Cancer Update

Woo hoo! Have I got an update for you! Thank you to all who have prayed me through the last eight years of cancer treatments and my bout with severe covid. God's Army is the best Army and you all deserve a medal for supporting me in prayer and in many other ways. There was not a day I felt unloved by God or all of you. Thank you.

Let me remind you, in January 2016 I was diagnosed with "high risk" chronic lymphocytic leukemia. "High risk" because three of my chromosomes are not normal. (Glad they didn't check my brain!) The prognosis was 

"Rapid progression   

inferior survival, 

shorter survival time 

and resistance to treatment." 

Bottom line:

There was no treatment for me,

 I was not expected to live,

 death would happen soon, 

and I would go fast. 

"We'll keep you comfortable" 

was all the hope I received from the doctor that day.

But God!!! 

I became ill the following December. Expecting to cash in on the "keep you comfortable" promise, I returned to the oncologist.

 Great news!!! 

FDA had just approved a treatment for "high risk" cll. 

Three pills a day, which has now been reduced to one pill a day, my leukemia stopped progressing.

 Within two months,

 my blood counts were normal! 

Hallelujah!!!

"This is phenomenal!!!" 

my oncologist cheered. 

I assured him not only do we have a God of the phenomenal, 

but a God of the impossible!

The medication (imbruvica) was new and doctors hoped it would buy me time. Three years, then five years, now seven years. Today I learned that imbruvica has been so successful, "high risk" cll is no longer labeled "high risk." 

Imbruvica works! 

This wonder drug has stood the test of time. 

Other than my bout with covid, I have remained healthy, strong, and active. leukemia lurks inside me, but imbruvica acts like a fortress keeping it from going any further. 

I thank God today, but I also thank cancer researchers and doctors. These men and women sacrifice much to spend long hours glaring at test tubes and people's blood. Thank you, dear ones, called by God to heal this vicious disease. Three cheers and many prayers go up for you!!! Thank you!!!

"For nothing will be impossible with God."

Luke 1:37

God shows Himself in many ways when cancer hits home. I write about my cancer journey in Praise the Lord and Pass the Chemo: A Hopeful Response to a Hard Reality. You can purchase a copy on Amazon or directly from me. 

https://www.amazon.com/Praise-Lord-Pass-Chemo-Response/dp/1945976012?ref_=ast_author_dp

Please pray for cancer research. I am so thankful.

My Cancer Miracle! Thank You for Praying!

"Did she just say I was terminal?" I asked my husband as the oncologist left us alone to digest the test results.

"We're all terminal." The only words my hand-holding husband could say as he comforted me and grasped his own sudden grief.

We didn't tell anyone. Not one. Try telling your children you are soon to die. Impossible to do. A mother's heart can never hurt her child. I couldn't inflict that pain on them. Not yet.  I was still stage 0, so we held on to that hope and the promises of God to carry us through this quick journey to Heaven.

Doctors chastised us. "You must tell people. Your children need to know. You can't bear this alone." The conclusion of test results saying "rapid progression, low survivability, high risk, not responsive to treatment" haunted me all hours of the day and night.

Then it happened. I got sick. Thanksgiving 2016 I thanked God that He had given me nine months, because in one month I went from stage 0 to stage 3 high risk leukemia.

"We've got great news for you!" was not what I expected to hear the oncologist say. "A new drug specifically for high risk leukemia has just been approved. You take three pills a day. There are no
side effects. You won't get sick or lose your hair. It has a 90 percent effective rate."

Good news indeed! The week before Christmas Dan and I prayed over our pills (Ha! They are our pills, not my pills, because from day one Dan assured me we are one in sickness and in health.)  We asked God to Please destroy the leukemia and keep it from progressing. And please Lord, let me be in the 90 percent where they are effective and not the 10 percent who die.

Celebrate with me that I had no side effects from the medicine and the best news ever:

Last week my blood count was normal!!! 

"Phenomenal!" my oncologist gasped and then said again, "This is phenomenal!"

Why are we surprised? We're not. We have a phenomenal God who can do not only the impossible, but also the phenomenal.

Thank you for your prayers. Oncologists expect I will live a full and long life. What joy knowing He has more work for me to do here on earth.

Yes, I am writing a book as I travel the cancer road, for God has taught me much about the joy of life that healthy people miss. Please pray my words will be God's words. Thank you.

Splashes of Serenity. Every day there are splashes of serenity. Don't miss yours today.