After Thanksgiving

Reading my last post I see we were not past the testing stage of John's cancer type.  Well since then John spent 3 days in the hospital to get a good lung biopsy done so he could proceed to treatment.  We did find out he has stage 4 lung and bone cancer.  When it is in the bone it automatically becomes stage 4.  It is not small cell lung cancer either, which we were hoping for.  This seems like rather depressing news but at the same time there are some great new treatments out there that give a lot of hope.  He has had one treatment of two powerful chemotherapy products and one immunotherapy.  We are pleased with his follow up testing results and have heard that this treatment can put his cancer into remission and in some cases cure it, even the bone part of it!

There are always side effects when taking a bunch of medicines, chemo, etc. into our bodies.  John has had his share of pain from the bone cancer and therefore takes powerful pain meds.  They help, yet again, lots of side effects.  John hangs in there with great strength.  We both have had our moments of frustration.  I confess mine can consist mostly of self-pity which I don't like at all.  It caused a melt-down one day I'm rather ashamed of and so now I'm trying to rest more on God instead of my own weak strength.  Thank you all so very much for prayer.  I believe in the power of prayer more then anything!  Medicine is a wonderful answer to our prayers, but the creator is the one who has made our bodies. He is the one who has to direct our doctors and nurses to bring about the perfect outcome.

Since John's first treatment we attended a huge family gathering (my family and John's) for Thanksgiving and enjoyed having his girls with their families in town.  They came from Sacramento and Atlanta, Georgia.  The day was the worst day for John as far as strength went, but he was so glad to be able to be a part of the day.  A cosy couch in the middle of everything helped!

We look forward to Christmas which we are now trying to prepare for.  We do as much each day as is possible and not worry about the rest.  The main thing we try to do is enjoy what God gives for the day and praise Him for the ability to do what we can to have a normal life in the midst of deciding what food tastes the best as well as good for you, handling pain, medicine, treatments, doctor visits, CT and MIR scans, and blood tests!

There is always suffering in life.  One problem gets better and another can soon follow.  Not to sound pessimistic, it is just a fact.  If we don't have hope in God there is very little that can bring real peace or happiness.  So whoever reads this I would encourage you to put your hope in God so that suffering can be handled.  John and I are reading a great devotional booklet this month that happens to be on suffering. The other day the key verse was:
 Isaiah 55:8 "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the Lord.
Also a thought was shared from George MacDonald:  "Trust God to weave your little thread into the great web, though the pattern shows it not yet."

I like both these thoughts and most of all knowing with certainty this Christmas season Christ was born so we could saved from sin and be Expected in Heaven one day!

Refining Fire

There is a praise song that has the words:
"Purify my heart
Let me be as gold and precious silver
Refiner's fire
My heart's one desire
Is to be holy
Set apart for You, Lord"
by - Brian Doerksen, 2008
This song was a favorite of mine but I never really knew the full meaning of the words.  God has been teaching me in the last 7 years in ways I would not have imagined.

Many of you are wondering how John and I are doing after just 7 short months of marriage and finding out John has lung and bone cancer.  Well very, very sad first of all and totally incapable of walking this journey alone without God holding us up.  Thank you so very much to the many who have said you are praying for us!  We need it!!  God has answered in the way that each day He gives us hope and holds our hands and helps us move forward.

John has taken all the needed tests, but the bone marrow test taken in the doctor's office wasn't good enough, so they want another one to give the final prognosis for treatment.  So now we wait once again for the hospital to schedule him with the radiology department.  We were told this could take another week to week and half.  Yes, this woman is continuing to try to speed this process any way I can.  All his other tests have been sent to the hospital so please pray that they will do the test this week!  It's my understanding that once the test is taken they still have to wait a day or so for it to process in the lab.

We are very hopeful that there is treatment for his cancer that can make it go into remission or give him some more days with me.  There is always hope as well for a miracle!  We never doubt what God can do.  We also have said not my will but Yours be done.

"These have come so that your faith - of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire - may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed." I Peter 1:7