Home Again

Laurence is home after a routine doctor visit on Tuesday landed him in the hospital for two days. All his tests came back normal. Praise God!

It's true. There's no place like home.
Blessings.

More Tests

Laurence went in for a routine doctor visit on Tuesday morning and had some suspicious symptoms so they admitted him to OHSU for more tests. His EKG and CAT scan came back normal. He had one test late this afternoon and will have another one tomorrow.

As I was leaving the hospital last night, this sweet Ethiopian staff member stopped in to say hello to Laurence. She cleans rooms on the night shift and remembered him from his hospital stay last month. Apparently, she and I had not met before and curiosity was eating away at her. She stopped me in the hall and wanted to know if I was Laurence's cousin. Even though I told her I was his wife, she stopped back at Laurence's room and asked who his friend was. I left knowing that he had lots of friends keeping watch over him.

Thanks for your prayers for more good test results and Laurence back home soon.

Wholeness

Laurence finished his chemotherapy last night. He rests today and then returns tomorrow for a visit with his cardiologist and some tests.

This journey is one of courage, faith and love. Thanks for standing witness to the truth of Wholeness. Blessings.

Seattle Marathon

I forgot to share about our friend Tom Hill who is running the Seattle marathon in June. Here is an except from his message:

It's been almost two years since I last updated you on my crusade against cancer. It is my dream that each time I enter and complete one of these long distance endurance events with the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Team in Training that it willbe the last one and all that would be left is the "victory lap" because a cure has been found. The good news is, many more people than ever before are surviving and a cure is growing ever closer. However the bad news is wonderful people are still dying from this disease and we can’t stop now. Each time I cross that finish line I want to hang up the shoes and spend my Saturdays doing something other than training, and then another dear friend or family member gets added to my honor role list and it’s back on the road I go. Entering Marathons, asking for donations, and raising awareness that we all must keep up the fight.

You can read more and find out how to support his team at Tom's Page

Thanks Tom for fighting the good fight!!

Day of Rest

Laurence finished his second day of chemo yesterday. He is pretty tired not only from the treatment but from the intense schedule. He has a morning treatment at 8:30 a.m. and gets home around 3 p.m. He leaves again at 9:30 p.m. and is home at 2:30 a.m.
Tomorrow is hopefully his last day at this schedule.

Laurence is resting today. He sends his love and thanks for your prayers.

Choosing Peace

Laurence is receiving chemo this week to make sure all traces of the leukemia are gone in preparation for the bone marrow transplant.

His chemo treatment has to be 12 hours apart. He received treatment this morning. He returns to the hospital at 10 p.m. tonight for his next treatment which is about four hours long. He has such a great attitude about it. I offered to go with him because I was stressing over him driving around in the middle of the night. Laurence assured me that he much prefers this to being admitted to the hospital. I can understand that. He is making a choice for peace instead of stress.

He will repeat the schedule on Friday and Sunday. Thanks for your prayers for ease and grace and knowing that everything needed is provided for. Thanks so much.

Standing in Faith

It's been a quiet few days. A lot of Laurence's symptoms have calmed down. We are waiting to hear from the cardiologist about scheduling his MRI and stress test.

We were disappointed and very surprised on Friday to learn that Laurence's six siblings tested negative for a bone marrow match. The match involves more that a patient's tissue or blood type. There are proteins or markers found on cells in the body. The search involves finding a close match between the patient and the donor. You can read more about it at the Bone Marrow Registry.

Thank you for standing in faith with us knowing that a match is found with ease and grace and in perfect right time. We are so grateful for your prayers. May you be blessed with God's Love today and every day. Happy Valentine's Day.

Strengthening the Heart

We met with Laurence's cardiologist yesterday. He was concerned about Laurence’s heart and the process of another round of chemo. One of the issues is that there is a lot of iron in Laurence's blood from frequent transfusions over the years. He is scheduling an MRI and a stress test which will let him know if that is truly the cause of the symptoms. He is putting Laurence on a low dosage beta blocker which will help regulate his heart.

We were thrilled with how closely the cardiologist is working with the oncologist to make sure Laurence is receiving the correct treatment. He was very easy to talk with and he thoroughly explained his thinking and his plans. We were very grateful.

Laurence and I went out to dinner for his birthday. First time out to a restaurant since December! Thank you for your birthday wishes, emails and calls. Especially for your prayers. Thank you.

Birthday Blessings

Occasionally on this amazing journey of life, we have the opportunity to meet someone who makes a difference in our experience of the world around us. Someone who listens with compassion, who gives without limits, whose beautiful smile brightens a dreary day and whose contagious laugh chases even the darkest clouds away. We meet someone who reminds us that faith is essential, that God is Love, Love is unconditional and the world is a wonderful place to live.

I am truly blessed because I met this person and he is my confidant, advisor, best friend and husband. I thank God each day for the life we share of Grace, Love and Joy.

Tuesday is my beloved's birthday. I believe the world is a better place because of Laurence. Don't you agree?
Blessings.

Peace

Yesterday was rough but today was a much more peaceful day for Laurence. I know prayers are working to bring more balance and peace and renewed energy.

Thank you. You are a blessing!

A Grateful Heart

Laurence and I met with Dr. W. who is overseeing his treatment before the bone marrow transplant. He was puzzled by Laurence's symptoms so he sent him to the cardiologist in another building for an Ecko Gram. The test showed that Laurence's left side of his heart is enlarged which was causing extreme fatigue and other symptoms. (A common side effect of chemo.) Dr. W. prescribed some meds that will help regulate Laurence's heart.

We were there for five hours which would have normally left us irritable. We were so grateful for the time that Dr. W. spent talking with Laurence and also consulting with his other doctors.

Laurence will return next Tuesday for blood work and to see how he is doing with his new meds. Next step will be another round of chemo to prepare him for the bone marrow transplant.

Your prayers are working daily!! Thanks so much for your loving support.

Balance

Laurence received IV fluids and antibiotics on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. He is resting at home today. His symptoms continue to hang on. We visit the doctor tomorrow. Thanks for your prayers for Wholeness and Balance. Blessings to you.

Thanks for the Energy

Chemotherapy causes a number of disorders and reactions in the body, even after treatment has ended. So it is a challenge to know if symptoms are a result of chemo or infection. Laurence had several difficulties this weekend and initially we chalked them up to chemo. I called the clinic this morning and they suggested we come in for some tests.

Good news first. His chest x-ray showed that the infection in his lungs has diminished, which also means that he no longer has to follow a low-bacteria diet. His blood levels also showed improvement. Praise God!

Unfortunately, one of the side effects of chemo is a dramatic change in how food tastes. Laurence is released from the special diet, but food just doesn't taste the same right now. Painful process for a man who loves flavor and cooking!(Doctors advise to stay away from your favorite foods during chemo because of the significant change in taste buds may result in never wanting your favorite foods again!) Some other side effects; low energy, change in eye sight, digestion problems. The staff today prescribed some different meds that will hopefully bring some balance back to his body.

Appointments at the hospital are never brief. Today's was five hours. Laurence has three more this week. We continue to be so grateful for the staff. They work with each other as a team, checking in with each other and asking excellent questions.

Your prayers continue to hold us up, especially on an exhausting day like today. Thank you so much. XOXOXXO