SATURDAY

Mary finished her 5 days of chemo on Monday.  This was the toughest of the rounds so far, but she is rebounding quite well.  She was scheduled to fly from Cincy to Greensboro on Thursday evening to have some mother/ daughter time with Sarah and I was concerned that she would not be well enough to go.  But Thursday was a better day and off she went.  I was given a security pass to go with her to the gate.  Her flight was non-stop, so in less than an hour she was in Greensboro where Sarah met her.

Each day she sounds stronger and stronger.  I just got off the phone with her and rejoice at how well she is speaking.  I hear alot of joy and energy in her voice.  So we all praise the Lord for this wonderful time right now, where she is increasing in her ability to speak, read, and write.  I don’t want to give the impression that it is normal, but it is so much better than it has been at any time over the last few months.  In many ways Mary’s abilities right now seem to counter the facts of what is going on in the brain.  But we are not trying to figure it out.  We are just praising the Lord.  We will ride this wave of better communication ability for as long as we can.

Thanks for your ongoing prayers and encouragement.  And for all of you that are part of the weekly flower arrangement that gets delivered to us, a huge thanks.  They are absolutely beautiful. 

THURSDAY

PRAISE THE LORD for a good report today!!  You may remember that the report on the August MRI was quite discouraging.  We had been informed that the tumor had re-grown to half its original size even with the radiation and chemo.  By all human expectations we would not have been surprised if the tumor had grown again significantly, but the latest MRI revealed the tumor had only grown 1 mm, from 1.6 to 1.7 cm.   We truly attribute that to all your prayers.  This was a God thing, and we continually are reminded that He is in full control, not bound by medicines and their performance or lack thereof.     So today was a day of rejoicing.  Along with that we returned home from our time in Florida to discover that our church family received a love offering for us.  Mary and I were totally blown away.  Our church family has taken generosity and kindness to the highest level.  We are blessed beyond our worthiness.  We again thank the Lord for His provision

So all in all we had a red letter day.  To top it all off Mary received an arrangement of flowers that were built around tulips, her favorite flower.  Add to that a sunny day in the upper 60’s and we just sensed a special smile of God saying again, “I am here, and I make all things beautiful.”

Thanks again for your prayers.  Mary will remain on 12 mg of steroids for now, will start her next 5 day chemo treatment tonight, and will not need another MRI until the end of December.  All of this is good.

MONDAY

We are back!  What a great time we had enjoying the sunshine and warm weather.  Six beautiful days of mid 80’s and balmy breezes.  We stayed at Sand Key the first few days and enjoyed Clearwater Beach and Sand Key Beach.   Mary enjoyed walking out on the pier and watching the fisherman and pelicans ply their craft.    Though Mary’s stamina wasn’t the best we developed a pretty good daily schedule.  I’m up first and enjoy a hour or two doing a run and reading the paper by the pool.   After we both dress we eat a light breakfast and head to the beach.  Short walks or sitting and watching people take us up to lunch.  A favorite place is Sweet Tomatos, a salad bar of fresh veggies, a soup bar and some great breads.  Mary would rest in the afternoon and then be ready for some exploring by car and a light supper.  We arrived back in Orlando Friday afternoon and went to see the movie, Amelia, which we both enjoyed.  Saturday and Sunday were theme parks.  First the Magic Kingdom and then Sea World.  We split them up with a morning session and an evening session.  Sunday we celebrated our 34th Wedding Anniversary.  We reflected back on the incredible goodness of God, His grace, provision and direction.  His blessings and faithfulness.  I realized anew how enriched my life has been by being married to this amazing and beautiful women.   She is truly something special.

Tomorrow we head for the hospital for the next MRI.  We appreciate your prayers, both for that and our time with Dr. Gordon on Thursday.  I really expect an encouraging report.  I know the last one was quite discouraging, but I am anticipating that the tumor’s growth will be less than might be expected, given the ineffectiveness of the radiation and first few rounds of chemo.  We continue to rest in the Lord.  Mary and I both embrace the goodness of God at all times and in all things.

Thanks for your prayers.

MONDAY, October 19

There is much to be thankful for as Mary and I head for Florida tomorrow.  First of all, the increase in steroids began to show its positive impact on Wednesday of last week, to the point where Mary went to the Women’s Bible Study Thursday morning, and out to lunch with a friend.   I was thrilled by what I was seeing and still am.  Though not quite as sharp as Wednesday and Thursday, she functions quite well, just tires out a bit too quickly and needs recovery time. 

A week ago I wasn’t sure this trip was going to happen, but I thank the Lord that in His grace and love, Mary is doing well enough to really get excited about going.  And so am I.  We will be splitting our time between the beach and Orlando.  We will rest a few days by the water, a favorite thing to do, and then a theme park or two.   Though Mary doesn’t do the rides, she loves to sit and watch people and activities around her. 

As we go I enlist your prayers for two things.  One, that Mary’s speech and comprehension would be strong enough to enjoy the week without a lot of frustration.  Two, that the physical discomfort Mary deals with can be controlled, freeing her to maximize her enjoyment.  Thanks so much.

We will be back in Dayton next Monday.  Til then we are going to enjoy the fun and the sun in the warm weather of the tropics.  See ya.

TUESDAY

 We had a wonderful weekend with our family.  Sarah flew up from North Carolina early Saturday morning and spent the better part of three days with us.  Bryan and family also dropped in throughout the weekend, which made the time together extra special.  You just can’t beat time with family.  Sarah headed back home last evening, which produced a few tears as we said good bye, but we will see her again in early November.

We had to make a decision last week regarding the level of steroids Mary was taking.  We had bumped her back up to 4 mg a little over a week ago to seek to improve her communication ability which had suffered significantly by the reduction to 2 mg.   That amount just wasn’t getting the job done anymore.  On Thursday the doctor prescribed a daily dosage of 12 mg.  Mary showed welcomed improvement with that amount.    Her improvement still leaves her struggling with reading and speaking, and she has some memory challenges, but she is able to function at basic conversational levels.  

She still wants to do Florida for our wedding anniversary, so we are making plans.  Pray that that will be a special week of enjoyment for us.  We will leave Tuesday, the 20th and return Monday, the 26th.  That will be followed by her next MRI on Tuesday, the 27th and a doctor’s visit on Thursday, the 29th.  This next MRI will be very telling as to what is going on in her brain.  We continue to pray for a miraculous healing, while submitting fully to God.  Even in the midst of the pain of our reality, there is real peace and rest in the arms of Jesus.

Thanks again for your love, concern and prayers.

MONDAY

We are 48 hours past the last chemo pills.  That is always good to celebrate.  Now it is time to rebound and keep climbing that ladder.  Things communication wise had risen to about an 18 out of 30, and have remained there for the most part.  That level provides reasonable function in speech, but challenges Mary’s comprehension when reading or receiving information.  She does fairly well in the normal conversations of life, but struggles with sermons (doesn’t get much out of mine she says, which kind of stings) and books.  (Fortunately I didn’t write those.)  I did talk with the doctor today about the level of comprehension and speech she was currently at and he suggested that we increase the steroid intake back to 4 mg.  This is where Mary had been for the past month but last week he wanted to begin the weaning process if she could do so without visible decline.  It looks like Mary functions best at the 4 mg level.  By Thursday we should see a return to her previous level of communication. 

Our daughter, Sarah, is coming this weekend and that will provide a real boost for Mary Ann.

So we continue to commit all these things to the Lord and pray for His wisdom, strength and healing.  Thanks for adding your prayers to ours.

TUESDAY

Just a quick word to let you know that the doctors visit went well.  The doctor does want to wean Mary from the steroids if she shows no setbacks in her speaking ability.  Over the next 2 weeks we will cut her daily dosage in half.  The next two weeks in half again, and then totally off.  This is something you can pray for.  If the inflammation is gone in her brain, and if the tumor has not increased the pressure on her brain she should be able to be weaned from the steroids.  If either of those two things are not true, she wil likely have to go back on her current daily intake.   With everything Mary is taking it would be a small victory for her if she could get off the steroids.

Thanks for your prayers.

MONDAY

September has been a good month.  Not only were we able to go to North Carolina and spend time with our kids and grandkids, but Mary and I traveled to Chicago this past week to visit her Mom and brothers, Mike and David.  The visit with David was especially meaningful since they had not seen each other since both were diagnosed with cancer.  David has been done with his radiation and chemo for a number of weeks now and will have surgery to remove the tumor from his lung on Thursday.  The doctors believe the cancer is localized which is very encouraging.  The time Mary and David had together was a blessed time for both.

Obviously you realize how hard all this is on Mary’s Mom.  As a parent I can’t imagine the emotional pain there would be to have two of your kids battling with serious cancers.  Margaret’s trust in God is strong and she and Mary had four full days of talking, shopping garage sales, and just being together.

We stopped in Michigan on the way home to visit our dear friends, Dale and Deb VanderHeiden.  They live on the shores of Lake Michigan in St. Joseph, truly one of the most enjoyable spots in the U.S.  In fact I saw a sign letting people know it is the number 2 most enjoyed place to escape in the world.  How about them apples!  Speaking of apples Deb and Dale sent home with us a bag of freshly picked Honeycrisp apples.  They will make you fall in love with apples all over again.  They are really good. 

In addition to the scenic beauty St Joe’s has the greatest pizza anywhere.   I am a pizza afficianado.  I have sampled many a slice all over the world.  I am able to say without reservation, Silver Beach Pizza has no equal.  I also came home 4 pounds heavier.  Worked out a little harder this morning.

Mary tolerated all the travel pretty well, though her neck and back paid a pretty good price.  She has had a history of herniated disks, and just never seems to be able to get on top of the discomfort they cause.  But even with that she was determined to have her grandsons, Owen and Griffin, come over and spend the day with her.  She really missed those little tykes and wants to have some good time with them before starting the second five day round of chemo tomorrow.  She tolerated the first round very well.  Good nausea medicine along with a lot of prayer from you all, cause us to expect she will do well this time as well.  We see Dr. Gordon tomorrow.  Apart from starting the chemo, he may take her off the steriods.  We shall see.

So we are back home and plan to stay put for a few more weeks.   We would like to get away to Florida for our anniversary later this month but will have to see how the timing works out with the scheduling of the next MRI.

Thanks again for all your prayers and comments.  You are such an encouragement.  Many of you have sent cards.  I wish we could respond to each and every one of you to let you know how special you are, but for now a general word of huge thanks will have to do.  THANK YOU FOR YOUR LOVE AND PRAYERS!!!

Thursday

After an amazing week in NC we are back at the homefront.  We were absolutely overwhelmed as we drove up to our house and saw that while we were away some of our church family had come over to give our yard an incredible “makeover”.  A big old pine I wanted to tear out was gone, all shrubs and hedges were cut back and groomed, fresh mulch appeared in all the appropriate beds, and the lawn was mowed and edged.  This was no small task.  What I was chipping away at a few hours each Friday, these wonderful, amazing people accomplished in a day.  We are so blessed.  To all who participated, a HUGE thanks.

Mary Ann had her blood work up today.  We were asked to wait for the results which we did not expect to have to do.  It created a bit of angst wondering why they couldn’t just call later, which they normally have done.  But all came back “fabulous”, in the words of the nurse.  Mary and I were much relieved. 

We are grateful for the time with our children and grandkids last week, and plans are to leave Tuesday for Chicago and Michigan to visit family and friends.  Should be gone about six days.  Pray for Mary’s physical and emotional strength during this trip. 

Thanks again for all your prayers.  We continue to rest in the Lord who is our fortress and strength.  The Psalms are such a wonderful buffet of spiritual nutrition.

Beach Pictures

Owen with Papa and Grammy

Beth and Griffin

Mom and Owen

Owen flying a kite

The Boys

Matt and Sarah

Mom and Owen (and Gator!)

Mom and Griffin

Bryan and Matt