WOW.................. things have really changed up here. It's gotten so cold that our diesel truck wouldn't start so we decided that Leon would take the truck & trailer home since it's going to get below 0 this weekend and it's a good thing that we did because the water tanks were frozen when he tried to drain them before he left. We're praying that nothing busts in the trailer when it starts to thaw out. So, we're staying in the hospital's hotel that is really nice & we were able to get a room that we could keep Chloe with us, Praise the Lord! I was sure sad to think that I would have to send her home. He was only gone for about 36 hours and its a 14 hour trip one way, he said that he felt like he was trailer trucking again!
I brought a little Christmas tree with us so it's set up on the dresser so it looks a little like Christmas in our room. But we've had about 5 inches of snow so far & they're expecting a lot more tonite! YEAH! We'll be out driving around to see the beautiful scenery..
We went on an outing that the hospital provided last weekend to Bethel College. It was their annual Christmas concert, it was spectacular and honored our Lord in music & song! Then they took all of us to a wonderful restaurant for dinner. We are so blessed to be at such a wonderful facility that cares about the whole person and family. They treat us like royality.
We're planning on going to a Christmas program at a local church tomorrow night providing we don't get snowed in. What a wonderful time of year to hear all the good news about our Lord's birth!
I've had 7 treatments this trip, only 8 more to go! We're counting the days until we can go home for good! Jody is going to have surgery on the 17th, we're SOOOOOO sad that we won't be there for her but we know that she is under our Father's care and trust that the doctor's hands are guided by our Lord!
We should be headed home on the 22nd, just in time for Christmas.
Praises:
***Leon was able to make it safely home & back to me
***Wonderful celebrations of Christmas
***treatments are easy so far
***NO ITCHING now!
Prayer Requests:
***Protection & healing for Jody as she goes thru this surgery & recovery
***my treatments will go on as scheduled so we can head home
***that God will be glorified thru all of this
Saturday, December 11, 2010
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
November 30th
We're back in Illinois to finish my treatments. I should be done on the 22nd, providing we don't have any delays in my treatments. It's really cold up here & they are expecting some snow tonite but shouldn't have any accumulation this time but they talking about getting some more on Monday that may stay for a while. We do love the snow, I can't wait to see it on the beautiful evergreen trees. What a majestic site!
I bought a small Christmas Tree to decorate for us in the trailer, it looks lovely on the table by our recliners. And, I brought a crocheted door hanger that my momma made so we have a little bit of home with us. It was really hard to leave our family at home with this being the Christmas Season. But, we'll get thru this last bit of treatments and get to be HOME for a long while...... YEAH!
Praise the Lord!
Thanks so much for your prayers, cards & phone calls........ you are all so special to us!
Please pray that my treatments go well and we don't have any delays so that we'll be headed home in time for Christmas.......
Our prayer is that each of you have a very blessed Christmas, complete with family, friends, lots of good food, and most importantly that the love of the Lord will be poured out in abundance on you & yours!
Merry Christmas!
Joyce & Leon
I bought a small Christmas Tree to decorate for us in the trailer, it looks lovely on the table by our recliners. And, I brought a crocheted door hanger that my momma made so we have a little bit of home with us. It was really hard to leave our family at home with this being the Christmas Season. But, we'll get thru this last bit of treatments and get to be HOME for a long while...... YEAH!
Praise the Lord!
Thanks so much for your prayers, cards & phone calls........ you are all so special to us!
Please pray that my treatments go well and we don't have any delays so that we'll be headed home in time for Christmas.......
Our prayer is that each of you have a very blessed Christmas, complete with family, friends, lots of good food, and most importantly that the love of the Lord will be poured out in abundance on you & yours!
Merry Christmas!
Joyce & Leon
Thursday, November 11, 2010
November 11th
Praise the Lord! We're home for 3 weeks! Last Friday when I finished my last full body treatment, I again saw my Dr. He suggested that we come home for 3 weeks to let my body heal then return on Nov. 29th to finish treating my feet & head. I really wanted to stay & get it all behind me but as usual, the Dr was right. I've really needed this time to rest, the past few weeks have been pretty challenging.
Leon also saw his urologist on Friday and will get the stint out when we return. He's been doing pretty good, the Dr wants to leave the other stones alone for now, so we're believing that they won't cause any more issues.
We're so grateful for the angels that God has sent our way, disguised as Dr's, nurses, therapists and Kim, John & Mary at the park we're staying at. We have been so blessed with such caring folks that treat us like we're their family. Thanks again Lord!
Then I received a gift basket yesterday from my friends at DaySpring filled with cards that touched our hearts with all the encouragement & prayers that have been sent our way. Thanks DaySpring! And thanks to all my family & friends for the phone calls, cards, gifts & prayers, that has meant the world to us.
Well, I'll go for now, I'm still struggling with my hands and typing is pretty tough.
Praise Reports:
***Thanks to Kim & her family for taking such good care of Chloe while Leon was in the hospital.
***Thanks for a safe trip home
***Thanks for our family to be safe while we're away
Prayer Requests:
***That our Lord will be glorified as we travel thru this journey
***That my hands & feet will continue to heal and be pain free
Blessings to each & every one of you........... we love you all!
Leon also saw his urologist on Friday and will get the stint out when we return. He's been doing pretty good, the Dr wants to leave the other stones alone for now, so we're believing that they won't cause any more issues.
We're so grateful for the angels that God has sent our way, disguised as Dr's, nurses, therapists and Kim, John & Mary at the park we're staying at. We have been so blessed with such caring folks that treat us like we're their family. Thanks again Lord!
Then I received a gift basket yesterday from my friends at DaySpring filled with cards that touched our hearts with all the encouragement & prayers that have been sent our way. Thanks DaySpring! And thanks to all my family & friends for the phone calls, cards, gifts & prayers, that has meant the world to us.
Well, I'll go for now, I'm still struggling with my hands and typing is pretty tough.
Praise Reports:
***Thanks to Kim & her family for taking such good care of Chloe while Leon was in the hospital.
***Thanks for a safe trip home
***Thanks for our family to be safe while we're away
Prayer Requests:
***That our Lord will be glorified as we travel thru this journey
***That my hands & feet will continue to heal and be pain free
Blessings to each & every one of you........... we love you all!
Saturday, October 30, 2010
October 30th
Well, it's been a long time since I posted last. So many issues have happened, so here we go!
I went for my treatment on the 21st and they wouldn't let me take it due to welps all over my hands & arms..... so we took advantage of the time off & drove home for the weekend, YEAH! It was wonderful to see everyone, we've missed home so bad. We also celebrated my 60th birthday while home, that was really nice.
Then when we got back here on Sunday, Leon was having a lot of back pain & blood in his urine again. On Monday he was in such severe pain and was admitted to the Cancer hospital for pain control & to flush the stones out. The doctor was concerned that his kidney function wasn't good, that was scary. We're so thankful that it happened after we got back up here & not at home when I needed to be back here or even on the trip coming back. Praise the Lord!
In the meantime, I developed 2nd degree burns on the top of my feet. So, on Tuesday (my birthday) my doctor again said not more treatments and they were going to make lead sheilds to cover the tops of my feet so they don't get any more raditaion. I was in pretty severe pain from that and while I waited in the room to see the doctor, all the nurses came in singing Happy Birthday to me with a birthday cake & card for me. Then as I was leaving, my therapists brought me a Happy Birthday balloon & card. God knew that I needed some major encouragement that day, feeling so bad myself & concerned about Leon's condition.
So, I'll always remember my 60th birthday as so special, being with all of my family at home & the precious nursed & therapists (all friends) that made my day wonderful. And to Kim, at the park we're living at, for keeping Chloe during the days so I didn't have to be worried about her being left alone so much.
Leon remained in the hospital until Thursday, unable to pass this stone. He then had to go to another hospital to get the stone blasted on Friday, it was really big & got stuck in the uritha tube causing his kidneys not to drain. He's been in so much pain this week. He has to return to the uroligist next week to get the stint removed and to see what we can do about the remaining stones that are still in his kidneys and what we can do to prevent them. And also to ask if his kidneys are functioning as they should now.
All that to say, We're both feeling better now & are looking forward to a lot of well needed rest this weekend. I've only got 2 more full body treatments that will complete the full body treatments, then they will treat the bottoms of my feet & top of my head, maybe 3 more weeks then we'll be headed home, YEAH!
Please pray that we don't have any more delays in my treatments and that Leon continues to get better.
Thanks to all for your prayers & concern........ we love you all and can't wait to have all this behind us!
I went for my treatment on the 21st and they wouldn't let me take it due to welps all over my hands & arms..... so we took advantage of the time off & drove home for the weekend, YEAH! It was wonderful to see everyone, we've missed home so bad. We also celebrated my 60th birthday while home, that was really nice.
Then when we got back here on Sunday, Leon was having a lot of back pain & blood in his urine again. On Monday he was in such severe pain and was admitted to the Cancer hospital for pain control & to flush the stones out. The doctor was concerned that his kidney function wasn't good, that was scary. We're so thankful that it happened after we got back up here & not at home when I needed to be back here or even on the trip coming back. Praise the Lord!
In the meantime, I developed 2nd degree burns on the top of my feet. So, on Tuesday (my birthday) my doctor again said not more treatments and they were going to make lead sheilds to cover the tops of my feet so they don't get any more raditaion. I was in pretty severe pain from that and while I waited in the room to see the doctor, all the nurses came in singing Happy Birthday to me with a birthday cake & card for me. Then as I was leaving, my therapists brought me a Happy Birthday balloon & card. God knew that I needed some major encouragement that day, feeling so bad myself & concerned about Leon's condition.
So, I'll always remember my 60th birthday as so special, being with all of my family at home & the precious nursed & therapists (all friends) that made my day wonderful. And to Kim, at the park we're living at, for keeping Chloe during the days so I didn't have to be worried about her being left alone so much.
Leon remained in the hospital until Thursday, unable to pass this stone. He then had to go to another hospital to get the stone blasted on Friday, it was really big & got stuck in the uritha tube causing his kidneys not to drain. He's been in so much pain this week. He has to return to the uroligist next week to get the stint removed and to see what we can do about the remaining stones that are still in his kidneys and what we can do to prevent them. And also to ask if his kidneys are functioning as they should now.
All that to say, We're both feeling better now & are looking forward to a lot of well needed rest this weekend. I've only got 2 more full body treatments that will complete the full body treatments, then they will treat the bottoms of my feet & top of my head, maybe 3 more weeks then we'll be headed home, YEAH!
Please pray that we don't have any more delays in my treatments and that Leon continues to get better.
Thanks to all for your prayers & concern........ we love you all and can't wait to have all this behind us!
Friday, October 15, 2010
October 15th
Fall is in the air & I love it! The cool, crisp days & nights are wonderful! We drove into Wisconsin the other day to go thru a park that was reccomended to us and it was beautiful. We drive around anytime that I feel like it, that's our entertainment. But what could be a better entertainment than enjoying the beautiful country that God has allowed us to live in. It's simply breathtaking!
Today will end treatment #14, only 4 more to go, that's only 2 weeks if we don't have to discontinue treatments because of my reactions. Then we'll have another 3 more weeks treating my feet & head, that's getting aweful close to Thanksgiving & we definately want to be home then. My skin is more sensitive now, getting more burn areas and the itch is pretty rough, especially where it's peeling. Not sure if the itching is from the cancer or the radiation but I'll sure be glad when it's gone. My hands are still swelling, making it painful to do the smallest things like opening a water bottle or opening a cabinet door or typing, that's why this has taken a little longer to write again. I pray that this doens't cause another dalay in my treatment.
We've met another wonderful Christian lady that is here alone for treatments from Oregon. She was sitting alone in the cafeteria with no empty tables around when I asked to join her, when we began to pray, she got teary eyed and told us that she had prayed for Christians to join her, precious lady! It would be so difficult to be here alone, her husband was tending to their farm and her mother was caring for her young son. She seemed encouraged to share her faith with fellow believers. Her name is Kari, she's had breast cancer & now its in her hip bone so she's very concerned, as anyone would be.
Our Nashville friends, Judy & Peggy were back this week for a check-up and received a very report! Praise the Lord! It was wonderful to get to see them again and they'll be back again the beginning of November, so we'll see them again before we come home!
Our friend, Mike Neeley is still in a medicated coma, it's been 8 weeks now. His wife sounds very tired and just wants him to wake up but the doctors don't think that his lungs are strong enough yet. They won't give her a time when he can be taken off of the machines, just that this will take a very long, long time.
Thanks so much for the cards, phone calls, emails, gifts and messages here. We miss everyone so much and it brightens our days to hear from family & such supportive friends, so thanks again!
Praises:
***meeting friends that encourage us
***took the very blonde wig back & got another that is ashe blonde that looks a lot like my old hair, yeah! It was a brand new wig that someone had donated, God is so good!
***Blood work is still good!
Prayer Requests:
***Mike Neeley's healing
***Safety & protection for family at home
***Burns, sores & itching to vanish
***That our Lord will be glorified thru all this
***That we will be used for His glory to share our faith
Today will end treatment #14, only 4 more to go, that's only 2 weeks if we don't have to discontinue treatments because of my reactions. Then we'll have another 3 more weeks treating my feet & head, that's getting aweful close to Thanksgiving & we definately want to be home then. My skin is more sensitive now, getting more burn areas and the itch is pretty rough, especially where it's peeling. Not sure if the itching is from the cancer or the radiation but I'll sure be glad when it's gone. My hands are still swelling, making it painful to do the smallest things like opening a water bottle or opening a cabinet door or typing, that's why this has taken a little longer to write again. I pray that this doens't cause another dalay in my treatment.
We've met another wonderful Christian lady that is here alone for treatments from Oregon. She was sitting alone in the cafeteria with no empty tables around when I asked to join her, when we began to pray, she got teary eyed and told us that she had prayed for Christians to join her, precious lady! It would be so difficult to be here alone, her husband was tending to their farm and her mother was caring for her young son. She seemed encouraged to share her faith with fellow believers. Her name is Kari, she's had breast cancer & now its in her hip bone so she's very concerned, as anyone would be.
Our Nashville friends, Judy & Peggy were back this week for a check-up and received a very report! Praise the Lord! It was wonderful to get to see them again and they'll be back again the beginning of November, so we'll see them again before we come home!
Our friend, Mike Neeley is still in a medicated coma, it's been 8 weeks now. His wife sounds very tired and just wants him to wake up but the doctors don't think that his lungs are strong enough yet. They won't give her a time when he can be taken off of the machines, just that this will take a very long, long time.
Thanks so much for the cards, phone calls, emails, gifts and messages here. We miss everyone so much and it brightens our days to hear from family & such supportive friends, so thanks again!
Praises:
***meeting friends that encourage us
***took the very blonde wig back & got another that is ashe blonde that looks a lot like my old hair, yeah! It was a brand new wig that someone had donated, God is so good!
***Blood work is still good!
Prayer Requests:
***Mike Neeley's healing
***Safety & protection for family at home
***Burns, sores & itching to vanish
***That our Lord will be glorified thru all this
***That we will be used for His glory to share our faith
Thursday, October 7, 2010
October 7th
Praise the Lord......... my hands are much better and we got back on our treatment schedule this week! The weather is beautiful and we're enjoying seeing the changing leaves of Fall.
We had a wonderful time with Brian & Jody this past weekend. It sure was hard to see them leave! We're missing family, friends & home so bad. We're probably going to be here thru the week before Thanksgiving. We really WANT to be home for the holidays so we can see all of the family. For that to happen, we can't have any more extentions in my treatments.
Praises:
*** Jody & Brian got to come see us & had a safe trip back home
***Treatments are back on schedule
***Blood work is still normal
***Sores are leaving
Prayer Requests:
***Pray that my skin accepts the radiation treatments
***That itching would continue to get better
***That God will be glorified thru this trial
***Safety & protection for family at home
***That we can share our faith with others
We had a wonderful time with Brian & Jody this past weekend. It sure was hard to see them leave! We're missing family, friends & home so bad. We're probably going to be here thru the week before Thanksgiving. We really WANT to be home for the holidays so we can see all of the family. For that to happen, we can't have any more extentions in my treatments.
Praises:
*** Jody & Brian got to come see us & had a safe trip back home
***Treatments are back on schedule
***Blood work is still normal
***Sores are leaving
Prayer Requests:
***Pray that my skin accepts the radiation treatments
***That itching would continue to get better
***That God will be glorified thru this trial
***Safety & protection for family at home
***That we can share our faith with others
Friday, October 1, 2010
October 1st, Prayer Requrest
Well, I went in for my treatment yesterday and they wouldn't give it to me because my hands are a little burnt, peeling & swollen. I go back Monday morning to see if they've healed enough to get treatments again. I didn't want to be sick or so tired this weekend when Brian & Jody are here, so I guess that getting 2 days off, I'm not as tired already.
Please pray that I can begin treatments again on Monday so this journey isn't delayed anymore.
Love to all..................
Please pray that I can begin treatments again on Monday so this journey isn't delayed anymore.
Love to all..................
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