Please Pray

Dear Family and Friends,

As I head toward the end of my cancer treatment I am so grateful for all your prayers, they sure got me through the rough times. Lately it seems that so many are being stricken by serious illness and I would love to have your prayers for these dear people.

My dear friend Charlotte had breast cancer 5 years ago, she approached it bravely and aggressively and has done well for those 5 years. At a regular check up she was sent for a PET scan and they found a couple suspicious areas, 2 of which checked out OK, but she got the news last night that the cancer has returned in her spine. I am believing she will have victory over this and have talked to my radiologist and she agreed that she has seen miraculous things happen with this type of cancer. Please pray for Charlotte's healing with peace and assurance that God is in Control.

Bill's sister Norma had surgery a few weeks ago for colon cancer and they discovered that she also has stomach, lung and liver cancer, and is awaiting an appointment with the Dr.'s about how to proceed. Please pray for discernment as she goes through this difficult time of decisions about whether or not to have chemo.

Avery, 12 year old Great-nephew of my former sister-in-law Mary, recently diagnosed with Leukemia. He is a courageous and caring young man, he told the nurses he's glad this happened to him and not his little sisters! What an incredibly mature attitude! Please pray for his comfort as he goes through chemo and for a quick remission of this disease.

Scripture: Jeremiah 29:11

“For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future” NIV

Sickness, financial complications, squabbling, anger, frustration and mistrust appear to be everywhere. But in the following poem by Lita Kurtzer we find encouragement and light at the end of the tunnel.

I refuse to be discouraged,

To be sad, or to cry;

I refuse to be downhearted,

and here's the reason why

I have a God who's mighty,

Who's sovereign and supreme;

I have a God who loves me,

and I am on His team.

He is all wise and powerful,

Jesus is His name;

Though everything is changeable,

My God remains the same.

My God knows all that's happening;

Beginning to the end,

His presence is my comfort,

He is my dearest friend.

When sickness comes to weaken me,

To bring my head down low,

I call upon my mighty God;

Into His arms I go.

When circumstances threaten

to rob me from my peace;

He draws me close unto His breast,

Where all my strivings cease.

And when my heart melts within me,

and weakness takes control;

He gathers me into His arms,

He soothes my heart and soul.

The great "I AM" is with me,

My life is in His hand,

The "Son of the Lord" is my hope,

It's in His strength I stand.

I refuse to be defeated,

My eyes are on my God;

He has promised to be with me,

as through this life I trod.

I'm looking past all my circumstances,

To Heaven's throne above;

My prayers have reached

the heart of God,

I'm resting in His love.

I give God thanks in everything,

My eyes are on His face;

The battle's His, the victory is mine;

He'll help me win the race.

Prayer: Father thank you that resting in your love the victory is mine no matter what my circumstances on planet earth. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen!

Back from Michigan

I can't believe it's been so long since I posted. My plans of posting while in Michigan were a bit ambitious... I was moving around so much I never got my computer online. It was a wonderful trip and I got to spend time with loved ones, meet my new niece Delphine (what a sweetie!), help Dale set up the computer that Grandpa built for him, attend my nephew Jack's wedding and even attended part of a worship conference! I'm exhausted but so glad I got to do it all. I slept like a baby in my sister's "magic bed", 8 hours without waking up!

I arrived home Monday night to start my radiation the very next morning and to have a follow up appt. with my oncologist. I thought it would just be routine but she was not happy with a few of my symptoms, so more tests etc. I'm not worried just weary of all the trips to the Dr. and various other places she is sending me to have tests done. She wants to follow up on the swollen leg I had 2 weeks ago, she still feels I'm retaining fluids, while being dehydrated on the inside however you do that... I don't know! She's also got me on an anti-biotic in case my digestive problems are related to any bug I might have picked up. I'm anxious to get back to work which got delayed because of all the tests and Dr. appts. which suddenly got scheduled the rest of this week. Hopefully I'll be able to work Thurs. afternoon and then next week I should be back to normal. Radiation is going fine so far and I met a lady there today who is finishing Friday and already has hair!! It's very short, thick and curly... so cute!

There's so many more details but I won't write about it all now, except to say that at the worship conference I was convicted and renewed about my responsibilities concerning the women's retreat this fall. When I returned home a book sent from an old friend was waiting for me "I Exalt You O GOD" by Jerry Bridges and it further confirmed what I heard from God at the conference, so Thank you Mary Voss! I will use it faithfully to draw near to God and prepare myself for the retreat, your timing was perfect! In the introduction of the book there was a small prayer that I will use to focus myself daily. Feel free to adopt it for yourself!

Lord, I am willing
To receive what You give;
To lack what You withhold;
To relinquish what You take;
To suffer what You inflict;
To be what You require...
And to do what You send me to do.

All tattoed for radiation

I got all set up for my radiation today, there were only a couple of snags, they had me scheduled to radiate my lymph nodes and my lymph nodes were benign, so that had to be corrected in my records and then they broke my mold right after I left and I had to rush back for them to make a new one before I left for Michigan because I start radiation the morning after I return.. I got lucky and my appt. each day will be 7:40am, so I can have my treatment and still get to work on time, work is close by. I'm really tired and I have to get packed so not much else to say other than I'm so happy that I'm going to see my family and friends! The radiologist told me today that my treatments were more important than family weddings and I told him he was dead wrong!! I don't think we'll have that discussion again. I'm not sure if I'll blog while I'm gone but I'll try. Despite all the obstacles God took care of everything, He always does!! Praise God!!

A hitch in the road

The last couple of days have been most challenging! Wednesday when I went for my re hydration treatment I pointed out to the chemo nurse that my left leg and ankle were very swollen and I asked if maybe I was retaining water. She said since only my left leg was swollen she wanted the Dr. to look at it before my treatment. By the way, they had already accessed my port and I was sitting with the needle sticking out of my arm. I waited 90 minutes to see the Dr. since my regular Dr. was not at that office on Weds. He took a quick look and decided I needed to have an ultra sound to determine if I had a blood clot, that scared me! I had to wait another 2 hours before I could get into radiology at the hospital for my ultra sound, it came back clear and I was very relieved and grateful to God yet another time for protecting me from harm. Obviously after all this I didn’t get my re hydration / flushing treatment, I did get the shot to boost my white cells. I really wasn’t sure how my body was going to react to not having the re hydration because on Weds. I felt fine. Bill even insisted that we go for a nice long walk Weds. evening as he believed the swelling was because I haven’t been getting enough exercise, I was able to walk about 50 minutes and eat dinner without any problems. It didn’t take long to realize how valuable that treatment is, I had a pretty rough night with my sleep interrupted about every 45 minutes, I got up and managed to drag myself to work, I was relieved that the swelling seemed to be gone. I lasted about 5 hours and decided to head home, I was more nauseated than I’ve been after the other chemo treatments and just generally miserable. I believe when I got my re hydration the other times they also put some anti-nausea meds in the drip and that made a big difference. I was sure glad that Bill was home on Friday (4^th of July), we had the boys and they were really understanding that Gramma couldn’t do much, we read stories and played cards. Grampa fixed up a computer for them to play games on and they were pretty happy. Later this afternoon we went to the mall to try to walk, I didn’t make it very far, but at least we gave it a try. I finally was able to eat something and I feel somewhat better this evening, thank you Lord!! I’m keeping my eyes on the goal of going to Michigan next week and I’ll just concentrate on getting better each day.

A Hug of Comfort: “A suffering woman sought healing in an unusual way, she simply touched the hem of Jesus’ garment. When she did, Jesus turned and said, “Daughter, be of good comfort; thy faith hath made thee whole.” Matt 9:22

We, too, can be made whole when we place our faith in the Creator of the universe. So strengthen your faith through praise, through worship, through Bible study, and through prayer. Then trust God’s plans, knowing they are always for your ultimate benefit.

Jesus is standing at the door of your heart, knocking. If you open the door of your heart and invite Him in, He will give you peace and heal your broken spirit. Have faith enough to reach out to touch even the smallest fragment of the Master’s garment and He will make you whole.

#4 is History!!

Dear Family and Friends,

It has been hard waiting for this last treatment, so many people had commented that I'd never get through all the treatments without any delays (low blood counts). I hadn't thought much about it because I've been doing so great, but because of my trip to Detroit hanging in the balance... I was a wee bit worried.

I am constantly amazed at how good God has been to me through this entire process and I am acutely aware of the gift of grace that is, I am so humbled by all He has done for me and SO GRATEFUL!!

When I got to the Dr. today she said my counts were pretty borderline (I'm very anemic), she gave me a shot to boost my red cells and said we could proceed with the chemo. YES!! This was sort of weird because she's been giving me shots to boost my white cells all along and now my red cells were low. Don't understand exactly why, I guess it's a delicate balance. Dr. told me to double my vitamins and eat more red meat and maybe even some liver... just until my iron improves. I'm so relieved that I'll be able to go on my trip to Detroit next week. Thank You Lord!!!

Have a Hug... "Even if you're a confident person, you may sometimes be discouraged by the disappointments and setbacks that are part and parcel of life here on earth. When times are good, it's easy to trust God, but when troubles arise, we may lose the proper perspective and, subsequently, hope. However, if we trust God's promises, we need never fear.

If your courage is being tested today, (and mine certainly was!), lean on God's promises (and I did!!) Trust the Creator of the universe to help you meet your challenges. Remember that God is always near and that He is your protector and deliverer. When you're worried, anxious or afraid, call on Him and accept the comforting touch of His hand. God is in control, and He rules with limitless wisdom and love -- now and forever."