On January 30, while still recovering in the hospital from the C-section birth of her eighth child, John Philip, Stephany  developed shortness of breath and a rapid heart rate. A CT scan revealed pneumonia and a large mediastinal mass. Further testing revealed the mass to be a stage IV thymic carcinoma with metastasis to the lung and lymph nodes.

Stephany has begun chemotherapy treatments in Charlotte, NC. However, since her surgery cannot be performed locally, she has been accepted as a patient at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in NYC for surgery to remove the mass in the late spring. Neel and Stephany are the parents of eight children aged 19, 16, 14, 5, 4, 3, 1.5 and a newborn. They have many out of pocket medical expenses that will not be covered by their insurance including travel and stay in NYC during Stephany's surgery and recovery.

We are praising Our Lord for the gift of Neel and Stephany’s newborn son, John Philip, and his role in discovering the cancer earlier than others with the same diagnosis. May the Lord, Our God be glorified through this trial and bring others to Him. 

Updates can be found on the Caringbridge page.