Thankful🍁

Thanks Giving & Mom's 1 year celebration 

Dear Ones,                                                  November 23, 2017

        Del just had her final chemo of this series two days ago. Lord willing she will not have to have more chemo, but her oncologists will evaluate her condition with CT scans and blood tests. She still has some follow-up examinations by her doctors at the University of Michigan and Jackson hospitals. But thanks to our dear Lord Jesus, the treatments of radiation and chemo are behind her and so we go forward by faith.

        Del nearly didn’t get her final chemo because both her white and red blood cells were below the normal range and her magnesium level was very low. The oncologist suggested that she still go ahead with the chemo and we agreed. The side effects usually come later. We’ve specifically prayed that Del wouldn’t lose her hair and so far she hasn’t. Yesterday Del had to return to the hospital and get another infusion of magnesium.

        It was a year ago that Del was placed on home hospice care. And now seeing her progress makes our hearts sing with gratitude to the Lord. We are deeply thankful to our friends and loved-ones who have faithfully prayed through every victory and set-back. Together we have praised God along this journey, and so we are trusting that He has been honored over this year.

        There is a wonderful article in the 11/25/2017 issue of WORLD magazine on the life of Joni Eareckson Tada. For those not familiar with Joni, when she was seventeen years of age she dove into a shallow spot in Chesapeake Bay, broke her neck, and immediately became a quadriplegic. That was 50 years ago. Rather than becoming bitterly self-absorbed, Joni has been a help and testimony to hundreds of thousands because of her love for Jesus Christ. An additional challenge occurred in 2010 when she was diagnosed with stage three breast cancer. The following powerful statement describes Joni’s attitude toward suffering and the accident that left her paralyzed: “Not only was in not a ‘mistake’—Joni learned that God uses ‘suffering’ to make people more like Christ and to know Him more deeply. Indeed, He uses the suffering of His own Son [Jesus] to accomplish salvation of sinners.”

        Today is Thanksgiving Day, and I think the following verses in Psalm 103:1, 2 are very appropriate: “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless His holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget none of His benefits.”

        We wish you a wonderful Thanksgiving Day!

                       Lovingly,

                                Bryan and Del Coupland

Update

Dear Ones,

        We are enjoying a beautiful fall here in Michigan, with the leaves just beginning to change color. We are so thankful that as far as we know, all of our friends and fellow colleagues in Florida made it through the recent hurricanes with minimal house damage and a loss of electric for a few days.  

        I mentioned in an earlier update, that Del’s chemo schedule following her hysterectomy is one chemo infusion each month for three months (October, November, and December). The follow-up radiation will involve two treatments each week for 2 ½ weeks—five in total, from October 31 through November 14.Del just had her first infusion in this new schedule and so far the only side effect is nausea. We are praying that she won’t lose her hair again. It was just about a year ago that Del was first diagnosed with this aggressive form of uterine cancer. And it was early November of 2016 that she went on “home hospice care” following a severe reaction to her first chemo treatment. Our hearts are so full of thanks for how our precious heavenly Father has undertaken in Del’s body over these past twelve months. And we thank you for your kind and gracious prayers for her as well—you have been a major part of our team. The Lord Jesus is worthy of all the praise that we as a team have raised up to Him.

        One other prayer request. As you know, back in 2014, my sore right tonsil turned out to be non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. I have recently developed a small growth on my left tonsil. The doctor examined it and feels like it is a cyst, but to be on the safe side, he will be removing it on October 13 and sending it in for pathology exam.

        Once again, thank you for your friendship and fellowship. What a privilege to be a member of the body of Christ.

                    Warmly,

                         Bryan, for Del too  

Good News

Dear Ones,                      September 18, 2017

        We are happy to let you know the ‘good news’ so you can praise our dear Heavenly Father with us! Throughout the past eleven months of Del’s journey with cancer, the elephant in the room has been an enlarged lymph node in her chest, just above her heart. As she has had her chemo treatments and a series of CT scans, it seems that the lymph nodes in her pelvic area have been decreasing in size, but this node in her chest has been slightly increasing in size. More than anything else, this has likely accounted for her cancer being classified as ‘stage 4’. The only way to know for sure if the node in her chest was cancerous was to do a biopsy. So, on Sept. 6, Del had a surgical procedure done by a thoracic surgeon where he made a 2 inch incision just above her breast bone and put an instrument into her chest above the heart with a light, a camera, and a pincer, where he took a small biopsy sample. We recently got the results back and that node was NEGATIVE for cancer. It probably is a cyst that developed from the bronchitis that Del seems to get every fall. We are so grateful to God!

        So what happens now? We met with Del’s oncologist in Jackson and he confirmed that the biopsy showed no cancer cells there, so now we have to decide on whether more chemo followed by radiation is necessary or not. The plan is for Del to have 3 more infusions of a new chemo agent called Doxil. This should not cause further neuropathy, but it could have ‘cardiac side effects’ and ‘hair loss’ once again. Tomorrow we will meet with her gynecologist-oncologist-surgeon at the University of Michigan hospital for a second opinion. Her two oncologists will then confer together, and we’ll decide from there.

        Finally, I wanted to share another great blessing so you can praise our Father with us. I have handed out 15 copies of my book Come Rest With Me, to various staff members of the medical staff in the oncology department here in Jackson. Between my treatment for Lymphoma, and Del’s uterine cancer, this department has almost become our ‘home away from home’ and we have made some unique friends among the doctors, nurses, and staff over three years. At an earlier appointment, one of the young med-techs (we’ll call her Ruth), asked if she could have a copy of my book, since she saw others reading it. Last Friday, she sat down next to us in the waiting room and said that she has been reading the book and looking up the Bible verses. Being unfamiliar with the Bible, it’s been difficult for her to understand, but she is so interested. Since she was in no hurry to leave, we took the time to explain the Gospel message and what was involved in personal salvation. Finally we were called into an exam room to wait for the doctor. Before he arrived, there was a tap on the door and another tech, Sue, who is a Christian, indicated that I should come with her. I went back to the lab and there were five staff members all with big grins on their faces, and Ruth with them obviously overjoyed. Sue said, “Ruth just received Christ as her Savior and all of us are believers in this room.” Wow! God certainly works in mysterious ways. So we had a short time of thanking the Lord and welcoming Ruth into God’s family. What a thrill and all praise belongs to our dear heavenly Father. With the mature Christian ladies in the group, I’m confident they will disciple Ruth.

        We want you to know that you are an important part of what God has done here because you have been faithfully praying with us over this challenging year. It’s wonderful to see the Body of Christ functioning together to exalt Him. Thanks for your fellowship, interest and caring.

                          UPDATE ON 9/19/2017: We just returned from Del’s appointment at University of Michigan. Her oncologist there said that Del is doing unbelievably well. She said, “You’ve come so far (toward remission) that it would be a shame to stop treatment here.” Therefore, the doctor agrees with her oncologist in Jackson that Del should have three more infusions of chemo (Doxil) one month apart, followed by 2 weeks of radiation. It’s hard for Del feeling so well, but the doctor feels there is a strong chance of the cancer returning without the post-surgical chemo and radiation. Please pray for us in this next step of our journey. Thanks so much.

Warmly in Jesus,

Bryan, for Del too

Update

Dear Ones,                                         August 30, 2017

        We received a phone call recently from Del’s oncologist at Henry Ford Allegiance Health (Jackson, MI) and he said that he had discussed Del’s recent CT scan results with her gynecologist-oncologist at University of Michigan Hospital. Their main concern, now that the uterus has been removed, is with a lymph node in her chest. Although almost all of the affected lymph nodes in her body have been decreased in size by the chemo, this node has increased slightly on each CT scan. To be specific, the node is in the mediastinum which is the area behind the sternum alongside the windpipe. There is a possibility that this node has increased in size due to inflammation, since Del has had bronchitis in the lungs almost every year since her teens. The other reason could be a metastasis from the original site of the cancer.

        The only way doctors can know for sure is to secure an actual biopsy of the lymph node, by a procedure called a mediastinostomy. A thoracic surgeon makes a small incision just above the breast bone; a fine instrument with a light, a camera, and a small pincer is passed into the chest; and a sample of the lymph node is taken. The patient is under anesthetic and is usually allowed to go home the same day. The type of chemo in the coming days will depend on what the biopsy shows. Del is scheduled for this procedure on Sept. 6^th.

        In writing my book Come Rest with Me, I interviewed missionary Gracia Burnham, who along with her missionary-pilot husband, were held for a year by Abu Sayyaf guerrillas in the Philippines. Gracia’s husband, Martin, was killed in the midst of a gunfight between the G’s and the military. In response to my question, “What helped you the most when you found that you were ‘losing it’ spiritually, in order to enter back into God’s rest?” Gracia answered, “God’s Word is what helped us the most. Often when we were discouraged and we didn’t know how to encourage each other anymore because we had no more encouraging words, we would sit and quote verses to one another. Martin would even say, “Let’s sit here and remind ourselves of what is true.” And we would quote, “If God is for us, who can be against us?” “I have loved you with an everlasting love.” “You have been blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenlies.” At that particular time, we didn’t feel blessed. We didn’t feel loved. We didn’t feel that God was even necessarily for us. So we pushed our feelings aside and reminded ourselves, again, of what was true. “I have called you by My name—you are Mine.” “When you go through the floods, I will be with you.” We chose to believe that God’s Word is true and that it applied to us, even if we didn’t feel that way. The only thing that could comfort us in those times was God’s Word.” Del and I can say a hearty ‘Amen’ to Gracia’s comments, since verses like Isaiah 41:10 and 2 Chronicles 20:12-17 have been our rock at this time.

        Thank you again for your loving messages and your faithful prayers.

Lovingly in Christ,

Bryan, for Del too

THE JOURNEY CONTINUES 

Dear Ones,                               August 18, 2017

Last Monday was another new experience at University of Michigan Hospital. Del’s appointment was with a Dr Dawn Owen, MD PhD—a radiologist/oncologist. We thought we would be seeing a professional-looking female doctor in a white lab-coat. Instead this dear little Asian/Canadian lady doctor came into the exam room. She was the sweetest person—extremely intelligent and well qualified. We found out that she grew up in Toronto, Canada, not far from where I grew up, so we had fun asking back and forth, “Do you know such-and-such street?”

Dr Owen spent a couple of hours with us explaining how radiation would be used, the possible side effects, the frequency, and rationale for using radiation at this point in Del’s treatment. She said that the U of M tumor board was pleased with how the chemo has worked on Del’s form of cancer, although there are still some suspicious lymph nodes probably containing cancer cells. The radiation is to keep the cancer from coming back.

There are two main forms of radiation for dealing with the cancer area. One is the ‘exterior’ beam which is given from outside the body. It’s what I (Bryan) had for colon cancer. The other is ‘interior’ (called brachytherapy) where they use a cylinder to place a radioactive seed in the area for 2-3 hours at a time. The doctor thinks only the ‘interior’ method would be best in Del’s case. Chemo does a good job on lymph nodes, but doesn’t seem to work well on that area. Del will have 9 infusions of chemo spread over the next 3 months. The radiation would begin one month after the chemo ends. Another advantage of the interior method is that there is minimal irritation of nearby organs.

Tuesday (15^th) Del had a follow up CT scan. This is the second time that she has had an allergic reaction to the contrast media. The report showed that there was a mix of results in the affected lymph nodes.

Last week Bryan had his 8^th semi-annual urinary stent replacement in Grand Rapids. He had a few more side-effects following this procedure, but once again it appears to be a success. So far this has prevented having to go through major surgery, for which we are thankful to the Lord.

We love you folks and appreciate your friendship and prayers so very much. Thanks for all of your encouraging email notes and cards.

Lovingly in Christ,

Bryan and Del Coupland                                 

Dear Ones,                                                                         August 7, 2017

We spent a half hour on the phone with one of Del’s doctors from U of M and we got more information on the pathology report from Del’s total hysterectomy surgery as well as some of the plans going forward. I will summarize the main points of interest here:

1.    The origin of the clear-cell carcinoma was the uterus, but cancer was also found on the other parts of the female organs removed.

2.   Del’s post-op appointment with Dr. McLean, her gynecologist/oncologist/surgeon, will be September 5. It seems like a long time away, but they want to make sure she is completely healed from the surgery.

3.   Dr. M is encouraged with how well the chemo has been working despite the ongoing side effects from the neuropathy.

4.   The doctor recommends three more cycles of chemo to treat any remaining cancer cells. [A ‘cycle’ is four weeks made up of one chemo infusion each week for 3 weeks, followed by a week off.] 

5.   Dr. M met with the tumor board after they had Del’s pathology report and they felt that she may need some radiation. This would be done at U of M, while the chemo will be given in Jackson. Del has an appointment with a radiologist/oncologist at U of M on August 14 to discuss possible radiation treatment.

6.   They did not remove any ‘lymph nodes’ since there weren’t any that appeared enlarged. The risk in removing nodes unnecessarily is that it can result in ‘lymphedema’ or swelling of the legs.

7.   Del will be having another CT scan on August 15 which will help determine her chemo schedule going forward.

8.   During the surgery, they did an ‘abdominal wash’ where they flush the abdominal cavity and check for cancer cells. There weren’t any!

9.   Tomorrow will be 3 weeks since Del’s surgery and she is feeling well and back to normal strength. How we thank the Lord for His healing in her body.

Well, that’s about it for updates. Thank you so much for your continued prayers and concern. You are such an important part of our lives and we thank the Lord for each one of you.

Warmly,

Bryan, for Del too

Dear Ones,                                      July 19, 2017

        The event we looked ahead to for over half a year is now in the history books…at least our family history. We have wished that Del could have had this surgery many months ago, but the tumor board at the U of Michigan Hospital had to be convinced that there was sufficient reduction in the size of the affected lymph nodes in Del’s abdomen before they would sign off on surgery. On the basis of Del’s last CT scan, the board was in agreement to schedule the surgery for July 17—the day before yesterday.

        We had to be at the U of M Hospital at 5:45 am, and surgery was scheduled for 7:30. Since we had to get up at 2:00 am, I slept about one hour because I didn’t want to sleep through the clock and be late getting to the hospital. This particular hospital is a complex of enormous buildings, quite a lot bigger than any other hospital we’ve been in. I actually couldn’t find my car in one of the parking garages at one point yesterday, but I won’t go into that. By 10:30 am the surgery was over, and while Del recovered in “Post-Op” the surgeon came and talked with our daughter Terry and I.

        The hysterectomy was done laparoscopically (5 small holes in the abdomen) and all of her female organs were removed. There were two other small spots that remained, and one of them was treated with argon gas (cryosurgery) and the other was excised (cut out). The removed tissues have been sent to the Pathology Dept. and the doctor will call us on July 27 with the results. We asked if Del will need to receive any more chemo once she recovers from the surgery, and the doctor said that they will come up with a plan of action once they get the pathology report back. It’s possible that they will recommend a few more chemo treatments to take care of any floating cancer cells and/or radiation.

        Del’s recovery from surgery has been nothing short of amazing. Yesterday afternoon, just hours after the surgery, Del was talking and interacting with the nurses. She shared the Lord with several of the nurses and discovered that at least two of them are believers. Even when the doctor came on her rounds with 5 student doctors, Del was able to share that besides the excellent work of the medical team, we are thankful to the Lord Jesus for how well everything went. We asked the surgeon if we could pray for her and for Del before the operation and she agreed—I’m sure it shocked her.

        Well, we are home now and it’s hard to believe the surgery was just the day before yesterday. We are totally convinced that the Lord Jesus is the One who has been in total control of our situation and He deserves great praise for His loving care. Thank you for your prayers as this too honors our dear Father and Savior. Our three kids and their spouses have been such a great support team and we are so thankful for them all.

Affectionately,

             Bryan Coupland, for Del too

Hi dear folks,

        One thing that Del and I have learned, having both gone through cancer and chemo, is that we don’t know a real lot about the whole area of “suffering.” The Lord does give us a few insights on the subject in His Holy Word the Bible, but beyond that, it appears to be an enormous subject that only an all-knowing God could fully understand. Here are a very few thoughts that Del and I have discussed on the subject over this past nine year journey:

·        The Lord Jesus suffered excruciating pain on Calvary’s cross in the process of paying for our sin, and His comments, while he was nailed to the cross, primarily pertained to the needs of other people.

·        When a Christian suffers, they actually “share the sufferings of Christ” [1 Peter 4:13].

·        Jesus urges us to rejoice during these times. That obviously doesn’t mean that we should somehow try and drum up a laughing giddiness in the midst of serious illness. Since truejoy comes from abiding in Christ, we should rely on Him for our attitude [4:19].

·        We are probably never so dependent on God as when we are struggling with a difficult medical condition. Our human nature tends to cause us to be independent and self-sufficient when everything is comfortable.

·        The Lord does extra-ordinary things in our lives when we are in deep physical need…what Del and I call “His touches.” It helps us to recognize different aspects of Jesus’ personality. [“That I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings…” Phil. 3:10].

·        So many people are worse off than we are; physically, emotionally, and especially spiritually.

·        Other members of the Christian family become a part of the process of our suffering and become our “prayer companions.” As they praise God with us for the victories, great praise goes up to God from many sources. So, Jesus Christ is exalted and glorified…which as believers in Him is our ultimate goal.

Del had her last chemo on June 27 and the side-effects seem to intensify after each infusion. Over the July 4^thweekend, we had our annual Coupland-Duston-Calderwood family reunion at Lily Lake in central Michigan. The weather was perfect and it was great fun. Even our great-granddaughter, Alaina, was there. This coming week will be a lot more restful for Del as she prepares for her total hysterectomy surgery at Univ. of Michigan Hospital on Monday, July 17. We would be very grateful for your prayers that our heavenly Father would guide the surgical team led by Dr Karen McLean, and give them His discernment and wisdom. Thank you so much!

              Affectionately,

                   Bryan, for Del too

Family Reunion Time

If you ask any of the 11 grandkids, (several of them adults now), what one of their favorite things we do each year is, you would probably hear, Lily Lake. Mom's sister & husband have been gracious enough to let us take over their cottage for a week each summer around the 4th of July. This is where most of our kids caught their 1st fish and years of wonderful memories are connected with this place.

It's become tradition to take a picture on this swing with all of the grandkids,

now with spouses and 1st great grand baby Alaina.

3 are missing this year Noah, Nathan & Sarah.

Mom & Dad pulled out these flashy shirts for July 4th

Kelley & Todd Duston with most of their kids and 1st grandchild

Terry & Paul Calderwood and daughters + dog Lucy

Dan & Kari Coupland and kids

Next generation of our family, Alaina with her grandpa Todd 

Busy spring & summer

Spring & summer have kept us very busy. Many exciting things have happened in our family so it's time for an update.

June 3, 2017 
Summer began with a wonderful family celebration as Kelley & Todd Duston's daughter Anna married Tyson Estelle on a beautiful sunny day.

  

                                                                                                       Kelley & Todd - Mom & Dad of the bride

There was more than one lovely lady in attendance!

Because of that fact, we had much to celebrate. Mom had reached a milestone that

we didn't think was possible a few months ago. She was able to see her 1st granddaughter get married

and she looked beautiful!

There were more than a few teary eyes as Mom danced with her 2 favorite guys for the couples dance and then the mother/son dance.

The granddaughters couldn't resist getting grandma on the dance floor for 1 more dance

Next family wedding set for early 2018. Congratulations to Nathan & Sarah ! Nathan is Kelley & Todd's oldest son. 

We Praise God from whom all blessings flow

We Give Praise to God!

 Dear Ones,                                              April 25, 2017

        Yesterday was an emotional workout for us and we were both exhausted by the end of the day. At the same time we are praising and glorifying our wonderful Savior and Father for the grace and kindness He is showing us. Let me walk you through our day and you can praise the Lord with us.

        Del had an appointment in the morning with her oncologist. Dr D came in the room, asked Del how she was doing, and immediately started reading from the radiologist’s report from last week’s CT scan. Her actual words were, “The large uterine mass that was there [on the last CT scan] is no longer identified [visible].” We thought there would possibly be some news about the adjacent lymph nodes in the abdomen, but to hear that the radiologist couldn’t see any sign of the original source of the cancer blew us away. Speaking of the lymph nodes, the affected ones were either smaller or not visible at all. All we could say when the doctor read the report was, “Praise God! Praise God!”  Del’s oncologist is a believer also, and she agreed with us with a huge smile on her face.

        We realize that this is a huge victory in this battle, but the war is not over. There are still lymph nodes in her abdomen that contain metastases from the original source of cancer in the uterus. For that reason, Del will have at least three more weekly chemo treatments. The chemo agent used up to this time was TAXOL which seems to be very effective against this type of cancer, but the main side-effect is neuropathy (numbness) which is quite severe in Del’s hands and feet. For this reason, her doctor is starting Del on another agent called TAXOTERE, which is related but doesn’t normally cause neuropathy…it has other “side-effects”. So after the visit with the doctor, Del had an infusion of two different chemo agents (Taxotere and Carboplatin) . During the infusion, the nurse gave Del thick mitts to put on that were freezing cold. Apparently this chemo can cause your finger nails to stop growing and even fall off, and the cold gloves are supposed to prevent that from happening.

        One other note of praise. There is a cancer blood-marker that they regularly check called Cancer Antigen 125 and the “normal” range is from 0 to 35. For a number of months Del’s blood sample tested in the mid-forties, but yesterday it was 13.4, well within the normal range—a good sign. Only God…..

        As far as Del having a hysterectomy, the oncologist will have to judge when the lymph node involvement is minimal. Apparently opening a person up surgically can cause the cancer to spread widely if there is active cancer already in the abdomen. Most likely this surgery will be done at the University of Michigan hospital in Ann Arbor. Del has a consultation there on May 16 with her gynecologist/oncologist.

        Only eternity will tell us the effect that your prayers have accomplished. We are so thankful for your continued love and concern…they mean so much to us and I believe also glorify the Lord Jesus.

                 Blessings,

                            Bryan, for Del too

New Pictures

Hi All,

Well, it's way overdue to put some pictures up. We are very much into taking lots of pictures these days, capturing many special memories. So much has been happening throughout our family so here are a few highlights.

Dan was honored for excellence in teaching at Hillsdale College last week

All of the family that were able to attend

Beautiful honorary luncheon that followed with the guest of honor

1st great granddaughter Alaina & Tori come for a visit

Anna's bridal shower with Kelley at their church

Mom & Anna, 1st granddaughter to get married

All the granddaughters at the shower

We started on the wedding cake

Mom preparing the pans

Top layer ready to freeze

Another proposal! Congrats to Nathan & Sarah on their engagement

Little did we know that our Nathan was such a prince charming. He carried out the most romantic proposal.  

We are so happy for these 2 and excited to welcome Sarah to our family

Celebration Mom's 75th birthday