an update... finally!

dear friends and family.... my apologies to all of you for not having kept up with the blogging happening here regarding dad's condition. my life has been crazy busy with international students in and out of the house, hubby working, father-in-law living with us and 3 little ones to look after... whew! let's just go with the old adage: "no news is good news."

but i will let you know what has been happening and what the future days will bring. first off, dad has had a couple of extreme bouts of dealing with gout, one of which caused doctors to be concerned, but after much deduction, came to the conclusion that, yes, indeed it was gout, just on the opposite foot than normal. thank goodness for the lightweight wheelchair that mom was able to acquire from Vitas, an in-home care service that has provided dad with many things to make life at home more comfortable when he needs the comfort, like oxygen so that he can get it when he needs it instead of going to the hospital every time he feels short of breath [he has thankfully not had to use it yet -- it's a "just-in-case" measure].

other than that, dad seems to be doing really well. he looks good and says he feels good and i do believe it is true! he has gone to church 3 weeks in a row now after several months of missing that time. and the same is true for going out for dinner with friends. again, for 3 weeks in a row, he has dined at a few of his favorite restaurants and enjoyed that famous cup of joe at the local coffee house. he has his appetite back -- praise God! my girls cannot wait for grampy to take them recycling -- one of their favorite things to do with him!

as for the coming days/weeks, dad will be starting up with the chemo again -- the continuation of the merkel cell treatment -- this thursday, provided the doctor gives the go-ahead. he was supposed to have begun treatment last week but the doctor said that his blood test came back showing low white blood cell count which meant that if he had proceeded with treatment, his body would have been extremely prone to infection. [white cells fight off infection and without them it's dangerous territory].

so, here we are. praying for the future and praising God for the past -- the small ways that he has healed and provided. and dad sends a big THANK YOU for all of your notes, cards, prayers, calls and emails encouraging and sharing love and God's grace. "keep 'em coming!"

as a side note, brian's dad Mike will be heading back to GA in september to meet with drs to see if chemo needs to be continued. please be praying for those test results and that God would be evident to him. also, my brothers' mom Carol passed away 2 weekends ago. please be praying for my brothers and their families through this difficult time.

i promise to make time in my schedule to post more often than monthly! thanks again for everything!