Wedding Bells and MORE Tender Mercies

My beautiful daughter Jennie was married on Monday, January 19th to Wesley Reese. It has been an ordeal for her. She had originally planned to be married in Cancun, Mexico in May but when I received the diagnosis of cancer in August, she had to scramble to change all of her plans because we didn't know at that time what my prognosis would be but it was important to her that her family be there with her. Fortunately she was able to get all of her money back from the resort in Cancun, and then began the frantic work to pull of a wedding in January. I'll be forever grateful that she (and many others of the family) were willing to put in all the extra effort so that I could participate in the wedding. It was so beautiful and Jennie blessed me with the honor of walking her down the asile and giving her to Wes.

(Me giving Jennie away)

As she walked down the stairs to meet me I was reminded how the Lord had tenderly placed her in my arms as an infant to care for and I now had the privilege of giving her life to Wes to protect and love her. The reception was such a fun event that it will long be remembered by the whole family.

(some of my grandkids having a good time at the reception)

I was feeling wonderful except for some superficial vein phlebitis in both legs which was pretty painful. The day before the wedding was the rehearsal and I was pretty miserable, but once again the Lord blessed me to be pain free the day of the wedding. He also blessed me with the energy to keep up with the preparations and bridal shower all within a few short days. He is truly a worker of miracles and bear witness again of His tender mercies.

There was another tender mercy - during the hub-bub of visitors to the house, my cat Cody got outside and disappeared. He's a wonderful companion for those horizontal days when I don't feel so well, and company for those days when I'm alone until Chuck gets home from work. I felt pretty badly, but once again the Lord came to my rescue and through the fasting and prayers of my sister Darlene - and the prayers of my family, he showed up again at the back door four days later. Another miracle!! I feel so unworthy of the Lord's goodness to me!!

A picture of me and Cody

ANSWERED PRAYERS (Addendum)

To my dear friends and family:

Words cannot express my gratitude tonight as I write this note. Test results today showed that there has been no spread whatsoever of the cancer. While the tumors did not diminish they remain confined (in their original size) to the pleural space of my left lung. For this type of aggressive cancer not to have spread is truly nothing short of a miracle!! When I saw the first oncologist in the hospital back in August, they gave me six months to a year to live. I have all ready made it through five months and between treatments I feel great. I thank you with all my heart for this wonderful blessing given to me through the tender mercies of the Lord, the power of priesthood blessings, and because of your faith and prayers in my behalf. I treasure each moment I am able to spend with my supportive, loving family and the incredible friends that the Lord has blessed me with! THANK YOU!! THANK YOU!! THANK YOU!!

We now go back to chemo treatments every three weeks - beginning tomorrow. There will be three more treatments and then another PET scan. I would be so grateful for your continued faith and prayers - I know the Lord hears and answers them!

Merry Christmas

With the last round of chemo complete on December 12th, ( each one has had a little different side effects - this one being nausea which I hadn't had before with the other three - guess I needed to experience them all!) I had my repeat PET scan on Monday the 22nd. In case you are wondering what a PET scan is: PET stands for Positron Emission Tomography.
PET scans are more effective in pinpointing the source of cancer. This is possible because many cancer cells are highly metabolic and synthesize the radioactive glucose (sugar) that is injected (then you have to lie to in the dark without reading or doing anything for an hour) prior to the exam. The areas of high glucose uptake are more accurately displayed in the scan imagery showing active tumors and whether or not they have spread to other areas in the body.

Now we wait for the results which we will hopefully get when I meet with the oncologist on the 30th. But on this Christmas Eve when we celebrate the life of Him who gave us everything, I wish to thank each and every one of you for your thoughts and prayers. No matter what the outcome on the 30th, every day that I have been granted with my family and friends around me, every day that I have felt great, have been a miracle - miracles you have prayed for and I have received!!

May this be your most blessed Christmas of all. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for all you have given me!

Postscript

We had to race from the chemo treatment to the PCP's office to find out how we were going to keep the diabetes under control while taking the Decadron. He was able to add another oral medication to be taken only while on the steroid which seems to be doing a fine job. No insulin necessary! Yippee!

I will have one more round of chemo on December 12th. Then I will have a repeat PET scan on the 22nd, and meet with my oncologist on the 30th. It's a scary wait, but with the blessings of heaven, and the power of the hundreds of prayers from my family and friends, we will pray we have made progress against the disease. That will be my Christmas wish - nevertheless, I leave everything in the hands of Him who knows best and submit my will humbly to His.

3rd Round of Chemo - One More to Go

The chemo drugs really wipe me out and I get pretty chilly and tired. This week we brought my "family" blanket. I received so many compliments on how beautiful and snuggly it was. The normal 4-5 hour infusion took six hours because they were short on chemo nurses. While I would never choose to do this - these chemo treatments with my daughters and sister have been a unique and treasured time together, we've shared something special - their support makes me want to try harder to overcome this disease and to continue to be able to support and care for my family - my greatest joy!

We make quite the scene with five or six of us marching into the chemo room with my chemo bag (comlete with snacks, games and my notebook for keeping track of labs, tests, and appointments), blankets and other paraphenalia necessary for us to have a good time. We enjoy playing games, visiting and getting to meet other cancer patients, and nurse Jennie has come to the rescue more than once!