Be Not Anxious

Hi dear friends,

I know that it has been a while since my last note. I have been "catching up" with old friends, visiting with my precious grandchildren every chance I get and even enjoying the fact that I can see eyebrows and eyelashes beginning to grow back in. Every day is a celebration!! I've also been busy keeping all those "necessary" doctor appointments and I thank God every day for the wonderful doctors he has blessed me with.

At my last office visit with my oncologist, the results were good in the news that my scans were clear but my blood test showed that my white blood counts and my platelets had fallen back into the low range again. My body is telling me that I've been "celebrating" a little too much and I realize now that I have to slow it down again. My body has a lot of recovering to do and I am ready to obey what the doctors and this old body have to say!

Every three months for the next two years I will have scans taken and blood work done. Our goal for now is to stay "cancer-free" for one full year and each year to follow for the next five years. Every year I can celebrate staying cancer-free adds up to a better chance for a full recovery. Five years seems such a long way off. Right now I just want to live to the fullest---one day at a time! My prayer is to live worthy of His goodness and mercy and to continue to praise him and give him the glory for each and every day. There is no need to "worry what tomorrow will bring", I'll just trust THE ONE who holds tomorrow!!

Marvin and I are so excited that we will be able to travel to Minnesota in September to visit with Lara, Britney, Ashlyn and Carter. Since I will still have my chemo port implant, I may set off the alarms when I pass through security checks at the airport. I'm just praying that I don't get pulled out for a BODY SEARCH. Now, that would be a story to write about in my next blog wouldn't it?!!

I will try to keep you updated when we return. I hope you all have a great week. I close my note with this thought: We need not be anxious for the things we may need. On Him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us as you help me by your prayers....and, as we do the same for each one of you.

I love you guys,
Judy

Matthew 6:25-Therefore, I say unto you, Be not anxious for your life, what ye shall eat or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than food and the body than raiment? (Also 26-35)

PS Please continue to pray for Mark and Sandra Byars. The reports were not what we had hoped they would be. They are trying to decide the best course of treatments for her. (Sandra, be not anxious. I love you girl!)

My Heart Leaps For Joy

Greetings friends,

Last night (Tuesday) I got the call from my doctor with the results of my CT and PET scans. What a joyful moment it was for me when I heard him say the scans were clear, NO CANCER in my body at this time. I can't even begin to describe how I felt at that moment. I was overjoyed, relieved, and so humbled all at the same time! I fell to my knees with a prayer of thanksgiving and the tears began to flow. God has been merciful to me and I pray that I will walk "worthy" in the days ahead and will always remember to "praise Him" for his wonderful grace. Thank you, thank you, thank you for your love and support, it has been such a blessing to me. Knowing that you were there praying for me has given me such strength.

I still have the mass in my thorax and they still don't know what it is (only that it doesn't show as cancer). It hasn't shown any changes since they discovered it in January. The doctors think it is best just to leave it alone and watch it closely. They have scheduled another CT scan in three months to see how it looks; it could even be something I have had all my life. I will keep you updated as things progress.

But, as for now, I just want to rest in the knowledge that all seems well. I want to spend more time with my wonderful friends and family. I want to enjoy playing and visiting with my sweet grandchildren and not worry about getting sick. I want to get back in the kitchen at church again on Wednesday nights and help cook the Wednesday meals. And----most of all, I want to tell others what an awesome God we serve!!!

Thank you dear friends for walking this journey with me. Let us praise the Lord together!

I love you guys,
Judy

Psalm 28:6&7: Praise be to the Lord, for he has heard my cry for mercy. The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to him.

PS. Please help me pray for my friend Sandra Byars that she will hear good news next Monday, (Aug. 13th) when she goes in for a Cat Scan on her liver to see if her last surgery was successful. I pray that she also will hear "no cancer at this time"!!