Thursday, October 4, 2012

Mayo conclusion

The last week has been harder on us.  I continue to feel more stiff in my neck and back and it reminds me of after surgery.  It was harder to pull my socks on, harder to move around.  But then yesterday we heard from the surgeon and oncologist at Mayo.  "We both think that things look good and there has been definite improvement in many areas of the brain and spine"  So I guess we are unsure why I don't feel as good when the scans don't really show any problems.  We are thankful though that it is not the tumors growing.  I have to keep my situation in perspective.  While I'm not able to work physically all day like a 20 year old, I probably have less handicaps than some around me.  I can lift things when I need to, I can drive, I can go to work, I can pick up and hold Lainey.

We are leaving this afternoon for Indiana and spending the weekend out there seeing friends from the last year's treatment.

Keep praying for us above all that we can have the right attitudes, and continue trusting in God.  I think some of the afflictions I feel may be just that, to keep me from thinking I'm going to live forever.

Derek & Leann

What I'm Learning From Cancer #6
Encourage others - I used to be really self-conscious about writing a card or saying a kind word to someone in need.  I feared that my words wouldn’t come out right, or I would say the wrong thing.  Let me tell you that we received many hundreds of cards.  Some had 2 pages of writing, some had 2 lines.  But I never thought that what anyone said was weird or dumb.  Don’t let that fear inhibit you being a witness and encouragement to others.  It’s not as hard as you might think.  Just get in the habit of encouraging others and sending a card when you hear of someone who is sick.  The same goes for visiting someone in the hospital or who is confined to their home.  I appreciated everyone who came.

3 comments:

  1. I really appreciated your last comment today. When I first started following your journey, I was hesitant to post comments because I often feel like a virtual creeper. But I guess there's nothing weird about saying that I'm inspired by your courage and that I pray for your family quite regularly even though we've never met. Now that I think about it, there are a lot of people out there who have inspired me in some way without even knowing it. That's sad. Thanks for the encouragement to give those words a voice. Hope you feel better soon.

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  2. Praying for you much and hoping you have a wonderful weekend.
    all our love,
    trk&crew

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  3. Love and prayers from Kansas City. Thankful you can get away and enjoy friends in IN.

    Blessings,
    Joan Fehr

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