“So Whatever Happened to Obliterate?”
An Update on My Karen Saturday November 5th, 2016

So many of our friends are traveling on this journey with us and they joined us in loving the word “obliterate.” We chuckled together. We prayed together. We used the word “obliterate” to greet one another in the hallway. We smiled at the thought of the word “obliterate” becoming my favorite word. Yep! The word “obliterate” became very special to us. So I am assuming that many of our friends are wondering whatever happened to “obliterate” since Karen’s cancer has spread to other places.

Earlier in the summer when Karen became a candidate for the Cyber Knife procedure at the University Hospital in downtown Cleveland, the radiation oncologist told us that it was his goal to so target the mass that the cancer would be obliterated. Well friends as you know Karen had a PET scan last week and according to the radiation oncologist, the cancer no longer showed in the mass. It didn’t light up at all in the old mass in her right lung. This would be cause for hooting and hollering if it weren’t for the fact that in her recent surgery (which was not completed) the surgeon discovered that the cancer cells had already traveled to elsewhere. It is easier for us laymen to understand it as the cancer has moved to her stomach lining and appears as little studs.

We are of course very disappointed. But friends we have seen the Lord’s guidance and goodness to us. Before I explain how, please let me remind you of Nahum 1:7. “The Lord is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble; and He knoweth them that trust in Him.” We are trusting Him and leaning heavily upon Him. It is such a joy and blessing to see how the Lord has cared for us during this ride on this winding, twisting road.

We are so thankful that Dr. Warren agreed to do the gall bladder surgery. He warned us clearly that he would stop the surgery if he found cancer anywhere. He is an excellent surgeon who searched carefully. He found what still would not show up on the PET scan. He not only found it, he biopsied it. On Thursday our oncologist told us that he is hoping that this will help him to determine exactly what kind of chemotherapy will best attack the cancer studding. How good the Lord is to us. If the surgeon hadn’t been willing to operate, this cancer would have gotten further than it has already.

Here are some things about which I would like to ask you to pray.

First, not only would we like to ask you to pray about the cancer studs in her stomach lining, but please, please, please pray about the fluid that the adenocarcinoma has produced. The opposite lung now is filled with fluid and needs to be tapped and drained. Due to the fact that Karen had taken a baby’s aspirin in her daily regimen, she cannot have the procedure until Tuesday morning at 8:00. Pray that she will be able to breathe well over the weekend.

Second, thank you for praying about the nausea and pain she endures. Karen is such a trooper. What a testimony she has been throughout this entire ordeal. Her trust in the LORD is strong. This doesn’t make things easy; but it does make it bearable.

We know that we are dealing with a very serious situation. But next week we start the cancer fight again. After the lung is drained on Tuesday, the first thing Wednesday morning Karen begins her new chemotherapy routine. She will receive an infusion every two weeks. We’re just praying that the Lord will use the medicine to attack the cancer studs. I’m praying that I will be back to my favorite word “obliterate” again someday soon.