WOW!

     Well...who would've thought I would be updating so soon.  Daddy got the call with his blood results this afternoon...and...THE RESULTS WERE WONDERFUL!  He is responding very well to the chemo.  Praise God!

     Now, for my MM friends who want to get a little more technical, he is currently on the chemo Revlimid, along with the steroid Dex.  His M-spike was 0.8 after the transplant (remember 0 is the goal).  It had recently risen to 1.1.  After this first round of chemo, it is down to 0.4!  WOW!  God is SO good!  This is even lower than what he got with the transplant.  Just as the verse I mentioned yesterday says, "little by little."

     I will admit that we don't always understand why Daddy has to face this battle.  And, I will confess we question and ask why from time to time.  But, God reminds us always that He is in control.  He continues to encourage us and give us confirmation at just the right time.  The devil tries so hard to get in our mind and make us doubt what God is doing.  I had to ask for forgiveness just today for that.  I went running this afternoon and I couldn't do anything but tell God how thankful we are and how undeserving we are of His grace and mercy.  

     As I was running, I was thinking about how much harder it is to run on a hill (or at least the 2 we have on our dirt road).  I know my "upstate" friends are laughing at this because our "hills" really don't equate to much at all.  Anyway, back to the analogy...I was thinking that yes, it is harder to run up a hill but it is so fulfilling when you get to the top and oh so much easier on the way down.  That is how life is.  Battles aren't fun and they test every bit of our being.  But, when we get to the top, we are so much more grateful for our blessings and appreciate what we have in ways we wouldn't if we didn't face them.  For that, I am grateful.  My prayer everyday is that God will use Daddy's "hill" for his glory.

     Please keep the prayers coming.  If you know Daddy, you know he doesn't say a whole lot and NEVER complains.  But, if you could have heard the relief in his voice today, it was very evident how heavy this must weigh on his mind.  He will continue for 3 or 4 more rounds of chemo which should take us into June I believe.  Just in time for Joey and DeAnne's big day :)  As I mentioned, we will meet with the transplant team next week and our prayer is that the right decisions are made.  Please, please know that your prayers and sweet words mean so, so much to us.  We are so blessed to have such wonderful people in our lives.

~much love to you all

Update

     I am so, so sorry that I have taken so long to update the blog.  Several people, that I had no idea even knew I had a blog, have asked me about it and I feel just terrible that I haven't updated.  We really don't have a lot of news right now.  Daddy has finished his first round of the chemo Revlimid.  He has done pretty well.  The steroid he has to take on Wednesdays is hard and makes for a rough couple of days, but it could be SO much worse.  We are very thankful!

     He went back to the doctor last Thursday and had blood work.  We should be getting the results any day now.  Please take a minute and praise God for those results.  We are praying, believing, and already praising God for what we know He has done and continues to do.  While we don't always understand God's plan, we choose to continue to believe that His plan is so much greater than ours and we stand firm in our faith that God has it all under control. 
     In all of my blog reading, I have come across a blog that has given me so much encouragement.  It is the blog of a young mother who faces a very serious cancer but continues to praise God each and every day.  Today, she put something on her blog that her father recently came across in Deuteronomy and I thought I would share it also. 

Deuteronomy 7:17 and following:
"You may say to yourselves, "These nations are stronger than we are. How can we drive them out?" But do not be afraid of them; remember well what the Lord your God did to Pharoah and all of Egypt....The Lord your God will do the same to all the peoples you now fear....The Lord your God will drive out those nations before you, little by little. You will not be allowed to eliminate them all at once, or the wild animals will multiply around you. But the Lord your God will deliver them over to you..."

     We are anxious and selfish and just want this nightmare to end now!  But, God says little by little.  As He uses this time to shape our faith and use this situation for His glory, we will continue to praise Him and believe that "little by little" Daddy's cancer is washing away!

     I promise to update just as soon as we get the news on Daddy's response to this chemo.  He still has 3 or 4 rounds of this to go.  We go back to MUSC next week to meet with the transplant team.  They will recommend whether or not to go ahead with another transplant or continue with this chemo. If he has a good response to the first 4 or 5 rounds, they could use it in a lower dose as a maintenance chemo. Please be in prayer that the right decisions would be made. Of course, it would be wonderful for that doctor to call this week and say IT IS GONE...but we know "little by little" and we won't be dismayed.  The devil will not win!

Thanks for all of your prayers and support.  They mean more than you can ever imagine.  

~much love to you all