We are picking up speed here. I’ve completed 7 of 16 radiation treatments, my stem cell donor has been screened and approved, and my calendar is filling up with lots of tests: MRI, CTs, PETs, EKG, echocardiogram, pulmonary function tests, labwork, etc.

Today I will have an MRI to see if I should have intrathecal chemo (it is inserted like an epidural during labor and delivery) and would treat any lymphoma that is lurking in my central nervous system (which normally chemo doesn’t reach because of the blood/brain barrier). Please pray for wisdom for the radiologist and my lymphoma team to know what is best for me.

We haven’t had any luck with medical housing for our large family, but we think we are narrowing down on a 3 bedroom apartment near the medical center that can be furnished with a rental package. We are estimating that we will be here until mid-June. We are looking forward to being reunited with our kids and my parents, and things are finally coming together so that we can move forward with that.

There are many important medical dates approaching, but the most important are my admission into the hospital on March 10th and the actual stem cell infusion will be on March 17 or 18th. I am so thankful for a perfect match donor who is willing to do this for me despite me being a complete stranger – I do have to say I’m really curious about who this is. It’s amazing to me that we have more stem cell criteria in common than my own sister. I’ve heard from another patient that I can learn who the person is in 2 years.

Please be in prayer about this procedure. It comes with short-term and long-term risks, but the possible benefit of a new immune system that will fight the lymphoma in my body weighs more heavily than allowing this cancer to possibly pop-up in different areas of my body with my broken immune system.

We feel overwhelmed, of course, by all of this, but at the same time we feel blessed. I’m grateful to have treatments available, insurance that has approved my treatments, an unknown donor who is willing to help me, a husband who can work from anywhere, a family that would do absolutely anything that is needed, a school and church here in town that is reaching out to us in addition to our own church family back home, a beautiful and quiet home that has been opened up to us for these last couple of weeks while we get our feet on the ground, and all of you who are praying for us and giving us encouraging words. AND did I mention that we have a loving Heavenly Father who is holding us in His hands, Jesus who has given us a beautiful eternity to look forward to and the Holy Spirit who fills us with inexplicable peace when the anxiety starts to well up? God is good. All of the time. We must trust Him even when we don’t like our circumstances. So, day-by-day we must make a choice to hand it over to Him. Easier said than done, but we are a work in progress. 🙂

Please consider being a stem cell donor. It is a very simple process. Go to bethematch.org, they will mail you a swab for your mouth, and you mail it back. Please help me to pay it forward.

Just wanted to jump on here quickly with a few updates. We received the bone marrow biopsy report today and it is clear! Also, we have school lined up for the girls with a generous scholarship. Our girls have always attended public school and this will be a wonderful new experience for them to go to a private Christian school with skyscrapers as their backdrop. These are both answers to prayer.

I have completed 4 of 16 radiation treatments, and so far it is going very smoothly. I will have doctors’ appointments coming up next week to discuss the donor stem cell transplant (my donor is currently being screened) and possible chemo/additional radiation treatments to kill any hiding lymphoma cells in my central nervous system – these will be unlike anything I’ve had before. Again, the goal is to systemically eradicate all of the lymphoma, so that a cure is possible.

Thank you again for your prayers. Housing is still wide open, but we trust that something will fall into place soon. Once that is lined up, our family will join us. Until then, we are enjoying our beautiful living quarters at Mercy House and even had a laughter-filled evening last night with the other house guests.

Below are a few of pictures from Maggie Valley, NC in January. We seized the moment – and headed for the mountains. Yes, protective mother here made everyone wear a bike helmet. 🙂

The beginning of last week started with the disappointing biopsy results which put us immediately into business mode. We had to pack, explain the basics to our kids, get our parents/brothers/sisters notified (then my parents had to prepare, pack and head to our house), get MD appointments set-up, start the housing process – and I desperately wanted family photos. We’ve never been good about getting professional pictures, and this time I was determined. As silly as it may sound, I really wanted some pictures while I still have a little hair. Thankfully, the afternoon before we left, Melanie G. came over with her fun and relaxing personality to capture some moments around our house. Above is the only image I have so far, but many are to come!

Thursday was spent driving after long goodbyes to our kids as they one-by-one left for school. Then it was goodbye to my parents before we drove 13 hours (and we barely stopped) – phew! We have truly been blessed with a beautiful, free condo to stay in sponsored by a local family and their church. This condo is shared with other patients, and it is wonderful now, but won’t work long term as our children join us.

As I mentioned before, we want our whole family together this time. So, we have calls out to several places, churches, friends of friends, etc. We have a tall order: a place not too far from the hospital, with good schools and can accommodate up to 7 of us – we need family with us to help with childcare. We are good at making a small place work, but it is still a lot to ask for. It is something we are praying about, and I believe God will unfold something at just the right time.

Last Friday, I had blood work done, a bone marrow biopsy that I will not describe (I loathe them), and a good, thorough visit with my Lymphoma doctor.  Once the test results are in and I’m discussed at their team “Difficult Cases” meeting, we should have a plan nailed down pretty well. Right now there are some variables that must be considered.

Jonathan continues to run his business. I think at this point, he could work on his laptop and make phone calls while jogging on a treadmill, nauseated, upside-down in outer space. He’s amazing.

We have an appointment with my beloved radiation oncologist in 45 minutes to do a radiation simulation – scanning, calculating, evaluating best techniques, machines, doses, etc. She says she can melt this fast growing mass. With Lymphoma, it is systemic, so we must treat the long-term as well to destroy the cells that hide and wait to rebuild their mass.

Please pray for us. I’m really at a point where I’m unsure what prayer to ask you to pray. God knows my longing to raise our three beautiful children and to let me be Jonathan’s wife. Of course, I see that as complete healing and living our days out normally into old age. However, I know God’s ways are not our ways and His thoughts are not our thoughts.

Please pray for God’s guidance for us, our physicians, our family who tirelessly cares for our kids and home. Help us be lights for Jesus – even on the days we feel like curling up in a ball. Please pray for our family being reunited at just the right time, at the right schools with the right housing.

Thank you for your comments, texts, emails, etc. Your encouraging words mean so much to us. It is comforting to know that others are praying. This post may sound really depressing – let me ease your concern a little. Jonathan and I date really well. We have enjoyed long walks around Rice University, spending time at the shops and restaurants in Rice Village; we rarely run out of conversation, and sometimes I wonder if others would be baffled to see us laughing with our odd, but united sense of humor.

God is good. And He will see us through.

Well, the news is not unexpected but it’s not what we hoped and prayed for.  The breast biopsy has come back positive for large b cell lymphoma – which is the same aggressive lymphoma that was around my right eye and forehead area.  We will have to return to Houston this week.

My ever-dedicated radiation oncologist called me last night to give us the results and a rough idea of the plan. My lymphoma team will meet Wednesday at noon to put their heads together on the definitive best course of action.

I will definitely have an allogeneic stem cell transplant (this is the donor type, and thankfully I have a 10/10 match available). The question will be whether I will have chemotherapy only, chemo and radiation, or radiation alone prior to the transplant.

Despite this being un-welcomed news, we are at least grateful that the mass is in a new area (my head is completely clear!), so I have more options for treatment.

We will discuss all of this with our children this afternoon (we didn’t want to throw it on them this morning), and then prepare to return to Houston.  This time we plan to take the children. We need to figure out schooling, housing, etc.  4 months apart last time, was just too much, and I think we are still seeing some of the effects of that separation.

Please pray for wisdom & guidance for my incredible lymphoma team at MD Anderson, our family as we prepare for an upheaval of our normal life for several months, our support from family and friends – we all need renewed energy and endurance.

We will not let this shake our faith. We are disappointed and prayed this would not be our next step, but we will choose to trust God with each day.