Last Wednesday, my husband and I made a trip to the closest cancer hospital to see an oncologist about the next step in my treatment. The doctor that we were booked to see had taken ill that day, so we were rescheduled to see another oncologist who is now taking over my treatments. We also learned that the former oncologist had planned radiation before surgery as the next step after my current chemotherapy treatment. The reasoning is that the doctors want to make sure that there is a clear margin of cancer-free skin for the surgeon to work with. The main issue is that the aggressive cancer that was growing in me had already spread to the skin.

Ear to ear smile

My new doctor gave me his biggest ear-to-ear smile after his examination. The chemotherapy has done such a good job at removing the cancer, he said there is no need for radiation before surgery! He showed us how the marks left over by the cancer show that the skin is cancer free. When you press hard on the skin and then move off, the skin goes white from lack of blood. That is, normal skin goes white, but cancer does not. All signs show a very aggressive attack on the cancer by the chemotherapy has worked extremely well.

The next good news

My new doctor gave me some more reason for hope that really surprised me. He said that when the chemotherapy works this well, there is a 50% chance that the chemotherapy has completely destroyed the cancer. If that has happened in my case, I won’t need radiation after surgery either! He will know about three weeks after surgery when the results come in from the examination of the tissue. If there is no sign of active cancer within the tissue, then I am home free from the pains and damage of radiation. If there is cancer still found in the tissue, at least I will not have pre-surgery radiation. The reason that this is so important to me, is that I had radiation years ago on the same area, and radiation done a second time produces greater symptoms including the possibility that the skin would not heal properly after surgery.

Joyful to God for His goodness!

I am so thankful to God for His goodness to me! The fact that I do not have to have radiation before surgery is a huge relief to me and the possibility that I do not have to have radiation at all, just blows my mind! I am thankful that I have received such good news. It feels like an early Christmas gift.

Prayer request

With the next two chemo sessions coming up on December 27th and then mid-January 2014, my prayer is that the Lord will give me strength and endurance. I am feeling far more fatigue that I would like. I am not bouncing back as fast as I did before. I understand that with the kind of chemo I am receiving right now, the symptoms have a compounding effect, and so I may feel even more exhaustion until my treatments are over. But there is so much to do and I have a lot of passion to get our next DVD project completed. If God would bless me with endurance and strength during these next few months, I would be very grateful. I understand that He is in charge, and He will do what He sees fit and what is best for me, but I also believe He hears and answers prayers.

Thank you for each and everyone who has prayed for my health. You are deeply loved and appreciated as you give me your care!