Esthesioneuroblastoma... The one word that recently caused this beautiful family's world to crash in.
In March, after months of serious sinus headaches, Phil was diagnosed with a rare, aggressive, advanced malignant melanoma is his sinus cavity. He underwent extensive surgery on March 26 to remove the cancer.
The good news is that the margins were well-defined and it did not get into his brain, just dangerously close. The surgeons successfully removed the tumor, along with the roof of his mouth, and his eye. Phil will need radiation therapy now and to relearn how to talk, eat and see with new prostheses placed.   Unfortunately, he will not be able to return to his passion of farming anytime soon.   The doctors expect Phil to remain in the hospital in Omaha for at least a week before he returns home.  Laura is a nurse in the burn unit at St. Elizabeth and has taken unpaid time off to care for Phil and their two little ones.  
A little about the family...
Phil grew up in Adams, Nebraska and graduated high school there in 1993 and attended the University of Nebraska. He met Laura (Gonzales) a Grand Island, Nebraska native, and a 1996 graduate of PVA, through mutual friends and they were married in 2004. Phil worked at Pfizer for several years and then had the opportunity to do something he really loves, farming with his dad.  Laura has worked for St. Elizabeth for over 20 years and is one of the best nurses you will ever meet.  The couple, along with their two small children, Deacon (age 2) and Lennon (9 months) live in a small town with a fun, family-friendly neighborhood near Lincoln, Nebraska. They are members of the Southwood Lutheran Church, and appreciate all the prayers being sent up for them from around the globe. 
Phil loves spending time with his kiddos, enjoys traveling with his beautiful wife, and hopes to return to farming with his dad soon.