Dear Prayer Warriors Jan 8, 2012
It looks like it has been a month since we sent our last update, but we can tell that you haven’t stopped praying. We are thankful that your faithfulness in prayer does not depend on our faithfulness in providing updates. Similarly, the Lord’s faithfulness is not dependent on our remaining faithful:
“The saying is trustworthy, for:
If we have died with him, we will also live with him;
if we endure, we will also reign with him;
if we deny him, he also will deny us;
if we are faithless, he remains faithful—
for he cannot deny himself.”
(2 Timothy 2:11-13 ESV)
The Lord cannot “deny himself,” or act contrary to His character as revealed in scripture. His righteousness demands justice against those who “deny him.” It also demands faithfulness to the promises He gives us in scripture, even when we are not faithful to ours. One such promise is this:
“And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.”
(Philippians 1:6 ESV)
God is certainly doing a good work in us through this trial, and we are reminded every day of his faithfulness.
Colby had his first post-radiation MRI scan on Dec 9th. Colby spoke with the neuroradiologist that day, and to both his and the radiologist’s eyes, it looks better! We were praying that the 16% of the original tumor volume that remains would be gone. Was it gone? Well, not really...but maybe!
Let us explain what this means: After the neurosurgeon removed 84% of the tumor, we were told that the goal of postoperative radiation and chemotherapy was to push the remaining tumor into a “chronic” state. That is, that we may always see the abnormal “signal” on MRI scans indicating an area that is not normal brain, but that the area will remain the same over time. However, there are other things besides tumor that can can cause abnormal “signal,” including what we call “treatment effect.” Blood vessels that receive radiation are a little more leaky and can change the “signal” in that part of the brain. This area of abnormal “signal” is what we will be continuing to follow on MRI scans about every 2 months for the next year, Lord willing. What we hope is that the area of abnormal signal will not grow, change, or become “contrast enhancing.” Contrast enhancement occurs with the most malignant forms of glioma. Though Colby’s tumor is malignant, it was not previously contrast-enhancing. An increase in size or enhancement might indicate it is getting worse.
The great news is that Colby’s tumor is still non-enhancing, has not grown, and to Colby’s and the radiologist’s eyes, it may even be smaller! There is still some abnormal signal. At this time we cannot be sure if that is tumor or treatment effect. So, there could still be tumor in Colby’s brain, or we could just be seeing “treatment effect.” An MRI scan cannot tell us for certain, so medically speaking we must assume there is still tumor present and continue to treat according to plan. What does that mean for us?
That means cycles of chemotherapy for at least the next year, Lord willing. It is the same chemo that Colby was taking during radiation but at a much higher dose. In fact, he has already finished his first cycle and tolerated it wonderfully! See what we mean about the Lord’s faithfulness? The temozolomide, like many forms of chemo, can have some bad side effects that we have to watch out for. In addition to the nausea that Colby has already experienced in the past, the chemo can severely decrease the production of white blood cells in his bone marrow and make him more susceptible to serious infections. That is a true risk with what we do for a living, especially now with the cold and flu season in full swing! However, God brought Colby through the first cycle with almost no side effects! We even enjoyed a family cruise (cruise ships being infamous for being disease factories) between Christmas and New Years without getting sick at all! He will start the next cycle on Tuesday, at an even higher dose than the last.
Colby continues to work full time with no real limitations except those imposed on him from outside. Emily is finally adjusting to her new work schedule and the demands of a new electronic medical record. Though she remains busier than she was prior to the rollout of the EMR, she continues to have time to focus on and see the rewards of the ministry side of her hospitalist practice. Jireh is a full-fledged two-year old with all of the challenges that come with parenting this age. However, she is also an incredible joy to watch as she grows and develops. She is especially enjoying developing her musical side as she sings all the time and has even picked up the violin (we use the term “picked up” loosely)!
SiSi, our Chinese Au Pair, had a wonderful time in Washington D.C. after Christmas. Thank you for praying for her! She attended a Bridges International conference there with many other students from China and other countries. In addition to seeing many of the tourist sites in D.C., she learned a great deal about Christ at the conference. She is very eager to learn, and reads her Chinese-English bible with a fervor that should put many of us to shame. We have had several wonderful conversations about faith since she returned. She is very honest with herself, us, and with God that she does not yet believe in Christ. She is counting the costs and understands that the life of a Christian, especially in China, is not easy. She also seems to understand that she cannot “pretend” to have faith and think that God is fooled. However, she says she wants to believe, and we think she is very close.
So let’s keep praying!
1) That Colby would be able to tolerate the higher dose of chemo without any change in his white blood cell count.
2) That God would heal Colby in a miraculous way. He will have his next MRI scan in early February, and we would love to share great news again!
3) That as we experience the faithfulness of God, He will give us the gift of being able to be faithful to Him in all circumstances. Our busy routines are setting in, and we do not want to be in a position of being busy without purpose.
4) Jireh will be spending a few more days in day care in the weeks to come as SiSi looks forward to taking TOEFL classes. Pray that she will adjust well between being with SiSi all day and going to daycare occasionally.
5) Please also pray that Jireh does not bring home any infections from daycare (and that we don’t bring any home ourselves from our hospitals!) that will adversely affect Colby’s health.
6) That our lives will daily bring glory to Christ. We pray that Sisi and Jireh will be drawn to Jesus despite living with us when we make mistakes and behave in unholy ways. We trust God to soften their hearts and to give them each their own powerful stories that will tell of how they know that Jesus Christ is their Lord and Savior...all in His perfect timing. We continue to pray for opportunities to share our stories of God’s faithfulness that many more will know and enjoy Jesus forever.
Following a faithful Father,
Colby, Emily, and Jireh
