HERE WE GO AGAIN!

     We are back at Seidman Cancer Center for another round of chemo.  We feel like "old pro's" getting here at 8:00 a.m. Monday, getting checked in, getting the PICC line in place, getting unpacked, greeting some of the doctors and nurses like old friends! Marcie knows where to buy the best chocolate and how to navigate the long walk to the main cafeteria. :)
     The last 2 weeks have been relatively peaceful.  Don started to feel better the Tuesday after finishing the last round of chemo, just as we anticipated, and he was feeling pretty good this past weekend.  He worked the last 2 weeks of June and was blessed to be able to do that.
     Last Monday we met with our wonderful oncologist, Dr. C. and received a "mixed bag" of news.  The cancer numbers had gone down slightly - from a 1.9 to a 1.6 - so that is a good start and at least it is heading in the right direction.  However Dr. C. does not think we will be ready for the transplant in August.  She thinks we may have to do one to two more rounds of this 96-hour protocol of chemo in August and maybe even again in September.  That was a bit discouraging so we shed a few tears and then we talked it through and prayed it through.  Once again we gave our expectations about timing to the Lord.
     We want you to know how grateful we are to those who follow the blog.  It is VERY encouraging when you tell us that you read it and pray for the requests we post.  Please let us know how we can pray for you as well.

WHAT WE HAVE LEARNED ABOUT THE BODY OF CHRIST
       One of the most important lessons that we have learned through this trial over the last eight months (has it really been that long?) is how beautiful the Body of Christ really is.  All who are Christ-followers are part of this wonderful Body.  Everyone has a place in this Body.  In fact, because of your family background, your personality and all the things that make you YOU, there is an expression of Christ through you that has not been duplicated by any other human being. Furthermore, you bring a unique expression of Christ to the places that you go and the people you meet.
     If you have ever wondered if you are important to God, the answer is a resounding YES!  His word declares that you are LOVABLE, VALUABLE, FORGIVABLE, CHANGEABLE and NEVER ALONE.

PRAYER REQUESTS

• That this round of chemo would be be effective in putting the cancer in remission and we will see the cancer protein number of less than 1 sooner than the doctors believed possible!
• That Don will continue to bear the chemo with minimal side effects and that his immune system would recover quickly.
• That he would be protected from any infection.
• For Marcie as she travels back and forth to the hospital.

PRAISES

• For the Body of Christ who have so generously met all of our needs!
• That Don's immune system (the "good" counts) recovered so strongly after the last round of chemo.  
• We celebrated Don's 60th birthday on Father's Day, June 17th, and he received numerous birthday cards.  What a blessing! We thank God for every single day of life he gives us.  

Love,
Don and Marcie

POST-CHEMO BLAHS

     Sunday evening:
     Don is home as of Friday evening.  We were both very happy that he finished the chemo on time and was able to be released to come home.  He is feeling pretty lousy from the cumulative effects of the chemo in his body and he doesn't have much of an appetite.  He also doesn't have much energy.  He felt pretty good up until Thursday afternoon, then started to feel pretty yucky.  We are very thankful he did not have any extreme side effects.  We are hopeful that by Tuesday he will start feeling better, which is what happened last time.

      Lots of prayer requests:

• Please pray, dear friends that the chemo is doing it's job and Don will not have to go through more than one more round of this life-draining treatment!  
• Pray also that his kidneys will be protected from the effects of the chemo and will continue to function normally.  
• Pray that his energy and appetite will be restored as quickly as possible.  
• Pray for protection from infection while his immune system is disabled.

     We praise the Lord:

• For all of the great doctors and nurses who took such good care of Don this past week.  As an added blessing, we continue to meet believers at University Hospital who serve the Lord as well as their patients and are such an encouragement to us!
• That Don did not experience any extreme side effects this past week. 
• That the chemo was finished on time and he got to come home Friday night.  He rests so much better at home! 

Thank you for your prayers and loving support of our family during these days.
Don and Marcie

PS - If you have time to drop us a comment we would love to hear from you about how you have been strengthened during a trial in your own life.  Thanks!
     
     
 

GOD'S PERFECT TIMING...OUR NEED FOR PATIENCE

Dear family and friends,

    

DON WITH HIS NEW CHEMO BUDDY!

     With so much going on the last couple of weeks and school ending for Marcie we have not been able to update the blog as often as we would like.  Hopefully we will be able to keep it updated at least once a week from now on.
     The cancer numbers unfortunately have been going in the wrong direction. The protein that is measured to gauge the cancer has been going up, slowly but surely, even after 96 hours of non-stop chemotherapy the first week of May.  And so the stem cell transplant has been delayed at least until August, until Don has completed a minimum of 2 more rounds of aggressive chemotherapy.  The doctors have changed the chemo mixture to a more intense regimen, which they hope will beat the cancer back.
     Don needed a week to recover from the chemo in May, but was able to work the last 2 weeks of the month.  It is likely that this will be the schedule for both June and July; a week of round-the-clock chemo the first week of the month, a week for recovery and then, if he is able, work 2 weeks at Emerge.
     Please pray for Don as there are predictable, unpleasant side effects of the new regimen.  (Use your imagination!)
     It has been an emotional roller coaster for the last couple of months, having our hopes geared up to get the stem cell transplant in May, then being told it probably wouldn't be until July; finding out a week ago that the cancer continues to increase and that the transplant will be pushed back to August now.  Although we are discouraged and "cast down" at times, we continue to trust the Lord and not despair.  We are very confident in God and in our doctors, who give us hope and encouragement.
     Paul had a physical ailment he referred to as his "thorn in the flesh."  He prayed and asked the Lord to take it away from him, but God's response was "My gracious favor is all you need. My strength is made perfect in your weakness."  (2 Cor. 12:9ff)  Our prayer is that we will indeed experience God's gracious favor and that the power of Christ will work through our weakness so that HE may be glorified and YOU will be encouraged.
     Perhaps you are going through an unexpected trial and don't understand why you are suffering or why God has not answered your prayers.  We pray that you will have patience and trust always in God's goodness and His perfect timing. 

Prayer Requests:

• That this chemotherapy regimen will be effective in beating down the cancer.
• That Don will experience minimal side effects from it.  

Praises:

• For all the people who have supported us by running in races, preparing meals, cleaning, yard work, and giving sacrificially so that ALL of our medical expenses have been met.
• That we have experienced the reality of Christ through His body.
• That Marcie was able to finish the school year with the generous help and support of the administration, faculty and amazing substitutes.

A Bend in the Road

     The Myeloma cancer became active again since the last chemo treatment in March. The doctors feel it is necessary to do more chemo to get the cancer back into remission before they do the stem cell transplant.  It will have a much greater chance of succeeding.
     So, here is the plan, at least for the next month!  Don was admitted Monday morning to UH for 4 days of 24 hour round-the-clock drip chemo.  This regimen will be tougher than previous ones.  The doctors hope that this will put the cancer back into remission.  After this 4 days, he will have 3 weeks off.  Then, they will check "the numbers" and see where the cancer is - hopefully, in remission!  At that time they will plan again when the stem cell transplant will take place.  If the cancer is not inremission, they will do another 4 days on - 3 weeks off regimen of chemo.  So, the journey continues through the summer. Otherwise we begin the transplant at the beginning of July!
     This has reminded Don of a story he heard about Central Park in New York City and Chautauqua Conference Center in Western NY .  The architect of the roads in both parks, Frederick Law Olmsted designed them in such a way that one cannot see more than 1/4 of a mile ahead without continuing to walk along the road that is before you. So, we are going to continue on this road before us, around the bend, and keep going until we see the end.
     As you read Genesis 12:1-9 we see that Abram (Abraham) was simply told to leave where he was; his comfort zone.  He finally arrived in the land of Canaan and set up a camp and simply trusted God for his future.  You may be going through a period in your life where you have left the familiar but cannot see what is ahead.  Marcie and I are in that place right now.  Let's agree to trust the God of our past and the God of our future to abundantly meet all of the needs of our present. 
     
We have lots of specific prayer requests this week.  Please pray that...

• This chemo will be effective, putting the cancer in remission and getting us back on track for the stem cell transplant.
• That there would be little, if any, negative side effects from the chemo.
• That there would not be any more blood clots.  (Likelihood of having another is increased since Don had the one in his neck.)
• That he would not get an infection.
• That he would get relief from the pain in his right hip and leg. 

Praise for:

• All of the nursing staff who have been so wonderful!  Especially for a young lady who is a believer  and knows many of the same friends we do at CCC.
• Good communication so far this week with medical personnel.  
• A room being available for Marcie at Hope Lodge.
• An excellent, qualified Spanish teacher to cover Marcie's classes this week. 
• Continued support in innumerable ways from family and friends.
• The stem cell collection has been successfully completed and will be ready for the transplant.

We'll keep you updated as we continue forward around this bend in the road.  Thanks for being on this journey with us.

Love,
Don and Marcie

PS - Approximately 11 hours of chemo completed and so far no side effects!  Keep praying!

HAIR TODAY...AND GONE TOMORROW!

Dear Friends,

     Marcie and I wanted to give you an update on the latest events in our unexpected journey. It is even more fraught with "hair-raising" twists and turns than you can imagine!

     The "Chemo-Hair-Apy" party on Friday night was a a blast and a huge success.  We are still awaiting final numbers but we believe we exceeded the goal of $2,500 in funds raised for Emerge's Children's Center.  So many dear friends came and really got into the whole funky hairdo thing; there were some wild and crazy "do's."  We think a lot of  you really enjoyed releasing the inner child.  We do have a therapist on staff to deal with that!   Our friend Rob Ebner has a new (dis)taste of whipped cream as he was the chief victim of the pie throwing event!  What a good sport he was!  How can we begin to thank all of those who worked so hard to put everything together into such a memorable event?  Our deepest thanks to all of you.  For more pictures of the great buzz go to my sister's blog http://lifebetweenthebuns.blogspot.com/

     On Thursday of last week I noticed a small lump in my neck above the place where the catheter is on my upper chest.  It was tender to the touch, but I really thought nothing of it, although I mentioned it to the home health care nurse who came to clean the catheter on Friday morning.  By Saturday evening the lump had grown significantly and it hurt to touch and move my neck.  After consulting with the home health care nurse by phone, we followed the recommendation to go to the emergency room at Western Reserve Hospital (Cuyahoga Falls) about 11:00 Saturday night.  They did a CT scan and discovered a blood clot that was approximately 7-8 centimeters long.  Since it was related to the catheter, which had been installed by University Hospital, I was sent by ambulance to UH about 5:00 Sunday morning.  I felt quite miserable all day Sunday.  After more tests, an ultrasound and consultations with many doctors it was decided to treat the clot with Heparin.  It has been successful, slowly dissolving the clot.  The danger, of course, was that the clot would break off and cause a stroke or a pulmonary embolism, so we are very, very thankful to the Lord for protecting me and getting the right treatment in time.  I will have to be on blood thinner for the next couple of months.  Marcie has been able to stay with me here at UH, so we are comforting and encouraging each other and looking to the Lord for strength.
  

      As of now, we enjoy a great view of Cleveland's skyline from the 4th floor of the Seidman Cancer Center.  We will know by tomorrow whether my long term stay for the bone marrow transplant will be delayed.  In the meantime, we thank you for your love, prayers and the help you have given in so many ways.

SPECIFIC PRAYERS REQUESTS:

• For a resolution as to the timing of the bone marrow transplant.  We had geared ourselves up emotionally for me to go into the hospital May 7th and get it over with.  It will be a challenge to our spirits if we have to delay it.
• Many doctors have been called in to consult on my case; even a new expert in the field of Multiple Myeloma, whom we will meet with tomorrow.  This doctor will have a significant impact on how my treatment moves forward.  Please pray that we are able to communicate well with each other and that God would direct this doctor's knowledge and thoughts as to the best course of treatment.
• Pray for the nurses and other caregivers who serve cancer patients.  What a blessing they are and how well they serve people! 
• Pray for the opportunity to share Christ with all of these fine caregivers.
• Pray a blessing on family and friends who have been and continue to help and serve us in so many practical ways.

Much love, Don and Marcie

A LITTLE BIT OF GOOD NEWS!

     We arrived at the donor collection center on time at 7:30 a.m.  Don was hooked up via the catheter in his chest to the stem cell collection machine.  It is an amazing process - who thinks up these things?  You can actually see the different parts of the blood being separated!  TMI, right?
     He was there for over 5 hours including all the prep time and post-collection processing.  The pain in his hip was as severe as it has ever been.  A very rough day.  Throughout the collection process they kept saying they were getting good results and most likely he would only have to come back for one more day.  The attending doctor said it is very rare to collect enough stem cells in one day - that Don would be a "Rock Star" if he did that.  Well, guess what?  They called at about 3:30 this afternoon saying they had gotten enough!  Whoopee!  What a relief!  No more shots in the tummy and we get to go home tomorrow!  Thank you, Lord!

AND SO IT BEGINS...

     Greetings from a hotel near the Cleveland Clinic and University Hospitals.  We arrived last night and checked in to a hotel.  (Our name had not been placed on the waiting list for Hope Lodge, thus the hotel.)
     Don has been faithfully giving himself the neupogen shots since Friday to stimulate stem cell growth.  Early this morning we showed up at the Seidman Cancer Center and the central catheter was placed in Don's chest.  He had to lay on his back on a table for a little over an hour and his hips were hurting very badly throughout the procedure.  But he got through it and we came back to the hotel to rest.  Back to Seidman again at 5:30 for a different kind of shot.  Don has been feeling quite nauseous all day and his hip is still hurting.  Finally, at about 7:00 this evening, he has begun to get some relief and was able to eat a little bit. 
     Tomorrow morning we have to be at the Donor Center at 7:30 a.m. and they will begin the stem cell collection.  Please pray that all would go well and they will be able to collect a significant amount of stem cells.  It is unusual to get enough in one day, but it has happened.  Please pray that Don will get some longer lasting relief from the pain in his hip and the nausea. 
     Thank you for your prayers.  Please continue to hold us up before the Lord, dear family and friends.  Reality about what Don will have to go through this week and then staring May 7th for the actual transplant is hitting us hard. 
Much love, Marcie and Don