My mom's battle with cancer

Dear family and friends,

Thank you so much for pr*yng for my mother, and I also want to update you on what has been going on with her lately.

I did tell you about the good news a few weeks ago; that her doctor said the cancer was 99% gone from all he could tell. The cancer had been responding very well to the chemo, and it had retreated to almost being unable to detect.

Almost two weeks ago, mom started getting a fever. She had, just the day before, spent about 20 minutes outside (she loves being outside-but hasn't been able to-and it has been driving her crazy!) and picked up a cough. The doctor later thought her persistent fever was due to that, and also had found a urinary tract infection (UTI) which would also cause the fever. When I took her to the doctor about a week ago, he thought it was possibly a slight case of pneumonia. Since mom has been allergic to penicillin and sulfa drugs, they did have a hard time finding an antibiotic, and then finally gave her several IV antibiotic treatments. She had one more chemo treatment to undergo before being re-examined, but was not able to take it because of her being too sick. The cough has continued, as has the fever, consistent with both fighting an infection and/or an aggressive cancer growth.

We were optimistic that the UTI and even possible phenomena were causing the consistent fever, but we weren’t completely right. Last Thursday (two days ago) we found out that they have found a spot growing very quickly on her lung, which is what has caused the cough. This is a very serious development.

Instead of taking a treatment Friday, mom has decided to allow her doctor to consult with some others over the weekend and she will make a decision Monday about what to do. She may go ahead and take a chemo treatment Monday, regardless of how she may be feeling, or she may make another decision.

During the last few weeks, things with mom have been like a yo-yo ride. Even though I do put my f*th in G*d, I have to admit I’ve felt a bit overwhelmed at times lately. As do I, my whole family (Dan, Steve, Jon, Dave, Mary Ann and their spouses and families) need your pr* ers. On top of mom’s health, this time of crisis comes at a time when my family is dealing with some other tough issues, and we all need G*d/s special gr*ce as we go through all of this.

I am confident that he who “knit me together in my mothers womb” (Ps. 139) cares enough about me (and the rest of the fam), and has the power to allow us to not just survive this, but to thrive through it all. I have endless optimism when I think of eternity! Even though things may not be headed to what I want, my father knows best, and he will bring about the best as we trust him. I'm confident of that.

Thanks again for your expressions of care and your pr*yrs.

Pete