Hard to Hear

I did not post yesterday because, to be honest, I needed some time to digest the information given to us yesterday about Mom's treatment. As most of you know, I was not prepared for any of this buy yesterday's news, for some reason, just rocked my world (not my faith, just my day I guess). Anyway, we were told that Mom now has an aggressive stage 3 cancer that we must deal with quickly. That means that chemo will start on Wed. and last for 16 weeks. That is going to be extremely hard on her body. My prayer for that is that it will go by quickly and the Drs. can help keep her as comfortable as possible. The chemo will be followed by surgery and then that will be followed by 6 1/2 weeks of radiation. Please join me in praying that the chemo be successful and quick to attack this disease.
Like Mom says, all the time, we lean fully on our God who gives us the strength to go through this but He also blesses us with each of you that we will also be leaning on. You all have been a source of strength already and I know this will continue throughout this long road ahead.

Family Fun

Last week after Mom was diagnosed with cancer, my uncle Don called me and said he was going to arrange for the family to get together for a sort of pep rally for Mom. I had no idea how he was going to pull it together or how many people would even stop what they were doing and come. On Saturday afternoon I showed up at the restaurant where we were all to meet and was amazed at how many of our family members left their own lives at home to encourage ours here. There were 30 people who showed up. Don had made t-shirts for all of us with a pink ribbon and "TEAM Sharon" on the front. Mom was so excited to see everyone. I think it really boosted her and made her feel special. Many of them also stayed and went to church with us that evening. We all wore our shirts proudly. We were a sight I am sure.
I want to say thank you to every single one of you who made this weekend as special as it was. Tom-thank you so much for putting all the out-of-towners up in the hotel. Don-thank you for thinking of the event, lunch, t-shirts, and travel. Tim-thank you for coordinating the other side of the family. Don, Juanda, Kendyl, Kyle, Matt, Jonelle, Cindy, Tom, Julie, Trey, Preston, John, Jan, Papa Dad, Nana, Max, Andrea, Tim, Shelly, Reagan, Bailey, Susan, Norman, Russell, Amanda, and Hunter thank you all for being the family that you are and showing us the love of Christ in your support of our Sweets.

Putting Our Shoes On

Last night I had the precious privilege to pray with and be prayed for by an incredible group of women. We (Mom, Taylor, and I) were among a group of women who I admire so much and strive to be like one day. Such sweet words were said and taken to God on our behalf. These women begged God for things we want and prayed protection over us throughout this whole process. We cried, laughed, and shared. It was so wonderful.
The thing that left the biggest impression, however, was their willingness to put on their shoes and walk this journey with us. There was no hesitation in allowing Mom and Dad to set the pace and they would all follow along to be encouragement and support. We all know even under the best of circumstances that cancer is a long journey and because God has blessed us so dearly, we do not have to go down that road alone. That is one of the biggest blessings of a church family. This is why Mom and Dad have been here 25 years. These people that we are surrounded by love the Lord with all of their hearts and it shows.
This situation stinks, with Mom having cancer, but it has already been such a blessing. I am ready and willing to grow in whatever way God has planned for me and I know I have every one of those women to help and encourage me. I am completely overwhelmed with love for each of you. I am also in utter awe of the God we serve who never ceases to amaze me with his grace and compassion on us.

Bone Scan

It's clear too! What a blessing!

CT Results

God is so good! Mom got the results back from this morning's CT test and all is clear on that. That means no cancer was found in her core area (chest, abdomen, lungs, etc.) This is a huge answer to prayer. She has also been shown God's power through her new Dr. It is so true that God has gone before us and put people in place to help us along the way. (Thank you Suzy J. for those encouraging words.) This Dr. brings a sence of urgency with a lot of confidence which, in turn, grants us God's peace.

Please pray for: the bone scan tomorrow morning. We will have results from that tomorrow evening.

Thank God for a clean test today and taking care of us each step of the way.

Link for Walk for the Cure Team

Tara has put together a team to do the walk in honor of Mom. Here is the link to our team if you would like to join or just find out more about it. Thanks Tara! you are the BEST!

http://www.the3day.org/site/PageServer?JServSessionIdr006=qqv7vlbwk1.app321a

Schedule This Week

I now have a schedule that I ask you to pray for this week for Mom. Tomorrow (Tuesday) morning she goes in for a CT scan. This will show chest and abdomen areas. Then Tuesday afternoon she will have a Dr. apt. On Wed. morning she will go in for the full body bone scan. This one is the big one that will put our minds at ease, or answer our questions. Please pray that these tests come back with nothing on them and that the cancer we have already found is all there is. Please also pray that the Dr. apt goes well and Mom has a peace come over her about the person or people who are being put in charge of her medical care. God has already shown us that He knew long before we did what was going to happen and He has taken care of us so well. I know without a doubt that He will continue to do this during each step we take. Thank you again for your love and support.