Never give up on me

We received some great inspiration in the mail the last few days. I want to start off by thanking Rhonda and Mary for the packages. Rhonda's package ministered to my heart and Mary's to my physical body. I also want to thank Bruce and Donna for the cards. Rhonda sent a CD with Christian songs and we now have a song to play every morning to go with our reading of Psalm 91. The song is "I am counting on God". The words are:

I'm in a fight not physical. I'm in a war, but not with this world. You are the light that's beautiful. I want more. I want all that's yours. (Chorus) Joy unspeakable that won't go away. Just enough strength to live for today. So I never have to worry what tomorrow will bring cause my faith is on solid rock. I am counting on God.

It is really upbeat and words that are so to the heart of our struggle right now. We have Joy that is unspeakable but just enough strength to live for today. EVERY morning, we say, "This is the day that the Lord has made. I will rejoice and be glad in it." EVERY day is a victory and a gift. It was before Mike has cancer, we just forgot to notice.

So, today we have been here 4 weeks. One month... This week for Mike has been the same really. He is still weak and tired. But his body is fighting so hard. He does struggle to find a good sleeping position. Right now he is asleep on a chair, kind of. He sits in the chair and stacks 3 pillows on the ottoman. He then leans forward and falls asleep that way for a little bit. I think it helps with the pain in his stomach. Mike has pain in his stomach most of the time. He has been ranking it anywhere for 3 to 5 on the pain scale of 10. He has to be the best patient and the most frustrating. He doesn't complain and yet at the same time, he doesn't verbalize what is going on. We are getting better at asking him questions. Again, this may be more information that you want to know. However, I need to give you an accurate picture of Mike so in the end you can see how strong and mighty God is. In the end, this battle is His and His alone.

One of the most encouraging things about this blog is the amount of people praying for us. We covet your prayers. They really cover us and wrap us tightly. Thank you so much and please continue to pray. This is a long journey that Mike and I alone can not fight. That I know for sure. We need everyone to continue in this battle with us with your prayers. But I want to take a moment and ask everyone that is praying for us to add some special people we have met to your prayer list.

Liddy and Nacho: Nacho has melanoma that has met into his bones. He is 40 years old and an engineer. He has 3 kids and a wife that loves him very much. He is really struggling right now and has had some bad detox reactions (bad headaches and stomach aches too). In fact, he has stopped the IV therapy for the weekend.

Beth and Ed: Beth is this amazing women with Stage 4 Ovarian cancer. She is about 60 years old and has 2 children and 3 grandkids. She is this gentle, southern belle with an amazing zeal for life. She is constantly smiling and checking on us. When Mike drinks water, she says, "Good Mike. Keep it up." She had to be a cheerleader at one point. I just want to be in her presence. When she is around, it is like having your mother taking care of you when you have the flu.

Teri's Dad: He has stage 2B Lung Cancer. He is not here. He has elected to have surgery on Monday in PA. The will be removing part of his lung, 3 ribs, tissue and muscle. It is a hard surgery. Please lift him and his family up.

Yesterday, Mike's IV therapy went all day - 9:30 am - 4:00 pm. He had some issues with the vitamin IV they were giving him. It burned and made his arm hurt. He only managed to get about 1/2 of it in. (He says he is not doing it anymore). Then his Vitamin C IV ran slow. It ended up that Beth, Nacho and Mike were doing IV therapy in the afternoon. Liddy showed up and we all sat in the room talking. Well, it was mostly Beth, Liddy and I. Occasionally Nacho would pop in with something. He usually lays in a corner with sunglasses on. You think he is asleep until he says something. Mike was whipped, so he would just smile and nod when I said something. It was so encouraging and one of those memories I will remember the rest of my life. Not really because what was said, but because of the energy (not doubt from God) in the room. Everyone shared stories of their journey and how God is moving. We talked about the treatments. We talked about the science of cancer. Beth reminded me that cancer has 2 sodium receptacles and 23 glucose receptacles. She talked about how when she was doing chemotherapy they would have dunkin donuts for the cancer patients to eat. That is messed up. Nutrition is key.

In the end, this blog is all over the place tonight. I guess the theme of it tonight is never give up. Never give up on Mike. Never give up seeking the truth about anything. Beth and Nacho have not given up. Nacho flew from Mexico. He called Bill and Bill told him to seek treatment with one of his partners in CA. However, he wanted Bill himself. Beth clearly has not given up and continues to fight with a smile. Finally and most importantly, never give up on God. Count of Him. The bible says, "He will never leave you or forsake you!"