It will not touch us!

Do not be afraid of the terrors of the night, nor the arrow that flies in the day, do not dread the disease that stalks in the darkness, nor the disaster that strikes at midday. Though a thousand may fall at your side, though ten thousand are dying around you, these evils will not touch you. 

These verses from Psalms 91:5-7 are some of my favorite to pray and claim for myself and many others over the years. Today I am claiming them for myself as I finished my high dose radiation to my adrenal gland, but also for my brother-in-law, Gaylen Murphy, as he’s been in the UAMS hospital for over two weeks and could have a couple more to go depending on how his body reacts to treatment for the multiple myeloma that is all throughout his bones. He is having a stem cell transplant, which means they have given him chemo to wipe out his white blood cells/immune system, and then they will build it back up and harvest his stem cells over 2-5 days. Be praying that this all can happen as quickly as safely possible so he and his wife, Dolly, can get out of the hospital and get back home for a while.  Gaylen is a trooper! He can only sit-up real straight on the edge of his bed or lay down pretty flat in the bed to stay out of pain, yet he is working hard to do 15 laps with his walker each day, bringing jokes and smiles to everyone he passes. Billy and I were happy we got to go visit he and Dolly in Little Rock last week. I slept most of the drive down and back thanks to Billy driving us. I have been pretty nauseated as the radiation hit some of my stomach causing extra acid and nausea. I am improving so I can eat a bit more and gain some energy and stamina back. I hope to hike a little on a Colorado vacation soon - please God?!? 

Thanks for praying and please remember you can donate to Gaylen & Dolly to help with all their extra expenses with this link! We all appreciate you so much! 

https://gofund.me/ce61266e

May this be the last of it!

Several weeks ago the doctors found active cancer in my adrenal gland (sits right above my kidney). Everything else looked stable, thank goodness, but this needs taken care of. It was decided that radiation is required so today I have my first targeted radiation therapy to kill this remaining cancer. I will only need 5 high dose treatments given every other day through next week. I’m dreading it because I’ve gotten a break but it’s necessary and will hopefully be the last of active cancer. Side effects are nausea, stomach pain and even ulcers, and fatigue. 

The PET scan showed a tiny bit of activity in my lower lung but they feel that could be inflammation, so let’s pray and claim that to be the case. 

Lastly, will you pray that a fistula wound I have had for a few months heals. The fistula is an open track between my abdomen and my upper thigh, most likely following a muscle they flipped from my leg to build flaps in my abdomen 8 years ago.  The gyn oncology specialists reviewed my case in their tumor board meeting and they all agreed it could cause me more harm to open my scar tissue filled abdomen to fix it, than to leave it alone. However, it is a wound that requires dressing changes 2-3 times a day and can be painful with activity or even with sitting in an upright position. Sometimes these fistula wounds heal on their own and sometimes they don’t, but healing could take a decade. Please please pray that God gives me a miracle and heals this fistula to improve quality of life soon! It feels a bit overwhelming to add yet another medical dressing I need to maintain every day forever.  For those of you just joining my story, I already have two permanent ostomy bags to care for. 

Thank you for caring and praying friends! HAPPY JUNE!