Tom here!
Last Thursday Amy had a PET Scan and the results are in! Drum roll please!
All is well and no sign of cancer! Praise God, Praise God, Praise God!
It’s been about a 6 month process and life is starting to get back to “pre-cancer”.
We will post again in a week or so after Amy’s next Dr. appt. We are just so thankful to hear good news and to know that the chemo did it jobs, we did ours and God never stopped doing His!
Thanks for being in our lives!
Tom Here!
Super Summer was a great week for us. Some much needed time of rest and reflection. One of our female students wrote a paper about Amy and I that won us a free weekend to Branson this October. Awesome! The paper was “why my youth pastor is the best”. Well the opening sentence was about me and then the balance of the paper was about Amy and how she has been an inspiration during her treatments. This student went on to say something that I totally agree with. “If she hadn’t lost her hair you wouldn’t have known she had cancer” Amy’s attitude has been great during this entire time, God has really been good to us! Amy and I are a team when it comes to ministry. She relates well to the girls and our home provides a model of what “family” should be.
This past Monday Amy had a CT Scan and we met with Dr. Sjak-Shie yesterday to review everything. All is well and Dr. Sjak-Shie is trilled with the results. Our next step is a PET Scan next Thursday. This scan will give a more detailed view of everything and confirm what the CT Scan showed, that the cancer is gone!
Special note to Amy’s high school class! Thanks so much for the program, shirt and gift. All of you have been a special encouragement to her during this time. Thanks!
Tom Here! Up
We went to see Dr. Sjak-Shie and Amy’s blood was very good, just about normal. Although the booster shot she has to take is not allowed by insurance until a 14-day period, which would be Monday. So she didn’t get a Chemo treatment today. We are waiting to hear from the Dr. office. Maybe this Friday for Chemo and Monday for the booster. We definitely want to wait for the insurance because Dr. Sjak-Shie said “the booster cost a lot of money, not exactly sure but it has three zeros.”
We will keep you informed. Thanks for all the help. Dr. Sjak-Shie was very encouraged with Amy’s health. Amy is doing great and continues to have a great approach to her circumstances. Her hair is beginning to come out as she runs her fingers through it. But it’s just hair and thanks to Mary D., Amy and Katie have brand new Pink Cardinal Cancer Caps.
We will keep you posted. Bye for now.
Wednesday Evening 10:00pm Update.
Amy’s next Chemo is Wednesday April 2nd and the booster April 3rd. She should be on a regular schedule then of every other week.
The hair is gone! Katie shaved Amy’s head down to about 3/8 in. It’s different, but Amy still looks good. Katie told her that her beauty isn’t on the outside, but the inside! That statement really was a great boost. I shaved my head and I really look goofy, but I wanted to show Amy that she’s not alone on this journey.
Love you all. thanks for the prayers. Amy is doing great because of them.
Hello everyone. Happy Easter to all.
We are celebrating Easter with Amy’s sister and family–The Troyers, all the way from Kearney, Nebraska.
Amy’s Dr. appt. went well yesterday and her blood work looked fine. The next few days are very critical because her immune system is very low from the Chemo last week. The Dr. told us 7-10 after Chemo is a very tough time. Amy is doing well, but the emotions of not being able to do as you want is still tough. Although it is good to have family here just to hang out, visit and not be expected to do anything.
This morning we played a game together with Katie and Ian, that was fun. Then Ian and I sorted and did laundry. Not our favorite thing to do, but we have to step up.
Thanks for the posts, prayers and encouragement.
Tom here!
Amy is doing great today! Although Katie is sick with a cough and junk. I took her to see the good Dr.–Dr. Edwards this morning and she is now on an antibiotic. It’s so cool to live in a small community, where you know the Dr. personally, the staff and nurses at the clinic and the folks at the pharmacy. Owensville is a great community to live, work and raise a family.
Although Amy is hanging tough with the chemo treatments, she’s not doing so well with Katie being sick. She can’t be the mom she wants to be for her. I am trying my best, but it’s tough to beat a mother’s love. Especially Amy!
We are so blessed to have so many good friends that we can call on. With Katie being sick and Amy needing to go back to the Dr. to get a booster shot, we needed help! I called upon Robin Lenauer and she came to our rescue to hangout with Katie while we traveled to Washington. Another blessing has been all the meals that Donielle Farrar has coordinated.
As the Easter season is upon us, I hope you will remember all that Christ has done for you. As I watched Amy and the many other receive their treatments, I couldn’t help but to think about their suffering. Then I was reminded of the suffering that Christ went through for me. Amy is receiving the remedy for NHL through her iv, but she has received the remedy from her sin, through the death, burial and Resurrection of Jesus Christ. Praise HIM this Easter!
Tom here! We went to see Dr. Sjak-Shie today and our results showed the cancer is Stage III. Meaning it is above and below the diaphram. Amy is scheduled to begin a combination of RITUXAN and CHOP treatments tomorrow at 8:30am. That’s the Chemo. Dr. Sjak-Shie is a great Dr. and is hitting this stuff head on with a big hammer! I like that! Friday she goes back for a shot that will boost her system and then she will have her treatments every two weeks. If all goes well she will be done by the end of May.
Will add more later tonight. The shopping went well, some cool hats etc…
Rachel Stone–the best hair stylist in Mid-Missouri gave Amy a cute short hair cut to ease the hair loss. Thanks so much to our friends who have been side by side us.
The photos show the hair cut and the change of look. The disclaimer: Amy’s shirt say “Don’t go to church” but the back which you can’t see says “Be the church”. A simple reminder to us Christians to Love God and Love People. We often get so inward focused and forget that every day people are going to a Christ-less enternity.
Thanks so much for the comments and prayers.
Tom
Well, I am glad that is over. That hurt worse that birth and my tattoos! Ouch! But the staff at www.tcccr.com is awesome! Julie, the nurse practitioner doing the Bone Marrow test made it so easy, and she rides a Harley. How cool is that? Vera was so relaxing and then there’s Myra! She is the general in charge! She reminds me of Carolyn, if you want it done tell her, then get out of the way. I love people who are passionate about their jobs!
Well once again we stopped by The Narrow Path and as always Kyla and Tom acted just like siblings. But it was good to see Faith and Lela today. They are so cheerful and upbeat.
Next week is when the tough stuff begins. We see Dr. Sjak-Shie Wednesday.
Katie and I are going hat, scarf and do-rag shopping Saturday if all things go well. I want this to be a fun time for the two of us. I have been blessed with good kids, who really love me. I want them to know that a person can walk through cancer or any other trial in life, knowing God can and will provide the strength needed.
Today Tom asked Julie, the nurse the following: “Are you sure she’s going to lose her hair?” She said, “yes” Tom can be such a dork, but that’s why I love him so much. So Monday the greatest hair stylist in Mid-Missouri is coming to my house to give me a “funky” short hair cut. I really feel that this will help Tom, the kids and myself as I am soon to lose my hair. As I tell parents of teenagers after they get a mo-hawk or color their hair a weird color–”it’s just hair”.
Love you guys.
