Great vacation

Tom and I had a wonderful time getting away last week. We went to see some dear friends in Missouri, Rick and Lenore and their son Tyler. They were so hospitable and kind...it was great being with them! Then we went to the lake condo in Bella Vista. We just relaxed and had a great time.

Medically...I am waiting to get an appt. with another doctor to get my second opinion. I've contacted Vanderbilt University and I'll hear tomorrow whether I can get in to see them next week or not. If I can't, then I'll arrange an appt. with the doctor at Univ. of AR in Little Rock. I'm just praying for the Lord to open and close these doors so I'll land where he wants me to land. In the meantime, I'm still on Tamoxifen.

Tom leaves for Africa early Friday morning. PLEASE keep him in your prayers. He will be gone for 3 and half weeks to Nigeria and Tanzania, flying through Germany and England. I will leave Sat. to go see my family in Tennessee for a week. This is my first time back to Tenn since last Oct. when I was diagnosed. Mary will be coming with me, but Jamie will stay home again because he's working.

That's all for now. The vacation was such a huge blessing. We are grateful to our friends and to the Lord! Every little part of it fell beautifully into place. To His glory!

Still rejoicing!

One week has passed since I finished my treatment. It has been a great week, one of celebration. Friday morning I did my victory lap with Tom, Jamie and Mary. Then that night our family and extra family all went to eat catfish. Late Friday night Jesse came in for the weekend. It was wonderful having him home. Also, Saturday night we had a small group of friends come over to the house to sing and praise the Lord and to thank Him for His faithfulness throughout this journey. Great celebration weekend.

As I said before, this race is not over but I wanted to celebrate this milestone with a grateful heart. Monday morning I kind of got back to the race again. Tom and I went to my oncologist in Little Rock. We discussed with her that I'd like a second opinion about what we are going to do next. I have never done that, ever, with a medical doctor, but everything I've read said that I should. I was worried that she would think I didn't trust her or something, but she said that getting a second opinion is common and she would do the exact same thing if it were her case. She is a very mature and gracious doctor. She said very directly that I shouldn't worry about staying there or not etc. but that the main thing was to go to the place that best fit my needs. For now, she wanted me to go ahead and begin Tamoxifen, an anti-estrogen drug, and then in the coming month I'll go talk to a second doctor. From there we'll decide which path to take. One place she mentioned was the UAMS in L.Rock. There is a specialist there in breast cancer oncology.

This past week I also feel like I crossed over a line when I finished my radiation. At this moment in time, they have removed as much of the cancer surgically as possible, they have systemically attacked the cancer with the chemo, and they have radiated the skin area and lymph nodes as much as possible. So...do I have cancer in my body right now? Probably somewhere, but so does everyone they say. And at this point, as far as I know, I am more cancer-free than cancer-filled. I praise God to be able to say that! The healing will continue, but I've come a long, long way. I want to continue to thank Him for the healing that He's already done, as I move forward into whatever is ahead.

Please pray for the Tamoxifen to do its job, minus the negative side effects, which include some serious things. Also, I'll ask for prayers for our family. Tom and I are traveling to the Ozarks Sunday. This is our week vacation together that we've been looking forward to! Mary will be at Camp T. for 2 weeks. Last year she went home early with strep, so please pray she'll stay well and have fun. Jamie is staying in Searcy. Bets will be on the Gulf Coast doing Katrina volunteer work with her youth group. And Jess is moving this weekend in Nashville to a house with some friends. Thank you so much for your continued prayers.

Lord, thank You for this week, another week, that You have walked with me and held me up with Your mighty hand and tender love. Thank You, again and again and again.
In Jesus' Name.

"I run in the path of your commands, for you have set my heart free." Ps 101:32