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

Dear Ones,                          April 11, 2017

        When you go through a medical crisis, you soon realize that as wonderfully  skilled and experienced as the doctors are, and as kind and compassionate as the nurses are, you are really in God’s hands. He is the One who brings healing and improvement in our body’s condition…or not. That being the case, it makes us realize all the more why “prayer” is so important. And it’s not that we are trying to argue with or manipulate God, but it’s to ask that He will have His way and that He will ultimately be glorified through our situation.

        A couple of Bible verses come to mind along this line: Zechariah 4:6, “This is the word of the Lord…saying, ‘Not by mightnor by power, but by My Spirit’ says the Lord of hosts.” And also, Psalm 127:1, “Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it.”

        Today (April 10) has been one of the busiest days of the last, few months. The high point is that it is Del’s 75^th birthday. We made it in time for her chemo appointment, and some of the nurses and staff came into the hallway as Del was going down to the lab to get her blood drawn, and they sang “Happy Birthday!” We met with Del’s oncologist and she would like Del to get a CT scan done next Monday (17^th). Once the doctor evaluates whether the chemo has been effective enough, she will decide whether the next step is a hysterectomy and lymph node removal, or more chemo. Del’s neuropathy (numbness and cold in the hands and feet) has just about reached the maximum point where the oncologist will say, “No more Taxol” which unfortunately is the chemo of choice for uterine cancer. If surgery is not the choice, then Del will begin a cycle of another chemo agent. On a lighter note, we brought birthday cupcakes to share with the office staff, and especially the nurses who have been so kind and caring with us over these months. In all the busyness of today, we still managed to go out to Cracker Barrel restaurant and have a nice birthday dinner.

        Thank you for your interest in our journey and especially for your prayers. Your concern means so much to us.

                Lovingly in Christ,

                    Bryan, for Del too