Happy Easter!

The day before Easter all was going well. Mom and I went out and got a Honey Baked Ham and other ingredients to make a great meal. While it wore her out a little, she rested while I put some of the side dishes together. In the late afternoon she was complaining that her hand hurt. This has been an ongoing problem since January, so I asked her if she'd like some pain medicine. She declined so I went on and took Hunter to a birthday party. When I returned, she was in extreme pain. Her fingers were tingling and turning blue, so I left Tim with burgers on the grill and ran her down to the ER. They were able to take her right back to a bed and had her some morphine within 30 minutes. I'm very thankful for the efficiency of the ER at University. They ran some tests and decided at 3:00 am that they would admit her. The pain medicine wasn't working as well as before, so it was off and on pain. I got home and back in bed at 4:30 am and convinced Tim that we go to the 10:45 service.

It was a beautiful Easter Sunday morning with the sun shining brightly. The kids were dressed in their best and we were off to a wonderful Resurrection Sunday with one of the most awesome congregations of Believers. What a beautiful service it was. When we got out, however, we got a call from Mom saying that they were going to take her to surgery at 2:30. We hurried home, changed clothes, and were able to meet Tim's dad at the hospital before they took her down. Sure enough, there was a blood clot that was restricting flow to her left arm. The surgeon was able to remove it and get her on the road to recovery. During this time, though, we discovered another problem. Acid reflux caused from the radiation is making it difficult for her to eat. Even water is difficult to go down. Maurice, Mom's nurse who found a pain medication that worked for her hand, went to work on this issue too. He's a great nurse! We're hoping that Mom can be released today (Tuesday). There's something to be said about recovering at home.

Some other updates: Tim's grandma, Margaret, got to come home from the nursing home yesterday (Monday). She's well on her road to recovery. My cousin, Emily, is recovering from her surgery last week and hopes to go home on Friday. They are watching her liver and spleen for swelling. Tim's other grandma, Maggie, went to the hospital on Monday to have a pacemaker put in. They're hoping she can come home today.

So, the question is asked, "Can we still celebrate Easter with all this mess?" The answer is, "ABSOLUTELY!!!" The reason being is Easter is not about fancy clothes, ham dinners, bunnies, chicks, and egg hunts. While all of those are fun, having them taken away doesn't ruin Easter. Jesus, who took the punishment for our sin, is still risen from the grave and has victory over death! He's still alive! Having loved ones in the hospital doesn't change that. It even makes them being in the hospital more peaceful. All of us face death whether we're old, young, healthy, or have some kind of medical problem. Because of Easter and what Jesus did, it's the promise of eternal life in Heaven. We know that for those who claim Jesus as their Savior and Lord, this is not the end. What a wonderful thing to celebrate! Are you celebrating Easter too?

New Concerns

I'm sorry that I didn't update yesterday, our last day of round 1. Things went really well yet again. She's still eating well and even gained a pound. To us, that's celebration. I was a little worried today as she came of one of the biggest anti-sickness medicines, but she was going strong. We're trusting that the next days will bring the same. We know that all of this good news is the presence of the Lord through the prayers of our family and friends. If you would, we'd like to ask you to join us in praying for my sweet tweenage cousin, Emily. She is not getting any better and they are going to take her into surgery tonight or early tomorrow. I'll keep everyone updated on her as well. Grandma is still in the nursing home waiting to be well enough to go home. Again, thank you so much for all your prayers.

Second Day Done!

Our second day went as well as the first. A big thanks to Steve & Lisa for schooling Hunter & Holly and taking them to the park. Mom was able to eat a nice dinner when Tim brought her home. Thanks so much for your prayers.

The First Day is Done!

After getting the kids started in school this morning and outlining their lessons we headed out to what became a busy day. We tried to go to radiation early before the chemo treatment, but they told us to come back when we were done. As we got upstairs, we were greeted with a prescription for the anti-sickness medicine. I was given directions to the nearest Walgreens and ran. Over an hour later I returned with the prized drug and they then got her started. It must do its job, because so far she feels good. She ate lunch while we were there, then came home and ate a good dinner. The kids and Tim did a great job of preparing it and getting it on the table as we walked in the door. She's now eating an Easter favorite - Brach's jelly beans. We got more good news today! Hunter and Holly have been accepted in the Classical Conversations tutorial in Virginia. We're still waiting to hear about Haley and Bekah. Hunter got into the last 5th grade spot. We are really happy about this as we see God's provision. He cares for our every need.

So How Do The Puzzle Pieces Fit Together?

That's a great question! Honestly, we don't have that answer - yet. We take a look back at where we've been in the last 6 months. After releasing Tim's mom to the arms of the Lord, we learn of an upcoming move. We thought things were moving forward with that and that it would take place in late spring / early summer. We then learn that all PCS moves were on a case by case basis. Then Mom's illness pops up. Not only that, but Tim's 89 year old grandmother was also in the hospital with pneumonia and is slowly now recovering in the rehab section of a nursing home. We ask that you continue to pray that God will heal and strenghten her. Also at the same time, LeAnn's cousin, Angi was with her daughter Emily at children's hospital having a second of 3 digestive system surgery. She has since had complications with that and could use your prayers as well. Our first thought was that God allowed this delay for us to support Mom through her cancer treatment. We sat the kids down the other night and told them that there is a possiblity that it may be late summer or as late as the first of 2010 before we move. Then the next day, Tim received his orders. He will report June 17. We now have the house painted (thanks, Colin) and new carpet is laid. We've got to get rid of a lot of junk and we'll have the house ready to put on the market. We've set a goal of May 1. School? Well, it happens here and there. Haley and Bekah are doing a great job keeping up with their work at CEC. I think the younger two and I are going to finish by doing one subject at a time. They can get a lot of reading done in a waiting room. While we don't know HOW it's all going to come together, we know that God has a plan. This isn't a surprise to Him, He's known it all along. We trust that He will keep Mom strong through the treatment. We're trusting for healing for Grandma and Emily. He will sell our house in the EXACT timing - the market is nothing for Him. He will provide for our every need. While we only see a bunch of colorful pieces with oddly shaped sides, God sees the whole picture on the outside of the box. In His timing He will put each of the pieces together one by one to make something beautiful.

The Next Step of the Journey

Tomorrow morning (Monday, April 6) we will begin the first of four cycles of chemotherapy. They are giving her Cisplatin and Etoposide. She will go Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday of this week, have two complete week off, then start over again beginning April 27. This will go on for 4 cycles. They are giving her some other meds to offset the sickness that comes with it. There is one medicine that the pharmacy is out of though and they are trying very hard to get it in on time. Please pray that this will happen. Also, please pray that she is strong enough to tackle the chemo. We are trying to keep a positive attitude and are lining everyone up to get on board and help us fight. Since we're already fighting the reflux, we're not getting started on the right foot. God is good, God is Soverign. We are trusting His hand as we walk along the way. We are so thankful to all of those who have offered to help in so many different ways. We love you and appreciate you. While this has certainly not been easy emotionally or physically, some words to a familiar hymn come to mind:

Because He lives, I can face tomorrow,
Because He lives, all fear is gone.
Because I know Who holds the future
And life is worth the living just because He lives.

Bringing You Up To Date

Some of our readers may know the latest that is going on in our family, but for those just tuning in, I will do my best to bring you up to date. My goal is to find more computer time to keep this current.

The first weekend in March: My (LeAnn) mom (Sherrie) was tired all of the time and started running a fever. We didn't think much of it as the kids all had something similar. We thought she caught it from them.

March 16/17: After not getting out of bed all week and eating nearly nothing, I gave her the choice of me taking her to the hospital or calling an ambulance. She let me take her to the hospital. We arrived at the ER at 2:30pm, she was finally seen at 11:30pm. They started running several tests. I decided around 4:00am that they were going to keep her, so I left at daylight and went home to get a couple hours of rest. I was back out there at noon and stayed until they admitted her at 3:45pm. There was obviously a mass in her chest area and were suspecting pneumonia, blood clots, and/or cancer.

March 18: She had several blood tests, X-rays, CT scan, and other things that I don't know about. They then decided to take a scope down into her lungs and do a biopsy.

March 19: We were told that she had lung cancer. They still suspected the pneumonia and blood clots so they were treating her with antibiotics and blood thinner.

March 21: She was finally released from the hospital and referred to the Brown Cancer Center at University of Louisville hospital.

March 23: We met with the radiation oncologists and get her ready to start radiation.

March 25: We start daily radiation for a course of 7 weeks.

March 27: They do a PET scan.

March 30: They do another MRI, this time of the brain.

April 1: We meet with the whole team of doctors that will be treating her cancer. They tell us that she has a mixture of small cell and non-small cell lung cancer. It is not possible to do surgery as it encompasses the entire chest wall and blocks a major airway. It is a very aggressive cancer, and she's probably only had it a month or two. The good news is, this type of cancer is generally responsive to chemotherapy and it has not spread to any organs, bones, or the brain (stage IIIb). While they wouldn't give us a prognosis, the doctors did seem somewhat hopeful.

April 3: Mom goes in to have a port placed. This will supposedly make receiving chemo a lot easier. Aside from the tape on the dressing bothering her, she's come through this quite well. I ask her ahead of the chemo what she would like to have to eat. Her request was steak. Of course, the family didn't complain. We had steak, baked potatoes, french fries, and pasta salad. Yum! She did begin to get some acid reflux Sunday afternoon.