Keep The Faith

Another chemo cycle has ended. Seven days of no medicine ahead.  Six more cycles to go.  Like most chemo treatments, the medical team is trying to walk that thin line between harming the cancer and not harming the good cells. They are good at what they do. Cycle two has been a step forward. We are very hopeful for some days of wellness ahead. We are #thankful for the days now that foreshadow that wellness. As a school teacher and leader I was often quite cliché in referring to us all as lifelong learners, but I continue to experience learning in a way that is anything but trite. I continue to stubbornly and slowly comprehend that God walks every step of this journey with me. The thing is, I am most prone to forget that in the times I most need to know it.  The difficult times.  The painful times.  The discouraging times. The grieving times.  The broken times. There is a song by Randy Stonehill called  Broken Places (Spirit Walk, 2014).   Its chorus: I'll meet you in the broken plac

 Even though I do not want to post to the blog too many times I feel compelled to follow up when we specifically ask for prayers. The clinical trials team at the Cross has worked hard to secure new appointments for the coming week. I will be injecting myself each morning with a drug that stimulates my body to produce neutrophils (defense against infection). On Wednesday I will have my blood tested again and see my oncological hematologist (otherwise known as my doctor). If all is good, I will be back on treatments starting Friday. We are thankful God provides dedicated medical staff to guide us. We are equally thankful God provides friends and family like you to help us to keep the faith. Thanks for your prayers. As we undertake this Lenten journey may we stay open to God's lessons in the days to come. 

 When this blog first started, it really was about keeping people informed and answering the "how can we pray for you?" question.  As time went on it became a place for me to process the journey and invite a collective keeping of the faith.  Today, we go back to that original purpose and ask you all to pray with and for us. We had a doctor visit at the Cross Cancer Institute today and were shocked when the doctor told us he needed to stop the chemo treatments because aspects of my blood were at critical levels. In his words, "I do not want to put you in the hospital where covid risks are still very high." That leaves us in an uncertain place. The clinical trials team is now putting together a plan to get us back on track.  Please pray:  that my body will heal to the point of being able to treat the cancer  that infection and illness be kept away during this vulnerable time  that Kathy and I will be able to trust in God and the team of people being used by Him to mak