Chevy’s Path to Complete Healing

In under 12 hours, Achie will be undergoing a repeat brain MRI.  Please pray that the Lord will remove all her fears and anxiety.  Also that the test result will be very favorable.  Achie is currently physically better with her cough improved.  She has had a canker sore in her mouth for a few days now, and yesterday it became two.  Please pray that it will heal really fast and that it won't interfere with her eating.  Lastly, please pray that I will know how to comfort her and just love her.  Will update you on the result as soon as we have it.  Thank you.

Prayer warriors, Chevy's neutrophil count dropped significantly.  Today's CBC showed that her neutrophil count is 680, almost at the severe level of 500.  However, it is difficult to interpret if she has a bacterial infection or not.  The doctor prescribed prophylactic antibiotics, but was confident that Chevy's counts would start rising without G-CSF shots.  She said Day 14 after chemo is the bottom, and it starts rising thereafter.  Chevy continues to cough, but her appetite and activity are better today than last night. 

Please pray that she will never become severely neutropenic (very low white blood or neutrophil counts) and that if she does need G-CSF shots, that she would tolerate it well.  Some say it causes bone/body aches and pains akin to being down with the flu.  Moreover, pray that she won't develop any infection, viral or bacterial, and that she won't have a real fever (anything at or above 37.8C or 100.4F).  Her maximum temperature in the last few days has been 37.5F.  Please also pray for the family, that none of us would come down with infections, so we won't pass it on to Chevy.  Please pray for comfort for Chevy as we keep her home and not accept visitors until her next chemo (next Friday).  Also pray that her appetite will be steady and that she will be able to drink plenty of fluids.

Please refrain from giving her fresh flowers, as the doctor has said that she is to avoid pollen or fresh flowers.

We continue to trust in our Rock and Savior, our Lord Jesus Christ.

Below is Chevy's new look! ;-)

Chevy's cough worsened a bit in the last couple of days.  She has been running a temperature, not quite a real "fever" yet, but nonetheless we are watching it.  This morning, she says her breathing is a bit labored.  She had a CBC done this morning to determine if she has a bacterial infection.  We are hoping that it is just a virus, or maybe she just tired herself out.  We went wig-shopping the other day, and were gone for most of the day.  God is merciful.  I think her cough is actually improved this morning.  We continue to pray for healing of immediate concerns, as well as complete healing from cancer.

In the last 6-7 weeks, I have learned more about prayer than in the last two decades or so that I have been a Christian.  I probably never prayed as hard as I did when my sister was diagnosed with cancer.  And I have probably never prayed as consistently for something day in and day out as I do now for Chevy.  I have never practiced 1 Thessalonians 5:17 ("pray continually") more than I do now.  Today, I am reminded by the book The Red Sea Rules to pray EARNESTLY. 

Hi Everyone,

I'm sorry for taking several days before giving an update. 

Things are going really smoothly for Chevy.  She's had some occasional numbness/tingling of her legs/feet, but they were mild.  She continues to lose more hair daily, but nothing like that one day where she almost lost all her hair.  As you can see from the pics, she still has some hair left.  God has a sense of humor...at least there's hair showing outside her bandana! :D  Tonight, Chevy went (walked outside) to visit our Aunt Emily, who practically lives next door.  She totally forgot that she didn't have her bandana on, and realized it when she was almost there.  It was dark, so perhaps nobody noticed her.  I told her that was a good thing, so she can maybe get used to it! :o)  The last several days saw her appetite increasing.  She hasn't needed a mug of Ensure for several nights because she's been eating so well, praise God!  Her seborrheic dermatitis (cradle cap) is also responding to the meds and measures we're taking.  Her hands and feet have been itching a lot despite twice daily body lotion regimen.  So tonight, she started using Aquaphor, which is really thick.  Her CBC 1 week after her second chemo showed that her WBC and RBC both dropped.  Her neutrophil count is now 1800, which is still quite safe, but it did drop a lot. 

Please pray for the following:

• improved dryness of her skin
• good WBC the day before her third chemo so she won't need G-CSF shots (to help her bone marrow produce more blood cells)
• closer or more intimate relationship with the Lord
• peace and joy through it all despite other challenges and turmoil around her
• thankful spirit daily
• CT chest/abd and MRI brain next week to check for response to chemo drugs
  
• I'm at the halfway point of my visit, and I pray that all our time together would be quality time, and we may grow closer as sisters in the Lord.

Chevy indeed has a new life.  She is now like a baby that has "cradle cap"!  :o)  It was getting worse, so we started treating it today.  Praise God we didn't have to go to see her dermatologist.  We simply texted her!  :D 

Praise also that Achie's mild neuropathy is gone.  I forgot to mention here that she had some mild numbness and tingling of her feet and legs a few days ago.  That is gone by God's grace and mercy.  :-)

Yesterday afternoon, our cousin Heidi brought a friend of hers over to pray over Chevy.  We thought it was going to be a support group where people shared about sickness and healing.  Little did we know that it was a charismatic group that believed in instant/supernatural healing for anyone and for all diseases.  It was a good experience.  There were some "weird" things, but I trust that their hearts were right.  I thank God for the two men that came and opened our eyes.  Today, during our extended family's weekly Bible Study, we discussed it with Pastor Tim. 

Below is a picture of Chevy with Heidi.  Note Chevy's great fashion sense -- matching bandana and shirt!  :D 

...He Opens A Window

From Joseph the Dreamer musical
Shared by Annie, Chevy's cousin

Chevy had some nausea last night and this morning.  She has been sleeping a lot.  She is eating small meals every two hours, but didn't drink too much today.  I thank God for Sa-i who brings us food almost everyday.  Chevy also has some friends who bring her food once in a while and when they visit.  Mama, of course, the cook in our family, is doing what she does best in the kitchen.  I thank God for this opportunity to serve and take care of Achie.

We continue to praise God for all of His blessings.  We fervently pray that Achie won't have any major side effects such as bone marrow suppression.  We also pray for all her tests which will be done in under three weeks (right before the third chemo).  She will undergo CT scans and MRI again to determine response to the chemo.  We pray that the Lord will perform a miracle in her life and that her lesions will be shrunken in size, if not gone! 

Ed Dobson, the pastor suffering from Lou Gehrig's disease, whose devotional book Achie and I are both reading, got this advice from a friend who anointed him with oil.  "Do not become obsessed with healing.  Get lost in the wonder of God, and who knows what God will do for you." 

Thank you all, for praying with us.

We went shopping yesterday for bandanas.  There wasn't much to choose from.  So, we decided to buy fabric and make the bandanas ourselves! :-)  Last night, Mama and I finished two bandanas.  Achie got a bandana from Jolene online, that had a scrunchy.  This is what she wore today, but I forgot to take a picture of the back.  I will be making a similar bandana for her today or tomorrow.  Achie likes it because of the ease in wearing it. 

God is good and merciful.  It has been two days since her second chemotherapy, and Achie is eating well.  No fever.  Good energy.  Peaceful.  Joyful.  We went to her godchild's 1st birthday celebration today.  We might go up to the mountains tomorrow (Tagaytay) if she feels well.