Jon got worse throughout the night and this morning. By the time we got to the doctor's office for his bleomycin this morning he couldn't even lift his head off the table. He broke out in a rash overnight and was feeling lightheaded, dizzy, weak and extreme fatigue. The PA told us absolutely not to go home until he was feeling "good." She also put an 86 on the P90X! For those of you who do not know my husband well, he tends to take things to the extreme!:o) So she told him going on walks at the most is the only approved exercise while he is recovering from this round. The doctor told us this is a VERY tough regimen of chemo and in fact is not used often anymore. They also told us his white counts are SUPER low, like almost 0 so we have to watch him closely for any signs of infection. This is the lowest they have ever been since he started chemo back in February.
PLEASE pray for his body to recover quickly. He is extremely frustrated and discouraged. This is also making him become very fearful of the future of high dose chemo. For me, it is so difficult to watch someone not have any interest in "life." The only thing I see that he has "interest" in is his kids. Pray that mentally he will stay strong and that God will give him LIFE and LIGHT each day. This is also confirmation for both of us that we are sticking together during this time and that taking our kids to Indianapolis is definitely the right decision. They bring much happiness to Jon and his face lights up when they walk in and talk with him, dance around, make a joke, or hug him. We are both so thankful for them and their sweet, sweet spirits. They are truly gifts from God.
Thanks for lifting Jon's name up to the Father!!
Tuesday, August 13, 2013
Monday, August 12, 2013
Some sweet moments
This weekend and today was rough for Jon. We ended up staying in Atlanta and Jon went in to the infusion room today to get extra fluids. He is just feeling pretty bad in general. It's been tough for him for sure. The first time Jon went through this a few months ago, he had a total of 20 days of chemo. This time (high dose) he will receive 5 times the amount of chemo in just 6 days. It just makes us even more anxious as we think about how Jon's body will respond to this amount of chemo in such a short time. Please pray his body will rebound from the standard dose round so that he will feel good on September 3rd going into the high dose round. Also please pray that he will begin feeling good quickly so that he can go back to work before we move to Indianapolis. He just wants to be "normal" and go to work and do what he loves to do, teach those precious children. Jon will get a shot of bleomycin (one of his chemo drugs) tomorrow and some fluids. After we have Luke's allergy appointment we will head back to HHI. Pray the trip will be smooth and the kids will not be too whiny!
I have some cute pictures of the kids I wanted to share. When I watch them with Jon it brings me joy and is a reminder that they will never be the same after going through this experience. Our family is "sticking together like glue" to help get Jon better. The kids follow Jon up to his room when he gets home from chemo. They love when he walks downstairs to say hello. And they come snuggle with him in bed. They love helping serve him and get things for him. It is so cute and I know they are learning life lessons that they otherwise wouldn't be learning. None of us will be the same after this, and I know that we will be a stronger, closer family through serving each other and putting others needs above our own.
Here is Emma Kate snuggling with her daddy. They have missed him so much this week. They call his port his "doodles" so everyday when he comes home they ask if he got his doodles taken out. They know that the port is a sign that daddy is sick and has to go to the doctor all the time. We have been extremely open with our kids about what Jon is going through. They see all of our emotions about the situation. We do not try and hide anything, although obviously we tell them what is age appropriate. But unfortunately Luke over hears a lot more than he probably should.
The kids like bath time so much more with Mikayla!! She puts LOTS of bubbles in there and it's a great hour long activity!!
I have some cute pictures of the kids I wanted to share. When I watch them with Jon it brings me joy and is a reminder that they will never be the same after going through this experience. Our family is "sticking together like glue" to help get Jon better. The kids follow Jon up to his room when he gets home from chemo. They love when he walks downstairs to say hello. And they come snuggle with him in bed. They love helping serve him and get things for him. It is so cute and I know they are learning life lessons that they otherwise wouldn't be learning. None of us will be the same after this, and I know that we will be a stronger, closer family through serving each other and putting others needs above our own.
Here is Emma Kate snuggling with her daddy. They have missed him so much this week. They call his port his "doodles" so everyday when he comes home they ask if he got his doodles taken out. They know that the port is a sign that daddy is sick and has to go to the doctor all the time. We have been extremely open with our kids about what Jon is going through. They see all of our emotions about the situation. We do not try and hide anything, although obviously we tell them what is age appropriate. But unfortunately Luke over hears a lot more than he probably should.
The kids like bath time so much more with Mikayla!! She puts LOTS of bubbles in there and it's a great hour long activity!!
Take a look at Luke's black eye! He had a collision with Emma Kate. But don't worry, she told us she was just fine an not "crying" But Emma Kate wasn't fine the next day when she got stung 4 times by a hornet on the hand! I felt SOO bad for her. She cried and cried!
Yes this is Jon THIS WEEK. He has done P90X everyday except Sunday. And he looks dang good! He said he is in the best shape of his life! Below is Jon's first day of chemo. Doesn't he look handsome?
We stopped at my grandfather's house on the way to Atlanta. He gave the kids a tractor ride and the LOVED it. They were so excited to see great-grandaddy!
Thursday, August 8, 2013
Jon's chemo week
PRAISE GOD!
So far this week, Jon has responded very well to the chemo. He was a little more tired today and food isn't sounding quite as good, but for the most part this week has been great! He has been working out every night and for the most part eating normal! He has one more day and then gets the weekend and Monday to recover. He will get one drug on Tuesday. We are so hopeful this week will end up good! We also know how to manage the side effects better because of having gone through this already. We know what meds work for his body and know to get extra fluids on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday!
We found out that Jon will begin his high dose treatment on Tuesday, September 3rd. We will move the weekend of August 31st. This gives us one more week than we thought to prepare for the big move which is a good thing. Jon will feel much better going into this high dose round of chemo. Overwhelmed is not the word we feel. How do you even begin to pack for 3 months for 3 small kids and cram it all into a car? We are trying to take one day at a time. Sometimes the details can just get overwhelming! We must put one foot in front of the other and keep moving!
Today Luke was diagnosed with asthma. He has a severe allergy to animals which we obviously already knew because of the recent ER visit. The appointment today was just too much for both of us to take in especially on top of what we are already dealing with. I sat and listened to the doctor and nurse educate us on these allergies and asthma. I listened to them explaining all of the medicines the doctor was prescribing for Luke and trying to get it all straight in my head. Instead my head was spinning with information. This is on top of all the meds I have to keep straight for Jon. I honestly walked away for there and wanted to go crawl in a hole. I know so much about testicular cancer, but i know nothing about asthma except it is scary to see your 4 year old struggle with. Please, please pray for us as we try and find housing in Indianapolis that is a pet-free home. God can provide!
There are so many things to be thankful for! There have already been 2 churches come forward through people we know in Indianapolis that want to minister to us while we are there. What a blessing! I have already found a music and sports class the kids can go to once a week. What a blessing! We have already been invited to a MOPS program in Indianapolis. What a blessing! We have had a couple of men come forward and say they want to do our yard and take care of our home while we are gone from Bluffton. What a blessing! A neighbor who is willing to help us with bills while we are gone. What a blessing! God is putting the pieces together for us and it's a blessing to see things come together.
So far this week, Jon has responded very well to the chemo. He was a little more tired today and food isn't sounding quite as good, but for the most part this week has been great! He has been working out every night and for the most part eating normal! He has one more day and then gets the weekend and Monday to recover. He will get one drug on Tuesday. We are so hopeful this week will end up good! We also know how to manage the side effects better because of having gone through this already. We know what meds work for his body and know to get extra fluids on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday!
We found out that Jon will begin his high dose treatment on Tuesday, September 3rd. We will move the weekend of August 31st. This gives us one more week than we thought to prepare for the big move which is a good thing. Jon will feel much better going into this high dose round of chemo. Overwhelmed is not the word we feel. How do you even begin to pack for 3 months for 3 small kids and cram it all into a car? We are trying to take one day at a time. Sometimes the details can just get overwhelming! We must put one foot in front of the other and keep moving!
Today Luke was diagnosed with asthma. He has a severe allergy to animals which we obviously already knew because of the recent ER visit. The appointment today was just too much for both of us to take in especially on top of what we are already dealing with. I sat and listened to the doctor and nurse educate us on these allergies and asthma. I listened to them explaining all of the medicines the doctor was prescribing for Luke and trying to get it all straight in my head. Instead my head was spinning with information. This is on top of all the meds I have to keep straight for Jon. I honestly walked away for there and wanted to go crawl in a hole. I know so much about testicular cancer, but i know nothing about asthma except it is scary to see your 4 year old struggle with. Please, please pray for us as we try and find housing in Indianapolis that is a pet-free home. God can provide!
There are so many things to be thankful for! There have already been 2 churches come forward through people we know in Indianapolis that want to minister to us while we are there. What a blessing! I have already found a music and sports class the kids can go to once a week. What a blessing! We have already been invited to a MOPS program in Indianapolis. What a blessing! We have had a couple of men come forward and say they want to do our yard and take care of our home while we are gone from Bluffton. What a blessing! A neighbor who is willing to help us with bills while we are gone. What a blessing! God is putting the pieces together for us and it's a blessing to see things come together.
Saturday, August 3, 2013
Long overdue update.
First of all, let me say I'm sorry I haven't updated. We have been completely crazy busy and we had to let all appropriate people know what was going on before I unleashed the information on the blog.
We have sought an opinion at Indiana University Cancer Center. We also have gone back to Sloan-Kettering in NYC to meet with an oncologist there. This is the conclusion of both appointments.
Both doctors at both institutions have concurred that Jon has to have high dose chemo with stem cell transplant at one of these hospitals under the care of one of these doctors. We were relieved to find out that both doctors were in agreement with the treatment plan. We have both wrestled and struggled this week with where Jon should be treated. It has been such a hard, hard decision. Honestly, for the first time in our cancer journey, we did not have a clear direction whatsoever. We did not have one red flag with either doctor and no pull toward one or the other. We felt like both doctors and institutions would do a great job. We felt that each doctor brought different strengths to the table. It was extremely frustrating for us. For those of you who know me, I always have a very strong opinion about most things. It is rare for me to say "I have no idea." But this was one of the times I HAD NO IDEA. But ultimately that was a good thing because I want Jon to feel good about which place to be treated and ultimately he had to make that decision alone. Both institutions and doctors are fabulous and we know that Jon will get top notch treatment at either.
So...Jon has chosen to be treated at Indiana University under Dr. Einhorn. He will start a standard dose chemo treatment in Atlanta this Monday (8-5-13). He will get treatments Monday through Friday. He will then have to go back the following 2 Tuesdays for an injection of bleomycin. He will begin high dose in Indianapolis on August 26th. They will begin by retrieving immature stem cells from Jon's body. They will freeze them and then administer the high dose chemo. They will then inject his body with the stem cells to "rescue" his immune system. There will be 2 rounds of high dose chemo. This is a very intense process. Jon needs lots of prayers. He will probably be hospitalized during a lot of the process. He will get to come "home" for a few days each round.
Our family will be moving to Indianapolis sometime the weekend of the 24th. We will be there until mid November if everything stays on schedule. My mission has been to do whatever I could that was humanly possible to give Jon a chance at being cured. I have pushed and pushed to get him the best doctors at the best institutions. I can truly do no more. I will go and take care of him and the kids with all my might. And I must leave the rest to the Almighty Healer.
I am a control freak. When we found out in December that Jon had cancer in his lungs, my goal was for our family to be together during his treatments. My other goal was to always make sure I was with Jon during each and every treatment. And we made sure that happened. We would drag our children to each round of chemo in Atlanta. I would sit with Jon during his 5 hour treatments and double and triple check every single drug they were putting into his body. We would then drag the kids back home during Jon's 2 weeks off. I was so thankful we were all together and I could take care of my husband AND my children. This time will be much different. I am still going to do whatever it takes to keep our family together. But my time will be extremely divided. I will be giving up much control of both my children and Jon's healthcare. Obviously a lesson God must want to teach me. The kids will not see Jon very much at all because he will be in the hospital. I will go back and forth between Jon and the kids. It is a little overwhelming to think about all that will have to come together for this to run smoothly but I'm confident God is going to provide.
Praise:
**God provided the best doctors in the world in this field for Jon to be seen by.
**That this treatment is meant for a "cure for life". Not to prolong his life or give him "a few more years" We are thankful that even at this stage of the cancer, testicular cancer is very curable.
**Jon's administrators have been more than wonderful and supportive. It gives me chills to think about.
**Community Bible Study (CBS) in Indianapolis has already accepted me and the kids to come beginning in September. This is a very popular program and the Children's portion fills up quickly. The coordinator wrote me back quickly and said she talked to the leadership team and they are going to "make it happen."
**Advancements in stem cell transplants have improved so much thus allowing high dose chemo for Jon to be an option.
Prayer:
**Jon will be getting new drugs this week that his body hasn't seen. Please pray he will not have an adverse reaction to these drugs.
**That we will get housing and childcare quickly.
**For Jon and I as we tell the kids that their daddy will get more chemo and that we will be moving.
**Our children as they adjust to their new life in Indianapolis.
**For Jon to have strength and courage as he endures this process.
Jon and I have struggled with this news of high dose with stem cell transplant since we found out it was a possibility back in early June. We knew it was a real possibility, but was hoping for the surgery. We have to trust that God is in control and He knows what the best plan for Jon is. To be completely honest, this whole process is so scary. The first time we went through the chemo, we felt so hopeful, and less fearful. After chemo doesn't "work" the first time, it is much more easy to start letting fear creep in. We really feel like Satan has been trying to attack us. It is extremely difficult to not let your mind wander and go to places it shouldn't. It is so easy to read all the verses and know what the Bible says but to live it out is a struggle for us right now. We have moments of being conquerers and we have moments we completely fail. Please pray for us as we try to live out what God has called for us. Pray that our home will be full of love, and not of stress. Pray that we will be full of hope, and not of fear. Pray that we will have strength, and not be weak. Pray that we will rests in God's promises and not believe Satan's lies.
We are making memories as a family lately. Jon and I figured out that in the last month we have been to Dallas, Phoenix, NYC 2 times, Atlanta, Indianapolis, Gatlinburg, TN, and Orlando, FL was our latest. Here are some pictures of our happy trip. Jon's last HURRAH!!!
We have sought an opinion at Indiana University Cancer Center. We also have gone back to Sloan-Kettering in NYC to meet with an oncologist there. This is the conclusion of both appointments.
Both doctors at both institutions have concurred that Jon has to have high dose chemo with stem cell transplant at one of these hospitals under the care of one of these doctors. We were relieved to find out that both doctors were in agreement with the treatment plan. We have both wrestled and struggled this week with where Jon should be treated. It has been such a hard, hard decision. Honestly, for the first time in our cancer journey, we did not have a clear direction whatsoever. We did not have one red flag with either doctor and no pull toward one or the other. We felt like both doctors and institutions would do a great job. We felt that each doctor brought different strengths to the table. It was extremely frustrating for us. For those of you who know me, I always have a very strong opinion about most things. It is rare for me to say "I have no idea." But this was one of the times I HAD NO IDEA. But ultimately that was a good thing because I want Jon to feel good about which place to be treated and ultimately he had to make that decision alone. Both institutions and doctors are fabulous and we know that Jon will get top notch treatment at either.
So...Jon has chosen to be treated at Indiana University under Dr. Einhorn. He will start a standard dose chemo treatment in Atlanta this Monday (8-5-13). He will get treatments Monday through Friday. He will then have to go back the following 2 Tuesdays for an injection of bleomycin. He will begin high dose in Indianapolis on August 26th. They will begin by retrieving immature stem cells from Jon's body. They will freeze them and then administer the high dose chemo. They will then inject his body with the stem cells to "rescue" his immune system. There will be 2 rounds of high dose chemo. This is a very intense process. Jon needs lots of prayers. He will probably be hospitalized during a lot of the process. He will get to come "home" for a few days each round.
Our family will be moving to Indianapolis sometime the weekend of the 24th. We will be there until mid November if everything stays on schedule. My mission has been to do whatever I could that was humanly possible to give Jon a chance at being cured. I have pushed and pushed to get him the best doctors at the best institutions. I can truly do no more. I will go and take care of him and the kids with all my might. And I must leave the rest to the Almighty Healer.
I am a control freak. When we found out in December that Jon had cancer in his lungs, my goal was for our family to be together during his treatments. My other goal was to always make sure I was with Jon during each and every treatment. And we made sure that happened. We would drag our children to each round of chemo in Atlanta. I would sit with Jon during his 5 hour treatments and double and triple check every single drug they were putting into his body. We would then drag the kids back home during Jon's 2 weeks off. I was so thankful we were all together and I could take care of my husband AND my children. This time will be much different. I am still going to do whatever it takes to keep our family together. But my time will be extremely divided. I will be giving up much control of both my children and Jon's healthcare. Obviously a lesson God must want to teach me. The kids will not see Jon very much at all because he will be in the hospital. I will go back and forth between Jon and the kids. It is a little overwhelming to think about all that will have to come together for this to run smoothly but I'm confident God is going to provide.
Praise:
**God provided the best doctors in the world in this field for Jon to be seen by.
**That this treatment is meant for a "cure for life". Not to prolong his life or give him "a few more years" We are thankful that even at this stage of the cancer, testicular cancer is very curable.
**Jon's administrators have been more than wonderful and supportive. It gives me chills to think about.
**Community Bible Study (CBS) in Indianapolis has already accepted me and the kids to come beginning in September. This is a very popular program and the Children's portion fills up quickly. The coordinator wrote me back quickly and said she talked to the leadership team and they are going to "make it happen."
**Advancements in stem cell transplants have improved so much thus allowing high dose chemo for Jon to be an option.
Prayer:
**Jon will be getting new drugs this week that his body hasn't seen. Please pray he will not have an adverse reaction to these drugs.
**That we will get housing and childcare quickly.
**For Jon and I as we tell the kids that their daddy will get more chemo and that we will be moving.
**Our children as they adjust to their new life in Indianapolis.
**For Jon to have strength and courage as he endures this process.
Jon and I have struggled with this news of high dose with stem cell transplant since we found out it was a possibility back in early June. We knew it was a real possibility, but was hoping for the surgery. We have to trust that God is in control and He knows what the best plan for Jon is. To be completely honest, this whole process is so scary. The first time we went through the chemo, we felt so hopeful, and less fearful. After chemo doesn't "work" the first time, it is much more easy to start letting fear creep in. We really feel like Satan has been trying to attack us. It is extremely difficult to not let your mind wander and go to places it shouldn't. It is so easy to read all the verses and know what the Bible says but to live it out is a struggle for us right now. We have moments of being conquerers and we have moments we completely fail. Please pray for us as we try to live out what God has called for us. Pray that our home will be full of love, and not of stress. Pray that we will be full of hope, and not of fear. Pray that we will have strength, and not be weak. Pray that we will rests in God's promises and not believe Satan's lies.
We are making memories as a family lately. Jon and I figured out that in the last month we have been to Dallas, Phoenix, NYC 2 times, Atlanta, Indianapolis, Gatlinburg, TN, and Orlando, FL was our latest. Here are some pictures of our happy trip. Jon's last HURRAH!!!
Monday, July 22, 2013
A day in the life of the Strebe's
"For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen." (Ephesians 3:14-21 NIV)
5:30AM. Emma Kate cries in her bed. I rub her back and get her back to sleep.
6:15AM. I get up to prepare for my tutoring lesson.
6:30AM. Luke gets up and comes bounding in where I'm working. I send him immediately back to bed!
7:15AM. Jon leaves to go to Lab Corp to get blood drawn.
8:00AM. Jon comes back only to say it was already too crowded. Did not have time to wait because...
8:20AM. I leave for tutoring.
10:30AM. I start making my "medical" phone calls that are on my list. Top on list: call Indiana Cancer Center to make sure they received ALL of Jon's records. I find out they have not received pathology slides that were overnighted this past Friday.
10:32AM. Jon calls Emory to find out where the path slides are. He finds out they had JUST been delivered and signed off on.
10:45AM. I start calling Indiana back.
11:15AM. Secretary confirms that everything we need has arrived.
11:30AM. We head to our pool for the kids.
12:15PM. Secretary at Indiana calls and says she knows we are from far away but Dr. Lawrence Einhorn has an appointment in the morning at 9AM. I responded: WE WILL BE THERE.
12:16PM. Jon calls his mom and tells her we need them to babysit.
12:16PM. I start calling a friend that I've reconnected with at Piedmont infusion room (her best friend is battling cancer and uses our same Atlanta doctors. This friend texted me yesterday and said "I'm praying that y'all will get an appointment at Indiana this week. When you do call me and ill hook you up with buddy passes. I can get them in 15 minutes."
12:30PM. We cry together and she starts working on reserving tickets
1:15PM. Jon leaves the pool to go back and get his blood work done.
1:30-2:00. I take kids home and get them down for naps ASAP.
2:00PM. I start booking a car at Indianapolis airport. I print off all new patient paperwork. I print off flight confirmations.
2:45PM. Jon and I get packed and get ready to leave.
4:00PM. I go over with Jon's mom everything she needs to feed kids, and all she needs to know to take care of them!
4:30PM. Jon and I leave for the airport.
6:30PM. We get on our flight. And that's as far as we have gotten!:)
Are you exhausted? Because I am just re-counting our day. God is good and he continues to show his faithfulness in abundance to us!! I usually freak out about lots of things but today I honestly had a peace either way about the Indiana appointment. We are in great hands at Sloan. I just wanted to be able to lay all our options on the table and let God lead us. But today I honestly felt like if it was God's will that we would get in. And if not God was shutting the door. Jon was more hesitant about this appointment because he doesn't want it to "confuse" us. Please pray we will not feel confused when we leave. But yet we will have clarity with where Jon should be treated.
I usually see the glass half full and Jon sees it half empty. Today when I found out we could get in with Dr. Einhorn (he pioneered the treatment for testicular cancer in 1974 that put the cure rate from 10% to 95%. He also led the medical team that treated Lance Armstrong.). I just felt like God had totally paved the way and opened up an appointment for us to get right in--a miracle!! Jon's response was "oh great! If Dr. Einhorn wants to see me, my case must be bad!!" O brother!! We think 2 totally different ways!!
We are humbled that you would join with us in prayer for a miracle. God can use these doctors in Jon's life but God will receive all the glory!! Pray for us in the morning as we have our meeting.
Most people know Lance Armstrong's cancer story and his LIVESTRONG foundation. The day after Jon found out cancer was in his lungs--December 2012) he told me he wanted bracelets that said GOD STRONG. Well in our whirlwind lives we never made them. I now have a friend working on making those to pass out to everyone. They will be Duke blue because that is Jon's favorite team.
We are GOD STRONG!!!!!
Friday, July 19, 2013
Surprise trip for Jon!
I decided last week a surprise fun trip for Jon would be nice. So after his appointment in Atlanta on Monday, we headed to Gatlinburg, TN. We spent a day and a half at Dollywood, and then some time at a little mini water park attached to our condo. The kids had a great time and they always love that park. Jon was pleasantly surprised. Hopefully it was somewhat of a break for him. Karen and the girls joined us on Wednesday at the park. It allowed Jon to go ride some of the big roller coasters with them while my sister and I took my kids to ride little rides.
We did get news of Jon's latest blood work while driving into the park. Unfortunately his tumor markers are rising. We are pretty certain at this point that he will have more chemo. We will meet with the doctor in about a week to discuss the details. I have also initiated an appointment with Dr. Einhorn at Indiana university. He is the doctor that is famously known for inventing the cure for testicular cancer and for curing Lance Armstrong--although we all know who really healed him! Please be in prayer about this. We already have all of our medical records in and are waiting on the path slides to get there. If it's God's will we will get an appointment quickly. If not, we completely have a peace about being at Sloan. I want to be able to lay all of our options on the table from the 2 best testicular cancer doctors in the world. But at the same time will not allow it to delay the process. Thanks for praying!
We remain very hopeful and positive. But at the same time we are human and we have all the emotions that anyone would have. There are moments we are angry, confused, frustrated, overwhelmed, scared and sick to our stomachs! But God also gives us moments of hope, encouragement, energy and the fight to get through what we are faced with. We know that we will face many emotions that are all very normal. But at the end of the day thank goodness we can have faith in Christ Jesus! Here is a little quote a friend sent me from a Beth Moore Bible study:
Holding on to the truths that God is who he says He is, He will do what he says He will do, I am who God says I am, and Gods word is alive and active! Praying in faith that God is the Great Physician! He is able to heal and restore our physical bodies! He is the Great I AM!
Here is another fun story of what God did at Dollywood. I was sitting on a train all for Ryan! It was hot! There was black soot everywhere. There were tons of people packed into the train. Lets just say it was not an ideal situation. But you do anything for your kids, right? So there was a man behind me that said "please get this train going." So I turned around and told him this was exactly why my husband wasn't on the train and chose to ride roller coasters. He leaned up to me and whispered "I'm only doing this for my family. It's my last hurrah. I have colon cancer and now a large tumor in my lungs. But I can't let my family hear me talking bout it." So I quietly and quickly told him about Jon. He didn't say much because his family could hear us. At the end of the train ride he said "what is your husbands name? I want to pray for him." So we exchanged names, said we would pray and went on our way. About an hour later my sister and I and the kids ran into him again. He came over to talk to us without his family around. He teared up and said "I know where I'm going, but I just don't want to leave my family behind." He has a wife, kids and grand kids (he is 66 yrs old). He was clearly a Christian man. It was the coolest conversation. So my sister and I left and soon after ran into Jon. I took him down to meet Mr. Jimmy from Piedmont, NC. He was sooo happy I brought him over and said he was thinking when we left how he wished he could meet Jon. He shared some verses with Jon. They talked for a few minutes. They both told each other they would be praying for one another. It was the coolest thing. It has been neat to see the different people God has put in our lives along this journey. So if you think of it today, please pray for our friend Jimmy. His days are limited.
We did get news of Jon's latest blood work while driving into the park. Unfortunately his tumor markers are rising. We are pretty certain at this point that he will have more chemo. We will meet with the doctor in about a week to discuss the details. I have also initiated an appointment with Dr. Einhorn at Indiana university. He is the doctor that is famously known for inventing the cure for testicular cancer and for curing Lance Armstrong--although we all know who really healed him! Please be in prayer about this. We already have all of our medical records in and are waiting on the path slides to get there. If it's God's will we will get an appointment quickly. If not, we completely have a peace about being at Sloan. I want to be able to lay all of our options on the table from the 2 best testicular cancer doctors in the world. But at the same time will not allow it to delay the process. Thanks for praying!
We remain very hopeful and positive. But at the same time we are human and we have all the emotions that anyone would have. There are moments we are angry, confused, frustrated, overwhelmed, scared and sick to our stomachs! But God also gives us moments of hope, encouragement, energy and the fight to get through what we are faced with. We know that we will face many emotions that are all very normal. But at the end of the day thank goodness we can have faith in Christ Jesus! Here is a little quote a friend sent me from a Beth Moore Bible study:
Holding on to the truths that God is who he says He is, He will do what he says He will do, I am who God says I am, and Gods word is alive and active! Praying in faith that God is the Great Physician! He is able to heal and restore our physical bodies! He is the Great I AM!
Here is another fun story of what God did at Dollywood. I was sitting on a train all for Ryan! It was hot! There was black soot everywhere. There were tons of people packed into the train. Lets just say it was not an ideal situation. But you do anything for your kids, right? So there was a man behind me that said "please get this train going." So I turned around and told him this was exactly why my husband wasn't on the train and chose to ride roller coasters. He leaned up to me and whispered "I'm only doing this for my family. It's my last hurrah. I have colon cancer and now a large tumor in my lungs. But I can't let my family hear me talking bout it." So I quietly and quickly told him about Jon. He didn't say much because his family could hear us. At the end of the train ride he said "what is your husbands name? I want to pray for him." So we exchanged names, said we would pray and went on our way. About an hour later my sister and I and the kids ran into him again. He came over to talk to us without his family around. He teared up and said "I know where I'm going, but I just don't want to leave my family behind." He has a wife, kids and grand kids (he is 66 yrs old). He was clearly a Christian man. It was the coolest conversation. So my sister and I left and soon after ran into Jon. I took him down to meet Mr. Jimmy from Piedmont, NC. He was sooo happy I brought him over and said he was thinking when we left how he wished he could meet Jon. He shared some verses with Jon. They talked for a few minutes. They both told each other they would be praying for one another. It was the coolest thing. It has been neat to see the different people God has put in our lives along this journey. So if you think of it today, please pray for our friend Jimmy. His days are limited.
There was a water park at the condo we stayed at. This is Luke going down the slide. They played for hours and had a blast.
Here are the FAB FOUR about to head down the slide.
At Dollywood Park catching a much needed water break!
Luke on two of the kiddy rides.
Sunday, July 14, 2013
Super Sweet Story
We lay hands on Jon every night and pray for God to heal his "boo-boo's." Ryan is my more quiet one, not as quick to express his emotion. He is also my one that has the SWEETEST heart, always wanting to serve us. Almost every night after I pray, Luke and Emma Kate pray out loud. We ask Ryan if he wants to pray and his says NO! So we tell him that's ok, you can pray in your heart when you lay in bed. So last week he said "I pway in my hot (heart)." This week when we sat on the couch to pray, he came running over, put his hand on Jon's stomach and starting praying out loud!! I have no idea what he said--he still doesn't talk real well--but it was so sincere. Then he ended it with a big AMEN!
Jon took all the kids to Chick-fil-A on Friday dressed like cows! Too cute. I cannot believe the babies turn 3 this Saturday. They truly are not babies anymore although I will always call them that! Do you like the "Princess cow?"
Jon took all the kids to Chick-fil-A on Friday dressed like cows! Too cute. I cannot believe the babies turn 3 this Saturday. They truly are not babies anymore although I will always call them that! Do you like the "Princess cow?"
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