Saturday, January 31, 2009
We are all still in shock; but incredibly happy & relieved. Mom didn't get much sleep last night between her vital checks and the helicopter leaving the rooftop right outside her window! Dad slept in his own bed, even got up and had his walk Saturday morning before heading up to the hospital. When Kevin & I came to visit around 10:00, she was sitting up in the recliner next to the bed. Our prayers now are for her body to "wake up." She doesn't have much of an appetite~ we need to put at least another 6 pounds on her!! Mom said she had a busy day ~ she tried some walking, has had many wonderful phone calls, and had some visits from Seamans, Isaacsons, Roger & Sandra & Grandma. Again, she wanted everyone to know how thankful she is for each one of YOU! Thank you for your continued prayers. Hopefully, she can come home in the next day or two. Dr. Gordon came by last night and was so happy with the outcome. He said he never knows what he will find and this was a welcome surprise. He wishes he had more cases like this one . . .
I've heard it said before "Faith isn't faith until its all you are holding on to." That is all we have needed . . . faith . . . His word . . . His promises . . . your prayers. That has meant so much!
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Friday, January 30, 2009
Friday, Jan. 30th
(Julie is writing the update today :))
Mom and Dad were up early to head off to the hospital. She was ready for surgery and went in around 9:00am. She wanted to take her picture of the surgeon operating with Jesus right next to him, guiding his hand ~ so we brought that back to her. It was very hard to say "goodnight" to her; but as usual, she was more worried about how Dad was doing that about her own situation. The Dr. scheduled the operating room for 3 1/2 hours. Dad & I left ~ had our tears and went to the cafe for some breakfast. Pastor Seaman & Marlyce came up to wait with us. After about an hour and a half, we headed back to the waiting area. Soon after, Dr. Gordon surprised us and said the surgery was over. He continued with good news . . . saying that mom's mass was a "borderline" tumor . . . slow growing, CONTAINED, and that the rest of her belly looked good. The report will come back next week; but at this point it looks like she will not need followup treatments - like chemo - maybe just some checkups with him throughout the next year. He performed the hyst.; but did not need to do anything further. The entire surgery took him only one hour.
We were able to see her in the recovery room. She was groggy; but was relieved saying, "I can't believe it; but I knew it." She did too, she was always positive & confident in the outcome. We have been trying to spread the good news ~ thank you so much for all of your prayers. They have been a great support for mom/dad & family too.
Matt. 28:16 Jesus looked at them and said, " With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."
THANK YOU<>PRAISE GOD
(Julie is writing the update today :))
Mom and Dad were up early to head off to the hospital. She was ready for surgery and went in around 9:00am. She wanted to take her picture of the surgeon operating with Jesus right next to him, guiding his hand ~ so we brought that back to her. It was very hard to say "goodnight" to her; but as usual, she was more worried about how Dad was doing that about her own situation. The Dr. scheduled the operating room for 3 1/2 hours. Dad & I left ~ had our tears and went to the cafe for some breakfast. Pastor Seaman & Marlyce came up to wait with us. After about an hour and a half, we headed back to the waiting area. Soon after, Dr. Gordon surprised us and said the surgery was over. He continued with good news . . . saying that mom's mass was a "borderline" tumor . . . slow growing, CONTAINED, and that the rest of her belly looked good. The report will come back next week; but at this point it looks like she will not need followup treatments - like chemo - maybe just some checkups with him throughout the next year. He performed the hyst.; but did not need to do anything further. The entire surgery took him only one hour.
We were able to see her in the recovery room. She was groggy; but was relieved saying, "I can't believe it; but I knew it." She did too, she was always positive & confident in the outcome. We have been trying to spread the good news ~ thank you so much for all of your prayers. They have been a great support for mom/dad & family too.
She will be in a room soon.
Matt. 28:16 Jesus looked at them and said, " With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."
THANK YOU<>PRAISE GOD
Thursday, January 29, 2009
January 29, 2009
My surgery day is almost here. Jerry & Marlyce will stop by tonite for a devotion time. What a blessing they and all of you are in our lives. We thank God for your love, prayers & friendship.
We are to arrive at hospital tomorrow at 7 am. Dr. thought operation would be a minimum of 3 hours. Gary is not too handy with sending messages, so Julie will update blog when she has info.
Our strength has been renewed every day by His Word and your support. Our recent Bible classes that centered on Psalms and James have strengthened our faith and given us His peace. Our prayer remains that the mass is benign; that God will guide my doctor and his team; and that He will command His angels to protect me in all my ways.
Ps. 46:1 God is my refuge and strength, an ever present help in trouble. That is why we are not afraid.
We are to arrive at hospital tomorrow at 7 am. Dr. thought operation would be a minimum of 3 hours. Gary is not too handy with sending messages, so Julie will update blog when she has info.
Our strength has been renewed every day by His Word and your support. Our recent Bible classes that centered on Psalms and James have strengthened our faith and given us His peace. Our prayer remains that the mass is benign; that God will guide my doctor and his team; and that He will command His angels to protect me in all my ways.
Ps. 46:1 God is my refuge and strength, an ever present help in trouble. That is why we are not afraid.
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
We are counting down our days until surgery on Friday. In the meantime, we continue to hear from our friends and family. It is such an encouragement. Daughter Julie gave me Joshua 1:9 to hold on to in these days-"Be strong and courageous. Don't tremble or be terrified because the Lord your God is with you wherever you go..."and on Friday that means the hospital. It is awesome how God works in our lives..as last night our Bible Class had a discussion on developing patience through prayer using James 5:7-20. Since we have been living that lesson - we are reminded that God is in control and He rewards patience. So we "let go and let God."
As you continue to lift us up for peace, please add Jan, Betsy, the Berg family, Dawn, Elaine, DJ and Jackie to your prayers. Love to all of you.
Proverbs 18:10 The name of the Lord is a strong tower. A righteous person runs to it and is safe.
As you continue to lift us up for peace, please add Jan, Betsy, the Berg family, Dawn, Elaine, DJ and Jackie to your prayers. Love to all of you.
Proverbs 18:10 The name of the Lord is a strong tower. A righteous person runs to it and is safe.
Sunday, January 25, 2009
January 25, 2009
It was a full weekend with contacts with high school friends, family, neighbors, movies and pizza with our buddies, Sunday night Bible class fellowship, dear friend, RoseMary's Mom's celebration of life service and luncheon and worship with our Ascension family. The choir sang "He will be my strength;" the hymn reminded us "with your help, O Lord, our struggles we win;" the lessons state that "the time is short" to proclaim the Good News so others will follow Him; and Vince's Bible class discussion centered on our "freedom in Christ"....His free gift to us. How refreshed we are as we received His body and blood for the forgiveness of our sins to go into our surgery week. We are in awe of the amazing people God has put in our lives...from recent acquaintances to those we have had for over 50 years. We realize more each day how important relationships between each other are in bad times and good times. We will never take your love and concern for us for granted. Thank you from both of us.
1John 1:7 If we live in the light the same way God is in the light we have a relationship with each other.
It was a full weekend with contacts with high school friends, family, neighbors, movies and pizza with our buddies, Sunday night Bible class fellowship, dear friend, RoseMary's Mom's celebration of life service and luncheon and worship with our Ascension family. The choir sang "He will be my strength;" the hymn reminded us "with your help, O Lord, our struggles we win;" the lessons state that "the time is short" to proclaim the Good News so others will follow Him; and Vince's Bible class discussion centered on our "freedom in Christ"....His free gift to us. How refreshed we are as we received His body and blood for the forgiveness of our sins to go into our surgery week. We are in awe of the amazing people God has put in our lives...from recent acquaintances to those we have had for over 50 years. We realize more each day how important relationships between each other are in bad times and good times. We will never take your love and concern for us for granted. Thank you from both of us.
1John 1:7 If we live in the light the same way God is in the light we have a relationship with each other.
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Friday, January 23, 2009
January 23, 2009
Today is granddaughter, Kristin Cotton's 19th birthday. What a special beautiful young lady she is! She informed me that she beat her Mimi in getting her ears pierced. She and I were the only ones left....Gary informed me that his aren't done yet either.
Today is also my pre op day. So the alarm woke us at 5:30 am for our 7 am appointment. Sweet Mary drew my blood and took my EKG. Then my nurse, Gayle, arrived and answered every question under the sun- including several on Gary's a fib attacks, as she was previously a heart nurse who worked at a pacemaker site. Told her that we have never had any nurse or doctor take the time and be so helpful with our barage of questions. It is another of our "God things"..that He puts the right people in our lives at the right time. We are so impressed with the caring attitudes of everyone we have met in connection with ORMC and MD Anderson. We had previously heard that from our dear neighbors, John and Doris, who went there from June-Dec for his throat cancer. He was given a clean bill of health the day we informed him of our news. What a blessing our neighbors have been in our lives. We will gather with them tonight. As we try to fill our days before surgery, we have attended several of granddaughter Terri's WSHS basketball games.
She is only a freshman and is a starter on the varsity team. She is such a hustler who plays with her whole heart for the whole game. We are so proud of her and how she has adapted to high school. Recently prayers have been added by the FBI family and my Godson, Jimmy, who is in faraway Costa Rica.
We thank you all from the bottom of our hearts...we feel your love and His.
Rom 12:12 Be joyful in hope; patient in affliction and faithful in prayer.
Today is granddaughter, Kristin Cotton's 19th birthday. What a special beautiful young lady she is! She informed me that she beat her Mimi in getting her ears pierced. She and I were the only ones left....Gary informed me that his aren't done yet either.
Today is also my pre op day. So the alarm woke us at 5:30 am for our 7 am appointment. Sweet Mary drew my blood and took my EKG. Then my nurse, Gayle, arrived and answered every question under the sun- including several on Gary's a fib attacks, as she was previously a heart nurse who worked at a pacemaker site. Told her that we have never had any nurse or doctor take the time and be so helpful with our barage of questions. It is another of our "God things"..that He puts the right people in our lives at the right time. We are so impressed with the caring attitudes of everyone we have met in connection with ORMC and MD Anderson. We had previously heard that from our dear neighbors, John and Doris, who went there from June-Dec for his throat cancer. He was given a clean bill of health the day we informed him of our news. What a blessing our neighbors have been in our lives. We will gather with them tonight. As we try to fill our days before surgery, we have attended several of granddaughter Terri's WSHS basketball games.
She is only a freshman and is a starter on the varsity team. She is such a hustler who plays with her whole heart for the whole game. We are so proud of her and how she has adapted to high school. Recently prayers have been added by the FBI family and my Godson, Jimmy, who is in faraway Costa Rica.
We thank you all from the bottom of our hearts...we feel your love and His.
Rom 12:12 Be joyful in hope; patient in affliction and faithful in prayer.
Thursday, January 22, 2009
January 22, 2009
What a blessing to wake up refreshed and receive notes and various scripture verses from our friends and family. High school buddy Marybeth pointed out Ps. 27:14 "Wait for the Lord. Be courageous. Let your heart be strong, Wait for the Lord." As we wait we find blessings in waiting. We are driven further into His Word and our faith deepens. Our ties to our family and friends strengthens and our love between each other grows deeper...if that is possible. What a great God we have as He lays out His plan for each of our lives....since none of us knows what is around the bend in the road.....And then the phone rings with the results from my CA 125 blood test which was taken a week ago. The doctor says, " it is normal...an 11."
We know that the literature says that normal CA 125 levels are found in about 50% of women with early stage ovarian cancers and about 20-25 % of women with advanced ovarian cancers do not have high CA 125 levels...but we will hold on to the "normal" news as we praise God from whom all blessings flow with this answer to prayers for good test results. You will never know how humbled and grateful we are for each and every one of you and what you mean in our lives.
Ps. 150:6 Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.
What a blessing to wake up refreshed and receive notes and various scripture verses from our friends and family. High school buddy Marybeth pointed out Ps. 27:14 "Wait for the Lord. Be courageous. Let your heart be strong, Wait for the Lord." As we wait we find blessings in waiting. We are driven further into His Word and our faith deepens. Our ties to our family and friends strengthens and our love between each other grows deeper...if that is possible. What a great God we have as He lays out His plan for each of our lives....since none of us knows what is around the bend in the road.....And then the phone rings with the results from my CA 125 blood test which was taken a week ago. The doctor says, " it is normal...an 11."
We know that the literature says that normal CA 125 levels are found in about 50% of women with early stage ovarian cancers and about 20-25 % of women with advanced ovarian cancers do not have high CA 125 levels...but we will hold on to the "normal" news as we praise God from whom all blessings flow with this answer to prayers for good test results. You will never know how humbled and grateful we are for each and every one of you and what you mean in our lives.
Ps. 150:6 Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Family at "The Cabin" over ThanksgivingJanuary 21, 2009
Set up preop appointment today for Jan. 23- week before surgery. Daughter, Julie, would like to set up a blog in case you are interested in following progress. We are blessed with such a loving family. Our daughters, sons-in-laws and grandkids are each very special treasures in our lives. We have built many wonderful memories through the years- and most recently over Thanksgiving and Christmas - at our new cabin in Blue Ridge, GA. What a joy to see everyone interact together in such caring ways.
A humungeous fort was constructed by most of them--what a feat that was.
We ate and ate and talked and talked. We prayed together and blessed our new cabin for the special gatherings that will take place there in the
future. John 13:34-35 A new commandment I give you; love one another.
January 20, 2009
We picked up Julie at preschool where she has a maternity teaching job for
3 months so she could accompany us to Dr. Gordon's office. We filled out our paperwork and met first with Dr. Negron who took all my medical history. Dr. Gordon arrived with a firm handshake - relaying to me the feeling that "we are in this together." I feel that God has put me in good hands with him and his team at MD Anderson. After an exam he confirmed that there is a mass that must come out. He proceeded to tell us positives and worst case scenerios. The earliest surgery date he had is Friday, January 30- so we pray for patience as we wait 1 1/2 weeks for hysterectomy. He cannot tell if mass is benign or cancerous until surgery, but it is highly suspicious. Still waiting for CA 125 blood test to come back. What a blessing to receive your email responses, telephone calls and hugs. God is good.
Ps 91 Because he love me, says the Lord I will rescue him. I will
protect him, for he acknowledges my name. He will call upon me, and Iwill answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him with long life will I satisfy him and show him my salvation.
We picked up Julie at preschool where she has a maternity teaching job for
3 months so she could accompany us to Dr. Gordon's office. We filled out our paperwork and met first with Dr. Negron who took all my medical history. Dr. Gordon arrived with a firm handshake - relaying to me the feeling that "we are in this together." I feel that God has put me in good hands with him and his team at MD Anderson. After an exam he confirmed that there is a mass that must come out. He proceeded to tell us positives and worst case scenerios. The earliest surgery date he had is Friday, January 30- so we pray for patience as we wait 1 1/2 weeks for hysterectomy. He cannot tell if mass is benign or cancerous until surgery, but it is highly suspicious. Still waiting for CA 125 blood test to come back. What a blessing to receive your email responses, telephone calls and hugs. God is good.
Ps 91 Because he love me, says the Lord I will rescue him. I will
protect him, for he acknowledges my name. He will call upon me, and Iwill answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him with long life will I satisfy him and show him my salvation.
Thank you for reading about our journey . . . and for being our prayer partners. Feel free to comment ~ it is so good to hear from you . . .
January 15, 2009
My journey began on Jan. 15 when Gary and I were called in to have ultrasound read from Dr. Penny Danna following my yearly checkup. She immediately made appointment with Dr. Alan Gordon, oncologist at MD Anderson for fast track consultation. My ovary measured 11cm (size of a cantalope) and must come out. Was sent to Quest to have blood drawn (CA 125). Then came our 3 day weekend (MLK birthday) and our consultation on Tuesday. First I requested my main "medication" from all my friends and family in the form of prayers. So I/we are being lifted up from CA toVA to Chicago to SC and NC to TX to KY, to North GA to Fort Wayne to Florida and beyond. Praise God for this extraordinary gift. In the midst of our shock and confusion, Gary and I feel peace and strength today and for the days ahead.
Is 41:13 For I am the Lord, your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you. Do not fear: I will help you.
Here's a little update as to what has gone on the past week:
January 15, 2009
My journey began on Jan. 15 when Gary and I were called in to have ultrasound read from Dr. Penny Danna following my yearly checkup. She immediately made appointment with Dr. Alan Gordon, oncologist at MD Anderson for fast track consultation. My ovary measured 11cm (size of a cantalope) and must come out. Was sent to Quest to have blood drawn (CA 125). Then came our 3 day weekend (MLK birthday) and our consultation on Tuesday. First I requested my main "medication" from all my friends and family in the form of prayers. So I/we are being lifted up from CA toVA to Chicago to SC and NC to TX to KY, to North GA to Fort Wayne to Florida and beyond. Praise God for this extraordinary gift. In the midst of our shock and confusion, Gary and I feel peace and strength today and for the days ahead.
Is 41:13 For I am the Lord, your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you. Do not fear: I will help you.
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