Wednesday, June 28, 2017

Prayers for Cammi

My beautiful cousin, Cammi, was diagnosed with a very aggressive form of breast cancer back in January.  She is 34 years old, a daughter, sister, wife and mother of four children.  

Cammi completed 6 doses of chemotherapy a few weeks ago.  She has tested positive for the "gene" that makes her cancer very aggressive, and very likely to return and spread.  She is having a bilateral mastectomy next month, and her oncologist has recommend that she have a hysterectomy next year.  

I would ask that you add this beautiful young woman to your prayer list.  And if you feel led, visit her Go Fund Me page HERE to make a donation. 

I believe we are to pray for healing.  In the Book of James, 
Chapter 5, it is written: 

 "Is any sick among you? Let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him. Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much."

That tells me that while we always seek God's will, it is OK to ask our God to heal those that are sick.

I've just finished reading "Forgotten God -
Reversing Our Tragic Neglect of the Holy Spirit" by
Francis Chan.  Let me tell you it is eye opening.  I'll expand on this in another post, but seriously, if you haven't read this book GET A COPY AND READ IT.  It will change your life as a Christian.

And in case you're wondering, my sweet mama is BETTER!  She is back home and still drinking those shakes and walking and exercising.  Praise the Lord!!  We continue to pray for complete healing in Jesus name and ask that you agree with us in prayer!!  Remember, the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man (or woman) availeth much!!!

Blessings to you all!!!


Friday, June 23, 2017

Better, But Not Well

My mom has been at my sister's since last Saturday.

And she's better, but a long way from well.

She is able to get the protein shakes down, but continues to struggle with eating.

She can eat "real" food, but doesn't eat nearly enough.
Without the protein shakes we would be right back where we started.   We've tried appetite stimulants but honestly can't tell any difference at all.

She is still pretty weak and she still needs to gain several pounds just to be back to where she was post-chemo, which is still thin.

I don't believe there is any way my mom is ready to be back home and on her own.  She is too weak.  She has a long way to go.

We have prayed and prayed and prayed.

We need Jesus to heal her.

She needs your prayers.

Thank you so much.  




Thursday, June 15, 2017

Homeward Bound

After being admitted to the hospital on Tuesday, May 30th, my mom is being released today. Thank you Jesus!!!! She is drinking the protein shakes every day, and she has improved a lot.  She still struggles with nausea.  We really don't know where that comes from.  The doctors don't seem to know, so prayers about that are appreciated.

She has done physical therapy and occupational therapy every day, trying to build up some strength and get her up and moving again.  All of the excess fluid is gone from her body which has helped tremendously!!! 

She will be heading home from the hospital today, and on Saturday she and my dad are going to my sister's house.  My sister does medical billing and she works from home.  So mom being there for the next couple of weeks just makes sense.  My sister will take excellent care of my mom!!  She can make sure she drinks the shakes.  Make sure she continues doing the exercises and gets up and walks several times per day.  My sister is an excellent cook, so hopefully some great tasting food (sorry, but hospital food is  NOT GOOD) will encourage my mom to start eating again, so the mainstay of her diet isn't protein shakes.  We desperately need my mom to gain weight (I won't even tell you how much she weighs) and to regain her strength.

My mom is better than she was on May 30th when she was admitted to the hospital.  Just being honest, I was VERY CONCERNED about her that day.  And even though she is better, she has a long way to go before she's ready to be at home on her own.

Since April 6th, the day of my mom's liver surgery, she has been in the hospital more days than she has been out of the hospital.  The recovery from the surgery has been extremely slow.  Much slower than we would have expected, and she is very discouraged by this.  She worries about herself a lot.  

So, again, I come asking for your prayers.  I'm so thankful that even though sometimes I get tired of praying, God never gets tired of listening.  Please continue praying for my mom to regain her appetite and her strength.  My mom is tired of feeling bad.  Tired of not having any energy.  

Just tired of being tired.

She needs a touch from the Healer, Jesus Christ.

Thank you for your prayers.  


Monday, June 5, 2017

So You Know How To Pray

I'll start off by saying that I can't thank you enough for sticking with me these past few months.  Cause if you're still reading this blog you're either desperate for something to pass the time, or you are a prayer warrior.  And if you're a prayer warrior, then I need your help.

My mom was admitted to the hospital last Tuesday, May 30th.  She was given two units of blood and her hemoglobin is back to normal.  Thank you, Lord.  They made her drink 5-6 Ensure protein drinks per day since Wednesday, and the excess fluid they had been draining is DRAMATICALLY BETTER.  Her feet and legs are almost back to normal!!!  They had been so swollen mom was just miserable.  

They kept her in the hospital until Friday when they transferred her to the rehabilitation unit to try to build up her strength with some physical therapy and occupational therapy.  She will stay there 10 to 14 days and she actually started PT and OT today.

The bottom line is this, my mom has to drink 5 or 6 Ensure protein drinks per day, every day.   She has zero appetite and is nauseous most of the time, so drinking those is a real struggle for her.  They are 8 ounces apiece, which for me is no big deal, but for her, well, getting down 5 or 6 of them over the course of a day is very difficult.  She can eat "real food" but she only eats a few bites here and there, so the protein drinks are a MUST for her to get better.  Without them she doesn't get NEARLY ENOUGH protein or vitamins or minerals or calories.  If she doesn't drink 5 or 6 shakes per day, then the fluid will come back, what LITTLE strength she has regained she will lose, and we're right back where we were last Tuesday when she was admitted.

I need you to pray for an increased appetite for my mother.  The doctor has put her on an appetite stimulant, but it can take several days for that to begin working.  We need her WANTING to drink those shakes and WANTING to eat regular food.  Cause for right now, we really have to push her to get her to drink them which, as you can imagine, is no fun for her, or for us.

As I said, she has been losing weight and strength and muscle tone the past couple of months,  and she is very weak.  The physical therapy WEARS HER OUT and makes her want to sleep, which makes it hard for her to get the 5 or 6 protein shakes down cause you can't drink while you're napping, but without the shakes she has zero energy and she will go backwards and we can't have that.  As you can see it's a vicious cycle. 

My mother would be very upset with me if she knew I was posting this about her.  She doesn't want anyone to know she is struggling.  But if you don't know what's going on with her, then how do you know how to pray??  So,  there it is.  My mother needs a major increase in her appetite.  She needs a lot of encouragement.   She needs a WILL to get better.  The doctor has told us it is totally up to her.  If she can drink the shakes, get her strength back, and then transition over to "real food" she will be fine.  If she won't, well, the exact words of the doctor to my mother were "this ends badly for you."

I know that God is able to do exceedingly abundantly beyond ANYTHING we can ask.  So I continue to ask that you agree with us for COMPLETE AND TOTAL HEALING IN JESUS NAME.

I've said it before, I can't thank you enough for the prayers you have lifted for my mother.  While I may never be able to thank you in person here on this earth, what a time we will have in heaven together one day!!  I love you all, and I pray God's blessings upon you and yours as you read this and respond in prayer.  I love my mother so very much.  I just want her back and healthy and whole.