December 16, 2009

Today has been another long but very exciting day for us. Today was mom's day to have the 3 drug treatment. She had to be at the clinic at 7:45 to start her pre meds. They told her she could meet with Dr B at 8:15 so of course, I went straight there to hear the news from the horses mouth with her and Ken.
We waited on the doctor for a while so that gave us time to visit and she and Ken more time to familiarize themselves with their new phones and ask me plenty of questions I did not know the answer to about how to work them :) When the doctor came in with the reasearch nurse we were good and ready to receive some excellent news, and we got it!
The very first thing that she told us was the fluid that was around mom's lungs is completely gone! She said she normally does not see that decrease until much later if at all. Praise God! That fluid is what was causing her not to have the quality breathing and had sent her to the doctor in the first place. Secondly, the tumors have reduced in size about 14%. Mom and I are very visual so although we understood what she was saying, we wanted to see it. Mom asked her if we could see the CT scan and she said sure. At first she told us she couldn't give us a split screen from Oct to Dec but after playing with it a few minutes, she figured it out on the computer and was able to show us. This was a totally different perspective that I never expected. Instead of it being vertical, like you see xrays, this was horizontal. So as she scrolled through the film it was from stomach to chest showing the lungs in horizontal "slices" if you will. It was quickly apparent the improvements that had taken place in just 6 treatments! I knew Dr B probably wishes mom and I hadn't all but sat in her lap to see the computer screen while Ken sat back with the worlds most content look of his face but she graciously continued to show and explain what we were seeing. God is so good! Both Dr B and the research nurse told us over and over what good and a little bit suprising news this was. I loved it when Dr B was listening to mom's lungs she told her how much better she sounds. As she listened to the 2nd lung she patted mom on the back and said, "show off", with a smile on her face.
We chatted about Christmas plans. Shared pics of Haidyn with Santa, aka Granddaddy, and asked a few more questions about mom's reports. Later when I talked to mom she told me how much more she appreciates Dr B everytime we meet with her. I think I said early on she was not our 1st choice doctor but we were so impressed with her initial consult we felt God had placed her in our lives for a reason. With every step of this journey we are assured this was no accident and surley God's hand at work.
Mom didn't get home till about 5pm. When I talked to her on my way home from work she told me about reuniting with a lady she had gone to church with in Huntington after she was married to my dad but before they had Erica. She said she recognized the woman and told her who she was. They were sitting side by side receiving their treatments. She said that her conversation with her not only helped to pass the time but gave her such peace and encouragement. She said that the woman told mom she has never asked God to make her cancer free. I know that was a shock for me and it sounded like it was for mom too because we're praying for it ALL to be gone. She said that everyone in her family was healthy, she's lived a long and happy life, she looks forward to heaven and if this is what takes her then she has peace with that. Mom said she just never thought of it that way. She said maybe she does love being here on earth serving God more than she longs for the heavenly home and she will think more about that. This friend of my mom's is a 2 time cancer survivor, still undergoing treatments and living with cancer who is at peace with God in her faith of her mansion, robe and crown awaiting. What an amazing faith and how wonderful she was there to share the time, her experience and faith with mom today. I know I will be saying prayers of thanksgiving for days to come for mom's suprise visit with her friend she had not seen in over 30 years till today.
We have learned more than we ever wanted to or thought we would about lung cancer since Oct 19th, 2009. God has never left us and been by all of our sides every day and every minute of the day along the way. He has shown himself in countless ways through the doctors, nurses, test results, volunteers, suprise visits, your calls, emails, hundreds of cards, comments and many other acts of service and love. Walking with Him through this storm has been our comfort and stay. Some days when I have felt overwhelmed with fear of cancer for my mom I have thought of and read the story of the disciples on the sea with Jesus in their boat sleeping and they were scared to death. They woke Jesus and Jesus spoke to calm the sea. Many days I have scared beyond words of the outcome for us and remembered to pray for that kind of peace and although I can't hear Jesus or see him say, "Peace be still" I feel His presence and His peace come over me. Never before, in my life, have I had the fear I have experienced in the last 2 months or felt a peace like this. Even 5 years ago through my car accident and months of recovery afterward I never found these levels of reliance in God. That's probably because I had my mom every hour of every day for months praying for my healing, strength, comfort and perseverance while she sat by me encouraging and nursing to me always. I am SO proud of my mom and thank God in every prayer for my opportunity to return her love and show her the outcome of her 28 years of mothering in me. Blessed be the name of the Lord, blessed be His glorious name! He has been so good to us and is forever faithful when we trust in His ability to see us through big and small.
I know we will all go to bed with smiles on our faces and prayers of thanksgiving and praise on our hearts tonight. I hope mom and Ken have taken the times to hold one another a little tighter today and pray together a prayer of thanks for today's report and the reminder of His faithfulness for mom's visit and testimony of faith through her friend. It seems insincere since I have said it so many times but I can't say it enough, thank you! Thank you from all our family and my mom for loving, caring and praying for all of us and that God will restore mom's health, for her to have as little pain as possible while she regains her strength and her life back to normal.God is answering your prayers in our lives daily in ways we never imagined. He allows us the fear and sweeps in with peace. Its truly amazing and humbling the range of emotions and the depths of love we have been showered with even before the full diagnosis. I think this time of year everyone, especially Christians, think back on the year and the blessings we have received. Though many celebrate this as a relgious holiday season my prayer is that I will forever more celebrate this and every season of the year for God's sacrifice of Jesus, his faithfulness to be in constant relationship with us, his peaceful presence and his promise of heaven in the end. I know mom has a beautiful mansion, robe and crown in heaven and when we all get there she will be inviting us all over all the time but I would just as soon have her here in her beautiful home just 6 miles away from mine, in her satin robe that Haidyn loves to snuggle up to cause its like her silkies, and in her cute hats the volunteers have given her to keep her head warm instead of a crown with us here for an unforseeable length of time. Thank you for your prayers that make that wish seem more and more possible each day. May God bless you today and forever in the same ways he is blessing us!