The second RFA surgery
Rusty went for his second round of radiofrequency ablation yesterday. With the dosage of his anaesthesia doubled, doctors Banovic and Collins were confident they would remove more cancer than they did the first surgery.
In the first, the electrical probe inserted into his lung killed one tumor, and was on its way to the second when the anaesthesia wore out. Rusty started to struggle. Air leaked into his lung and the operation had to be cut short.
This second surgery was more successful. As Rusty lay unconscious on the hospital bed, doctors told his mother that they were able to destroy 75 per cent of Rusty’s lung tumors. “We’ll get the rest of them sonsofbitches the next time,” Dr Banovic muttered as he walked out of the room.
This morning, when I spoke to Rusty, he seemed tired, but well. Right before we said goodbye, I heard him say to me, or to no one in particular: “We’re getting closer,” and his voice drifted to sleep.