Wednesday, February 22, 2017

MIRACLES STILL HAPPEN

These are my parents.  

 

This picture of them was taken Saturday afternoon in Houston, Texas.

You might recall that my mother had surgery on Thursday to remove two cancerous tumors from the left side of her liver.

The surgeon met with us following the surgery.

The largest tumor in her liver is gone.  He couldn't fine it.

The other small tumor he removed, but it wasn't cancer.

THANK YOU JESUS!!!!! 

We are praising God and telling this story to EVERYONE WHO WILL LISTEN!!!  And I want YOU to share this story as well!

It is difficult to live a life of faith.  There will be doubters.  Sometimes you will even wonder yourself.  Trust me, I have had days of feeling like my faith was small.  Even some who call themselves "Christians" will look at you strangely when you talk about praying for God to heal someone with cancer.

I'm here today to remind you that JESUS CHRIST SITS ON THE THRONE TODAY AT THE RIGHT HAND OF GOD.

HE STILL HEALS.

HE STILL SAVES.

HE STILL FORGIVES SIN.

So don't give up friends.  Don't ever give up on healing, don't give up on your loved ones salvation.  Don't give up on Jesus.  His timing is perfect.  Keep praying and asking God and then TRUST HIM!!!!

PLEASE KEEP PRAYING FOR MY MOM!!!!!!!
WE AREN'T GONNA QUIT IN THE MIDDLE OF A MIRACLE!!

My mom has one tumor near the middle of her liver that they feel is cancer, but since last Thurday's surgery was done laparoscopically, and the tumor is so small, he felt it best to wait and remove it when he does the second surgery in April. During that second surgery they will remove the entire right side of her liver which has some small scattered tumors that are difficult to remove individually.

We will be heading back to Houston in 10 days for a procedure to block off the blood flow to the right side of the liver, so please be in prayer for that. 

JOIN US in praising our Lord for His healing Power. 

He is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

THANK YOU JESUS!
THANK YOU JESUS!
THANK YOU JESUS!!!

PRAISE YOUR HOLY NAME FOREVER!!!!!!!!!



 

Wednesday, February 8, 2017

We Have An Answer

My mom will have stage one, of a two-stage surgery, on Thursday, February 16th.  The surgeon will remove the tumors in the left side of her liver, and do a portal vein embolization (I had to ask too), cutting off the blood supply to the right side of her liver and forcing the left side of the liver to grow and regenerate.  She will be in the hospital 3-5 days, and then she will stay in Houston another week at the hotel resting so the doctor can keep an eye on her.  They will then send her home for a month to recover.

We will then make another trip back to Houston for the second stage surgery, removing the entire right side of her liver, which is where the small scattered tumors are located.  They feel this is the best way to make certain they get all of the cancer.

I hate for mom to have two surgeries, but they feel two smaller (relatively speaking) surgeries will be easier on mom than one big surgery, and the two surgeries will be more effective at making certain they get all the tumors.

THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR PRAYERS!!!  

WE ARE THANKFUL TO HAVE A PLAN TO MOVE FORWARD.

Please keep my mom in your prayers.  Pray for safe travels for our trips to Houston.

Above all, thank the Lord for answered prayer.  

This has been a long road, and we aren't finished yet.  But praise the Lord HE has never left our side.  He is in the midst of all this and I know that He is working.

THANK YOU FOR PRAYING!!!!!


Tuesday, February 7, 2017

Decisions Decisions

This evening 50 of the finest minds in medicine will meet at MD Anderson in Houston, Texas.  They will be discussing, among other patients, my beautiful mother.

They will make a decision as to what the next "step" is going to be in her treatment plan.

There is an option for surgery to actually cut out the tumors from her liver.  The surgery is "big" as is the recovery.

There is an option to do ablation.  Which is a fancy word for zapping and burning the tumors.  It is an outpatient procedure with very little recovery time.

There is an option for more chemotherapy.

I am reminded of II Chronicles 20:12.


"For we have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on You."



We don't know what to do.  This trial we are going through is unfamiliar territory.  
I would ask that you agree with us, asking God to guide the minds of those 50 physicians tonight as they discuss my mom.  We want God's will, whatever that is.
We are choosing to trust Him.  Whatever their recommendation, that is what we will do, so we need God to guide them in their decision making.

They will meet tonight, and they will call Wednesday morning with their recommendation.

Please join with us in prayer.  We continue to ask for healing in Jesus name.  

Thank you!!!

 

Thursday, February 2, 2017

We're Back From Houston!!!

I feel as if Down On The Farm has become a chronology of my mother's health, and prayer requests.  There are plenty of blogs out there full of recipes and cute home decorating projects, and maybe one day I can get back to throwing a few of those in around some pretty weighty subjects, but for now, I just can't go there.  And that's OK with me.  I hope it's OK with you, and if you've hung around here this long I hope you will hang around a little longer.   

I KNOW THAT GOD HAS A PLAN!!!!

We got FANTASTIC NEWS in Houston!!!  The tumors have SHRUNK.

LIKE BY HALF.

The oncologist was amazed.  The results were better than they expected and we say 

THANK  YOU JESUS!!!!!!

So we met with a surgeon on Friday and he is absolutely convinced he can do the surgery on the liver (you might recall mom was diagnosed with colon cancer in August that had spread to her liver).  It will not be an easy surgery, and the recovery will take awhile.  

He is taking mom's case before what they call the "Tumor Board" which is a group of 50 MD Anderson doctors who discuss all of the cases, and all of the particulars of each case, to come up with the best recommendation for each patient (this Board meets on Tuesday, February 7th, so specific prayers for God to guide them on that day would be awesome).  My mom is 79 years old and she just took 7 rounds of chemotherapy so she is pretty weak.  Although she has been off of chemo for 3 weeks and is already beginning to feel better and get some strength built up.  We are so thankful that she is feeling good.  It is nice to see a smile on her face :)!!!!

We are "on hold" waiting for a call from the surgeon's office as to whether or not the "Tumor Board" recommends surgery. We should get a call on Wednesday February 8th, and surgery is already scheduled for February 16th if that is their recommendation. And the recommendation will be based on mom's overall health and whether or not they believe she is physically able to withstand the surgery and the recovery.  The surgeon is confident, but due to mom's age he wants to discuss it with other doctors.

Here's the deal.  Surgery is our best chance for my mom to beat cancer and move forward with a normal life.  If you read the statistics, there is a good chance the cancer will return at some point.  But there is a chance it won't.  If surgery is not an option, then we begin what the doctor refers to as "buying time."  There are other treatments, and they are much less invasive than surgery, but they are just that . . . treatments . . . because the cancer is still there without surgery.  Treatments just put off the inevitable.  

WE WANT GOD'S PERFECT WILL IN THIS SITUATION.  WE NEED DIVINE WISDOM.  JUST BECAUSE THEY RECOMMEND SURGERY, MOM COULD DECIDE NOT TO PROCEED WITH SURGERY AND JUST DO THE TREATMENTS.  

I ask that you would PLEASE once again lift our family before the Lord.  We want His will, no matter what that is.  We need to know if we should proceed with the surgery if that is the recommendation.

And while you're praying I ask for your prayers for my beautiful cousin Cammi.  Cammi is 33 years old, a wife and mother of 4 beautiful children, and she was diagnosed with breast cancer last week.  She starts chemotherapy tomorrow, February 3rd.  She needs a touch from Jesus.

I CAN'T THANK YOU ALL ENOUGH FOR YOUR PRAYERS FOR MY MOM AND MY FAMILY.  As always, I have days of being very positive, and days of feeling pretty overwhelmed.  I know that God is in this, and I trust Him, but I am human.  I want to take this all away, and yet I believe God has set this path before us.  I want to bring glory and honor to Him.

Thank you for your prayers!!!!