Hey all! just wanted to send a quick update this morning... Melvyn's actually asleep now(which is a good thing) They did have to do a Bone graft from his hip, the Doc gave me a measurement of 8 something but I was kinda not sure what it was(cm/mmg/???) Anyway, he says it will be pretty tender. The surgery all together took about 2 plus a bit hours. Melvyn has felt some pain in his hand and hip, but not as much as the doc made me expect... He did remove all of the tumor, and it was benign(which he figured was the case anyway) he will be fairly back to normal within about 6 weeks(writing, drawing, painting), but about 3-4 months(before he can play the piano or guitar) They placed the bone graft and there was enough healthy bone to put screws instead of just pins. They will also x-ray and scan his hands at a later date to make sure it isn't in any of his other fingers as a precaution(so he'll know if he needs to take it easy with any other digits, but it's typically only in one or so digits)

As far as the Encondroma(sp?)(it is a semi-rare bone condition) that people are born with and can be heriditary... They said it had to do with the Embryonic Cartilage when you're born... We did a search on the internet to learn a bit more about it, and it seems the doctor Melvyn was blessed with actually gave us the entire detailed scoop(so that's reassuring!!!) They both(the ER ortho doc, and the Specialist we are seeing) said the break was actually a good thing, because now with this surgery, his finger will actually be stronger than it ever was before! So, simply put God works in mysterious ways, as we all know!

I'm gonna go for now, and take care of Melvyn, I just heard him saying Shawna??? Take Care!

And thanks for all your prayers during the surgery!!! and Thanks in Advance for the prayers that he will continue to heal quickly and as painlessly as possible. Also, that he be able to be patient about not being able to play the piano for a while. God really placed a love for music in his heart, so this will be a hard one for him... I will be back on the board more regular next week, hopefully. He will be home at least the rest of this week. He's a needy little thing right now
But he's worth it!

Blessings!
Shawna