Round Three ...

The prayers are working. Each day becomes a little less daunting.  An email, a message, text, meal, card or call comes at just the right time. The words, smiles and hugs are perfect. 

There have been confessions on my part. When I read Mike the last journal post I cried most of the night. It was an ugly cry. But it was also that cathartic moment when you release emotions bottled up in the effort to, “be strong.”

And poor Mike – it was a confusing moment for him. However, seeing me like that started a conversation between us that has been ongoing about feelings, emotions and future plans. 
We’ve been anxious to get additional tests behind us and start treatments. We breathed a huge sigh of relief last Friday when the call came that Mike’s latest MRI was clear of any new tumor growth and showed he washealing.  Mike's radiationoncologist, Dr. Melisa Boersma, has worked with a physicist/dosemetrist to create a radiation therapy plan specifically for him.

Round one was the surgery.

Round two has been the healing.

Round three begins tomorrow with the first series of intense radiation therapy and a low dose of chemotherapy.  

Mike will receive radiation 20 minutes a day, five days a week until Dec. 20.  He’ll take a dose ofthe chemotherapy pill Temador every evening for the next six weeks. 

Yes, we’re nervous as to how it will affect him. The doctors have prepared us for fatigue, some hair loss, and the possibility of infection as a result of a suppressed immune system. It’s definitely not an opportune time of the year for a weak immune system. I suspect it will be a quiet holiday season as a result.  

Our specific prayer request is Mike will continue to improve and remain healthy, we'll both have patience and peace, and the side effects of the treatments will be manageable.

Jesus Calling: 

Your sense of security must not rest in your possessions or in things going your way. I am training you to depend on Me alone, finding fulfillment in My Presence. This entails being satisfied with much or with little, accepting either as My will for the moment. Instead of grasping and controlling, you are learning to release and receive. Cultivate this receptive stance by trusting in Me in every situation.