The Gathering Place Where Family Matters

May 30th, 2015
Saturday Evening Update

We have so many dear friends that earnestly pray for me as I give Karen the injection of Neulasta. My doctorate is not in medicine. I was going to jest by saying that of all the classes I have taken, giving my wife an injection was apparently covered on the day I was absent. I surely don’t recall learning that! Our son Jeremy said to me today, “It’s surprising what you can do when you have to and when the Lord is helping you, isn’t it?” He’s absolutely right.

The shot was given at 3:00. She has been on Zophran throughout the day so hopefully the terrible nausea will be kept away. Typically Karen’s nausea lasts several days. The pain from the bone marrow being stimulated usually lasts a little longer. So I do ask that you will join us on this part of the journey and keep her in your prayers.

This morning I had the opportunity of sharing with our neighbor. I explained to him about Karen’s assurance of knowing the Lord Jesus as her personal Savior. What a great chance to share Karen’s testimony with him. This evening as I am writing this update we’re listening to the words of “Come Thou Fount.” What wonderful encouragement are the words. This hymn of faith is a wonderful blessing in the good times as well as in some of the most difficult days of our lifetime.

You are special to the Lord and special to us as well. We will be out of church tomorrow but will be joining the dear congregation of First Baptist Church of Elyria on their live stream. I hope that you will be well enough to join the Lord’s people in your local church tomorrow.

So Much to Tell You!

Friday May 29, 2015

What a day it was today!

We arrived this morning at 8:00 at the Seidman Cancer Center in the Hematology / Oncology Department to check in. Karen and I prayed together on the way and committed the entire day to Him. It is a wonderful joy to walk with the Lord and to know that He is superintending our steps. The writer of Hebrews said, “Without faith it is impossible to please Him” (Hebrews 11:6). From the time of the diagnosis until this day we have rejoiced to know that our Savior is our great shepherd who holds us in His hands (John 10).

Here are several things we wanted to tell you.

First, I want to tell you that the doctor is really pleased. “You are looking amazing” was the exact words of our doctor. He listened to her lung. Carefully he examined her and then sat down to talk with us. “She really looks wonderful” was his continued sentence. We could sense that the Lord was doing wonderful things.

Second, I want to tell you that the research assignment will take place in about three weeks from now. As you know Karen is part of a research project. We just got into this study. Our clinical nurse told us that the study is now closed. The national quota has been reached. In the sovereign timing of the Lord, He allowed Karen to get into the study just in time.

Karen has now completed her fourth round of heavy “big guns” chemotherapy. She now will be on maintenance. She will be assigned one of three options using two effective chemicals. She will either be assigned to medicine A, or medicine B, or a combination of medicine A and B. We have such a wonderful oncologist. You see there is one medicine that requires specific medication and a B-12 shot that would delay the next infusion for seven days. Our doctor doesn’t want to give that mass any advantage so today Karen got the shot and is taking the medicine. Regardless of what the research computer assigns, we know that the Lord will be superintending it and Karen will be ready no matter what the assignment will be.

Third, I want to tell you that on Saturday at 3:00, Dr. Shaky Fingers saintly twin brother of evil Dr. Sticky Fingers (those sweet rolls are so messy) will give Karen another shot of Neulasta. It is such an important injection for her to receive. If you would, please ask the Lord to help me to do this correctly. Thank you so much.

Fourth, and the last thing that I want to tell you is that yesterday Karen was well enough to drive to the store for some bread and milk kind of stuff. So you are all giggling knowing that Karen is not affected by the sweet roll monster in aisle 9. Aren’t you? I can almost hear you giggling! No sir! She is not affected one teeny tiny little bit by sweet roll monsters. But the day old donuts she brought home surely were good! We love you dear friends. Hugs from our home to yours!

An Amazing Update Thursday May 28th

“We Are a Blessed People!”

Blessing # 1- Today has been an amazing day. It started with us arriving at the Seidman Cancer Center for lab work. Karen needed to have a regiment of blood tests to see if she would be able to undergo her fourth major infusion of the “really big guns” chemotherapy. As the clinical nurse was reading down through the lengthy list of items, she looked up and said to Karen, “These numbers are perfect! I mean really perfect.” We are very thankful to the Lord for this.

Blessing # 2- As we continued working through the review that our clinical nurse is recording she told us that Karen is the first patient she has ever had who has been able to tolerate the maximum dosage in all four rounds of the heavy duty chemotherapy. Some patients are so sick and fatigued that they struggle to get out of bed. Their weight loss and blood counts demand that a lesser dosage is then given. We are so grateful to the Lord that He has given her the fortitude and endurance to go through these treatments.

Blessing #3- Last night Karen felt well enough to return to prayer meeting at our local church. Folks were so kind to her and were very happy to see her again. It was a joy to hear her singing the hymns of assurance and worship as she sat beside me. I am so blessed to belong to a sweetheart who loves the Lord in the good days and still walks with Him in the hard days.

Update on the selection- We received more information today about which group A B or C Karen will be in. We learned that the computer will make the selection at our next infusion date which is twenty-one days from tomorrow. Thanks for praying about this with us. We didn’t realize that the selection won’t occur until three weeks from now. When you think of it, we really would appreciate your prayers.

Tonight Karen starts taking the steroids which she continues tomorrow. We are to be at the Cancer Center at 8:00 tomorrow morning. She begins the major chemotherapy infusion somewhere around 9:00. Please pray with me that this will head right straight to the mass and that it will hit it hard with a right hand and before the mass knows what hit it, in will come a left upper hook that will devastate it. I mean to ask you please pray that an atomic war will take place in Karen’s right lung.

“But He knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold” (Job 23:10). This truly describes the journey on which we are traveling. Thanks for coming along with us. It surely makes the journey more pleasant.

Tuesday May 26, 2015 Update and Report

“A Tremendous Opportunity is Ours!”

As you know, Karen is scheduled to have her fourth round of the “big guns” chemotherapy this Friday. This is a major six hour infusion of the maximum treatment that she can take. It is much more pleasant now that she has a port through which the infusion is given. It is still a very long day for her. So thank you for praying that her weight stays up and that she remains healthy.

I shared with you last evening that we have a tremendous opportunity. Karen has become part of a very special research study. No she won’t be trying any experimental drugs. However we know that after the fourth heavy dose of chemotherapy she will have to go on maintenance chemotherapy every twenty-one days. There are two medicines that typically the oncologist would select for this treatment. We know that medication A works effectively. We know that medication B works effectively. But how would medication A and B work if they are combined in option C? This is where the research comes in.

At the conclusion of the fourth round of chemotherapy, the computer will “randomly” select which Karen will receive. Will she receive medication A, B, or the combination of C? There are no placebos. At any time her oncologist can pull her from the study and put her back on big guns if he needs to. There is nothing to risk and everything to gain.

This is what we would like you to pray about this week. We believe in the sovereignty of God and know there is nothing “random” about His will. We would like to ask you to pray that the Lord will guide that computer and that Karen will be in the group of His choosing. Please pray with us about this.

She tires very easily and is especially tired after supper in the evening. We are assured that this is normal and all part of the chemotherapy. We both are leaning heavily on the Lord and so appreciate your prayers.

Monday May 25th, 2015

Memorial Day Update on Karen

I will be sharing several prayer requests this week. Tonight I am praising the Lord that we are now coming up on Karen’s fourth and final “big guns” chemotherapy treatment. Weeks ago the oncologist explained to us that Karen’s situation is a non-small cell cancerous mass that would require heavy duty treatment every twenty-one days for four cycles. It sounded so long and frankly, so dreadful. But here we are. This Friday will be the fourth and final round for this time. There will be more chemotherapy every twenty-one days, but not the big guns. I’ll explain more about this tomorrow.

Here is the prayer request for tonight. Please pray that Karen keeps from catching a cold or flu bug and also pray that she maintains her weight. The doctors do not want her to lose any weight. She lost nine pounds during the last chemo treatment. Thank the Lord she has gained back five of those pounds. The reason we want her to maintain her weight is if she has good numbers from her blood work then she is able to have the maximum chemotherapy. She needs this to fight the mass.

We thank you so much for your friendship and prayers. Tomorrow I will tell you about the special situation in which Karen and I are blessed to be. We will need lots of prayer and direction from the Lord. I can’t wait to tell you more about this tomorrow.