Saturday, December 29, 2007

Great Christmas!

Hard to believe that it has been over a week since I last posted on the blog. The Christmas holidays seemed to fly by. Karen flew in from Phoenix although she was delayed with some fog in Chicago. I have never seen O'Hare soooo crowded. We finally got home at 2:00 A.M. We celebrated our Christmas with the family on Dec. 23rd. with everyone together but Michael Coburns who had a Christmas at home for the first time in years. We had a glorious meal headlined with beef tenderloin and a crown pork roast. Fourteen of us gathered at the table. We exchanged presents earlier in the afternoon. I led worship in the morning and sang on the worship team on Christmas Eve. On Christmas we went to Kevin and Tracy's for dinner which was great. Unfortunately, we had to take Karen back to the airport on Christmas day as she had to work the next day.

We are now preparing for New Years. I continue to feel the same with only a queasy stomach. Mighty good! Praise God. We leave for Bonaire on January 9th and we are excited to head down there again. In so many ways it is like home for us.

We wish each of you a Happy and Healthy New Year! May God bless each of you abundantly.

Joe

Friday, December 21, 2007

Another Pet CT

Last week, I had another Pet CT. It seems that with each one, I become more nervous regarding the outcome. Our primary physician, Dr. Schubert called me on Sunday to let me know that although there was small growth in one of the lung tumors, he would still classify the disease as stable. I certainly thought that this was good news. On Wednesday, we went downtown to see Dr. Mulcahy at Chicago Northwestern. Overall, she just indicated that my tumors seemed to be very slow growing and that I was on the far end of the bell curve. We think that she may have just written us off as we are doing alternative therapy which she refuses attest to its effectiveness. Oh well! I'm not sure it is worthwhile going to see her again.

Last Saturday on the 15th we flew to Cleveland to spend a long weekend with Michael, Heidi and the children. We had Christmas on Sunday morning and Mary Anne, Michael and Heidi went to her oncologist on Monday. I stayed home with the kids as it was a snow day with which they were delighted. Her news was all good with no growth of her tumors. All her blood work was also normal and he didn't think they would do more blood work for several months and another MRI for maybe six months....all good news.

Tonight our daughter Karen flies in from Phoenix and will be with us for Christmas. We will have our Christmas on the 23rd as Kirk and some of the children are busy with church on Christmas eve. On Christmas day we will all head to Kevin and Tracy's for dinner. Mike and family will spend their first Christmas at home in some years. Unfortunately, Karen will have to fly back on Christmas day but we are so grateful that she will be in for a few days, We just don't get to see her as much as we would like.

Immediately after Christmas we will start getting ready to go to Bonaire as we leave on January 9th. We are so blessed to be able to spend time there!

We wish all of you a most blessed and joyous Christmas!

Joe

Tuesday, December 11, 2007

New Addition

As some of you may remember, last April we had to have our thirteen year old Maltese, Jake, put down. It was a very sad moment. As you dog owners know, they become like members of the family. Both Mary Anne and I have missed Jake a great deal. Mary Anne has been looking on "Pet Finders" and has showed me several dogs. I asked her if she was planning on getting another dog and when she said no I asked her not to show me anymore pitures of dogs.
We have been dog sitting for a friend who has the cutest, submissive little white dog. As great as he is, just dog sitting did not seem to do it for us and so Mary Anne called a friend who works at the Vet we went to, who also happens to be a show judge and asked her about finding us a small white dog...maybe a Maltese. Three hours later she called back to say that a friend of hers who runs the Animal Shelter in Joliet had a one year old male Maltese. He was small and very submissive.
Mary Anne went out that afternoon and got him. We found out that if we had called one day later he would have been put down. He is the cutest thing and very submissive. We felt very lucky to get him and him to be lucky also as he wouldn't have been here one day later.....
so naturally we decided to name him "Lucky"!
He is nothing like Jake. First of all he doesn't growl at me when I come into the bedroom and he is much more affectionate. He has adjusted very easily and already seems very much at home.

On another note, I have another Pet CT on Thursday the 13th and we have an appointment with Dr. Mulcahy at Chicago Northwestern on the 19th. We are hoping that the report will not only be favorable but also far more definitive.

In four weeks we will be leaving for Bonaire. We are so blessed to be able to get out of the winter for a while. We sure love the island and all the people who we know who either live on the island or come there while we are there.

May God bless each of you abundantly at this marvelous time of the year!

Joe

Monday, December 03, 2007

Christmas is Coming!

Last week, we were able to get the Christmas tree up and all the decorations in the house. I had put up the outside lights when the weather was much warmer. We turned on the outside lights on Thanksgiving evening. Like so many, I love Christmas. What a special event is the birth of our savior. I am enjoying each day and thank God for them. I am still feeling well and if anything my queasyness is less than it had been.
Yesterday I went to the Bears football game. It rained continually until we were in Soldier Field. Then the rain did stop and it didn't rain again. The temps started dropping and the wind picked up but I had soooo many clothes on that I was plenty warm. If I had put on many more clothes, I would not have been able to move. We had to walk a long, long walk from where we parked to the stadium and that was fine for me but Kevin (our son) had invited me and he brought his two boys, Jason 8, and Ryan 6. Jason did fine but Ryan had to be carried most of the way. I think they enjoyed the game....actually they enjoyed all the junk to eat that Kevin bought them. To the surprise of very few, the Bears blew a nine point lead in the fourth quarter and lost. It was a very nice outing. I'm glad Kevin asked me to go although at first I said I would rather stay at home and watch it in High Definition where the temp is always 72 degrees.

It is about 25 degrees here today....very cold but sunshinny. Good day for staying inside!

May God bless each of you.

Joe

Thursday, November 22, 2007

Happy Thanksgiving

Dear Family and Friends,
Last year we thought it might be our last Thanksgiving together. Now here we are year later and Joe isn't feeling any worse than last year. What a blessing! We are gathered at Kev and Tracy's,(our youngest son) house in Bloomingdale and we have had a very relaxed day. We actually have three dogs with us and they are all dong well together.
Today brings to mind the verse from Jeremiah - For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.
Joe and I had a nice dinner out last night and talked about why he was still here and feeling well. We decided that there is still work God wants us to do together so we are trying to be open to what that is. Does that sound like bargaining with the Lord? We hope not but we feel truly blessed by the time we have had and hope we have a lot more.
Hope you all are enjoying a great Thanksgiving with family and friends. We continue to pray for all those who are praying for us. God Bless. Mary Anne
P.S. The new picture to the right is from our trip to Paris in September.

Monday, November 19, 2007

Summer's Over!

Most of the leaves are off the trees and I have already put up the outdoor Christmas lights. Wow! Summer is definately over and winter is upon us. Even though I won't turn on the Christmas lights 'til Thanksgiving night, they are up and I actually chose a day where it was 68 degrees to do it in. Normally, I like to wait until it is about 20 degrees with a strong wind and then put them up.
I have been going to Dr. Ayre and getting IPT every week since the results of the last Pet CT. My queasy stomach is about the same. It's not so bad; it is just disconcerting! Dr. Ayre is perhaps the most caring physician I have ever encountered. He would be more than willing to come in on a Sunday if I could not get in at another time.
I have been making sawdust in my workshop.....making some things for Christmas....stuff for the neighbors. Cassie, our daughter, who is very artistic put the finishing touches on them and made it look really good. She is very talented and most willing to help.
We will be celebrating Thanksgiving at Kevin and Tracy's house. We will all be together except Karen who is in Phoenix and will have her best friend Kelli there with her. Karen will come in for Christmas but Michael and his family will not. We will fly to Cleveland on December 15 to have Christmas with them. It is so hard to get the whole family together at one time. After being gone for so long it is so good to be back home and attend services at our church here in Carillon. We will actually be home for about two months before we leave for Bonaire (God willing).
Mary Anne's back is hurting her as she has a bulging disc. She is scheduled for an MRI. We are praying that it will resolve on its own and ask for your prayers also.
With Thanksgiving almost here, I think we are all reminded of the vast number of gifts that God has showered upon us. Each of you who read this blog and pray are certainly among our gifts. Thank you!
Have a great Thanksgiving.
Joe

Saturday, November 10, 2007

Back Home

We did drive back to Chicago on Wednesday the 7th of November. On Thursday I had lunch with Ben Pahlow the co-founder of Global Family Rescue (see link to their website). They are having a fund raiser on Saturday (today) and I am MC-ing it. What a great cause. On Friday, Mary Anne and I went to see Dr. Ayre. I got another IPT treatment and he talked to us about the results of the most recent Pet CT. Not very favorable. The report was not very clear and rather general in nature but it said that the number of tumors in my lungs had increased. I don't know whether this meant from the five that were there to six or to sixty. It also said that some of the tumors had increased in size....no mention of what percentage increase. It also said that the tumors in my liver may be experiencing more viability on the outside ring (the inside is dead). Disappointing that the report was so non specific. The bloodwork that I had done was ALL normal including the CA 19-9 which is the first time that has been normal in a year and a half. (19-9 is a marker for gastrointestinal cancers) We will take the CD of the Pet CT down to Dr Mary Mulkahy at Chicago Northwestern and have her look at it. I am also going to increase the treatment from once every other week to every week and then have another Pet CT in 6 or 7 weeks and see if the increased treatments helped. With the exception of the queasy stomach I am still feeling well.

My continued thanks for your prayers. God bless you,

Joe

Wednesday, October 31, 2007

Happy Halloween

Joe left early this morning and will get his IPT today and his Pet scan tomorrow. We probably won't get the results until next week but at least it will be done. Joe was off one day on our return home. We will be driving home on the 7th and Heidi's Dad will be coming here on the 8th. We hope to be home until Jan7th but I might fly back to Ohio to help Heidi if she has RFA scheduled or if she goes to MD Anderson for a consult.
Halloween in this house is way different than at home. We don't ever have trick or treaters living in an adult community so I will be busy handing out treats and going to school to see the parade of costumes.
Have finally caught up on the cc website with all the other patients that have cholangiocarcinoma to see what they are doing and how they are doing. Lots of different ideas out there but everyone seems to stay away from sugar, alcohol, eat lots of vegetables and fruits, take supplements and pray for a cure soon. It is scary when you get a new symptom or one you haven't had in awhile. That's when we turn to God for wisdom, guidance and knowledge that we are following His Plan even tho we don't know where it is going. Love to all of you and God bless. Mary Anne

Tuesday, October 30, 2007

Home for a bit

My stomach has been acting up (queasy) for the last week and one half. Because of that, I am trying to schedule an IPT treatment and have another Pet CT the same day. I am currently waiting for approval from Medicare. The order was not written quite from my doctor and consequently they turned the first request down. We are trying again. If it comes through today, I will fly out tomorrow, have the pet CT and IPT the next day and fly back to Ohio the next day. We are planning on driving home on Nov 8th. Heidi's Dad will be arriving to help out on the 9th. She is feeling well and gaining strength every day.

As happy as we were to help out it will be good to get home again. We have been home so little this year. So far we have only been home during July, August and half of September. In many respects it seems like a lost year.

Thanks to all of you who are praying for Heidi and me.

Joe

Wednesday, October 24, 2007

Ohio

Heidi came home from the hospital yesterday. She seems to be recovering well from the surgery but as might be expected is having to process "having Cancer" I have bbeen spending some time with her discussing the importance of a positive attitude. There are lots of things to be positive about for her.

This morning we talked quite a while about God. She does believe in God and seems open to learn more. I told her that having Cancer was not the worst thing...having Cancer without God is the worst.

I think it is so good that we are here. It's a lot of work running the house and the three kids take time also. I am doing homework with Isabelle every night. She is very bright and helps me a lot so that the homework gets done.

Thanks for adding Michael and Heidi to your prayer list. We will be here til the 8th of Nov and then head home.

Joe

Sunday, October 21, 2007

Another challenge in the Coburn household

Hi Friends,
We made a sudden change to out plans of being in Bonaire for the month of October. Our daughter in law Heidi was informed from a colonoscopy that she had a tumor in her colon and after biopsy, it was found to be carcinoid and metastacised to her liver. They have three small children and live in Ohio so Friday we flew home and drove to Ohio on Saturday to help out with the kids. It was a blow for Joe to get his diagnosis last year but he was 66. She is 44. It also is treatable but not curable by medical standards. She will hve RFA on the liver mets after she heals from the surgery in about a month. Please include her and Michael in your prayers. We plan to be here til the 8th of November but can't stay away from Joe's treatments either. We will try and pass on all the good nutrition info as well as the hope and strength they can get from God in this tough situation. We are back to helping with homework, feeding animals, and doing household chores that make us feel needed. Joe has Connor the 10 year old out fishing right now. There is a website for people with carcinoid tumors just like the cc website and that has been helpful for Mike. Joe continues to do well and our few weeks in Bonaire were really good to just relax and sit back.Take care and God bless. Mary Anne

Monday, October 15, 2007

Good Divin'




We are still in Bonaire and although not cold at all the weather has been unusual for Bonaire. The last few days have been cloudy and lots of rain. The island only get 22 inches of rain a year and we got 2 1/2" on Saturday. As many of you know, I suffer from SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) which means that when the sun is not shinning, I am not in such a great mood. Saturday was about the third day that week that it was clooudy and I was pretty down most of the day. Sunday and today dawned sunny and nice and we went diving both days. Today we saw a Spotted Eagle Ray and I was able to get some nice pictures and Sunday for the second time we saw a Queen Trigger Fish (beautiful) and I also got lucky with the camera.
We are so blessed to be able to dive and see God's creatures that so very few get to see. The colors and variety anr unbelievable. I am not sure how one could doubt the existance of God with all the wonders of creation around.
Thanks to those who comment on the blog (Caroline above......we continue to pray for you). I so enjoy reading them.
Joe

Thursday, October 11, 2007

Just Relaxin!

We have been on Bonaire for about a week and a half and it has been very good. On our own schedule and very relaxing. We went to the Small group that was started when we were down here in Jan. They are going strong and growing. They are studying the life of Jesus and the leader (Ernie) is doing a GREAT job.

Yesterday, I had my doctor in the States fax orders for bloodwork to the doctor I see here. I went in to see him yesterday and had the blood drawn yesterday afternoon and I picked up the results this afternoon. ALL of the results were very good. Liver function was all normal. Red and white bl;ood cells were also very good. Praise God! They were unable to do the Cancer markers here so I will probably get that done when we return home.

I made arrangements with American Airlines to came home two weeks earlier than planned in the winter so that Mary Anne can train with her coach prior to the Master's State Meet. I also made arrangements to come home in February (in the middle of our stay) for a week in order to get three IPT treatments. I will do that and then return to Bonaire for five more weeks.

This island is so much like home for us. We have been coming here for eleven years and know so many people. The Antilliens are very friendly and laid back. The island is sub tropical and not what one might picture when thinking of a tropical island. No long stretches of sandy beach but this is one of the things that maked the diving great. We think that it is beautiful. There is no discrimination here........I believe that it is the way God intended the world to be.

Again and again thank you for all your prayers!!!

Joe

Thursday, October 04, 2007

Bonaire

We arrived here with no problems whatsoever on Monday night at 8:45. It was good to get back and we have seen quite a few people on the island that we know. Yesterday at the Warehouse market a lady who worked there asked me how I was doing? She said she knew me from church (on Bonaire) and that the testimony I gave in Feb really touched her. She is praying for me every day. WOW!

We went to Rum Runners for dinner last night and Bashi the manager asked how I was and said he had told his mother about me in Jan. She had asked about me just a couple of weeks ago and Bashi said she prays for me every day.

We went on our checkout dive on Tuesday and went to one of our favorite sites yesterday. Water is warm at 84 degrees and visability is good. We are hoping to be able to see the coral spawning tonight as we will do a night dive.

It is good to be here, very relaxing with no schedule.

Our love to you all,

Joe

Saturday, September 29, 2007

Home

This is the second of a whirlwind three days. We are unpacking, then packing, going to the cleaners, shopping, trying to remember everything and endeavoring to get caught up on sleep. As I am saying this, I realize that this is not going to evoke a great deal of sympathy from any of you. I am excited about going to Bonaire on Monday for a month. The usual resort guests will not be there in October and so Mary Anne and I will have much more time with just each other which will be really good. The temperature will be about the same but because the wind will be much less, it will seem hotter. In October, they have a large sailing regatta and also the annual coral spawn (not nearly as sexy as it may sound). This happens at night and we have never been in Bonaire in October so we are anxious to see that.

I am still feeling excellent. I am thinking, just a walking miracle.....an answer to all the prayers from so many. Thanks....you have touched my heart and obviously God's also!!!

Joe

Friday, September 21, 2007

Paris - 1

Dear Friends,
We have been in Paris for 5 days and leave the hotel in the morning and don't come home til about 9 at night. We are having a great time and Joe is keeping up quite well. We have been to the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, Arch de Triumphe and others. Tomorrow we go to Versailles. We walked 7 miles each of the last two days so we are getting our exercise. Joe continues to feel just fine and he is taking hundreds of pictures. We enjoy traveling with the Carnevales - our ideas of a good time match up so well. we will attend church at Notre Dame on Sunday although we already visited it the other day. We plan to go to Euro Disney on Tuesday and we head home on Thursday.
Love to all of you and thanks for your comments about the video Cassie posted and the party. God Bless
Mary Anne

Saturday, September 15, 2007

What A Great Day!

For several months, our son Kevin and our daughter Cassie and George (a friend) have been working on putting together "It's a Wonderful Life"...Joe Coburn. A celebration. It was a golf outing that began with lunch, a demonstration by the world's foremost trick shot artist, Peter Longo (who donated his time to put on the show), 18 holes of golf and dinner. Everything went off as smoothly as could be imagined. Friday the 14th was predicted to be a lousy day but after much prayer, God came through with a cloudless, beautiful day.

We had about 64 golfers and an additional 75 people that came to the dinner. To say the least, I was overwhelmed by the response. We had people come from Milwaukee, St. Louis, Georgia, Florida, Kansas City, Indianapolis, Toronto, Canada, Phoenix, Arkansas and Ohio. People that I had worked with and had not seen in years, made such an effort to help celebrate that day. Of course, as Mary Anne says, "They would rather come to this than a funeral." Yea, me too! Cassie had little bells on each table with pictures of me at all different ages on little tags on the bells and additionally made an awesome video with lots of pictures of me with great, appropriate music. She is so talented. Each one of the children got up and spoke....just beautiful. Then Kevin invited others to come to the mic if they wished and many did. It was so affirming.

The fact is that I have had a wonderful life. I have been blessed with an awesome wife, four great children, eight grandchildren and the best of friends. I have been so blessed by God. He has allowed me to be here far longer than I thought I would be after the diagnosis in July of 06. He is either not done with me or He has more work for me to do.....maybe some of each.

Monday, the 17th we are flying to Paris for 9 days with dear friends the Carnevales who we have vacationed with many times. We return home on the 27th of Sept. We are home for three days and then fly to Bonaire on October 1st and will be there for a month.

If you are reading this blog, I have been blessed by you because you are a relative, a friend someone who is praying for me or at the least someone who cares and is interested.

You have all touched my heart so. Yesterday was one of the GREATEST days of my life. For all of you who shared in that day..........THANK YOU SO MUCH!

Love you,

Joe

Wednesday, September 05, 2007

Prayers answered - Praise God

Hi Friends,

We just returned home from the doctors with the report of the P.E.T. scan. The report is not as detailed as the ones we got in Arizona but there are no new sites and the current tumors in the liver and lungs remain about the same. The lung ones may be a bit larger but the largest is only 2 cm. the liver ones are still partly necrotic, which means dead, so not real active. The blood results were all normal including the liver enzymes. We didn't get the Ca 19-9 back but that is not real important in intrahepatic. The doctor was pleased with the results and will keep Joe on the same IPT schedule and we are thrilled that his condition remains stable. He has some queasiness over Labor Day weekend but it is gone now.

We have added some joy to our life. We have a friend who broke her kneecap and needed someone to care for her 4 1/2 pound mostly Maltese dog. Since we lost Jake in May, I jumped at the chance so we have Gabe until we leave for Paris, Sept. 17th. He is a delightful dog and fills a spot in our hearts. Look how tiny he is! We went to see the Bourne Ultimatum last night to get Joe's mind off today and it was really exciting.
We are happy so many of you can make it to the golf outing or just the dinner. We are truly celebrating prayers answered and praying for wisdom in what God wants us to do with our time here. We thank all of you for your prayers and support in this waiting time especially. We wanted to wait for this report to blog but we called several of you on the way home from the doctor. Have a great day and God Bless you all. Mary Anne

Sunday, August 26, 2007

Triathlon Update

Our sons, Kevin and Michael competed in the Chicago Tri today. There were 8400 competitors making it the largest Tri in the world. Kevin, who was challenged by his older brother, not only finished the race (we had some concerns) but did very well. Michael bettered his best time and then left to drive back to Ohio (about a six hour + drive). We were very proud of both of them.

At service today, Mary Anne joined the worship team. It was very nice to be singing together with her. She did a great job and we will be singing together again in September.

This Thursday, I will have another PET CT. This will show what's going on in my body and what the tumors are doing. Even though I feel well, I have concerns each time I have a scan. Of course, I am praying that the tumors have not grown at all. I am also hoping that the Insulin Potentiation Therapy which I am taking every other week will be enough to maintain where I am. I have another one of those treatments on Wednesday. The last time I had this treatment I was very nauseated and so I am hoping that doesn't repeat itself.

Lots of people are signing up to come to the Celebration of Joe Coburn's Life Golf Outing. I am bowled over by the number and distance that some are traveling to attend. Very humbling!!!

Thanks to each of you who are praying for me. It touches my heart so!

Joe

Monday, August 20, 2007

Time Flies Again

It's been a week (again) since I last put anything on the blog. I can hardly believe it. Mary Anne returned home safely outside of the sore neck she got from having to haul all her medals around. This Wednesday, Michael and his family from Ohio will be coming in to do the Chicago Triathlon. Michael has managed to goad his younger brother Kevin into doing the Tri with him. Should be something....I get tired just thinking about it.

I played golf a couple of times last week and I am incredibly inconsistant....100+ one day and high 80's the next....no clue as to what's going on.

There are already a number of responses to the "Celebrate the Life of Joe Coburn" event. I am humbled by the people who are coming from far away...Florida, Georgia, MO, etc. I am hoping that we will have good weather. Today is terrible with rain and wind....YUK! If we get a day like that we will be spending a lot of time at the bar.

To all those of you who are praying for me, THANK YOU! It is impossible for me to tell you how much that means to me.

Joe

Monday, August 13, 2007

Empty House

Mary Anne left for Houston, TX on Friday morning and will not return until Monday evening. She, as you probably know, is a swimmer and belongs to the Naperville Waves. She traveled to Houston to compete in the Masters National Swim Meet. This pits the best swimmers in the country against each other. She did wonderfully well. In her five races she got a fourth, three thirds and a second. I am very proud of her and she was very happy with how she did.

I took this time to get some things done around the house that I have wanted to do for a long time. Cleaned some spots in the carpet, did some painting around the garage door and side door and also patched and painted the ceiling in the master bath. I spent some time figuring why the whirlpool tub was not working and was able to fix that; so it was a productive few days. I am sure looking forward to her return however.

Our son Kevin has decided to hold a golf outing to "Celebrate the Life of Joe Coburn". It will be held on September 14 and will include lunch, a trick shot demonstration by Peter Longo ( the best in the world) 18 holes of golf (scramble) and dinner. Cost: $80.00 Any proceeds will go to Global Family Rescue (their link is on the right). They are helping under-resourced families in Uganda. If you are interested in attending, email me and I will take care of it!!!! (You can download a registration form in the links area or just click here too!) I am still feeling great. Thanks for all the prayers!

Joe

Monday, August 06, 2007

Time Flies

Wow! I can hardly believe that it has been a week since I last "blogged". Last week I had my first IPT (Insulin Potentiation Therapy) from Dr. Ayer. I like him a great deal. He is very warm and willing to spend lots of time with you. He did the IPT himself which surprised me w bit. Dr. Lodi in Mesa has three full time nurses doing the "stuff". However, Dr. Lodi does much more than just IPT. He does vit. C, Ozone treatments, Kelation and general nutrient buildups. I had no side effects from the treatment. After IPT we met with a nutritionist for about and hour and one half. Seemed well versed in Vegan and Vegetarian eating. He is also a believer in Eating for Your Blood Type. By the way, do you all know that the word vegetarian is an old Indian word meaning "Bad Hunter". Just kidding.
Our pastor Earl asked me the other day if I could build him a platform for him to preach on. I built it and then tried to get it into two vehicles to get it to the club house. One of the vehicles was a van and we still couldn't get it in and it is only about 51" square. Today my neighbor who has a pickup helped us get it over there. YEA! I built a trap door in the platform so that when Earl's message goes longer than 25 minutes, the trap door opens, Earl disappears and we can then move along with the service. Noooooo, Earl is great and rarely speaks longer than 25 minutes. I gave a testimony in church on Sunday about my physical condition and that it was surely an answer to prayer. There are so many in the congregation who are praying for me. Thanks and blessings to all of you who are praying for me.
We spent last Monday and Tuesday with our son Michael and his family in Ohio. It was a great visit and on Monday, Mary Anne and I played with Michael and his son Connor who is 10. Connor did very well and look forward to playing with him when they visit us.
Enough for now!

Joe

Monday, July 30, 2007

Great Reunion

Good Morning,

It was a great reunion. About 70 of us showed up at Bass Lake Indiana where Mary Anne's sister Tricia and her husband Bob have a wonderful lake house. They have lots of toys to keep the children (of all ages) entertained. Pontoon boat, Wave runner, Hobiecat, Sunfish sailboat , windsurfer and a speed boat. They put in a tremendous amount of time, work and money to make this a wonderful time. We are blessed that this is a family that gets along great and loves each other. Not too many like that I think! Most arrived on Friday afternoon and departed on Sunday after lunch. Most of the time was spent eating as I recall with occasional bathroom breaks. Family came from Wisconsin, Minnesota, Illinois, Michigan, Ohio, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado and Mass.

Yesterday afternoon we drove to Ohio to spend a few days with Michael and Heidi and the kids. We will head back to Illinois on Wednesday, and Thursday I will begin my every-other-week IPT treatments. I continue to feel great and really enjoyed a reunion I didn't think I would be here for a year ago. I thank all my family and friends for the prayers that have sustained me through the last year and in the days ahead. We feel blessed with each day.
Joe

Thursday, July 26, 2007

ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY

Hey All,
Yup! It was one year ago today that I heard those "bad" words....."It's Cancer". Sometime before that diagnosis, Mary Anne and I were talking and she asked me if I only had a few months to live would I change how I was living. I answered "No". I was so wrong. I have grown closer to God, closer to Mary Anne, closer to the children, changed my eating habits, lost sixty pounds and done some things that I have wanted to do for years.
Here is a brief summary of what has happened the last year:
  • July 26th: Diagnosed with Cholangiocarcinoma
  • August: Biopsies of liver and lung - Started eating Vegan, no more Coke or sugar! Went to Joliet Oncology and was referred to Chicago Northwestern. Diagnosis of Stage four Intrahepatic Bile duct Cancer
  • September: Went to Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN for second opinion. Same diagnosis and treatment options (chemo...ad infinitum) Decided not to do Chemo......easy decision, I felt good, why mess that up!
  • October: Traveled to Utah and North Carolina
  • January: Went to Bonaire
  • March: Started feeling some nausea and pain. Came home early to go to Mesa, AZ for alternative treatment. Pet CT shows moderate growth of tumors.
  • April: Feeling better. No nausea and the pain is gone.
  • May: Continue treatments. Came home for two weeks to rest up. Pet CT shows an active tumor in liver.
  • June: Radio Frequency Ablation to destroy tumor in liver. Three weeks later a Pet CT shows tumor is gone and the five tumors in my lungs have shrunk 30% each. We drive back to Plainfield from AZ.
GREAT TO BE HOME AND FEELING G R E A T !
FROM WHERE I SIT, IT CERTAINLY LOOKS LIKE AN ANSWER TO ALL THE PRAYERS FROM ALL OF YOU!!!
THANKS SOOOOOOO MUCH!!!!
In August I will take Insulin Potentiation Therapy every other week here near home and hopefully that will allow me to maintain the status quo!
Joe

Monday, July 23, 2007

July 23, 2007


Hey All,

Here is a Bass that I caught a couple of days ago in the little lake right behind the house. It's so great to be able to walk out the door and go fishing!!!

I went to see our regular doctor today....just for a checkup and to bring him up to speed. I had some blood work done about a week ago and had the results sent to him also. Everything was normal including all my liver enzymes. The only thing that was elevated at all was the CA 19-9 which was 54......which it has been for some time. I am still feeling excellent....praise God!

As Mary Anne said, this Friday we are headed to the family reunion....70 some....too many people. On Saturday I will play golf with two of my brothers-in-law. On Sunday, after lunch we will drive to our son Michael's in Hudson, Ohio. Heidi and the kids will leave earlier. Michael is doing a bike race around Bass Lake and so we will wait for him and then head out. On either Monday or Tuesday we will play golf with Michael, Connor (9 yrs), Mary Anne and I. Connor has gotten really interested in golf this summer and we have never played with him so that should be fun.

Thanks to all of you for your support and prayers.

Joe

Sunday, July 22, 2007

Sunday July 22, 2007

Hi Friends,
Well another week has passed and things are still terrific. This disease has done so much to help us appreciate each other and all the good times we have had and are having. Joe spends a lot of time just sitting on the deck looking at the little lake and the beautiful flowers that are in full bloom right now. A great way to thank God for all his blessings. We have been dog sitting our daughter Cassie's King Charles spaniel and it has been a delight. Not exactly like having Jake back but it sure fills the void Jake left. Yesterday we also got a little shitsu for 6 days while her master, Debbie Ferguson in out in AZ looking for a new job. Molly the spaniel goes home today.
Friday night we went to the hot rods with our son Kev and his family Tracy and the two boys Jason and Ryan. This is something Joe and I did when we were in college and again when we used to camp with the kids. We would spend Friday night at the race track and pick cars and get points for 1,2, and 3rd. Friday night was a perfect night and we had a great time. Maybe seems like a silly thing for people our age to do but it brings back great memories. Yesterday we played golf together and it was another perfect day in the 70's. We just cherish these good days and are so thankful to God for giving them to us.
Next Friday we head to the BIG family reunion on the Murphy side with 72 of the 76 of us together at my sister Trish's lake house on Bass Lake in Indiana. We are staying at a hotel but the days will be spent at the lake. This Thursday marks one year that Joe was diagnosed with intrahepatic bile duct cancer. Neither of us thought we had this much time and we are trying not to waste it.
Thanks to all of you for your continued prayers and contacts. Linda, it was great to see your comment on the blog. We miss you guys too. Charles, good to see your post. We know you are a good prayer warrior and it was because of you that Joe started going to Bible study so many years ago. Take care and God Bless. Mary Anne

Sunday, July 15, 2007

July 15, 2007

Hey All,

Yes! There really is a "Joe". I am so grateful to Mary Anne for writing on the blog with such faithfulness. She takes such great care of me. We have been home a couple of weeks now and it is all I expected that it would be. Great friends, lots of relaxing and a church we love to attend.

I am really feeling well these days. For the last few weeks I have not had a queasy stomach at all. This is the first time since Sept of 05 that I have felt normal again....Praise God! As Mary Anne has told you the latest Pet CT was excellent.....what a gift! The procedure along with the chemo and low red & white blood count really took its toll on me. I had NO energy whatsoever. Mary Anne said that if my friends had seen me then they would have been really frightened. I know I was. I believe that I am all the way back to normal now(or at least as normal as I get). I played golf last week, shot a 90 and was not tired when we were through. I was very interested to see how I was going feel after playing 18 holes but I felt just fine.

I led worship at church service this morning and it felt soooo good. I love being able to worship with our friends and neighbors. As always I am so overcome and struck by the number of people who are praying for me....it is so humbling. My thanks to you all for your thoughts and prayers.

Love ya,

Joe

Tuesday, July 03, 2007

Tuesday, July 3, 2007

Home at last! We arrived home yesterday about 4 in the afternoon and we were so happy to see our house. Ed and Jayne were sitting on our driveway reading their mail just waiting to help us unload the car, and was it ever full. The whole trunk was loaded as well as a bike rack with our two bikes and the whole back seat. They made short work of it and we were so grateful for the help. At least this time Joe could help unload stuff. When Karen and I packed up, all Joe could do was sit there.
Earl and Pat stopped over last night as well as our neighbors and we felt so welcomed. We live on the golf course and today all sorts of people saw Joe outside on the deck and they stopped to say hello. There is nothing better than hugs to lift your spirits.
We are slowly getting everything put away and Cas and Kirk and the kids are coming over tomorrow to share the 4th so it will really feel like we are back when they get here. As soon as I show Joe how to do the blog again he will write for himself and you will be able to tell he is back to his usual cheery self. We can't believe the improvement in just two weeks of no chemo. We think Joe will do no chemo or treatment for a month. We look forward to a summer of relaxing, sharing with friends and family and being back at our home church. As I promised, if I got my voice back after my thyroid surgery, I would try out for the worship team so that will happen in the next few weeks. Although I don't like being in front of people, I love praising the Lord, so that will outweigh being in front of people. Can't wait to see all our church friends next Sunday and my golfing ladies this Thursday. The joy of the Lord surely is our strength. Take care. God Bless. Mary Anne

Friday, June 29, 2007

Friday June 29, 2007

Hi Friends,
Well we are in a suburb of Denver enjoying some time with my brother Mike and his family and my niece Mary Anne and her family. We will do no driving today. Joe is doing really well having done all the driving except for the first day. He looks better and is definitely stronger. We have enjoyed this break from the trip but also look forward to getting home to the rest of our family. We are about half way now. Weather in Denver is much cooler than Arizona and the drive here was spectacular with the mountains and the National forests. It was great seeing Mike and Chris' kids and the little Arends. It was also nice to visit with a small group before the big family reunion the end of July. There are 76 of us in our family now and it looks like all but 3 or 4 will make it to the weekend. What a crowd! I think there will be 5 1-year-olds, so we are still growing. Again thanks for your prayers and support. We love you guys. God Bless Take Care. Mary Anne

Tuesday, June 26, 2007

Tuesday, June 26, 2007

Hi Friends,
Well, we are on the road home and have completed our first day on the road. I drove almost three hours and then Joe drove about 5 hours. He would never have been able to do that last week so he is definitely stronger. We stopped in Cortez tonight and went and saw Evan Almighty at the show. It was cute and funny. We will take two more days to get to Denver so we can enjoy the scenery. The drive today was beautiful and still quite warm, around 96 but it has cooled down tonight. Joe got a shot of Procrit yesterday so that should boost his Hemoglobin. Dr. Lodi thinks he should continue IPT in Chicago after about a month rest. It would only be once a week or once every two weeks. We will check into it when we get home. Since things are going in the right direction, we hate to quit but we have to talk about it. It is so good for Joe not to have to go treatment each day. Just that is a spirit lifter.
It was hard saying goodbye to our church friends in Phoenix and even harder to leave Karen after three months in her life but she will be coming in for the big family reunion in a month so that isn't so bad. That's it for now. Take care and God Bless Mary Anne

Saturday, June 23, 2007

Saturday June 23, 2007

Hallelujah, Praise the Lord Dear Friends,
I can't think of enough words of praise for the joy that is in our hearts now after the news from the radiologist yesterday. The PET scan showed that the tumor that was ablated three weeks ago is gone. There are two other liver tumors, not as active as the one that was ablated. Well, the embolization seems to have knocked out the activity of one of those and the other one is only active on the outside and doesn't seem to be doing much. The lung tumors are shrinking. We couldn't have gotten better news. There are no new sites. You can't imagine how this lifted Joe's spirits. Yesterday was the first day he stayed up all day since the procedure.
We went to cell group last night to tell them the news and called as many people as we could with our cell phones only having one bar of power left. I don't think I can write as uplifted as I feel. We were waiting on Jesus and He came through. It makes all the money we spent worthwhile. We spent time with Dr. Watt yesterday who works with Dr. Lodi and she has added more supplements for Joe to take when he comes home. We meet with Dr. Lodi for the last time on Monday before we head out on Tuesday. Also, Joe's platelets which had dropped to 19,000 three days ago have come up to 50,000. His Hgb is still low a 9 but his white count is back up so his body is responding to stopping the chemo. Joe will have another PET scan in two months and we know it is possible these tumors may grow again now that he is not getting treatment but we are praying with diet and supplements and prayer that his body will work to do the rest of the work. You are all such an important part of our battle with this cancer. We can't thank you enough for storming the heavens to plead for Joe's life. God is faithful. Looking forward to being home and visiting with many of you.Take care and God Bless. Mary Anne

Wednesday, June 20, 2007

Wednesday June 20, 2007

Hi Friends and Family,
Well things are still tough here. Joe had the transfusion last Thursday but his counts are still not staying up even with Procrit shots twice this week. Today he told the Dr. that he was through with Chemo and we would only do things to build him up until we leave for home next Wednesday. The doctor was very understanding and has changed the schedule to accomplish this. We need prayers for two things right now. 1. that the pet scan tomorrow will be encouraging and show shrinkage of the tumors and absence of the tumor that was ablated three weeks ago. and 2. that Joe's strength and stamina will improve and he will return to his usual perky self. When Joe isn't joking around you know there is something wrong. He is trying to be hopeful but he has so little energy,even hope seems difficult at times. Just making that decision today lifted his spirit because we think now the only way to go is up.
We went to Karen's after treatment yesterday to help her put a few things up in her condo for her open house on Saturday but Joe really just guided Karen and she did all the work. All I did was dinner and say "Oh that looks great". Wasn't I a big help? Her open house is Saturday and her place looks lovely.
I am still managing to swim 3 times a week and that helps with my stress. We love your emails and calls. Father's Day we got together with Sullivan's and went to Baci's for dinner. That was about the longest Joe was up the whole weekend.
We get the results of the scan on Friday afternoon so I will post after that but remember we are two hours behind.
We are patiently waiting on Jesus and we know He is faithful. The patient part is the hard part. Thanks to all of you for being there. God bless. Mary Anne

Friday, June 15, 2007

Friday June 15th, 2007

Hi Friends,
Well good thing Joe didn't go to Dallas. He ended up in the hospital last night to get two units of blood. His Hemoglobin had dropped to 8 (normal is 13-15). They also did a cat scan to make sure he wasn't bleeding from the procedure but that was negative. I brought him home this morning and he looks much better. He took today off treatment and will rest these three days. We are almost done and it will be good to get home among family, friends and our own surroundings. Our plans are to stop in Co. to see family and then in Chesteton to see old friends and then home by Monday the 2nd if all goes well. Sometimes our plans don't make it but one day at a time. today is a good day and we love good days. Joe's liver pain is definetly going away. He doesn't need any pain meds and even his walk is better as well as his color. That's it for now friends. thanks for being there. he doesn't check his email very often, about once a week but loves hearing from you. God Bless, Mary Anne P.S. Happy Fathers Day to all it applies - he is happy to be here for this one.

Wednesday, June 13, 2007

June 13, 2007

Hi Friends,
Well Joe decided not to go to Dallas for the seminar. He just doesn't have any stamina and has quite a bit of pain from the procedure. He talked to the radiologist yesterday and he said his pain was expected because he really roughed him up during the procedure. He finally gave in and took a Vicodin and a Flexeril last night and slept really well. We have moved the pet scan up to the 21st and the radiologist is only in his office on Fridays so we will see him on the 22nd and then probably Dr. Lodi on the 25th. We are gong to try and see Presleys tonight if he feels up to it. Thanks for your emails and your prayers. Tough times right now but I'm not giving up on God. He is faithful and teaches us stuff in these times. Just got my chauffeur call to pick him up from treatment. Had lunch with Karen today and that is always great. Bye for now God Bless. Mary Anne

Monday, June 11, 2007

June 11,2007

Hi Friends,
Well, sorry I haven't blogged in almost a week. I talked to my family so much I thought everyone was up to date. Last week was a rough week for Joe and he still isn't up to par. He stopped the Vicodin Saturday because of the side effects of constipation(more info than you wanted maybe?). He was pretty uncomfortable all weekend but did make it to church yesterday. The Presleys came to visit yesterday afternoon and we were supposed to go to dinner but being the perceptive people they are, they could see Joe was fading and they left after about an hour. I hope to see them again while they are in the area. Our brother-in-law John Rubino is coming out for his annual physical at Mayo's this afternoon and he is going to stop by. Hope Joe will be more up for the visit by then. He did get treatment all last week but he wasn't his usual jovial self by any means. He did gain back 5 pounds so it must have been a lot of dehydration. His weight looks good now and he doesn't need to lose any more. His stamina is poor and the procedure was a lot harder than he expected. This is the toughest time we have had to go through and I hope it will resolve this week. We met with Dr. Lodi Thursday and he didn't have anything new to say except to add one more pill.
Church yesterday was very uplifting and badly needed. We are in kind of a slump right now which happens but we haven't given up by any means. Just a bump in the road. God is faithful and we know He is in this with us. That makes it all possible to keep on keeping on. God bless you all for your prayers and support. Mary Anne

Tuesday, June 05, 2007

June 5th, 2007 Tuesday

Well, I just dropped Joe off at treatment for the day. He had a pretty rough weekend after his ablation with fever, chills, shoulder as well as liver pain. The shoulder pain has dissipated and his temp is normal now, but the liver pain persists and is expected after the ablation. It is mostly controlled by Vicodin but he is not eating hardly anything and has dropped 10 pounds in the last week. I hope this will turn around when he feels better. Thanks for your prayers and I will update again at the end of the week with hopefully more upbeat news. God Bless Mary Anne

Friday, June 01, 2007

Ablation done

The procedure today went well. They did the ablation on the liver but didn't feel it was necessary to do anything with the lung at this time. He is currently in recovery and will go home Saturday or Sunday. More later.

Friday, June 1, 2007

Hi Friends,
Well, I didn't get home til 11:00 last night so too late to go to Starbucks to post. Everything went well yesterday. The procedure was delayed three hours because they had trouble with the patient before Joe but his procedure went smoothly and only took an hour. It was officially called an embolization, which means they put little seeds in the tumor area to cut off the blood supply to let the tumor shrink so they can zap more of it today. Today will be under general anesthesia and he will make a little incision over his liver to get at the tumor and will be guided by cat scan. He will also look at the lung tumors to see if they have progressed much since his PET scan a month ago. If Joe is tolerating the procedure OK he will maybe zap a lung tumor also. There is a fine line as far as how much they can do at once because the dead tissue has to be eliminated through the kidneys and they have to be careful not to cause kidney failure. His procedure today is at 1 P.M. and hopefully I will be able to let you know today how it is. I think today will be a longer procedure. Joe was pain free from 5:30 til 8:30 when he started to have some discomfort but they put the pain pump on and then he was in charge. The hard part was laying flat for 6 hours afterwards because of the angio procedure but he did well. Karen came up to the hospital and kept us company for awhile and that was great.
Joe forgot his cell phone yesterday but I will bring it to him today. He will be staying overnight again tonight and probably come home tomorrow. The care in the hospital is great and the nurses are very compassionate. I took a picture of Joe with his surgical cap on before he went in and told him I would post it on the blog but it is only on my little cell phone so I was just joking. I know you are all anxious to hear and also praying hard. We feel the strength of your prayers, especially yesterday when we had to wait three hours. Those of you that know Joe know that is one of the hardest things for him to do. Love to you all and God bless. Mary Anne

Wednesday, May 30, 2007

Wednesday May 30, 2007

We had a wonderful trip to Flagstaff over Memorial Day weekend. We saw some Pueblo ruins, Sunset Crater and lots of volcanic rocks and ash which I had never seen before. It was about 20 degrees cooler there than in Phoenix so very pleasant to walk around. It was just very relaxing with no schedule for three days. The views of the mountains are very relaxing and peaceful and good for nice thoughts of healing.Joe started back on treatment yesterday with IPT. He will have Vitamin C today and then tomorrow he goes for his procedure. He will have the blood supply to the liver tumor closed off tomorrow and then Friday they will use Radio Frequency Ablation to zap the tumor and kill it hopefully. He will be in the hospital overnight Thursday and maybe Friday. The procedures will be done at 1 P.M. both days so please keep your prayers going that all goes smoothly. Don't think I told you that Friday night before we went to Flagstaff Karen came over and we went for a walk. On our way home, right by the pool we almost literally ran into four adult havalinas and two pups. We ran up the stairs to get Joe so he could see. What a treat! They didn't seem to be at all disturbed that we were there. I have seen them walk through the complex several times but never with pups. Saturday Karen saw a bobcat sitting on the stairs to the pool. Not the kind of wildlife we're used to in IL. so very exciting for us. That is about it for now. I will write as soon as the procedure is over and I can get to the computer. Love to you all and God Bless Mary Anne

Thursday, May 24, 2007

May 24th, 2007 Thursday

Our flight out here was nice and easy. We did have a little problem in that we left our front door key in our door at home without even closing the door when we left. We each thought the other was the last out so at the airport Joe asked if I got the key. I didn't and we realized that the car key was on that too. The car was in Phoenix at the airport and we had visions of having to take a cab to the clinic and then staying overnight until our neighbor could fed x us the keys but being the responsible husband Joe is, he had a spare key in the glove compartment so we didn't have to alter our plans at all. You wouldn't believe how well Joe handled that stress. The alkaline diet must really be having an effect! Anyhow Monday night Joe got a fever and couldn't get warm that night. Of course I have no thermometer but Tuesday morning I went to Walgreens. He couldn't get IPT On Tuesday. His temp was 100.9 but they gave him fluids and nutrients. That was the quietest the group had ever seen him. They knew he was sick. He felt better by that evening and got his IPT yesterday. He had a little relapse last night but was OK this morning. They did blood cultures but they aren't back yet. His urine was negative. Anyway, a little blip in the road. I stayed home today while he got treatment and basically did nothing but read and sleep and laundry.
We have made plans to go to Flagstaff this weekend to enjoy the sights. I know this is a holiday weekend and Joe isn't crazy about crowds but we love this country and it would be a shame not to see it while we are here. By the way his blood levels came back to normal while we were home. He definitely looked more rested when we left home. His weight has stabilized and that is good.
For those of you who don't know yet, we had to make the decision to put Jake our maltese to sleep right before we left for home. He was too sick and I was spending more time and energy on him than Joe. It has been a big adjustment because he was part of our life for ten wonderful years but it was time. We miss him terribly but have great memories of him.
Bye for now. God Bless. Mary Anne

Sunday, May 20, 2007

May 20, 2007 Sunday

We had a great second week home seeing lots of friends and attending some grandchildrens activities like baseball, play and piano recital. We feel rejuvenated and ready to go back for another 6 weeks of treatment. Easy for me to say - I'm not getting them. But Joe has accomplished all he planned on for the time home, and had many nice times sitting on the deck which is what he pictured when he was in Phoenix. Our plans are to be there 6 weeks and then to drive home stopping to see family in Colorado and then friends in St. Louis. We hope to be on the road by the 30th of June if all goes as planned. Joe's RFA is scheduled for the 31 of May and 1 of June with an overnight hospital stay. He will have his regular treatment until then and after that.
We leave early tomorrow morning so Joe can be at the clinic by 10 for treatment. Thanks so much to all our friends who made special efforts to see us and pray with us and love us while we were home. You are so special to us. We couldn't make this journey alone and your prayers and support help us to continue on and trust in God that He is watching over us and allowing us to continue to follow His plan. God Bless Mary Anne

Tuesday, May 15, 2007

Tuesday May 15,2007

Hi Friends,
I can't believe how busy we have been since we came home. Even with the computer in the house instead of having to go to Starbucks, I haven't kept up. We are doing fine. Joe continues to feel well with no queeziness. He had some shakiness due to the chemo but it is much better being off for a week. He has gotten his flowers planted, his fish pond going and enjoyed sitting on the deck just looking at the 18th hole and our little lake and enjoying time with family and friends. We can't get everything in in two weeks but if you know us, we are never still so we have made a good effort. We go back to Phoenix next Monday and will be there for another 6 weeks. During that time Joe will have the RFA on his main active liver tumor. I brought my vitamix home to prepare meals but we are back to more vegan than raw vegan with about 25% cooked. This seems quite tolerable for Joe. We have played some golf, some cards, spent some time with children and grandchildren and gone to our home church. Life is good and we are soaking it up. Wish we could see everyone but we will catch up when we get home for good. Love to you all and thanks so much for your continued support. God Bless Mary Anne

Friday, May 04, 2007

Friday May 4th, 2007

Today is National Day of Prayer. We are so thankful that you all are not praying just on this day. We have made the decision to come home Tuesday May 8th for two weeks. Joe was not able to have chemo this week at all due to low blood counts and we can't get the RFA scheduled for 1-2 weeks so we thought this would be a good time to come home and let his body rest. We are excited about seeing everyone and I for one plan on playing some hand and foot - and winning! We hope to get together with many of our friends and family while we are in. Meal prep will be harder because I can't bring in all my equipment but we will do the best we can. Looking forward to seeing everyone. We are leaving Jake here in the kennel. They love him and it will make it easier for us. Love to you all. Can't wait to see you. God Bless, Mary Anne

Wednesday, May 02, 2007

Wednesday May 2, 2007

The day we have all been waiting for. Sorry we are two hours earlier than lots of our family and friends so it is too late to call but we had appointments with the radiologist and Dr. Lodi today. The gist is -there are no new tumors. the tumors in the liver, two of them are necrotic in the middle meaning they are not very active. They didn't light up much on the Pet scan. The third one is more active and the radiologist wants to use RFA on it That is Radio Frequency Ablation where they go in through the groin like an angio and up to the tumor and zap it. It would be done in the hospital and require an overnight stay. Both docotrs feel that if we get rid of this one the immune system and the chemo will have less to work on. So our plan is to have this done as early as we can, hopefully next week and then have a couple of IPT's and then go home for two weeks. Joe's blood count is dropping from the chemo and that will give him a chance to recoup. We hope to come home around the 17th if all goes well. We will let you know when we get the RFA scheduled. We like both doctors really well and we feel this is a good decision. We will let you know more when we know. After our time home we will come back for 4-6 more weeks of treatment and go from there.
Karen moved into her condo with lots of help and it looks really nice. He cats have adjusted well and it is the same distance from work as her old place.
As always, we appreciate your calls and emails and comments on the blog. Thanks so much for all the prayers. Waiting for today was hard but nothing like last July. Take care and God Bless Mary Anne

Friday, April 27, 2007

April 27,2007 Friday

Hi dear friends and family,
Well Joe had a banner day yesterday. It was his 67th birthday and calls started pouring in about 8 A.M. from friends and family wishing him well. He got calls all through his treatment and last night we celebrated and went to Baci's (which was originally in Plainfield but moved out here 6 years ago) for a free dinner. That is what we call it when we go off raw vegan rather than cheating. Frank the owner has always treated Joe as a friend and he fussed over Joe so well last night. He made a special appetizer for us, gave us a bottle of wine,and then a sample of a pasta. We were almost full before our entrees. Karen and her boyfriend Mike joined us for the evening and we were probably there for two hours. Mike is way too polite for our family as was our daughter- in-law Tracy. He never interrupted so he didn't get to talk much. We even had dessert and Joe had his favorite, carrot cake. Yesterday was officially 9 months of fighting this disease even though Joe had it for a year before that. He continues to do well. He is a trooper about taking his heparin, his supplements and his treatments. The P.E.T. scan is Monday and results next Wednesday. His blood counts drop each week but they give him shots to bring it back up and his body is responding well. His cancer markers continue to stay the same or drop being about 50 now for the CA19-9. His spirits are good which makes it easier for me.
He is excited about helping Karen get her new condo in shape. This week he went and installed shelves in her outside closet on her patio and picked out a picture at Kohls for her living room.
We have cell group tonight with friends from Karen's church (I guess it is our church away from home) and then tomorrow Karen moves to her new condo. I have taken the week off swimming and just been working on new recipes to use my new dehydrator. The first thing I made was onion bread and the whole condo smelled of onions for two days as it takes 36 hours to dehydrate. We are enjoying the nice warm weather here and it will be 99 today. Our prayer requests for now are that the pet scan will show much reduction in the tumors and that we can keep our eyes focused on the Lord and his plan for our lives. We know we still have work to do and we are trying to be patient and wait on his word. Thanks to you all for making yesterday special. God Bless Mary Anne

Tuesday, April 24, 2007

Tuesday April 24,2007

Hi Friends,
Well, it has been awhile. I flew to Chicago for my state swimmming meet last Wednesday and came back last night. Joe couldn't remember how to sign in so he didn't post. He is still feeling well except for a little neausea on IPT days which are twice a week. Overall he is doing well. His red and white blood cell count drop sometimes but they give him shots to bring them back up. When they are low, he has no stamina. Today we moved from one condo to the other. I have a few things still to do but I am almost done. We are now on the first floor which is easier and the view is spectacular of the mountains.
karen closes on her condo tomorrow and Joe will be going over after treatment to put up shelves in her owners closet on her patio. They had fun shopping this weekend for little things. The condo is awesome and she is so excited.
I had a great time in my swimmming meet breaking some long standing records,. It was good to think about something besides treatment. Thanks to family and firends who had me for meals while I wa home so I didn't have to cook or prepare. It went way too fast but it was good to be back with Joe. We haven't been apart that long for several years.
As I said before, the PET scan is next Monday and then the news on Wednesday. We will let you know. I didi b ring the DVD of the one last July from Chicago this weekend so we will have that to compare also as well as the one in March of this year. That is about it for now. take care and God Bless Mary Anne

Sunday, April 15, 2007

sunday April 15, 2007

Hi Friends,
We had a great weekend. We started with the news that Joe's Ca 19-9 which is the cancer marker for Cholangiocarcinoma was 54. Normal is below 37. The people on the cc website have levels in the 2000's so you can see Joe's is very low for this kind of cancer. Friday night we went to cell group which is like small group with some people from Karen's church. It is so nice to have somewhere to go to talk about what God is doing in your life and share your walk with other Christians. We would be so lonesome without having that outlet here. We miss our own small group in Plainfield but we are happy to be included out here. Then Saturday we went to Surprise and played golf with Bill and Karen Sulllivan. Joe shot an 89 and I shot a 101. We were both happy with our scores, especially me. That is my second best score ever. We came home and had a quiet evening at home. Today we went to church and the message was all about waiting on the Lord - being patient and being Spirit led. How timely! We are waiting on the Lord for a miracle. Healing is not just about healing the cancer but letting God do a mightly work in us as a couple and individually to bring us closer to Him. We feel his grace and care every day. We had some great news today. Our friends who let us rent the condo so reasonably for this 6 weeks have agreed to let us stay on in their condo, one building over, at virtually no charge for as long as we need it. We were looking for more reasonable housing but God had a better plan. He always has a better plan! This will depend on the outcome of the PET scan on the 30th but the fact that Joe has had two good weeks, better than he has had in a year and a half, tells us something is working. His stomach was a little quezzy today but not bad he said.
We couldn't be in a better place weather wise. We have ordered a dehydrator to be able to add some variety to our meals so we are anxiously awaiting its arrival.
Tomorrow starts week 5 of treatment. We also are going to see the radiologist about possibly doing radio frequency oblation on the lung tumors. This means they go in like a lung biopsy and zap them( or burn them) and then they are gone. They may not all be accessible but even to get rid of some of them would be good. It is almost an out patient procedure. We will let you know after the meeting on Tuesday. That's it for now. Got to go home and do dinner. Love to you all. God Bless Mary Anne

Thursday, April 12, 2007

April 12,2007

Hi Friends,
Well we are on day 11 of Joe feeling good, no quezziness. His blood work came back yesterday and his liver enzymes are back in normal range and his white count is also normal. We didn't get the CA19-9 back but that will probably be done tomorrow. He has added about 7-8 oral supplements to his regime and I had to make out a nurses medication sheet for him to be able to know what to take when, but he is a trooper and is handling it on his own. His spirits are good and we plan to play golf this weekend with the Sullivans. There is no sense in mentioning the weather here because it is like Hawaii. It is always sunny and always warm. Unlike Ohio ,where some of our kids are, who got snow and did an Easter egg hunt in the snow and Chicago where is is cold and blustery. We have decided to have our mail held til I go home next weekend because the forwarding is so slow. We still aren't sure when we are coming home but we know we are doing the right thing and I am being successful in some of my recipes so that's a good thing. We found out today that Medicare doesn't cover any of this and therefore neither will our supplement but if this cures Joe's cancer it will be worth it. We're trusting in God that we are doing the right things to heal Joe's body. Thanks for your continued prayers and support. We miss our friends and family and I am glad at least I will see some of you next week when I come to Chicago for the state meet. I will be 65 next week and have been celebrating being on Medicare since the first of this month. Take care and God Bless you all. Mary Anne

Monday, April 09, 2007

Monday April 9,2007

Hi Friends,
We had a wonderful Easter weekend. Our son Michael arrived Friday morning and went to the center with us and got to see what the program looked like and spent some time with Dr. Lodi.
Friday night we ate at Karen's and visited for awhile and then Joe and Michael went back to our condo and I stayed with Karen. Saturday, Joe and Michael went golfing at the Boulders for Joe's birthday which is this month and Karen and I did Pat's run. We all had a great day and met back up in the late afternoon. Satuday night we took Michael out to eat and then to the airport to catch a red eye back to Ohio to spend Easter with his family. It was a wonderful visit and we don't often get just adult time with our kids so that was wonderful. Easter service was great and it is so nice to have a good church to go to when you are away from your home church. Karen's church has done a great job of adopting us. We feel so welcome and it is a small church like our own so we are getting to know people.
Joe is on his 8th day of feeling normal. We praise God for that and leading us to this healthy treatment. He has no side effects so far and his blood count is monitored twoce a week and his CA 9-19 once a week. He is giving himself his own heparin shots and doing well with that. I am researching dehydrators now to add to my kitchen equipment. We are half way through the planned time here but may extend it.
Again we thank all of your for your prayers, phone calls, cards. You can't imagine how they bouy us up and give us grace to just live today and thank God for it. Please know that we love you guys and hope we can return the favor in your time of need. God Bless Mary Anne

Wednesday, April 04, 2007

Wednesday April 4, 2007

Just a short post to say that Joe has had 3 days with his sotmach feeling normal - I mean really normal. His attitude is much better partly because he feels better. When you have chronic pain or discomfort for such a long time it gets wearing and to have a few days off is a real treat. We hope to get out and play 9 holes of golf today if treatment finishes in time. His white blood count dropped this week for the first time so they are watching that. Take care and God Bless. I can't believe it is almost Easter and we will celebrate with Karen and cook at home at her house so we can eat healthy. Happy Easter everyone if I don't get back on. Great time to think about what Jesus did for us just so we have something to look forward to after this life. As I drive Joe back and forth and drop Jake at Karen's, I listen to worship songs in the car which really fills me up and lifts me up. It's good to keep my eyes forward and up. God Bless Mary Anne

Monday, April 02, 2007

Monday April1,2007

Hi Friends,
Well Maybe it is April 2nd but anyway it is Monday, that I know. We had a good weekend. Joe got to play golf with Karen's pastor on Friday and he shot a 90. Of course you always think you could have done better but he really enjoyed bieng out in the sunshine and spending time with Mike Niva. I went on the ASU tour with Cassie our daughter and Marianne our granddaughter which was also very nice. Friday night we went to cell group which is like small group back in Carillon. It was with members of Karen's church and we really enjoyed it and are glad to have the support while we are here.
Saturday Joe got his car detailed for the first time and he loves having it look so fresh. Then we drove out to Surprise Az to see Karen and Bill Sullivan. We spent a few hours there and then headed home. Sunday we did church and lunch with the kids and then headed back to Fountain Hills for a relaxing evening. It was nice to have three days off.
Today Joe only has to have treatment in the morning so he left me at home for that time. I walked to Starbucks with the computer (1/2 mi) and the weather is about 80 so it was great. The computer gets heavy but it is worth it. I have been trying to catch up on everything. Heard there was a recall of dogfood so had to make sure it wasn't Jake's kind - but he is OK. It is possible our son Michael is going to stop by this weekend on his way home from CA to see Dad and play some golf. Karen and I are goin to do a 4.2 mi. run on Saturday although it may be mostly walk. Neither of us are quite in shape for that but it will be fun to spend time together. Joe is still struggling with the nutrition program and we are probably going to go back to the H.acres program which is a little more liberal. He has to do what he can handle emotionally and raw vegan is just not making it. His spirits seemed to lift just making that decision. The days out here are just one sunny day after another which is really good for him.
Thanks for all your calls and emails. It really helps to hear from you.
We are having trouble with the mail being forwarded. So far we haven't received one piece so we are working on it. By the way, April first ,I was officially elegible for Medicare as I will be 65 this month so no more high insurance premiums. Whooppeee!!!! It is like getting 600 raise per month. Also by the way my voice is almost completely back to normal after the hoarseness so I can talk on the phone - and people can hear me. You forget how good things are til you lose them. We thank God for all the blessings he has given us and we ask for grace to continue this journey for the next 4 weeks with hope and encouragement. Bye for now God Bless Mary Anne

Thursday, March 29, 2007

Thursday March 29, 2007

Well Joe has a short day of treatment today, just ozone so that means about two hours. I just picked Cas and Marianne up at the airport and we are meeting Karen for lunch while she works.
We got the results of the P.E.T. scan done in Chicago read by the radiologist out here. There are still 5 spots in the lungs and multiple areas in the liver. That sounds to us like nothing has changed but it is difficult to tell without a comparison. We will get a more definitive result when he compares it to the one last September. There are no new areas which is good but we don't know the size from this report. It is possible we may need to get a cat scan if this wasn't a PET ct scan which is what we thought he had. Joe continues to tolerate the treatments Ok and the port does make it easier. He has tomorrow off because the doctor is going to a conference so he has a three day weekend. The weather here is chilly for us about 60 but should be in the 80's this weekend.
That's about it for now. Have a good weekend and God bless. Mary Anne

Monday, March 26, 2007

Monday march 26, 2007

Hi Friends,
Well today is 8 months since Joe was diagnosed. I don't think either of us thought he would be here when we heard the news but he is not only here but doing really well. The treatments are going well with little side effects. he had his blood drown yesterday to get ready for IPT today and his levels were fine. They check the while cell count before each treatment. We are hoping to get the results of the P.E T. scan today. I dropped Joe off and went swimming and now am at Karen's catching up on email. As one of the fellow cc patients wrote, we also can't take the time to read forwards and jokes while we are away so please understand. we pay for our time out here and we really just want news of how our friends and family are doing and what is going on in your lives.
It is different being out here away from all the distractions of home, some of which are really good by the way. We only get calls from caring people,no solicitors, no busy work to do etc. Yesterday we went to church and then out to lunch with the pastor Mike and his wife Darcy and some of their family. Karen had to help someone move so she couldn't join us. Then Karen treated Joe and I for our birthdays to a concert by Josh Groban downtown Phoenix last night. He is a wonderful singer and Joe and I have only been to maybe two concerts but nothing on this scale. It was at an Arena that held 20,000 people usually for basketball I guess. We were up in the boonies but it didn't matter because you could hear just fine. It was a nice break from all the medical stuff. We didn't get home til midnight which is late for me and up this morning at 7 to get ready for the day. I am having a guy make the green juice today to see if we can get one more palatable. He make them for a lot of patients at the center.
We had a sort of down day yesterday but are better today. I guess it is natural to have those once in awhile but church and Mike praying with us helped a lot.
Joe is going to try and play golf with Mike on Friday as the clinic is closed. I may hang out with Cassie and Marianne as they tour ASU that day.
Jan, Thanks for your comment and keeping the Carillon people abreast of what is going on. Feel free to give anyone our blog site.
We will let you know more news as we get it. Love you guys, God Bless Mary Anne

Thursday, March 22, 2007

Thursday March 22, 2007

Hi Everyone,.
Well yesterday was another long day. Joe had his first IPT and I misread the info and we got there at 11 instead of 1. We went to Karen's and hung out for awhile (she ws at work) and then he got his treatment. I am very impressed with how careful they are and how much monitoring they do. The treatment was painless but it takes awhile to give the insulin, wait for the blood sugar to drop, give the chemo and a few other drugs and then get the bloood sugar back up. All the patients say they like the IPT days because they get to have sugar ( like juiced apple juice or orange juice) We left there about 4:30 and Joe felt Ok until the middle of the night when he had one episode of nausea. He feels back to his normal quezziness today. I alos talked to several patients wives and got some tips on the green juice. Dr. Lodi also gave us some suggestions. I tried a sample batch last night and it was really much better so we are going to start gradually until he gets used to it drinking the green juice and supplementing with raw vegan diet. We had a great cold corn chowder last night. Tonight I am going to Whole Foods and get a tour of the raw stuff that is good and what to do with some of it. We were 80 % raw for 5 months before we went to Bonaire so I have some background but it helps talking to other people and getting their recipes.
Our spirits are lifted today and I am going swimming for the first time since we got here. We are learning our way around and the distances don't seem so far. Jake our dog has been a real trooper and Karen's cats are getting used to him. Thanks you all so much for your support. We really appreciate the emails and phone calls. We know God is with us in this and I told Joe I really see his courage. God Bless Mary Anne

Wednesday, March 21, 2007

Tuesday first day of treatment

Hi Friends,
Yesterday was the day the juice fast started but Joe couldn't tolerate the juice - it really made hime ill even tho it is only green vegetables. So he will probalby not do that part. Yesterday he got some nutrients IV and today he will get his first IPT. We are well aware that this treatment is alternative but conventional medicine has nothing to offer that Dad is willing to do - i.e regular chemo. We have decided to do this for 6 weeks and see what happens. Please pray that we will be wise about this. We did get some good news. The CA 9-19 was 67 in September (normal is below 33) and the one he had done at St. Joes a week ago came back 27. We still don't have the P.E.T. scan results correct but hope to get that today. We appreciate the people who are trying to make sure we know all the facts about Dr. Lodi but we feel that God is leading us in this and want to give it a shot. We are praying for courage, fortitude, wisdoma nd patience. Dad has already made friends with some of the patients. Most of them are there every day for some treatment. I will not be spending all day with him as there is no place for me to sit with him in the lounge but I will spend the next few days there to see what is going on. Thanks for your support. We all have to do what we feel in right. Hope you understand this. We appreciate your concern and comments and have looked into the information about Cr. Lodi. God bless. Mary Anne

Monday, March 19, 2007

Dr. Lodi's Visit

Hi all,
It's Karen (Joe & Mary Anne's daughter) writing for Mom and Dad. It's been a long and pretty exhausting day at the doctor's office. We got there at 10am and left around 3:30pm having had only an apple each to eat. So they were pretty tired and I told them I would give the update on the blog.

Unfortunately in the way of PET scan results and bloodwork, the results that Dr. Lodi had were not complete and gave us no definitive picture of where Dad's cancer is at at this point. His office is going to work on getting more complete results.

Dr. Lodi spents lots of time with us explaining various aspects of cancer and how a raw diet helps the immune system. He also explained the various types of IV treatments that Dad will be getting. The first goal is to do six weeks of treatment and then see how things look. The treatment involves IPT (can't remember what it stands for), Ascorbic Acid doses (high doses of Vitamin C) and Oxidation. If you want to know more about these and how they work you can check out Dr. Lodi's website at www.anoasisofhealing.com . Anyway these treatments are designed to specifically target cancer cells and not kill of the good cells. At the same time Dad will be doing a "green juice" fast for 21 days to boost his immune system and cleanse and detox his body. Mom is going to be doing that part with him I think.

The treatment is much more expensive than Dad thought it would be and is not covered under medicare. This of course creates stress. Please pray for wisdom for them and for the Lord's peace to just be all around them. They start the fast tomorrow and are probably going to be at Dr. Lodi's every day. Today felt pretty heavy by the end of the day - just facing the reality of all that will be happening. Please pray that the Lord will lighten that heaviness. Thanks for all your prayers!

Karen

Thursday, March 15, 2007

Heading to Arizona

Hi Friends and Family,
Wednesday we spent at the International House of Prayer and what a great filling up we received. We went in the healing room and were prayed over, Joe for his cancer and me for my voice. In between, we spent time in worship and prayer during the day and then late afternoon we went in the prophetic words room. It was so encouraging and we really feel the Lord blessed us with His words and will continue to bless us on this journey. Today we got up and left Kelli's at 5:45 and drove 880 miles to Albuquerque, NM. We arrived here at about 6:30 having gained an hour, had dinner and are now in the motel room relaxing while Joe peeks at the basketball games. The drive was not bad (although I only drove two hours) but no traffic and very little construction. The weather was perfect and we have now come to some low mountains. Joe felt good today which made the drive much better. Tomorrow, we should have no trouble getting to Karen's by dinner and we can't wait to spend some time with her. We saw something today we would never see in Chicago - a riderless horse with bridle and saddle galloping along the highway. We didn't see the cowboy anywhere but the horse was having a good old time.
We have been eating anything and everything which makes us feel alittle guilty but we know we will be on a strict program come Monday so we figure a few days off won't hurt. How much weight do you think you can gain in a week? I have been known to do a good job on a cruise.
Jake our dog continues to be a great traveler and just sits up behind the wheel like he is driving when we stop for gas or a quick meal.
Thank you all for your concerns and prayers. We couldn't do this without you. God Bless. mary Anne

Tuesday, March 13, 2007

On our way

Hi Friends and Family,
Well we have made it to Kansas City and are staying with Kelli for the next two nights. Kelli is Karen's friend who she roomed with in Russia. The drive today was easy. Easy for me to say because I only drove 120 of the 488 miles. The sun was shining most of the way and it got warmer all the way and when we arrived it was 80 in Kansas City. Tomorrow we spend the day at the House of Prayer and I am really looking forward to getting filled up with grace and prayer for our Arizona journey. We heard today that the treatment is not covered by medicare which is a bummer but we don't know all the details yet or what the costs will be so we aren't worrying about what we don't know. At least, I am not worrying about it. Jake our dog traveled wonderfully well on the floor in front of my seat. Just like he did in the airplane.
Thanks to Kirk, our son in law for putting on a picture of us from Bonaire. I have to say that we had a wonderful stay in Bonaire doing all the things we usually do. Joe isn't feeling really great and I would say generally he is probably 5-10% worse than he was at Christmas. Now again that is me the spouse saying this. I am not the one with the quezziness. He is a trooper tho and doesn't complain. The only way I find out is if I ask.
We had a very busy three days home but finished our taxes unpacked and repacked and left at 8:30 this morning and arrived here at 5 tonight. We are on our way to dinner with Kelli and then probably early to bed. Please keep praying and God Bless you for all your support. We will only have email these two days til we get to Karen's on Friday. Love to you all and God Bless. Mary Anne

Sunday, March 04, 2007

Getting ready to come home

Hi dear friends and family,
We are winding down here in Bonaire. We leave here Friday and have spent the last week saying good bye to friends who have left the island. Today we said goodbye to our church friends who aren't in our small group. We have our last small group on Tuesday and the group has become good friends. We hope they will continue after we leave.
Joe has had a better week this week with no bad nausea. We are trying to lap up all the sunshine and warm weather to store it in our bodies for our few days in the cold Chicago weather. We hear they had a warming trend which melted some of the snow-that would be great. Our plans are to arrive home late Friday night and leave again on Tuesday morning for AZ driving there with a stop at the International House of Prayer in Kansas City on Wednesday and on to Az arriving there Friday the 16th.
My voice is slowly coming back to normal. I no longer sound like Minnie Mouse, at least not most of the time. I think it will make a full recovery.
We are so grateful for the time we have had in Bonaire and being optimistic, we have scheduled to come back in October for the month we aren't using now. I did read on the cc website that some people with this cancer have a slow growing kind. I would rather think Joe's is healing but slow growing would be OK if we can turn it around with prayer and treatment. Whatever God plans, we know it is good. We try to treasure each day and feel blessed for the well days. We hope to keep in better contact when we get home or in the states as wirelass should be a little more convenient. We miss you all and so appreciate all you concern. Can't wait to see all our carillon firends at church on Sunday. Bye for now God Bless. Mary Anne

Thursday, February 22, 2007

Prayer answered

February 22, 2007
Well, we have good news. Our friends (and neighbors) in Plainfield have offered to let us use their condo in Az for a very reasonable price for 6 weeks. We are all set.
As some of you know I have been having trouble with laryngitis since my cold in January and I saw the ENT this morning and he said I have a partially paralzed vocal chord from my thyroid surgery in December. This is a common complication and it could improve over the next few months but I can use my voice and the left vocall chord will try and compensate for the lack of movement on the right. Anyway no treatment, no surgery, just time.
Joe had some nausea the last two mornings but the rest of the day was OK. We are diving every day as we only have a few days left to get this in. We are trying to watch the sunsets and take in as much of this as we can while we are here. Will keep you informed of our plans but we are so thankful that all the pieces have come together now. Again, thanks for your prayers. God Bless Mary Anne

Wednesday, February 21, 2007

2-21-07

It’s been awhile since we blogged and there have been some changes. Joe is still feeling about the same but our daughter Karen has checked into a doctor in Phoenix that is oncology, homeopathic alternative medicine. We have decided to go and spend some time with him. Therefore we are leaving Bonaire on the 9th of March instead of in April and will probably be in Phoenix for a month at least. He is a strong proponent of raw vegan diet, getting your immune system built up and getting you body in an alkaline state. He uses insulin therapy and then very low dose chemo to attack the cancer cells directly. We will go to Chicago for a few days and get a P ET scan done and some blood work and then drive to Phoenix. We will stay with Karen for a few days but hope to rent a house or condo for the remainder of the time. When Karen mentioned coming sooner than the end of April Joe thought about it and prayed for a sign from God that this would be the right decision. The next day I asked Joe if I could talk to him about something and said maybe we should consider going back early. When we went to switch the airline tickets and make dates for the tests everything went so smoothly, we just feel this is the right decision. We will arrive home on the 9th of March and hopefully leave for Phoenix the following Tuesday or Wednesday, stopping in Kansas City at the international House of Prayer and spend some time w ith Kelli who is on staff full time there now. For those you who don’t know, she was Karen’s missionary friend in Russia and has continued to be part of the family since then.
We have had a wonderful time in Bonaire for these two months and missed some awful weather in Chicago. We have spent time with our friends from several European countries, Roland and Renata, Peter and Segrid, Rudy and Josiann, and our stateside friends, Ed and Jayne, Bob and Diane, Steve, Lorre and others that have made our stay so worthwhile. Of course our island friends will be staying here, and if all goes well we hope to use our third month in the fall. We did start a small group with our church down here and that has been a great experience. Joe has been able to lead worship twice while we were here so he hasn’t gotten out of practice.
Our prayer needs now are that the tests will not show any further deterioration in the organs, that Dr. Lodi will be able to help us put this disease behind us, and that we can find suitable lodging in Phoenix. We also need prayer for Joe for courage to go through these tests again and know that whatever the outcome, it is in God’s plan. Thanks you again for all your concern and prayers and we will keep you updated on any changes. God Bless all of you. Our church’s verse for February is very fitting. Phil 4 6-7
Do not be anxious about anything but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God and the peace that transcends all understanding will guard your minds and hearts in Christ Jesus.