Wonderful News!!

We received such wonderful news today!! I had an appointment this afternoon with my oncologist, Dr. Juvvadi, and she confirmed that the tumor has significantly shrunk in size after only two rounds of chemo! We are just ecstatic. Keith's prayer that the chemo would be "hard on the cancer and easy on Val" has been answered.

Before my treatment began, the doctor told us that this particular cancer drug is very effective on my particular type of cancer, and that it was possible that my tumor would completely disappear. Well, we are on our way to that end.

This news does not change the treatment plan long-term, but it encourages us that the chemo is effective and that the cancer is being eliminated.

God has blessed me in so many ways - I am experiencing minimal side effects to the chemo, and now this good news. Please join me in thanking our Lord for answering our prayers. I continue to be blessed beyond measure by your prayers.

"On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us, as you help us by your prayers. Then many will give thanks on our behalf for the gracious favor granted us in answer to the prayers of many." 2 Corinthians 1:10-11

Chemo #2 (How Great Is Our God)

One of my favorite praise songs is "How Great is Our God."

CHORUS Name above all names, You are Worthy of all praise, and My heart will sing how great is our God //CHORUS How great is our God, Sing with me, How great is our God, and all will see How great, How great is our God.

My heart is singing this song of praise this morning as I share the Amazing news of how the Chemo #2 experience played out for me yesterday. First of all, I had been through it before, so the anticipation and fear were gone, and I was much more relaxed and knew what to expect. When I first arrive, they do my bloodwork, and then we have to wait for almost an hour for all those results to come back. If all the bloodwork is good, then I can have chemo. Well, all my bloodwork was excellent yesterday! So we (Keith, Mom & Dad) went back to the chemo room and they got me ready to go. The chemo process takes just over two hours for the various drugs to drip through the IV. People were commenting on how perky I was when I arrived - but about an hour into the treatment, Little Miss Perky danced away and I turned into the little limp dishrag that is part of the first week of chemo treatment. I actually drifted off to sleep for about 10 minutes. It's just amazing how those strong meds zap your body so quickly.

But I enjoy parts of the event, too. I brought my prayer quilt for warmth - my daughter, Paige, commissioned some ladies in our church to quilt me a prayer blanket for my treatments, and it's just beautiful. There are threads tied throughout the blanket at the corners of the patches; each knot represents prayers they said for me as they made the quilt. Wow, what a treasured gift. I also brought my soft, cozy lavender house shoes Paige bought me - such a comfort while cuddled up in the chemo recliner. My daughter has it ALL going on when it come to pampering her Mom.

My mom came prepared this week with a goodie bag for us. My favorite bottled water, homemade cookies and brownies, PayDay candy bars, Cheet-Os, all the things she knew I liked to munch on. (No, I don't usually eat such junk food, but on chemo days, anything goes!) Since my appointment begins at 11:30 and goes until 3:30 or so, I miss lunch, so she came prepared with treats. It was so nice to have my favorite snacks there. THEN, she brought me some homemade chicken noodle soup last night for snacking. Yea, Mom!

Keith was able to bring his laptop and do some work while we sit and watch the IV drip. He also blows me lots of kisses (blush). And of course my Dad is always there for his wonderful moral support. I have such an amazing family to support me through this process and I love them so much for being with me through the tedious times.

Last night Paige got into to town just in time for dinner, and she is spending the weekend with us while Chance is floating the river in New Braunfels for a bachelor party for Mark, who was Chance's best man back in May.

Speaking of dinner last night - let me give a HUGE thank you to Shelley and Kelly Carson of the YAM's Sunday School department at Plymouth Park Baptist for our amazing dinner. Our SS department has graciously offered to bring us a meal on the Fridays when I have chemo treatments- this group of young people are obviously very special to me and Keith and I know the Lord will honor their giving hearts and acts of service. Anyway, Shelley and Kelly arrived with a huge pan of homemade lasagne, Italian-style green beans, gourmet salad, and two desserts - a cherry dump cake and a blackberry dump cake! Can you imagine? It was the most delicious meal and I want to say "I love you" to Kelly and Shelley for the time and love they put into our meal.

So, now to the AMAZING news about our GREAT GOD I alluded to back at the beginning. After my chemo round one I experienced a lot of fatigue (to be expected) and nausea, but the nausea stayed under control - I felt queasy and was only able to eat small meals, but I could live with it. The nausea lasted from the day of chemo (Friday) through the following Wednesday. The fatigue gradually improves but never entirely goes away. But I'm told the effects of chemo become cumulative, so I was expecting Week 2 to be tougher.

Here comes the miraculous, God is SO good part. After I left the hospital late yesterday afternoon, the nausea never appeared. I was able to enjoy Kelly and Shelley's dinner to the fullest. Of course, I was pretty zapped with fatigue, and spent the evening in my recliner, but I felt pretty darn good. I slept well last night, and this morning, I have only a slight smidgen of nausea hiding in the background. I am taking the one nausea drug that I am required to take today and Sunday, but not any of the other two or three backup nausea drugs - because I don't need them!

NOW, let me explain why I believe I am doing so incredibly well despite the fact that I am undergoing chemotherapy. Since my diagnosis on June 24, I have received 35 greeting cards and 15 emails from friends and family with such encouragement and promises of prayer for me in these days of treatment. Countless other friends and acquaintances at church are also praying for me. In addition, I have friends and family praying for me throughout Texas and in at least six other states. I believe that the prayers of the saints (YOU!) are lifting me up to the Father and he is honoring the prayers of the faithful.

James 5:15-16: "And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up....The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective."

It is with a humility of heart I cannot begin to describe that I thank you for caring enough for me and my family to cover us in your prayers. And I ask you to continue to do so! I have chemo scheduled again for August 8 and August 22 - assuming my blood counts remain high and healthy. So please pray for this specifically. After August, they will change me to a differnt chemo drug and the schedule will change - hopefully to every third Friday.

Paige created a prayer calendar for me for July and August, and we can mark out in a big red X the days I complete chemo treatments. But the verse for the coming week is a great verse for all of us this week:

Zephaniah 3:17: "The Lord your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with His love, he will rejoice over you with singing."

Let's remember to take time this week to be still and quiet in His presence and simply allow Him to love and rejoice over us, because He loves us so very much.

Just like I love each of YOU so very much. God is GOOD...All the time. And all the time...God is GOOD.

The Wig Shop

Last Friday was Keith's birthday, so we both took a vacation day and spent the day together. What fun! Keith planned a list of errands, including the Harley shop for some birthday shopping. But it was our trip to Mimi's Wig Shop that was really an experience. Yes, I need to be prepared for my hair to fall out, so Keith drove me over to Richardson to this awesome little store.

We walked in and immediately I wanted to leave. The reality of needing a wig, the thought that I might soon need to wear a wig, was just overwhelming. Of course, Keith walked in and took charge. He immediately found me a "doo rag" (a little scarf that ties in back) that I just HAD to have - animal print no less! While he was having a big time, I could feel myself getting emotional, so I asked for directions to the ladies' room. I walked in and found the entire wall covered in little framed Bible verses - and right there in the middle of the wall, staring me in the face, was one of the verses a friend gave Keith right after my diagnosis - a verse that has been so encouraging to me: "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance." James 1:2-3

My desire is to find the joy in my current "trial" of breast cancer, and it's amazing how much joy God will give me when I am willing to look for it. But that's another story for another blog. Anyway, I stood in that little bathroom and wiped away two or three tears of self-pity, walked back out into the wig shop, and tried on the "Dionne" wig. Oh, my goodness. It looks EXACTLY like my current haircut. So Keith renamed the "Dionne" the "Valerie." Then we shopped some more for scarves and Keith asked all the right questions -- how do you wash the wig? how often? how do you style it? He was simply amazing and his fun, positive attitude made wig shopping a success - and reminded me, yet again, why I love him so much.

In the meantime...my hair seems to have started falling out today. While I was fixing my hair this morning, I kept feeling hairs hitting my shoulders. Sure enough, a pretty good amount came out while I was doing my hair. So, I guess the "Dionne" --oops, I mean the "Valerie" -- may get a debut sooner rather than later.

Please think about me as I go through this process. Losing my hair will make having cancer just that much more real. You know, I don't look sick and don't think of myself of sick, so looking in the mirror at myself with no hair may be tough. But this is only for a season, and there is an end in sight, so that's what I'll focus on: the successful end of chemo! Please pray for this success with me!

The One about the Diagnosis

Well, we married off Paige and Chance on May 31 and it was a spectacular day. Paige was a beautiful bride; Chance was a smitten groom. Paige planned an amazing wedding and the reception was the most fun party ever. It was truly our family's best day ever!


Then, three weeks later, on June 24, I was diagnosed with breast cancer. Wow. The following two weeks have been a whirlwind of doctor appointments or tests every day, being poked and prodded with needles and things that are "radioactive," for Pete's sake!

I have invasive lobular cancer in my right breast. It's a large tumor - 4 centimeters- that's how I found it. It is estrogen fed, which means that taking hormone replacement therapy the past two years may have caused it or at least sped up the growth of the tumor.

Keith and I have been completely positive and full of hope since the minute I was diagnosed. I told Keith that it's times like these when we determine if we really believe what we've always said we believe. Well, we do. Our faith has grown so much in these past days and we KNOW God is in control and we are trusting Him for a successful conclusion of this illness.

Tuesday, July 1, was a tough day. Further test results revealed that there is a second tumor near but separate from the first one. Also, I have one solitary lymph node that is positive with cancer. That's the one thing I had prayed so hard for - that it would not have spread to my lymph nodes. BUT I had a PET scan on Thursday and it showed that there is NO cancer anywhere else in my body!!!! So, the cancer is contained to the right breast, and we can deal with that.

I had a port implanted on Monday afternoon; my first chemo treatment is now officially scheduled for Friday, 7/11, at 11:30 a.m.

Chance's Aunt Susie shared the following verse with Paige and Chance last week and I memorized it and repeated it over and over during the week, especially on Tuesday when I received news that caused me to feel dismayed, and again on Thursday when I was fearful about the PET scan.

So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. Isaiah 41:10

God is holding me in His hand and there is no better place to be. Please pray for my strength as I begin chemo treatments; I will admit I am apprehensive about this. But I am anxious to see how He can use me to share my faith and hope in Him; please also pray for my boldness and opportunities to share.

Also please pray for Paige and Chance. This has been so difficult for Paige. But I must brag on her...after her initial shock and fear, she has settled in as my champion and #1 supporter, along with her Dad. She has been buying me books, flavored green tea, house shoes...pampering her mom and discovering the depth of her own faith. Paige's group of close friends has bonded together and begun praying together for me...I am so blessed and I know Paige's faith is being stretched in ways she could have never imagined.