The emotional battle began several weeks ago and we have certainly have had our ups and downs. But of this we are sure. "Psalm 23--I have everything that I need." This is what it says on the arm band that Art wears in solidarity with Mark Dykema as they both fight this battle. We know we have a God who loves us so deeply beyond our wildest imagination, and we trust that He will walk with us and carry us through this journey. We desperately cling to that.
In writing this blog, I don't mean to make it sound like we have it all together, with faith that will move mountains, because we don't. We question, we're angry, we're sad, we doubt, we're scared, we're anxious. But, then we have moments where God's hand in this is so clear and so beautiful, and we truly understand "In all things, God works for the good of those who love him." Cancer brings out His goodness in others who surround us, and we see God's Kingdom here on this earth. We are humbled and grateful and joyful, in the middle of a tough journey.
Art's other arm band he wears says "No One Fights Alone". In our case, we certainly feel that and we once again express our gratitude for the love, support and prayers we have received. We say time and time again, how could we ever get through this without faith, family and friends? These are unbelievable gifts. We saw a lot of sick people yesterday, walking similar paths to us. We wonder about their stories and we hope that somehow when we are there with all these hurting people, that we can bless them as we have been blessed.
Just a note about oncology nurses--they are incredible! We were so overwhelmed with their kindness and knowledge and positive energy yesterday. We felt uplifted after leaving the infusion center at U of C yesterday, and we feel very good about the medical care we are receiving. That is a huge answer to prayer.
Art will be receiving 4 rounds of chemo. Each cycle begins with an infusion followed by 2 weeks of daily chemo pills. He is off one week before he begins his next cycle. This should take approximately 12 weeks, but we are told that we have to be extremely flexible in this journey as we will be experiencing a number of ups and down.
This morning as I write this, Art feels good. The steroids he has received are giving him a boost, and he seems to feel more comfortable with his pain. We're told in the next couple of days he will probably start to experience some of the "typical" chemo side effects but we are grateful for the meds they have today to help combat this. Again, we wait to see how it affects him.
Our specific prayer requests would be:
- That the chemo would kill the cancer cells and that the beautiful, healthy cells would remain strong.
- That side effects would be controlled.
- That we would not be afraid.
- That I will be able to provide the care that Art needs. I get pretty anxious when I see Art in pain or hurting. Please pray that I will be able to be strong and intuitive to his emotional and physical needs.
- That we would continue to feel God's presence. We know there will be times where it will be difficult to trust and even be able to talk to God and know what to ask for. We know you'll be asking God for us to give us what we need.
- Again, please keep Mark and Chris, our good friends, in prayer as they battle with Art against cancer.
- A new request: Some of you know about the long decline in my brother-in-law's (Jim's) health. This decline has been significant, especially in the last couple of weeks. Please pray for grace and peace for this wonderful man and his family. All of them are such a gift to those who know them.
With much love,
Kris (on behalf of Art, Makenzie, Liv and AJ)
