The Greatest Gift:
For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this. Isaiah 9:6-7 May you receive this amazing gift from the LORD- salvation and eternal life in the Person of Jesus the Messiah.
I just read my blog from a year ago. It is good to look back and remember where we have been and the faithfulness of the LORD our God. Especially as Dan and Ashley, the 4 1/2 month newlyweds, are heading for Stanford tomorrow for a PET/CT scan, followed up by 2 doctor appointments on Tuesday. (Update will follow.)
From the bottom of my heart I thank you for your prayers. God is good forever, trustworthy, merciful, gracious, our Redeemer, our Savior, Almighty, and gives us peace in the midst of all our storms.
A note written by Ashley on her new blog:
"Please be in prayer that the news is encouraging. Since the last 3 months have been "wait and see" months, we are hoping to see no dramatic changes...at least bad dramatic changes. The liver was hammered with radiation back in June, so we're hoping to see some very dead tumors--or non-existent tumors. As for the pancreas, we're hoping for a very tiny and non-growing tumor. Pray for the doctors to see what they need to see and to have wisdom to recommend the next steps. Again, it would be wonderful to avoid more chemo (hair for graduation would be great, don't you think?), but that is only possible if the tumor growth has been minimal or none.
Pray for peace and encouragement and hope. Let this season be one of rejoicing in God's further healing in Dan's body. May the news on Tuesday leave us just plain old exuberant."
Sunday, December 21, 2008
Saturday, November 15, 2008
Nov 15
Dear Faithful Ones
An update on Tuesday’s doctor appointment at Stanford: We met with an orthopedic surgeon who reviewed the bone scan and MRI with us and recommended a couple of treatments that may reduce the pain Dan is having in his hip. (This is the first time I saw him limp as he walked and does that hurt a mother’s heart!) These 2 treatments will hopefully stimulate his body to produce more bone cells, not deal with the dead bone cells on his femur, but could have the outcome of reducing his pain.
Nothing, apart from God miraculously healing those dead cells, will change the avascular necrosis that has occured. At some point in the future Dan may need a hip replacement, but my dear Bible study ladies reminded me of Jeremiah’s prayer:
'Ah Lord GOD! Behold, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and by Your outstretched arm! Nothing is too difficult for You,
Jeremiah 32:17
and the LORD God’s response:
Then the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah, saying,
"Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh; is anything too difficult for Me?"
Jer 32:26-27
As the LORD has given new spiritual life to us who were spiritually dead, so He can give new life to Dan’s dead bone cells. So let us ask our LORD God for that miracle!
We are truly thankful that this new development is not one of the cancer spreading. May this season of giving thanks remind us to be thankful for God’s gracious gift of life to each one of us and the forgiveness of our sins through Messiah Jesus.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus the Messiah! According to His great mercy, He has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Messiah Jesus from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith--more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire--may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Messiah Jesus.
Though you have not seen Him, you love Him. Though you do not now see Him, you believe in Him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
I Peter 1:3-9
An update on Tuesday’s doctor appointment at Stanford: We met with an orthopedic surgeon who reviewed the bone scan and MRI with us and recommended a couple of treatments that may reduce the pain Dan is having in his hip. (This is the first time I saw him limp as he walked and does that hurt a mother’s heart!) These 2 treatments will hopefully stimulate his body to produce more bone cells, not deal with the dead bone cells on his femur, but could have the outcome of reducing his pain.
Nothing, apart from God miraculously healing those dead cells, will change the avascular necrosis that has occured. At some point in the future Dan may need a hip replacement, but my dear Bible study ladies reminded me of Jeremiah’s prayer:
'Ah Lord GOD! Behold, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and by Your outstretched arm! Nothing is too difficult for You,
Jeremiah 32:17
and the LORD God’s response:
Then the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah, saying,
"Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh; is anything too difficult for Me?"
Jer 32:26-27
As the LORD has given new spiritual life to us who were spiritually dead, so He can give new life to Dan’s dead bone cells. So let us ask our LORD God for that miracle!
We are truly thankful that this new development is not one of the cancer spreading. May this season of giving thanks remind us to be thankful for God’s gracious gift of life to each one of us and the forgiveness of our sins through Messiah Jesus.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus the Messiah! According to His great mercy, He has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Messiah Jesus from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith--more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire--may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Messiah Jesus.
Though you have not seen Him, you love Him. Though you do not now see Him, you believe in Him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
I Peter 1:3-9
Saturday, November 8, 2008
news at last!
Well I know you are being patient in waiting for news- that is a lesson I am learning too! The bone scan Dan had two weeks go was read by several doctors but was inconclusive, so he needed an MRI which he had yesterday. Unbelievably they gave him a "report" on it and let him see the results. In Dan's creative eyes it looked like the ball of his femur "had a black yarmulke on it". In more medical terms the steroids that his tumor produced massive amounts of, caused the blood supply to be cut off to the head of the femur and caused necrosis or tissue death. The technician asked Dan if he was a body builder. (I would of said yes of course, can't you tell?) (So beware you body builders, steroids are very dangerous.) So while that is not a great report, it really has a silver lining in that it shows the cancer has not spread to his bones even though he has not had any chemo since April. We are so thankful for that. His endoscopy also came up negative for an ulcer- another good report. Dan and Ashley will head up to Stanford for an appointment with the doctor to review and evaluate all these new updates. I will be going also so if there is anything more to report, you will be hearing from me in a few days! May our hearts be filled with gratitude not just on "Thanksgiving Day" but every day. God gives every one alive the very precious breath of life.
Philippians 4:4-8
Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!
Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in our Messiah Jesus.
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable-if anything is excellent or praiseworthy-think about such things.
Philippians 4:4-8
Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!
Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in our Messiah Jesus.
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable-if anything is excellent or praiseworthy-think about such things.
Friday, October 24, 2008
greetings
Just a quick note to ask for your prayers for Dan. Today he is having a bone scan since he has had hip pain for awhile now. In 2 weeks he will be having an upper GI to check for an ulcer related to the radioactive bead implant of June. Married life for him and Ashley is going well. They are busy students so they are anticipating a wonderful vacation time just being together more at Christmas break. He loves his NFL Network internship- it's football after all. We are out of town for a week so I may not get back to you with any results until after our return. Bob and I are looking forward to some R & R! Love to you all and many thanks for your prayers.
Sunday, October 5, 2008
Thanks for all your prayers
Just a note of thanks to all of you who have been so faithful to pray for Dan over these past 15 months.
As I was organizing my "art room" this afternoon, I came across a notebook I made of several cards we received last June when Dan was initially diagnosed. What a blessing it was to read them and remember the love and faithfulness of the prayer army assembled for Dan. And the faithfulness of our Lord Jesus to answer those pleas on his behalf!
Last night Bob and I went to the movies and saw a pastor from a church in town who reminded me that his church is still praying for Dan and was delighted with all the good news of Dan and Ashley's marriage and the good report from Stanford in September.
Dan starts an internship tomorrow with the NFL Network in LA - another answered prayer for him. (Did I mention he loves football?:)
Our LORD God has great plans for each one of us. We may walk down paths not of our choosing. We may make wrong choices as we walk this journey called life. And yes, there will be suffering, just because we live in a fallen world. But through it all He promises to be with us and to use everything we go through to conform us to the image of Jesus if we surrender our will, our life, ourselves to Him . And nothing can separate us from His love.
meditate on Romans 8:28-39
bless you
As I was organizing my "art room" this afternoon, I came across a notebook I made of several cards we received last June when Dan was initially diagnosed. What a blessing it was to read them and remember the love and faithfulness of the prayer army assembled for Dan. And the faithfulness of our Lord Jesus to answer those pleas on his behalf!
Last night Bob and I went to the movies and saw a pastor from a church in town who reminded me that his church is still praying for Dan and was delighted with all the good news of Dan and Ashley's marriage and the good report from Stanford in September.
Dan starts an internship tomorrow with the NFL Network in LA - another answered prayer for him. (Did I mention he loves football?:)
Our LORD God has great plans for each one of us. We may walk down paths not of our choosing. We may make wrong choices as we walk this journey called life. And yes, there will be suffering, just because we live in a fallen world. But through it all He promises to be with us and to use everything we go through to conform us to the image of Jesus if we surrender our will, our life, ourselves to Him . And nothing can separate us from His love.
meditate on Romans 8:28-39
bless you
Friday, September 12, 2008
GREAT NEWS!
We just got home from Stanford after waiting 5+ hours to see the doctor. (That is what happens when they just "squeeze" you in, instead of having an appointment). But on the other hand it was so good to spend time with the new Mr. & Mrs. Howen (who are doing great and still madly in love). And the great news is: the radiologist was very pleased with the CT results which at first glance still shows tumors present, but they are much less dense (meaning they may just be hollowed out shells of tumors, i.e DEAD). The doctor will be studying them in more detail and comparing this CT study with the last one in April.
Also the tumor in the pancreas is approximately 1 cm which is a decrease from the 3.5 cm tumor size of June 2007 which volumetrically speaking is a 98% decrease! (I did the math). That size reduction has nothing to do with the SIRSphere treatment, but has all to do with the chemotherapy, of which he has not had any since April.
The doctor is now considering the best treatment to wipe out that small tumor in the pancreas which will probably not occur until Christmas vacation. We are anticipating another CT and perhaps the cyberknife at that time on the pancreas tumor. (Can you believe that Christmas is only 104 days away!)
We are so thrilled by this result of the SIRSpheres, as well as the fact that Dan is feeling great, his labs look good, and he and Ashley are loving being together. In fact, they are on the road driving back to their home in southern CA as I write this. May our LORD God give them the rest and rejuvenation they need this weekend. Internship update: Dan is doing his internship at Warner Brothers (not the football one he wanted, but this does fulfill his requirements).
Philippians 4:4-8
Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice.
Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand;
do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.
And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.
Also the tumor in the pancreas is approximately 1 cm which is a decrease from the 3.5 cm tumor size of June 2007 which volumetrically speaking is a 98% decrease! (I did the math). That size reduction has nothing to do with the SIRSphere treatment, but has all to do with the chemotherapy, of which he has not had any since April.
The doctor is now considering the best treatment to wipe out that small tumor in the pancreas which will probably not occur until Christmas vacation. We are anticipating another CT and perhaps the cyberknife at that time on the pancreas tumor. (Can you believe that Christmas is only 104 days away!)
We are so thrilled by this result of the SIRSpheres, as well as the fact that Dan is feeling great, his labs look good, and he and Ashley are loving being together. In fact, they are on the road driving back to their home in southern CA as I write this. May our LORD God give them the rest and rejuvenation they need this weekend. Internship update: Dan is doing his internship at Warner Brothers (not the football one he wanted, but this does fulfill his requirements).
Philippians 4:4-8
Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice.
Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand;
do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.
And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.
Monday, September 8, 2008
Appointment Friday
Hello all. Thought I should update you on Dan and my brother Phil. Phil is now only face down 2 times a day 2 hours each time. Thank you Lord for his continuing recovery.
On the DAn front: Dan and Ashley drive up Thursday night for an early morning CT scan. Bob and I will meet them for his appointment with his oncologist after lunch. She will have an opportunity to review the scan before meeting with us. Please pray for a great report! With Dan very happily married and in LA, Matthew in Peru at Bible college, and Jessica leaving yesterday for a new adventure in Seattle, Bob and I have officially entered the "Empty Nest". It is quieter to be sure.
Our love and blessings to you all.
Num 6:22 -26
The Lord spoke to Moses, saying,
“Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying,
Thus you shall bless the people of Israel: you shall say to them,
“The Lord bless you and keep you;
“the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you;
“the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.
On the DAn front: Dan and Ashley drive up Thursday night for an early morning CT scan. Bob and I will meet them for his appointment with his oncologist after lunch. She will have an opportunity to review the scan before meeting with us. Please pray for a great report! With Dan very happily married and in LA, Matthew in Peru at Bible college, and Jessica leaving yesterday for a new adventure in Seattle, Bob and I have officially entered the "Empty Nest". It is quieter to be sure.
Our love and blessings to you all.
Num 6:22 -26
The Lord spoke to Moses, saying,
“Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying,
Thus you shall bless the people of Israel: you shall say to them,
“The Lord bless you and keep you;
“the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you;
“the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.
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