Chevy’s Path to Complete Healing

(Romans 12:12)

From: Cheryl
Date: Sat, Nov 8, 2008 at 6:26 PM
Subject: First Chemo
To:


First Chemotherapy Cycle (11/7/2008 Manila time)

• Chevy was in good spirits, trusting the Lord and His mercy.  Before going to the hospital, she printed her emails and blogs to bring with her.  Several emails from people that are strangers to her but not strangers to the Lord's family.  My aunt shares with me that they joke about her possibly wearing a wig later and she good-naturedly said she would like it in different colors.  That's my sis!
• She had a slight cold with some green mucus.  To be safe, she was given antibiotics.  Doctor wanted to keep her at least two nights because of this.  But praise God, she is well, and just stayed one night at the hospital.  
• There was a small metastasis in the brain such that Chevy could only receive two out of three chemotherapy drugs for risk of bleeding.  But we still praise God bec. it could've been much worse!
  
• Bone scan result came back positive as well.  There is spread to both humerus, her right ribs, C7, T12, L4 and L5.  Know what the Lord did?  He sent a fellow lung cancer patient to minister to Chevy.  They met during chemo.  This woman told her that she has spread to her bones as well.  It has been 1.5 years since then and she is going strong.  She told Chevy not to worry about the bone metastasis!
• CT abdomen was surprisingly good!  The mass in the liver is actually thought now to be a cyst, i.e., benign!  There is no cancer spread to the abdomen, praise God!
• Praise God that Chevy did not have an allergic reaction to one of the drugs called Taxol.
  
• Two days after her first chemo, at 3pm this afternoon here and 4am in Manila, I received a call from Mama.  Chevy woke up vomiting her dinner.  As I write now, 2.5 hours later, she is sound asleep.  God is merciful!

Coincidence?  No!  God's Perfect Plan!

• My Aunt Emily moved a year or two ago to the same compound where Chevy lives.  They are literally no more than 1000 ft from each other.  She has helped us tremendously in these past two weeks!  She also has a chauffeur which she now shares with the family as needed.
• My cousin Joy also moved to the same compound in the last couple of years.  Her daughter Briana has brought so much joy to Chevy.
• My work at an urgent care center (walk-in clinic) in the last 1.5 years.  Shiftwork.  Praise God that many doctors stepped up to fill my shifts.  This would not have been as easy with a different job.
• A lung cancer survivor in my Community Bible Study group last year has ministered to Chevy in ways that we couldn't.
• My own mother-in-law is a breast cancer survivor and she has provided valuable insight.
• My husband of 2.5 years has been very supportive and loving.  I don't know how I could've made it through the last two weeks alone here in the U.S.
• All the "little" things that Chevy shared in her blog about how the Lord made everything work for her during all her tests and visits to the hospital.  How she never had to wait as long as others.  How her test schedules kept getting bumped up/earlier. 
  
• My being a doctor, and being here in the U.S., so that I could verify that Chevy is getting the right treatment and the current standard of care in the U.S.

More Prayers...

• Minimal side effects.  Side effects begin creeping after a week of chemo.  They peak in two weeks.  We are praying that Chevy's hair will simply thin out.  She has a lovely thick head of hair!
• Chevy's appetite is going.  Please help us to "force" her to eat but in a gentle manner, if you know what I mean.  This is a time when she will need good nutrition more than ever.  Also please pray that she won't lose her sense of taste!
  
• Chevy has never drunk enough water.  May she learn to do so now that she needs to stay hydrated more than ever.
  
• Continued peace, strength, hope, and encouragement for Chevy, Mama, Michael, and everyone in the family.
• Continued support from family and friends.
• Strength for all of Chevy's prayer warriors, that they will stay committed to praying for her.
• At least 50 more years for Chevy here on this beautiful earth that the Lord created.  Selfish request, but the Lord has promised a long life to those that obey their parents.  And Chevy is a good daughter!
• That God will guide our lips as we speak with Chevy and that we may give a timely Bible verse or a timely joke whenever she needs it.
  
• We are consulting a radiation oncologist concerning her brain metastasis.  Please pray for wisdom for the doctors and also wisdom for us to make the right decisions.
• There is a very real danger of a spinal compression fracture because of Chevy's bone metastasis.  This could lead to paralysis.  Pray that Chevy will remember to take it easy and not lift heavy things.  Pray also that she won't fall.
  
• Pray for when I should leave for Manila.  I have two reservations and am deciding over this weekend. 
  
• Pray for my dear husband as he faces weeks without me.  Pray that God would provide friends to love and care for him in ways that I can't while I am away.  

My favorite verses this week...

Exodus 14:14

¹⁴ The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still."

 

Exodus 15:26b

I am the LORD, who heals you."

THANK YOU, ALL, FROM CHEVY!

From: Cheryl
Date: Wed, Nov 5, 2008 at 8:43 PM
Subject: God's Promises
To:

Prayer Warriors,

My sister has stage IV primary lung adenocarcinoma.  It has spread to her brain (just one tiny bit) and to her liver, and I don't know yet where else.  CT abdomen result is pending as I write, and Chevy is getting a bone scan in 5 minutes.

Yesterday, it felt like the entire world came crashing down on me.  It was just too much to cling to God's promises.  I couldn't sleep last night, awaiting Chevy's brain MRI result.  I didn't get it until this morning.  And I join my family in praising God that it is just one tiny one!  Today, God sent several lovely angels to minister to me.  The love of Jesus was just showing in their faces.  As I was about to leave a friend's house late this afternoon, lo and behold, right in front of me was the most perfect RAINBOW I have ever seen!  And I had the best seat in the house!  It was for perhaps no one but ME.  God sent it to me.  Almost immediately, I was filled with such peace that I haven't had in many days.  Right there and then I claimed God's promise of healing for Chevy.  I also claimed God's promise of healing for my brother, who is fighting battles of his own.  It was amazing!  And God's timing was so perfect!  And the Lord impressed upon me something else...The worse it looks now, the greater the miracle that will unfold before our eyes, and all the more God will be glorified! 

Specific prayer requests:

• That I will be able to get tickets to fly home in the next two weeks, and that my husband will be able to get tickets to fly to Manila for Christmas
  
• That my boss would voluntarily release me from my work commitments
• That  I will get good advice from my immigration lawyer about my green card that is expiring this February and concerning traveling at this time
• That the Vonage phone we're getting for Manila will not give us problems
• That we will be able to fix my laptop in time for me to bring it with me to Manila
• That God will use this to accomplish his many good purposes, including (but not limited to), that this will draw us all closer to him, that this will pull the family closer together, that unbelievers will come to know Him as their Lord through these messages and through a webpage that I plan to set up later
• Total and utter surrender by every single member of my family to the Lord's will.  I do believe His will is for a complete and miraculous healing and I have claimed that tonight.  But if I am wrong, that I will still be completely surrendered to Him. 
  
• That God will specifically touch the hearts of cancer survivors that get a hold of this email and use them to minister to Chevy in ways that I can not. 
  
• That Chevy will have minimal if not ABSENT toxicities from her first chemotherapy, which is currently scheduled for Friday.  Incidentally, that God will heal her from a cold that she currently has, so that the chemo can push through.
• Wisdom, knowledge, foresight, compassion from all her doctors, nurses, and hospital staff
• Strength, hope, courage, peace for Chevy and all of us
• The Lord's continued provision for my husband and I as I stop working for at least a few months;  and for continued faithfulness with our giving as the Lord leads us

Practical help:

• Need help with packing up stuff in our basement before Tuesday
• Need help in looking for inspirational materials for Chevy (books, devotionals, humor, music, little things, etc.)
• Please keep sending verses as they come to you.
• Please start thinking of a specific day/time that you want to commit to praying for Chevy.  I will organize a prayer calendar for her so there will always be somebody praying for her at a particular hour.  And if you can recruit even more people, we could be nagging the Lord's ears every 15 minutes!  Love it!
• I am compiling get-well cards for Chevy to take with me when I leave.  I know it will mean a lot to her and will surely uplift her spirits, especially during the difficult time of chemotherapy.  Please mail them to me____
  
• Please do forward this to your friends and family.  Please join me in soliciting their prayers and cards!

Thank you all for your time, love, prayers, and faith.

Growing in faith in Him,
Cheryl

Isaiah 40:28-31

²⁸ Do you not know?
       Have you not heard?
       The LORD is the everlasting God,
       the Creator of the ends of the earth.
       He will not grow tired or weary,
       and his understanding no one can fathom.

 ²⁹ He gives strength to the weary
       and increases the power of the weak.

 ³⁰ Even youths grow tired and weary,
       and young men stumble and fall;

 ³¹ but those who hope in the LORD
       will renew their strength.
       They will soar on wings like eagles;
       they will run and not grow weary,
       they will walk and not be faint.

 

Isaiah 41:10

¹⁰ So do not fear, for I am with you;
       do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
       I will strengthen you and help you;
       I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

From: Cheryl
Date: Mon, Nov 3, 2008 at 12:36 PM
Subject: Update on Chevy
To:

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