CLEAR AGAIN!

Praise God! Another set of "no evidence of metastatic disease" scans!!!! This was a hard wait, six months since the last ones. The longest they stretched me out yet. So the last few weeks I had a lot of "suspicious" aches and pains. As my family doctor said when she called to give me the good news (so I wouldn't have to wait until my oncology appointment), "well I bet those aches and pains will mostly disappear now, huh?" And they pretty much have. I am just plain going on 52, that's all. :-) I was 49 when diagnosed, so 52 sounds really happy to me. So, round about 52 and a half I will do the scan routine again. Each time I am clear my chances improve not to have a re-occurrence. Thank you, LORD, for the time I have been given, and thank you all for praying for me and for my family through it all.

Some really great news also, our son-in-law Joel just returned SAFE and SOUND from PA Army National Guard duty in Iraq!!!! We were privileged to be there when they marched into the welcome area at Ft Dix on Tuesday around noon. We are GRATEFUL, and our daughter Melissa is a happy girl too. :-)

We are all doing fine, but the economy in addition to our prior financial struggles from the truck accident, which we still have not recovered damages on, is really taking its toll on our small business. Add to that the PA state budget not being approved and folks in PA are just not buying or paying much the last few months. God is sustaining us day by day but it has been very stressful on both Charles and I. So, please pray for business to pick up. We are working hard trying to bring in new sales and complete the jobs we have as fast as possible, and we are exhausted!

My friend Dona Dean is on hospice now, with the same cancer I had. Please do pray for her and her family. She is looking forward to heaven. She is experiencing pain quite a lot now. Please pray she will be able to be as comfortable as possible, and that her husband, children and grandson will hang onto the Lord through this time.

Thank you so much to all who are still checking this blog, and PRAYING.

Love in Christ, our only anchor in the storms of life,
Karen

(Dearest Diana, if you are reading this, know that I am praying for your family, but am TERRIBLE at sending cards, even though YOU are wonderful at doing so. Please know I have been hurting for your precious family ever since the sadness you all experienced earlier this year)

TWO YEARS

Hello friends!

Wanted to post a little note on the occasion of my upcoming TWO YEARS cancer free (June 2nd diagnosis, June 6th surgery). It is a bittersweet anniversary, but I am thankful, so thankful to be here on earth, with my husband and my children and all of my family and friends who have loved and cared for us through the dark valley. Praise God for His mercy and kindness to our family. I know that I do not deserve my health any more than anyone else. We have lost one dear friend in the last 2 years from cancer and have 2 friends and a neighbor fighting even now. I count each day as a 'bonus' given to me from the hand of God Himself. Thank you, Lord! I am so grateful.

Love to you all,
Karen

ps - I have settled on Dr Naomi Haas at Penn and feel good about switching to her for my care, although I won't see her till September if all continues to be stable. Next scans in late August.

Dr. Flaherty

Just wanted to ask for prayer as I have just been notified that my oncologist, Keith Flaherty, is moving to Mass Gen. Hospital in Boston and I will have to choose a new oncologist. There are 2 others at Univ of Penn, Dr Steven Keefe and Dr Noami Haas, both of whom are experienced with renal cell carcinoma, but not to the extent that Dr Flaherty is. Dr Flaherty has been a fantastic doctor for me. He is extremely respectful and humble and knowledgeable. He genuinely cares and it shows. For example, if he walks through the large crowded waiting room, even if talking with another doctor, he catches my eye and nods and smiles, as if to say, "I am sorry you are waiting and your time and care is important and I am no better than you are". He was just really a wonderful blessing. I also felt he was brilliant, and completely on top of any and all advances in treatment that would be available for me. Anyway, now I need to choose Dr Keefe or Haas, or another hospital / practice. I would appreciate prayer that I would trust in God and God alone for my future, and would wisely choose my next doctor.

Thank you all!
Karen

Praises from Dona Dean!

Hi Friends!

Just an update: I had a CT scan two Fridays ago and Wed at Chemo the doctor told me that my tumors have shrunk back to about 1/2 of what they were....Praising GOD!
I am doing extremely well and am very thankful for that.

We had a wonderful time in Disney World. It was just soooo nice to get away from the cold, chemo and the everyday stuff to be with my husband, children and my sweet grandson. I have pictures of the trip on Facebook if you have time.

I love you all
In Jesus
Dona <><

YIPPEE!

I had my MRI and CT scans on Feb 25th and already my family doctor looked up the reports on line for me and called to tell me they say once again, NED = No Evidence of Disease! WOW. This will put me past the 2 year mark when I have my next scans, most likely in August. All my bloodwork was great, my other kidney is functioning well, I am feeling well. THANKFUL THANKFUL THANKFUL. Thank you for your prayers which have carried us through the last two years.

Dona Dean is in Disneyworld today with her family. She had chemo the day before they left, so please pray that she will feel well while there and the whole family will have a beautiful time and make wonderful memories. I am begging God for a miracle for Dona, but even if she does not survive her cancer, I know He can use all things for His plan.

Karen

Update on Dona Dean

Thank you for praying for Dona Dean! Of course many of her friends were praying long before I posted on my blog about her. I received an update from her a few days ago, and wanted to pass it on:

Hi Folks,
Just an update on my health. I went to Chemo and saw the Dr. He felt my abdominal area where the largest of my many tumors is (10cm) and he said he could not feel it anymore. Wow! Thanks for the prayers. I get a CAT scan in March and will see how all the other tumors are doing. GOD is awesome!!! Always is!!!
I will keep you posted when I get the CT scan.
Love you all!
In Jesus
Dona<><

Shared Requests

Dear faithful friends,

If you are still checking my blog you qualify as a faithful friend! All is well with my health so far. The last scan was indeed all clear - so sorry I did not realize I had not updated you to let you know for sure. Dr Flaherty said I could go 6 months between scans this time instead of 3, but we split the difference to four and a half months so I didn't get TOO nuts. It is seeming like a long time though, and I admit I start to feel a twinge here or there and worry if the next scan, which isn't until the end of February, will be ok. I recently had some sharp back pains for two weeks, and after calling my oncologist in a moderate panic, who told me to watch it for a week longer, I figured out it was happening when I ate spicy foods! HAHA!!!!! GRATEFUL to need only tums for that pain! Most of the time, though, I really forget about the cancer completely, which is a great blessing! Life is busy, which keeps my mind on other things. Praise the Lord!

I do want to ask you to pray for two other friends. One is Allan. He was diagnosed about a year ago with colon cancer, had surgery and chemo, but his recent scans showed some spots of reoccurance, which was very discouraging for he and his wife, to say the least. He recently started chemo again, so can you please pray not only that it would be an effective treatment this time around, and that he would be HEALED? And also, that both Allan and Donna will have peace day by day as they go through this scary time.

Lastly, a family friend Dona Dean, has the same cancer that I had. She was diagnosed about a year after me, at age 49 like me. She has older kids in their twenties and, again, like me, younger kids too. Her twin girls are 8, going on 9. Sadly, unlike how well I am doing so far, it appears that she is not going to survive Renal Cell Carcinoma. She was stage III at diagnosis, though I was stage IV. But, a few months into starting her chemo post-op, (again, same as my med) she was discovered to have extensive spread all through her abdomen and liver. Her church is raising funds to send she and her family to Disneyworld in late February, so that her twins can experience that happy memory with their mom before she becomes too ill to go.

Dona is a precious sister in Christ to many people that we know, and although I haven't seen her often over the years, she is one of those people who you feel you just talked to yesterday each time you talk to her. Can you pray with me, that Dona's homegoing to be with her Savior will be as comfortable as possible, that she will feel His peace surrounding her, and her husband and children and grandchild, through this experience? Dona has a wonderful accepting attitude toward her death, and just wants to honor God even in her own pain.

Thank you so much for continuing to care so much about me and my family. We are grateful. I will post a HOPEFULLY clear scan result end of February or early March. This June will be two years past diagnosis! Praising God for sustaining my life thus far. I am thankful for every day I have had, and pray He will grant me many more. I do not take it for granted.

Love,
Karen