One More Leg

Why, one more leg? Harry and I have been coasting a little on this journey for the past month and a half. It's been a welcomed rest from chemo and doctor visits. However that changed yesterday. Still no chemo, but Harry had surgery on his left leg.

You may recall that about a year and a half ago, Harry had surgery on his right hip to rebuild what cancer had eatened away. This time a PET scan revealed cancer on his left femur that was doing some damage and creating the potential for that bone to break. It was only God that it did not break with all the walking we did in New Orleans last month. Surgery to repair is more difficult than surgery to prevent.

His doctor said it's rare that the disease is detected that far away from the upper body where it began without pain. (Harry had no pain in his leg.) The miracle is that his oncologist saw it in the first place. It was on the edge of the scan.

So to prevent breakage, yesterday doctors inserted a rod inside his femur. They also removed the tumor and cleaned that area, sending it off to pathology. We will know in a couple of weeks the condition of the tumor (active or inactive). Harry said this surgery has caused him to experience the worse pain yet since he's been on this journey. The doctors will not release him from the hospital until they get it under control. Hopefully, he can go home tomorrow.

Enduring first
physical therapy

Please pray the pain will subside. It's been difficult to watch him suffer through this. Also, pray that the pathology report will yield good news. And finally pray for the next step--more radiation. The doctors want to make sure there are no lingering cancer cells on Harry's thigh bone.

One more leg, not only because of the surgery on Harry's left leg, but because this is one more leg of this faith journey. We've been traveling this road for two and a half years now. And all along the way, God has made His presence known and He has placed all of you in our lives. We have never walked alone because of God and because of you. Thank you, God, and thank you FB friends and family.

The Winter Has Past

"For now the winter is past; the rain has ended and gone away. The blossoms appear in the countryside. The time of singing has come, and the turtledove’s cooing is heard in our land." These words from Song of Solomon 2:11-12 describes our faith journey today.

On this summer day in August, Harry and I received the news that we have been longing to hear. No. He is not in remission. His doctor explained Harry will not go into remission. (Of course, by God's grace, we know it's possible.) We received news of the next best thing. Because he is doing so well, Harry's chemo treatments have been put on hold.

The immunotherapy chemo treatments he has received since September 2016 have done its work. From what the doctors can tell from his CT scans, the treatments have successfully trained his immune system to fight the cancer. The last scan revealed that the main tumor in his lung has decreased in size. With that, the doctor advised it would be okay to pause the chemo treatments.

This cessation in chemo will give Harry's body a chance to regain some normalcy. He had begun to experience skin rashes, patches of hair loss, loss of energy and other side effects from the chemo. Also because the immunotherapy is still in its infancy, the doctor did not want it to become toxic.

Of course, Harry has mixed emotions about stopping, as anyone would in his shoes. The chemo has been a kind of security blanket that made him feel safe. Removing that security gave him pause for concern. But he realized that as God has been from the very beginning, He is in complete control.

To mark the beginning of this new phase, Harry will be given a PET scan next month (September), then we will see his doctor. After that, he will see the doctor every three months. Most of you remember how this journey began. In May of 2016, he had been diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer and given 10 months to live. But praise be to God (and only God), Harry is still here.

Nurses Amy and Michelle
with Harry

Thank you, thank you, and thank you again for your prayers. This is not the end of our journey and we hope it is not the end our relationship with all of you. The support we have received from family and friends have meant so much. Before we left the hospital today, we stopped in the chemo room to say thank you to the nurses who have served us these past two years. Thank you, Heather, Michelle, Amy, and other nurses. Through tears of joy, we embraced and gave God praise.

We came through a difficult winter that at times seemed would do us in. But the blossoms have appeared, and we are singing and praising God. For those who are facing their own journey of faith, don't ever count God out. The prognosis is not left up the doctors. God has you in His care, and He has promised that the fervent prayers of a righteous person are powerful and effective (James 5:16).

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"Lazarus"

Martha and Mary grieved for their brother Lazarus. He died, and a tomb became his resting place. But not long after Lazarus was buried, Jesus raised him to life. A person who has died and comes back to life was skepticized during Jesus' day, just as it is today. But to the chagrin of skeptics, sometimes it happens. It happens in a literal sense, when a person stops breathing but returns to life, and in the sense that there is no hope for survival, but the person regains health and begins to thrive. Harry has experienced being raised to life in the latter sense.

Harry with his oncologist, Dr. York.

Last week during a visit with his doctor, we learned that Harry's oncologist, Dr. York, has dubbed him with the name Lazarus. We learned this from another oncologist who also visited with Harry and examined him. He was so blessed by Harry that he shared his own miracle story. He said many years ago when he was trying to get into medical school, he had reservations on a flight. But it did not work out for him to visit a particular school, so his reservation was canceled. He then said every person on that plane died because it crashed. He gave glory to God for keeping him home. We had a miracle-sharing service in the doctor's office.

Because of Harry's diagnosis, Dr. York's initial prognosis was that he would not live out the year. Harry had gotten terribly sick, very close to death. But to the amazement of the doctors, Harry came back. His doctor recognized that just like Lazarus, he was brought back to life.

Two years has passed since that diagnosis and, Harry continues to do well. His doctor wants to continue treatment until September, which will be the two year anniversary of being on immunotherapy, and then do scans. If everything is okay, she will take him off the treatment. Dr. York said that by then the immunotherapy should have retrained Harry's immune system to fight the cancer on its own. Praise God!

Harry and I know it is because of the miracle working power of Christ that he was "brought back to life"--no other reason. We give glory to God for His Son, Jesus Christ; we thank the doctors for their expert care; and we thank you for your continued prayers.

The journey continues ...

Marking Time

When soldiers march in place without moving forward, it's referred to as marking time. They continue this march until they receive orders on what to do next. They are in a waiting mode. Like a soldier, Harry has been marking time, in a waiting mode, since March 21, 2016.

Today, March 21, 2018, marks two years since Harry's collarbone snapped as he was getting ready for work. You may recall in an earlier post that a trip to the emergency room revealed a lesion on his collarbone caused it to fracture. The doctor told Harry the lesion was a probable indication there was cancer elsewhere in his body. After two months of testing, we received the diagnosis--stage four lung cancer.

That was May 2016. Since that time Harry has received uninterrupted chemotherapy--until today. Harry's doctor suggested today that he take a break from the treatment. No, this does not mean he's in remission or that the cancer is healed. He has been struggling with side effects from the chemotherapy, especially fatigue. His doctor believes the break will give Harry a chance to regain some energy.

At first Harry balked at the suggestion to come off chemo. After all it has been instrumental in saving his life. The chemo is his lifeline. But after careful thought, he said yes to the break. Harry realized that a break would give his body an opportunity to regain some strength and get him back closer to a normal life. In our thinking, this may also give this particularly chemo, immunotherapy, an opportunity to work even better. So Harry will be off chemotherapy for six weeks. His next treatment will be May 2.

Since March 21, 2016, Harry has been marking time, waiting for his next order, waiting on God. The Bible provides encouragement to those who are marking time, waiting on God: "They who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint" (Isa. 40:31).

Please pray that over the next six weeks as Harry continues to wait, his strength will be renewed and he will begin to soar. God bless each of you.

The Journey Continues

Harry and I wanted to provide a brief update on his condition. If you read our last blog, we mentioned the possibility of Harry being taken off chemo. Well the verdict is in: Harry will continue to be on chemo a little longer.

Monday, the hospital administered a pet scan. Up to this point, Harry has been receiving cat scans, and they have revealed the cancerous tumors in his body are shrinking or not growing. The pet scan provided a more detailed analysis. The following day, Tuesday, we received the results. Harry's oncologist interpreted the scan. The report she provided was mixed: it was not bad, but it was not what we had hoped.

On the pet scan, she showed us what she called areas of heat or hot spots in various parts of Harry's body. The hot spots were where tumors had been reported: in his lung, bones, and adrenal glands. But this time, she said some of his lymph nodes were also hot. She did not make a firm declaration that what we were seeing were actually tumors, but it was enough for her to determine that Harry needed to remain on chemo.

His oncologist assured us that the tumors were not active and described them as quiet. This was very uplifting. She said she wants Harry to overcome the side effects of the chemo so he can function more normally. So her prescription: get some exercise and take time to enjoy life.

It was similar to the sermon from our pastor last Sunday. Rev. Walker encouraged the congregation to enjoy the life God has given us. That is exactly what Harry and I intend to do. This weekend, we are going to a basketball game and have made plans for watching the Super Bowl.

Please continue to pray for us. We are thankful and know God has blessed Harry. He was diagnosed with this dreaded disease almost two years ago and was not supposed to last through the first year. But God has held back the cancer in his body and prevented it from spreading. Instead the tumors have shrunk, some right before our very eyes. God is able to heal and restore. We believe that. So we will walk hand in hand with our God as we continue this journey.

May God bless and strengthen you throughout this year.