Bovine Theology

There is one thing I need to correct regarding Leslie’s treatment. The second round of treatment, the chemotherapy, will consist of her going in for chemo every two weeks in the office, not the pump she will wear. So the way we understand it at this point, she will have to go in and sit to receive chemo those 12 times. We estimate she will complete this round of treatment around March of 2008.

I have to admit that the timeline was longer than I expected. I guess I was a bit too optimistic in thinking she’d be done with treatment sometime late this fall. I’m disappointed it will last this long, but I know God has much to teach us and will continue to provide us with the grace we need this entire time.

Tomorrow morning she will meet with her radiation oncologist. They will map out the treatment with her, but not begin it tomorrow. From our initial understanding they will tatoo marks on her to guide them in the radiation treatment. I think it will be small dots, not butterflies or anything like that.

One of the things we continue to be thankful for is how the Lord has led us to just the right doctors. Dr. Kallab, the oncologist we met with today, we very thorough and gracious. Leslie really likes him, as do I. We really appreciated the fact that he never seemed rushed with us as we met with him over an hour. He also encouraged us by relaying how some friends of ours in the medical community (Karen Hunter and Pris Strom) had both told him to “take good care of Leslie.”

In two weeks Leslie will begin a five-week regiment of radiation and chemotherapy. The chemo she will take by pill (we hope). The radiation will be five days a week, 10-15 minutes a day. Then she will have a three week break. After that she will start a 12-treatment regiment of chemo which will last six months. This will be the liquid chemo and she will have a port “installed.” With this treatment she will go in every two weeks and have a chemo pump hooked up to the port. She will wear it for a few days and then return to have it unplugged. We’ll write more when we get home.

I am thankful this evening as the weekend comes to a close. First, I want to brag a bit about our pastor, Ralph Johnston. On Saturday, Ralph came over to the house and cut our grass. It was hot and muggy, but he pushed our little lawnmower up and down our hilly yard. He then pulled the weeds out of our landscaping, weedeated around the house and yard, and even helped me and a friend of mine put the camper top on my truck (something I’ve been unable to do myself, but needed to do for some time). I kept telling him “that’s enough” as he finished each task, but he kept saying, “I’m just preaching the Gospel to you. You need it!” Man, did I! My pride flares up when people do things for me and I need to hear the Gospel of Grace. Thanks so much Ralph!

Our friends, Philipp and Sarah came by to visit on Saturday and brought us a ton of food for our “new” freezer. It was such a wonderful visit and Philipps brute strength was put to use getting my camper top on my truck, and moving the freezer and refrigerator into place in the garage. He even helped me clean the freezer! Thanks Philipp and Sarah! The Munchkin kept asking after you left, “Where are dose free gulls?” The kids enjoyed playing with your three!

Early Saturday morning, Leslie’s brother Wil and I drove to Lilburn to get a free chest freezer and refrigerator from the parents of a gal I work with. Despite the rain, we made it back safely and unloaded them just in time for him to turn around and head to work. Thanks so much Wil for tirelessly helping me!

This morning Leslie really wanted to go to church. Since we’re not meeting in the mornings yet with our church (it’s a new church plant and we’re only meeting on Sunday evenings at this point), we decided to worship at Westminster Pres in Gainesville. It’s just 10 minutes from our house, and so we felt we could get back home quickly if she felt bad. What a joy it was to be so warmly asked how we were doing by so many. The pastor even prayed for Leslie during his pastoral prayer, which was a surprise to us and a real encouragement that yet another local church is praying for us. Thank you Westminster for caring for us!

After church we went to the nursing home to visit with Nannie, Leslie’s grandmother. Leslie still felt good enough afterward to go out to lunch. We enjoyed a wonderful time with her family, and Poppie graciously picked up the tab. Thank you Poppie for your love for us!

Leslie was of course pretty tired this evening. But I think she was really refreshed emotionally and spiritually today. We have a lot to be thankful for…and we are!

I do want to make one point of clarification on Leslie’s cancer. When the surgeon removed the 8 inches of colon and the tumor a few weeks ago, it appeared that both ends of the removed colon were clean. However, what we learned on Thursday is that the lower portion was not. That is where the cancer went through the wall of the colon. So it is still in her body, and that is why it is now classified as rectal cancer. This is why she will have to have chemotherapy and/or radiation. So continue to pray for her and especially as we go to meet with the oncologist on Tuesday.

Do you remember the game Cootie? While I was in Wal-Mart yesterday I noticed the game for $5.88 and it brought back some fond childhood memories. So I got it. When I got home I sat down with the kids and we played it together. It was a blast. Oh yeah, I won! The above picture is the kids with all our completed Cooties.

Today was another hard day for me to be at work. I’m so thankful to work where I do, and the difficulty being there has nothing to do with work. I just hate being away from Leslie and the kids. It’s as if my heart is breaking. But this is life.

We’re still trying to assimilate the news from yesterday. Leslie blogged about it with better details here. She also wrote a post that was very encouraging to me here. She is a wonderful woman who is showing great strength as she rests in her Savior’s care. And she has shown the kids and me such grace as she still carries out so many of her roles in the home.

This evening I came home to a failed attempt by our satellite carrier to install a new receiver in the bedroom so Leslie can rest and watch TV in the bed. There was a language barrier that she and I could not overcome with the installer. We’d been promised everything for free, but all we ended up with was the receiver. So I spent a few hours running cable to our bedroom and learning lots of patience, which I demonstrated very little. The reason I share this is that Leslie was so kind to me as she knows I struggle with all things “handy.” I just don’t have much mechanical skill. But even in her condition she praised my work and allowed me to finish the task. I’m so thankful for a wife who knows me, with all my short-comings, and still loves and cares for me.

This morning she gave me a book by two of my favorite DJs from Alabama. Rick & Bubba host a morning show that, unfortunately, is not carried here in Atlanta. Their newest book, The Rick & Bubba Code, included a CD of their “best of” shows. I thoroughly enjoyed listening to them again during my drive today. The fact that Leslie bought this for me right now is such a demonstration of her giving spirit. She amazes me!

This afternoon Leslie and her mom went to meet with Dr. Pris Strom for her follow-up visit. I really expected this to be a routine kind of visit where she’d hear, “Everything looks good/normal.” But that wasn’t quite what she heard. The cancer was not as high in the colon as they thought it might be from the initial colonoscopy. They are now classifying it as colorectal cancer. Where the cancer got through the colon wall was further down. This means that radiation and chemo are probably certain for her. There are also some other issues that make this a bit more complicated. I’ll default to Leslie to post all the facts (she’s the detail person).

Leslie mentioned that Pris met with a team of doctors to determine how to classify this cancer, and therefore help determine the best treatment. I think it was stage 2B, or B2. I can’t remember from our brief phone call. But we have a lot of confidence in Pris and she has a lot of confidence in the oncologist we will go see on Tuesday, Dr. Kallab. So that is encouraging.

The news isn’t really what we wanted to hear. If the cancer had been futher up and had not gotten through the colon wall we could be looking at being on the last leg. But this changes things in that the lower part of the colon (near the rectum) does not have the protection (mucus) and such. So there is a higher rate of the cancer returning. There are also questions of whether the cancer is in the blood or not. The initial blood tests came back negative, but the downside is that there is nothing to measure from that to determine if treatments are working or not. So there are just more questions at this point, and therefore a bit more worries.

I did get a call from my brother today that dad’s endoscopy went well. They stretched his esophagus and want to see him back in a month. I’m guessing from that, that they didn’t find anything that wasn’t supposed to be there.  But dad was still doped up when Rob called him so I don’t know anything definitively yet.

Today was a rough day for us (I woke up with a headache and Leslie was really fatigued), but a really good one. We have nothing to complain about and so much to be thankful for.

Leslie was worn out today, probably from getting out yesterday. Our friend Sarah came over, but after seeing Leslie wasn’t feeling well decided to take our kids back to her place to swim. I am so thankful for her consideration of Leslie and the kids. They, of course, had a blast!

This evening our friend, Audrey, drove all the way up from South Atlanta to bring us dinner. What a gal!! We had yummy lasagna. I bathed our very tired kids and put them to bed and then we had a great visit with Audrey.

Tomorrow Leslie goes to see the surgeon for her first follow-up visit. Her mom will take her and her dad will keep the kids. I returned to work today as I have only one day left and am saving it for her appointment with the oncologist next week.

We’re thankful for the Lord’s provision for us with a chest freezer and refrigerator. A girl I work with called me to tell me her parents were giving away both and all I have to do is go get them this weekend. Pray that I can get all the details worked out for that.

Pray for my dad tomorrow morning as he goes to have his endoscopy at 10:30 AM.

Today we got out as a family and went over to Leslie’s grandparents/parents place to let the kids ride their bikes. It was good to get out and enjoy the beautiful weather we’re having. Leslie sat on the tailgate of the truck and the kids played, ran, rode, and yelled a lot. It was fun. Afterward we got some good veggies from their garden to enjoy for dinner.

I continue to be amazed at Leslie’s progress. I know, and am so thankful, for all the people who are praying for her. And I know that God is providing the grace we all need for this time.

A couple ladies from Leslie’s parents’ previous church came by to visit with us today and brought food and some fun things for the kids to color. We had such a nice visit and I know this has been refreshing for Leslie to not feel so cooped up. Tomorrow her friend Sarah is coming over while I go to work, then Leslie’s mom will come for the rest of the day.

We’ve also received countless cards that have really been an encouragement. I joked with Leslie that we can tell a good day from a bad one based on the ratio of medical bills to greeting cards we get in the mail each day!

I’ve found myself singing (usually not too loud) “Blessed Be the Name of the Lord” a lot these days. Even the kids have been singing it and other songs. I know they don’t understand the depth of those words, but they are getting a taste of what it means to still say, “Blessed be Your name,” no matter what the circumstances.

One final note, to clarify, about the care calendar. We do have a category for yard work on there. We’re really fine on this as my neighbor has been cutting our grass since my fall. But I hate to rely on his graciousness (maybe it’s just my pride). One thing I have been unable to do is pull weeds on a bank we have mulched with landscaping. It’s not a big deal, but if anyone wants to plug in that way and do the glamorous task of pulling some weeds it would help us. It doesn’t have to be on a Saturday either, even though we plugged that in on the calendar. Just let me know if you have any questions about it.

A number of our friends have expressed the desire to help with a number of things. This has been such a humbling experience for us, and I am even more humbled to be writing this now. It’s hard to accept help from others. Maybe it’s because I’m a man or just a wretch. I know what a joy it is to help others, but for me it is much harder to receive help. But regardless of my pride, we know we need it. I took vacation today and will again tomorrow to be home with Leslie and the kids. But after tomorrow I will have only one day for the rest of the year. So things like meals will certainly be a huge help to us. And since a number of people have offered to help in this way, we have decided to create at care calendar. This calendar allows people to sign up for specific days and will help in the coordination. Our church family has offered to do this, but we thought this would be a help to them as well being that it will allow people to do so online instead of making phone calls. So to access the calendar, go to http://www.carecalendar.org/. The calendar ID is 1026 and the code is 7263. We are still learning this system, so bear with us. But it should be straight forward. Once you log in you can see days that have openings for meals. You can sign up for an empty day and then others will know that day is filled. Your email address will not be made public. We may also need some other help along the way for people to stay with Leslie and the kids while I am at work, and some basic house cleaning. However, so far I and our family have been able to keep up with this so far. If you want to help with these two items, email me and tell me what you’d like to do and when and I’ll let you know if we will need the help then. I hope this does not come across as conceited or pretentious. My hope is that this will just streamline the offers from so many of you, and provide an outlet for you to do as the Lord leads you. Thanks to Crystal for sharing this idea of the calendar with us!

Today our friend Marjorie came over and brought some meals and some gum for the kids. It was so much fun to visit with her and catch up on her family and some of our old friends. It was at Marjorie’s house, back in December of 1997, where Leslie and I first talked and length and really began getting to know each other at a Christmas party. She also hosted one of our wedding showers. So she gets to claim being one of the “facilitators” of Leslie and me getting together!

I went to the doctor today for my back. It was a helpful visit to understand more about my injury and begin to plan a course of action. The doc thinks that the torn disc may not be the main issue. It is rather, most likely, a bone injury at the bottom of my vertebrae. The fracture, known as a pars fracture, could have been caused by my fall or I could have been born with it. They can’t tell. But the type of pain I’m experiencing seems to line up more with these symptoms than those of the torn disc. The torn disc is still an issue, but will heal with time if I take care of it. They want to try some physical therapy and then an injection to see if that will help reduce the pain and speed up my recovery. I’ve heard enough horror stories from others to appreciate how little pain I’ve experienced. I’ve also discovered that a back belt, with some magnets in it, has helped with the pain more than any other thing. It may sound cooky, but it works! Thanks to Curtis for letting me borrow it!

Leslie had a good day today. She still amazes me with how she is handling everything. She still tires quickly, but is much stronger than I imagined she would be this far along in the recovery process.

Today was a beautiful day, in many ways. This morning started by taking the girls to the doctor to check a skin condition on Munchkin. The girls enjoyed the ride in our “new” van. The weather was near perfect and we rode with the windows down much of the morning. Leslie didn’t feel up to going with us, so we took our time to give her some quiet time to rest.

This evening Grandad and Mimi came by and visited with us. The girls sang some songs (or were supposed to), but Aggie was surprisingly a bit shy about it.

Tonight I videoed some of the girls and got a few seconds that I thought were very sweet of Leslie. She is a wonderful mother, and even though her strength is down and she’s dealing with pain you will see she still sweetly cares for our children. She looks great, doesn’t she!? Enjoy! 

This evening I picked the girls up in South Carolina and brought them home. I’m not sure who was more excited, the girls or Leslie. We are so thankful that they had a wonderful time in SC. Clay and Dana really ministered to them and loved on them, making their time away so enjoyable. Tonight they put a show on for Leslie and me, dancing and singing songs they learned at VBS in SC.

Leslie had a good day today, after a good night’s rest. She tires easily though. Kristen came over and spent the day, caring for Leslie, our home, and running errands. God has used her tremendously to minister to us during this time.

I would ask that you remember my dad in your prayers. He has not been feeling well and has had trouble swallowing. He is set to see the doctor on Tuesday. Please pray that they will be able to quickly determine what is going on in his body and that he will be restored to full health soon. Pray too for peace for mom.

I encourage you to read a good article written by Steve Collins, the Spiritual Life Director at MTW. One line that particularly struck me is this:

The communion of the saints is strongly evangelistic. The gospel must be preached, but it must be preached by our lives as well as by our words—not just by our lives in their disconnected individuality, but by our communal lives. The world needs to hear truth, but it also needs to see beauty, the very beauty of God in the imperfect, but real exhibition of divine love and grace within the body of Christ. The quality of our community powerfully impacts the credibility of our gospel witness.

This has been so true in our lives recently as we have witnessed the power of “real exhibition of divine love and grace within the body of Christ.” My prayer is that unbelievers around us will be drawn to the Gospel as they witness the love and unity of God’s people caring for us.