CANCER FREE AND PRAISING GOD!!!

Hello Dear family and friends,
Well, the title says it all! It' s Sunday morning today and I just got a call from my surgeon regarding the pathology report. He asked if I had a few minutes and my heart just sank. Back in May when he called to reveal to me that I had cancer he said the same thing as I got on the phone. Instantly he told me that everything looked great and there was no traces of cancer! He ended up removing 8 lymph nodes and some of them appeared to be a little larger than others but NO CANCER!!! I am still shaking from the wonderful news and just praise God for His healing. I feel as if I have been given a new life or an opportunity to love, share, give and make memories. It is the best feeling I think I have ever felt. When I was praying with the pastors from our church about 2 weeks ago one of the pastors said he had a vision of me as a beautiful butterfly emerging from it's cocoon. That's what I feel like today. I have been transformed, given new life and restoration and now I am ready to spread my wings and make a difference for God!!!! Thank you all for your prayers for surgery. I ended up having to go back into surgery the next day after the mastectomy because there was a small blood clot under where the left breast used to be. So it was much harder to recover because of the aneseathia. God is good because now I am home and recovering well. Looking at the scars for the first time was hard but I am rather impressed at how good the incisions look. Last night mark threw out his first joke at me and called me the "beautiful boobless wonder". I laughed so hard that I almost busted my stitches open. I realized at that point I am in store for some pretty good jokes. :) No matter how you look at the situation it is best to see it with humor - it makes everything so much easier. And quite honestly ladies, I can now run faster than you because there ain't anything holding me up!!! And not to have to wear a bra anymore _ WHAT FREEDOM!!!!! I might just get used to this whole boobless thing :) Well, getting a little sore as I type so I better go. JUst wanted to praise God with you at His great and mighty power. I love you all and Merry Christmas!



Dana

Needing Prayer!

Hi Everybody,
It's Saturday today and just trying to get a lot accomplished before Tuesdays' surgery. Lot's of laundry today and christmas shopping. Hope you all are enjoying this Christmas season. This past week my uncle passed away (my mom's brother) in Illinois. My mom and grandma and grandpa could use some prayer as they have lost a brother and a son. Please pray also for my Uncle's only son Robby. He needs God's peace and strength right now. It has been hard to be away in a time like this so I just trust my prayers are comforting them. I must admit I am quite nervous about this whole surgery thing on Tuesday. I know that I have had the last 6 months to think about it but as it approaches my anxious thoughts are getting the best of me. I just pray that the pathology reports come back NO TRACES OF cancer! Also pray that the Lord prepares Mark and I as we have our first look at the scars. It really is quite a thought to think that there will be no breasts there after I wake up. Kind of scary! Sorry just babbling now as I have just a ton of thoughts running through my head. I find comfort and peace knowing that all of you are praying for me and my family. I also find comfort in knowing that my Savior Jesus is on my side and taking care of every detail. You all are so special to me and I can't wait to report back to you next week on God's great and mighty victories in my life. Mark or I will give the update when we can. Talk soon!

Love to you,
Dana

Just Waiting

Hello Family and Friends,
Just wanted to check in with you. Not much happening here but just waiting for Dec. 18th to get this surgery over and done with. Today had a wonderful lunch out with some friends, Teri and Colleen, from Bible study. They are precious ladies and have been my prayer warriors before each of my treatments. It was so fun to get out and begin to feel "normal" again! For most of you who have not seen me through out this process (except by the pics on the blog) I am happy to report that my hair is finally growing back - YAHOOOOOO! I keep daydreaming as to how I want to wear my hair and I go back and forth with long and short. My eyebrows and lashes are growing back, but the bottom lashes have not made their debut yet. Mark has been gone for testing and training this week with his company and did very well. He pasted his test and is now one step higher in the company! Thanks you Lord! However, we got word 2 weeks ago that a larger pharmaceutical company bought the company Mark works for so we are not sure if he will have a job in the next couple of months. It all depends on the new company and how they will handle the new reps. Please pray for the Lord's great favor to be on Mark or that our great Provider will provide Mark a new job. Thank you. You never know in one day what kind of news you will be hit with - ugggghh! This news however is kind of small potatoes compared to what we have been through and God has proven Himself faithful to all of our needs so this will be an easy job for the Almighty! Please continue to pray for me that my body would be ready for this surgery and that when the breast tissue and lymph nodes are tested through pathology that I will get the same results that I got on Friday from all my tests - NO TRACES OF CANCER!! Thank you prayer warriors! I can't wait to shout His praises for all He has done for us! God is a good Abba Father and loves us so much :)

Love you all!
Dana

Love,
Dana

To God Be The Glory!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Dear Family and Friends,
I have such wonderful news to report to you all!!!! Today my oncologist called and told me that all my tests that I had taken this week came back cancer FREE!!!!! Praise the Lord and to Him be all the glory! I can't even begin to explain the pure joy and excitement in my heart to hear that report. God is awesome, amazing and a healing God. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for your prayers and love through this process. You have truly been my encouragement. I just want to catapult myself into heaven for a brief second to give God the hugest hug! It's like my thank you's aren't enough. However, I hear Him saying "I just want your love Dana- that's it, just your love"! Wow, what a gracious and merciful God we serve! I have learned and am learning through this journey that God is not just a God of the Bible times but He is living, active and alive in our lives today. Matter of fact the Bible states in the book of Hebrews that God is the same yesterday, today and forever. So we can surely count on God doing the same wonderful miracles today that He did in the Bible. All I need to do is BELIEVE!! Well, off to bed for a restful sleep!
I love you all and thanks for praising God with me!

Love,
Dana

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving Family and Friends! So much to be thankful for this year. My dad and I have been touched by God's miracle saving power and what praises we will have on Thanksgiving! This year has been extremely challenging physically, mentally and spiritually and still have quite a bit of recovery. However, God deserves so many thanks for the ways He has provided for us throughout the year! I just wanted to give you a quick update on what to pray for this next week. On November 26th, 27th and 29th I have all my scans and xrays. Please pray that all the tests come back great! I hope to then visit with the oncologist to plan a surgery time. I would really like to get the surgery done in December so I can be done with it, but I am trusting in God's perfect timing. Please pray for me as my body is recuperating from the chemotherapy. My mind wants to get going much faster than my body and that can be extremely frustrating for a gal that is usually always on the go! The doctors say that it will take 6 months to a year before I will feel "normal" again or have the energy back. Pray for my patience to just rest my body so it can heal. Pray also for my thoughts. My thoughts and emotions are like a roller coaster. One day I am rock solid and the next day I just fall apart. I need my prayer warriors to lift me up :) This Thanksgiving I will be at the Dunlap's enjoying Marlene's wonderful cooking. Mark's sister Debi and family and Mark's cousin and family will be there along with Marlene's sister and grandma Gladys. We will enjoy the time spent together. I will be missing mom, dad and my sister and fam!!!!!!!!! I love you guys sooooo much and my heart is there with you in Wisconsin. I just pray that God sends my love to you across the miles during this time. It is so hard at times to be away from you going through all this! I just keep thinking of all the fun times we will have this summer together once dad and I have fully recovered. I so look forward to making some great memories! Well, that's about it for now. Thank you all for your prayers and love. Happy, happy thanksgiving and enjoy your time with family and friends!

Love you,
Dana

Getting Better Each Day!

Hello to my dear family and friends,
Thank you all so much for the wonderful cards, blog posts, calls and meals! Each day keeps getting a little better as far as energy and strength. I know with each treatment of F.E.C. it took a little longer to recover. So I am hoping in a few more weeks I will begin to feel strength come back that I have not felt in awhile. Many of you are wondering what's next? Right now the doctor is allowing my body to heal from the chemo and let my white blood cells rise again to a normal level. On November 26th and 27th I will have an MRI and mammogram and ultrasound. This will of course reveal God's awesome healing power through my body because WE ARE BELIEVING that the cancer is gone :) After these tests I will visit with my oncologists regarding the results and the surgery. I will also get a PET scan sometime in December which is a complete scan of your whole body. I am just guessing, but I am thinking the surgery will take place middle to later part of December. If you go back to my very first blog entry I remember joking how "All I want for Christmas is my one left boob"!! Well, how things and priorities have changed!! I think my new song is" All I want for Christmas is my joy and peace"! This has been a battle with a capital "B"!!! Not just a battle of my physical body but of my mind. I praise my God everyday that He walks beside me every step of the way because I could not have gotten through what I did without Him!! Thank you Jesus! Oh, the things God has taught me along this journey and continues to show me each new day. I know some of you have wondered if I will need radiation. I will know that after surgery when the surgeons can test the breast tissue and lymph nodes. If there are 4 or more cancerous cells remaining, radiation is needed. I believe with all my heart and because of your many prayers I will be cancer free. So as far as I am concerned no radiation will be needed - Praise God!! During the last treatment I was overwhelmed with awful thoughts of the cancer coming back or that I would die from it. How the enemy loves to attack when we are at our weakest!! What discouragement and lies straight from the pit! No wonder God had given me so many promises through scripture and people before this even began. What I wanted to share with you is how God has shown me just in the last few days what WORRYING can do to us and effects it has on us physically, mentally and spiritually. I read in Mathew 6:25-27 "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is life not more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your Heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? WOW! How many times I have read that verse but this time it means so much more. Based on that scripture alone this is what I got out of it through some study notes in my Bible:

7 Good Reasons NOT TO WORRY:
1) Math. 6:25 - "The same God who created you can be trusted with the details of your life".
2) Math. 6:26 - "Worrying about your future hampers your efforts for today"
3) Math. 6:37 - "Worrying is more harmful than helpful"
4) Math. 6:28-30 "God does not ignore those who depend on Him"
5) Math. 6:31,32 " Worry shows a lack of faith in and understanding of God".
6) Math. 6:33 "There are real challenges that God wants us to pursue, and worrying keeps us from them."
7) Math. 6: 34 "Living one day at a time keeps us from being consumed with worry".

Then my study notes followed by explaining the difference between worry and concern: " worry immobilizes, but concern moves you to action. I was the queen of worry and how God is putting out that fire!! Worry not only destroys our physical bodies with sicknesses but destroys the very purpose of what God is doing in our lives. It takes us away from what God wants us to focus our attentions on at the present moment. What a freedom we have in knowing that the same God who created our bodies can be trusted with the details of our lives! I still have much to learn in this area and OH I am sure that the devil himself will continue with his lies, but at least I have come to realize that God is in charge of it all - all the days of my life! I look sooooooo forward to giving you all lot's of hugs and spending some good "girlfriend time" over a good cup of coffee or tea. Love you tons!

Dana

Yes!!! God Got Me Through!!

Praise Him and Hallelulliah! My treatments are done. I am feeling still a little weak this monday morning but Praise God for getting me through each and every treatment. Now I am believing with all my heart that God has healed and rid my body once and for all of this cancer and will look forward to His constant healing physically,mentally and spiritually! I can not wait to share my story and look sooooo forward after my surgery sometime in December to start visiting all of you for some long awaited hugs! I love you all so much and want to thank you for ALL your prayers. Please continue to pray that God directs and gives us wisdom in the next month regarding doctors, new meds and surgeries. Pray that my body each day continues to heal and become strong again. That's it for now. Just wanted to give you a quick hello and Praise God together!


Love you,
Dana

LAST TREATMENT!!!!!! PRAISE THE LORD!!!

Hello Family and Friends,
I love the title of this blog. I am so thankful to God for getting me this far and I am praying for His strength, grace and mercy to carry me through this last treatment. I know with all your prayers I will be able to make it through the next 12 days. Thank you so much for always praying. My friend, Chris, said the other day "the squeaky wheel gets the oil". Well, I have been one squeaky wheel to God and I believe His great might and miracles will be demonstrated! I look forward to my next blog to you because it will mean that the chemo is done. It has been a good weekend. I am trying to enjoy every minute before Monday. I had my friend and Bible study leader, Terri, come over today and pray me up for Monday. Thanks Terri and Colleen for your kindness and ministry to me! Hope you all have one terrific weekend and coming week! Love you all!

Specific ways to pray: Please pray God will bless me with restful sleep each night and takes away the nausea so I don't loose anymore weight! I will be getting chemo tomorrow at 10:00 am- thanks for your prayers!

Dana

Thanks Prayer Warriors!

Thank you all so very much for praying yesterday for this sinus pressure!! Today that pressure is nearly gone and I have my energy back :) It is so comforting to know that the Saints of God will pray and results ALWAYS follow! I was driving Chaz to school this morning and I just felt God whisper into my heart... "just think Dana, in a few months you will be taking Chaz to school in complete and total health! " Wow, that was a great thought!! I can't begin to tell you the things that I have learned through this whole cancer experience and one of them is to just enjoy life-every minute of it!! Just noticing all of God's amazing creation all around us and the opportunities to give and minister to people excites me soooo much I can barely keep seated! Life is too short to be hung up on the stupid things of life. I am thankful for this lesson because if anyone needed to learn to get her priorities straight and forget the offenses of people it was me!!! Taking the time and making memories with family is my excitement and joy! Thank you God for refining my heart and hopefully making me a better person! Hope you all have a great day and enjoy every bit of it.

Love you-
Dana

Please Pray!

Hello Family and Friends,
Just a quick prayer request! I think I am fighting the beginning of a sinus infection. I have a ton of pressure and it has wiped out any energy I have left and this is suppose to be my GOOD WEEK! I need to be strong and healthy for Monday's last treatment. Please pray for me that God heal this up! Thank you so much for your prayers.

Love,
Dana

Birthday Weekend

Hello Family And Friends,
Getting ready for a super fun weekend as Chaz is turning 8 years old! Can't hardly believe that my little guy is already 8! He is so excited because he gets to take birthday treats to school this morning and tomorrow is his "friend party". He is having 6 little boys come over for a Broncos Football party. Everything is football and hockey with Chaz! When I asked him what he wanted to do this year all he said was I want my friends to come over and play football with me and my dad! Well, that's pretty easy! His Aunt Debi is making one of her fabulous cakes! Then Sunday is the family party. Just one big birthday weekend - isn't that how it should be anyways :)? Marlene, my mother-in-law, has been a huge blessing to me and the familly. I just feel I need to thank her for all she has done for us! I literally would not make it through my treatments if it weren't for her incredible care for me! Thank you Marlene for caring for me so kindly and sacrificing so much of your time to help us! All the laundry, meals and watching Cade has been such an awesome help that thanks doesn't seem enough. We love you so much! Again, this morning she is helping me get this house clean for the weekend - thanks!!!! Feeling much better yet today. I woke up at 6:30am with more energy than I have had in awhile :) Each day just keeps getting better. I am so excited to be done with this so I can know what it feels like to feel "heathy" again. I have felt sick and tired so long that my body has forgotten what a healthy day is like. I keep dreaming of how God will show off His great miracles as we take those last MRI'S and Pet Scan probably in the middle of November. Please pray that as those x-rays come back there is absolutely nothing that shows up! That my body is clean and clear, white as snow from any trace of cancer! Thank you!!! God is a Living God TODAY! He is not just a God of the Bible but a God that is active and working just like He was in Bible times! Miracles still happen today all around us and if you can't say that you have never seen one let me come on over to your house - because I am a living and breathing miracle of God! Hebrews 11:1 "Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see". (cancer free!!!!)

I love you!
Soon to be: Dana - Cancer survivor and God healed!

Hello Again!

Hello Dear Family and Friends,
Just thought I could muster a little energy to tell you I made it yet again through a horrible treatment. Today is day 10 and the treatments are lasting longer in my body. Today I am dealing with a great deal of stomach difficulty (diahrea and nausea). Please do pray that God bring me completely out of this treatment so I can get strong again for the last one. I have contemplated not receiving that last treatment just for the fact that it keeps getting more intense and in my human mind I can't possibly imagine my body can take anymore. However, with the strength the Lord will give me I HAVE to do one more. The Lord is really revealing His greatness to me and has given me visions of the future to look forward too! Thank you all for your wonderful and encouraging letters and calls. I appreciate them all soooooo much. Lauren, I loved your cards girl! How I wish we could do a latte together. I will take a rain check on that though :) Thank you all for the meals. That has been the most welcomed blessings we could receive. Pamela, the venison roast was amazing and tasted so good! Thank you for your kindness. And one last thank you to my sweet and dear mother! Mom, you have been such a tremendous encouragement to me when I am completely down. YOU ALWAYS pick me up with God's word and you are so full of His Wisdom. Thank you so much for just listening to all the tears and heartache. YOu are one strong woman of God and I love you with all my heart! Thank you God for my mom! Well, have to go and rest AGAIN! I will tell you what, when this is over there will not be any rest'n for this girl. I am tried of that Lazy Boy - God's got a mission for me and I just can't wait.

Love you tons!
Dana

One More Prayer Request

Just getting ready for that 3rd treatment this morning and I thought of one more prayer request! Please pray that God blesses me with sleep at night! That my sleep would be good and help to give strength to my body! Thank you so much.

Love,
Dana

Calling All Prayer Warriors!!!!

OK family and friends here we go again for the 3rd round of FEC. I have been much more thoughtful and fearful of this round. I think because I know how horrible it makes me feel and how long it drags on! However, I know with your prayers and God's amazing strength I can do it!!! Please pray specifically for God to protect all of my organs and that the chemo only works against the bad cells! Also, pray for me to have the daily strength to make it through the next 10 days. That's how long the last treatment took until I was up on my own again. Pray for Mark as he is running solo with the boys and household responsibilities and for Grandma Marlene as she so wonderfully cares for me, Cade and Chaz as Mark is working. I have been encouraged by my dear friends, Terri and Colleen, who pray for me before each treatment to praise the Lord this week. Please join me in praising our Lord as He demonstrates His great power in me by a complete and total healing!!!! What the devil meant for evil the Lord is creating a beautiful testimony of His great love and miracles! God is good and I will praise Him ALL THE TIME! Love you all so much and can't wait to share with you soon how God pulled me through again :)

Dana

Good days!

Hello All! Thank you all for your comments and encouragement. Jan, it was soooo good to hear from you- thank you for your prayers! Well, this is my week to feel good before I get hit hard again next week. I feel really good this week and enjoying every minute of it! I am trying so hard not to think to much about next week but it just looms in my mind. Please pray for me that God give me the physical, mental and spiritual strength to carry through with the LAST 2 treatments. I am really beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel - that's what keeps me going! I was reading a devotional book written by Beth Moore and several missionaries and one section was on spiritual warfare. It happens to be the topic for the month of October. Pretty appropriate as the devil is trying so hard to beat me down as I close in on my last 2 treatments. However, what I wanted to share with you is what Beth wrote about our trials and when they are hard they could be for a couple of reasons and here's what she says: "Satan is into numbers not names. He wants to kill as many birds with one stone as possible. That's why he wants people of inflluence more than anyone. He'll also do anything he can to shut down those who show the potential for influence. Take Peter, for instance. At the time of Christ's earthly ministry, Simon Peter fumbled the ball as often as he carried it. Satan, however, watched him closely and knew he had the potential and passion to be dangerous to the kingdom of darkness. So he came for him. If you read the 22nd chapter of Luke carefully, you will note that Christ obviously allowed Satan to "sift (Peter) like wheat"(vs.31) Christ had the authority to forbid the enemy that right. Why didn't he? Because Peter apparently had some things that needed sifting." I love this passage because it makes me realize that Satan considers me a huge potential with passion to make a BIG difference for God's Kingdom. What the enemy may not realize is this time that I am laying low or feeling like a bull in a cage will back fire on his plan. Because this bull is raging to get out and scream at the top of her lungs the praises of a God who heals, restores and loves with compassion! God must be "spiritually pruning" me for something special and I can't wait to serve Him with everything I got! So bring on those next two treatments and masectomy because boobs or no boobs this girl got a mission from God and it sure is exciting! I love you all so much and trust that you will continue to lift us up this month! Monday October 8th and Monday October 29th are the last 2 treatments. Go prayer warriors Go! Let God be bombarded with prayers and praise!

Enjoy this day!
Dana

9 Days later!

Hello my dear family and friends,
Hope all is well and you are enjoying everyday - it truly is a gift from heaven! I am finally back after 9 long days. From Monday of last week to Monday of this week is just horrible! Once Tuesday came I started to finally feel like this fog in my brain lifted a little and by Wednesday I could watch Cade by myself in the afternoon. It is truly amazing how absolutely toxic this stuff is because it literally makes you in capable of doing anything for yourself. That's why I am writing today to praise God yet one more time for helping me take every breath and make it through every minute of each day. There is no doubt in my mind that God and His Son Jesus are real!!! There is no way on earth I could go through this without Him. The chemo makes you feel like you are dying and God is real because He keeps me alive and gives me the strength to live! I have heard many people tell me how strong I am and that I can do this and truly that is not so! I absolutely have no physical or mental strength left! It is only through God that this is getting done. So praise Him Saints for again being a Faithful God. I have received many emails from you that I am just getting to now after about 2 weeks and I thank you for ALL the prayers! God can't turn his ear from all these prayers and I just love it! There is soooooo much power in prayer and we can change so much with just praying :) Just wanted to give you a brief update and says thanks and I love you all! Now my prayer request would be that God would again give me the strength mentally and in my body to receive yet 2 more treatments. Please pray that all parts of my body is protected from the chemo and that it just targets any cancer cells left (which I believe are completely gone !!!) Thank you!

Enjoy life!
Dana

One long week!

Hey all! Thought I should give you a quick update...can't believe it's been a week but it has. The 2nd treatment of FEC has really put Dana down. For the last week she has been nauseated, weak and foggy headed-not much for conversation, which if you know women and my Little D you know she has to be pretty low. However not to be to negative, she has had better "spirits" not to low spirited, knowing this is but a time and she will recover. Recovery has come a little slower, she is still very foggy this am. In the first treatment by this time she had her wits about her a little more-I suspect in the next couple of days you may her from her. Just pray that recovery and strength come to her quickly and that she is ready for the 3rd treatment.
To update on her dad, Tom, he is recovering at home and is to start cardio recovery therapy this week. It looks good and the pain seems to be more tolerable. Keep praying for his recovery, bypasses look good and strong, but pray for some of the gastrointestinal side effects and healing in the chest.
God is so good. He sustains and keeps you when you don't even realize it. Sometimes I don't know how you can make it but then comes this peace and comfort that all will be well and not to worry. Keep praying saints-the serpent needs to be destroyed, that is only done through prayer and fasting.
Love ya all!
Mark

2nd Treatment of F.E.C.

Hello Family and Friends,
Yes, the 2nd treatment of FEC has finally arrived. These last 4 days have been absolutely wonderful! I have felt so alive and full of more energy than normal :) I do not look forward to this week and what this drug does to me but after receiving this treatment I can say only 2 more to go!!!!!!!! Yahoooooo!!!! For the first time I am beginning to see a little spark of light at the end of this tunnel. I don't know if you remember from my previous entries I spoke of a door that I felt opened quickly and I was shoved through it and then walked in a dark corridor. Well, I believe that the this long corridor or tunnel has an end and at the end of this tunnel is another door that will swing open and I will walk through it healed and sing'n praises to my God for all he has done. I do see a spark of light so that means that other door for exit is coming and I will slam it shut behind me and be a better person from it all! Please pray for me this week that the Lord spare me from the horrible side effects ESPECIALLY nausea and insomnia. Also, please keep Mark and the boys in your prayers as it is quite an adjustment for everybody when mommy is unable to help with the daily affairs and the boys wonder what's wrong with mommy. Thank you so very much for your prayers. These prayers are what's healed me and continues to give me the strength I need to fight this battle. I want to thank Terry and Colleen for the housekeeper on Friday. WOW- what a total blessing! This weekend we had more time as a family to just hang out and not worry about trying to get the house clean before this week. Thank you ladies! For those of you wondering about my dad, he is at home recovering as best as can be expected. Please continue to pray for healing and strength to do his physical therapy Monday, Wednesday and Fridays! He is the best dad a daughter could ever have and I love you dad! I thank my God for having my mom and dad- they are soooo special and such a blessing in life to have them. Well, I guess I had better sign off for now. If I am unable to blog this week I know Mark will keep you up to date on how to pray. Calling all prayer warriors!!! Only 2 left after this:)

Love to you all!
Dana

p.s. I put on some pics of mark and I at the Fort restaurant in Morrison, CO. Thank you to Diana Fish Price Foundation for cancer patients enabling them to enjoy a night out on them! We had a blast and celebrated our 15th anniversary while eating elk, buffalo and quail - deeeelicous!

A Good Day

Hello All! It has been a great day today! Feeling so good that it is surprising me :) I was able to run around outside with Cade today. It felt so good. God is really giving me the strength to continue on with these treatments. I want to thank so many of you for all the wonderful cards and phone calls! They have all been so encouraging. Julie Y - Thank you for the little gifts of encouragement. I just got the "Good Day" button and laughed soooo hard. What a great thing to have around when the days get a little gloomy :) You and your family are so loved and we can't wait to make it home to give you all a big hug. Tomorrow I have 2 very special ladies coming over to pray with me. Terry and Colleen were my Bible study leaders last year and have become my spiritual prayer warriors. Every time the Lord has used them to speak such truth to me and encouragement. I will need this as I am preparing for my 2nd treatment of F.E.C on Monday. I really wanted to ask you all for prayer for my dad again. This morning he was feeling very nauseated,and the chllls. My mom took him to the doctor and found out he was dehydrated and their were other tests done to find what was causing these symptoms. My dad really needs your prayers for healing throughout his whole body. I know he would appreciate that. I believe that God will take care of my dad but he just needs the Lord's strength right now. Thank you! My ear is feeling better on the antibiotics - just keep praying that the Lord heals it up completely and I will be strong for Monday. I am so thankful for life- Priorities have changed so much. It's amazing how a life threatening situation can cause one to really reflect on what's important. I am learning so much through this process and for that I am truly thankful to God. I pray I don't miss a thing God wants to teach me so I can be a stronger person from it!

Love to you!
Dana

Update on my Dad

Thank you all for praying for my dad!!! He returned home from the hospital 3 days ago now and is adjusting well at home. It always feels better to be at home but can be a little scary at times when you don't have the professionals close by when a question arises. God has been so faithful to my dad and our family! God is giving strength to my dad everyday. He is walking around the house and his voice on the phone gets stronger by the day. Please pray for: continued healing on his wound, rest and sleep during the day and nights, and that the Lord would fill him with HIs joy and peace during this time. I am much like my dad in the fact that we both have a hard time just sitting and not doing anything. But that's exactly what my dad and I need to do right now just sit and get better! So we praise God for His faithfulness and goodness to my dad. I am just so blessed that I get to call him and my mom on the phone and tell them I love them. How very precious our families our to us. We never know when God will call us home. So I have learned that family is one of the most special gifts God could have ever given us. Thank you God! Feeling even better today - I think this ear infection is starting to break up a little as I can now swallow a bit easier. Hope you all have a restful Sunday.

Love to you!
Dana

Feeling Better!

Happy Saturday Family and Friends,
Just wanted to let you know that each day I get more and more energy and feeling better. I was so excited to make cookies for my kidos last night for our movie night. I was completed exhausted afterwards BUT I DID IT! That may not seem much of an accomplishment but from last week it's making huge strides:) Just kick'n back today - watching football and playing outside. It's a beautiful 80ish degree day with lot's of sunshine. I had forgotten to mention for those praying that I developed an ear infection which I have found out is a common side effect to this chemo drug. Please pray for a complete healing and no more ear infections with future treatments. Thank you! That's about it for today. Just wanted to let you know that I love you all and thank you for your AWESOME prayers.

Everyday is a gift!
Dana

I'M BACK!!!

WOW!!! It feels like forever since I have been able to communicate with my family and friends! I miss talking with so many of you this last week and a half. I literally was kicked off my butt with my first treatment of F.E.C. I know my awesome hubby has kept you up to date with what has gone on and I want to thank each one of you for your prayers through my first treatment. I know that those prayers are literally what helped me to survive!! Many of you have called to ask me how I am feeling and there is nothing I can describe to you that would even come close. It was truly in every sense of the word a "living hell". Yesterday and today I am finally coming out of what I call a "zombie funk". I feel like my brain is back in my head. I don't remember much of anything last week. Matter of fact, I saw our big cleaning bucket out in the bathroom the other day (and I know we haven't cleaned in awhile ) so I asked Mark why it was out. He told me for the first 3 days following treatment I was telling him how nauseated I was. I guess that's a good thing to forget :) I think the worst part about the whole thing is all the drugs together gave me insomnia and I didn't sleep for 3 days straight. Those nights were torturous because I had too much time to think. But here's the big BUT - God and I came face to face! There has never been a time in my life where I had cried out to God for his help, questioned Him, fought with Him, wrestled with Him like I did those 3 nights. I can now look back and Praise Him because He carried me, He gave me His strength to just continue to want to live, He helped me pass the minutes and hours of the night as we talked - He was there for me the whole time! He is even now giving me the strength to be able to say that I can and will do this 3 more times. He has proven once again that He is a faithful God and has an incredible plan for my life to give HIm glory! I can't wait to share my story with the world after this is done! I told Mark I think I may write a book and title it " I Climbed God's Mountain... and Made It To the Top! It really feels like a mountain was placed before me on May 18th. A mountain so big that when you looked up all you could see is still mountain stretching to Heaven and to each side no end. All you can do is go up and last week the mountain was completely flat with no footings. All I had was my God to carry me up and that's why I know He is real and alive just for the very fact that I am living and breathing today! Please pray for my spirit. I have been very fearful of this process lately. I need Jesus to "pump me up". My dad had his bi-pass surgery and is of course in a great deal of pain. Please pray for God's great grace and mercy on him and quick healing. I love you all!

Dana

Need Prayer for Dana and Family

Hey all, something for everyone to be praying about.

Dana's Father Tom, and Grandpa Robert are both in the hospital with heart issues. Robert has congestive heart failure, so fluid around the heart. The docs have been able to get rid of the fluid and are now setting a new drug therapy and will monitor him for the next 3 days. Prognosis looks good.

Tom was admitted to the hospital today after having chest pains for the last month off and on. After tests and an angioplasty the Cardiologist found that he has 3 occlusions in the vascular of his heart, one being 99% blocked. He will require a triple by-pass on his heart in the next couple of days. Currently he is stable and in the ICU under observation. He seems to be comfortable.

Obviously this is stressful on Dana and we need your prayers for all of this in so many ways but my concern is for my Mother-in-Law Bonnie. She has a husband in the hospital, a father in the hospital, and a daughter fighting cancer-PRAY GOD'S PEACE for her.

We are trusting God in so many ways; for healing, doctors direction and wisdom, clarity of thought, guidance, peace, comfort that only the Holy Spirit can give, and rest.

We know God is Faithful, we just don't always "get" what's going on.

Bring it on!

Mark

Dana's Sleeping...

Hey all-Dana is sleeping and wanted me to update everyone. I don't know if I'm all the blogger my sweetie is but-to bad ;) Dana has really been wiped out with the FEC. She is on the mend. She has had bouts of nausea and feeling exhausted but so wound up inside and not being able to rest. The affect of a combination of FEC and steroids. She has been on a emotional roller coaster as well, feeling very helpless then knowing that God is her strength and will see her through. She wants to get up and do "stuff" but is unable to do it. Just pray that she will rest and not be concerned with the "stuff" around her. God is sufficient in all He provides and His provisions have been very good to us...Thank you for your continued support in prayer.
A song that has been very encouraging to us has been one by Stephen Curtis Chapman,"Bring it on", it is a song that reminds us to look at God's plans and how they may not be our plans. By embracing what God has for us and allowing Him to steer the ship and not us, we get to see a new revelation of His goodness. We will never know "why" Dana got cancer...What I do know is that He has revealed more love to us than ever before. We have never trusted God like now and have a richer relationship with Jesus than ever before which makes our relationship that much richer. If you are going through tough times, whatever it may be, it is personal to you and is where God has you embrace it and watch God do cool things!
Some of the lyrics that speak to me are:
"I am not going to run form the very things that will drive me closer to Him, So Bring it on!"
the Courus goes:
Let the lighting flash!
Let the thunder roll!
Let the Storm wind blow! Bring it on!
Let the trouble come!
Let it make me fall on the one who is strong! Bring it on!....
Let me be made weak so I know the strength of the one who is strong...Bring it on!

May God Bless--Bring it on!

Started FEC...

Hey all you prayer warriors out there, this is Mark...

I want you all to know how grateful I am for your prayers and support. Dana has been a real trooper the last 12 weeks, and not only does she have a fighting spirit she has had the support of so many loved ones praying. I have always said about Dana, "Dynamite comes in small packages...so handle it carefully!" Cancer watch out!

Yesterday the 27th Dana started the FEC regiment, and as many of you know it is a "Butt Kicker!" The reason I am on the blog is that this is exactly what is happening. After treatment yesterday, mid-after noon she became very nauseated. So it was a long night but after some medication modification (more drugs) and hydration this am, she seems to be able to rest a little.

Please continue to pray that the Lord would use this regiment to kill all cancer cells and that the negative side effects would not be evident in her body. Pray for strength and emotional encouragement within her body-and please pray whatever the Holy Spirit puts on your heart as you may be able to cover things I/We don't realize or think of.

Thanks again for your love, concern, support and prayers.

We love you!
Mark

Taxol Done!!!

Hello Family and Friends,
We finally got a new computer and we are up and running. I feel so lost at times when I can't up date you on what's going on. Yes, I finally finished my first round of treatments and on to the second chemo drugs this Monday, August 27th. CALLING ALL PRAYER WARRIORS: ok, I am counting on you for some serious prayer :) They tell me that this new treatment will be pretty tough as far as nausea and tiredness. My prayer is that I would have no side effects (especially nausea) and be able to give all the glory to God! I must admit I am scared but I am putting my trust in my Lord to get me through. His word is full of promises and all I have to do is BELIEVE with alll my heart! Keep me in your prayers during this coming week and I will update you on the progress. We are so excited because Grandma Bee and Grandpa T are coming into town today to spend the week with us! What a great visit we will have. Well, signing off for now - Have a wonderful Friday!

Love,
Dana

Happy Saturday!

Hello Family and Friends!
Sorry it's been a few days since I have last blogged but our computer is on the fritz- looks like we need a new computer :( So I will be using Marlene and Harlan's computer to keep you updated until we can figure out what to do. If you keep in contact with me through email on our comcast account I won't be able to get it. If you can please take a second to register with gmail to add comments to my blog if you want to communicate that way or just give me a ring. I love you all so much and so appreciate all the wonderful cards, emails and calls. They always seem to come at just the right time or when I need a lifter. I am sooooo very excited to tell you that a very special friend of mine gave her heart to the Lord this morning. She is my friend I have introduced to you earlier in my blogs who supported me by shaving her head. Her name is Jen and she is now a sister in Christ. She is such a special lady and God has given her so many wonderful qualities. I can't wait to see how God will use her to bless so many other people as she already has blessed me. Please pray for Jen as she is a new Christian that God will make Himself real to her in her situation and that she grows in His word. As I told Jen today the angels in heaven are celebrating her commitment to Christ and her new life in Jesus! I am sooooooooo happy for her. A big thanks to Uncle Don and Aunt Denise for the beautiful and tasty edible fruit floral arrangement I received on Thursday. Wow! It was delicious. Fruit just tastes so good right now so it hit the spot. I wanted to be able to put a picture of it on the blog but until we fix the computer I will have to wait. Thanks guys! This monday is #12-YAHOOOOOOOO! I made it through the first treatment and August 27th is my first treatment of F.E.C. Please keep me in prayer or join me in fasting for that day. My prayer is that the side effects wouldn't touch me and that God's glory and power would be revealed. Also, please pray for me that I get a chance to share God's love to the people I have chemo with. They are really on my heart to share His truth. He is an awesome God and I want to share Him to the world. There is only One who can possibly understand all that we go through and help us get through any situation IF we are willing to give Him a chance. If you have never tried Jesus, please give Him the opportunity to work in your life. From experience speaking, He can give you a life full of joy, hope and love despite any circumstances.

Love you,
Dana

11th Treatment Done!

Thank you all for your prayers today! I felt them all! What a wonderful day today as far as chemo goes. It all went so smooth. I have a dear friend that left a message today on the voice mail of prayer for today and Sandy, I must say everything you prayed all happened :) The treatment went unusually fast and smooth just as you prayed. I love that Jessica and Samantha offered up a prayer of healing for me in youth camp -how awesome. It brought me to tears. Only one treatment of Taxol left. I am doing the happy dance again. I had forgotten to blog to all my family that Liz and Mark F. had their vacation here in Colorado this last week and we got to seem them brieflly as they were here. It was a bittersweet visit because most of the fam came down with some colds so all of our plans for hang'n out in Colorado didn't get to happen. But those guys are amazing. They mapquested our home, dropped some special gifts at the doorstep and ran back to their car. From the car window we got to see eachother and visit for a short while. I will take anything I can get. But it was painful to have our dearest buddies so close to us and not be able to hug them and spend time together. I love you guys tons and thank you sooooo much for making the effort to see us and bless us with the special gifts! We will party next year girlfriend!!! Tomorrow I will be learning about the new drug I will be taking. Please pray for me that I will have Christ's strength to hear about all of the yuky sideeffects. A part of me feels as if I am facing Goliath. But you know what happened with that story!!!! God's victory prevailed even when it didn't seem possible. I am facing a giant of a drug but with God's power and strength He again will pour out His grace and mercy and keep me from these side effects! Love you all and hope you are enjoying His everyday blessings!

Dana

I Think I Can

Hello Family and Friends,
I sometimes feel like The Little Train that kept saying "I think I can, I think I can, I can..." Tomorrow is treatment #11! I am noticing that as the treatments accumulate in my body that I don't ever escape that "tired yuk" feeling anymore like I use to on the weekends. That's a little tough because I really looked forward to Saturdays and Sundays as kind of a little break from the chemo. I really had to talk to myself today and say "I know I can"!!! Please pray for me tomorrow as I receive my treatment that God spare me from side effects this week - thank you! On Tuesday I have my chemo education class on the next drug that will start on August 27th (F.E.C) and Thursday is an appointment with a second plastic surgeon to get her opinion on things. I will know more on Tuesday as to win the surgery might be. Other than that all is well and living victorious with cancer and soon to be living victorious over cancer! I do have a prayer request for all my prayer warriors. There is a young man in Wisconsin that is 21 years old. His name is Jason. From what I understand he has cancer in his brain, on his spine and in his testicles. He is in the hospital right now because he has a staph infection and can't receive his chemo treatments until the infection is gone. Please pray that God have favor on him and heal him completely of the infection and the cancer. He is a believer and I am sure would love your prayers. God is a powerful, amazing God and full of miracles. I am believing for great healings to happen so we as His children can proclaim His wonderful works and acts to be a witness to those who need hope and love. Thank you for all your prayers.

Love to you,
Dana

Joy in the Morning!

I told ya - "when sorrow comes for a night JOY comes in the morning" (Psalm 30) Or remember that song in the early 90's " I Have A New Attitude"! I popped out of bed this morning with the Joy that God promises and a "new attitude" to conquer! Yes, only because of your prayers - thank you!!!! I am feeling quite tired this morning but still doing well. We were hoping to visit with our best buddies from Wisconsin "the Fischers" as they are here vacationing in Colorado this week, but some of them have colds:( I have been totally restricted from going anywhere public because of germs and my white blood cell count being so low. You guys come all this way and I can't even get a Fischer Hug. I am so sorry guys - but next summer we will have the biggest victory bash and it will make up for this trip. Last night at I was reading I was reminded of the story of Peter and the disciples in the boat as Jesus was approaching them walking on water. Peter called out in excitement to the Lord and the Lord told him to "Come". He proceeded to get out of the boat and walk on the water towards Jesus but as he took his eyes off of the Lord he saw all of the big, huge, crashing waves around him. He then began to sink. As he sank, he called back out to Jesus and Jesus rescued him. That's exactly what happened to me a few days ago I took my eyes off of Jesus and saw all waves (horror stories of the new drug) crashing around me and I too began to sink. How awesome our Lord is to us that whenever and no matter what we do if we cry out to Him He will rescue us! Well, he indeed rescued me from my pit and I am thankful today that I have a new joy and new attitude :)

Enjoy His blessings daily!
Dana

On Bended Knee

Hello Family and Friends,
Yes, this has been a day on bended knees praying to God for strength, courage and hope! Yesterday I went to my first breast cancer support group called "Breast Friends". Kind of funny play on words, but thought the support of others going through this journey would be helpful. I went with the intentions of finding out about the experiences they had regarding masectomies, great plastic surgeons and opinions on reconstruction or no reconstruction. Little did I realize that I would soon be very overwhelmed with concerns that I had never considered or even knew about. To say the least I would much rather walk through this experience "nieve" or just take it day by day as my body dictates rather than hearing all the "horror" stories of others. Not that they meant it to scare me or anyone else in that room . The group is an excellent group and full of beautiful, strong women who I consider to be warriors but I just wasn't ready for that yet. One thing I walked away with last night is that God has indeed spared me from a great number of side effects as I listened to others who also took the same chemotherapy drug but couldn't remain on it. I have even more to be thankful for because of His great grace and mercy on my life. Please pray that my focus stays on the Lord and that He will protect my mind from fearing and doubting. I do indeed have my "bad" days and need the saints to rally around me but I just love the psalm that speaks of mourning for a time and then joy comes in the morning! So tomorrow I look forward to the sunrise, my boys big morning smooches and my hubby's hugs - everything will be better :)

P.S. My friend Chris from Wisconsin just cut her beautiful, long, brown hair to give to locks of love. You are one special gal, Chris and I love you tons! Hope you don't mind but I had to sport your "new do" to all my friends on the blog!

Love to you all,
Dana

To God Be the Glory!

Good Monday All!
Yes, 10 treatments under my belt- to God be all the glory!!!! It is not by my strength but by His that I have been able to go this far. 2 more treatments of Taxol and then on to the other drug. Today went well, although, I did get the "new nurse". How lucky am I????? She was super sweet and I enjoyed visiting with her, however, the port poke was something I care not to experience ever again. We are given a numbing cream to put on one hour before receiving chemo to dull the effect of the dreaded poke. But if you get a nurse that gets it in there just right then the cream is not even needed. Anyways, all went well today. Just tired from the Benedryl cocktail which is given to prevent any allergic reactions to the chemo. I just want to praise God and tell you thank you for all your prayers because after visiting with the nurses the last couple times of treatment I have come to realize that I "should be" experiencing many more side effects that I have not dealt with. I told my nurse today that all the credit goes to God because He is showing me His grace and mercy and it's because He hears all your prayers! That is some exciting stuff. My sister-in- law Debi came to sit with Mark and I today. It was great having her there for support - thanks Deb! Grandma watched the boys and they had fun helping working out in the yard and hulling rocks - thanks to Grams and Gramps! Yesterday we had a family barbeque and got to visit with Mark's uncle Don. It was a great day to spend a Sunday just kick'n back and enjoying family. Don, thanks for making the trip down and can't wait to see Aunt Denise soon too. Well, that's it for now. Just taking it one day at a time and trusting God with ALL I got! He lights my pathway everyday even if it seems at times I am taking baby steps. Eventually, I will come to that door that I visualize and walk through it, slam it shut, and call it one more chapter in my life! Then the next chapter begins and I can't wait to see what God has planned!

PRAYER REQUESTS:
Continued strength to fight and victory over cancer
That I learn all the God wants me to learn through this process
Strength for Mark and the kids everyday
That my body will be prepared to receive the new drug Aug. 27th

Love you,
Dana

Good Morning America's Interview with Robin Roberts

Hello Fam and Friends,
As I blogged yesterday about Robin Roberts having breast cancer - I thought you may want to hear her interview with Diane S. It's good for all women to be aware of no matter your age and continually to do self checks!
Love to you!
Dana


http://tv.yahoo.com/good-morning-america/show/30753/videos/3535642

The Giants We Face

Hey Everybody!
Hope you are all having a wonderful day. It has been a good day here - I might add quite peaceful too :) Uncle Kevin came this morning to pick up the boys and take all the kids to the park and then swimming at their pool. What a fun day for them and hopefully not too tiring for Uncle Kevin :) Thanks Kev for allowing me some great time to rest. I had a huge nap today. I must have been more tired than I thought because one moment I was reading and the next thing I know it was 2 hours later. It was needed! I am sure all of you heard about Robin Roberts the anchor lady on Good Morning America announced that she has the early stages of breast cancer. It was interesting to hear her share news. She was surprised to have cancer as it did not run in her family history - neither did mine. 80% of women who find that they have breast cancer will not have a family history of it. Robin Roberts commented that she was also surprised because she felt so healthy and took good care of herself - that's how I felt too! That's why there is no rhyme or reason to cancer. I could just feel every emotion that Robin Roberts was feeling as she shared her news - it is sereal!(spelling???) However, whether it be cancer or broken relationships or troubles of any kind we can overcome these "giants" that haunt us with God's great power and strength. Yesterday was a wonderful day and the reason for it being so great was I finally got out of this depressing pit that I put myself in! I just kind of let myself start feeling sorry for myself and just kept digging my pit deeper and deeper when finally I realized I was having a hard time being positive about this whole situation. I know that there will definitely be days that I can't alway be up and ready to fight the world but I allowed myself to take my eyes of the One who gives me strength and onto my temporary problem. My mom remined me of the story of the Isrealites when they were getting ready to enter into the Promised Land that God had for them. God instructed Moses to have 12 men representing each tribe of Isreal to go and scout out the land that was promised to them. 10 men came back with negative reports of giants and fortified walls and cities making it impossible to take over. However, Joshua and Caleb were the only two that came back and told the Isrealites that it was a land flowing with milk and honey and ready for the taking ESPECIALLY since God was with them they could do anything. The Isrealites were quick to only hear of the negative reports and believe that the giants were too big to conquer. I too like the Isrealites was quick to only hear of the negative reports of my new chemo drug and all that was to follow (surgery and reconstruction) and forgot ALL of the promises God had already given me before I even started chemo. Yes, this is definitely one HUGE monster giant that I am facing at the moment with "fortified citites" all around it, but God is in control and if I keep my eyes focused on Him I too will conquer!!! Victory is already mine - Healing is already mine! So if you are reading this today and face a giant of your own know that you are not alone but God walks before you to lead you on a path of victory IFyou are willing to follow Him. Thanks mom for your insight - wow, it was great! Terri and Colleen - you awesome women- thank you for praying with me yesterday and speaking those words over me. It did more for me than you know :) Renee T. - Your card was hilarious and came just on the perfect day- I needed that. Thank you soooo much! You are right - this girl will never complain of a bad hair day again! Love you all!

Dana

Good Tuesday

Hello to my family and friends!
Yesterday I had my 9th treatment of chemo - Yes- only 3 left of this drug. It is only by God's strength that I can do this! Sometimes I can't hardly believe that 12 weeks of chemo will be under my belt. On August 12th I will have a chemo education class on the next drug they will be giving me. From what I understand this half of the treatment is a cake walk compared to the next drug. I will admit I have been been quite fearful of this next drug. It sounds pretty harsh and causes a lot of nausea. I could really use your prayers that God will keep me safe from negative side effects and that my body receives this drug well. My first treatment of this new drug will be August 27th - Please start praying!!!! Doing pretty good today. Not too tired. My stomach has been a little upset but I think it's just because I have been thinking about the next 3 months rather than just taking it day by day. That's really the best medicine is just living for the day and not worrying about what tomorrow holds. That's a hard lesson to learn. I find myself talking to God all day just telling Him what's on my mind. He has become my very best friend! I really do need your prayers for strength, courage and a warrior mentality. I really started out strong in these areas but in the last week and half my attitude and spirit toward this whole thing has really hit bottom. This is where I know your prayers will lift me right back up. I am trying to remember those things God spoke to my heart before all of this began. Well, that's it for now. I hope you all are enjoying this day!!!!!

Love you,
Dana

Happy Saturday!

Yes, I love the weekends!!!!! The chemo for the most part is out of my body and I feel soooooooo much better. WOW, what a difference in the attitude too when your body feels better :) I always have the "tired yuk" feeling but at least on the weekends it's not as bad and my stomach feels a little better. I've only had a few days of a nausea but nothing bad at all. Most times my stomach just feels heavy and doesn't tolerate any of my favorite things like chocolate milkshakes and birthday cake. Yes, those two delicious items are my favorites! Since I have been on chemo for whatever crazy reason I can't tolerate milk products or chocolate - how unfair is that!!!! Sometimes on a good weekend I might try and sneak in some goodies :) Not much happening today. We are just going to get some cleaning, laundry and little grocery shopping accomplished. I am looking forward to my 9th treatment on Monday. Yahooooo, after that only3 left of this drug! I will also be visiting with my oncologist and having an exam. Please pray that God would give my oncologist wisdom from above over my body. I believe so far God has guided her in my treatment and will continue to do so. Thank you all so much for your prayers. It was a rough week emotionally and I got through because of the prayers of MANY!! Thank you Lord for your Saints that have rallied around me!!!

Love you!
Dana

A Day of Blessing

Hello Family and Friends,
What a day of blessing from the Lord! God just knows what you need when you need it. Yesterday as my body was physically tired from chemo my emotions started to go down hill too. I am realizing that this is more of a mental game than it is physical. Sometimes I just get tired of being strong and that's when I know the prayers of many carry me through. I was also starting to feel for the first time in this process a little "U-G-L-Y, You ain't got no alibly" I mean when you look in the mirror and see a baldie with pimples all over her head it's not the prettiest sight. Anyways, as I poured out my heart to God last night after today I know He heard every word. It's like that scripture in Psalms 30:5 "...weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning." This morning the kids auntie and uncle took them to the city pool to have a day of fun in the sun and then back to their house for the rest of the afternoon. I was able to rest the WHOLE day - what a needed rest too! I crashed hard! Thanks Deb and Kev for the sleep and quiet time - a total blessing. Then two special friends came to deliver meals from Supper Solutions. What an incredible blessing. I was totally overwhelmed with their kindness. Sandy G. and Susanne you have blessed me and my family more than you know! What a total treat! Then I received a card in the mail from a special lady who I have yet to meet. A gift certificate was enclosed for a manicure. How fun that will be to help in the "pretty department". Thanks Toni! God is true to His promises. He is a faithful God even down to the smallest of details. He even cares that I need to feel pretty :) So to say the least, today was an incredible day despite the tired. Thank you all for your prayers and support - it's what helps us get through.

Love,
Dana

Prayer Requests:
*Please begin to pray that my body will tolerate the next chemo drug well with no side effects. It supposedly causes a lot of nausea and other wonderful things. That will start in 4 more weeks.
*Please pray that God take away fear and helps me to trust Him in everything!

Hot Summer Day

Hello All!
Wow - it was super hot today -101 degrees. I thought I was going to explode trying to get my groceries in the car. I thank the Lord for air conditioning just about everytime I walk in the house :) All is going well. Feeling the "normal crummy" feeling, but nothing that is unbearable. All went well with the 8th treatment. The Lord answered my prayers with my port poking. The nurse did a great job and I barely felt it - yeah! Sometimes I just can't believe the things I fret over. I was worrying so much about getting poked bad that I guess I already forgot the lesson in trusting God WITH ALL THINGS! He even cares about the little things like getting a "good poke"! For those praying about the urinary tract infection all is well there too. No infection - look'n good! No much else to report. Please continue to pray for strength to make it through the duration of the treatments and strength for Mark to carry a heavier load around the house. Thanks a bunch!

Love to you,
Dana

Weekend In the Mountains

Hello Family and Friends,
Hope you all had a good weekend! The Lord blessed me and my family with an awesome weekend up in the mountains camping. We went camping with Mark's family up to Ranger Lakes. It was absolutely beautiful! Weather was perfect and I felt great. I was able to stay in Harlan and Marlene's 5th wheel and the boys and daddy camped out in their tent. We all had a blast and the mountain air was awesome. Chaz, Mark and Harlan all went fishing Saturday morning (and after a little prayer by Cade) they hit the fish jackpot! Actually, Harlan and Chaz were fishing and kept reeling them in so Mark stood next to them with the net to catch them all :) ( I am not telling fish stories either) It was so much fun to see Chaz get soooo excited to hook a fish. Chaz did catch the monster fish that day! We know it was a "divine fishing appointment" because every other time they went fishing they didn't get anything. The best part of the trip for me was Marlene's cooking - wow!! She is quite a cook and we all agreed that for some reason food cooked at the campsite always tastes soooo good! Thanks Marlene for all your great meals. I am hoping that those fine meals tip the scale to over 100 lbs tomorrow at chemo! I am still stuffed :) Thanks to both Harlan & Marlene for all the effort it took make the weekend happen and making good memories for us all! Yes, tomorrow is chemo #8! Please pray that all goes well and that my port is up for another poking- still a little tender from last week. After tomorrow only 4 treatments left of the Taxol and then I get to start the next drug. Man, God is sooooo good because I can't hardly believe that this portion of the treatment is almost over. Mark did notice today that the top of my head is bald in certain spots and I also noticed that part of my eyebrow on my right side is gone - Yikes, like I said in my last post I am a definite Beauty Queen:) It is kind of funny when you see Mark and I standing next to eachother. If you have ever seen Austin Powers movie with "Mini Me". Yea, that 's me - Mini Me standing next to Big Baldie! The doctor did say that most of my hair would be gone but I was hoping not to have to shave anymore! But no, that hair still has to grow like gang busters! Have a great Sunday nite -

Love to all,
Dana

Prayer Requests:
Tomorrow's chemo at noon goes well!

Lonely, But Not Alone!

Hello Family and Friends,
It has been a few days since I have posted an update. My mom and sis left on Wednesday. Thanks Mom and Brit for making the trip and helping out with so much! I received my 7th treatment this last Monday and all went well with the exception of a sore port area after the nurse had placed in the needle. (The port is under my skin on my chest and it looks like a little button. This is where the nurse places the needle to adminster the chemo each week.) Normally, when I am poked it just feels like a mosquito bite. However, this last Monday was a doozy! I did have the port checked out today to make sure all is well and it is :) I am really starting to feel different effects of the chemo that I hadn't the first five treatments. I am basically a beauty queen right now - bald, pimply, and half of my brain feels like its on vacation. I lost my keys twice today and couldn't find my cell phone. I had to call it to locate it in the house. Then as I was getting ready for bed I couldn't remember what medication I had already taken and which ones I had left. However, to give myself a little credit I do take about a dozen pills a day. I have had several people ask me how I have felt today. To be quite honest, not really sure how to express how I feel physically or mentally - just plain shot! The chemo really is taking a toll on me as it continues and I guess it gets a little discouraging because I am trying my best to keep my head "above the waters". The whole "bald thing" has never gotten to me except for today when I had a little girl just stare at me like I was from a different planet and then several people I noticed couldn't stop starring. Sometimes I wonder what goes through their minds. I try and place myself in their shoes and wonder what I would think. Today was the first day in this whole process that I truly felt a loneliness that was undescribable. Something I knew that only I was going through and nobody around me could take away or understand. My husband is the most wonderful man and has ALWAYS been and IS my hugest support but even he can not take away this lonelines that comes with this territory. But there is One who understands this loneliness and is right now giving me this realization! Christ, our Saviour, who died on the cross for each of us experienced a loneliness that none of us could imagine and He did it to show us His great love for us! I believe that even in these lonely days Christ is standing right next to me saying" Daughter, you are mine and I will walk with you every step of the way!" I must remember that He has brought us through some many other difficult times so why would this be any different??? I have to thank a dear friend of mine - Tracy N. Thank you Tracy for the most encouraging note and lyrics to Ginny Owens song -POWERFUL words! I was a sobbing mess when I read the lyrics to that song. I must admit I felt like I was reading my story. You can't possibly know how timely your card was and what it meant to me. I also love the socks! Where ever I go I always say that "With God, all things are posssible"! For those of you reading this my friend sent me these adorable socks with that scripture on them. Tracy, I will probably wear those things out :) Please pray that God would protect me from negative side effects of the chemo and that I can continue on in God's strength!

Love you all!
Dana

"Come and see what God has done, how awesome his works in man's behalf!" Psalm 66:5

Victory Report - PRAISE HIM!!

Hello Family and Friends,
It has been a couple of days since I last checked in with you. Today was my 7th chemo treatment and all went great! White blood cells were up and blood work looked good! God has once again shown Himself. I got the results back to today for the gene testing. This gene test was done by blood work and showed whether or not I carried a gene that was prone to cancer. Well, by God's grace it came back NEGATIVE!! Yes, I am doing another happy dance. If it had come back positive I would have had to have boths breasts removed and fallopian tubes and ovaries out. So I am one happy lady :) Thank you all for your prayers regarding this gene test - God heard them all! What made chemo extra special today was having my mom and sister by my side. They flew in from Wisconsin on Sunday and have been a huge help and encouragement to me. I loved having them there with me today cheering me on - Thanks mom and sis!! I am feeling really good tonight. Thank you all for your continued prayers and thanks most of all for celebrating these victories with me!

Love you,
Dana

Prayer Requests:

Prayer for few side effects this week - especially sleep- the steroids keep me awake all night!
Prayer for a friend named Keith who was just diagnosed with prostrate cancer -God's healing on him!
Prayer for Jenna, 7 years old, who has leukemia - God's healing on her!

"With God, all thing are possible" Mathew 19:26

Great Day!

What a nice day today. Usually by Friday the chemo is starting to wear off and I begin to get a renewed strength and energy - yeah!!! I am thankful for these good days because I kind of get to feel like a normal wife and mommy. This morning Chaz was finishing his last day of football camp and Aunt Debi and Uncle Kev watched Cade for me so I could go and watch chaz do his thing! Thanks Deb and Kev for taking Cade for the morning. He was just telling daddy how Auntie Deb let him jump in the pool and then you caught him but he still went into the water :) He too had a blast today - thank you!! I was blessed once again by one of God's angels. A special lady named Twila, who is an incredible massage therapist, gave me an upper body massage to work out some of this tension. All I have to say is "aaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh"! It was wonderful and I am so grateful- Thanks Twila! I just praise God for allowing me to see all of His wonderful blessings around me and be thankful for my every breath - He is good!

Love,
Dana

A Rock of Rememberance

Hello Family and Friends,
Today was a good day for clouds and rain as I could stay inside and lay in my Lazy boy and sleep off the effects of the chemo. Thank you Marlene for "Grandma Camp" today for Cade as Chaz was at football camp- it really gave me a chance to rest :) The chemo effects seem to get a little more intense with each treatment. I can easily deal with the tiredness but the feeling of nausea is sometimes a little too much! As, I was resting today God brought to my mind the story of the Isrealites after they came through their desert experience and had entered the promised land. Joshua had set up 12 stones (for the twelve tribes of Isreal) to help them remember and also future generations to remember of how God saved them from their desert experience and brought them into their promised land. I don't think that these were just small stones but rather large rocks maybe boulders ( I am going to google this after I am done because I think I had heard that these "stones of rememberance are still there - how cool!!) Anyways, what an awesome reminder to us as believers of God's true faithfulness and power! It says in Joshua 4:24 "He did this so that all the peoples of the earth might know the hand of the Lord is powerful and so that you might always fear the Lord your God". I too am experiencing a "desert experience" but can look back on previous "stones of rememeberance" to know He is faithful and will pull me through this. I will have a large "rock of rememberance" but it will be a joy to look at because it will represent His strength in my life. So when I start to question why me I had better start quoting Joshua 4:24! Will you guys please remind me of this verse on my bad days??? :)

Prayer requests:
Continued strength physically, mentally and spiritually
Tolerability of chemo treatments and able to still care for my family

Love you all!
Dana

The Joy of the Lord Is My Strength!

Hello Family and Friends,
I am beginning to understand what it means to have the joy of the Lord be my strength. Today I really don't have a lot of physical strength due to the chemo but His joy is getting me by! I have noticed now there is a definite pattern of emotions that I go through during the week. By day 3 and 4 after treatments you get so physically worn down that the spirit tends to drop with it. These are the days that it is more of a mental game than physical. Today my mind started to wander to the length of my treatment, how many crummy days are ahead, wishing I could just have a "normal fun summer" with my boys and the list goes on! It just takes me awhile to get out of that funk because I soon remember all of the promises that My God has given me and that pulls me out of the pits! God is awesome because he has already shown himself today through "His helpers". Jay & Brandi you guys are the best - thank you for the delicious meal you brought not to mention one of Mark's favorites :) Your smiles warmed my heart - I needed that today. Thank you to Laurie H. who just stopped by to ask to pick up my kids to take them to the park for the afternoon. ( I will take a rain check on that since they were napping :) That was so thoughtful and how timely. God is faithful and knows what I need when I need it. Not much else to report - Signing out for now!

Prayer requests:
Pray for gene test to come back negative
Pray that lymph node under my arm will shrink to nothing!
Pray for lifted spirits in our home.
Minimal to no side effects during chemo

Thank you and Love you,
Dana

Bald Buddies

Happy Monday All!
It was a good day today. Today was my 6th treatment of Taxol. I reached my half way mark with this drug - Yahooo! I can really feel God's people praying for me on Mondays because it really is my very best day! There is a peace in me that I can't even explain, a determination to fight and a joy that fills my heart - Wow, the power of prayer! Thank you so very much! White blood cells dropped a few points from last week but still in the "normal" range. Still no results on the gene test yet, but hopefully by next Monday we will know more. I want you all to meet a friend of mine who lives right next door. Her name is Jen and she is the sweetest gal who has a heart of gold. I am truly blessed to have a friend like her. God has blessed her with the gift of creativity. This gal can make anything! She has a purse and jewlery line that you ladies would drool over and she sews like nobody's business. A month ago Jen said she would shave her head so I wouldn't have to be the only one on the block with a shiny nogin! I tried to talk her out of it but her mind was made up. Today she came over to show me her new doo! Wow, she pulls it off well and looks beautious! Jen, I love ya and thank you for your wonderful support and love for me and my guys - anyone would be blessed to call you friend!

Love,
Dana

GOING, GOING, GONE...

Hope you all had a great weekend! We had great, sunny weather here in Fort Collins. This weekend the boys took mama to the archery range so big Daddy D could get some practice in for Elk season this fall. Chaz has got himself a little bow and loves to go out and shoot with dad. Cade likes to stand behind daddy and imitate his every move. Mama had to give it a shot herself. There is no way I could even begin to pull Mark's monster bow back but I surely could attempt to shoot chaz's. The competitive nature in me got the best of me once again and I had to keep shooting until of course I managed to get in the circle area :) Yeah for mom! (This nature of mine to win has come in handy these days - thanks Lord!) We really didn't do much else but just kick back and relax- doctor's orders. That is hard for us as we love to be on the go, however, I am staying focused on next summer and dream of the places and things we will do! Mom, Yellowstone is on the calendar next year! The only other highlight for the weekend was the "hair cutting party" we had at grandma's house! I absolutely could not stand my hair all over the house. The last straw was waking up at 3:00 am Sunday morning with a clump of hair in my mouth and then trying to turn over on the other side of my pillow to get another clump in my eye. So let the shaving begin.... One by one my kids and hubby stepped up to the plate to support mama and shave their heads too. I really didn't think Cade would go for it but once he saw how cool his big brother looked he was all for it. Those boys are the cutest little bald blondies I have ever seen. Not to mention Mr. D. He has a perfectly round shaped head and looks pretty darn hot if I might say so myself! You always wonder if you have a cone shaped nogin with a few bumps or lumps. Now it was my turn to find out and to my surprise I too have a nice round head. I was totally ready for it to be gone and actually really like the feeling of the fuzz on top. It must have been all the prayers because I couldn't at one point have ever imagined my head with no hair, but it is true "I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength". I must admit there is quite a freedom in feeling the wind against your baldness - hee hee. Also ladies, I will never have a bad hair day for awhile :) Tomorrow is my 6th treatment of chemo. It is also the half way mark of this specific drug. Yeah!!!! You all could pray for our spirits to remain high around here. Today was a little emotional. I am realizing that everybody in our family goes through cancer - not just me! My husband and kids are all going through something that I don't understand. I can see it in the behaviors and attitudes. Especially the the little guy. He has really been pushing mommy and daddy to our limits. Mark himself has a lot on his plate too caring for everybody and watching me change physically. So please pray that the Lord meets everybody's needs. Thank you for all your prayers and love.

Prayer Requests:
Healing for mark and the boys of their colds
God protects me from their colds :)
Lord meets our physical, mental and spiritual needs

Love,
Dana

GOD IS REAL & WORKING IN ME!!!

PRAISE THE LORD FOR HIS GREAT MIRACLES! I just received a call from my oncologist who gave me the results of the MRI I had done yesterday. She told me that the radiologist first asked her why she even had me have an MRI because the breast looked normal. :) :) :) :) :) :) (If you could only see me now - I am doing a happy dance ) My oncologist asked about the lymph node that had popped up under my armpit and there was no revealing cancer in that area as well. She said she was puzzled as to why the lymph area wasn't lighting up as it has raised to the surface of the skin. So my doctor will have another radiologist review that lymph node area on monday to make sure it's nothing we should be concerned about. However, if you all could have seen the MRI I had taken 5 weeks ago - it looked like clouds of cells covering the whole breast and now it looks "normal" . That is God's miracle of healing working in me! I thank God everyday for all of you who He has rallied around me and are praying. I hope this encourages your faith in Christ that He is listening and answering - IT DOES MINE! I will end with this verse that a dear friend from Minnesota sent me yesterday. Luke 1:45 "Blessed is she who haas believed that what the Lord has said to her will be accomplished". (Thanks Judy!)

Love - Dana ( Please view the picture off to the side of me doing the "happy dance" . For some of you that don't know me really well - I can get a little crazy at times ) :)

Another Day Accomplished!

Thank you Lord that you helped me through this day! Yesterday and today I must admit have been a little physically difficult. The chemo hit me hard yesterday making me extremely worn out and a little achey. Today not as tired but just a tinge of nausea. Thank you to Jill who bought me some peppermint tea - it really works!! It definitely cuts the nausea a bit. On these days I must remind myself that it's ok to just rest. My nature is to be on the constant go motion and this has really been a difficult adjustment for me. For instance, today my goal was to just complete a load of wash and get it folded. Well, mission accomplished! I was so proud of myself for getting it done where as on a"normal" day that would have been a pretty puny task. The Lord is teaching me just a few things on this journey and one of them is patience and learning to wait on Him. Not only that but to trust Him for completely everything even my very breath. How many times as a Christian have I recited the verse Proverbs 3:5 "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding but in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight? I have said that one to myself many times and have shared that with others as well. However, that verse these days have taken on a whole new meaning. I am learning that by trusting in Christ for my EVERYTHING takes away a lot of stress, anxiety and worry. I know now that He knows what 's best for me and that gives me peace! However, I know these hard days will come to an end and when it's my time to shout His praises there won't be anything holding me down! I sometimes invision myself as bull in it's pen waiting for that moment to bust out with all it's might and charge!!!!! Well God is showing me JUST A FEW THINGS while I'm "waiting in my pen" but I tell you when that time comes for me to bust out there won't be anymore time to be resting in the Lazy Boy- I will be put'n on the "Busy Mode" and singing His praises of grace and mercy! Oh yes, I did have my MRI today and will have the results of that by next monday. It will show how much cancer God had destroyed since the last one 5 weeks ago :) Please continue to pray for the boys that they will be healed of their colds and that I and Mark will remain healthy too! Thanks all for your posts - I love them and they encourage me so! P.S. Sarah, thank you for setting up a meal during the week. Today's meal was so awesome and came on the perfect day. What a total blessing! Also, to our Wellington small group, you guys have been so supportive with cards, prayers, calls and delicious meals! Thank you doesn't seem to express our gratitude. We love you guys!

Love,
Dana

Happy 4th of July!

Hello Family and Friends,
Had a little bit of a rough day today. The third and fourth days after chemo tend to be the hardest. Super tired and a just a bit achey. Both of the boys came down with colds yesterday and today. Not good as I am not suppose to be around ANYONE sick - yikes!! Prayer for their healing and for mommy and daddy to remain healthy. I am so grateful to you all who are praying - I feel those prayers everyday. Tomorrow I will have an MRI to check out that lymph node that has popped up under my arm and to check on the cancer in the breast. I am believing that this MRI will look much better than the first one before chemo :) God is healing. Took the boys to the fireworks tonight - so I am exhausted. I am hoping this entry is making sense.

Prayer requests:

MRI results come back good.
Healing for both Chaz and cade.
Protection for Dana against the kids colds.

Love - Dana

Happy Birthday Mark!

Happy Birthday to my Honey! Mark is 39 big ones today and we started our morning by visting Lamars doughnuts for a special birthday treat. We all went in our jammies - what a sight! We had a great birthday celebration with Mark's family last night and Marlene out did herself again. She is an amazing cook and whipped up a special mexican feista! OLE!! What a fun time with the fam! I praise God for a wonderful man - he's my treasure from heaven. Today has been a great day. I feel surprisingly good the day after treatment. Thank you all for your prayers - I feel them today - YOUR AWESOME!

Love,
Dana

VICTORY REPORT - PRAISE THE LORD!!!!

Hello Family and Friends,
Thank you ALL for your many, many, many prayers- that's what gets me through! I am blown away by all the people praying and people who don't even know me have such a heart for praying for my healing - WOW! God has truly rallied His saints around me. And here is an example of the power of prayer: today I met with my oncologist who did an exam and she confirmed that the breast tissue was becoming much softer (as it was very firm my first visit) which means the tumors are shrinking!!!! I did have one little lymph node that had popped up under the one I had originally taken out. So we are going to watch that. I will have another MRI this week or the beginning of next week to see exactly how much the tumors have shrunk and see what that lymph node is doing. I can't wait to see the results so God can reveal His great power to all the docs and nurses!! 2nd praise is that my white blood cell count has gone up from 1.2 last week to 1.8 this week ( the normal ranges are 1.5-8.5) That is a praise to God! I was able to receive my treatment today -Yahhhoooo, 5 done 7 more to go of this drug. "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" Phillipians 4:13 A month ago I was horrified at the name "chemo" and look how God has given us the strength to do all things. The Bible works - His promises are true and they are there for the taking! All we have to do is believe and He does all the rest. For those of you who may never have considered a relationship with our precious Lord please consider it today because no matter what you are going through in this life God can carrry you through it AND you can still enjoy life - I am a living testimony of that! One other quick thing of how God works so beautifully. Today at chemo I pulled out my bible and just opened it and a piece of paper fell out. I opened it and noticed it was dated June 25, 2006. I had written it almost a year ago to this day. It started out by saying "If you have experienced great trials, you have the potential for great praise" It was a notation from my study bible. Then it was followed by a verse found in Psalm 107:32 "Let them (the Isrealites)exalt him in the assembly of the people and praise Him in the council of the elders". Then I had written "the Isrealites suffered greatly before reaching their promise land. However, once they reached their promise land they had much to praise God for- Thank you Lord for trials and tribulations so we can recognize your power and victory in our lives!" (Yikes, it kind of gave me chills) This was an awesome reminder today. How many times have I been in my bible and that piece of paper has never fallen out or I never saw it except for this day. He works in wonderful ways.

PRAYER REQUEST:
Today I had a gene test taken to tell me if I carry a cancer gene that makes me more prone to cancer. Please pray that it comes back negative. If this test comes back positive it requires a bi-lateral masectomy and removal of ovaries and fallopian tubes. I am believing that when God created me He gave me good genes not bad ones! It takes about 1 to 2 weeks for results.

I Love you!
Dana

Great weekend!

Hello all-
It has been a wonderful weekend. I usually feel pretty good by Saturday and Sunday as the chemo has worked it's way out of my body. We had some dear friends, Pamela and Brian, come by this evening to spend a little time with us and gave me the most incredible foot rub - aaahhhhh! What a wonderful treat -thank you for the pampering! Tomorrow is my 5th chemo treatment. Prayer warriors, please pray that there are no negative side effects. I will also be meeting with my oncologist tomorrow so she can examine me and check to see if the chemo is working. Please also pray that the Lord would use me to minister to those receiving chemo that may not know Him. If I am there I might as well be used by Him!!! :)

Thank you all for your prayers and love,
Dana

The Beginning of a New Chapter In My Life...

This is the beginning of my story with cancer for those of you who are still wondering how this has all come about. On May 16, 2007 I had a lymph node removed under my arm pit which had only been there for a few weeks. 2 days later the surgeon called to inform me that it was cancerous and that it was the secondary cancer and they still had not pin pointed where the primary cancer was coming from. For the next 2 weeks it was an incredible whirlwind of doctors appointments, tests, blood work and needles, needles, needles!!! Finally the results indicated the primary cancer was coming from the breast. The breast showed that there was not just one or two tumors but the whole breast was covered in a cloud of small cancer cells. The labeled this a stage 2 and aggressively began treatment with a chemotherapy called Taxol. I receive this chemo every monday morning for 12 weeks (this monday will be the 5th one). Following this treatment will be another treatment of 3 chemo drugs together called F.E.C. The names are so long everyone just calls it F.E.C. These are suppose to be the big guns. I will receive 4 of these treatments once every 3 weeks. Supposedly it can cause some pretty extreme nausea and tiredness, BUT God has already been very gracious to me and has minimized many of the side effects up to this point! I figure the week of Thanksgiving will be my last treatment. Then following chemo will be the masectomy and lympectomy. If all the cancer is gone when they test the tissue from the masectomy then no radiation will be needed. PLEASE PRAY FOR THOSE RESULTS!! The surgery will probably be sometime in December and I will be sing'n "All I want for Christmas Is My One Left Boob" Sorry, just couldn't resit! That is what I know up to this point. This whole thing still does not seem real and there is no explaining it. However, what I have come to realize is that we all have been created by the Master with a purpose or "Masterplan" and this is the path He wants me to walk right now. I will walk this journey with His strenth and Might and I don't want to miss a beat with what He has in store for me and many others. I pray that this experience touches lives for Christ around the world. The Lord put Psalm 91 on my heart nearly a year ago and since then not knowing why have read it just about everyday. Finally when this took place the Holy Spirit reminded me of His promise in Psalm 91 specifically verses 9 -16. Please read them if you haven't already. It 's a promise of victory and long life! I know with all my heart a healing is in store and a huge story will be told. Psalms 118:17 " I will not die, but live and recount the illustrious acts and works of the Lord" He knows I will shout it from the mountain tops of His great love and mercy. God is Awesome!

Saturday, June 30, 2007

Hello to all my family, friends and prayer warriors!!

Yeah, my first experience with a blog! I hope that this will help each one of you with what's going on in my life and will also help you know how to pray. Each day I will journal a little bit of "scoopy" to keep you all posted and post some beautifully bald pics of my head and some of my awesome family. I will update you next time with all the happenings up to this date. For now all I have to say is that God is awesome and He has placed a victory banner over my head. What a story we will have to tell by next December! Jehovah Necci (sorry pastors I don't know how to spell Nissi, Nicci etc) rocks!

Love to you all - Dana