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

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

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

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

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

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 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

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

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

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

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 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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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 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 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

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

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

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

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 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 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 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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

Enjoying Bonaire

Hi dear friends and family,
We haven't posted in way too long but the good news is we are doing so well.
Joe has had a week of no pain and very little queasiness. The last children left a week ago and his week with them had some pain which is always scary but this week has been great. We have been diving every day and have seen some wonderful things -- like free swimming green moray, turtles, unusual fish etc. We have also seen, from the shore, humpback whales which are rare for Bonaire. We've also seen dolphins. We hope to swim with the dolphins but it is hard to guess where they will be.
We have many friends on the island right now and some more coming so they help fill the loneliness we feel now that the children have left. Joe was not sure he would even be here so we know we are blessed. We heard that another cc friend Mark Clements lost his battle about two weeks ago. We were sorry to hear that and his sister Stacie was responsible for getting the website going to let us keepin touch with each other.
We had our second small group meeting from church here last Tuesday and it went well. It is nice to get to know the permanent residents of Bonaire who share a faith with us and it adds a dimension to our stay here that is very necessary.
We spend each Friday night at the Ribs Factory even tho we don't eat ribs anymore. We do, however, get to join our friends there.
We have been here one month and hope to be here for two more. I still don't have my voice back completely, but it keeps me from talking too much at one time.
Again, thank you to all of you who are praying and caring for us and we thank God for you each day. God Bless and we will try and post sooner the next time.
We're off to dive in the beautiful Caribbean! Mary Anne

Update for 1-31-07

We had a great day on Sunday. I was the worship leader and after service I spoke to a group about forming a Small group. We had 13 people sign up. Our friends and next door neighbors from Chicago had come to Bonaire and were at the service. After the service they told us they wanted to be baptized and asked if Mary Anne and I would do it. We had been praying for several years that this would happen. We baptized them that afternoon and it was a great day. We felt very honored that they asked us to do it!!!!

I am feeling OK although some days I have some liver pain and it depresses me. I am still diving. Kevin (our youngest) and his wife Tracy and their little boys are here for the week and it is so good to spend time with them. Other friends, that come to Bonaire each year, came in on Sunday and Tuesday and it is so good to be with them again. When I was diagnosed, I wondered if I would ever see this beautiful little island again.

I believe that I am being sustained by the prayers of so many people. May God bless each of you!

Joe

Update for 1-25-07

We are still doing well. Joe has gotten emails from some people on the cc website who he doesn't even know. Very encouraging. He has been queezy all week but not today. We still dive everyday.
I got the Ok to dive Monday and we have had a great time with the girls, Kelli and Karen. Last night Joe went to rehearse at church to sing Sunday and Kelli, Karen and I went on a sunset sail on the Samur, a boat built in Thailand, an authentic Junk. (That is meant in a positive way.) Then we went to dinner at Swiss Chalet and had Rosti, one of my favorite dishes. She will close her restaurant in March and has sold it to a dutch guy. So no more rosti... :(
Every afternboon is really relaxing. Joe takes a nap on the couch and the girls go to the beach for awhile and then also nap. Tonight is the rum punch party (no rum for us of course) and then to Ribs factory for dinner (no ribs for us either) Things are as good as they can be. The sun is wonderful, having the family here is terrific and Kevin Tracy and the boys come tomorrow. Ed and Jayne, our next door neighbors, arrive too. The kids will be here for one week and Ed and Jayne for 6. That will be great.
Stay well and please keep on praying. We are also praying for you. I may not get to blog twice a week but just know we are thinking of you. God bless. We heard that Mark Clemens died of cc and are very sorry to hear that. His sister Stacie started the cc website.
Mary Anne

Update for 1-18-07

Today is Thursday -- I don't know the date. It is not important down here. We are doing very well. Joe has been feeling really well, no queezy stomack for 4 days at least. If he goes off vegetarian he has fresh fish from the ocean caught that day so no preservatives etc. He is taking the juice plus pills to supplement the lack of vegetables he is eating. He and the kids are doing two dives this morning. The little kids are in class for 4 hours snorkeling and learning how to use scuba equipment and I took the two teenages Marianne and Matthew snorkeling. We saw lots of great stuff and had a good time. I go to the doctor Monday to see if I can dive yet after my surgery. The kids go home Saturday and Karen and her friend Kelli come on Sunday. The time has gone very fast. It is much easier than 4 years ago because the kids are older and entertain themselves well. Jake our dog is loving it down here in the warm weather. Last night we played hand and foot with 6 of us. Joe team won but this time I was on it so that was great. We feel very blessed that we ar actually here and that Joe is feeling so well. We know the prayers are making a difference. Thank you all so much. We miss all our friends back home but hope the blog will kep us in touch.
God Bless
Mary Anne

Update for 1-18-07

Cassie and Kirk and the kids arrived on Bonaire at 3:30 pm, much more respectable hour than Mike and Heidi and their three when they arrived at 6:00 am. It's great to have them all here.

We went to the International Bible church this morning. That congregation has been praying for me for months and I got up and gave a short testimony to prayer and trust in God. They are a small but great congregation. The weather is super with abundant sun and temps in the low 80's. Karen and her friend Kelli will be coming next Sunday. Lots of our friends from the islad heard we were here and stopped by to visit.

Thanks for your continuing prayers.

Joe

Update for 1-11-07

We are in Bonaire now! Except for a cold/flu that started when I got up Tuesday, we are doing well. So far Joe hasn't got it. We have found most of the food we need to survive down here and the kids are bringing the stuff we can't find. The weather, of course, is fine and we have already seen some of our friends from other countries. We will keep up the blog several times a week so you know that we are OK.
Thanks so much for caring about us.
God Bless
Mary Anne

Update for 1-07-07

Well, if you look to the right at the links, you will see that our talented son-in-law Kirk put in the "O Holy Night" video link. That is what Joe and Kevin sang at church on Christmas Eve. We are glad to have it preserved. Thanks Kirk, and thanks Cassie for videotaping it.
We have now weighed and reweighed our suitcases trying to get every last ounce in, and not be overweight. I am trying to bring some food and spices down that will be hard to find down there. I have also been busy copying CD's of worship music to listen to while I am down there now that I have a CD player. We will continue to blog from Bonaire several times a week even if nothing is going on with Joe's cancer. That would be a good thing and we want to share that. We don't think we would be doing this if it weren't for all the prayers of so many friends and people who don't even know us. I now realize just how important it is when you say you will pray for someone, not to forget because we know God hears us. Our small group prayed with us on Thursday night that we would have a safe and healthy trip. We are so looking forward to it and sharing it with our children once again. We know we are blessed to be able to get out of the cold but this year, more than ever, it feels like good medicine to be less stressed and in the warm sunshine soaking up the Vitamin D. Although we may be far away in miles you will be close to our hearts and we will pray for all of you praying for us every day as we have been.
We plan to try and start a small group down in Bonaire and do it on Thursday nights just like we did here at home. They have never done them down there so this will be new. Joe has felt well the last few days and we pray this will continue until we return in April.
Take care and God Bless.
Mary Anne

Update for 1-05-07

As most of you know, we are getting ready to go to Bonaire (small island in the very southern Carribean, near Aruba). We are planning on going for three months and are looking forward to each of our children and their families visiting us while we are there. The island is best know for scuba diving and that is why we went there first. Last year I did about 100 dives there. All of our children and their spouses are scuba certified and our two oldest grandchildren, Matthew and Marianne have done it and will again this year.

I have felt pretty well for the most part. A few days ago I had some nausea and what I thought was associated pain. Whenever that happens and I get any kind of abdominal pain, lots of negative thoughts stream into my head. The last few days I have just had a queasy stomach. Mary Anne continues to do well although yesterday, somehow she subluxated a rib and went immediately to the chiropractor. That really helped and she will go back again today. The intown kids will be coming over on Saturday and we are hoping that they will help us take down the tree. They are pretty wonderful about that kind of stuff. I took down the outside lights last week when the weather was very warm....I have taken them down in below zero weather....it's not as much fun!

Again, thanks to all those who pray for me. I know that I would not be feeling the way I am if it were not for your prayers.

Joe

Update for 12-29-06

It has certainly been a long time since we "blogged". This is a great time of the year but also a busy and hectic one. We were very blessed to have all with us for Christmas except Michael's family who were in CA. We had our Christmas on the 23rd as Kirk (Cassie's husband) who is a minister, had to work on Christmas eve when we often get together. We had a wonderful day with a great meal and opening the presents. I cooked the usual Beef Wellington for those who were not doing vegan. Christmas eve which was Sunday, we had two church services. One at 9:30 (the usual one) and a Christmas service at 6:00 p.m. Kevin and I sang O Holy Night together at the evening service. On Christmas day we all went over to Cassie's who served some special appetizers and a great meal. We had a great time and it was nice to be at her home.

As for many of you, Christmas is a very special time for our family. When I was diagnosed on July 26th, I wondered if I would even be here this Christmas. I was not only here, I had a couple of days where I felt really great. The last few days I have not felt that well but overall good. Just a queasy stomach. We are starting to get geared up to go to Bonaire ( a small island in the southern Carribean near Aruba). We will leave on January 9th and are planning on returning on April 11th. Bonaire is a very laid-back island with no traffic lights and only 11,000 people. World class scuba diving which is why we go there. We have many friends who live on the island and more that we have met who vacation there while we are there.

We will have a pretty quiet New Year's Eve at the neighbor's and like many, I will probably spend much of New Years Day watching football. We wish you a healthy and joyous New Year!

Joe

Update for 12-27-06

I'm Back to the computer after a week off.
As Joe wrote, my surgery went well and no cancer so we can close that page. We had a wondeful Christmas long weekend with all the kids here except Mike and his family who were in San Diego visiting Heidi's Mom and her sibs. We celebrated Christmas the first time on the 23rd with our traditional beef wellington as the main course except for those of us vegans who weren't taking a free day. We had wonderful barley lentil stew. We opened gifts that night. On Christmas Eve we had two services at church. One in the morning and one in the evening. At the evening one, Joe sang "O Holy Night" with our son Kevin and we tried to videotape it but one of the mikes was not on so we retaped it at home later that evening. Our son-in-law Kirk, our computer guru, will put it on the blog when he has time. They did a great job. The little grandchildren got to hear Joe sing for the first time in church because children aren't usually allowed in our clubhouse where our church meets, but they gave special permission for Christmas service. That evening, Joe told stories of his childhood and it was amazing the kids had never heard some of them. Christmas day we went to our daughter Cassie's and had Lasagna. She stretched out her table to fit 12 of us and it was lovely. Kevin took Karen to the airport at 4 and we stayed and watched home movies of the Moore kids when they were little. Although Joe fell asleep for part of it, it was a lot of fun. Joe felt really well through the whole holiday although he had some quezziness again yesterday but he shared that he never expected to be here at Christmas when he got the diagnosis last July and he sure didn't expect to be feeling this well. We feel truly blessed with how prayers are working and that God has allowed us this time together as a family to share with them and special friends just how important they are to us. A pass it on saying I bought this Christmas is When God is all you have, God is all you need. We again thank all of you who so faithfully pray for Joe and for the family. We are doing well and are looking forward to leaving for Bonaire on the 9th of January for three months. Our friends from Holland, Henk and Wilma, and our friends from Germany, Roland and Renata surprised us with calls at Christmas. Thanks guys. You can't imagine how special that made Joe feel. May you all just take it easy these last few days of the year and reflect on all God has given you to be thankful for. We sure have. God Bless Take care Mary Anne

Update for 12-21-06

Mary Anne is doing very well today with a little sore throat from the anesthesia. Her surgeon came in this afternoon and said that the results had come back from pathology regarding the tissue from her thyroid. The abnormal cells were benign. No Cancer. Praise God! I will be bringing her home this afternoon and it will be my turn to wait on her for a while....she deserves it.

Thank you all for your well-wishes and your prayers!

Update for 12-20-06

Mary Anne had her thryoid surgery yesterday and and the Doctor said that it went very well. He did not think it had spread even if it was malignant. He did not have to remove the entire thyroid which is good. I believe that she will come home tomorrow. Mary Anne is feeling pretty good and is not a complainer at all. She is a rock as you who are following this regularly already have figured out. I can't imagine what I would do without her.

Things seem very rushed around here what with coming back from Palm Desert and all the mail and the things that need to be done prior to Christmas. We will all get together to celebrate Christmas on the 23rd as Kirk as a minister has to work on Christmas Eve. We will have a special service on Christmas Eve where Cassie, Karen and I will sing and Kevin will play the guitar.

This is such a special time of the year as we celebrate the birth of the Christ Child. My Christmas wish for you is that the peace and joy of this season will be with you at Christmas and throughout the coming year.

Love ya.....Joe

Update for 12-16-06

Well, today is Saturday - one week before Christmas Eve. We are in Palm Desert until tomorrow and we have had a wonderful trip. We've had some relaxing days and some go-go days, but it seems just the right amount of each. Earl and Pat have been with us this week and we have had a great time playing hand and foot (a card game). Unfortunately, the men have soared ahead of us in games won. Last night our daughter Karen and her friend Kelli arrived. They will be with us for the weekend. Kelli was Karen's roommate when they went to Russia as missionaries. It's great (as always) to see Kelli again.
More good news - our grandson Matthew just got the lead in the musical at his middle school. Also it is official now that Kirk, Cassie's husband will be the new pastor at his own church in Somonauk, IL starting in February. This will necessitate a move for them down the road but not right now. We are happy for them and pray for success in this new mission.
I believe we can pray for anything that would be pleasing to God so we are praying for Cassie's dog Molly who may need surgery because of something that may be lodged in her nasal passage. She is only 2 and a very sweet dog.
Back to Joe ( I tend to digress), he is back to his ordinary queasiness after two days of feeling normal but he is not any worse. It doesn't stop him from doing anything and he has been enjoying reading books out here rather than watching television. He is into James Patterson. I just finished reading 90 Minutes in Heaven, a true story written by a pastor who was in a terrible accident. A good read and I thank my high school friend Mary Ann McCollough for giving it to us on this trip. I read it to Joe for several hours as we drove from Arizona to California. What a beautiful vision of heaven he had. We continue to hear of more people who are praying and we are coming up on 5 months since diagnosis and we know the prayers are being heard. Thanks you so much. We watched a tape Earl brought with him yesterday and it had a part in it that Jesus was in the garden asking God to let this cup pass from him but if it was not in God's will then so be it. I realized that that is our prayer for Joe.
Life will get hectic when we get home tomorrow with my surgery Tuesday. I will be in the hospital until Thursday. If it takes us awhile to get back on the blog, please have a beautiful Christmas with lots of family memories and Christmas songs and cherish the time you get to spend with friends and relatives. Our spirits are filled up each day with the grace from your prayers.
God Bless,
Mary Anne

Update for 12-12-06

Great news!
I've felt great the last two days -- better than I have in 14 months!
Friday night we were at our daughter, Karen's house. She gathered her pastor, Mike and his wife Darcy together with about 15 friends and they prayed over MaryAnne and me. After that we went out dancing -- and learned the fox trot!
We played golf today in beautiful weather and plan to do that again on Thursday. (What a wonderful game golf is!)
We ask that you keep the prayers flowing. We are very thankful for the last few days of feeling so good!
Joe

Update for 12-5-06

Hi Friends,
We came to Palm Dessert on Monday and are staying with our dear friends the Presleys until Thursday. The weather here is gorgeous with lots of sunshine -- just what the doctor ordered. Those of you who know Joe well, know he has seasonal affective disorder so sun is very important to him. He had some nausea on Saturday and Sunday but it is gone. I try to get him to look at it as big chunks of cancer coming off and that he just needs to flush it out. It is hard for him not to think of it as the beginning of a downward spiral. Today we went walking in the mall and came across a Jamba Juice which has fresh carrot juice. I was thrilled! Joe was not so crazy about it, but we found pure carrot juice in the store and he is drinking that.
We also discovered that our friends, Marc and Joan Adler, who we met in Bonaire diving and who live in CO. are here in their motor home. We are meeting up with them tomorrow for lunch. It is 75 during the day here and gets cooler at night. The airlines ruined our luggage by cutting off the approved TSA lock and also cutting off the tabs of the zipper totally so we had to get that repaired yesterday. They didn't pay any attnetion to the approved locks so for those of you traveling, we suggest to skip the locks, at least with American. This is the second time this has happened with our new (cheap) luggage. It cost us more to have new pulls put on than it did for the luggage.
I for one am glad I am away from the hustle and bustle of Christmas and just spending time with good friends and family this next two weeks. I'm sure that Jake our dog staying with Cassie and Kirk, our kids, has added to their stress and we thank them so much for doing this for us. As I think I said, I have my thyroid surgery on the 19th, two days after we return home , so Christmas will be fairly quiet I think. We will not have our traditional Beef wellington that Joe usually makes but we will have something vegetarian. We have a church service on Christmas Eve night and Joe will sing O Holy Night accompanied by Karen and Cassie. Kevin will play the guitar. We will try and videotape it so we have it as a memory. On that night children are welcome in our clubhouse so the little ones will get to see it. That is about it for now. We continue to feel blessed and hope you are all continuing to pray. Since Joe is still doing so well, sometimes it is easy to forget that he has this diagnosis and we have had 4 great months. We just pray that God will let us continue our journey here to help people find their way back to God and this can be your prayer for us. God bless Mary Anne

Update for 11-29-06

Well, Joe has been busy going to the doctor with me the last two days. I need to have my thyoid removed due to Herthle cells in a nodule and there are multiple nodules. They say it is very fixable whether it is malignant or not so I will have the surgery the 19th of December, as soon as we return from Palm Desert. (We are going there for two weeks beginning the 4th of December.) Dr. Schubert, our internist, was happy to see Joe yesterday and see that he was doing well. He had a minor pain (it is always minor when it isn't yours), on the weekend near his sternum but it left on Monday. Sometimes he will be nauseated after a meal but it leaves in several hours. I am trying to get him to look at it as a bunch of tumor or toxins breaking off and getting out of his system. We have modified our diet to truly vegan but not truly raw. We're having more cooked foods but all organic and vegan. Found a great sloppy joe recipe that is all soy. You can't tell the difference. Panera Bread is a great place for us to eat with salads and vegetarian soups.
Joe's TV bulb burned out and will be fixed tomorrow, but I have graciously allowed him to watch mine in the bedroom the last two days. I, of course, don't tape the same shows he likes but any TV is better than no TV. Since I have given this nasty cold to our neighbors Ed and Jayne and Pastor Earl and his wife Pat are afraid of getting it, we haven't played hand and foot for weeks. We are having withdrawal. Hopefully we will get some cards in tonight.
It looks so nice coming down our street seeing all the Christmas lights. I love this time of year with the music and the hustle and bustle. Hope you all get your shopping done early and can enjoy the Christmas season. I opted out of most of the shopping and gave the kids checks to do a Christmas memory with their family or whatever they wanted. Since 7 of the 11 of our family that will be in for Christmas are now doing vegetarian ,we probably won't have our traditional beef tenderloin on Christmas Eve. We will have to talk about options. I have really rambled but wanted to keep in touch. Thank you for your prayers and we thank you for all being there for us. God Bless Mary Anne

Update for 11-26-06

Well, Thanksgiving is over and we can rest up a little and I think that we need it. It was a few days of on-the-go all the time. All the family was in and it was just super. Dinner was at Kevin and Tracy's and she did a great job. The meal was great and we have so much to thankful for.

On Saturday, the "ladies" had their annual mother/daughter lunch and while thay were doing that, all the "men" went and shot sporting clays. All the little boys got to shoot also (of course with dad's help). It was a fun activity and then we came back home and napped. Priceless!

Today the out of towners all headed home. A bit sad but so happy that we had that time to spend together.

Joe

Update for 11-21-06

Thanksgiving will be fast upon us and as Mary Anne said, all the children will be in town. There are 17 of us and it is so great when we all get together. The "boys" have decided that when the "girls" are having the mother/daughter lunch on Saturday, we are going to go to a sporting clays course and do a little shooting. A little different than trap or skeet as it will represent more hunting-type shots of all kinds

Tomorrow is going to be in the 60's and I will put up the Christmas lights....a chore I hate doing but love the results! It would seem that each year I test all the lights and then string them all around only to discover after they are all up that a number of them no longer work...*#&##**#@. They are traditionally turned on at the Coburn's on Thanksgiving evening (at least those that still work will be turned on).

I have so much to be thankful for. God has been so good to me and our family. He has cared for us through all the highs and the lows. I do not see this time as a low as I am feeling very close to God and as I have said before, I know all this is in His plan. Among the many things for which I am thankful are all of you who read this and pull for me and pray for me. Knowing that I have so many praying for me is such a great comfort and blessing. May each of you, regardless of your current situation, realize how blessed you are and thank God for all the blessings you have received. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Joe

Update for 11-20-06

I still have no voice, but I started on an antibiotic today so hopefully I will be able to talk when everyone comes in for Thanksgiving. Heard of a neat idea on WMBI midday connection of something to do with old pictures you never got around to putting in albums. Don't we all have those? They suggested making a photo montage and pasting them together. So that is our family project for Friday daytime. Our whole family will be in for Thanksgiving so there will be 17 of us at Kevin and Tracy's house on Thursday. Friday we will do the picture pasting during the day and Friday night we have a huge pizza party with our extended family at my niece Carrie's house. I can't guess how many will be there but probably over 60. Saturday we have our traditional Mother-daughter lunch with all the women and girls over 7. The boys are on their own and their plans are not set yet. Saturday night will find the 17 of us back at Kev's for the evening and then everyone heads home on Sunday. Michael , Heidi and kids will be driving from Ohio and Karen will be flying in from Az. We don't get everyone together that easy so this will be a special time with lots of laughs. Joe continues to do well. Today was a hard day saying goodbye to Rick Mlady and hoping we won't be in that situation for a long time. We know God still has a lot for us to do. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving everyone and thanks so much for the prayer support. We love you all and remember all you who are praying for us. Mary Anne

Update for 11-18-06

Since I have no voice due to a bad cold and can't talk to anyone I thought I would write in the blog and tell you all about Wellness House. We went for a self hypnosis class this morning for two hours. There were about 22 of us there and we went around the room and talked about why we were there and what kind of cancer and how long etc. We also talke about what we did when we were down. The facilitator was excellent. He has run a medically based hynosis program for 16 years at U of I Chicago. Then we put on earphones and he led us through. When we took off the earphones he told us we had been doing it for 25 minutes but it felt like 10. It was very relaxing. He leads these sessions for Wellness House once a month. He also gave us a CD to use at home. Several of the people came up afterwards to talk. I, of course, just stood there smiling. All I have is a whisper. It was very supporting to see almost all these people who are vegetarian or vegan since their diagnosis. They really see the value of getting rid of sugar, meat, salt and dairy. One of the guys said QiGong was a great class. Wellness House is closed over Thanksgiving, but Joe said he would give that class a try. It was a great group of people and I sure see the value of sharing your stories. There were 4 other caregivers there.
Yesterday Joe had is pulmonary function test and he didn't pass with flying colors but he did OK. The Dr. put him on an inhaler for 4 weeks and he will be retested then. The doctor said if he passed it with using the inhaler he would OK him to dive but he had to use the inhaler til we got back from Bonaire. That would be fine with him. We are having dinner with Ed and Jayne our neighbors who went to Utah with us and she is fixing something she learned to make in Italy where she went with her sister a few weeks ago. She was a great cook before. I can't wait to see what she'll prepare vegan. We stopped at Wild Oats grocery store after the trip to Wellness House this morning and found some new products that were vegan. We had homemade (well, fresh-made) vegan lentil soup for lunch. Joe has watched football all afternoon and I have been in the bedroom watching TV and sleeping. I'm not much company with my whispering and Joo being hearing-impaired somewhat. I am really the silent partner this weekend.
Our small group was studying the last part of the Our Father with the subject of "deliver us from evil" or the evil one. It was interesting to hear Max Lucado say that God controls what he allows the devil to do and he does it for three reasons: To refine us, to awaken the sleeping, and to strengthen the church. He said that each time the Satan tempts us and we turn to God instead, it is like scoring a basket at the wrong end of the court from your team. Satan loses. Joe feels like God is using this cancer to refine him and it definitely has brought him closer to God. Joe is trying to make each day count. We feel so much more connected to God and each other. We are closer than we have been. Times of trial always have something good in them. Our friend Rick Mlady passed away this week. He was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer about 10 days before Joe found out about his. Joe will be a pall bearer on Monday so please remember the Mlady family in your prayers as they grieve for a wonderful husband and father. God bless you all and keep on praying. It was wonderful to see the strength of the faith of the people at the meeting this morning. I don't think there was one who didn't mention prayer as a sustaining force in their lives. By the way, the Doctor is a Dr. of ministry with a practice of hynosis for the medically ill. Bye for now. Mary Anne

Update for 11-14-06

Tonight, Mary Anne and I went for a tour of the Wellness House in Hinsdale. They have lots of courses on stress management, support groups for folks with Cancer and for the care-givers. Nutrition classes, yoga and much, much more. Very impressive! All of this is without cost as the entire Wellness House is supported by grants. I am sure there are stresses in my body now and those stresses do inhibit the immune system so maybe the yoga can help in that area. Our children believe that I have been dealing with stress for so long that I don't even realize that I have it.......could be! We will probably try some of the classes. I think we signed up this Saturday for a class on self hypnosis. I let you know.

Joe

Update for 11-9-06

Things are pretty relaxed here right now. We are just kind of kicking back after the trips to Utah and North Carolina. Yesterday and today are beautiful here with temps in the high 60's low 70's. I played golf yesterday and except for my back which always bothers me a bit when I golf, it was all great! We will be heading for Palm Desert on December 4th and will return on December 17. All the children will be in town for Thanksgiving and that is always a wonderful time.

I have had a large number of responses to my decision not to have chemo and all have been supportive regarding that decision. We are still doing the vegetables, fruit, nuts, seeds and grains diet (Oops! life style change). It's OK but I still get a great yearning for "real" food. I feel fine on this regimine and as a side benefit have lost 30 lbs. I am not drinking a bottle a day of Mangosteen any longer. I think I did that for about four weeks. I do drink a glass each day now along with Barley Max and Carrot Max and some carrot juice.
Thanks again for all your support and prayers.

Joe

Update for 11-1-06

Mary Anne and I went to see the Oncologist, Mary Mulcahy, at Northwestern in downtown Chicago this morning. It's always so much fun to drive to the loop...almost 2 hours of stop and go on the expressway....hmmmm, a misnomer there. Regardless, we had an excellent visit with her and I explained that I was not going to take any chemo or other treatment at this time. She agreed and said that the decision was "well thought out, intelligent and courageous". It was very affirming to have her say that. She said that if some treatment would be able to give me a chance at a cure then she would be pushing for it but under the circumstances any treatment was only palliative and inasmuch as I was feeling well there was not much sense in doing it. I left with an even increased sense that I have made the right decision.
The next trip will be to Palm Desert for two weeks the first part of December. Our love and thanks to all out there who follow the blog and support and pray for me. I am so humbled, bouyed and thankful for your prayer and encouragement.

Joe