Mom

long overdue update (9/12/2005)

David — Thu, 15 Sep 2005 00:49:00 GMT

Hi All,

I am so sorry that it has taken me so long to get back with you. I believe that the last thing I sent was just after my last treatment. The next several weeks were less than wonderful and very trying, but are over now. The Lord has been so very gracious and you all have been such tireless intercessors for me. I will never be able to express my gratitude and love for you all. My echo cardiogram was good and I began my Herceptin on Sept. 7th. It went fine and I didn't have any side effects, so next time it should go quicker. I will go once every three weeks. This drug is new and targets only cancer cells should they be anywhere in my body. It surrounds the cells and does not allow them to grow or spread. It supposedly reduces my chances of recurrence by 52% and I like those numbers.

My hair is beginning to sprout a little and so far looks pretty white. It's not long enough to tell if it is curly or not, but we will see. Bob says that I should go and have the two hairs put into a ponytail. My numbers are coming up now and should continue to do so. I was on house arrest again for several weeks after the last treatment, but I'm on the move now and plan to stay that way. I really feel like I'm on the mend now and just have to be careful not to overdo or get sick.

I want to update you on my friends also. Celestia Tarver is still on the new drug, Navelbene, and it seems to be shrinking her tumors. She has had lots of really rough days and some very unpleasant side effects, but her spirits are good and her husband Ed is a wonderful support for her. They have put her on a schedule that gives her treatments once a week for two weeks and then one week off for her to recuperate. Please pray that this drug will continue to work and that she will go into remission soon. Wes Hargraves seems to be doing somewhat better as well. He has been able to talk on the phone with Bob the last few times he has called. He is still not sure about the transplant status though, from what I can tell, they are still waiting to hear from Emory. Please pray that he will remain infection free and that if possible, he will be able to get a new lung. His wife, Carm, is always there for him and is a great support. Suzie Bauch has stopped the clinical trial in Seattle and is now getting the Herceptin every three weeks in Atlanta also. Her husband,Jim, is there for her as well. Please pray that Suzie remains cancer free. Our spouses are the rocks on which we rely and call on when we need anything. You all are also our support. Your prayers and love and concern have been a "warm blanket" around our shoulders through this time and we appreciate all that you do.

These last few months have caused me to reprioritize my life and my faith. The Lord has been active in my life for many years, but I have not been as active as I should have been for Him. I am trying to change that and realign my life to be more pleasing to Him. I have begun a new Bible study at church called Believing God by Beth Moore. It is wonderful and has lots of "book work" and study involved with it. The time I spend preparing for each class is showing me areas that I need to work on and also how to be more involved with my Savior. I plan to be more open to the Lord's promptings in my life and respond as He would have me to. We have learned a short five point response that I would like to share with you. 1. God is who He says He is. 2. God can do what He says He can do. 3. I am who God says I am. 4. I can do all things through Christ. 5. God's word is alive and active in me. As you can see, I am fired up about this new phase of my life and I covet your prayers to help me remain so and grow into the person that God wants me to be.

I hope that this finds you all well. I will try to keep in closer touch with you and please know that you will be in my prayers as well. The God that we serve is gracious, loving and ever faithful and will be our constant companion if we but allow Him the opportunity to do so. May you all have a blessed evening.

Yours in Christ, Sandy

My first "I did it myself" entry

Parents — Mon, 15 Aug 2005 18:20:00 GMT

Hi All, [:D]

Well, I'm going to give this a try. I really like the idea of our own family web site. This way we can keep in touch and not have to play phone tag so often. This will also be a great way to exchange gift ideas for the kids and list any "planned" get togethers. I think David has already mentioned that, but I am too. I love the idea of the photo gallary also, that way we all have recents pictures of the kids and I can print them out for the frig. I can never have too many pix. We have to try and plan an informal get together after my last blood count draw on Aug. 19. Once I get that and my numbers are up, I'm good to go and hopefully my energy will have begun to return by then. So I'm going toclose for now and see how this works.

I love you all,

Mom, Sandy, Nana and Gramma

(I think that covers all my bases)[:)]

PRAISE GOD, we did it! (8/11/2005)

David — Fri, 12 Aug 2005 01:32:00 GMT

To all of my faithful prayer warriors,

The last chemo treatment is behind me. My blood count numbers were wonderful according to my oncologist and we were able to finish on time. I informed him that the Lord has been gracious. You all have been such a blessing to me and to my friends. Speaking of which, I have several prayer requests for them. Wes Hargraves will be going back down to Emory tomorrow for several tests on his prostate gland. Should any of them be out of the normal, it would keep him off of the transplant list. Please pray first, that he and Carm's trip down there will be tolerable for him with his portable oxygen equipment and secondly that the tests would be OK. Carm said that he has been getting a little bit of strength back, but that it has been very slow. Also, Celestia Tarver will be going in this afternoon for her next chemo treatment. She has been on "house arrest" for quite awhile now and she was unable to have her treatment yesterday as planned since her numbers were still too low. She had another dose of the drug to bring them up, this is the one that is giving her so much bone pain. Please pray that they will be able to proceed today. They will be having her come in for infusions of iron and some other things to help boost her counts. They will also be changing her to another drug for her white count that should lessen her bone pain. Her treatments will now be two weeks on and one week off to try and allow her to recuperate. Please pray for she and Ed as they continue on their arduous journey to finding the right combination of treatments to bring her cancer into remission.

I would like to fill you in on my status now. I'M DONE with the chemo and my oncologist said yesterday that he would be giving me the Herceptin for my specific type of cancer. It is the drug that I mentioned to you before. I will be receiving it every three weeks for at least one year, with a review at that time to see about another year or not. The deciding factor now is an echo cardiogram to be done on Aug, 31. The Adriamycin I have been receiving can have an effect on the heart muscle and so can the Herceptin. If the results of the echo show damage to my heart muscle, I will not be able to get the Herceptin. I will also have to have periodic heart muscle studies done during the year of therapy. I would have you pray that all is well with my old "ticker" and that we can proceed.

Once again I would like to tell you how very much we covet and appreciate all of your prayers, support and concern. You epitomize the biblical prayer warriors and have been great intercessors on all of our behalf's. The Lord has so blessed us with such a faithful group of friends. We pray for you all often and know that you do the same.

I quoted from a book by Bill Bright before, but would like to do so again. This book has been such a wonderful blessing to me. Bill stated, "Allowing ourselves to praise Him, to join in hymns and spiritual songs, truly brings melody to the heart and very practically relieves stress, refocuses the mind on things eternal, and reminds us of His marvelous attributes (Eph. 5:19; Col. 3:16). For example, I love the message of Andrae Crouch's song:"

I thank God for the mountains,

And I thank Him for the valleys;

I thank Him for the storms He brought me through;

For if I'd never had a problem,

I wouldn't know that He could solve them

I'd never know what faith in God could do."

I will be in touch with you all soon.

Yours in Christ,

Sandy

PRAISE (8/4/2005)

David — Sun, 07 Aug 2005 19:59:00 GMT

Good Morning All,

I am sending this out to let you know some GREAT news! PRAISE GOD FROM WHOM ALL BLESSINGS FLOW!! Celestia and Ed Tarver whet for her body scan results yesterday and along with their oncologist they were amazed. Her scans showed that her liver had improved by 50% and they also thought that the tumor in her neck was not as big as they had thought and that most of it was scar tissue from her previous radiation and not tumor. Needless to say, we were all in tears over the news. Celestia asked that I let each of you know how very much they appreciated and coveted your prayers. I ask that you would all please continue to pray for Celestia and Ed. The new drug is working, but Celestia is having alot of unpleasant side effects and the drugs they are giving her for the side effects are also causing her bone pain. As Celestia told me though, "I can put up with the side effects as long as I know that the treatment is working."

It is wonderful to be able to pass along such exciting news and to reaffirm to all of us that God's grace and mercy are abundant and all sufficient for our needs. You all are awesome and tireless prayer warriors and I love you each and every one!

James 5: 13-16

Yours in Christ,

Sandy

House Arrest (8/2/2005)

David — Wed, 03 Aug 2005 12:34:00 GMT

Hi All,

Well, I had my ten day post chemo draw Monday and I am now officially on "house arrest" until my next treatment on Wednesday 8/10. My blood counts were shall we say less than desirable. I got some more Procrit for my red cells and I had my Neulasta for the white cells. You would think that at the cost of them that they would work better. The oncologist said that as the treatments wore on that they would have a cumulative effect on me and boy was he ever right. Seriously though, I would ask that you all specifically pray that I stay infection free and that my immune system numbers move higher in the next eight days. I really would like to finish the treatments on time, but if the numbers are too low, we will have to postpone for a week or so. I know that God is in control of all of this and that if we do have to reschedule, it will be for a good reason. My energy has ebbed, but the concern and comfort that you all have shown me and the prayers that you have raised on my behalf are raising my spirits daily. This part of the journey is uphill, but with your support and prayers and God's daily gift of grace I will soon be finished and move on to healthier days. Bob and I are so blessed to have friends like you and pray daily for your wellbeing.

I would also ask that you pray for Ed and Celestia Tarver. Celestia had a body scan done today and will be meeting with her oncologist tomorrow at 2:30PM to see if the new drug she has been on for the last four weeks has had a positive effect on her tumors. She has had to have several shots to boost her blood counts and the drug has caused her a lot of bone pain. Please pray that the side effects of the drug will ease and that she and Ed will receive encouraging news tomorrow.

The Lord is faithful and gracious and an ever present help in our times of need. I am reading a book written by Bill Bright and would like to share just a few lines with you. "The Lord is ever faithful and gives us the song in the night to soothe our spirits and fresh joy each morning to lift our souls.What a marvelous Lord! Jesus said, 'Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest' (Matt. 11:28)." This is a precious promise from our loving and gracious Lord and I wanted to pass it along with my thanks to each of you for your ongoing prayers.

I'll be in touch soon and keep you updated on my friends and my journey.

Yours in Christ,

Sandy

almost there (7/26/2005)

David — Fri, 29 Jul 2005 17:35:00 GMT

Hi All,

I'm late again, but slow motion is better than no motion. I hope that this finds you all well. I know that some of you are having rough times and I pray for you all often. Please allow me to update you on the friends you have been praying for during the last few months. Celestia and Ed Tarver are on a new regime of chemo and are praying that this drug will help to place Celestia into remission. This drug is given weekly and has some nasty side effects. Celestia has been having a lot of pain and her blood counts are way down. She is currently on "house arrest" and cannot see her children or grandchildren until the numbers come up. Please pray that the Lord will provide His comfort and peace to each of them during this time and that this new drug will do its job. I ask that you also pray specifically for Celestia's blood counts to come up enough for her to have her next treatment tomorrow. They will be able to due a body scan after her next treatment to see if the drug is working.

Wesley and Carm Hargraves are home and doing OK right now. Carm said that Wes is still having difficulty breathing, but seems to be gaining some strength slowly. They have not heard anything from the Emory transplant team as to whether Wes has been placed on the list. Please pray that Wes remains infection free and that his strength returns soon. Also, please pray for Carm as she cares for Wes and waits for encouraging news about his future.

Suzi and Jim Bauch are now officially out of the drug trials in Seattle. They have decided to go with the new drug Herceptin and forego the experimental vaccine. Suzi was unable to take both of the drugs and opted to go with the Herceptin, since the trial results were so positive. This change means that they will not have to travel to Seattle on a monthly basis and can be done in Atlanta. Please pray that they will be encouraged and uplifted during this time.

As you can see from the above information, there are many pray opportunities for these friends. Not only the ones who are directly going through these trials, but their spouses, families and friends need support and prayers. I truly believe that it is harder on the ones standing by and watching and caring than on us who are going through the illness.

Well, my journey is almost complete for this phase of my treatment. My blood counts were not wonderful, but were acceptable to do my chemo last Friday. The Neulasta has kept my white count up fairly well, but it was below the normal range and has been ratcheting down with each treatment. The nurse said that even if it was marginal before my last treatment that they probably would go ahead, since it would be my last one. I am asking that you would pray specifically for my blood counts to stay up and that we will be able to finish this journey on time. I know that the Lord will work this out within His perfect plan for me and we rest in that thought daily.

To each of you I am sending a huge E-HUG!! You are all very special people and true pray warriors. I will pray for you as you have so faithfully done for me and all of my friends over the past months. I would like to leave you with a few verses from a wonderful book I have been rereading. "Life is full of challenges and disappointments. But take heart and experience My supernatural peace. Just as you compassionately comfort your child, so I tenderly comfort you. My Word is your source of encouragement. Remember, when you love Me and are called according to My purposes, I even turn life's difficulties into unexpected victories. Victoriously, YOUR GOD OF ALL HOPE John 16:33; Isaiah 66:13; Romans 15:4; 8:28

Yours in Christ,

Sandy

mid-treatment blood draw and prayer requests (7/13/2005)

David — Wed, 13 Jul 2005 21:50:00 GMT

Hi All,

I hope that this finds you all well. I would like to start this update with several prayer requests. You all have been so faithful to lift your prayers that I have been led to add more people to your lists. The new addition today is actually one of my update group members, his name is Wesley Hargraves. Bob and I have known Wes and his wife Carm for almost forty years. They stood up for Bob and I when we were married( we eloped / but that's a story for another day).

Wes has been battling pneumonia for the last three months. He has had emphysema for awhile and between the damage it has done and the prolonged infection, his lungs are in really bad shape. He has just come home from Emory and is waiting to see if his tests are good enough for him to be put on the lung transplant list. They have ask that we pray for God's perfect will to be done in the decision of the team. Also, Wes is on oxygen via face mask constantly and it is very taxing for him to try and eat. He is supposed to try and build up his body and his energy while he is at home, so Carm is trying to finds ways to help him get nourishment. Also, and this is imperative, he cannot get any infections, especially an upper respiratory infection or it could be disastrous. So please pray for his well being and that the Lord will undertake for both of them at this critical time in their lives. My friend Celestia Tarver has had to change chemo therapy drugs again. Her last scan showed no shrinkage of the neck tumor and an increase in the lesions of her liver. Please pray that the doctors will have the wisdom to find just the right treatment to bring her recurrence into remission. Also, please pray for Ed and Celestia, that they will have peace and comfort as they go through this time of uncertainty.

My blood work was semi-OK. I have now earned a new drug, lucky me. It is Procrit for my red blood count. SOOOO now I have a drug for my white and my red counts. At least I don't have any other color to worry about. I have been really dragging my posterior for the last few weeks and hopefully this new drug will help that. Garfield (the cat) and I pencil in our naps as soon as we get up in the mornings. Other than the exhaustion, I feel pretty well and am ready to finish this stuff. The Lord has been gracious and gives me grace for each new day. Bob is doing well too and we are traveling this road hand in hand with the Lord as our guide.

I pray for you all daily and so appreciate your ongoing prayers and concern. Please allow me to thank you also from the friends I have added to your prayer lists. We all are in God's hands and are comforted by that each day. We have a praise song that we sing at church that speaks to exactly what I have just said, please allow me to share it with you.

It is from Ps. 103:11 Think About His Love

Think about His love, think about His goodness, Think about His grace that's brought us through. For as high as the heavens above, so great is the measure of our Father's love. Great is the measure of our Father's love. May this bring as much peace and comfort to your hearts as it does to mine. I love you all and I will continue to keep you up to date on me and my friends. You are courageous prayer warriors!

Isaiah12: 2-5

Sandy

2/3 Done (7/5/2005)

David — Wed, 06 Jul 2005 06:18:00 GMT

Hi All.

Hope you all had a safe and fun holiday. I had my fourth chemo last Friday. We're on the homeward stretch now, yeh! We didn't do much during the weekend, but some of the kids came and enjoyed the lake yesterday. Today is Tuesday and the fourth day post chemo and I am still waiting for my energy to return. Darn, it must have taken an extra day off due to the holiday. The Lord has been gracious and I have had very few side effects from the chemo. My numbers have been acceptable with the Neulasta and my H&H came up slightly and I did not need the Procrit. The only thing that I am having to deal with now is the exhaustion. I can't believe how tired I am ALL of the time lately. I do a very little bit and feel OK and then it sneaks up on me and I have to sit or lay down. Only two more "assaults" and we are done. My Oncologist was pleased with my progress and said that everything was going as planned.

Please pray for continued strength and endurance for Bob and I. The Lord has been and will remain steadfast during this journey and all of your prayers and support are greatly appreciated. Our choir sang a beautiful anthem not long ago and the words touched me. I would like to share them with each of you now.

Make My Life an Alleluia

Make my life an alleluia, a song of praise to You each day. To proclaim Your grace and glory, fill my heart with Your praise, I pray. When I stand at the mountaintop, or the valley of despair, This will be my cry, my song, my prayer; Lord make my life an alleluia. Make my life an alleluia, a gift of love to You, my king. I will join with all creation in the song that the heavens sing! The earth will turn, and the planets spin, as the seasons ebb and flow; still Your grace surrounds me as I go, Lord, make my life an alleluia. Make my life an alleluia, this off'ring of myself I give to You. I will share Your grace and mercy for as long as I shall live. When I come to my journey's end, may those left behind be reminded, this has been my cry, my song, my prayer; Lord make my life an alleluia.

I hope that these words bring as much comfort and peace to each of you as they have to me. I am blessed daily by God's grace and mercy shown to me and my family through people such as yourselves. You all are wonderful and I thank God for each of you daily.

Yours in Christ,

Sandy

Halfway!! (6/15/2005)

David — Wed, 06 Jul 2005 06:16:00 GMT

Hi All,

Well, I'm a little late with my update, but that's because I've been doing NORMAL things for the past few days. I've felt well since my post chemo "down days" and have been out and about. Bob and I have even taken the pontoon boat out around sunset the last few nights and it has been beautiful. Other than a loss of stamina, I have felt well. I just have to pace myself and rest as I need to. I hope that this finds you all well and happy.

Please allow me to update you on my friends. Suzi and Jim Baugh are now in Seattle for Suzi's monthly visit out there for her new drug study. They are trying a vaccine for the immune system of certain cancer patients and Suzi will be making these monthly trips west as long as the study lasts. Please pray not only for positive results from the study, but for traveling mercies and also some CHEAP airfares as the trips will be often and expensive. Celestia and Ed Tarver are doing fine. Celestia started on her new chemo drug three weeks ago and has just had her second treatment. She had a reaction the first time, but did much better this time. She will have a complete body scan before her next treatment and should know something by July 5. Please pray for positive results and for comfort and encouragement for both of them during this time. Rhonda Nyberg will be beginning six rounds of chemo therapy around June 20 and following that, more surgery and radiation. I ask that you lift she and her family; husband Dave and their two teenage children in prayer as they continue on this arduous journey.

I know that I speak for all of us when I say that we truly appreciate all of your prays and concern. I pray often for each of you and count you all among my prayer warriors. The uplifting and encouragement from your support is wonderful. The Lord is gracious and provides for all of our needs on a daily basis.

Phil. 1:2-4

Sandy

Post Chemo Blood Draw (6/2/2005)

David — Wed, 06 Jul 2005 06:15:00 GMT

Hi All,

The Lord is good and ever faithful! My numbers this time were much better and no house arrest this time. The Neulasta that I received really did it's job. My white count and neutraphils were way up, but my hemoglobin and hematocrit were down. This "herding cats"is hard work. They said that they had a drug to help them next time also,so what's one more drug in the scheme of things. We will have this chemo stuff figured out pretty soon.

My friend's Suzi and Jim Bauch are back from cruise and are rested and renewed. Suzi is feeling much better and has been able to enter a drug trial study in Seattle at the University of Washington. It is a new vaccine for the immune system to help prevent cancer recurrence. She will have to fly out to Seattle once a month to have the drug and to monitor her progress. They are very excited and ask that you all continue to pray for them and send their thanks for your concern. Celestia and Ed Tarver are doing well. The new drug that Celestia is on is given only every three weeks, so it will be awhile before they know how it is working for her. She said that the drug has effected her for a longer time than the others. She has had many more "down" days after the treatment and is trying to get back to her regular routine, but it's slow going. Please pray for strength and peace for them during this new journey. Rhonda Nyberg was to see her surgeon yesterday due to some concern about the outcome do her surgery and she is to set up an appointment with an oncologist next week. There were several lymph nodes involved and some concern about clear margins from the tumor excision so I ask that you please lift her and her family up and prayer as they face new decisions in her treatment.

Let me tell you all again how much each of you mean to Bob and I. Your ongoing support, especially in prayer, are a blessing to us and to our friends who are all going through a rough journey. It is amazing to feel the warmth of God's love and His arms around us during this time. I know that God will work His perfect plan in our lives and I will continue to give Him all the praise and glory. Prayer is an abiding and fervent trust in God who is moved with compassion on our behalf. Small conflicts and great battles are fought through the power of prayer and you all are our prayer warriors. Bless each of you and I pray for you daily.

Mark 10:27; I Peter 5:7; James 5:16; Jer. 29:13

Sandy

Hair today, Gone tomorrow (5/16/2005)

David — Wed, 06 Jul 2005 06:14:00 GMT

Hi All,

Well, the last week brought or should I say lost, my hair ( that is). I had been running a low grade fever after I found out that my counts were low, so they put me on a broad spectrum antibiotic to cover anything I might have had brewing. Am doing much better now and have even felt like eating a little the last 2 days. On Thursday, as I was washing my hair, I began to notice lots in my hand. As the day progressed, all I had to do was run my fingers through it and it came out. My scalp felt like it was crawling. The next day, Friday the thirteenth (how appropriate), I had it buzzed to about 1/4 inch at the oncology shop and they showed Bob and I how to massage my scalp and "tape" off the hair as it came out. Our nightly routine now is to wash, massage, tape and then moisturize my scalp. We stick duct tape to my head and then slowly pull it off. It sounds painful, but it's not at all. The hair roots have dissolved from the chemo, so it doesn't hurt. Actually my scalp feels much better with it gone. There's still some left, but not much. It's definitely cooler without hair. I've been getting my friend Judy to show me how to tie and create head coverings. Judy has let me browse through her collection of hats, scarves etc. and borrow them. She gave me the sleep cap that I had given her just 9 months before. She and I smiled when she said, "Little did you know that when you gave me this, I would be giving it back to you to wear." The Lord has been so gracious to us. He has woven Judy's, Celestia's and my lives together over the last several decades and now we are all here to love and support each other through this time.

Celestia will be having a full body scan on Wednesday morning. Please pray that it goes well and that the oncologist will know exactly what to do in the way of new chemo drugs. Her last scan showed no progression of her lesions, but also no shrinkage either, so they want to reassess her chemo regimen. Judy is doing well and Suzi and her husband are on their Alaskan cruise. The doctors still feel that she has a mild lung infection and not a recurrence. Praise God for all of our good news and for our continued progress. Our prayer is that our circumstances will bring glory to our Lord, who provides for all of our needs. My second chemo treatment will be this Friday, so I will touch base with you sometime after that. All of us so appreciate your thoughts and prayers. Please continue to lift us up as we do you daily.

The Lord has placed this hymn on my heart today so I would like to share it with you.

Fight the good fight with all thy might! Christ is thy strength, and Christ thy right; Lay hold on life, and it shall be Thy joy and crown eternally. Run thou the race thro' God's good grace, Lift up thine eyes, and seek His face; Life with its way before us lies, Christ is the path, and Christ the prize. Cast care aside, lean on thy guide, thy every need He will provide; Trusting in Him will ever prove Christ is thy life, thy hope, thy love. Faint not fear, His arms are near, He changeth not and thou art dear; Only believe, and thou shalt see that Christ is all in all to thee.

Until next time be safe and well.

Yours in Christ,

Sandy

1/3 of the way done (5/20/2005)

David — Wed, 06 Jul 2005 06:14:00 GMT

Hi All,

Well, two down and four to go. The Lord was gracious when I prayed that my numbers would be up. The oncologist was even impressed with them. Most were in the high normal range and the others were in the normal range. Praise God! We discussed the Herceptin and he was fairly open and gave us the impression that I would be able to take it right after I finish my regular chemo. He said that four of the five studies that were presented at their international convention said that they recommended not giving the Herceptin with Adriamycin, since they both have adverse affects on the heart muscle. He said that I didn't exactly meet the criteria for the protocol, but we might be able to make it work. So, let's pray that the Lord will provide it, if that is His plan for me. After my treatment, I got the Neulasta shot to help keep my numbers from bottoming out so much this time. Hopefully it will do the trick.

I have several updates that I would like to have you all place on your prayer lists. Celestia Tarver got the results back on her body scan and none of her areas of concern had shrunk and there were several new lesions in her liver. They have decided that the chemo drugs she has been on weren't effective so they took her off of them and she will begin a new drug on Monday. Please pray for wisdom for her doctors and grace, peace and comfort for both Celestia and Ed during this time of reevaluation and new trerapy. I would also like to introduce you to a new friend of mine. Her name is Rhonda Nyberg. She is the daughter-in-law and sister-in-law of two wonderful women in our church and she has recently been diagnosed with *** cancer. Rhonda and her husband Dave and their two teenage children live in California and she is trying now to schedule her surgery. We had a great talk the other night and we have begun to E-mail so we can keep in closer touch. I told her that I had a wonderful intercessory prayer team and that I would add her to our list. Please pray for their family's peace and comfort during this uncertain time.

I want to tell you all again and again and again how very much Bob and I appreciate all of your prayers and support. They are a blessing and such a comfort to us and I know that all of our friends that we have brought before you feel the same way. You all are true prayer warriors and we love you and raise you up in prayer often.

Rom. 8: 25-28

Sandy

Post Chemo (5/11/2005)

David — Wed, 06 Jul 2005 06:13:00 GMT

Hi All,

Sorry for the delay, but we have been having some computer glitches. Or it may be computer operator problems, either way we're back in business again. I did well for about 36 hours after my first chemo treatment and then the air went out of my balloon. Thankfully I had no nausea, the new medication they gave me worked like a charm. The exhaustion I felt was unbelievable though. I can never remember a time in my life that I felt like I could not put one foot in front of the other, but I could hardly get out of bed until Tuesday morning. All is much better now. No appetite to speak of, but I'm doing my best to eat well. I got my blood counts this morning from the doctor and the chemo really zapped my immune system. I feel fine, but my white blood count is very low and I need to be very careful about what I eat and where I go for a few days so that I don't get an infection. They will give me a drug called Neulasta by injection 24 hours after my next treatments that will help my counts to stay up a little more. Bob and I are doing OK with all of this and the Lord has been faithful to sustain us and give us grace to face each new challenge.

My friend, Celestia is doing fairly well with her weekly chemo and is having another body scan today to see how her recurrence is reacting to the treatments. Please remember her and her husband Ed as you pray. BLESSING: that there are new drugs out there to help Celestia and that she gets one week off of chemo every 3 weeks to rest and recover.

My friend Suzi got the results of her last scan . BLESSING: they showed no recurrence of her cancer, but she does still have some infection in her lungs that they are treating. Suzi and Jim(her husband) will be going on a much anticipated cruise this week and she will also be looking into a new drug study in Seattle, Washington. Please pray that they will be rested and renewed while they are away and that she may be eligible for the new study, My friend Judy, who had a bone marrow transplant 6 months ago just got her bone marrow biopsy results back. BLESSING: she remains cancer free and is doing well. Please pray that her immune system continues to strengthen and that she and Greg(her husband) have God's peace. Judy & Greg, Celestia&Ed and Suzi&Jim have been such a comfort to Bob and I during this time. The Lord has had His hand in all of this and we are ever mindful of His tender guidance. I read a prayer in one of my books last night and I plan to put it on my refrigerator door so that I can see it often during the day. "How grateful I am for all my yesterdays. I will take pleasure in the moments of today and, blessed Lord, I rejoice in the hope of whatever is Your perfect plan for each of my tomorrows." Faye Angus

Since I had so many blessings to share with you today I want to share a hymn also.

There Shall Be Showers of Blessing

There shall be showers of blessing: This is the promise of love;There shall be seasons refreshing, Sent from the Savior above. There shall be showers of blessing, Precious reviving again; Over the hills and the valleys, Sound of abundance of rain. There shall be showers of blessing: Send them upon us, O Lord; Grant to us now a refreshing, Come, and now honor thy Word. There shall be showers of blessing: Oh, that today they might fall, Now as to God we're confessing, Now as on Jesus we call. Showers of blessing, Showers of blessing we need: Mercy drops round us are falling, But for the showers we plead.

God bless each of you this day and always,

Sandy

Next Step (4/30/2005)

David — Wed, 06 Jul 2005 06:12:00 GMT

Hi All,

Well, we're finally moving along and I've had my port put in and had my first chemo treatment. The surgery for the port went well and the chemo was non-eventful. The nurses in the chemo room are all wonderful. They explain everything and answer all of your questions. It took about three hours the first day, but will only be about two hours from now on. They give you steroids and anti-nausea medicine before the chemo. The steroids rev you up and she said I may not sleep well for a day or two. Actually I did ok and got some rest last night. I used the awake time to pray and that always calms me. I remember all of you in my prayers and want to let you know how very much I appreciate your ongoing support. The anti-nausea drug lasts for 72 hours, but they gave me medicine in case of break through nausea. So far so good. I am doing lots around the house today while I feel good. I know my next few days may not be as good.

I actually have a specific prayer request for you. I saw a news release on April 26th concerning a new cancer treatment drug. It is called Herceptin and is just coming out of very successful trial studies. It is used to treat the exact strain of cancer cell that I have. It targets the DNA of the very aggressive cell and prevents it from reproducing itself. It needs to be started while you are undergoing chemo treatments. I have an appointment to talk about how I can possibly get it. The nurse said that my oncologist is the one in their group that keeps up on all of the new treatments and he would be the one who knew the most about it. PRAISE GOD AGAIN. So please pray that once again the Lord is placing me in the right place at the right time and that I can receive this drug.

I hope you all don't mind the length of my updates. but I feel led to share what the Lord is placing on my heart as we go through this time. I have another hymn to share.

Just when I need Him,Jesus is near, Just when I falter, just when I fear; Ready to help me, ready to cheer. Just when I need Him, Jesus is true, Never forsaking all the way thro', Giving for burdens pleasures anew. Just when I need Him, Jesus is strong, Bearing my burdens all the day long; For all my sorrow giving a song,. Just when I need Him, He is my all, Answering when upon Him I call; Tenderly watching lest I should fall, Just when I need Him most, just when I need Him most; Jesus is near to comfort and cheer, Just when I need Him most. Music has always been a wonderful comfort for me through the years and more so now. The hymns say things so well and bring healing to our souls.

I love you all and can feel your support/ Praise God for all of you. I hope this finds you all well.

Ps. 119:156

Heb. 6: 17-29

Sandy

Next Chapter (4/21/2005)

David — Wed, 06 Jul 2005 06:11:00 GMT

Hi All,

Things have been quiet lately and nothing new until today. I had my echo cardiogram and my pre-op interview done today. The echo was done to be sure that my heart muscle is up to the chemo drugs and I will know that from the oncologist whenever. My port goes in on Wednesday April 27 at 12:30 PM. It shouldn't be a big deal and only IV sedation for the procedure. My first chemo treatment is scheduled for Friday April 29 at 2:00 PM. They said that it would last about three hours the first time and probably about two hours on the others. Bob and I are doing well and are ready to move on with the next phase. We appreciate all of your prayers and ask that you please continue to lift us up. The Lord is faithful and gives us grace for each day.

I have mentioned my friend Suzi before and am doing so again. She thought she had a problem with her lung and then they told her it was pneumonia, well now they aren't sure again and she is scheduled for more tests next Thursday at Northside Hospital. Please remember she and her husband Jim when you go to the Lord. These are stressful days of waiting and they need our support. I would also like to introduce you all to another couple who we have known for 27 years,they are Celestia and Ed Tarver. Our children have all grown up together and they are good friends. Celestia had a lumpectomy five years and nine months ago for cancer. She was fine until a month or so age. Through what she thought were unrelated problems, she found out that her cancer was back and is in three places in her bone, four places in her liver and she has a tumor near her carotid artery. She has begun aggressive chemotherapy to put these recurrences into remission. She and Ed are real troupers and fellow Christians. They live on our street and we visit often for coffee and caring. It's wonderful that we have each other for support and we are able to talk about lots of things. Please add Celestia and Ed to your prayer lists and I will keep you updated on all of us. Our Lord works in mysterious ways and we are ever amazed at the circumstances in which we find ourselves, since I learned about my cancer, I have had so many opportunities to proclaim His glory and witness to people. My echo cardiogram tech and I were able to talk about our faith and our commitments to the Lord as I had my test done this morning.

The Lord is ever faithful and has given us wonderful, Christ centered friends to support us through this time in our lives.

Philippians 1:2-4

Sandy