Delphine and Bryan Coupland ~ Our Family Journey: UPDATE!

Thursday, January 19, 2017

UPDATE!

Hello All,

This past month has presented many twists and turns in our family journey. The Lord Jesus keeps encouraging us that although we can’t see Him with our eyes, we can sense His presence with our hearts. I read such an encouraging verse the other day where Isaiah stated it so well: “Therefore the Lord longs to be gracious to you, and therefore He waits on high to have compassion on you. For the Lord is a God of justice; how blessed are all those who longfor Him (30:18).” It sounds like the Lord wants us to long for Him and Him for us.

As you remember, Del had her first of a series of chemo treatments and ended up having to spend 5 days in the hospital to be built up physically. Since she was so run down, her oncologist felt she could not tolerate another round of chemo, so she recommended hospice care. The family agreed that she should come home, so we arranged for Home Hospice Care to come in, and with our kids’ help, managed to get all the jobs and needs taken care of. So Del has been here at our Jackson, MI apartment since mid-November. The awesome thing is that as we have moved into the new year, Del has been feeling brighter with a slight increase in energy. She had an appointment with her oncologist on Jan. 5, and to our surprise, the doctor said that since Del was feeling a little better, she could consider returning to weekly chemo treatments at a reduced amount. It would mean coming off hospice, since the focus of hospice is “comfort” and not “treatment.” We prayed about it over the weekend and discussed it with our kids and their spouses. We felt that if Del was going to go with further treatments, we needed to get on with it.

Del has an appointment with her oncologist on Jan. 25 and it’s likely that she will start on a modified (decreased) amount of chemo at that time. If she tolerates it well, then she will continue the treatments each week. As always, the outcome is entirely in the Lord Jesus’ very capable hands and our confidence and peace rest in His promises like Isaiah 41:10 and Proverbs 3:5, 6. Thank you so much for continuing to pray with us.

Lovingly,

Bryan and Del

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Dear Friends

News update from the Couplands…

It seems like when we go through a serious trial in our lives, the Lord will often give us a verse or verses of Scripture that we can hold onto as our source of strength and hope. Early on, the Lord gave Del and I verses from 2 Chronicles 20 which were so comforting.

~Verse 12 – “For we are powerless before this great multitude who are coming against us; nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are on You.”

~Verse 15 – “Do not fear or be dismayed because of this great multitude, FOR THE BATTLE IS NOT YOURS BUT GOD’S.”

~Verse 17 – “You need not fight in this battle; station yourselves, stand and see the salvation of the Lord on your behalf…”

Our dear wife, mother, grandmother, and now great grandmother, Del, has been diagnosed with an aggressive form of uterine cancer. By the time it was accurately diagnosed, it was already stage IV. Del was not in the best physical condition when she had her first chemo on Nov. 9, and the chemo just dragged her down further. Our oncologist, who also treated my lymphoma 2 years ago, admitted her to Allegiance Hospital in Jackson, MI where for four days, she tried to build up Del’s condition with blood transfusions, and numerous IV’s. Since the cancer was beyond the point of being treated effectively, and Del could no longer tolerate the chemo, the only solution was ‘hospice care.’ This was an excruciating choice for the family, but it was beyond human control, and we wanted Del to be comfortable at all cost. As an aside, Del won the hearts of so many of the nurses and aides, and had different opportunities to talk to the medical staff about Jesus. Her oncologist was a dear lady and a believer, and the two of them really bonded.

We had the choice of Del going to Allegiance Hospice House or going home to our apartment and having Home Hospice Care, where they equip your residence with all the equipment you need including a hospital bed. Then a nurse is assigned to you along with a nurse’s aide; the nurse comes by two times a week to check on her condition, adjust her meds, and help with the medical decisions. The aide bathes the patient and meets the other physical needs. And the family loves on Del, provides the meals, and encouragement. I don’t know what we would do without our three kids and their spouses. We have formed a team and the Lord is leading us as our Head. We would appreciate your prayer that God would have His desired outcome and that He would be glorified in all things.

Thank you.