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