An Age of Grace

Last night I attended our women's group at church. It was the first time I had been in a LONG time. My sweet friend has been gently reminding me about it almost every week. Last night I was stuck in traffic about 25 minutes away at seven, when it was starting. But last night I was determined to be there. And, boy oh boy, am I glad that I went.

At the close of the night, one of the ladies asked for more detail about the situation and I filled her in and she said, "Oh, what an age of grace we live in."  The medicine, doctors, wisdom and healing that is available to us now is incredible. And God's grace is, quite simply, overwhelming.

I have included the email from my mom following yesterday's chemo appointment.  We may have a long road ahead of us, but we have a GREAT God going before us and making the road level and straight. Thank you to all who have been praying for us. We are truly blessed.

Family and Friends:

Quite simply, there is a big development. The doctors have decided to continue with more chemotherapy. This is good news because initially the first two cycles of chemo were a trial ... to see if this cancer would respond. Dr Maksymiuk believes the tumor has responded well enough not only to do additional chemotherapy, but also to add radiation to the treatment plan. This is an important development because the doctors had been "saving" radiation to use after surgery. Now they are adding radiation to the chemotherapy as the two (radiation and chemotherapy) make each other more effective.

Dr Maksymiuk examined me this morning. This decision is not based on an MRI, but as mentioned in the last email, the excruciating pain went away when we began chemo last time, my speech has improved and the terrible congestion has vanished. There will be an MRI, possibly in the first half of February, which will give us a more definitive indication of progress.

Additionally, Dr Maksymiuk's team is working on moving both the 3rd and 4th cycle of chemotherapy to Thunder Bay along with the radiation. Dr Maksymiuk will retain oversight of my case; a decision that gives me much peace of mind and comfort. We will be utilizing tele-health video conferences.

Tonight, finds us elated and filled with gratitude for God's mercies. We are also thankful for the many people who are praying (around the world, including some people we have never met.) Thank you for those prayers.