Tuesday, June 17, 2008

Sharon is back to work today! This is her first 12 hour day since February. If you are reading this before 7 pm today, pray for her that she will have strength for what she needs to do today. We know that everywhere she goes, she is a testimony for how God has been at work in her life through this cancer. Pray that she will radiate God's love in all she does today.

She saw her doctors yesterday and they were very pleased with her progress. The surgeon doesn't need to see her for two months. The oncologist will see her again in three weeks when she has her next infusion of Herceptin. She will be scheduled for another PET scan after that meeting and then we will make our plans to go to Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa for them to review everything that has been done. Sharon has participated in their database study on breast cancer so this is a logical step for us to take in making sure we are doing everything that needs to be done.

As Sharon was finding out about her illness, I was needing to make a decision about traveling with The CenturyMen (www.thecenturymen.com) to the UK on their international mission tour. I deceided not to go but the men are leaving on July 3. Pleased pray that God will use them to rekindle the flame that has gone dark in that part of the world. Music is so powerful and, when combined with God's Word, it can make a tremendous difference in the lives of the hearers. God did not permit me to go at this time but my heart is going with my brothers. Please pray for them.

Thank you for all your prayers on our behalf.

Thursday, June 12, 2008

We are enjoying family reunions with both of our families. We spent last weekend with the Magill family (Sharon's mom's) and this week we are with the Jewett siblings. Lots of stories have been told and the heritage of the loving Father has prevailed throughout both reunions. We are blessed to have the traditions of Christian faith in both of our families. It has been wonderful to reconnect. Especially in light of what we have been through these last four months, we are thankful for the foundation of Jesus Christ to sustain us and uplift us. Our families are a blessing to us.

Keep us in your prayers. We are traveling Friday and Saturday back to Jensen Beach. Sharon will see the Oncologist on Monday when we get back and we will find out what the next step is for her. We still claim complete healing for her. Pray that God is glorified in her healing. Thanks for checking on us.

Tuesday, June 3, 2008

Well, it's back to work for Sharon! The doctor gave her the clearance to go back to work full time when we get back from Tennessee. Two more weeks to heal should make a big difference in how she feels. The doctor took out the stitches and removed the bandages today. She saw the family doctor yesterday, the surgeon today and spoke with the oncologist today. The oncologist wants to continue the current treatment plan for now. The last cancer markers were down to 50. That was three weeks ago. We expect them to be much lower now. I still want us to go to Moffit Cancer Center in Tampa so they can review everything that has been done and evaluate where we are. We should do that when we get back after the 15th. This is good news but we still have a few hurdles to jump to be completely well. Pray that this will take place before the next visit with the oncologist in two weeks. The proof of the healing will be seen in the repeat PET scan that will probably be scheduled for the week after she goes back to work. Thank you for your faithful prayers on our behalf. Pray for safety as we travel these next 10 days. God bless you all.

Friday, May 30, 2008

We heard from the surgeon late yesterday afternoon. It was good news and not so good news. The lump that was removed from the breast was completely clear of any cancer cells. This is quite remarkable since the original tumor was larger than half of her breast. Out of the four lymph nodes that were removed, two of them had scattered cancer cells in them. The other two were clear. The surgeon thinks that the treatment course that we are on is appropriate to continue but wants to confer with the Oncologist. We are scheduled for a surgical follow-up on Tuesday but are not scheduled to see the Oncologist until we are back from Tennessee. Currently, Sharon takes the Herceptin IV every three weeks and the Arimidex by mouth daily. We need your prayers to finish this task of ridding her body of all the cancer. We praise God for the tremendous healing that has already gone on. We continue to look for the completion of the healing.

Tuesday, May 27, 2008

We went to see the surgeon today, expecting to get the pathology report from the surgery. Because it was a holiday weekend, there was no report. We expect that the surgeon will call when he gets the results. He will call as late as 10:30 at night. That's OK. Sharon had a three week dose of Herceptin today so that will carry us through our trip to TN. We will stay with our house mother, Rose Marie Westmoreland, on Thursday, June 5. We will be at Sharon's mom's Friday to Tuesday for the Magill family reunion. Then we go to Sevierville Tuesday through Friday for the Jewett reunion. We will be stopping in St. Augustine on our way back on the 13th to meet with David's mom and dad as they are just getting back from Thailand. David will have left that morning for 6 weeks out of the country. He'll be back in time for the wedding! We will be back home in Florida on the 14th. We are not sure yet but Sharon may be given the clearance to go back to work when we get back. We'll find that out in the next week.

I'm still concerned about the liver. Sharon is slowing getting her strength back. Continue to pray for her. With so many uncertainties and so many changes, they call this the "new normal." We're not sure we like it right now. Thanks for checking on us.

Later on the big birthday

We are now home and have had dinner and birthday cake. Sharon rested some after we got home around 3 pm. The doctor reported that he had removed a couple of lymph nodes and about a walnut sized lump from her breast. He was not sure that there was any cancer in the tissue but it was where the mass had shrunk to. All of these tissue samples will be examined by pathology and we will get this report on Tuesday. We consider all of this marvelous news! We know that your prayers have gotten us to this point. We thank God for His healing and for the faithfulness of all of you, our extended family in Christ. We have truly been blessed through this whole process.We know that there are still a couple of hurdles yet to jump but we are thankful for the progress in the race thus far. You have been faithful and God has been faithful. Thank you, God, for your blessing and healing.

Keep praying. We still need the liver to clear of the cancer cells that remain there. Keep us informed of your needs. We certainly want to be faithful to pray for you. Happy Birthday, Sharon, what a marvelous gift.

May 23, 2008 Sharon's birthday!

As I type this entry, Sharon is in surgery. The doctor put in a wire lead into the tumor this morning before the surgery so he could be sure to find it when he got in there. The original tumor was over 7 cm big. Now it is so small that he might miss it! What encourgement for today. Pray for Dr. Vopal right now as he is doing his work. I'm sitting in the cancer center lounge because it is more pleasant than the waiting room. It's just across the driveway so I can get back there soon. She should be out of surgery around noon. I will post the results of the surgery when we get them. Thanks for checking on us.