Finding Ninjas in Mexico

We are over halfway through our medical excursion in Tijuana and looking forward to heading home.  The Oasis of Hope (http://www.oasisofhope.com/) is a great place with incredible staff and treatment, but it is still a hospital and three weeks in a hospital (getting poked and prodded) will be more than enough.  There are about 25 other cancer patients here, all with interesting stories and many miracles.  However, often times you really just want to have some daily life conversations, about things other than cancer and treatments. Day-by-day living, which includes a communal treatment room and three communal meals, has been taxing for both Loretta and me.  

Loretta has been busy reviewing files and organizing work for the office while here.  Meanwhile, I have been hooked up to treatment IV bags for about 3 hours/day.  We met with the doctors today and they had finally received the notes of the MRI I had on February 1.  They didn’t get the images but they were thrilled with the results and that there has been no evidence of growth.  That is usually not the case, so they both congratulated me!  They also both think that what we have been doing with the diet and the blood work have been very effective, so we are feeling very thankful for all of the angels that have led us to these alternative treatments.  Yesterday morning I gave a whack of blood that they will now customize in the lab here to raise a squad of super t-cells that will be reintroduced back into my body in four vaccines during our last week here.  I am calling them my ninjas!  Please pray that the creation of these ninja fighters is done effectively in the lab and that the reintroduction of them back into my body is effective.  We need them to be prolific in reproduction so that the small ninja group becomes an army of killer samurai that are trained to recognize my cancer profile, hunt the cancer cells down, and slay the beast.  Pretty cool science stuff.  In order to let the ninjas do their job, I’ve got to stop taking my daily chemo for the next three weeks.  After that, I’ll resume the usual chemo schedule.

If you are interested in learning more about this ninja treatment, you can read about supercharged t-cells here: https://www.cancer.gov/types/brain/research/immunotherapy-glioblastoma

Treatment room

Morning devotions

Prayer requests:
1. Ninja warriors grow with an intense desire to kill my GBM cancer cells.  And then that my body accepts these ninja warriors and they grow quickly in my body.

2. Good health for both Loretta and me during our last days in Tijuana.  And then that the vaccines work powerfully when we get back home.

3. The tax season work for Loretta and her co-workers goes well in March!

4. We may continue to be nourished by the daily devotionals here.

5. Strength for the daily routine here.  

6. Thank God that He directed us to this place.

Oasis of Hope - Day 1

Travel: planes were all on time.  Long lines everywhere, which were so bad that there was no time for Loretta to get Starbucks prior to the flight.  The car and driver from Palm to San Diego was brilliant.  It saved us about an hour versus connecting flights.  First class BMW 7 series sedan - leather seats and great driver.  Plus In-N-Out burger for lunch.  The shuttle van from San Diego had another stop so we waited at a small airport for a patient, coming from a private jet.  And then the border crossing.  And then way too much traffic in Tijuana!  The day got tougher when we got to Oasis.  We were reminded in a powerful and emotional way about the beastly battle we are in, as daily life in Edmonton is quite close to "normal" with routine and cooking/working/hanging with family.  It was a tough emotional day, especially after the long travel day.  But now we are hanging with all of these "sick people", hearing all of their stories, many of which are a blessing.  Lots of great people from around the world - Nigeria, Scotland, Canada!  Many inspirational stories and people, many who are back for their round 2 treatments.  Their passion for this place is so evident, which is affirming for us.  Almost everyone has a "how did you hear about Oasis" story to tell and it is often asked early in the conversation.

Hola from windy Tijuana!

All treatments are done in a community treatment room so there is a great sense of community.  All communal dining as well.  Full days with treatments all morning, plus educational stuff in the afternoon.  Food has been good.  Tons of really fresh salads and veggies.  Fish twice a week seems like the extent of our meat-eating while here.  Accommodations are certainly not as nice as they look on the website.  But if you consider it's a hospital, it's certainly better than most.

Angels - Winged and Armed

This blog is intended to be our thank you to all of you for being important members of our “Slay the Beast” team.


We thought that it was important to celebrate God’s faithfulness and healing to our family over the past 14 months and decided to host a house concert party with Steve Bell, a well-known Canadian recording artist.  The house concert theme was “May there always be an angel by your side”.  We wanted to invite all of you to attend.  Unfortunately, space was fairly limited and so we were only able to extend the invitation to some of our local Edmontonian angels.  However, some video links from the night are shared below.  Please feel free to watch and join in on the thanks and celebration!  Here's the introduction video and here is the blessing video.  The words that I spoke to the group are also directed to you as our way of thanking you for being such an important part of our daily lives over the past months, through words, prayer and thoughts.  We continue to be so grateful for you and your ongoing

love and support.


Health update and prayer requests

• We are going through another round of MRI results - which usually take a week and that brings a lot of nervous tension.  Sleepless nights and pitted stomachs rule the day until the MRI update meeting, which happened at 8:30 this morning  The MRI result was quite positive - the MRI looks very stable, which is a good thing at this time!  Very little swelling, which is great because swelling usually means growth.  A little thickening on the outer edges, which is consistent with the last pathology report and is likely dead cancer cells amassing.  I’ll have another MRI in a month but for now, I will continue with another monthly chemo cycle, as it seems to be having a positive effect.  Stay the course at this time.  We are still praying for the MRI that says the beast has gone missing.  We are encouraged to pray with “shameless audacity” - Luke 11:8.  Please join us in this prayer for a “No more beast MRI!!” 
• Celebration - most days are still a gift, with little side effects from treatment.  
• Celebration - a new grandson has arrived to brighten our days - what a gift!  In my opinion, a new grandchild is far better cancer treatment than chemo!  Check out the cutie - Arie Jan - now just 2 weeks old - with big brother Kase.
  
• Next treatment steps - we plan to head to Mexico in February for some additional treatment.  Please pray for successful treatment and good health while there.  And safe travel! 
• Please pray for daily strength for Loretta, my favorite angel by my side.  On the night of my initial diagnosis, I told Loretta that she was the best person for me to travel this journey with.  She continues to be my key angel and is very gracious on a daily basis as she encourages me to take care of myself, challenges me to be better tuned-in to daily living, and is a great prayer support every evening.  She is strong and rock-like and so faithful. She also selflessly carries many of the family and work burdens.  She is patient even when the chemo brain malfunctions at 3:00AM and I turn on loud blaring music in the house while writing this blog (not a good thing at all when she is sleep deprived).  Add all of this to the fact that the man she is living with daily is not the man she married or lived with for the past 35 years and even more needy than usual.  That takes a lot of patience and love, for which I am thankful.  An angel by my side!!  Living with an angel is a good thing but please pray that I don’t clip her wings too much.  Please also pray that she and her accounting staff are able to get through tax season speedily and healthily this year.

• Pray that the beast may be slain!

To read my original blog post about Steve, click here.  


Steve’s recent album “Where the Good Way Lies” is a great album of celebration and gratitude and whole living.  It has been a real blessing and a daily listen for me. Click here to check out Steve's website.