the brain which makes it very complicated to cut as close as possible. The doctors will not risk inflicting brain damage on Josiah in order to get the entire tumor. That would be life threatening itself, and at the least it would devastate his quality of life after the surgery.

Another problem is Josiah's age. He is on the border line for the age limit for radiation treatment. Regardless of how the surgery goes, he will have to undergo radiation and chemotherapy. How he responds to the treatment will also determine a great deal.

Josiah has been sleeping a great deal which has concerned the doctors. They believe it could be related to the tumor and its proximity to the thalamus and hypothalamus which control sleep functions. He will awake for small periods to eat, watch a movie, interact with family but he usually doesn't stay awake very long.

One of the pathology tests has shown up positive that should have shown negative. The hospital has sent the sample to a renowned physician at John Hopkins for further analysis. I did not get the impression that this could mean the doctors are wrong in the nature of the tumor being malignant. The feeling conveyed to me was that the tumor might have a different name but overall the same nature.

I am taking the time to write to you in detail because I want you to know how to pray. We have been on a roller coaster of optimism versus disturbing news and now we are faced with reality. The odds are not in our favor.

The night before Josiah was born I told God that Josiah belonged to Him. I prayed that God would use Him for His glory. After his birth I cradled him in my arms and repeated the same promise. It was easy to walk by faith in the plains of Palestine, but from the heights of Mt. Moriah I am faced with a sacrifice that I do not want to make. I am hedged in and I have nowhere to go.

For the thing which I greatly feared is come upon me, and that which I was afraid of is come unto me. ~ Job 3:25

Donations to help the Herring family can be sent to the church, CCBC, with the memo reading "Josiah Herring Fund":
CCBC
2539 S Five Mile Rd
Boise, ID 83709