Recent update #1:
WE MADE IT!!! Scott had his last round of radiation today! 30 treatments, done. We could not be more thrilled. No more waking up and driving straight to the hospital. No more daily schedule shifts. No more burns. Finished. Thank you Lord!
Although I am so incredibly excited to be done with radiation, a little piece of us has stayed there. My heart breaks for every person who will be there tomorrow. We have come to know so many different people that we would see daily in the waiting room and we will miss catching up with them, but we are grateful for every conversation and bond that was created. For the last 30 days, we were given the task of praying over that waiting room every morning, and now, I am hopeful that the spirit of the Lord will remain in those hallways and give peace to everyone who enters. I loved how Katie Lee Gifford said it, she said, “You know what? If you had the cure for cancer, would you keep it quiet? Would you hold it up and keep it a secret? I always say, I have the cure for the malignancy of the soul – and His name is Jesus”. This has been and will continue to be our aim throughout this journey. We do not just want to put our nose to the ground and plow through. We want to live it. We want to look into the eyes of the people around us. We want to feel the heartaches and embrace the weeping. We want to enjoy the laughter and acknowledge God’s blessings. We want to wake up every day and fixate our eyes on Christ and His plan for us.
Update #2:
On Oct 4, Scott’s ANC levels came back very low in his blood work, this means his immune system and ability to fight off infection is very low. He was able to continue radiation but had to stop chemo. Doctors aren’t too concerned about it yet but we will do labs regularly to monitor. We have one month for Scott to get these numbers up high enough to tolerate starting the next round of chemo. So, for now, we wait. Scott has been told the best thing he can do is rest as much as possible and stay away from crowds of people to avoid getting sick. He has been feeling pretty rough the last week, just very physically fatigued and is exhausted easily.
I was pointed to 2 Chronicles 20 the other day. The two verses that have played on repeat in my head state, “We do not know what to do but our eyes are on You.” We are told, “You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your positions, stand firm, and see the deliverance the Lord will give you.” Then Jeremiah 31:25 says, “I will refresh the weary and satisfy the faint.” When I take a moment to realign my gaze to match God’s, I can no longer justify a single worry. I can no longer justify one reason to stress. The One who created everything we know is holding us, what more could our hearts desire? There is literally nothing that we can do right now to change any part of Scott’s diagnosis and healing process. Doctors have told us that there are no medicines or ways to get the levels higher, he simply has to rest and let his body do the work. So, this is what we will do. Exodus 14:14, “The Lord will fight for you, you need only to be still.” This is my anthem. This has been my life verse since college, and I will run to it again. Be still my soul, be still.
