Delphine and Bryan Coupland ~ Our Family Journey

Tuesday, March 14, 2017

March 14, 2017

Dear Ones,

Six down; three to go! Del is on a modified schedule of chemo once a week for three weeks and then a week off, and this is repeated three times making it nine chemo treatments. I don’t know of anyone who looks forward to their next chemo infusion, but in a sense it’s good news for us. Around the middle of November, 2016, she came home on “home hospice” because her oncologist felt that since she wasn’t able to tolerate her first chemo treatment and had to be hospitalized, there really was no other treatment for uterine cancer. But instead of rapidly going downhill on hospice, Del began to have more energy. That’s when her oncologist suggested, “Let’s try a lower concentration of chemo and do it weekly.” So, Del “came off hospice” and went on regular oncology care.

Well, now you know as much as we do. We are trusting the Lord, day by day, and we’re very thankful that “the battle is the Lord’s.” This next Tuesday (21^st) Del will have a port surgically installed, on the opposite shoulder from her pacemaker. This should make it a lot easier to infuse the chemo. Looking ahead as best as we can, the plan is for Del to have three more weekly chemos beginning March 27. After that, she will have a CT scan to see how her cancer is responding to the chemo. If the results are positive, her doctors will schedule a surgical hysterectomy to remove the source of the cancer. So, there are many steps to trust the Lord for, and we are so thankful for your prayers. One of the most difficult side-effects right now is the neuropathy or numbness in Del’s hands and feet, which leaves them cold and numb most of the time—the result of the chemo.

I recently read an interesting review in World magazine, of the book, “Union With Christ” by Rankin Wilbourne. He wrote regarding bonding with Christ, “Imagine a storm blowing a sailboat so fast that all night long, death seems moments away, but in the morning you’re hundreds of miles closer to your destination. We can rejoice amid suffering not because we’re masochists[those who enjoy pain], but because a deeper and sweeter joy will come in the morning. And, when we stop thinking so much about our own story that we enter into God’s story, we learn that’s the biggest and best of all.”

Thanks again for being partners in prayer with us!

Warmly,

Bryan, for Del too

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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.