A Salute to Heroes

My friend Robin just gave me these pictures that her husband took of us six months ago. We were invited to a Salute to Heroes dinner by our friends Tate and Charissa. I just wanted you to see David in his uniform. Isn't he cute?

My Dad

FOR IF HE (GOD) CAUSES GRIEF, THEN HE WILL HAVE COMPASSION ACORDING TO HIS LOVINGKINDNESS. (LAMENTATIONS 3:32)

THE LORD'S LOVINGKINDNESS INDEED NEVER CEASE, FOR HIS COMPASSIONS NEVER FAIL. THEY ARE NEW EVERY MORNING; GREAT IS THY FAITHFULNESS. (LAMENTATIONS 3:23,23)

I wish I could say that we got good news today, but we didn't from an earthly perspective. My dad does have lung cancer( non small cell carcinoma), and it has spread to his lymph nodes. We all had are hopes up, so this news was disapointing. However, I do know that God works all things for our good and His glory and He has a purpose that I don't know yet. He is a good God and His character does not change. He is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. Please pray for him as he finds out his staging, prognosis, treatment etc. in the next few days.

Disneyland gave police and firemen free tickets to go there as a thank-you for helping in the fires. I would really like to go there with my dad and Katja this weekend, so we can have a fun time together as a family and build special memories before my dad begins treatment, and David continues his. I am praying it won't rain because this is the only weekend we can do it. Next weekend, David will get his 2nd dose, and then the tickets aren't valid for President's day. Please pray that everything will work out, and my dad will feel well enough to go.

Also, please pray for the Avrielle and Chandler. It will be hard because their dad and papa are sick. I just want them to grow in their faith too. Everyone has been encouraging us, but if you see them, please try to encourage them in their journey as well. They have a childlike faith, but I hope it will become more real to them, and that they would learn to turn to God as the only source of true comfort, peace and joy.

The 2nd opinion

Today, David and I went to the USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center for a 2nd opinion. We were told by several people to do this since so many cancer cases are misdiagnosed. We also wanted to make sure that David was getting the best choice of treatment. We were so impressed with the center today, I would definitely recommend going there if you or anyone you know ever has to. They were very patient oriented, and everyone we spoke with was very kind. We spent about 3 hours there taking with the nurse and the doctor. We didn't feel rushed at all. The good news is that this doctor told us she agrees with the diagnosis and everything that Kaiser is doing to treat it, and that she wouldn't do anything different. She took the time to explain why she feels that way which gave us more confidence. Originally, when we first told my dad about the cancer, he was going to try to make some phone calls to people he knew at USC, so that we would be able to get in and see the best doctor. When he found out he had cancer too, it kind of was put on hold for a few days, and then he wasn't able to get a hold of his contact. We decided to pursue it on our own and hope that we were assigned to "someone good" because time was important, and we wanted to be seen before the next round of chemotherapy. To make a long story short, when I called him today to tell him about our visit, and he told us that his friend just called him back this morning and recommended the exact same doctor that we saw today! I want to thank everyone for praying, as God showed us again that he is working out every detail. Thank-you to everyone who offered to home-school the kids for me today. It really means a lot to me. My dad is going to see his oncologist tomorrow to find out the results of his biopsy. Please pray for him. It feels good to finally know what you are dealing with, but the reality hits home too when it is official.

Chandler's 8th birthday

Me and Mini Me

This picture cracks me up. They look just like each other!

Hot Soup for a Rainy Night

Here is a recipe that we liked:

Your Body Will Love You For Eating This Soup
( Not really the name, but maybe you'll try it now)

1 onion chopped
2 celery stalks sliced
2 potatoes scrubbed and dices
3/4 cup split peas rinsed
2 bay leaves
6 cups water or vegetable broth
1 zucchini diced
2 stalks of broccoli chopped
1 6oz bag pre-washed spinach
1/2 teaspoon basil
salt and pepper to taste

Place onion, celery, potato, split pea, and bay leaves in a large pot. Add water or broth and simmer until peas are tender about 45 min. Remove bay leaves. Add zucchini, broccoli, spinach, basil. Simmer until broccoli is tender about 10 min. Transfer to a blender and blend in small batches until soup is smooth and creamy. Return to pot and heat until steamy. Serve with green salad and crusty sourdough bread. Yum-Yum

We are off to USC on Monday!

I faxed David's results to the USC Norris Cancer Center for a second opinion, and they are able to see him on Monday. This is much quicker than we expected, so we are very happy. Go Trojans!

He's Home

Thanks for praying, he got home about 6:ooam. I'm off to take the kids to school. Have a great day!

Call out

About 20 minutes after we went to bed tonight, the phone rang. David was called out to Southwest division. (South-central LA) While we are thankful for the overtime, I am a little anxious just because it is raining so hard, and he won't be getting a normal night sleep. Like Phillipians 4:6 says, I am trying not to be anxious for anything, but in everything making my requests known to God. Please pray with me that he would drive there and back safely and not feel sick from being out all night. Thanks.

First Treatment

I took this picture of David getting his first treatment. This part took about 4-5 hours. Luckily he brought his Ipod. His chair was right by the bathroom, so he amused himself by taking stats of how often everyone in the room had to go. (one lady went at least 15 times.) What a fun way to pass the time!:) Also, David made me laugh when the nurse came to check his wrist band each time she gave him medicine. He asked her if that was in case someone from the outside wanted to sneak in and get a shot of chemo. He could sell his wristband on the black market.

Ps. my dad

My dad's surgery went well. They think he might have Lymphoma too in his lungs instead of Lung cancer. It is still cancer, but more treatable. He won't know for sure until the biopsy comes back next week.

We're home

We'll if you can believe it, we just got home around 6:30. It was a long and sobering day, but filled with many blessings. When we first got there, the thing that shocked me the most was how busy the waiting room was. All cancer patients! It was a wake up call to see that we live in a fallen world with plenty of sickness. I'm so thankful that one day in Heaven there won't be any more. It reminded me of Ecclesiastes 7:2 "It is better to go to a house of mourning, Than to go into a house of feasting, because that is the end of every man and the living takes it to heart." It was wierd to look around and wonder what everyone's story was. We saw the doctor, and he gave us the results of the PET and Bone Marrow biopsy. The bone marrow came back negative, but the Pet showed cancer cells in both sides of his neck and upper chest. It is still stage 2 though, and the treatment plan will stay the same. He will go twice a month for 6 months. Each treatment he will feel worse because it is a cumulative effect of all the drugs over time. Today he is feeling fine so far. They gave him 4 anti nausea drugs, so we are praying they will do what they are supposed to. He also didn't have any dangerous reactions to the drugs which is a praise. I was able to gather all his test and labs from the various departments for when we go for a second opinion. If anyone who lives close to me has a fax machine that I can borrow in the next day or two, that would be great. It may cost a lot to go to Office Depot, so that would be a huge help. We met a couple in the chair next to us. His name was David too, and he also had Hodgkins. He just moved here from Fresno and was on his 3rd treatment. He already lost his hair. Anyway, they said they might come to Placerita. I don't know if they will, but they haven't found a church to attend. We gave them the article by John Piper "Don't waste your cancer", and she told me that Kaiser offers massages for a dollar an hour! :) I don't know if we will see them again because he comes on Wednesdays, and we are going to come on Fridays from now on. Thanks for praying for us. The Lord is good!

Avrielle and Susi

This was taken at Avrielle's Piano Recital right before Christmas. She played a song called "Ice Dancing"

January Las Vegas Trip

Dave and I were able to go to Las Vegas for a few days in the beginning of January. We had a lot of fun going out to eat, seeing shows, and just being together. This picture was taken in front of the Wynn Hotel.

My Dad

This is a picture of my dad so you will know who you are praying for. He is having a lung biopsy tomorrow at Cedars.

The Skinny Contest

David and Chandler were having a who's skinnier contest tonight. David has lost 16 pounds in the last month. We think it is from our new diet of mostly vegetables. Chandler is skinnier because he hates vegetables. As I try new receipies, I will let you know which ones are keepers.
PS I am hoping to enter the contest soon, but I will spare you the picture:)

Our First Post

Hi Everyone, I have entered the blogging world, so please bear with me while I learn how to do it. I guess I'll give an update on David first. He had a PET scan early this morning, and then he went off to work. On his way home around 6:00, he got a call out, so it will be a late night for him! He has an appointment on Wednesday in which we will learn the results of the Pet and possibly begin the chemotherapy. I'm not sure how long it will take or what the immediate side effects will be if any. We knew the moment that we found out he had cancer, that God was going to use this in our lives to teach us a lot of things, and I know this has been true for me already in just a few weeks. First, I can say for sure that God does give peace in trials. I have been sad at times, but I know for sure that God is with us and He loves us. It is funny to me because I can trust God and feel calm in this Big trial, but it is still the little everyday things that get to me. I don't know if I thought I would be suddenly spiritual or something, but it threw me for a loop when I realized that I can trust God with my husband's life and still get anxious and frustrated about finishing homeschool in the same breath. I guess walking in the spirit is truly a moment by moment thing. The second thing God has shown me so far is how much I need to improve in the area of encouraging other people in their trials. Whenever people called us those first few days, it really helped us focus on the Lord, and we felt so loved by God though His people. In the past, I hesitated to call people who were in a trial because I thought they were probably getting too many phone calls, or maybe if I said something it would make them cry, or I thought what I would say would be dumb, but it really is a blessing to have people call you and I am going to try and do better in that area. Third, I have learned to hope only in God. At first we were trying to learn so much about the cancer, and we still are a little, but it was getting so overwhelming. All the information about diet and nutrition and supplements all seemed to contradict. A few days ago, we realized that there is not a sure answer, because if there was, we would probably put our hope in that and not in God. We still want to be as healthy as we can now, but we know that what we eat is not going to heal us. Well, I guess that is a lot for now, I just wanted to remember all the things God has done so far. I'll try to write on Wed. Here are some prayer request until then.
1. My dad is having a lung biopsy on Wed too. Please pray for him.
2. The process of getting a second opinion has been confusing. Pray that we would be able to figure it all out soon, and that the opinion would be helpful.
3. Pray for the chemotherapy process We are expecting the usual unpleasant side effects, but I hope there aren't any surprises.
4. Pray that we would learn all that God has for us, and glorify Him though it all. Thanks