Final update from Kathy about Kevin,wonderful news,please follow photos on facebook

[Robert Williamson]

Dearest Brothers and Sisters

Here is a more detailed update about Kevin Winter's situation.  We are so grateful to our Heavenly Parent.   Kevin had an extremely... dangerous operation on Saturday.  As most of you know, when Kevin arrived finally in America on August 22nd he went immediately to Barnes Jewish Hospital in St. Louis where we had obtained an appointment for him with Dr. Albert H Kim.  Dr. Kim is originally from Korea and is only 42 years old. When he met Kevin he immediately put him in the hospital and scheduled surgery. In France they had told Kevin that they cannot operate on his cancerous tumor but Dr. Kim said that he can do it and that we need to do it urgently!

Kevin with his wife and eldest son getting ready for surgery.  Fortune Winter's photo.

However, the operating room at Barnes Jewish Hospital in St. Louis was full until this Friday.  I gave a short update on Kevin Winter's operation not too long after they started on Friday. The operation finally began at 3:45 p.m. CDT.  The hospital updated us once every two hours and they reported that they had removed the majority of the tumor on Kevin's brain. They then did an MRI in the operating room and found another 1 mm piece of tumor hiding inside Kevin's brain and proceeded to remove the final part of the tumor. Kevin was stable and it took them another 3 hours to finish.

Finally, Kevin's surgery was over at midnight and Dr. Kim came to talk to us after 8 1/2 hours of surgery.  He said that Kevin almost died on the operating table because the tumor was so huge and his brain was under enormous pressure.  Now we have to wait and see how Kevin responds to this operation, said Dr. Kim, but right now the picture of his brain looks really very good."  He also emphasized that if they had not operated when they did Kevin would probably have died from the pressure in his brain a few days later.

Fortune Winter's photo.

Kevin made it through this first step and it was a very difficult one.  The doctor said they almost lost him.  But our Heavenly Parents and True Parents are always there!

And finally, below -  this is Kevin on Sunday morning at the hospital when the nurses asked him to sit up for the first time.  The tumor was on the other side of Kevin's head in the back and nearer to his neck.  All the doctors and nurses are amazed at how quickly Kevin is recovering from this life-threatening operation.

Photo: My parents are my example of what a real blessed married couple look like. Living for the sake of each other.

The doctor who operated on Kevin is amazing.   Dr. Kim said that Kevin has a long road ahead of him to fight this cancer but that this first very dangerous step was unbelievably successful.   The next step is to keep this tumor from coming back!  And finally, today, Tuesday, Kevin came home.  He will have a lot of challenges ahead of him but he looks good, can communicate normally and besides being a little bit weak, he has recovered so quickly-the doctors and nurses are really surprised.

Kevin now needs time to recuperate from this operation and start doing what he can to get his health back.  Thank you everyone, for your amazing concern and expressions of love and support that were really unbelievable.  You are the greatest and Kevin sends to everyone his heartfelt gratitude and love.  He himself will write the next update as I hightail it back to Africa where I belong!  Thank you from the deepest depth of my heart and soul.  Love to you all.

Kathy Rigney