Radiation & Last Chemo Treatment

Radiation is over (mid-Sept).

The Lord was a shield and shade to Mom. The technicians commented on how little reddness and irritation her skin showed. Thank you, Lord.

Her heart regained pumpability strength.

Her first counts were 80%, which is very healthy. Then it dropped to 60. We prayed a bunch for the Lord to heal and strengthen Mom's heart. She tested again and it was up to 73. Praise the Lord! She was able to finish chemo.

Chemo is over (Dec 13th).

We went in for the last Herceptin treatment. The blessings were: 1) Mom's teaching buddy, Susan, was assigned the same day for her treatment. 2) Our dear nurses were both present 3) Dad brought a huge tube of Kroger's whipped frosting to ice a cake Mom made to celebrate. 4) Mom rang the freedom bell for the final time.

Up ahead:

Mom will get her port removed (how they accessed the chemo/iv). She will take a pill for five years. She still has neurapothay (numbness in her fingers and toes), a side-effect of chemo, so we're praying for the re-growth of the nerve cells. Her hair is growing back fuller than ever, and it's a new, peppery-grey look with a wave! (It used to be straight and brown.) She gets lots of compliments on her new doo.

God protected her the whole time, a whole year, of not getting virus/cold sick. Today is the first day where she's had a bad cold, so we praise God it didn't happen when she was going through treatments! :)

Christmas Blessings

Reading time, Josiah & Grandma

Josiah with Grandma and Grandpa

Annalise Mae Smiley

 Great parents

 Uncle Mark

The whole family 

(Mandy, Annalise, Craig; Mark & Janelle, Ericka, Sabrina, Josiah, Ryan; Dad & Mom)

Tomorrow is the one-year anniversary of when Mom received the phone call that her biopsy was cancerous.

Today, she is cancer-free, by the power that raised Christ from the dead. We are so thankful for the doctors, the researchers, the medicine, the prayers, and the work of the Holy Spirit.

We had a great Christmas with 2 grandkids this year! Yes, Craig and Mandy had Annalise Mae, born on Oct 27; another huge blessing of 2012.

Mark and Janelle were also home, as well as Ryan, Sabrina, and Josiah.
We have a lot to be thankful for.

Thanks for all your love and care.

Blessings and Christ's favor be upon you and your families this Christmas and into the New Year's.

The Smiley's

Let Faith Arise (I Lift My Hands)

This is a super-uplifting song my cousin, Ashley shared on her blog.

Thanks, Ashley, and thanks to the artists, and to the Greatest Artist, who designed us to show his glory.

~Ericka

I lift my hands, by Chris Tomlin

Part 2 Treatment: Radiation

So today at 3:30, Mom goes in for the second part of her treatment: radiation.

Radiation means X-rays specifically targeted to her right breast area, and there is a protective shield around all other parts of her body, so just the desired tissue gets the treatment.

The other day when praying, I asked the Lord how to pray for radiation. The thought came that the Lord is a shade and a shield. Cool.

Psalm 121:5 The LORD is your keeper; The LORD is your shade at your right hand.


Genesis 15:1 [ God’s Covenant with Abram ] After these things the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision, saying, “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward."


2 Samuel 22:31 As for God, His way is perfect; The word of the LORD is proven; He is a shield to all who trust in Him. 


2 Samuel 22:36  “You have also given me the shield of Your salvation; Your gentleness has made me great.

So, today, I'm praising the Lord that He is Mom's (and all who trust in Him) shield and shade, specifically in Mom's body during this treatment. Praying and believing that his touch accomplishes his purpose in her life/body.

Looking back, we can see God's Emmanuel-ness (God with us-ness) through her entire chemo treatment, even that first day when I was afraid. My uncle received a picture of angels around her chair. That is really encouraging. Even though it was difficult, Mom was protected and the Lord sustained her great attitude of trust through it. He provided just what she needed right as she needed it. (Here's a neat prayer my cousin wrote for those going through chemo.)

Thanks for your prayers for Mom today, however the Lord leads you to pray for her.

I pray for blessings for you and your families, today, too. May each of you experience the LORD as your shade and shield today, strong and mighty, kind and compassionate, in Jesus' Name.

~written by Ericka

Lumpectomy Results: Clear

Huge praise from biopsy of sentinel lymph node = clear, no cancer.
(That's the first line of defense lymph nodes that receive drainage waste from the breast area. Mom really liked the name sentinal, or guard, node, making her think of the protection God builds into our bodies and lives. When they removed one node to check for cancer, it made me think of this guard 'laying down its life' to show the results of all the treatment (chemo and prayer and praise, trust, surrender to the Lord, walking/trusting through treatments, etc.) . . . Cancer free! Halleluiah! Praise God in the highest!)
Another praise: the area around where the lump used to be is also clear of cancer.
The titanium marker was removed during this 'lumpectomy' (even though they found no lump to remove), but they still go in to take away the 'margins' and see if the tissue is clear or not. It is!

The doctor said we have everything for which to be thankful and humbly gave credit to God, saying it was the best report one could hope for. Lord, we praise your name for this deliverance. Thank you for all the work that went into the whole process and what you will continue to do, for your glory. We love you and trust you. You are worthy. Thank you for laying down your life for the forgiveness of our sins, and being raised again, to bring the greatest deliverance of all, to provide a Way (yourself) to have eternal life in/through/because of/for/by you. Halleluiah! 

You love us so much. (For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotton/one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.) We believe you Today. Thanks for tangible reminders of your love each day. We look for them with great expectation because your character remains the same yesterday, today, and forever. Halleluiah! (a Hebrew word that means praise to God, the covenant-keeping One!)
~written by Ericka

Prayer Insights/Pictures

Many, many people, from all over the city, state, country, and even other countries, joined together to pray and seek the Lord for my Mom's healing. Thank you.

"The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective." James 5. 

These pictures I found on the Internet give a visual for what the people 'saw' in their heart/mind through prayer for Mom.

The first day of chemo, my uncle prayed for Mom and a picture came to his mind of angels surrounding mom's chair. He texted that encouragement to her, and she was really blessed. That whole day she felt like she was wrapped in a cocoon, actually feeling a tangible peace and comfort.

My aunt spent some time in listening prayer, waiting on the Lord to hear any insights or receive any pictures. She got two. The first was a picture of the Lord turning prayers into heat-seeking rays, targeted specifically to cancer and pre-cancer cells in Mom's body. Her encouragement/insight was for Mom to actively receive those targeted rays, because sometimes it's hard for us to receive, but easier to give. So having a heart posture of "I receive, Lord, this gift of healing. I receive these rays targeting and zapping the cancer and pre-cancer cells, right now in my body, in Jesus' Name." 

(Why in Jesus' name? Because that's his title of authority and position as the Son of God, equal with God, because there is only One God; The God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, David, Moses, the Prophets. And His Name is the most powerful; over every aspect of creation.)

The second picture my aunt received was of Mom surrounded by an electric blue column like a huge MRI. My aunt prayed and sensed that the blue (Mom's favorite color) represented the encompassing presence of the Holy Spirit, God's presence, over, in, and around her life, through her faith in Him/Jesus. Signifing that he was working at the micro level as well as the macro level in her life. My aunt didn't know it, but about a year ago, my dad purchased a creative lamp set for my their renovated bedroom, which encluded electric blue columns (shown above) that hang over mom's head as she sleeps. Pretty amazing.  

   

My brother received a picture in prayer of a powerful lion standing beside Mom's bed, guarding her, ready to roar at anyone or thing that would attack or harm her. We know from Scripture that Jesus is referred to as the Lion of the Tribe of Judah (Revelation 5:5), a warring King of kings, adamant about protecting His Tribe/His Bride/His People. So we praise God for His tenacious love for His Creation, available to all, and experienced by those who receive His salvation. We must believe and receive the testimony of God the Son in order to gain access to God the Father. It's a full-package, Father, Son, Holy Spirit, gift.

I love how God reveals himself to man throughout Scripture. It's like he's pulling more and more of the curtain back over time. Exodus 6 says that God revealed himself as God Almighty to the Patriarchs (Abraham, Isaac, Jacob). And then he revealed his personal Name to Moses, as "I AM" or "Yahweh" when he delivered his people from slavery. Later, Jesus, born of the mysterious virgin-birth, from an overshadowing of God's Holy Spirit, so is called Son of God / Son of Man, makes claims that he and the Father are one, and that, "I tell you the truth, before Abraham was born, I am!" (alluding to identity as eternal God or Yahweh, I AM, revealed to Moses in the burning bush experience). He says he's the fulfillment of Daniel 7, is Israel's king, and will come again in glory to set up his kingdom, the Kingdom of God, that will have no end.

So the One God, no other gods before me, Only God, reveals another mystery of his nature, that there are three aspects: Father/Son/Holy Spirit, which we realize after the Son becomes incarnate on the earth. So now we have a fuller picture of God. He's like a single-unit family: Father, Son, Holy Spirit. Isaiah 40 records to Israel, "Here is your God! . . . His reward is with him." And in the last chapter of the book of Revelation, 22:12, Jesus says, "I am coming, and my reward is with me." The phrase is the same. Jesus is God, he's coming, and his reward is with him. Halleluiah He is good and loves, cherishes, highly esteems mankind. The Gospel, or Good News of Jesus Messiah is an amazing mystery revealed to those who believe.

Thomas, one of his apostles, after doubting says, "My Lord and my God!" The disciples worshiped him after he was taken up into heaven (Luke 24:53). You don't worship anyone but God, or you get in trouble for it. But every time in the Bible God revealed himself to man (like Exodus 34, he revealed himself to Moses) the people WORSHIP because He is WORTHY. One day we will see and fully know and understand. But for now, LORD God Almighty, Father, Jesus, Holy Spirit, give us eyes to see and a heart to believe and follow You, forever.

Another time, some children gathered around my mom to ask Jesus to heal her. It was so precious. "Jesus, please take the cancer away." "I feel like Jesus is just, like he's ready and wanting to heal your mom. It's just a sense I get." "Please heal her, in Jesus' name." They prayed with such expectant and faith-filled hearts. He is ready and fully Able! Glory!

Here's a fun activity: do a Biblegateway search on the words, "Healing", "Heal", "Comfort", "Eternal Life", etc and see what verses, eternal words of the Lord, you find. Ask the Lord to help you believe in His Name and believe/receive His personal word. Ask Him to teach you about Himself or whatever else you want to ask Him. He wants to be found by us. That's why He made us. "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you." (Matthew 7:7) In Jesus' Name. For His eternal glory.

Mom says, "So many classrooms at Heritage were full of children and youth, from pre-Kindergarten through high school, who, along with their families, were very diligent prayer warriors. James 5:16 says, "The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much." So I want these children to know how much I appreciate their fervent prayers and let them know the victory He brought. To God be the glory!"

~written by Ericka

Praise God in the Highest!

Deuteronomy 6:4-7

“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is [or, the only] one! You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up."

"We will not hide them from their children, telling to the generation to come the praises of the Lord, and His strength and His wonderful works that He has done." Psalm 78:4 

Every day, this praise is true of the Living Lord.

Today, we see and taste it! :)

After receiving the diagnosis back in December, Mom's breast tissue and lymph node from the lumpectomy (even though there was no lump) came back clear, completely clear; no cancer.

Halleluiah!!!

We thank the Lord; who created Mom and loves her, who died and rose victoriously for her, and who walked with her every step of the way. And will continue until the end and on into eternity. Every morning of a big day in her treatments, He provided the exact word she needed. Often, the words came from a precious devotional called, Jesus Calling. (Mom highly recommends it for anyone walking through tough times. The text is as if the Lord himself is speaking to the reader with parallel Bible passages.)

Songs of deliverance surrounded Mom as family and friends wrote emails, sent cards, flowers, brought delicious meals, and just loved her. Many of you were also part of the prayer arsenal that the Lord stirred up to fight against this destructive disease, in the Name of Jesus, and we glory in His goodness and power and with-us-ness. We also want to thank the doctors, nurses, technicians, secretaries, liasons, insurance company, employer, janitors, drug researchers, pharmicists, and families of all these people, who served mom and our family so well.

Mom's hair is starting to grow back in. It's really pretty. It's looking peppery-grey-dark-silver, and it's really soft, like peach fuzz, and about that long. Maybe by Christmas she will be sporting curls. :)

The doctor said they'll continue with Herceptin and the estrogen drugs, and let her know July 9 (when she gets her stitches out) whether radiation will be part of the follow-up treatment.

The day I got the text from dad saying mom was cancer-free, I praised God outloud in the antique store I was in and told the cashier the good news. Then immediately thought, what if some families are right in the middle of it? I don't want my celebration to be a challenge for them, because I remember when mom was still getting chemo, some ladies announced their good news, and I remember feeling, "That's great for them, but what about my mom?" That same day, another lady got news that her cancer was back with more of it. She was really in shock and crying, and her husband was, too.

After listening to her, I prayed, not knowing what to do or say, and asked the Lord for wisdom. A question came to mind, so I asked, "If you could ask God anything, what would you ask?" She immediately responded, "To live longer. I want to see my grandchildren." I told her I would pray with her for that.

I went back over to where mom was receiving chemo, and opened my Bible. It flipped to the story of Elijah praying for the widow's son, and my eyes went right to the phrase where it said, "O LORD my God, let this boy's life return to him!" The LORD heard Elijah's cry, and the boy's life returned to him, and he lived." (1 Kings 17:21) Halleluiah!!!! I was so encouraged.

In the New Testament of the Bible, the book of James, written by Jesus' half-brother (same mom, different dads--God and Joseph), James, inspired by the Holy Spirit, says, "Elijah was a man just like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops." Just before that he wrote, "Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to eachother and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective." (James 5:17,18, 14-16) I went back over and shared the Elijah prayer and God's raising up the son, telling her that I believed God would heal her, too, and would be praying for her.

Back to the antique store. After my outburst, I thought, I'll just see if anyone has cancer in their family and wants to pray for the Lord to heal it, because I'm pumped and full of faith of His healing touch and power from mom's good news, and that can be used to bless others. Well, the lady standing in line didn't know anyone in her family with cancer, but was happy for mom's report.

Later that afternoon, I stopped by the Vineyard church where I've been going, and found out one of the staff girls' daughter was just re-diagnosed w/ neuroblastoma, and it wasn't looking good. Great! Let's pray! (Not great that she has it, but great that we have a good Father who hears and who has compassion on all that he has made, and His Name means Healer, and that's one of the attributes He wants us to look to Him for, based on stories and testimonies in the Bible, and reading all the poweful work Jesus did against every disease.)

Interesting, this little girl's name happens to be Israelle, after the nation, and I've been praying for Israel, so it's double-special to get to pray for Israelle's healing, protection, and deliverance, full and complete. The meaning of the name, Israel, which was given to Jacob by God after they wrestled (Genesis 32:48) is, "They struggle with God and man and overcome." A Nation and People of Overcomers!

Yes, the struggle is there, but praise God, for the victory in Christ our/their Messiah. Not just for Israel but for the entire world, for everyone and anyone who believes in His Name --Our God's Name. It is constant. To the very end. Through any dark road. He is our Hope, our Light, our Salvation, our Life. How good is this Eternal God, the only God, who not only Created us, but also redeemed us and wants, yes wants, to be in relationship with us. That is something to praise Him for!

Thanks for your prayers, your encouragement, your special way of ministering to mom and loving her. May the LORD [Yhwh] bless you and keep you, make his face to shine upon you, and give you his peace. (Numbers 6:21-27) That's a blessing from Israel's God, who is now my God, thanks to Jesus, Immanuel, God with us, My Savior, LORD of the entire earth. Glory! And he is returning, to rule and reign as King of all kings and Lord of all lords. The best leader, ever. It will be like the Garden of Eden restored; God dwelling forever with man. Heaven meets Earth. How beautiful. (Revelation 21:1-4)

Blessings! :)

Mini-Surgery: Lumpectomy / Biopsy

Tomorrow morning, 10:30am, Mom goes in for her lumpectomy.

We're kind of confused about it, because there is no more lump, praise God! But what we understand is that they're going to take out breast tissue where the lump was (marked by a titanium bead) as well as one 'sentinal' (or first line of defense) lymph node; to check for the presence or absence of cancer cells.

It's cool the advancements in technology: through radioactive scans, they can identify the exact lymph node that receives the first waste from the breast, so they know which one to remove to check. 

You know what we're praying for! Cancer free! Clear body, heart, mind, soul, amazing work of the Heavenly Father, wonderful Surgeon, Doctor, great Comforter. 

Thanks for joining us in prayer! 

Mom's hair started to grow back. She laughs about it, saying it's not much, but I think it's beautiful. We'll see if it grows in curly. :) 

Love and blessings to your families', in Jesus' name. 

Victory in Christ, Part 2

So the results . . .

Drumroll . . .

Here's what we heard in the doctor's office Thursday morning, May 24, 2012:

"Everything looks great. The scans show there's nothing. We're going do a lumpectomy, Tues June 19, to remove the titanium marker and scrape around it, biopsy the tissue, and we'll take out one lymph node to biopsy it. You have a lot to be happy about."

In the van ride back to the house, these two, no three scenes I'll remember forever:

1. Pre-Meeting: Mom walking in, her green shirt glittering in the morning sun. The color reminded me of growth, and I praise God for how she's trusted Him through this whole process, and that means a lot of sparkly growth. :)

2. Post-Meeting: Dad, after being pretty intense in the office, broke down in the van and shed tears, exclaiming in wonder, relief, and amazement, "That is great news. Wow."

3. When they got home, my Dad reached across and held my Mom's hand, as he prayed for her, thanking the Lord for His touch and this wonderful news. I wanted to record the prayer and hand-holding, because it seemed very significant to me, but I didn't have my camera. So you can imagine. It looked like one of those cards, where people get married, and they hold hands; two becoming one. Yes, they already are married, but this process bound them further in a very tender and unique way.

http://happyhomeandfamily.com/husband-wife-quality-time/
                                                                          

And I think this text from my Aunt Mary Alice (Mom's dear sister) and Uncle Norman, the one who writes funny emails that make Mom laugh, sums up how many of us feel: "I am so pleased at this outcome. Norman and I are jumping for joy. Love m a."

It's been a very special day to celebrate, May 24, 2012. Thank you for walking along this journey with us. Thank you for crying when we cried and laughing when we laughed. Thanks for being our O'Hana, Hawaiian for 'Big, extended family'. Lot's of love, The Smileys

Victory through Christ Alone

My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus Christ and his righteousness. 
On Christ the Solid Rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand, all other ground is sinking sand. The words from this hymn come to mind when I think about what we heard today in the doctor's office.


(This version is beautiful. Hope it lifts your hearts, too.)

I'll back up. Last Friday, Mom and I went to get her final scans (MRI, mammogram, ultrasound), kind of like a student's 'final exams'. Only these scans would reveal how the full treatment (praise, prayers, chemo, etc.) worked and what she should do next.

Mid-way through chemo, Mom couldn't feel the lima-bean sized lump anymore.

When asked if she should still receive chemo, the doctor said, "Our 'route' is going to Chicago, so we don't want to get off half-way; we'll finish the treatments." She kept going; with her great attitude and kind heart reaching out to everyone she saw, encouraging, hugging, saying she would pray for them. It's been 'fun' too, in a sense, to have a full day with Mom, sitting by her, visiting with other patients, playing board games, listening to music, eating lunch Dad brings in, and receiving amazing care by the nurses.

Along with the chemo, we've been praying, and so many of you have joined in this 'battle cry' of prayers lifting to the very Throne Room of the King of all kings, requesting and speaking the Lord's healing over Mom's full body, and Mom has been 'receiving' those prayers by faith. So, really, it's been double-duty treatment: Faith + Medicine.

Here's another blessing that our wise and kind doctor pointed out, who is one of the most talented diplomats I have ever witnessed. (That's on his business card: a diplomat for cancer happenings.) He said, "You really have much to be thankful for. The type of cancer is triple +, which means that there are three positive ways we can treat it: chemo, Herceptin, and estrogen-removal."

I would personally add, 'quadruple +', prayer and belief that God is our Healer, like he described of himself: "If you listen carefully to the LORD your God and do what is right in his eyes, if you pay attention to his commands and keep all his decrees [thankfully we live in the time after Jesus Messiah fulfilled the requirements of the Law, and opened a New Covenant bought & sealed by His shed blood . . . so now we follow the Law of the Spirit of Life, Romans 7-8], I will not bring on you any of the diseases I brought on the Egyptians, for I am the LORD, who heals you."

I found that verse by doing a Bible keyword search on 'heals'. There are a lot of verses about God healing all our diseases (Psalm 103), binding up our wounds (Psalm 147). And we read about the life of Jesus Messiah: healing the sick, casting out demons, and preaching 'Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.'

He even brought dead people back to life; like the little girl who's parents' believed and said, "Yes, our daughter died, but could you come and pray for her? We know nothing is impossible for you Lord Jesus." Wow, that's big faith.

Bible keyword search: "heals" (www.biblegateway.com)

Anyway.

Scan Day: 
So Friday, Mom and I went to the scans. First: big MRI, where Mom said it was like you're slid inside a round hole, a giant doughnut-machine, and then for an hour, you hear loud ratt-a-tatt-tatting all around, like a jack-hammer. She endured.

Then we went upstairs and Mom got a mammogram, where they press, really tight, flat metal plates against your chest, and it's not too comfortable. She made it through. Then the nurse called her back for the ultrasound and allowed me to come back, too.

As the nurse ran the wand over Mom's chest, a black and white video showed on the screen. The nurse said, "I can't officially say anything." We looked together at the screen, and she kept looking and looking, but couldn't find anything. She could barely find the small titanium marker the docs inserted where the lump was when they took the initial tissue sample for biopsy.

That's right, was.

I felt like God drew back the curtains to show me a peek at what He had been accomplishing in Mom's body, and what we (everyone) had been praying and cheering for: complete healing in Jesus' Name.

Back in January, when Mom got the call from the nurse, saying the biopsy was cancerous, Mom's response was, "Bummer." She thought the results would be benign. But it was amazing that her family was right there (we were all in the van together, so really together, even though a few weren't able to be present). And then we were right around her own Regnier family, brothers and sisters, neices and nephews, whom she loves dearly. And one uncle Norman, in particular, who is walking a similar road, put his arm around Mom and cared for her really well, making her laugh with his emails. So, thank you, everyone for how you have walked with Mom, all in your own ways and methods of showing love--it's so beautiful.

There have been flowers sent annonymously, cards arriving in a continual stream, meals lovingly prepared, phone calls, text messages at just the right time, conversations, encouragement, and even if you've never personally talked to Mom, but have been part of this journey through your love and or prayers, we want to thank you. Really. You're part of our family's story along this road.

Next post: The results. :)

This Week: Post-Chemo Scan

So Mom finished her final chemo treatment.

What's next?

This Friday, she will go in for a re-scan of her chest to see results of the chemo, and to give doctors 'sight' for determining next steps of treatment. (Right now, she can't feel the lump anymore, so that's great news. We're praying and trusting the Lord for complete healing.)

1. Scans Friday (May 18)
2. Possible surgery (lump or mass/whole) in June
3. Radiation if there's a lumpectomy
4. Herceptin every three weeks (for 11 more doses, finishing by Thanksgiving :) starting Thursday
5. Anti-estrogen drug for maybe 5 years

The above 'regimine' is prescribed as a result of the original biopsy and character of her particular cells, and what is current medical knowledge regarding drugs/treatment. It's still a faith-walk. Sometimes it seems like everything is; our faith/confidence in is something or someone.

I love being around Mom because she simply believes in the Lord. Sometimes my mind can get full of combinations and possible scenarios and what we should do, and then I talk with her, and she has a way of 'simply trusting'. Then all my scenarios blow away, and I rest, trusting the Lord, too.

So thanks for praying for our family. The Lord is a wonderful Shepherd, to the Finish.

By the way, Mom really is doing great. She's had amazing sustained energy through the whole treatment, with no infections. Praise God. We've also been working on organizing projects around the home, which will be nice when everything is complete. (But the process is necessary and beneficial as well.)

Blessings and strength to your families, in Jesus' Name, who is the Beginning and the End, a stronghold in times of trouble, and our Redeemer.

Ericka

Ashley has another great blog entry: about vigils and being up in the middle of the night.

Wig Humor

There are many funny things that happen along the Way. So this post is dedicated to make you smile.

Because people enjoy laughing, it's amazing soul-medicine, and we're created in God's image, I believe God must have a sense of humor, too.

So here's the humorous wig story:

First I don't think we ever reported that Mom named her wig. When she was little, Mom had a doll named Gloria, with long, blondish hair. [Her sister Emily's doll was Susan and they were best friends.] So Mom dubbed her flowing hair prosthesis Gloria, in honor of her favorite dolly. And she carries a special double meaning--Glory to God!

A few weeks ago, Mom wore Gloria to school, like normal, and wore her driving home on the interstate, like normal. But it was stuffy in the van, so she rolled down the driver's side window, and then the passenger side. Suddenly, a huge gust of wind blew in. Before Mom knew what happened, Gloria wisked off her head flying free. Mom's stomach dropped; the worst wig night-mare was actually happening. Whipping her now bare head to follow Gloria's flight, Mom watched an early landing with Gloria plopping in the passenger seat. Whew! Glory to God! Keeping one hand on the steering wheel while trying to stay on the interstate, she grabbed Gloria and slammed her back in place before any more wind could scoop Gloria for a second flight. She rolled the windows back up and decided she could deal with stuffy.

I'm not sure if anyone saw this wig-episode on I-465, but Mom got a good laugh after it was all over, and was thankful she didn't have to pull over and hike on the Interstate to retrieve Gloria.

~Ericka

Last Day of Chemo Treatment!

Congratulations, Mom!

Thank God for amazing nurses like Denise. We hadn't seen Denise in a while, because of schedule rotations, so it was an extra treat to have her here on the final day. She wore a cross necklace on Mom's first treatment, and helped us all feel more comfortable about the road ahead. We love Denise's smile! And we love and are thankful for ALL of the staff at the Breast Center.

Dad brought flowers to celebrate Mom's final chemo--6 treatments every 3 weeks: started January 12, finished April 26. Praise God for no sickness or infections throughout, allowing Mom to stay on schedule.

I won't forget sitting close to Mom, seeing her smile, and watching her love the people all around. She is truly Christ's ambassador, spreading a beautiful fragrance of Life and Hope in Him. This last day, she bought pink candles and typed out encouraging Bible verses for the nurses and staff in the Breast Center. She is a 'care-giver' even while being a 'patient'.

I like this picture because it reminds me of the empty cross or the empty tomb, only it's the 'empty chair'. The Resurrection Sunday song: "Up from the grave he arose, with a mighty triumph o'er his foes, he arose a victor from the dark domain and he lives forever with his saints to reign. He arose! He arose! Halleluiah, Christ arose." And up from the chair Mom arose, surrounded by the prayers and blessings of so many 'in her court'--including you. 

Christ is also in 'Mom's court' and by faith in Him, even when her physical body wears out, she has His promise of eternal life. 

That is true victory; no more sickness, no more tears. 

Thanks, God. It's been fun to be part of a great team, and the team extends to all of you, reading, praying, loving, supporting, all in your own personal ways. Each of you are really special to our family, to Mom, to Dad, and to God. 

Blessings and Life to each of you, in the powerful and matchless Name of Christ.

Coming up: 

Mom has three weeks of rest. Ahhh . . . 

Grand-baby visit scheduled for Grand-Mother's Day weekend! Double celebration!! 

Prayer points: 

1. Mom's nerves, fingernails, tear-ducts, and ear to heal quickly. 

She has numb toes, balls of her feet, and fingertips (a condition called 'nuropathy', a side-effect of one of her chemo drugs), can't hear too well in one ear, 

and her balance is slightly off. Prayer is for complete recovery.

2. Mom's heart to be protected. 

Herceptin, which Mom takes through Thanksgiving, can sometimes affect people's hearts, so pray for hers to be protected and strong. Docs will monitor.

3. Grace for the removal of estrogen from her body, that her body will be protected and function like she desires, even with the lack. 

4. Wisdom for next steps with treatment and life.

Super-natural Healing

I asked the Doc, "How do we know if Mom is healed? We have a lot of people praying." 

His answer seemed to not really take super-natural healing into the equation.

[The place where I spent the last 9 months, we practiced a lot of praying for healing for all kinds of sicknesses. So it's definitely on my radar as possible, but maybe not on his, or maybe he just has to answer from a medical standpoint.]

 From his professional perspective, even if the lump goes away, individual cancer or pre-cancer cells are very tiny and can be anywhere in the body and won't show up on scans. So basically, because a cancerous lump was found, he treats the body like they're there, and goes through the whole regimine: chemo, surgery, radiation, follow-up drugs. 

And it seemed like they don't look at you as 'cured or healed' but as 'treating' or in 'remission'. 

It would be interesting to know how God sees Mom's body. 

So we pray for discernment in how best to walk each step and pray and trust the LORD for His power to fully heal, in Jesus' Name.

Thanks for your partnership in Mom's full recovery and complete victory in the LORD and His mighty power. 

Rest & Recovery

Congratulations, Mom, on making it through all these TREATMENTS! 

I love what Linda said, a dear friend from Sunday School said, "My doctor says you only really heal when you sleep or rest, so you need to rest a lot."

May you rest and recover really, really fully.

Grandma Rachel!

Welcome Josiah Brock Smiley!

Born Thursday, April 19, 2012
8:18 am, Mountain Time, 6 lbs 10 oz.
in Vail Valley Colorado Hospital,
to excited and thankful parents

Sabrina and Ryan Smiley!!

And rejoicing Grandma and Grandpa Rachel & Lawrence
(and Aunty Ericka, Uncle Mark, Aunt Janelle, Uncle Craig, and Aunt Mandy . . . besides many many more loving and celebrating family and friends. YIPPPEEEE)

Thank you for your prayers. Sabrina's c-section went really well; much better than expected. Praise God!
She did not have to go to ICU afterwards but could be with little Josiah.

Ryan's shirt says Solo Deo Gloria - and that sums it up as we thank our wonderful, Heavenly Father for the protection and sustaining Josiah's little life, from conception all the way to 'early' (but right on time) delivery at 37 weeks. Josiah's lungs are strong and he's able to nurse, and he just started gaining weight yesterday. A whole ounce! :) Keep going buddy!
The process truly is a miracle and it is WONDERFUL to see the whole family doing so well.

Tonight we had a sweet sibling/parent/baby family skype time, and were able to see Josiah on the video. He is precious. His name means, "Healed by Yhwh [God]", and also is named after the child-king in the Bible who followed in the path of his 'father' David, pursuing the LORD with all of his heart, soul, mind, and strength. He left quite a legacy in Israel. (And our little Josiah happened to be born on holocaust remembrance day as we pray for the Jews and for Israel, asking the Lord to give great wisdom to current leaders.) Brock means able to stand his ground and protect.

So Happy Welcoming Day, Josiah Brock! We love you and are SO excited you've 'come out'!!

Other blessings:
*Grandpa Art (Lawrence's dad) had a very successful surgery this past week on veins in his leg. Praise God!
*Our cousin, Ashley, received CLEAR scans (no tumor) on her chest after chemo treatment! Praise the Lord!! (super-encouraging, real life, real faith blog posts)
*Mom's energy is climbing, after a much needed day of rest this week. :)
*Sat Mom & Dad participated in 3 mile walk 'Race for the Cure' downtown Indy w/ friends.
*The leaves are almost fully out on the sugar maple trees in the yard.
*One more chemo treatment to go--next week, Thursday, April 26!!!!
*Mom's making plans to visit 1st grandbaby Josiah over Mother's Day weekend, May 12.

Thanks for all your prayers and love and support--we're in the home stretch.

~Ericka

Race for the Cure

Mom's teacher-friends organized a team for the Breast Cancer fund-raising Race for the Cure, in downtown Indy. Despite the cooler weather, it was a fun event and Mom felt really loved and supported.

On her bib-#, it said, "I AM the Cure", which probably referred to people taking proactive steps to self-examine, do med checks, etc, as helping cure breast cancer. But it made me think of God's self-revealed name, "I AM". Exodus 3:13,14 "Moses said to God, 'Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, "The God of your fathers has sent me to you," and they ask me, "What is his name?" Then what shall I tell them?'

God said to Moses, 'I AM who I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: 'I AM has sent me to you.' . . . This is my name forever, the name by which I am to be remembered from generation to generation.'" Exodus 3:11-17

So rightly written: I AM the Cure.

Interestingly and hugely significant, Jesus speaks this name again in direct connection with his mysterious identity, saying, "Before Abraham was, I AM." (John 8:58)

My Hebrew-Greek Study Bible has a footnote reading, "The expression 'I AM' is the translation of the Hebrew word Yhwh, vocalized 'Yahweh' and translated 'LORD' (see Exodus 6:3). It is the personal name by which God revealed Himself, and occurs more than 6,000 times in the Old Testament [the Jewish Bible]. Yah, an abbrevieated form of Yhwh, is contained in the word hallelujah, which means 'Praise the Lord!' . . . Jesus alluded to this name of God in John 8:58 . . . The Jews recognized that Jesus was appliying the name of God to Himself, and they considered it to be blasphemy and attempted to stone Him."

That would be the right thing to do for a devout, law-abiding Jew, if a man claimed the same Name or identity as God . . . unless it was true. Jesus has a unique identity: Son of Man and Son of God. An angel was sent with the message that his name would mean Immanuel, or God with us. Yhwh. I AM.

So I believe I AM is the cure. Yes, LORD, you are the Great Cure, for the sins of the world, for every sickness known to man, and for every predicament we ever get in. Halleluiah!

And another halleluiah for creating us with curious minds to study and to develop treatments and to have compassion to want to heal, too, like our Creator. So thank God for doctors and researchers and nurses and everyone in between who extends gifts of healing and care.

Record finish! :) Nice job, Mom! Even with your numb toes. Wow.

Who is that lady, pretty-in-pink, surrounded by lovely and loving friends?

Heritage Baseball Game, Opening Pitch

Mom received a special honor of throwing the opening pitch for Heritage Christian's (where she has taught for 21 years) varsity baseball 'Coaches against cancer' awareness game. The guys wore light pink helmets (spray painted by a kind dad), bright pink socks, and Mom threw a flourescent pink ball. It was a fun afternoon with a delicious meal.

Day of Rest . . . ahh

I apologize for the gap in posting about Mom.

Here's the update: Today is the first day she is home resting on a school day. She didn't want to, but fell asleep again, so her body must need it.

I'll say this about Mom--she's a trooper. You don't hear her complain. She's always been a 'silent sufferer', whereas I'm more the dramatic one. (One time we ate bad sausages and had to take epicack to get them out of our system. My upheaval was a whole lot louder than Mom's, even though we probably felt the same pain. She also can take things out of the oven with bare hands.)

Dad and I hear comments now and then about how weird her feet feel. (Neuropathy? The nerves in her feet/toes, this morning her hands, get affected by the chemo, and they feel numb). Or that things don't taste the same. She looks forward to eating a nice orange, and then it doesn't taste like an orange. "What does it taste like, Mom?" "Just different." And she says water tastes wierd, too. Like there's metal in it.

The past month, her energy level has been slowing down. Meaning that she will go to school and loves teaching her kids. (Mom does one-on-one educational therapy and has a much lighter load this year, another blessing we didn't know, but God knew, Mom would need--which lets her continue what she loves, but is not too stressful. Glory to the great Organizer!) Then she'll come home and work at home, washing dishes, sorting papers, cleaning, and she'll hit a wall, "Ericka, I can't do any more, I have to go to bed."

I don't know if she feels like she's expected to 'do something'.

Its hard to get Mom to not work. It reminds me of my Grandma Regnier (her mom). She always wanted to help around the house, whether it was folding clothes, mending, or picking up sticks in the yard. We couldn't get her to just sit and be. There's a blessing in that--she continually serves and blesses others. And I learn a lot from her example.

But now it's our turn. Today there was a sweet mercy in 'the plug just being pulled', where she 'can't' do anything, and 'has' to rest.

Today was the first day of very low energy. She has one more chemo treatment next Thursday, April 26. (Her last one was on Good Friday/Passover, and I'll write more about that later. It was a special day.)

This morning I sent a text message to my brothers and my sis-in-laws, to share how Mom was doing. When I typed 'resting', the first word that came up was 'serving'. Yes, Mom has been serving and serving, and now, the Lord serves her, as she rests.

A while ago, my aunt got a picture when she prayed for Mom of an electric blue column going up and down Mom's body, like a big cat-scan, or mri. And she felt like it represented the power of the Holy Spirit (God's presence) being very close and working in Mom's life on a macro and micro level--full body. Amen, in Jesus' name.

"For no matter how many promises God has made [God has made many promises], they are 'Yes' in Christ [Only Christ, fully man/fully God, fulfilled God's word/covenants. So Mom's faith in the Lord Jesus allows her access to these eternal promises]. And so through him [Christ Jesus, the Jewish Messiah, made available to the World, the Saving One] the 'Amen' [Let it be] is spoken by us [us!] to the glory of God [always a great thing--powerful, felt, real, eternal]. Now it is God [not me] who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ [Thank you, God, to the Finish; let us keep believing in you]. He anointed us [called us, empowered us, set us apart for His purposes], set his seal of ownership on us [that means we're His, and there's a mark in the spiritual realm that He and the unseen realm sees and recognizes as 'The LORD's'], and put his Spirit [God's Spirit, the Spirit of Jesus, the Holy Spirit] in our hearts [in a spiritual realm/area within us] as a deposit [downpayment], guaranteeing [sure thing] what is to come [Future glory accessed by anyone through Christ alone]." 2 Corinthians 1:20-22 [NIV, with Ericka reflections]

[Halleluiah, Glory and praise be to you, alone, Lord Jesus, who conquered death and the grave and rose to life and ascended to the Father, and is coming again soon. Thank you for preparing our lives and our hearts to be ready for your return, that we would be a bride eager and waiting for your arrival. We love you, forever.]

Thanks for your prayers for Mom's strength, full recovery, and deep rest, knowing that God is fighting an unseen battle on her behalf, and His is the victorious one, forever.

[It amazes me, as I serve my mom, I am full of love and compassion for her. I don't demand anything. I just let her be where she is. I love just being with her. I think God is like that with us. He just loves to be with us. And the amazing thing is, He, the uncreated one, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, serves us. How beautiful. How amazing. Jesus only did what he saw the Father doing and right before he layed his life down, he washed his disciples feet, showing great humility. Then he told them to love in that way. So I know/trust that the Lord serves Mom today, as she rests. He does it through the prayers of others, through her teacher-friends at work who love mom and cover for her and help her, through me being here pouring castor oil on toast, through all of your prayers and love expressions to Mom. He also doesn't like the cancer and fights to clear her body, soul, spirit, of everything that hinders love and Life. The word of God says Jesus intercedes for us, and the Holy Spirit intercedes with groans, on our behalf. So thank you for being part of His surrounding presence of care. You are loved and appreciated.]

Ericka

Mom's Birthday

Happy Birthday, Mom! 

We woke at 5:20am, Thursday, decorated the dining room with our traditional celebrating streamers (blue & white for Mom), made a 'fruit cake' with sprinkles,                                  and sang Happy Birthday. 

Dad's airplane was 'hatched' from the garage behind our house and we caravaned it to a new 'hanger' 30 min north, where dad can work on it more consistantly.

He and Mom have some travel dreams, so there's motivation to complete the project.     Pray for him; success & victory.

Later that morning, we went to the Breast Center, where Mom received her 3rd chemo treatment. It was very special to have Ryan there.

Mom loves to celebrate in any situation! She's a lot of fun. Thanks for all the cards, love, notes, phone calls, emails, texts msgs, and prayers! Each of you are a special part of Mom's support & recovery process.

Dad brought in a delicious PINK (fight breast cancer color) birthday cake. Everyone in the room joined in singing and enjoyed the dessert! One lady, Betty, said, "When I talk to your mother, I want to be like her. She is so beautiful inside and out." 

 Ryan treated Mom & I to a movie at the theatre he helped build during a college summer job. Popcorn and pop were extra special treats! 

Dad treated everyone to a delicious meal at P.F. Chang's. We ordered our choice and then passed around to share, family-style. 

Craig & Mandy drove over from Lafayette, IN, to surprise Mom. She opened a gift of beautiful earrings and a gorgeous scarf. After, we circled around Mom and prayed for her. 

It's been a very special birthday. 

Thank you, Heavenly Father. You orchestrate all things well. We had a great day!

Ryan's Home!

Ryan & Sabrina decided to have Ryan fly home & visit Mom during her treatment. Yeah! He will be here until Friday pm, during his early Colorado spring break. (To coincide with ski season??)

It was so fun preparing for Ryan's home-coming: scrubbing, cleaning the room, washing sheets, nice pillow, Mom even ironed curtains! Everything to get ready for the return of a son.

I was excited all day. Mom came home from school excited. We made a nice dinner and then drove to the airport.

Here's the picture of when Dad greeted Ryan at the door last night. 

Tonight we went to our church's Ash Wed service. It's kind of a preparation of another Son returning. We remember special Son, Jesus, and position our hearts to celebrate his 1st coming, as Israel's Messiah, then the rest of the world's Messiah; his death, resurrection, return to the Father, & then looking forward to his Final Return as King of kings and Lord of lords. 

Hearts get ready for this Son, and the Holy Spirit is hard at work along-side us, scrubbing floors, putting on clean sheets, excited, excited. He's coming!

That's my parallel after service tonight. 

Tomorrow is going to be a great day: Mom's 65th birthday! It will also be her 3rd chemo treatment, but we're going to have a party. Ryan's home and there probably will be more surprises . . . 

We praise and thank God for his beautiful orchestration of events: Ryan's early spring break, Mom's birthday, and even the 3rd chemo treatment. We praise him for his care of Mom through bday cards, calls from family, delicious meals, and sons coming home. We praise him for the huge sacrifice he paid for our lives, showing his full committment to our lives, to the End. 

I love how the Father reveals Jesus in the book of Revelation: "I am the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last." That encourages me that what He starts, He finishes, really well, and right on time. 

Here's a picture of first-fruits from our cleaning/organizing project around the house. We've all got some projects, and desire to finish in May: Mom's treatments/healing, house organizing, writing/editing, airplane, baby in Sabrina, and maybe a few more. None of them are possible without the Lord's strong and able hand, to provide energy, desire, motivation, encouargement, health, perseverance, and Finishing. Jesus is the First and the Last. He finishes what he began, right on time. All the time. 

Thank you for your continued love and prayer support for the Lord's full purposes to be accomplished in all of our lives this coming Lent season prior to Passover & Easter. 

Happy Birthday, Mom!

Posted by Ericka 

2nd Chemo Treatment

This past round of chemo seemed a lot less dramatic, with fewer side-effects.
Praise God!

Her first round, we didn't know what to expect; it was unknown and scary. But even in the midst, God faithfully led us to 'green pastures' (Psalm 23), and comforted us. He is true to his word.

The big event for the second treatment was it was her first time using the port-cathetor. (A surgically inserted gizmo that allows the IV-chemo to drip straight into a main heart vein, rather than her smaller hand veins).

(picture from Bernie's blog)

Mom didn't apply a huge layer of the topical anesthetic, so the nurse's large needle definitely let her know it was going in. Ouch. The nurse told mom, "Next time, goop a whole lot of the cream on, and then put seran wrap over it, to protect your clothes. I'll wipe off the excess when you get here, but that will numb your skin better." First time for anything, there's a huge learning curve. "Didn't someone tell you?" the nurse asked. "No." Or if they did, we didn't realize 'how much' cream to put on. But next time, watch out, she'll be loaded. Good thing, the port did it's job, and there's no infection around it (which my aunt said can sometimes be a problem) and the big needle is now a distant memory.

The bone-marrow shot the day after chemo seems to be the worst re-curring part of the treatment. This shot is a 'white blood cell booster' which Mom gets it in her stomach. But the next day, Saturday, she feels like she's 80 with Arthritis, and hobbles around the house. Every bone aches. So, you can pray that those side-effects (hurting bones) lessen, but that her white blood cell count remains high.

Right before the 2nd treatment, she had her blood taken again, and her counts were still very high, so that's wonderful! It means that her body can fight off infection like it was created to do.

Stomach pains were another no-fun, repeat chemo side-effect, but thank goodness for MiraLax.

(picture from walmart.com)

Overall, for this second treatment, everything seemed less dramatic. I think partially because we'd walked the road before, and knew better what to expect, and because God's hand is powerful to sustain her. Thank you for your prayers. They matter. Even those 3 sec ones! :)

Here's the schedule: 
*Every 3 weeks, chemo treatment.
-Always Thursday
-@ Breast Care Center, where we've met really nice ladies w/ similar treatments.
Jan 12, Feb 2, Feb 23, Mar 15, Apr 5, Apr 26, May 17 (6 total)
*Day before, Wed, blood drawn.
*Day after, Fri, white blood cell booster shot, given after school.
*Weekend after treatment, ouchy bones & stomach.
*M-F, teaching at Heritage. Mom really enjoys working one-on-one with her students; they keep her smiling. She uses hand sanitizer and prays against germ-spreading, and is thankful to be able to continue teaching. She hasn't missed a day, besides the two Thursday treatment days! Yeah Mom, and thank you, God!

Your prayers and love are all part of a big-surrounding of the Lord's care for my Mom, in very tangible ways. Thank you, from all of us.

Posted by Ericka