Dear friends and family,
It is hard to begin this blog because there is so much to say and it is hard to know where to start. Kelly begins chemo treatments tomorrow. Actually he took his first chemo pill tonight and begins radiation and spinal chemo tomorrow.
You might be wondering how we got here. This is the long part of the story but a Readers Digest version is that after learning more about this disease, collecting wise counsel from many and with much prayer, here we are. Kelly feels strongly that the words of healing we received from Violet Huckelberry (see blog from Nov. 3,2007)were about the fungus. His treatment of the fungus ended 9 months short of what the specialist said it would and that fell in line with the 6 month time frame that Violet had shared with us as a word from the Lord. We truly feel that God has spared Kelly's life and now understand that the fungus should have killed him. Thank you Jesus!
As Kelly has sought the Lord in this, the Lord has been very quiet. I am amazed at my husband's courage, integrity, wisdom and faithfulness to the Lord. I personally am at rest following his leadership and consider it as such an honor to be married to such an amazing man!
Kelly's regiment will be very tough for a while and will last one and a half years. He begins with radiation every day for 12 days while taking oral chemo every day for 40 days and spinal chemo treatments every Friday for 9 weeks. It sounds daunting to us and we have no idea what to expect, except that Jesus will be with us every step of the way. Oh, how I love His presence!
I have to share with you all that as I struggled in coming to this point I told the Lord that I love Kelly's body, it's mine, I am one with him and although chemo felt like medicine this first time around, this time it feels like poison. As I poured my heart out to Him, He lead me to Mark 16. I vicariously opened up to this passage and my eyes caught the red lettered words of Jesus. He was speaking of things that are true of believers and in His list it says, "and you will drink poison and it will not harm you..."
Now, I told Kelly that I certainly don't want to make scripture say what I want it to say but, what are the chances that I would open up to something like that at this point in my life? All I can tell you is that it wasn't emotionally satisfying but my heart was filled with His peace. God's word is alive and active. What an amazing blessing to have it.
"Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen."
We are certainly not looking forward to this next season and the hardship it will be for our family as well as our church family and the ministry, but we know our Redeemer lives and that He will faithfully walk with us. All glory and praise to Him!
Please pray for our kids. You might remember that last year we were not able to go to our Family Camp vacation at Forest Home, which has been our tradition. This was very hard on the kids because they were looking forward to seeing old friends that they desperately missed. I am not sure what will happen this year. So, please pray that we can go and if we are not to go, pray that their little hearts will be prepared.
I covet your prayer for our family, we love and appreciate you more than you will ever know.
Love in Christ, Gabriela
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4 comments:
"Don't deny the diagnosis,try to defy the verdict."
"People tell me not to offer hope unless I know hope to be real, but I don't have the power not to respond to an outstretched hand. I don't know enough to say that hope can't be real. I'm not sure anyone knows enough to deny hope. I have seen too many cases these past ten years when death predictions were delivered from high professional station only to be gloriously refuted by patients for reasons having less to do with tangible biology than with the human spirit, admittedly a vague term but one that may well be the greatest force of all within the human arsenal." - Norman Cousins
I will be praying and have been praying for you.
Dear Kelly & Gabriela,
How I wish you didn't have to embark on such a hard regiment of treatment. But what an encouragement you are in your endurance and trust in the Lord! I rejoice that you are healed of the fungus and am praying for you to arrive "on the other side of cancer." I've been on the other side for 2 yrs. now & it almost seems surreal to look back...when I couldn't see this side.
I pray, too, that you will be able to go to Forest Home, or, if not, that something very special will take its place for your sweet kids.
--Love,Donna Stark
Hi Kelly & Gabriela, I hope things are going well today. We met Russ & Anita Lee this past week and they sent us a link to your blog. It was great to hear an update, you have a lot of friends here and we pray for you often. All for now, Russ & Karyn Smyth
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