God is Good
(Picture Taken 2/19 - Back Row From Left to Right...
The quiet one who goes with the flow, the one who is the boss, the noisy, funny, entertaining one, and the one who would like to be the boss...which may have been accomplished!)
Before I say anything I need to say what a mighty God we serve. He is sovereign and knows what is best. He is a healing God and a God who comforts. He is with us every step of the way giving us exactly what we need when we put our trust in Him. He is a good God and Father.
This update......This update has been plaguing my mind before it's due time. I would zap the thoughts of it away and try my best to live in the moment. We were hoping it would be later, much later than now, or even avoided. But alas...here we are. The tumor in mom's brain is growing and with vengeance.
Mom has not been well since the last round of chemo which ended about two weeks ago. Just over half way through this, what turned out to be her final round of chemo, Mom declined mentally and physically and at a speeding rate. Her weakness escalated as her clarity of mind plummeted. In the midst of this, in very chemo fashion, she battled sickness daily, but she persevered and finished. We, and as in 'we' I mean Dad, took amazing care of her as always. He is such a great caretaker and husband...and Dad; he helped and encouraged her in every way while we checked-in and waited to see what each day would bring during, and the days following, chemo.
After the previous rounds of treatments she had always rebounded a bit from its set-backs. But this time was different. Her set backs were substantial and her bounce back was subtle. So after many calls to her doctors and nurses, an MRI was scheduled and revealed this miserable secret; the tumor is back and rearing its ugly head.
As a result of this revelation, treatment will now cease. Mom is now taking a medicine that will not fight against the cancer, but rather, alleviate symptoms that the tumor and the subsequent swelling are causing. These symptoms include extreme weakness and limited use of her entire right side. She also has aphasia. This is a condition where your brain cannot put your thoughts into words. She has been struggling with these symptoms for months now but not to the severity that she has in the past couple weeks. This new medicine will either work or not work at helping her to regain some strength and clarity. The doctor explained that we should know sooner than later if it is proving to be beneficial. We have been encouraged that since treatment number one, she has been blessed with some relief from these debilitating symptoms. We see her getting stronger and she is even speaking in full sentences. God is good!
It is a blessing she received the port when she did because I don't believe her veins would have been able to withstand this 90 minute treatment intravenously. The port made this possible. God is continuing to work things out for our good and we praise Him for it!
Thank you again for all the love and support from so many of you. This, as always, has been an encouragement to Mom, Dad and all of us. One thing, among many, that God has been teaching us through this trial is how to be a better servant to others. Thank you for blessing us in this way.
With this I leave you with a message from my parents.... "The God we serve is healing Robin. The doctors are going to be amazed and have no medical explanation for her miraculous healing. We praise God for His grace and mercy to us each day." Blessings to you, Jenna "Therefore do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. For you have need for endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised." Hebrews 10:35-36
