Jon continues to go downhill. I don't even know if he or I could tell you exactly how he feels but I would say in general just miserable. He is not in pain. PTL. These doctors/nurses have done this so many times and are right on with what days you feel the worse. Today was definitely the worst so far. His platelets were low today (6,000 for you medical people) so they gave him a transfusion. He is hardly able to eat. He is super nauseated although he has not thrown up which is a blessing. At times, he can hardly answer yes/no questions I ask him. But there are short times I see LIFE in him and it's encouraging. He will smile when I show him a video/picture of the kids, or when the kids come to see him, or when I make a funny joke. These times are very uplifting to me! His blood counts will stay super low until about Wednesday when they should start coming back up. Please pray for him! I just can't imagine what he is going through and it is excruciating to watch. Continue to pray he will not get an infection.
My mom got home safely and Jon's parents arrived safely!! Thanks goodness for family!!
Thanks for joining us in this journey!
We are GODSTRONG!
Friday, September 13, 2013
Thursday, September 12, 2013
A small snippet of our lives
First of all I will start off with a story that happened 2 nights ago. Jon is on LOTS of medicines that sometimes require late night runs to Walgreens. We have found a Walgreens a mile away that is open 24 hours and even has a mini grocery store. So, the other night Jon wanted biscuits for breakfast--he is like a pregnant woman in their 1st trimester). I was out of baking soda. So at 11PM Emily (my babysitter) and I headed to the local Walgreens. After all, we had been there 2 nights prior to pick up medication and felt totally safe. There was security at the door, and seemed like an ok area. As soon as we walked in there was a creepy guy I noticed looking, like really looking at Emily. So of course I kept my eye on him closely (he didn't give me the time of day...LOL). I noticed a police officer on duty in the store. As I approached the counter, I told the girl checking us out that I felt uncomfortable with a guy that had been in there. She said it was no problem for the officer to escort us out. So, actually the manager and the policeman escorted us to our car. As we drove away, I noticed a brand new black escalade in the parking lot and as we passed by it it was the creepy guy starring at us. So I drove out of the Walgreens, around the corner and back in. The officer was walking back in Walgreens and I called for him. He came over and I explained that I was sure I was freaking out over nothing but that this guy was making us feel very uncomfortable. The officer said we cannot be too careful in that area. He stood at our car, looked over at the Escalade and the guy drove away. Thank goodness because I was so afraid he would follow us back to our apartments! Definitely a good wake up call that we are in the city and we are very thankful Jon's dad will be here for 2 weeks to do the late night errands for Jon:o)
Today was not the best day for me. I went with Jon to the hospital. He always has 4 hours of fluids, that is standard. Then they take his blood and based on the results he could get other things that make his stay for the day longer. Today was standard but I wanted to stay and at least to talk to the NP. I have been leaving Jon for a little while each day. He enjoys the time alone and I enjoy seeing the kids. Well, in particular today I was really missing the kids and wanting to be with them. So i decided to meet them at their Gymboree Sports class. I left Jon and went down to get the car from valet. It was taking SOOO long. I finally asked and they had forgotten to get my car!! When I finally left, Siri took me the wrong way. (By the way, I'm over Siri. I've stayed mad at her the whole time--she has done a terrible job so far!). I got back on track and then hit a terrible wreck, traffic was barely creeping. I finally got to the class in time for snack and a story:o(. I then sent Emily to get Jon and I was able to hang out with the kids. We ran some errands, and then we went to the zoo to play in the splash pad. That was the best part of the day! But another funny story.
The kids already know everything about the zoo. They went straight to the splash pad. 5 minutes after the got all wet, Emma Kate announces she has to potty #1. So I take her to the bathroom (it isn't exactly super close to the splash pad). We get back and I take Luke because they are about to close the bathroom and the kids had not gone for hours. I get in the bathroom with Luke and I get a phone call from my mom. Emma Kate has to go #2--poop! I hurry Luke along, go back and get Emma Kate and as I'm walking off Ryan runs up and says I POOPED!! Really? It was a crazy 20 minutes but we made it through and I was just thankful to be spending time with my kids.
If I had it my way, I would clone myself. My heart is to be with my children. But my heart is also to take care of my husband and get him through this rough time. I feel SO much guilt everyday. I want to do it all! And I can't! I cannot possibly be 2 places at once, so I have to choose. And then I end up running back and forth between the two. I feel guilty on days like today when I had to send Emily to get Jon. I feel guilty when I have to tell the kids "I gotta go", as they are whining at the door. I know that Jon has a very hard job to do what he is doing, so then I feel guilty for complaining about my life. Guilt, Guilt, Guilt! You can pray for me that I will find a balance and be able to divide my time. It's times like today that I feel like I'm doing a million things, but nothing well!
The above was written yesterday (Wednesday). I never had time to send. So the rest of this post is written on Thursday!
Today was better! I felt refreshed after I left Jon yesterday and spent the rest of the day with the kids. SSHHH! Don't tell Jon I felt "refreshed" after leaving him. LOL. Just kidding.
My kids are adjusting well but my little boy blue (Ryan) is starting to struggle with being away from me. He is a MOMMA's boy!! Luke has done very well and been super sweet. Emma Kate has done well with me being away and has such a sweet heart but her and Ryan can get into trouble together faster than you can blink an eye. Emily is doing AWESOME! I do not know what I would do without her! The kids LOVE her, she is so caring, kind and gentle with them. But yet she is firm and has expectations for them. My mom has been helping her the past 2 weeks but is going home tomorrow:o( boohoo...But Jon's parents are coming for 2 weeks!:o) YEA!! It's just one big party for the kids...they get lots of love and attention these days! My mom looks like she has lost 10 lbs and is exhausted! In fact, if you know my mom, you may not even notice her because she is so skinny! HAHA. Let's just say she has worked her butt off cooking, cleaning and taking care of kids and keeping up with all their activities! Now it's the Strebes' turn, I told them to rest up before they came, let's hope they did:o)
Jon is going downhill. His white counts are getting lower and all this chemo has taken a toll on his body. But honestly, outside of his white counts being low (which is normal for his circumstance) his blood work looks great. All his numbers have stayed good so far. The only thing they have added to his regimen is potassium and magnesium. But please keep praying. His worst days will be tomorrow through next Wednesday. His counts will continue to drop.
Prayer request: PLEASE pray that Jon will not catch an infection.
I am SO paranoid so I am sanitizing all the time, washing hands, and mostly keeping the kids away. It just isn't worth the risk.
Please forgive me if I have not responded to you either FB or email. I'm so far behind but I promise I will catch up. I will tell you I am better at responding to email. I'm just terrible with FB. I will remember someone sent me a message but then I have NO idea where to find it!
My email is: donnastrebe@aol.com
Also, the cards, letters and packages are AWESOME! Jon probably gets 4-5 cards a day. It is awesome and it really lifts his spirits!! Thank you! Keep them coming. I will give you a break in 2 weeks:o)
Here are some cute pics
Today was not the best day for me. I went with Jon to the hospital. He always has 4 hours of fluids, that is standard. Then they take his blood and based on the results he could get other things that make his stay for the day longer. Today was standard but I wanted to stay and at least to talk to the NP. I have been leaving Jon for a little while each day. He enjoys the time alone and I enjoy seeing the kids. Well, in particular today I was really missing the kids and wanting to be with them. So i decided to meet them at their Gymboree Sports class. I left Jon and went down to get the car from valet. It was taking SOOO long. I finally asked and they had forgotten to get my car!! When I finally left, Siri took me the wrong way. (By the way, I'm over Siri. I've stayed mad at her the whole time--she has done a terrible job so far!). I got back on track and then hit a terrible wreck, traffic was barely creeping. I finally got to the class in time for snack and a story:o(. I then sent Emily to get Jon and I was able to hang out with the kids. We ran some errands, and then we went to the zoo to play in the splash pad. That was the best part of the day! But another funny story.
The kids already know everything about the zoo. They went straight to the splash pad. 5 minutes after the got all wet, Emma Kate announces she has to potty #1. So I take her to the bathroom (it isn't exactly super close to the splash pad). We get back and I take Luke because they are about to close the bathroom and the kids had not gone for hours. I get in the bathroom with Luke and I get a phone call from my mom. Emma Kate has to go #2--poop! I hurry Luke along, go back and get Emma Kate and as I'm walking off Ryan runs up and says I POOPED!! Really? It was a crazy 20 minutes but we made it through and I was just thankful to be spending time with my kids.
If I had it my way, I would clone myself. My heart is to be with my children. But my heart is also to take care of my husband and get him through this rough time. I feel SO much guilt everyday. I want to do it all! And I can't! I cannot possibly be 2 places at once, so I have to choose. And then I end up running back and forth between the two. I feel guilty on days like today when I had to send Emily to get Jon. I feel guilty when I have to tell the kids "I gotta go", as they are whining at the door. I know that Jon has a very hard job to do what he is doing, so then I feel guilty for complaining about my life. Guilt, Guilt, Guilt! You can pray for me that I will find a balance and be able to divide my time. It's times like today that I feel like I'm doing a million things, but nothing well!
The above was written yesterday (Wednesday). I never had time to send. So the rest of this post is written on Thursday!
Today was better! I felt refreshed after I left Jon yesterday and spent the rest of the day with the kids. SSHHH! Don't tell Jon I felt "refreshed" after leaving him. LOL. Just kidding.
My kids are adjusting well but my little boy blue (Ryan) is starting to struggle with being away from me. He is a MOMMA's boy!! Luke has done very well and been super sweet. Emma Kate has done well with me being away and has such a sweet heart but her and Ryan can get into trouble together faster than you can blink an eye. Emily is doing AWESOME! I do not know what I would do without her! The kids LOVE her, she is so caring, kind and gentle with them. But yet she is firm and has expectations for them. My mom has been helping her the past 2 weeks but is going home tomorrow:o( boohoo...But Jon's parents are coming for 2 weeks!:o) YEA!! It's just one big party for the kids...they get lots of love and attention these days! My mom looks like she has lost 10 lbs and is exhausted! In fact, if you know my mom, you may not even notice her because she is so skinny! HAHA. Let's just say she has worked her butt off cooking, cleaning and taking care of kids and keeping up with all their activities! Now it's the Strebes' turn, I told them to rest up before they came, let's hope they did:o)
Jon is going downhill. His white counts are getting lower and all this chemo has taken a toll on his body. But honestly, outside of his white counts being low (which is normal for his circumstance) his blood work looks great. All his numbers have stayed good so far. The only thing they have added to his regimen is potassium and magnesium. But please keep praying. His worst days will be tomorrow through next Wednesday. His counts will continue to drop.
Prayer request: PLEASE pray that Jon will not catch an infection.
I am SO paranoid so I am sanitizing all the time, washing hands, and mostly keeping the kids away. It just isn't worth the risk.
Please forgive me if I have not responded to you either FB or email. I'm so far behind but I promise I will catch up. I will tell you I am better at responding to email. I'm just terrible with FB. I will remember someone sent me a message but then I have NO idea where to find it!
My email is: donnastrebe@aol.com
Also, the cards, letters and packages are AWESOME! Jon probably gets 4-5 cards a day. It is awesome and it really lifts his spirits!! Thank you! Keep them coming. I will give you a break in 2 weeks:o)
Here are some cute pics
So thankful for highchairs. We had a friend of a friend deliver these to us. We are much happier caregivers when my little boy blue is in a highchair!!
We have had to get real creative here. We have a bag of outdoor toys that we take to the field in front of the Law School that is directly across the street from our apartment. We are not sure how the law students feel about us being there, but the kids are thankful they are sharing their space!
Emily and my mom took the kids to practice their instruments before music class. I'm sure glad they were outdoors and not in the apartment!
BTW, yes, the neighbors are still complaining. Pray their hearts will change!
Splash pad at the zoo. And yes, it is HOT up here! Like, really hot! I did not know the north was so hot and had such nice people!:o)
This is the Butler Bear. I have NO idea what his name is but this was outside the NCAA building. They were having an event and he came out and was SOOO sweet to the kids!
We are GODSTRONG!
Thanks again for joining us on this journey and for your prayers and support!!
Tuesday, September 10, 2013
Thanks for praying!
Jon did awesome during his transplant! The actual transplant took 8 minutes. They thawed his stems cells out in these small bags and put them back into him through a syringe. The nurse actually said it was the fastest transplant she had done in a while because Jon collected so well. He had less bags, so that means less preservatives and that means less time it takes to push it through the syringe. He had minimal side effects so God answers your prayers!! The only thing he felt was a little flush. He said the slightest bit he felt chest tightening but that was for a short time. He did not get nauseated at all! Praise God from whom all blessings flow! Jon is a champ!
For those of you who are medically minded here are some pictures. It is a fascinating process. I prayed with Jon before we got started and I prayed that Jesus would "rescue" his body. Because we know that He is the one that made Jon's stem cells and He is the one that will use those specific stem cells that He made JUST for Jon to "rescue" him. It is a cool thought! I'm also super thankful for the minds that God gave these doctors to come up with this process!
PRAISE GOD. Only through his strength can Jon get through this!
We are GODSTRONG!!
For those of you who are medically minded here are some pictures. It is a fascinating process. I prayed with Jon before we got started and I prayed that Jesus would "rescue" his body. Because we know that He is the one that made Jon's stem cells and He is the one that will use those specific stem cells that He made JUST for Jon to "rescue" him. It is a cool thought! I'm also super thankful for the minds that God gave these doctors to come up with this process!
This is the chamber where they keep the stem cells frozen. It looks like in a movie when they open it up and the steam comes out.
This is the frozen stem cell bag she pulled out. The nurse puts it is saline for about 30 seconds to thaw it.
This is the process of the stem cells being pushed through the syringe.
PRAISE GOD. Only through his strength can Jon get through this!
We are GODSTRONG!!
Monday, September 9, 2013
The Kid's Happenings
The kids are having a ball here! They think it is one long vacation. We bought a membership to the zoo and we can walk there. So, this weekend they walked to the zoo Saturday and Sunday and I was able to leave Jon at the hospital getting his fluids and walk and meet them. It was great! There is a playground there and a splash pad so they played and played in the water. The IU Law School is right across from our apartments so this morning they are playing with balls and outdoor stuff over there in this big field and going to feed some ducks in the canal. Saturday night we got invited to an event at the Children's Museum here. It is the biggest and best one I have ever been to. It was amazing. A family invited us and hosted us that was told our story through a common friend. What a blessing and the kids had a complete blast! They love that they have an apartment and Daddy has an apartment. They love to go downstairs and visit him. They have NO idea where I live!! I put them to bed at night and appear in the mornings:o) We were able to get connected with a church here through a high school classmate of mine. They meet on Sunday night which is perfect because I can go with Jon to treatment in the morning and head to church at night. The kids were all in the same class which was great and they love being together. And there are TONS of college students there which Emily, our babysitter can connect with. My mom was by far the oldest person there...LOL. I actually think I was definitely one of the oder ones there also. But it was perfect! We just see God's provision in EVERYTHING! Down to the fact there is an ER doctor at IU Hospital that lives directly across the hall from Jon at the apartment!
Jon tells the kids EVERY morning that he is fighting for them. Well, the first morning he told them that they all said separately "but daddy, it isn't nice to fight." So now he changed it to, "I'm fighting this cancer for you!" And so now all of them respond: "Fight that cancer. Spank it and pinch it." We also pray as a family for Jon every night. The kids are just precious with their prayers. I wish I could record them! We end our prayer time by all piling our hands on top of each other and saying The Strebe's stick together like glue. And we throw our hands up in the air and say, The Strebe's are GODSTRONG! They kids LOVE our nightly prayer time together. It's very adorable and we would never have started this if it weren't for us going through this trial that has brought our family so close!
Please pray for Jon. His body is definitely going downhill. Extreme fatigue is setting in. His nausea is getting worse each day. He was unable to walk to the hospital today. His counts are dropping each day. These are all things we knew would happen but just pray Jon will stay strong mentally! It's tough on him I have no doubt! He still comes up to see the kids in the morning and still puts them to bed at night. It is precious! But I know he wishes he could do more. He will soon enough.
The most urgent prayer request is for his transplant tomorrow. It will happen sometime between 9:30 and11. This is the day they will rescue him. It takes 15-30 minutes. They push his stem cells through a syringe. The nurses will stand by his bed and watch him closely. The reactions that are common are tightening of the chest from the preservatives, nausea and vomitting and sweating. Pray that the reactions will be minimal and Jon will be able to withstand this process. I know he will!
On a side note, you all have been cracking me up with how into the neighbor story you are getting!! I have no idea if the neighbors are still complaining but quite frankly I'm over it. The more I am in the apartment complex the more I'm realizing we are just living our lives, not doing anything wrong or out of the ordinary. There are many times we hear pounding and doors shaking from people walking above us. Many mornings my kids tell me a loud boom wakes them up. It is just apartment living. I walked past my "neighbors" door the other day by accident (b/c I'm geographically challenged) and right across the hall from them the tenants had their music blaring! Again, I'm over it. I have bigger fish to fry. We are going above and beyond to get the kids out of the apartment morning and early evening and get them to bed punctually. They are learning about living in an apartment and doing so much better about whispering in the halls and tiptoeing. They are SO adorable! The girl we are renting from has been awesome! And she goes way above and beyond to make our stay enjoyable. She has been great with our neighbor situation.
Thanks for joining us in this journey!
The Strebe's are GODSTRONG!
Below is a library Emily and my mom found for the kids. They said it was fantastic!
Jon tells the kids EVERY morning that he is fighting for them. Well, the first morning he told them that they all said separately "but daddy, it isn't nice to fight." So now he changed it to, "I'm fighting this cancer for you!" And so now all of them respond: "Fight that cancer. Spank it and pinch it." We also pray as a family for Jon every night. The kids are just precious with their prayers. I wish I could record them! We end our prayer time by all piling our hands on top of each other and saying The Strebe's stick together like glue. And we throw our hands up in the air and say, The Strebe's are GODSTRONG! They kids LOVE our nightly prayer time together. It's very adorable and we would never have started this if it weren't for us going through this trial that has brought our family so close!
Please pray for Jon. His body is definitely going downhill. Extreme fatigue is setting in. His nausea is getting worse each day. He was unable to walk to the hospital today. His counts are dropping each day. These are all things we knew would happen but just pray Jon will stay strong mentally! It's tough on him I have no doubt! He still comes up to see the kids in the morning and still puts them to bed at night. It is precious! But I know he wishes he could do more. He will soon enough.
The most urgent prayer request is for his transplant tomorrow. It will happen sometime between 9:30 and11. This is the day they will rescue him. It takes 15-30 minutes. They push his stem cells through a syringe. The nurses will stand by his bed and watch him closely. The reactions that are common are tightening of the chest from the preservatives, nausea and vomitting and sweating. Pray that the reactions will be minimal and Jon will be able to withstand this process. I know he will!
On a side note, you all have been cracking me up with how into the neighbor story you are getting!! I have no idea if the neighbors are still complaining but quite frankly I'm over it. The more I am in the apartment complex the more I'm realizing we are just living our lives, not doing anything wrong or out of the ordinary. There are many times we hear pounding and doors shaking from people walking above us. Many mornings my kids tell me a loud boom wakes them up. It is just apartment living. I walked past my "neighbors" door the other day by accident (b/c I'm geographically challenged) and right across the hall from them the tenants had their music blaring! Again, I'm over it. I have bigger fish to fry. We are going above and beyond to get the kids out of the apartment morning and early evening and get them to bed punctually. They are learning about living in an apartment and doing so much better about whispering in the halls and tiptoeing. They are SO adorable! The girl we are renting from has been awesome! And she goes way above and beyond to make our stay enjoyable. She has been great with our neighbor situation.
Thanks for joining us in this journey!
The Strebe's are GODSTRONG!
This was Jon on his first day of chemo. Doesn't he look great??!!
Saturday, September 7, 2013
God's Promises!
Good morning everyone,
This is Jon writing to you this beautiful Saturday morning! I just wanted to share some thoughts and bible verses from the new bible study that I began today. The thoughts, ideas, and verses that I am going to share are certainly relevant for the stage of life that I am going through. However I am confident that we all can benefit from God's word, because we all have our own challenges that we must deal with each and every day.
The book I am studying is entitled "Always True---God's promises when life is hard" by James Macdonald. Now you must also know that Mr. Macdonald is a fellow cancer survivor which drew me to his work. My study today focused on the fact that God is a promiser. "A promise from God is an assurance He gives His people that enables them to walk by faith wile they wait for Him to work. Today we believe; tomorrow we receive. When God promises something you can believe and act on it." What a blessed assurance that is! To know that what God promises, He follows through on. It might not be our timing but it is His timing. The hardest part about all of this is waiting according to Macdonald is the gap between believing His promise, and receiving the fulfillment of that promise. Life would be much easier if the fulfillment of His promises came much quicker :)! However Macdonald states, that while we wait, we learn to trust God, and He builds our faith. Otherwise, we would never truly rely on God. We would simply keep relying on others, circumstances, and ourselves. Never a good idea!
As the chemo drips into my body, I am praying that likewise, God's word would drip into my heart. I pray they will do the same for you:
Deuteronomy 31:6 - "Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you."
Isaiah 40:31 - "They who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mont up with wins like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint."
Jeremiah 29:11 - (My life verse) For I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord, plans to prosper you, not harm you; plans for a hope and a future."
John 14:14 - "If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it."
John 14:27 - "Peace i leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid."
Philippians 4:19 - "My God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus."
This is Jon writing to you this beautiful Saturday morning! I just wanted to share some thoughts and bible verses from the new bible study that I began today. The thoughts, ideas, and verses that I am going to share are certainly relevant for the stage of life that I am going through. However I am confident that we all can benefit from God's word, because we all have our own challenges that we must deal with each and every day.
The book I am studying is entitled "Always True---God's promises when life is hard" by James Macdonald. Now you must also know that Mr. Macdonald is a fellow cancer survivor which drew me to his work. My study today focused on the fact that God is a promiser. "A promise from God is an assurance He gives His people that enables them to walk by faith wile they wait for Him to work. Today we believe; tomorrow we receive. When God promises something you can believe and act on it." What a blessed assurance that is! To know that what God promises, He follows through on. It might not be our timing but it is His timing. The hardest part about all of this is waiting according to Macdonald is the gap between believing His promise, and receiving the fulfillment of that promise. Life would be much easier if the fulfillment of His promises came much quicker :)! However Macdonald states, that while we wait, we learn to trust God, and He builds our faith. Otherwise, we would never truly rely on God. We would simply keep relying on others, circumstances, and ourselves. Never a good idea!
As the chemo drips into my body, I am praying that likewise, God's word would drip into my heart. I pray they will do the same for you:
Deuteronomy 31:6 - "Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you."
Isaiah 40:31 - "They who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mont up with wins like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint."
Jeremiah 29:11 - (My life verse) For I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord, plans to prosper you, not harm you; plans for a hope and a future."
John 14:14 - "If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it."
John 14:27 - "Peace i leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid."
Philippians 4:19 - "My God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus."
Thursday, September 5, 2013
Wow! 1,000 t-shirt goal reached!!
This is Jon writing. All I can say is praise the Lord! I am truly humbled by everyone's sincere generosity toward my family and I. You will never know how much we appreciate your love and support! I am at a loss for words right now, so for those that know me, that truly is a miracle. We could never repay everyone, but you can be rest assured of a couple of things. First and foremost, God is rejoicing with us in this victory. His will is being done and His word will reach so many untold numbers by the simple act of wearing a t-shirt and telling a story. This is truly a victory for God's family! All I can say is we are all GODSTRONG!
Ephesians 3:20
"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"
Ephesians 3:20
"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"
Starting High Dose Chemo
We ate out one last time last night at Hard Rock Cafe and walked around the city. We had a great time celebrating the night before Jon's chemo.
Let me quickly update you on the neighbor situation. We had a "meeting" with the 2 lady's below us last night (a daughter and her elderly mother). The conversation did not go well. Jon started it off and was very nice, told them our situation and told them we are trying our best to keep our kids either gone or quiet. The daughter in particular was not very receptive. So I of course was getting more and more mad. Then I started crying and asking them if they had a clue what it was like to "fight for your life." I explained that our kids do not have much of a mom or dad present in their lives right now and we are all doing the best we can. Honestly, they didn't seem to care much about any of that except the "thumps" and screaming they hear. So I was too upset and pretty much just left. Jon of course was awesome through the whole thing as usual. But it was funny when he told them we do not expect our kids to be perfect because no one is perfect except Jesus Christ. They didn't seem to want to hear about that either. Do pray I can calm down and make them cookies and be a witness.
Jon is currently sitting in a private room receiving his fluids. The nurse has come in this morning and drawn labs. We are waiting for results and then the chemo will be ordered. (We just got results--PTL all his tumor markers are NORMAL!! So pray this high dose will knock this cancer down for good) We will be here until about 4 or 5 today. He will receive the one drug, Etoposide over a 2 hour period. The carboplatum will be given over 30 minutes. He will also receive pre-meds. And then 4 hours of fluids.
These are the things we are praying for:
1. That God will guide each nurse, doctor, pharmacist, etc that is in charge of handling his care.
2. That God will get glory through this. Jon is taking EVERY opportunity to share with people he comes in contact with about His Savior. Jon was already amazing before this but I've seen God work in his life and CHANGE him. It has been awesome to watch and he will surely never be the same. Good lesson for all of us whether or not we are faced with a potentially fatal disease. Share Christ with others!!
3. Jon will feel minimal side effects and the ones he has can be controlled with meds.
One thing that I'm learning is what it means to help others and reach out! I will never pass up another opportunity again. All of you have been amazing. Jon is SOO encouraged by the outpouring of love, support, and prayers you all have sent his way. This is a HUGE encouragement to him. He is amazed at the response with his shirts. What a blessing that over 800 people will be standing with him through this (and we know there is more than that that are not ordering shirts). I know I keep the money being raised on the DL but we are also grateful for that. I don't think it is any secret that this is a huge financial cost and Jon is the breadwinner of the family--and obviously not currently working. This obviously helps to keep him stress free which is our goal:o)
I will leave you with one thing:
This is what Jon received in the mail the other day! He was very happy! He also received a personal email from Chuck Pagano. It was so encouraging and uplifting. Coach Pagano (Head Football Coach for the Indianapolis Colts) talked about his faith through his cancer ordeal (he was treated at IU about a year ago). In it he states that a close friend of his told him to ask God to heal him each morning and night. Then the friend told him to start thanking God for healing him long before he was ever in remission. So let's start THANKING God for Jon's healing!!!!
Let me quickly update you on the neighbor situation. We had a "meeting" with the 2 lady's below us last night (a daughter and her elderly mother). The conversation did not go well. Jon started it off and was very nice, told them our situation and told them we are trying our best to keep our kids either gone or quiet. The daughter in particular was not very receptive. So I of course was getting more and more mad. Then I started crying and asking them if they had a clue what it was like to "fight for your life." I explained that our kids do not have much of a mom or dad present in their lives right now and we are all doing the best we can. Honestly, they didn't seem to care much about any of that except the "thumps" and screaming they hear. So I was too upset and pretty much just left. Jon of course was awesome through the whole thing as usual. But it was funny when he told them we do not expect our kids to be perfect because no one is perfect except Jesus Christ. They didn't seem to want to hear about that either. Do pray I can calm down and make them cookies and be a witness.
Jon is currently sitting in a private room receiving his fluids. The nurse has come in this morning and drawn labs. We are waiting for results and then the chemo will be ordered. (We just got results--PTL all his tumor markers are NORMAL!! So pray this high dose will knock this cancer down for good) We will be here until about 4 or 5 today. He will receive the one drug, Etoposide over a 2 hour period. The carboplatum will be given over 30 minutes. He will also receive pre-meds. And then 4 hours of fluids.
These are the things we are praying for:
1. That God will guide each nurse, doctor, pharmacist, etc that is in charge of handling his care.
2. That God will get glory through this. Jon is taking EVERY opportunity to share with people he comes in contact with about His Savior. Jon was already amazing before this but I've seen God work in his life and CHANGE him. It has been awesome to watch and he will surely never be the same. Good lesson for all of us whether or not we are faced with a potentially fatal disease. Share Christ with others!!
3. Jon will feel minimal side effects and the ones he has can be controlled with meds.
One thing that I'm learning is what it means to help others and reach out! I will never pass up another opportunity again. All of you have been amazing. Jon is SOO encouraged by the outpouring of love, support, and prayers you all have sent his way. This is a HUGE encouragement to him. He is amazed at the response with his shirts. What a blessing that over 800 people will be standing with him through this (and we know there is more than that that are not ordering shirts). I know I keep the money being raised on the DL but we are also grateful for that. I don't think it is any secret that this is a huge financial cost and Jon is the breadwinner of the family--and obviously not currently working. This obviously helps to keep him stress free which is our goal:o)
I will leave you with one thing:
This is what Jon received in the mail the other day! He was very happy! He also received a personal email from Chuck Pagano. It was so encouraging and uplifting. Coach Pagano (Head Football Coach for the Indianapolis Colts) talked about his faith through his cancer ordeal (he was treated at IU about a year ago). In it he states that a close friend of his told him to ask God to heal him each morning and night. Then the friend told him to start thanking God for healing him long before he was ever in remission. So let's start THANKING God for Jon's healing!!!!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)