Month: April 2016

Preperation

SeaStorm

It has been interesting to see in hindsight how the Lord has been preparing our family for this journey of cancer.  There have been a handful of situations that have occurred prior to our knowledge of Val’s diagnosis where we can clearly see the Lord working.

A pretty simple one relates to a Charles Spurgeon quote I had randomly found about 6 months back.  It had struck me at the time and I printed if off, putting it in a stack of papers on my desk at work.  There is sat getting buried as the months went by and then we moved our offices at the first of the year and it really got buried.  Right before Val was diagnosed we needed to find a file for a project that was just nowhere to be found.  It caused me to go a little OCD and in my search I ran across that print out from so many months back.  The quote really struck me again and I hung it up on my tack board at work.  At this point of re-discovery we still didn’t know about Val’s diagnoses.  I was in my office this week and read through this quote again (very slowly) now in the midst of our journey.  It struck me very deeply and I thought you might enjoy reading it as well.

BTW – we put the tag line on our blog “Our journey of faith” before I remembered this quote….  Pretty cool huh?

“Faith untried may be true faith, but it is sure to be little faith, and it is likely to remain dwarfish so long as it is without trials. Faith never prospers so well as when all things are against her; tempests are her trainers and lightning’s her illuminators. When a calm reigns on the sea, spread the sails as you will, the ship moves not to its harbor for on a slumbering ocean the keel sleeps too. Let the winds rush howling forth, and let the waters lift up themselves; then, though the vessel may rock, and her deck may be washed with waves, and her mast may creak under the pressure of the full and swell sail, it is then that she makes headway towards her desired haven. No faith is as precious as that which lives and triumphs in adversity. Tried faith brings experience. Faith increases in solidity, assurance and intensity the more it is exercised with tribulation. Faith is precious and its trial is precious too.”

Charles Spurgeon, “Morning and Evening Daily Readings”

Big Medical Day!

Today was a big day of meeting with medical folks and finalizing the next steps treatment plan for Val.  As my brother-in-law would say, it was kind of a “super combo platter special” type of medical day.  We not only ordered a #1 extra large but about 4 more of those!

Our first appointment was with Val’s surgeon for the “official” post operation review.  Val’s surgeon is very happy with the healing process and also spent lots of time with us letting us ask many questions and discussing the next steps we would be outlining with Val’s Oncology Doctor later in the day.  Just to give you an example of the wonderful medical team we have, Val’s surgeon moved her schedule around so she could be the one to install the port that Val is going to need for chemo.  Just an amazing doc who we are very grateful to have on our team.

The second appointment was our first meeting with Val’s oncology doctor.  We had never met her before and were a little apprehensive about if she would be a good fit for us (more like if she could handle all my questions with out kicking me out).  She is a great fit for us and worked closely with my mom when she worked at Cancer and Hematology Center (CHC).

This meeting was a great big fire hose download of the chemo program that Val is going to be doing.  It was lots of information and a little overwhelming but we did good getting a handle on our next steps.  Just to give you an idea of all we downloaded at today’s appointment, Val has some sort of medical appointment or procedure every day next week!  If all those Monday thru Thursday appointments go as planned Val will officially be starting chemo next Friday, May 6th.

Chemo will be for a total of five months split up into a first phase that is for 2 months and a second phase which is for 3 months.  That will then be followed up by radiation treatment.

We are happy to have a game plan for the next steps and are ready to get going.  Both Val and I know that we are going to have some tough times ahead but we are ready to face it because we are not facing it alone.  We continue to have a great medical team, friends and family who are supporting us and most important, the God of the universe running the show.

We continue to lean hard on our Heavenly Father for guidance and strength.  As we get farther into this journey it becomes more and more evident this is not just about us.  There is much to learn, much to take away and much to use for God’s glory.  One of our prayers is that we do not waste this experience.

Thank you again and we will continue to keep you all updated as we know more.

Marc

 

 

 

 

Great News!

Hey Guys,

Great News!!!! We had Val’s PET scan yesterday and the results came back today all clear! The cancer has not spread and that is very good news. Lots of tears of joy shed today!

Since last Friday we have been on a bit of an emotional roller coaster. It has been hard knowing that Val’s cancer is at stage 3 and needing to have the PET scan to see if the cancer had spread. At every point so far the news had always been more challenging than we had hoped and we were bracing ourselves for worse news from the PET scan.

To have those results come back with such great results is a wonderful blessing and a huge weight lifted from our shoulders. We know that there is still a long road to travel and that there will be hard days ahead but we were blessed with this news today.

Over the last few days Val and I had some difficult discussions. One of the things that is easy to wish for is that we just close our eyes and wait for the storm to pass and say “we can’t wait until we are done and on the other side of this thing”. One of the things we talked about was not “wasting” this time, living each day for that day itself trusting God and leaning on him.

Something my sister Jodi shared as we contemplated what to tell our kids…. “Good time to admit that no one knows about tomorrow. Cancer or no cancer. Each day is a gift. Living that way is one of the perks of the disease. It is true for everyone on the planet but only realized by the blessed few. Your kids can now count themselves as the blessed few”

Our continual prayer is for Val’s complete healing and in that process, no matter the outcome, God would be praised, glorified and made much of, not leaning on our strength but His. Fighting with His 300.

I texted this verse to Val early this morning before any news had come in and it captures our heart from the struggles this weekend….

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit”. – Romans 15:13

Thank you again for all your prayers, words of encouragement and acts of service to our family! You have been an indescribable blessing to us!

Marc

Tough Update

Hey guys,

Here is the latest news on Val…..  Also I have decided to start putting the date into the subject line of each email to help keep track of these updates.  Not sure yet if we are going to utilize a different way to keep you all updated in the future (care pages, etc.) but for now we are sticking with email.  We have been adding various folks along the way to the distribution list, if you think of someone we should add, please let me know.
Today we received back the pathology report from Val’s mastectomy last week.  Just to remind you, she had a double mastectomy last week Wednesday after find three tumors in her right breast.  We made the decision to remove both breasts to help with long term risk.  During surgery they also found cancer in one of three sentinel lymph nodes.  During surgery they also pulled a bunch more lymph nodes, 13 total,  for further testing.  So we have been waiting on the testing results from the tissue they removed and the additional nodes and what was found was discouraging…..
Here it is in bullet points:
  • Cancer cells showed up in four total lymph nodes pulled
  • Pre-cancerous cells were found in the left breast tissue
  • Cancer is at Stage 3
So…..long pause…… it is hard to keep hearing more challenging news on this journey.
Val is scheduled for a PET scan on Monday morning at 7:15am.  This is a full body scan to help pinpoint if the cancer has spread to any other parts of her body.  We have a Dr’s appointment with the plastic surgeon on Monday afternoon to check and see how Val is healing from surgery and hopefully remove her drains.  She has been a mosquito magnate with her drains.  It is like hitting the mother lode for them.
Then on Thursday we have a meeting with our breast surgeon to hear back results on the PET scan.  We are also working on getting an appointment scheduled with the Oncology Dr. to start developing a detail treatment plan.
In reading through the PET scan procedure it doesn’t sound like so much fun…. They get to run radioactive dye through her body and it will be about a 3 hour procedure.  The hospital says to bring music of your choice or a movie to watch….. oh goody…..  I am thinking of bringing Star Wars, what do you think?
Please keep praying for peace that passes understanding.  It is hard to wait on the next appointment, next test results, next part of the plan…..  Especially when we do get to the next step and the news has been more challenging each time.
We are leaning hard on our faith and trust that the Lord has a plan and is actively working.  We also realize this journey is not just about us.  We continue to pray that the Lord be glorified as we walk in faith.
Marc

 

Update #5

Hey Guys,

We thought a quick update would be good to send this evening.
First off, remind me never, ever to get into any sort of physical fight with my wife!  She is the toughest person I know.  After having very major surgery with the reconstructive process started only a few days ago, she is already down to only taking ibuprofen for pain.  She is getting around the house quite well but does get tired a little easier than normal.  I guess we will grant her that….
She is also doing a good job of letting us and those around us take care of her.  The kids and I have stepped up our game and are now fully aware of how all the household items work (read; laundry machine…).  Sam and I are looking forward to taking over grocery shopping duties and started out on that adventure this weekend.  We even went a little more technical than Mom and downloaded an app to help keep track of our list!
Overall Val is recovering from surgery very nicely.  We look forward to hearing the pathology results from surgery towards the middle of the week and the start of the next adventure with a treatment plan.  Personally I will have to say this whole “waiting thing” is tough, tough, tough….. I want to know now what the next steps are and get started now…. but that is not what the Lord has planned.  I am sure that how to wait, along with many more lessons are coming our way while we walk through this next adventure.  The entire process making sure that we all grow more to be like Christ.
I want to share another lesson that I have already started to share with some of you….  As many of you know me well, my tendency is to be way on top of things, trying to be out in front as best I can and with a plan.  Over my life, one tendency is that when the Lord has provided success, a victory or whatever you want to call it, I must admit I could get the idea that I may have had my hand in that event and did it on my own strength.
The devotional from Our Daily Bread the day that Val was diagnosed (March 29th) was about Gideon from Judges 7:1-8.  It is the story of Gideon going into battle with 32,000 soldiers and God saying to Gideon “The people with you are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hand, lest Israel boast over me, saying, “My own hand has saved me”.  Then the process begins with Gideon giving a speech letting his men know there is no shame in going home to take care of your family.  That gets 22,000 men to leave, leaving him with 10,000.  Still the Lord says, “that’s too many”.  So another round of sorting and after this round Gideon is left with only 300 men……  Let that sink in for a minute.  32,000 to 300.  WOW!  And with this 300, the Lord gave Israel a great victory in HIS name…. not in Gideon’s name.
When looking at our situation, we have been blessed with many, many resources that are greatly helping us walk through Val‘s battle with cancer.  We are very grateful for access to medical folks who are able to advise us on who to see and the process that we need to walk.  It is a HUGE BLESSING.  As we tap into these resources and plan appropriately, rest assured we are going into battle with the Lord’s 300.  It is God’s victory no matter the outcome.  No matter how smart we think we are or the people that we know.  This battle with cancer is God’s battle.  Who better to have run the show than the Creator of the Universe!
Our number one prayer is that Lord’s name be praised and that His will be done.  That is a hard prayer and one I have to admit I struggle to pray.
So as you walk this road with us, you may need to remind me from time to time to fight with the 300 rather than try to do this on our own strength.  Thank you again for all your prayers, words of encouragement and help you have been already to us!  We look forward to updating you again towards the middle of this week once we get pathology results back from surgery.  In the mean time, please keep praying!
Marc

 

Update #4

Hey guys,

Here is a quick update on Val.  We both rested a little fitfully on and off last night but overall did well.  She was discharged from the hospital early this afternoon and got home a little after 2pm.
Overall for recovery from surgery she is doing well.  Her pain level has been manageable with meds and she is resting good.  To help you gauge her progress, she has gone into “full mother mode” making sure we have lunches made, laundry done, and the house running well.  She is doing good letting us do these activities with her calling the shots.
Our first doctor appointment after surgery is scheduled for Friday April 22nd with her plastic surgeon.  For the recover from surgery, the plastic surgeon (Dr. Shannon Armstrong) is the guy who is leading that part of the process with pain meds, etc.  We look forward to receiving news on the full pathology report from her surgery which we should be getting mid-next week from her breast surgeon (Dr. Jessica Keto).  From that point we will be able to flesh out the timing and specific next treatment steps.
Overall we are doing well.  Working through the disappointment of needing to have chemo, but overall we are doing ok.  Val‘s parents are staying with us until Saturday afternoon and have been a great help with the house and kids.  A meal program through our church has started and I am probably going to gain 10lbs over this event in our lives….
Thank you again for upholding us in prayer, having words of encouragement and acts of service.  We truly feel loved and are glad to have such a great support group.
Our continued prayer is that The Lord is Glorified and His name praised through this process.


Marc

 

Update #3

Hey Guys!

You can not imagine the amount of love and support we have had today!  It has been awesome to hear from you throughout the day.  We also had a wonderful time of prayer with the Deacon’s and their wives from our Church last night.
Val‘s surgery today was a long process but went well.  The surgeons were happy with their work and optimistic for good healing.  We just got settled into our room at about 8pm tonight.  She is doing good and working on getting settled in for the night.  I will be sticking around for the night as well.
In regards to results from surgery, it will be a week or so before we hear back all the official pathology report.  During surgery they did look at her sentinel lymph nodes and found that one of the three they pulled did show cancer cells….. so not the news we were hoping for but its ok.
In talking with her doctor most likely route is chemotherapy.  Once again just to make sure I am clear, the full treatment program won’t be known until the pathology report is back and a full plan put together.
Thank you again for all the love and support you been showing us!  We have truly felt God’s peace and it is cool to see how the Body of Christ comes together!
Please continue to pray for us, for peace, for a great treatment plan and that all the cancer cells leave her body!
Our continued prayer is that The Lord is Glorified and His name praised through this process.
With much appreciation!
Marc

 

Update #2

To all:

Thank you again for your continued prayers for Val and our family.  Here is some updated information to help keep you in the loop.
We met with the plastic surgeon yesterday and had a good meeting.  He is a good fit for us and the appointment went well.  We have made the decision to go ahead and have a full bi-lateral mastectomy to reduce the changes of cancer showing up again.  The down side is that recovery will be tough but on a good note, Val gets to go in for a “tune-up” as she gets older to help keep things looking good.
Surgery has been scheduled for noon on Wednesday 4/13 at Lack’s Cancer Center.  Val will need to be in the hospital overnight and should be able to come home sometime on Thursday 4/14.  From then on it will be 6 to 8 weeks of recovery from surgery.  During that time we are also going to be finalizing the treatment plan with hopefully having that complete picture together by the first part of May.  Our hope and prayer is that the only cancer treatment necessary will be an oral drug called tamoxifen.
Currently we are doing very well.  The Lord has provided us peace that is hard to describe and it is good to have the surgery scheduled and have that piece of the puzzle put into place.
Here are things to continue to pray for specifically:
  1. Praise that our medical team is wonderful and we get along well with them.
  2. Praise that surgery has been scheduled
  3. Continue to pray that the cancer has not spread.
  4. Continue to pray that the genetic testing we are conducting comes back with the good news!
  5. Continue to pray for peace for our family and patience as we are still uncertain as to the long term treatment plan.
Thank you all again for walking with us along this journey.  Our trust is in the Lord and that His name be praised!
Marc