Living with Hope and Cancer Prayer Letters

One week down and...

Dear Prayer Partners;

Once again we thank you for your support and prayers. We are so thankful to know that we are not alone in this battle. As we carry on in this battle field we have a clear understanding that God is with us at every step. We are fully aware that we are not promised the next breath but when that next breath does not happen we will step from this reality into eternity with Jesus. We are not getting out of this life alive or unscarred but we have hope for our future. We know that we win the war and will spend eternity with our Jesus.
We have completed the first week of whole brain radiation. The Dr was clear to explain that the worst side effect will be that in about two weeks Melanie will start to lose her hair. We’ve been there, done that. Remember, my wife looks great bald. The Dr also explained that the treatment will be from both sides. So depending on how they arrange the radiation, when her hair grows back she will have either a Mohawk or the sides will grow in before the top of her head. So we have opted for the Mohawk. Autumn has offered blue hair gel.
The treatment is very interesting. Melanie wears a mask that covers her face and keeps her head from moving during the treatment. The treatment last only about 10 min and during the time on the table Melanie is singing "The name of the Lord is a strong tower, the righteous run into it and they are safe" over and over again and feels the arms of Jesus surrounding her. She crawls into that Strong Tower each afternoon at 3:30.
When the treatment started Melanie was having some double vision and after four treatments she does not have double vision anymore.
Melanie was talking to Monica and ask if she had ever seen one of those movies where there are people in a foreign land and they are running for the American Embassy and as they get close the Marines run out and form a corridor of safety. We realized that all Melanie really has to do is call out the Name of Jesus and she is surrounded by Him and His army of Warrior and Ministering Angels. We don’t even have to run He does the running. So when you are on a battle field remember to call out the Name of Jesus and you will be surrounded by Him and His Angels.
We still need your prayers since we are just one week into the four week radiation treatment. We will also need your prayers after the radiation when Melanie starts on Chemotherapy.
We will be posting a new prayer letter each week with an update on Melanie.
We wish we could thank each of you personally but since we cannot this will have to suffice.
THANK YOU!!! THANK YOU!!! THANK YOU!!!
Serving a Big God,
Dennis & Melanie

BATTLE STATIONS!!!!!

(Remember the old/new wartime movies when the ship was under attack and the horn would sound

AOOGAH, AOOGAH, BATTLE STATIONS, ALL HANDS ON DECK,
BATTLE STATIONS, ALL HANDS ON DECK
AOOGAH!!!! AOOGAH!!!!!
Dear Prayer Partners,
We have the battle plan established and are calling "ALL HANDS ON DECK, BATTLE STATIONS".
We have received the results of the biopsy on the brain tumor and the news was not what we had expected or wanted. The results show the tumor is cancer. So we now have a battle plan.
Remember that, in Deuteronomy 20:1-4, God has given us a huge battle plan in which we know that He goes before us to fight and win the battle. We are to understand that no matter what, because HE wins WE win. At anytime between now and then God can step in and change everything. We hope for the future in HIM. But because we live in this fallen world, the following is our battle plan:
On Monday Jan 23rd Melanie will start 20 days of whole brain radiation. This attack is two pronged. Because the tumor is large and has a good blood supply, the first prong is to shrink the tumor. The second prong is to eliminate any additional cancer that might be hiding in her brain.
The next part of the battle plan is after radiation Melanie will undergo chemotherapy. The duration of this will depend on how fast the cancer dies in response to the chemo.
The third stage of the battle plan is an MRI four weeks after the end of radiation to determine the shape and size of the brain tumor. If all things go according to plan, then the rest of the tumor will be removed by Gamma Knife.
As an ongoing part of the battle plan Melanie will still receive treatment to kill the hormones that feed the cancer and will also be receiving treatment to build up her bones.
We are calling "ALL HANDS ON DECK, BATTLE STATIONS", because we know how much your prayers mean to us and to the doctors and nurses who treat Melanie.
We had emergency brain surgery last week and the peace of God was so thick during our stay in hospital that the nurses wanted to work in Melanie’s room. As we were getting the results of the surgery the Doctor told us that in order to be released Melanie needed to be able to do several things. These things were: walking, taking pills, eating, being able to urinate on her own, and of course no headaches.
On Thursday night I got Melanie up and unplugged from her machines to take her for a walk. When we got outside her room we just decided that life was so good we danced all around the ward. The nurses applauded and the next day when the Doctor wanted to know if she was ambulatory the report was "Well, she was dancing". We were released directly from the Neuro ICU.
God is great and life is good. We know that your prayers were of great help to us and the medical staff. Please keep up the good work.
We know that we live in the tension of God heals and we sometimes do not get healed. We are standing on the truth that He is in charge and we live in His plan and we do not always understand or like His plan but it is His plan and we TRUST HIM.
We will keep you all posted as we progress down this path. But know we go down this path with HOPE. Melanie is specifically holding onto an instruction that her earthly dad gave her many times – ‘TRUST HIM’.
Blessings on each and every one of you. We thank God for you and your prayers. OUR GRATITUDE WILL BE ETERNAL!
Serving a Big God,
Dennis, Melanie, Autumn & Jake, Monica and Tegan.

Hallelujah

Dear Prayer Partners;
This is Dennis reporting that Melanie is home and amazingly recovered from the brain surgery (with the exception of the missing hair and the stitches across her head). We are celebrating Melanie being home.
This is an important time for us as we are getting ready for the next meeting with the oncologist. We should have the results of the biopsy tomorrow as well as the results of the last blood test. These two things will determine the next portion of the battle plan. The biopsy will determine what type of brain tumor she has and will then dictate the type of treatment. The results of the blood test will determine the next phase of treatment for the cancer. The doctors are sure the brain tumor and the cancer are not related so wisdom is needed as to how to treat Melanie the best possible way.
We are so grateful for your prayers as we weather the current storm we are in. We have full knowledge that Jesus is right here with us. We are full of hope as the battle plan is being laid out. We know that we win regardless of the reports tomorrow. We covet your prayers and want you to know how much we value each and every one of you. Words cannot express the peace we are feeling and have felt through the entire time.
One of the things that is important for us is to know that our test is not what the doctors say or the treatment that is prescribed. The test for us is how we reflect Jesus. We understand that it is easy to focus on the circumstances but we know that they do not tell the entire story. The entire story is that we win the war even if we lose some battles. We are standing on the word of God that tells us that we are not done yet and will be around to celebrate many of your stories of how you have made it off the battle field. Remember the goal is to know that as we come off the battle field we will turn and help the next one behind us as they enter their battle.
Again we thank you for your prayers and support and want you to know that we love you and cannot wait to see you.
We will send another email with the results of tomorrows meeting.
Blessings on each of you and your families.
Serving a Big God,
Dennis & Melanie