update

We received a call from our infectious disease specialist who said that after looking at Kelly's MRI he realized that the issue in the durum was worse then he had thought it was after only reading the report. He feels that an much more aggressive treatment is needed at this time. He wants Kelly to go back on the original fungal medicine, Amphataracine. Kelly said that this medication is far worse then Chemo. Dr.Lutz wants Kelly to be on it for a month, every day. It is a daily 3 hour infusion process.

Well, you can imagine that this was not good news and very frustrating. Kelly feels strongly that he doesn't want to go back on this med., (Last time he was on it, it damaged his kidneys and made him feel horrible.). Kelly also believes that since there is not definite evidence it is the fungus that is effecting the durum, he doesn't want to be treated with guess work.

The only way to know for sure what is going on is through a pathology which can only happen if they open Kelly's skull and the doctors have said that it is too much of a risk. Both our infectious disease specialist and Oncologist are on the same page as to what they feel we need to do at this point.

The Oncologist also felt that it was vital that Kelly feel confident about the course of treatment and that it would be a good idea and helpful to get another opinion. So... we are being sent to San Jose to see a specialist with Mucor Micosis.

We were also told that Kelly's blood counts look great!!!(Thank you Jesus!)Indicating that he is likely still in remission and this gives us some breathing room to address the fungus issues. The Oncologist also said that it would be a good idea to go and see a Leukemia specialist at Stanford at some point.

We feel good about these decisions and feel peace and confidence in the Lord. He is in control of EVERYTHING! and we praise Him for it.
Thank you again for your prayers! Please pray for direction, God's internal work in our hearts, like mindedness and of course healing.

Hello dear family and friends,

Kelly went to our infectious disease doctor yesterday. We asked if the increase of inflammation in the durum was a sign that the fungal medication might not be reaching the sight. Our doctor said that that could be possible but that he felt the increase in inflammation was due to the fact that Kelly's immune system has been built up and is now simply fighting harder. Time will tell.
These next few weeks will be very telling. Kelly has a bone marrow biopsy on Wednesday and the first week in Dec. he will have a CT scan to check his lungs and sinus for fungus and an MRI to check the durum in this head to see if there is any improvement. Once we have collected all that information we will need to make a decision regarding what is next for treatment.
Of course our hope is that God will have used the nutritional supplements that Kelly has been taking to greatly help Kelly's body to do some self healing. Ultimately our hope is, as has always been, in God. We believe that God is healing Kelly.

Right now our prayer continues to be that the fungus will die off and that Kelly's bone marrow will be restored to produce healthy, mature white blood cells. We also continue to pray for direction with regards to treatment.

I am also praying about the work that Jesus in doing in our lives personally. I am convinced that every situation in life holds opportunity for us to grow in our Christ likeness and that it is His desire that we come into greater and greater freedom. I am excited about the future ministry opportunities that God is preparing us for now. Please pray for us that we would be willing participants in the work God is doing in us and not resist Him or miss the opportunities by being too distracted by "life" things.

Please also pray for Kelly today. His sinuses are really bothering him. We don't know if he is fighting a cold or if the fungus is acting up. He sees an Ear, Nose, and Throat doctor this afternoon to check it out.

We love and appreciated all your prayers and concern. Sincerely, Gabriela

We met with the neurologist yesterday and were very surprised to hear that Kelly's scan was worse than the one taken 6 weeks ago. The lining in his head, Durum, was even more swollen. This was a bit confusing because the sinuses and his lungs show a definite improvement with the new medication and he also has not continued to have headaches. We were both a bit discouraged yesterday.

We see our infections disease specialist next week and will hear what he thinks is needed. Kelly is feeling a bit frustrated and somewhat like a Ginnie pig.

Thank you for your prayers. We trust God is intimately involved and we look forward to seeing how He will resolve the brain issue. The good news is that the fungus is not in the brain tissue and Kelly will have another MRI in four weeks.

Thanks again for your prayers.
Sincerely, Gabriela

Word of encouragement

Hello dear friends,

We had a great time away! The beach was beautiful and our dear friends, the Shamshoian's lent us their amazing beach house. It was refreshing to my soul to look out over the ocean and see the sun shinning on the water and remember how my Father loves me. Our kids had a fantastic time playing on the beach and my mom graciously kept us with our crazy life. Her visit was a joy and blessing. Kelly had a bit of a hard time dealing with his limitations physically and grieved not being able to be the husband and father he is used to being. We adore him regardless and were so thankful for the time away together.


Kelly met with our doctor and scheduled a bone marrow biopsy for the week of Thanks Giving. We are praying specifically now that God will restore Kelly's bone marrow to health since that is where abnormal white blood cells, (Leukemia) are being formed. We are also praying for direction, as to what the next step will look like for treatment.

Kelly also had an MRI this last week and we will get the results some time this week. We will learn if the lining in his brain is still swollen which the neurologist suspected was caused by the presence of the fungus. The good news is that he has not had any headaches since his lung surgery, except for the ones he says I have given him, (ha, ha, he is such a funny guy!!!)

I have had the opportunity to share with some of you what a wonderful thing God did for us on the day of Kelly's lung surgery and I want to share it with all of our family and friends who are praying for us.

While we were in pre-op, waiting for Kelly's surgery, a sweet little old lady dressed in a lavender suit with pink lipstick and her hair all done up nicely, came by Kelly's bed and asked if she could pray with us. She must have been in her 80's and as sweet as can be. We said yes then she took Kelly's hand and asked him if he knew the Lord Jesus and his personal Savior. He said,"yes Mam, I do." She then told us a bit of her story of how she began praying for people before surgery after her husband had died and how she loves doing it. So began her prayer... in the middle of praying she stopped and said, ooh, ooh. We looked up at her and she said, "I have never felt such a strong presence of the Lord before in anyone. Do you feel that?" Kelly looked at her then at me and I could tell that he really didn't feel anything different. She apologized and went on praying that his surgery would go well and that the doctors would have skill and so on..., then stopped again and said, "A word of the Lord always needs to be confirmed. I believe that the Lord is saying that you will not die from this. God will use this in many peoples lives to bring glory to Himself and you will be healed in six months time." Then she added exhortively, "God is healing you and you just need to accept it and give thanks."

Well, I grew up in a wonderful christian church that was very conservative and was kind of warned that charismatic type of things can be dangerous because they can be swayed by emotion so I haven't had much exposure to such things as a "word from the Lord" I believe that God does speak to us through His word and I know my personal time with Jesus has been very intimate as I have sensed Him impress things on my heart, but there was something different with this lady.

First, she didn't know what kind of health issues Kelly was having or that his life was even threatened. She didn't know if he was in for his appendix or brain surgery. She didn't know that the week prior to this surgery Kelly had been in a place of resignation and afraid to get his hopes up that God would heal him because he didn't want to be disappointed. She didn't know that Kelly was in a position to influence many people to bring God glory.

All these things got my attention and at the end of our prayer time she looked at me and said,"You look as if you were expecting this." And I was expecting a miracle that day.

Aside from the blessing of what she said, since that day I have been delivered from all fear and anxiety. If you know me, you know how huge this is. All my life I've lived like the character, Much Afraid, from Hinds Feet on High Places with fear and anxiety as my constant companions. I felt, for as long as I can remember, a dark cloud linger just around the corner of my heart stealing my peace and joy and I have prayed constantly that the Lord would help me to walk in His truth. It has been over a month and I have not had a moment of fear or anxiety. I used to hope that Kelly would be healed and believed God can do anything but now I have assurance that God will heal him.

About 4 weeks later, a friend from church told me that on that same day and at the same time of day, (between 2 and 3 in the afternoon) she had been walking and praying out on the beach for Kelly the day of his surgery. She began with this statement, "A word of the Lord always needs to be confirmed." Then she said that the Lord told her that Kelly's illness was not unto death but for the glory of God and that God will also use this trial to heal me of trust issues that I've had.

I praise God for these women and the freedom and encouragement I have received. Kelly and I believe what they have told us but are still humbly seeking God's direction. Our dependency on Him is sure and He is showing Himself to be steadfast on a daily basis for us and our kids. Thank you again for all your prayers and for taking the time to read my extra long blog today. Oh, I almost forgot to tell you my favorite part.

The little old lady's name is Violet Huckelberry. (She gave me her business card.) How sweet is that!!!