Well, it’s time for a blog update on Lori’s progress with her breast cancer.  As many of you know, Lori’s last day of chemo was August 12^th.  It was a long haul of 20 weeks starting the Adriamycin/Cytoxan and then the Taxol but now that’s done!  The chemo nurses gave her a present on her last day and hugs all around.  I noticed a few had some tears.  Lori did very well all things considered.  It did take a toll on her body with hair loss, Lymphedema of her right arm, finger/toe nail changes, body aches, photosensitivity, fatigue, mental fogginess and anemia.  But, overall she survived it quite well and was able to do lots of things this summer and didn’t let the cancer stop her.  (Yes, I pushed her some, but she pushed herself as well with a faithful walking program.)  The only cancer drug she is getting now is a Herceptin infustion every 3 weeks. This is a Monoclonal antibody that attacks the “Her2/Neu” receptor on the cancer cells.  It’s not “Chemo” per se.  It takes advantage of the receptor being on the cell and directs her immune system to kill it.  It’s generally pretty well tolerated but can cause some decreased cardiac output.  They’ve monitored Lori’s heart with an Echocardiogram and it looks good with no side effects. 

Besides walking a lot, we also went ATV camping with friends from church.  Lori got to see lots of back country parts of Montana from the back of an ATV.  We also picked a couple gallons of Huckleberries while ATVing as well.  We bought a boat this year and have enjoyed taking it out on Flathead Lake.  Lori had to be careful with sun exposure but she was right in there.  Some happy news is that our daughter Rachel delivered her first child and our first grandchild on our wedding anniversary, July 11^th.  We were concerned that we might not be able to get out and see the baby since we were in the middle of chemo.  But, we were able to leave right after treatment on a Monday and spend a week getting to know Isaac before driving back and starting again the following Monday.  

Compared to many patients that I’ve seen, Lori has done very well and we are thankful for that.  And so, the next step is radiation therapy.  The idea behind the chemo was to have those chemicals interrupt the cellular chemical reactions and kill the cancer cells.  Because they grow faster, they are relatively more affected than normal cells.  Radiation is similar.  It disrupts the cellular division process of the faster growing cancer cells. The radiation produces “free radicals” that destroy the cell membranes and prevent further growth.  

            I want to emphasize something.  Many people have had questions about further testing for Lori’s cancer to “see if there’s any left”.  When she had her PET scan after surgery, there was No Evidence of any cancer left in her body.  For all we know, the surgery may have removed all the cancer cells.  We can’t be certain though and that’s why we went through the chemo and now the radiation to treat the possibility of some remaining undetectable cancer cells in her lymph system.  The problem is that there is no way to test for those small amounts of cancer cells.  The chemo and radiation increase her chances that the cancer won’t come back.  Another PET scan or other testing at this time would very likely also be negative for cancer since she just finished treatment.  There is nothing else more aggressive to be done right now.  We will probably look at doing another scan sometime in the next year after all the treatment is over. 

            The radiation treatment, which began on 9/11, is every day M-F for 6 weeks.  The grind of having to drive to Kalispell (about half an hour from our house) is something we’re not looking forward to.  We’re told the radiation is pretty well tolerated.  She will probably get some sun burn type skin changes and some fatigue.  They plan to irradiate the “tumor bed” of the chest wall where the breast used to be, the arm pit and the clavicle area.  Other than that, it’s just getting through it all.  We are very much looking forward to being done with Cancer. Period. 

            Something else that happened in the past few weeks is that Lori really felt that she heard from God about her cancer.  We have both felt a gnawing anxiety worrying about the possibility that the cancer might come back.  As you may remember, we were shocked with the initial diagnosis and then at the extent of spread once it was fully staged.  It is a sneaky cancer and escaped detection by normal methods initially.  Now that we are getting towards the end of treatment, we wonder, “What if it sneaks back?”  During one of Lori’s morning devotions, she was reading about the man by the pool of Bethesda in John 5:6.  When Jesus asked the man, “Do you want to get well?” The man said that others cut in front of him so he couldn’t get in the pool to be healed.  Jesus didn’t focus on the pool, he simply said, “Take up your mat and walk”.  The Creator of the Universe has the prerogative to do that.   Lori had an overwhelming feeling that He was asking her the same question about her desire to be healed.  She realized at that moment that deep in her spirit, she had a longing to be well, to be done with cancer, to be restored.  She also felt an overwhelming sense that Jesus said to her, “then take up your mat and walk”. Yes, we do all the medical things (the pool) we know how to do, but The Lord is the One who really does the healing.  For the first time, she is now seeing the “light at the end of the tunnel” and having real hope that she is going to beat this disease.  As a further confirmation, the next passage Lori read was Psalm 18:2-3 which says, “The LORD is my Rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my Rock, in whom I take refuge.  He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.  I call to the LORD, who is worthy of praise, and I am saved from my enemies.”  She then remembered that the place she was receiving the cancer treatment is called “The Rock” office building.  The symmetry and duality of this is beautiful.  God is there if you look for Him.  We believe in the medical treatment she is getting and we believe in Divine healing power. 

            As Lori’s husband, I can sense a positive change in her as well.  There is new Hope.  And Hope in the Lord is everything.  Without Hope, you’re dead.  Even if you don’t have cancer, if you don’t have Hope, life is dreary, pointless and an endless series of temporary self gratifying activities.  Yes, we have Hope in this chemo regimen we just finished.  We have Hope in the Radiation treatments.  We have Hope that her Doctors Hulvat, Anderes and Stillie have steered us in the right direction for treatment.  We have Hope and Faith that the cancer won’t come back.   But most of all, we have Hope in the Lord Jesus Christ.  In life or death, no matter what comes or when it comes, He is The Lord. Nothing changes that.        

            The birth of your first grandchild is a wonderful experience but it changes your perspective on life somewhat.  To see your offspring produce their own offspring is very gratifying and gives you a feeling of fullness and completeness.  You see little bits of yourself in your grandchild and yet you’re separated by 55 years of life, but still its awe inspiring.  But, it’s also that gentle tap on the shoulder that hey, you’re not going to always be here.  Both my parents are gone.  Lori lost her dad this spring and her mom recently had a stroke.  Life moves on.  The circle of life continues.  We’re next in line.  With that realization staring you in the face, life takes on a new importance to “make it count”.  We find ourselves with a desire to use however many years we have left to do good, gain wisdom and advance the Kingdom of God.  And hopefully, we’ll be there to help pass the torch of Faith to our grand kids that we passed to our own children. 

            As always, we continue to covet your prayers for Lori’s healing.  We thank you over and over for all your love and support.  God Bless,  John and Lori

 

PS-In late breaking news, our son Ben, just got engaged to his girlfriend, Rachel Maurer on Friday 9-20-13.  We are thrilled with this news and so happy for both of them!  They are planning a wedding in Golden, CO for the summer of 2014.  Stay tuned!