Hope in necrosis?

Hope is a precious commodity, one in which you cannot possibly place a value on, or have enough of.  This is especially true for those in life situations where sometimes the rays of hope are all that encourage the soul and give an expectation of life in the future.  I continue to hold to that hope, and for good reason.  The object of my hope is God.  No matter what happens in regards to the disease that I fight I have great expectation for my future.  As Peter tells us in his first epistle, chapter 1, verses 20 and 21, that Jesus was made manifest for the sake of us, who through him are believers in God, and that our faith and hope are in God himself who raised him from the dead and gave him glory.  

I do have hope and the expectation of living due to the results of the most recent (March 17) scans. They show that, although the tumors have not shrunk as much as they did in the last scan, the cells are dying from within the core of the tumor.  This cell death is called necrosis.  While necrosis is not something you want in normal, healthy cells, it is desirable in cancerous cells.  The area of cell death is substantially larger in these most recent scans than in the previous ones (2 months ago).  It looked to me, and my oncologist, that the cell death within the tumor was twice the size as was seen in the the Jan. scan. This is what is supposed to happen within the protocol of the clinical trial that I am involved in and I am well pleased.  One bit of disappointing news is that the tumor has not released, or retreated from, the major veins that it is wrapped around.  This makes surgery not an option, at least for now.


So, although I agree with Paul's declaration in his letter to the Philippians, "For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain," I have hope springing forth, as we move into that season, for life, and it abundantly.  Please pray that I will continue to experience each day with joy, even those that are not so easy to be joyful in.  Pray for continued success with the treatment plan and a proper perspective on the future.


Peace and grace and hope,


EL


Romans 5: 1-2
Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.  Through him we have also obtained access by faith in the grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

Transylvanian woods

Today is Friday.   This week marks the end of the fourth cycle of chemotherepy.  I am exhausted, and I have been virtually all week.  The reason for this is two-fold.

First, the initial pre-med that I receive prior to chemo is designed to minimize the side-effects of the treatment.  It wears off after the second day (Tuesday) leaving me defenseless.  Well not exactly defenseless as I have these little pills that do a remarkable job with the nausea issues.  But I still must deal with the other consequences of treatment which manifest themselves in the form of extreme fatigue and sores in areas of your anatomy that are not easy to attend to.

The second reason for the exhaustion is the cumulative effects of the drugs.  As I have ended the fourth course I have the residual accumulation of the current course along with the courses proceeding this.   This plays havoc on the immune system.  I had to get a blood transfusion last week as some blood factors were rather low.  Hope I didn't get any Transylvanian blood.  I will monitor my tooth size and appetite for red liquids.  I couldn't help thinking about the time that I spent wandering the Romanian Transylvanian forests, half expecting around any bend would be a Dracula or Vlad the Impaler type.

This reminds me of how much I love Romania.  What a miracle of God's providential will is  the movement of the Spirit in that beautiful country.  The churches and bible institutions are a testament to God wooing and protecting his church within the most oppressive of conditions under Nicolae Ceaușescu.

So, I now have 2 more cycles within the protocol of the clinical trial.  I will be undergoing scans next week to verify the efficacy of the treatment program.  I would ask all to pray for continued shrinkage of the tumor and death to the cells themselves (cell suicide).  Pray also that my body will recover enough that the next two cycles will be possible. 

Grace and Peace

EL

Matthew 6:19-21

Do not lay up for yourselves treasures in earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.  For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.