09 Jul Polly Dunten to Undergo Surgery

Polly Dunten will undergo surgery July 28 to remove a non-malignant tumor from her brain. Polly is the wife of Darwin Dunten (that’s them on the right), senior pastor of First UB church in Findlay, Ohio.

The Duntens traveled to the Cleveland Clinic on July 3, where they learned the following:

• The tumor is larger than they thought.
• It is in a more difficult location and is causing more damage than they thought.
• Polly has lost eye functions and hearing on her left side.
• The tumor is pressing on the brain stem, and is grown into a part of the ear canal.

The tumor must be removed. Darwen reports: “Cleveland’s surgeon will not take all of the tumor, but most of it. He stated that once the surgery is complete, he will reevaluate (at a later date) the tumor to determine if radiation is needed. Currently, radiation is not an option because of the size of the tumor. It would require such a large dose that it would certainly damage the nerve and possibility the brain.  With most of the tumor out, a much smaller dose would be needed.”

Darwin added in a July 3 note, “Please continue to pray as the pain is returning even with the medication. She will be starting a new medication tonight on top of the other meds and its side effect.”

The surgery on July 28 will take 4-5 hours, and Polly will be hospitalized for at least three days. If you want to send a note or card to Polly, you can use this address:

Polly Dunten
701 Cynthia Court
Findlay, OH 45840