Daring to Dream Again!

Easter is so much about daring to dream again:  “If you have faith, it will happen.” Matthew 21:21

“...God always rejoices when we dare to dream.  In fact, we are much like God when we dream. The Master exults in newness....He wrote the book on making the impossible possible.”  And the Angels Were Silent - Max Lucado

The last blog mentioned that our chief oncologist was planning to consult with our surgeon around the latest MRI that showed some thickening around the edge of the tumour that might necessitate another surgery in the next number of weeks - not an exciting option at all. This news was also very discouraging. The trip and treatment had filled us with new hope. However, another surgery and the medications would wipe out any benefit of our trip. This idea took us to our deepest place since the original diagnosis.  It’s also scary when such immediate action seems to need to take place. We were beaten up, discouraged and left wondering if we might dare to dream again.

We met with the surgeon, Dr. Mehta, this past week and were encouraged when he suggested an alternative treatment plan to us.  His review of the MRI and my present condition was that things seemed quite stable and he recommended that we stop the surgery conversation at this time and instead take another MRI in 2- 3 weeks time. This would give the Mexico treatments time to settle in to see if perhaps the thickening around the edges might indeed be connected to the Oasis of Hope treatments working.  He also recommended that we stick with the existing chemo treatment plan as it seemed to be working based on the many dead cancer cells found during the last surgery! It was wonderful news that, after the demands of the Mexico trip followed up by the harsh initial assessment of the first MRI meeting, this meeting was filled with more hope and “Let’s not overreact at this time”.

We dare to dream again!

The trip to Dr. Mehta also involved a head exam on grandson Arie!  He accompanied us and as the nurse brought us to the room, she asked if Dr. Mehta had seen Arie yet.  She then warned us that the doctor would check out the baby’s head. Sure enough, Dr. Mehta walked into the room, immediately asked how old the baby was, and began to feel Arie’s head! Arie has a nice round head and a good forehead! It was a great way to start the visit!

Additional good news is that the chief oncologist is now fully supportive of the new treatment plan, with another MRI in a few weeks to get a better sense of what is happening around the original tumour site and waiting until then to decide on next steps.  It is always reassuring when your two chief medical advisors agree with each other, especially when you like the plan that they are recommending. This new process also gives us a chance to breathe for a bit, get settled back into post-Mexico life and treatments (which I started this past Tuesday - go ninjas go!!!) and allow Loretta to finish up tax season before the next round of treatments!  And for both of us to get up off of the canvas after feeling like we had spent 10 rounds with Mike Tyson. We are both pretty beat up, physically, emotionally and spiritually. We were both so very confident that God directed us to the Oasis of Hope and have been trying so hard to be trusting with how God has guided us through this beastly journey, including the three weeks in Mexico and the truly beastly day of travel on the way home. We are both just now finally getting over the food poisoning that we got in Palm Springs and beginning to recover some of our emotional resilience. This new treatment plan has us daring to dream again!

Prayer requests:

• We had asked people to pray that surgery would not be needed at this time, and that the doctors would be in agreement so we wouldn't need to be making any more challenging decisions about the type of treatment we should pursue at this time, as we simply did not have the energy to do so.  We are very thankful that the path seems clearer for the next few weeks! Time for some healing to take place!
• Thanks be to God for that gift and we pray that the present course of action leads to good healing and that the Oasis of Hope treatment plan and processes are part of God’s healing plan for us! 
• Please pray that the treatments are well-tolerated by my body as they are implemented over the next 4 weeks, with a new weekly plan being added a week at a time, pending my toleration of the previous cycle.  Pray for good health and high toleration!
• Please also pray for strength and courage for Loretta and our family as we fight the beast.  Exhausting work fighting a nasty adversary! But we make a strong team!
• Thanks for the beautiful timing of the Easter story for this tough week we are just finishing up!  New hope and daring to dream again are key messages!

MRI Update

Tough day at the office!

The latest MRI showed a slight thickening along the bottom of the tumour.  Our head oncologist, Dr. Easaw, is consulting with our surgeon, Dr. Mehta, about whether another surgery should be scheduled. He said 98% of the tumour is stable and that the thickening could be new growth, accumulation of dead cancer cells, or related to the Mexico treatment.  It’s just very unfortunate that there's no way to know without surgery.

While this was not the news that we wanted yesterday morning, the imprecise nature of the MRI makes any definitive answer/interpretation somewhat gray in nature.  Unfortunately surgery is the only way to know for sure. Our last surgery brought positive news but we would certainly love to avoid another surgery. Option B would be a switch in chemo.  Please pray for clarity for the doctors as they review the MRI with each other and pray that the treatment option they recommend is a change in chemo. Although, even that is fraught with uncertainty.  Before the last surgery, the oncologist thought we should change up the chemo because “it wasn’t working”. But after surgery they realized that half of what was removed was dead cancer cells. So the oncologist decided that the chemo was working and we should stay the course.  Without a third surgery, how are we to know what is working and isn’t? Too much uncertainty! Too exhausting! Please pray for us as we will now be needing to make challenging treatment decisions.

Ninjas Are Home

Ninjas are back home in Edmonton, but don’t like the weather!

After 3 weeks in Mexico for treatment, both Loretta and I were super excited to head home. We managed to get the Ninja clan across the US Border and over to Palm Springs. Our last hurdle was just the 3.5 hour flight from Palm Springs to Edmonton, but a food poisoning incident in Palm Springs the evening before departure made for a long and terrible travel day. Between bouts of vomiting for most of the evening and numerous diarrhea episodes at the airport, it was a minor miracle that we we made it through the flight quite painlessly. While we had both hoped to get back to normal routines upon arriving home, we have both struggled to regain full health as the bug lingers. I was told to expect up to 3 weeks of recovery time as the Ninjas reproduce, but I hadn’t expected to feel this listless. I guess losing 8-10 pounds in a week will knock you back a bit.

While the whole trip was a challenging ordeal with treatment and travel, we are still convinced that God directed us to the Oasis of Hope and that the treatments and things we learned there will be part of God's healing plan for us. It was very affirming for us that the doctors there were very supportive and encouraging of the alternative treatments that we initiated here on our own and were very surprised and encouraged by my present level of health.

We were also reminded of the the gift that our chief oncologist, Dr.Easaw, has been, as he has supported our Mexico trip and the alternatives that we have wanted to try. We found out that most North American patients at the Oasis were disowned by their local oncologist by going to the Oasis. In other cases, they were there without the knowledge of their oncologist. My oncologist actually reviewed my treatment plan from the Oasis, gave me feedback on it and promised that he would continue to support my treatment here upon return. When I expressed my thanks to him for this, his reply was simple: “Doug, until all of my patients get better, I had better be open to other treatments and therapies.” We thank God regularly for placing Dr. Easaw into our lives as he has been a sign of God’s direction and leading in my healing! Another armed angel!

So what’s next?

• 3 weeks of laying low and letting the Ninjas proliferate and get nasty and then turn them loose on the cancer. We had a family dinner celebration on Friday night after arriving home on Thursday. I was very pleased to see that the family had conspired to print up "Slay the Beast" Ninja t-shirts to celebrate the occasion. What a great surprise and I look forward to wearing mine for decades, with the family, on the annual celebration of beating the beast! 
  
  I am guessing that I will need to upgrade in size in a year or 2 as I hope to gain back some of the 35+ pounds that I have lost! One of the grandsons will likely be moving into my existing shirt by that time!
  
• Ongoing MRI’s to monitor the tumour/brain. I had a welcome-back MRI 2 days after arriving home and we have the follow-up meeting on Thursday at 10:00 MST, so if you recall or have time, set an alarm and join us in prayer for a positive report. I’m still praying that this will be the “No more tumour” MRI!! These meetings are still nerve wracking so please pray for a good rest on Wednesday night.
• Pray for strength and courage for our family as we continue to try to find the energy to fight the beast! We came home very inspired and awed by fellow patients from the Oasis of Hope who have battled and remain hopeful after years of beast-fighting. God does provide!
• A likely return to Oasis in early June, for booster Ninja vaccines, along with the repetition of their other alternative therapies and treatments. A likely stay of 7-10 days! More beach time in Tijuana! And also a chance to reunite with friends made during our initial visit.
• We were also blessed to celebrate the baptism this past Sunday of our newest grandson, Arie Jan! What a blessing those special days are for me and our family now. Thank you God. Bad news: with the loss of weight and a now bony butt, I needed to use a pillow to make it through the service, provided by a friendly senior from the church!
  
• Lesson learned - don’t make “Depends” diaper jokes on the way to the airport after an evening of food poisoning! And pack extra underwear and a change or two of clothes in your carry-on!
• Please add the Oasis of Hope Hospital to your prayer list. It is a place of extraordinary miracles with a staff of gifted and compassionate health care workers who embody the body of Christ and humble ministry. Starting with Manny, the head of maintenance, who personally hugs and blesses every patient prior to breakfast. He did promise to take me surfing but we ran out of time! Maybe in June when the water is warmer!!!