We are amazed how many of you tell us you check this blog regularly. I hate the days I disappointment you! For that reason I am letting you know in two parts about our day, yesterday, the 11th of February.
We used an alarm to get up yesterday. That was different :-) Doug was in charge of the Monday morning worship in his office that starts at 8 a.m. Staff and administration gather to start the week off all together with the One they ask to guide them throughout the work week.
Doug was in his office everyday last week for a good portion of the work-day. He'd get out of his car and, to conserve energy, sat the majority of the day at his desk. Usually he is in charge of Monday worship once per month. He has not been able to do that or be there for the past four months. On Monday it was the first time he stood before his colleagues to share what he has learned so far on his journey with cancer. It was a moving experience for all of us who listened.
At the conclusion of their usual review of the weekend and prayers for specific churches, schools, teachers and pastors throughout Texas, the President asked everyone to form a circle around Doug for prayer, touching Doug as they did, praising the Lord for the healing that has taken place and asking the Lord to continue to be with both of us.
I was in the audience because we left from the office to go North to the clinic to receive the results of the report that had been faxed from the Genetic Cancer Centre in Greece. We were eager to find out Doug's specific DNA receptivity to both chemo drugs as well as food and nutritional supliments that would help with cell health.
The reason this blog is part I is because I now have to digest the 20 pages of that fax and what the Doctor in Dallas went over with us. In many ways is greek to us (pardon the pun!) until we can re-read it ourselves.
What we do know is that we see the nurphrologist this coming Friday and our oncologist next Monday. We will seek their counsel before taking any of the suppliments, not because we think anything that was recommended would harm Doug rather because 1) all together they are expensive and 2) we have also received a call from University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. That is where Doug will begin the process leading to a stem cell/bone marrow transplant. Supplements are used to increase the immune system and build up Doug's cells. At one point in the transplant process the immune systsem needs to be taken down to zero which is done using heavy doses of chemo drugs. These are therefore two conflicting options if we base it on timing alone.
What we don't know for sure is this: what is the right time in respect to quality of life and longevity? We would covet your prayers that when we make a decision we will not look back and know that we evaluated our options, sought appropriate expert counsel and that Doug will have a sense of the Holy Spirit's leading him.
You can look for 02-11-08, Part II later this week. The report is facinating but I didn't take molecular medicine in grad school!! It was interpreted for us but not at my speed of learning....
~Carole
