November 29, 2007

No news is good news! I’m feeling pretty good this week and keeping my energy up until about 8:00 or 9:00 at night. I’m still taking Tykerb and Xeloda drugs for chemotherapy, and I’ll see Dr. Aggarwal next week for a check up. She will probably take me off of Xeloda for a week’s break, which is normal. I’ve had pretty steady nauseu and a lack of appetite, but I’m getting used to these symptoms, and I haven’t thrown up since Saturday.

There are so many things to be thankful for at this time of year, and I love the holiday season with family and friends. May you find time to be with your family and friends and share and make some great memories.

Sandy

November 19, 2007

We had a great and smooth move on Saturday, so now we’re trying to get settled into our new home. It’s very cozy and only 8 miles from Markle. We’ll be tripping over boxes and trying to find stuff for a long time, but we’re moved! We are grateful to the crew from church that showed up to move us. They did a fantastic job and made this move much less stressful. I also appreciate my mom for providing a yummy lunch to all of our movers. Now, we need to finish cleaning the house in Harlan and get the realtor up to visit. It will be put on the market as soon as possible, so please pray for a buyer.

I’m feeling good most of the time, but I still have ongoing side effects from my chemo. Nausea, diahrrea, and skin problems are my biggest issues right now. I’ve been on a two-week break from Xeloda, and I start it up again tomorrow. It’s a drug that I only take for 14 days and then take 7 days off. The Tykerb is taken every day with no breaks. My next appointment with Dr. Aggarwal is December 4, to see how things are going.

I’ve been touched by several powerful events lately… the death by cancer of a spirirtual pillar at our church, an incredible sermon at church yesterday, and songs I hear played on Christian radio stations and sung at church. What all of these have in common is that they all talked about the legacy we will leave behind when we die. None of us knows how much time we’ll have on this earth, but I’m pretty certain mine will be shorter than I planned. Leavning a legacy of faith, love and joy for my husband and girls is the most important thing I can do for them. I don’t want their memories of me to center on being sick– I want them to have memories of my love for them, my faith in action, and my commitment to loving God.

The song below is an updated version of one of my favorite hymns: Amazing Grace. It was written for the movie “Amazing Grace,” and the author says he wanted to show the hope that comes from God’s grace in this song. My chains are gone because God gives me grace. I hope you have this sense of freedom too.  

Amazing Grace (My Chains are Gone) – Chris Tomlin
Amazing grace
How sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me
I once was lost, but now I’m found
Was blind, but now I see

‘Twas grace that taught my heart to fear
And grace my fears relieved
How precious did that grace appear
The hour I first believed

My chains are gone
I’ve been set free
My God, my Savior has ransomed me
And like a flood His mercy reigns
Unending love, Amazing grace

The Lord has promised good to me
His word my hope secures
He will my shield and portion be
As long as life endures

My chains are gone
I’ve been set free
My God, my Savior has ransomed me
And like a flood His mercy reigns
Unending love, Amazing grace

My chains are gone
I’ve been set free
My God, my Savior has ransomed me
And like a flood His mercy reigns
Unending love, Amazing grace

The earth shall soon dissolve like snow
The sun forbear to shine
But God, Who called me here below
Will be forever mine
Will be forever mine
You are forever mine

Blessings to you all.

Sandy

November 12, 2007

PTL!!! The girls loved school today at Lancaster, and they both found friends already!

It is official– we are moving this Saturday, and we’re going to be ready.

I’m feeling good this week, and I’ve returned to work full time starting today. I’ll see how it goes to work full-time, but I’ll also be careful about not working too hard. Mark will keep a close eye on me, and he’ll tell me when I’ve done too much. He’s protective in such a loving way, and I love him for it.

Thanks for continuing to pray and send your support through comments and cards.

Sandy

November 9, 2007

I’m feeling pretty good this week with a break from one of my chemo drugs. I’ve had a few side effects still lingering, but they seem to be better. I still take the new drug (Tykerb) every day, and there is no break from this one. My doctor gave me permission to work full time if I feel up to it, so she must think I’m doing good too!

We got the girls registered for school at Lancaster yesterday, and they are very nervous. They’ll start on Monday, and we’ll be using my mom’s house for a place to stay some nights since we haven’t moved yet.

Not much else is happening right now…except preparing to move and trying to stay healthy. The girls are feeling better and not coughing so much, so that’s an answer to prayers! I hope they can start at their new school without being sick.

Have a great weekend, and thanks for your prayers.

Sandy

November 7, 2007

Mark and I went to my checkup with my oncologist yesterday, and everything is going fairly well with my chemotherapy. I’ve had a few adverse side effects from the drugs, but I’m on a 14-day break from the strongest one starting yesterday. This should help reduce the side effects and give my body a much needed break. It might sound trivial, but my biggest physical problems are nauseau and painful splits in the end of my fingers.

Our girls continue to be struggling with their health…especially Shelby. She has bronchitis and cannot seem to get over it. I spent the night on the couch with her because she slept in a chair last night. Please pray for her health and this awful cough. Savannah has come home sick from school a couple of times, but I suspect she’s working the system at school to see what sympathy she can get too.

We may not be moving this weekend as planned. A very dear friend from our church passed away last night, and the funeral may be Saturday. Being with their family and our church is more important than moving, plus many of our “movers” will be at the same funeral. We are checking to see if we can reschedule the move for Nov. 17, but we haven’t confirmed these plans yet.

I’m not sure what to do with the girls’ school situation given this new move date. We’ve had them prepared to start on Monday (Nov. 12), and we may still try to accomplish this. We are very blessed that a good friend, Tamara, has a Lancaster bus route that goes right by the hardware store every morning. She’s offered to pick up the girls, which will be great! Not only do they get to spend more time with their dad in the morning, but they’ll have the best bus driver, too.

Thanks for your prayers and support during this stressful time. We love you.

Sandy

November 2, 2007

After a 5-day business trip to Salt Lake City, I arrived home on Monday to a house with a sick child and I got sick, too. Shelby has been running a fever most of the week and only made it to school one day. I was terribly sick on Wednesday, throwing up four times and feeling very wiped out. We weren’t sure what the cause, so Mark called Dr. Aggarwal’s office to ask them what to do. They had me come in a for fluids and nauseu medicine through my port, which took about 2 hours. Incredibly, I felt much better by the end of the treatment and have ever since. I’ve told several people that getting fluids and nausea medicine might be a nice daily routine if I feel this good! The nurses at the office thought I had a bad case of the flu, but they weren’t sure it wasn’t chemo side effects. Ever since the fluids on Wednesday, I’ve been feeling great!

We are planning for our big move on November 10, and several people from our church have offered to help. My house is full of boxes, and the kids and Mark are getting nervous, but I think we’ll make it. We’ll be living about 8 miles from the hardware store, between Markle and Bluffton. This is only a temporary move until we sell our house and find something in the Markle area to purchase, but we hope it’s a step in the right direction. We’d like to find a house that we can stay in for the rest of our lives when we do this again. We’re trusting God to provide what we need, and we’re praying for patience as it all unfolds.

I found this verse when I was reading my Bible this morning– it’s from The Message.

Proverbs 3:5-6
Trust God from the bottom of your heart;
don’t try to figure out everything on your own.

Listen for God’s voice in everything you do,
everywhere you go;
he’s the one who will keep you on track.

We’re trying hard to trust at this level and listen for God’s voice in every decision we make. The trials of life, like sick kids, chemo  and moving, keep distracting us along the way. Thanks for your continued support and love. We can definitely feel it!

Sandy