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