Prayer Request - August 21, 2013

Thank you for continuing to rejoice with our family as we celebrate my mom's clear scan results last week...God's Hand continues to amaze us and we know that it is only Him who is responsible for the scan's results.

 

This morning with our praises comes renewed request as my mom has hit another little 'hiccup' along this road. She was scheduled to have her chemo treatment yesterday morning, which has been postponed a week because her white count was too low the week before. Yesterday's blood work revealed her white count to be too low for treatment again (even lower than the week prior), meaning another postponement (probably till early next week). They gave her a shot yesterday (and she will have 3 subsequent shots in the next three days) to hopefully help boost her white blood cells and allow her to continue with her treatment.  The shots are incredibly uncomfortable and cause great 'bone pain' which is leaving her on the couch or in bed. 

 

Would you please pray that...

 

-The cancer would remain MIRACULOUSLY GONE...that this hiccup preventing her from getting treatment would NOT allow the cancer to 'gain strength'

-That her white count would INCREASE dramatically

-That the bone pain would be GONE or at least tolerable with pain medicine

-That her heart would not be discouraged as time in bed/on the couch isn't good for anyone's joy

-That satan would not weasel his way in and cause fear, doubt, despair, etc.

-That the Lord would continue to be glorified through every aspect of this journey

 

Thank you for continuing to pray alongside our family and rally on my mom's behalf...we are so grateful for your intercession!!

 

Be blessed.

 

Annie & family

Update! August 14, 2013

Be Joyful in Hope, Patient in Affliction, and Faithful in Prayer.  Romans 12:12

 

Praising God, praising God, praising God...the lymph nodes in question 6 weeks ago are now GONE!  Thank you so much for faithfully praying on my behalf.  There was some "nonspecific metabolic activity" around my pancreas that my doctor believes is inflammation.  We can be praying  about that.  My next scan is in 6-8 weeks.  If you could pray over my white blood count that would be much appreciated.  It was to low to receive chemo yesterday so I have a week off.  If it is too low again next week they will have to adjust my doses, and I would prefer not to have to do that.  And.....when you pray, praise and thank God for the miracle He is working in me!!!

 

Your faithfulness is a blessing to me and my family.  May you be blessed.

Annie 

Prayer Request - August 10, 2013

I woke up this morning to the cry of a loon, a majestic pink sunrise, and the lake as smooth as glass.  Yes, this is my "happy place".  I have been in a very good place these last few weeks.  I am tolerating the new chemo treatments much better than last summer.  I am trying a new drug to combat the neuropathy and it has changed the tingling pain from a very sharp, needle prick to a dull buzz which is much more tolerable, and I am completing a cancer physical rehab program that has really improved the quality of my lift.  I can now walk, slowly, up to two miles, manage a flight of stairs comfortably, and am getting stronger every day.  If fact, yesterday I carried my very sleepy grandson, all 50 pounds of him into the dairy for dinner.  My vertigo is gone after only two sessions with the physical therapist.  Thank you God....for placing all these wonderful people in my life to help me to encourage me and to care for me.  God continues to meet my every need and then some.  The best part of the summer has been enjoying my two BIG grandchildren and getting to know the two LITTLE ones.  It is all very ordinary, but the ordinary is precious.

 

I would like to ask you to pray with us in the next few days.  I have a follow up PET/CT scan on Monday.  We are praying boldly that the cancer in the lymph nodes will be gone and that there would be no indications of cancer anywhere else.  I read in a devotion last week that "trust is believing that God can, and faith is believing that God will".  I have faith that our God will heal.

 

Thank you for your continued prayers and support.  May you be blessed as you have blessed me.

Annie

We hope you all are doing well and enjoying some sweet summer fun with your family and friends. We are all doing well, enjoying the summer and relishing in lots of time outside and memories up north at the cabin. Annie is doing well with the recent change in her chemo regimen as the side effects thus far have been manageable. No news yet as to how it is working-we continue to BOLDLY pray that the Lord would use the chemo (or the flick of His own Hand) to obliterate ALL of the cancerous cells in her body FOR GOOD so she (and our family and friends) can continue making/enjoying sweet memories together.  Thank you for continuing to pray and rally with our family!

 

It's hard to believe but the Purple Ride is just around the corner, which means the second annual Praying for Annie M Team is beginning to rally and get ready for a beautiful morning of biking fun! 

 

If you participated last year, we hope you might consider joining our team again...if you weren't able, we hope you might be able to join us as we support my mom again this year!

 

This year's Twin Cities Pancan Purple Ride is Sunday morning, Sept. 15th at Elm Creek Regional Park.  Last year, the Praying for Annie M team raised close to $10,000!!!  It is our prayer and hope that we might top that amount this year as we continue to fight to irradiate pancreatic cancer!  

 

You can help by joining the Praying for Annie M team on Sunday morning, Sept. 15, either as a bike rider or as a "virtual rider".  The registration link is pasted below.  Thank you for your continued prayers and love and support for Annie! 

 

http://www.kintera.org/faf/home/ccp.asp?ievent=1063096&ccp=638261

 

Last year's ride was incredible as we saw others rallying for the same cause that has become so near to our hearts. There was purple everywhere...even bikes were decorated! Families towed little ones in bike trailers and cheerleaders lined parts of the route...we hope you'll join us as we don our purple and cheer our dear Annie and so many others on!

 

Be blessed,

Annie's Family

Update- June 25, 2013

Psalm 77:11-14  "I will remember the deeds of the Lord; yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago.  I will consider all your works and meditate on your mighty deeds.  Your ways, God, are holy.  What god is as great as our God.  You are the God who performs miracles; you display your power among the people."

 

Thank you all for your prayers this past weekend.  For the most part, I felt God's presence and peace, and it was a comfort.  We met with my oncologist today and it seems we have had a little "set back".  There is one lymph node in my chest which showed up on the CT scan but NOT on the PET scan, so no cancer indicated.  We will continue to watch it carefully.  There was however one lymph node in my back that showed up on both the CT and PET scans indicating the likely possibility of cancer.  It was quite small, just a centimeter.  There was NO indication of any cancer in my liver, or any other organ.  I was given three options.  1.  Change nothing, rescan in 6 weeks.  2.  Go back to Oxalyplatin and 5-FU/Zeloda, rescan in 6 weeks.  This is the drug combination that worked successfully last year but was discontinued because of the neuropathy.  3.  Start a new chemo regimen, rescan in 6 weeks.  Surgery and radiation are not options at this time.  After much discussion, and some arrow prayers, we decided to go back to the Oxalyplatin and the infusion form of 5-FU which minimizes the burning/blistering/peeling on my hands and feet.  I will also take Glutamine which some studies show has minimized the neurological side effects.  Since it was effective before, we are praying it will be effective again.  My body is healthier than it was last spring, and that should help make the side effects more manageable.  I feel encouraged.  It is good to know we have a plan, and that there are still other "tools in the toolbox". 

 

It would be a blessing to me if you would pray:

-that God would be glorified; my healing is HIS miracle to perform, not because of anything I do or did, but because of who He is.

-with gratitude for the peace I felt this weekend

-with thanksgiving and praise that just one lymph node is involved, and that we have a good plan for treatment

-that the scan in six weeks would show no cancer (boldly praying for that!)

-that the chemo will work, and with minimal, manageable or (boldly) no side effects

-that the new drug I am taking for the neuropathy will begin to take away the tingling, and that feeling would begin to return to my hands and feet.

-that my family can rest in God's peace, placing our trust in Him.

 

Thank you for your prayers and sweet notes of encouragement.  You all continue to be such a blessing to my family and me.

 

Be blessed,

Annie

Prayer Request - June 22, 2012

Psalm 77:11-14  "I will remember the deeds of the Lord; yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago.  I will consider all your works and meditate on your mighty deeds.  Your ways, God, are holy.  What god is as great as our God.  You are the God who performs miracles; you display your power among the people."

 

Today I am remembering the miracles God has performed in my life, and trusting that His miracles will continue.  We received the preliminary report on my PET/CT scan which showed the presence of two suspicious lymph nodes; suspicious in that they were not present on previous scans, and that there was uptake of the radioactive sugars in those nodes.  We have an appointment with my oncologist on Tuesday to discuss exactly what this means and what changes we will make in my treatment.  We continue to pray boldly for a complete healing and ask you to join us in that prayer.  We would also ask that you would be in prayer for wisdom and discernment for my medical team and for my family as we make a decision regarding what to do next.  To be completely honest, I am disappointed, this is not the news of clear scans we were hoping and praying to hear, yet I am optimistically waiting upon the Lord....one step at a time.  Prayer that we would feel the presence of God, and be filled with His peace would also be greatly appreciated.

 

Thank you for prayer support, it is a blessing to me and to my family,

Annie

update and prayer request- May 19th 2013

 

Praising, thanking and giving glory to God....my brain MRI was normal! I had a reaction to the contrast media which caused some nausea and an increase in the neuropathy. The nausea is mostly gone, or rather managed with compazine, my hands and legs are still pretty tingly and numb. It has me mostly home on the couch which has given me a lot of time to spend with God which has been a good thing. The MRI was mostly precautionary, to rule out any spread of the cancer to my brain.as I have been experiencing some dizziness. Now they believe I have benign paroxsymal positional vertigo, BPPV. It is caused by a displacement of a little bone in the middle ear. There is a physical therapist at the Uof M that specializes in the treatment of BPPV. Apparently manipulation of the head and neck can move the bone back where it is supposed to be. I will begin that therapy next week. It could take a couple of treatments, or maybe several. Supposedly the treatment causes some pretty severe nausea symptoms so I would appreciate prayer that the treatment would be successful, and the side effects would be minimal....boldly, no side effects! I am still exploring treatment options for the neuropathy. So far, it looks pretty discouraging. The side effects of drug treatment are nearly as bad, or worse than the neuropathy. If you have any ideas, please let me know. I continue to pray boldly that God would heal my hands and feet and ask you to join me in that prayer. It is, however, a very small price to pay for life!!!

This update is a mixed message. I will share the good news first, and share specific prayer requests at the end.

Wow, what a mother's day weekend! On Saturday, J and A welcomed their first born, a son, five weeks early by unscheduled c-section. More on that in a bit. He is beautiful, and we are so blessed and thankful to welcome him to the O'F and McP families. (On a side note, A's brother and sister-in law welcomed their first born, also a boy, on Thursday in California.)

Sunday we celebrated Mother's Day with my extended family. What a celebration of life and love and God's provision. I am thankful that I was well enough to celebrate with everyone. What a change since last May when I was so sick, and the outlook was not nearly as optimistic. To God be the glory!!!!

On Monday our daughter S, son-inlaw C, O and A welcomed C to their family. S was induced after learning that she was leaking amniotic fluid, perhaps the result of a fall on Friday. God was already protecting mom and baby and C was born safely and healthy Monday evening.

I am praising God for his great healing power. My oncologist did not believe that I would live to see these babies born. But our great God had other plans, plans for hope, and a future. I have been blessed to hold and cuddle these little ones, love on S and C's two older ones, and love and support my own children. God is so good.

S and C and family are home, adjusting to life as a family of five. Baby C is a little jaundiced and S is on antibiotics for a infection due to the tear in her amniotic sac. Please continue to hold them in prayer as life settles in to a new normal. I am looking forward to watching God's plan for their lives to unfold.

A and J have had a more difficult week. Baby T was born five weeks early. He is currently in the NICU growing stronger and gaining some weight. He was on CPAP for several days but God has graciously answered our prayers and he is breathing room air and feeding on demand with just a little supplementation through a NG (feeding) tube. Like baby C, he is beautiful. No, we are not biased at all!!!!

I would like to share with you the story of A's pregnancy and delivery. It is a difficult story to share, but we believe that before we even know how to pray, or what to pray for, God's hand was on A. protecting her even before we knew we should be on our knees. God picked just the right time for A to become pregnant, any sooner might have been to soon, any later might have been too late. Very early in her pregnancy, A found out that she had a rather large cyst on one of her ovaries. Not particularly uncommon, but it did make her very uncomfortable. The pain went away during the middle trimester of her pregnancy and A enjoyed a very normal pregnancy. Yes, it is true, she glowed!!! Last Saturday, A experienced excruciating pain. Not having experienced labor before, they headed to maternal observation. Not in labor, they considered kidney stones or a gall bladder attack. As a family, we began to pray. God was already at work. An abdominal ultrasound showed that the cyst had grown to 17+ cm and the decision was made to perform a c-section, deliver T and remove the ovary and cyst. T was born early Saturday evening, spent his first few hours in the arms of his mom and dad before being transferred to the NICU. It is important to understand how God has been present. God chose the exact timing for A and J to conceive. He provided for A to carry their baby to the point that he could be delivered with manageable complications. He has protected baby T in the NICU and there have been NO setbacks! Had the cyst not grown exponentially, A would not have felt the extreme pain, the c-section would not have been necessary, the cyst would not have been removed, (it turned out to be the size of a football), and the cyst would not have been sent to pathology. God was working beyond our vision, accomplishing His plan without our even knowing. On Wednesday, A and J received to devastating news that the cyst/ovary contained a small, less than 2 cm, malignant tumor. She has be diagnosed with very early stage ovarian cancer. Pretty tough news at anytime, even tougher when you are sleep deprived, recovering from a c-section, and have a baby in the NICU. Again, God provided, A was being discharged on Wednesday, and the hospital very graciously provided a room for her to stay in while baby T was still in the NICU. Because she was in the hospital, they were able to meet that evening, and again the next morning will a very highly respect, (kind and compassionate too), expert in ovarian cancer. He is VERY HOPEFUL, telling A and J that he believes she will live a long life, raise baby T and have future children!!!!! So to simplify this long story, had A not become pregnant when she did, had she not developed an ovarian cyst (which is unrelated to the cancer), had the cyst not grown so dramatically, had she not had an unplanned c-section, had they not been able to remove the ovary and cyst in it's entirety, and had it not been sent to pathology this tumor would not have been found, or removed. God's timing is perfect. God DID NOT cause this tumor to grown in A's ovary, but He did provide a way for it to be found, and removed, before we even knew to be praying. We love, and are loved by an awesome God!!!!

So we have an unexpected road to travel. We have already seen how God provides, we have seen the power of prayer when God's people join together and pray collectively for His children. We have seen opportunities to share God's faithfulness with others, and we have seen our own faith grow as we depend, not on ourselves but on Him. I would ask you to pray that baby T will be big enough, strong enough and healthy enough to come home this week. I would ask you to pray for this sweet little family as they settle in to caring for each other, that they would be protected, that the would tangibly feel God's love for them, and presence with them. I would ask you to pray that we all continue to place our trust in God, that our faith would not waiver. I would ask that you pray boldly that, without knowing he was operating to remove a malignant tumor, that the doctor successfully removed all of the cancer. I would ask you to pray that there would be no other cells of cancer remaining in A's body. I would ask you to pray for a completely clear, without any question, PET scan scheduled for June. I would ask you to pray for a sense of perfect peace. I would ask you to pray as they Holy Spirit leads you. And I would ask you to thank God, praising Him for His provision.

Thank you prayer warriors. Words can not describe my gratitude for each and every one of you. I pray that you will be blessed as you have blessed me.

Annie

^'And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.' Romans 8:28