And so the story goes...
I think the ultimate dream of anyone who is battling any kind of illness whether terminal, debilitating or even temporary is that you would rather not have to deal with it at all.
As Christians our prayers often contain the words "help me", "give me strength" and "heal me" and God doesn't mind that. He's OK with us asking for the absolute best and sometimes the seemingly impossible for ourselves or others. And sometimes He surprises us with his answers which can be a 'yes' or sometimes His answer is 'no'. We don't know the will of God, that's scriptural, 'no one knows the mind of God' and we're not meant too.
So, your wondering, where is she going with this?
Well, here goes.
This week there has been a rumour floating around that Wes has been healed of his tumor and this is not a small rumour by any means. It was a misguided, ill-worded statement which was made that brought about a flurry of people to believe that God had chosen to heal Wes of his brain tumor. Wes and I want to set the record straight. Wes has NOT been healed.
The portion of the tumor that they could not remove from his surgery is still present at the base of his brain. He continues his chemo treatment every month in hopes that the tumor will be thrown into remission. That is our hope and for now that is our best hope.
Wes will continue this chemo treatment through until January 2010 and then the doctors will continue to watch the tumor through MRI's as they have been doing every three months this year to see if there is any regrowth. The doctors have been very clear that MRI's will always be a part of Wes' life, for the rest of his life.
Thankfully, this past year there has been no regrowth or change of the tumor itself and the surgical site remains clear. Let me explain what that means when I say 'the surgical site remains clear.' Last year when the surgeon removed the largest portion of the brain tumor the concern was that there could be little bits of the tumor floating around that could start to re-grow again. The radiation and chemo that Wes went through after the surgery was meant to destroy any extra pieces and so far every MRI has shown that the radiation has been successful by keeping the surgical site clear.
Wes has had no physical signs of the tumor affecting his every day life, such as, seizures, tremors, headaches, imbalance or confusion. These are all miracles in and of themselves and we are truly thankful for each one.
Today, we went to CancerCare at BTHC for Wes' monthly appointment with Dr. Woelk in preparation for his chemo which begins next Wednesday. Dr. Woelk was extremely pleased with Wes' blood test results and as he did his regular check-up we joked around with him and he was so happy that things were going well.
But, we are still in an ongoing process of battling this tumor and will be for as long as we are able, unless God decides to perform a miracle. Which we know that He can, but at this time He has chosen to rather let us work through things our medical system, a system for which we are extremely grateful.
As I mentioned earlier, God has given us many every day miracles Wes' life that we and our sons have so enjoyed and appreciated this past year.
Do we want a complete healing?
Absolutely!
But, our prayers always end with an expression of acknowledgement that "God's will" would be done.
Please help us to continue to stay strong in this battle. Pray with us as we anticipate God's will for Wes' life.
You can also help us in another way, by making sure that any stories that are being passed around are truthful and God honoring. Please do this for those people who have come with excitement and joy at the prospect of Wes being healed and who then quickly become disappointed and discouraged when they are told the truth.
Please do this for our sake as well. The strain that a rumor like this adds to our lives is not helpful, particularly for Wes, who does not need any extra stress.
One last thing, if Wes would be healed at any point in this journey, trust me, I'll be the first one to shout it from the mountain tops - OK, maybe the Pembina Hills.
Thank you so much for your continued prayers and love! We could not survive this time without your support!
"...your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven." Matthew 6:10
As Christians our prayers often contain the words "help me", "give me strength" and "heal me" and God doesn't mind that. He's OK with us asking for the absolute best and sometimes the seemingly impossible for ourselves or others. And sometimes He surprises us with his answers which can be a 'yes' or sometimes His answer is 'no'. We don't know the will of God, that's scriptural, 'no one knows the mind of God' and we're not meant too.
So, your wondering, where is she going with this?
Well, here goes.
This week there has been a rumour floating around that Wes has been healed of his tumor and this is not a small rumour by any means. It was a misguided, ill-worded statement which was made that brought about a flurry of people to believe that God had chosen to heal Wes of his brain tumor. Wes and I want to set the record straight. Wes has NOT been healed.
The portion of the tumor that they could not remove from his surgery is still present at the base of his brain. He continues his chemo treatment every month in hopes that the tumor will be thrown into remission. That is our hope and for now that is our best hope.
Wes will continue this chemo treatment through until January 2010 and then the doctors will continue to watch the tumor through MRI's as they have been doing every three months this year to see if there is any regrowth. The doctors have been very clear that MRI's will always be a part of Wes' life, for the rest of his life.
Thankfully, this past year there has been no regrowth or change of the tumor itself and the surgical site remains clear. Let me explain what that means when I say 'the surgical site remains clear.' Last year when the surgeon removed the largest portion of the brain tumor the concern was that there could be little bits of the tumor floating around that could start to re-grow again. The radiation and chemo that Wes went through after the surgery was meant to destroy any extra pieces and so far every MRI has shown that the radiation has been successful by keeping the surgical site clear.
Wes has had no physical signs of the tumor affecting his every day life, such as, seizures, tremors, headaches, imbalance or confusion. These are all miracles in and of themselves and we are truly thankful for each one.
Today, we went to CancerCare at BTHC for Wes' monthly appointment with Dr. Woelk in preparation for his chemo which begins next Wednesday. Dr. Woelk was extremely pleased with Wes' blood test results and as he did his regular check-up we joked around with him and he was so happy that things were going well.
But, we are still in an ongoing process of battling this tumor and will be for as long as we are able, unless God decides to perform a miracle. Which we know that He can, but at this time He has chosen to rather let us work through things our medical system, a system for which we are extremely grateful.
As I mentioned earlier, God has given us many every day miracles Wes' life that we and our sons have so enjoyed and appreciated this past year.
Do we want a complete healing?
Absolutely!
But, our prayers always end with an expression of acknowledgement that "God's will" would be done.
Please help us to continue to stay strong in this battle. Pray with us as we anticipate God's will for Wes' life.
You can also help us in another way, by making sure that any stories that are being passed around are truthful and God honoring. Please do this for those people who have come with excitement and joy at the prospect of Wes being healed and who then quickly become disappointed and discouraged when they are told the truth.
Please do this for our sake as well. The strain that a rumor like this adds to our lives is not helpful, particularly for Wes, who does not need any extra stress.
One last thing, if Wes would be healed at any point in this journey, trust me, I'll be the first one to shout it from the mountain tops - OK, maybe the Pembina Hills.
Thank you so much for your continued prayers and love! We could not survive this time without your support!
"...your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven." Matthew 6:10
Comments
But yes we do struggle to find our own answers to life even if we are believers. This past week I dealt with trying to help my mother who is struggling with a form of ulceritive colitis. I was at my wits end at how to be a help to her. Bill and I prayed about it and we do not have an answer but she has had some relief.
Carol Ann
Dinah