I decided to create a personal blog so that the updates on my personal health won’t clog up my ministry blog. I have posted an update on my fight against cancer here.

This is an update to my transitions post.  On August 6th I was scheduled for surgery to remove cancer. The surgery did not happen. At the time that the surgeon came to see me before I was wheeled into the operating room, he rechecked the site and he was concerned that cancer may have spread to the skin which made surgery a risk because the wound may not heal and that would delay the chemotherapy that I need. He consulted with a cancer specialist at a nearby Cancer hospital and he was advised that the treatment plan should be reversed and after taking a biopsy of the skin lumps, I should have chemotherapy as a first line of attack against the cancer. We have been praying for wisdom for the surgeon and so we must believe that God is involved in the process. The disappointment was that I had waited three weeks to get into surgery and there would be another wait to find an available doctor who could administer chemo. I live in a small community with only one cancer doctor and the oncologists at the nearby cancer clinic are all booked up with new patients waiting three weeks to get into the system.

Yesterday my family doctor came to the rescue and he got the ball rolling by pulling some strings on my behalf. I will enter the “path” of cancer treatment today with a specially arranged appointment at the hospital with the cancer doctor’s assistant. He will begin the work to stage the cancer to see how far it has gone and get all of my tests and blood work up to date so that the day the cancer doctor comes back from vacation I can be bumped directly into the chemotherapy program without a wait to be processed.

Bumps along the path

I am experiencing leg pain and I have a concern that the cancer has already spread to the bone. Or it could just be my sciatic nerve acting up. I am also experiencing tiredness, but this is likely from the new cancer fighting tea that I was recommended by a friend. The tiredness may just be the way my body is fighting the intruder who has invaded my body. For those who have subscribed to my blog and are following my progress, could you please pray that this aggressive cancer be held back from spreading until I can get treatment to shrink and destroy the cancer? Please also pray for strength as I have much ministry work to do and I would like to carry on unhindered.

Update from August 24, 2013

On Friday I was rushed to emergency with abdominal pain and my body had gone into shock with very low blood pressure, a low heart rate, and I was as white as a sheet as I struggled to keep from passing out. The tests showed very high lipase in my blood, 10 times the normal high rate. The doctor is not exactly sure what went wrong. It could be my pancreas but the thought is that it was a withdrawal from the steroids that I was given during the time of my chemo treatment and the days afterward. My prayer request is that God will help the doctor to find out how to manage my drugs so that I do not have a reaction like that again. It was a very scary experience.

In life there are transitions. As Christians we go through many transitions as we grow in Christ and become all that we can be with His amazing grace. Today I am posting about a new challenge in life that involves an area of transition for me.  It is about a struggle…a struggle with cancer that I am facing as I fight for my life.

This past year

I have been working on a new DVD project, but in spite of the happiness I have felt by the new project, this past year has been an extremely stressful year. I have faced opposition and persecution from places that I never expected. Yet in the face of strong opposition, God’s grace has brought me through so that I have tremendous peace. However looking back, I understand that prayer support would have helped when my work was hindered and slowed more than it should have been. The body of Christ and the prayer support that we can offer each other was not there during that time because I did not ask for help.  It is time for me to ask my friends to lift me up in prayer. I need help.

Prayer Support

As I fight my battle for life against an enemy that wants to stop my work, and end my life, if you are inclined to pray for me, I would be very grateful.  I have been eighteen years cancer free, but it has come back with a vengeance. It is an aggressive enemy, but our God is able.  I choose to serve God with every breath that He gives me.

I am still dedicated to serving the Lord Jesus in the ministry that He has called me to. I do not intend to stop. However, I will need every ounce of strength that He provides, as my work will be interrupted by surgery and further treatment as the doctors consider necessary.  I will post updates on my health issues and prayer requests on this blog. If you would like to follow my personal journey, scroll down to the subscribe area on the right hand side to follow my posts.

Reasons to bless the Lord

No matter what comes my way, there are so many reasons to bless the Lord for all the good that He has done. Recently a relative sent me the song 10,000 Reasons as a way to encourage me. I would like to share the link with my friends. I hope it will bless you as well.

10,000 Reasons (Bless the Lord)

God’s strength is made perfect in our weakness.