Dear Friends and Family,
After getting the good results from the scan we weren't sure if we would still have to go the route of surgery or not.
We talked with our oncologist and found out that they still recommend that Mark have the liver resection to completely rid his body of the cancerous tumors and then continue with 8 more rounds of chemo to make sure any chemo seeds or hidden tumors are taken care of.
A liver resection is not the easiest surgery to recover from so we covet your prayers as Mark prepares for the surgery in two weeks.
We are very thankful for this past week-end as we spent time together in Charleston, SC to celebrate our 25th anniversary which just happens to be July 6th so we are happy to have been able to make the trip before our upcoming hospital stay!
Our prayer requests:
Complete healing for Mark
Endurance through this next surgery and recovery
Faith
Find opportunities to be a witness of God's grace in our life.
Our daughter Jessica as she is leaving for Italy for either 5 weeks or 2 months to be an au pair (nanny) for a family there. (leaving Friday, June 25)
Thank you so much for your continued love and prayers,
Mark and Lee
James 5:14-16
Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Good News!
Friends and Family,
Praise God! Praise God! Praise God! "No new spots and the spots that were there have decreased significantly" were the best, sweetest, most touching words I have heard in a while!
We are SO excited about these results and are just praising and giving thanks to God our Healer!
There's really not much else to say! Mark will have an appointment next week with his liver surgeon and find out where he wants to go from here.
I will let you know when we do.
Thank you for your prayers and please join us in thanking our Lord for this good news!
With thankfulness oozing out of us,
Mark and Lee
Psalm 30:11-12
Thou hast turned for me my mourning into dancing; Thou hast loosed my sackcloth and girded me with gladness; That [my] soul may sing praise to Thee, and not be silent. O LORD my God, I will give thanks to Thee forever.
Psalm 100:4
Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and His courts with praise! Give thanks to Him, bless His name!
1 Thessalonians 5:18
in everything give thanks; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.
Praise God! Praise God! Praise God! "No new spots and the spots that were there have decreased significantly" were the best, sweetest, most touching words I have heard in a while!
We are SO excited about these results and are just praising and giving thanks to God our Healer!
There's really not much else to say! Mark will have an appointment next week with his liver surgeon and find out where he wants to go from here.
I will let you know when we do.
Thank you for your prayers and please join us in thanking our Lord for this good news!
With thankfulness oozing out of us,
Mark and Lee
Psalm 30:11-12
Thou hast turned for me my mourning into dancing; Thou hast loosed my sackcloth and girded me with gladness; That [my] soul may sing praise to Thee, and not be silent. O LORD my God, I will give thanks to Thee forever.
Psalm 100:4
Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and His courts with praise! Give thanks to Him, bless His name!
1 Thessalonians 5:18
in everything give thanks; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.
Monday, June 7, 2010
Chemo - Round 4 - Scan this week!
Dear Friends and Family,
Last week Mark finished his 4th round of chemo. He was a bit sick but not terribly and is very thankful that it is now behind him.
I apologize for not blogging last week and have had some people ask me about it - the week got away from me so quickly!
This week-end went well - every Saturday we have softball games and since Mark has been sick he is the coach and doesn't play. I got to the game late to find my husband running from 1st to second in the middle of the game! What?? Yes, he played a game of softball! Should he have? Probably not. He was very exhausted afterward but I'm happy that he had fun and got to get out there with the guys!
Sunday was a huge blessing to me as I watched Mark sing on the praise team at church as they sang Chris Tomlin's "Our God" and we worshiped together singing "
Our God is greater, our God is stronger, God you are higher than any other.
Our God is Healer, Awesome in Power, Our God! Our God!"
Tomorrow is a huge day for us! Mark goes in the morning for a CT scan. Someone ask me why they are doing the scan and what they are looking for. Very simply they are looking to see if:
1. The cancer is gone!
2. The cancer is shrinking
3. The cancer remains the same
4. The cancer has grown
5. The cancer has spread
Obviously our prayer request is for either number one or two - we know that "God is our Healer" and we know that God has a plan and tomorrow will tell us where we are and what to expect. Please join with us in prayer as we implore our heavenly Father for a great test result and we prayer that in all things God will get the glory.
God's faithfulness and goodness has been constant to us in all things through this time in our life. I can't begin to list all of the ways that God has blessed us and all of the people He has sent to us in our time of need to meet the very need at that very minute!
I will send a post after we know the results of the scans. We covet your prayers for complete healing in Mark's body and for our faith to be increased every day.
We feel the prayers and we love and appreciate you all,
Mark and Lee
"Great is Thy Faithfulness"
Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father;
There is no shadow of turning with Thee;
Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not;
As Thou hast been, Thou forever will be.
Great is Thy faithfulness!
Great is Thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see.
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided;
Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!
Last week Mark finished his 4th round of chemo. He was a bit sick but not terribly and is very thankful that it is now behind him.
I apologize for not blogging last week and have had some people ask me about it - the week got away from me so quickly!
This week-end went well - every Saturday we have softball games and since Mark has been sick he is the coach and doesn't play. I got to the game late to find my husband running from 1st to second in the middle of the game! What?? Yes, he played a game of softball! Should he have? Probably not. He was very exhausted afterward but I'm happy that he had fun and got to get out there with the guys!
Sunday was a huge blessing to me as I watched Mark sing on the praise team at church as they sang Chris Tomlin's "Our God" and we worshiped together singing "
Our God is greater, our God is stronger, God you are higher than any other.
Our God is Healer, Awesome in Power, Our God! Our God!"
Tomorrow is a huge day for us! Mark goes in the morning for a CT scan. Someone ask me why they are doing the scan and what they are looking for. Very simply they are looking to see if:
1. The cancer is gone!
2. The cancer is shrinking
3. The cancer remains the same
4. The cancer has grown
5. The cancer has spread
Obviously our prayer request is for either number one or two - we know that "God is our Healer" and we know that God has a plan and tomorrow will tell us where we are and what to expect. Please join with us in prayer as we implore our heavenly Father for a great test result and we prayer that in all things God will get the glory.
God's faithfulness and goodness has been constant to us in all things through this time in our life. I can't begin to list all of the ways that God has blessed us and all of the people He has sent to us in our time of need to meet the very need at that very minute!
I will send a post after we know the results of the scans. We covet your prayers for complete healing in Mark's body and for our faith to be increased every day.
We feel the prayers and we love and appreciate you all,
Mark and Lee
"Great is Thy Faithfulness"
Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father;
There is no shadow of turning with Thee;
Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not;
As Thou hast been, Thou forever will be.
Great is Thy faithfulness!
Great is Thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see.
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided;
Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Chemo - Round 3
Friends and Family,
Mark is though round 3 of chemo. After round 2 he felt bad for quite a while on and off but if you saw him you wouldn't know it - he always has a positive attitude and keeps going no matter what! He had an allergic reaction which caused some breaking out on his face but Benadryl took care of that and by this past week-end looked and felt great!
Please continue to pray for complete healing, for faith and for a great result when he gets his next pet scan which will be in about 3-4 weeks we think. Also, pray that he will feel good and that the nausea will dissipate.
We are thankful this week for the help of my mom and sister from WV who have been a tremendous help around the house!! I look at where God has put us and marvel that every time we have a need that God sends someone to meet that for us. It is amazing how the support of family and friends has helped us in this journey from the smallest of things to the largest and we praise Him for the blessings He has sent us!
With much love,
Mark and Lee
Psalm 8:3-4
When I consider Thy heavens, the work of Thy fingers, the moon and the st ars, which thou hast ordained; What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?
Psalm 36: 7,10
How excellent is Thy lovingkindness, O God! O continue Thy lovingkindness unto them that know Thee.
John 10:10
I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.
Matthew 11:28
come unto Me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Isaiah 26:3
Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on Thee: because he trusteth in Thee.
I Chronicles 5:20
They cried to God...and He was entreated of them; because they put their trust in Him.
Mark is though round 3 of chemo. After round 2 he felt bad for quite a while on and off but if you saw him you wouldn't know it - he always has a positive attitude and keeps going no matter what! He had an allergic reaction which caused some breaking out on his face but Benadryl took care of that and by this past week-end looked and felt great!
Please continue to pray for complete healing, for faith and for a great result when he gets his next pet scan which will be in about 3-4 weeks we think. Also, pray that he will feel good and that the nausea will dissipate.
We are thankful this week for the help of my mom and sister from WV who have been a tremendous help around the house!! I look at where God has put us and marvel that every time we have a need that God sends someone to meet that for us. It is amazing how the support of family and friends has helped us in this journey from the smallest of things to the largest and we praise Him for the blessings He has sent us!
With much love,
Mark and Lee
Psalm 8:3-4
When I consider Thy heavens, the work of Thy fingers, the moon and the st ars, which thou hast ordained; What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?
Psalm 36: 7,10
How excellent is Thy lovingkindness, O God! O continue Thy lovingkindness unto them that know Thee.
John 10:10
I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.
Matthew 11:28
come unto Me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Isaiah 26:3
Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on Thee: because he trusteth in Thee.
I Chronicles 5:20
They cried to God...and He was entreated of them; because they put their trust in Him.
Friday, May 7, 2010
Chemo - Round 2
Friends and Family,
We are happy to say that Mark is through round 2 of chemo. He did feel nauseated some but overall did pretty well for which we are thankful!
Wearing the pump for 48 hours hasn't slowed him down much - I took him to a couple meetings on Wednesday and listened as he sat there and talked about FCA and such as I heard the pump every now and then making its noise as it disperses the chemo. I am very proud of the fact that he is going forward and not letting this hinder his ministry.
Our continued prayer requests is for complete healing and for minimal to no side effects from the chemo.
He has two more rounds of chemo before they will scan him again and then they plan to do another liver resection, give him time to recover and then start back on the chemo. We pray that the doctors will be befuddled when they scan him and that our Lord has chosen to heal him and has taken the cancer away! Wouldn't it be wonderful to not have to go through another liver surgery??
Thanks to the Lord for His mercies are new every day and His faithfulness is greater than anything Mark and I have ever experienced before!
We are constantly thankful for your prayers and support and love!
Mark and Lee
Psalm 103:1-2
Bless the Lord, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless His holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits>
II Chronicles 30:9
For the Lord your God is gracious and merciful, and will not turn away His face from you, if ye return unto Him.
Colossians 2:7
Rooted and built up in Him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving.
Psalm 121:1
I will left up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help.
Psalm 35:28
My tongue shall speak of Thy righteousness and of Thy praise all the day long.
We are happy to say that Mark is through round 2 of chemo. He did feel nauseated some but overall did pretty well for which we are thankful!
Wearing the pump for 48 hours hasn't slowed him down much - I took him to a couple meetings on Wednesday and listened as he sat there and talked about FCA and such as I heard the pump every now and then making its noise as it disperses the chemo. I am very proud of the fact that he is going forward and not letting this hinder his ministry.
Our continued prayer requests is for complete healing and for minimal to no side effects from the chemo.
He has two more rounds of chemo before they will scan him again and then they plan to do another liver resection, give him time to recover and then start back on the chemo. We pray that the doctors will be befuddled when they scan him and that our Lord has chosen to heal him and has taken the cancer away! Wouldn't it be wonderful to not have to go through another liver surgery??
Thanks to the Lord for His mercies are new every day and His faithfulness is greater than anything Mark and I have ever experienced before!
We are constantly thankful for your prayers and support and love!
Mark and Lee
Psalm 103:1-2
Bless the Lord, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless His holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits>
II Chronicles 30:9
For the Lord your God is gracious and merciful, and will not turn away His face from you, if ye return unto Him.
Colossians 2:7
Rooted and built up in Him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving.
Psalm 121:1
I will left up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help.
Psalm 35:28
My tongue shall speak of Thy righteousness and of Thy praise all the day long.
Monday, April 26, 2010
Monday, April 26, 2010
Dear Friends and Family,
I am thankful to report that Mark is doing well and feeling good! He went in Thursday to get his pump off and as predicted came home feeling nauseated. He did not feel well most of Thursday or Friday but by Saturday was feeling much better and by Sunday was feeling back to normal!
I really encouraged him to eat whatever he felt like and not worry about the nutrition at this point. I feel like he needs to keep up his weight and his strength and so whatever type food is appealing to him he should eat. I came home from the Beth Moore conference on Saturday and when he told me where he wanted to go eat dinner I about fell off the couch...Steve B's pizza buffet! He never wants to go eat greasy pizza but he sure did Saturday night and he got his fill of it - we had a good time laughing and just enjoying the fact that he had such a good appetite!
We won't have anything else to report until next Tuesday, May 4th when he goes in for round 2 of chemo.
Please continue to pray for healing and strength for Mark. We are praying that after the 4th round of chemo he will go in for a scan prior to surgery and they will be dumbfounded because the cancer is gone! We know our God can heal him and we pray that He will! We have faith that God is not finished with Mark and we are just waiting on His timing to see when He chooses for the healing to take place. In the meantime we will continue to wait and see what He has for us.
We love you all and thank you for lifting us up!
Mark and Lee
Psalm 34
I will extol the LORD at all times; his praise will always be on my lips.
My soul will boast in the LORD; let the afflicted hear and rejoice.
Glorify the LORD with me; let us exalt his name together.
I sought the LORD, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears.
Those who look to him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame.
This poor man called, and the LORD heard him; he saved him out of all his troubles.
The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him,and he delivers them.
Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him.
Fear the LORD, you his saints,for those who fear him lack nothing.
The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing.
Come, my children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the LORD.
Whoever of you loves life and desires to see many good days, keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking lies.
Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.
The eyes of the LORD are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their cry;
the face of the LORD is against those who do evil,to cut off the memory of them from the earth.
The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles.
The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.
A righteous man may have many troubles, but the LORD delivers him from them all;
he protects all his bones,not one of them will be broken.
Evil will slay the wicked; the foes of the righteous will be condemned.
The LORD redeems his servants; no one will be condemned who takes refuge in him.
I am thankful to report that Mark is doing well and feeling good! He went in Thursday to get his pump off and as predicted came home feeling nauseated. He did not feel well most of Thursday or Friday but by Saturday was feeling much better and by Sunday was feeling back to normal!
I really encouraged him to eat whatever he felt like and not worry about the nutrition at this point. I feel like he needs to keep up his weight and his strength and so whatever type food is appealing to him he should eat. I came home from the Beth Moore conference on Saturday and when he told me where he wanted to go eat dinner I about fell off the couch...Steve B's pizza buffet! He never wants to go eat greasy pizza but he sure did Saturday night and he got his fill of it - we had a good time laughing and just enjoying the fact that he had such a good appetite!
We won't have anything else to report until next Tuesday, May 4th when he goes in for round 2 of chemo.
Please continue to pray for healing and strength for Mark. We are praying that after the 4th round of chemo he will go in for a scan prior to surgery and they will be dumbfounded because the cancer is gone! We know our God can heal him and we pray that He will! We have faith that God is not finished with Mark and we are just waiting on His timing to see when He chooses for the healing to take place. In the meantime we will continue to wait and see what He has for us.
We love you all and thank you for lifting us up!
Mark and Lee
Psalm 34
I will extol the LORD at all times; his praise will always be on my lips.
My soul will boast in the LORD; let the afflicted hear and rejoice.
Glorify the LORD with me; let us exalt his name together.
I sought the LORD, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears.
Those who look to him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame.
This poor man called, and the LORD heard him; he saved him out of all his troubles.
The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him,and he delivers them.
Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him.
Fear the LORD, you his saints,for those who fear him lack nothing.
The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing.
Come, my children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the LORD.
Whoever of you loves life and desires to see many good days, keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking lies.
Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.
The eyes of the LORD are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their cry;
the face of the LORD is against those who do evil,to cut off the memory of them from the earth.
The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles.
The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.
A righteous man may have many troubles, but the LORD delivers him from them all;
he protects all his bones,not one of them will be broken.
Evil will slay the wicked; the foes of the righteous will be condemned.
The LORD redeems his servants; no one will be condemned who takes refuge in him.
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Chemo - Day 1
Friends and Family,
Day 1 of chemo went well. Mark spent most of the day getting drugs pumped into him through his port and then they sent him home with a pump that drips the chemo drugs steadily into his bloodstream for 48 hours. It looks like a fanny sack and has a tube running from that into the port in his chest. They said that he may not feel the full effects of the chemo until Thursday when they take the pump off.
He was tired and a bit nauseated last night but he did eat ok and then we just chilled out and tried to take it easy by watching the Braves and the Hawks play (both teams won!) We didn't know how he would sleep with the pump but he did fine and had a good night sleep.
He is going to try to work through all of this but he has promised that if he feels sick he will head home and get some rest!
Our prayer requests would be that number one God would completely take the cancer away from Mark's body and that the chemo side effects would be minimal or nonexistent. We are praying for faith and strength as we walk this new path.
We are so touched and blessed by the love of so many family and friends and yesterday as I was driving home it struck me - there are so many people that love us and hate that we are going through this and would take it away from us if possible but our heavenly Father who loves us more than any person on earth has allowed this in our lives and while we may never understand completely we accept this from Him and pray that we will give Him honor by our actions and attitude.
Thank you again for the prayers - they keep us going and we know that we come to a place where we don't know how to pray that somewhere someone is stepping beside us to pray what we cannot.
We love you,
Mark and Lee
Matthew 17:20
"I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you."
Psalm 46:1-2
"God is our refuge and strength,an ever-present help in trouble.Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea"
John 14:27
"Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid"
Day 1 of chemo went well. Mark spent most of the day getting drugs pumped into him through his port and then they sent him home with a pump that drips the chemo drugs steadily into his bloodstream for 48 hours. It looks like a fanny sack and has a tube running from that into the port in his chest. They said that he may not feel the full effects of the chemo until Thursday when they take the pump off.
He was tired and a bit nauseated last night but he did eat ok and then we just chilled out and tried to take it easy by watching the Braves and the Hawks play (both teams won!) We didn't know how he would sleep with the pump but he did fine and had a good night sleep.
He is going to try to work through all of this but he has promised that if he feels sick he will head home and get some rest!
Our prayer requests would be that number one God would completely take the cancer away from Mark's body and that the chemo side effects would be minimal or nonexistent. We are praying for faith and strength as we walk this new path.
We are so touched and blessed by the love of so many family and friends and yesterday as I was driving home it struck me - there are so many people that love us and hate that we are going through this and would take it away from us if possible but our heavenly Father who loves us more than any person on earth has allowed this in our lives and while we may never understand completely we accept this from Him and pray that we will give Him honor by our actions and attitude.
Thank you again for the prayers - they keep us going and we know that we come to a place where we don't know how to pray that somewhere someone is stepping beside us to pray what we cannot.
We love you,
Mark and Lee
Matthew 17:20
"I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you."
Psalm 46:1-2
"God is our refuge and strength,an ever-present help in trouble.Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea"
John 14:27
"Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid"
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