Today was chemo infusion day number six in this latest installment in my battle with metastatic colon cancer. Today, we received welcome news that I'd gained, what is, for me, at least, a whopping two pounds in body weight. This, coming as it did on the heels of a disappointing 2 1/2 lb. loss last week, prompted a fist pump from me even as the check-in nurse, Heather, was checking my blood pressure, pulse rate and oxygen saturation levels! But Heather shared our joy and couldn't wait to have me share it with our nurse for the day, Corey. Corey, in turn was equally as overjoyed at our good news, so much so that when my naturopath, Dr. Paul Reilly, came into our infusion suite for a consult, Corey appeared and said: "Have you shared your good news with Dr. Reilly yet?"
This, in a nutshell, is why we are sold on the Seattle Cancer Treatment and Wellness Center (SCTWC). Each doctor and nurse is a team member along with you; they're pulling for you with eagerness and enthusiasm and with a healthy dose of optimism and hope. People who come here find an oasis of hope in what for many has been a battle for their lives that others have dismissed as hopeless. But as a radio commercial has it: "At the Seattle Cancer Treatment and Wellness Center, we never give up hope!" How true. Hope is a powerful medicine indeed in any fight with a potentially terminal illness. But even terminal patients have seen their cancers defeated.
A newspaper article http://www.pnwlocalnews.com/south_king/fwm/lifestyle/34284489.html
posted on the bulletin board at the Center today told of the story of a woman diagnosed with terminal lung cancer even though she had never smoked or been subjected to second hand smoke nor was any hereditary linkage to the disease apparent. The first doctor she visited basically gave the woman nine months to live and urged her to get her financial house in order. Not wanting to give up without a fight, this woman contacted SCTWC and found hope for her future. Now her cancer is in remission and the woman has a new lease on life quite literally! Though not every story ends this way, enough do to prove the power of hope conveyed by every doctor, nurse, lab tech and support staff who comprise SCTWC!
Susan and I sense much hope for my future even though the pathway ahead may be strewn with ups and downs, peaks and valleys and reversals alongside advances! With my weight up and the CEA (tumor marker) blood test down from 17.1 to an 8.2, there's cause for hope! And thanks to all of you who through your diligent love and prayers for us are, in your own way, an unseen though no less real part of our team of hopeful and hope-inducing care givers! Thanks for the significant role you play every time you pray for us. Your love and prayers are indeed sustaining and encouraging us in this daily battle!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
But as for me I will
ALWAYS HAVE HOPE
I will praise you more and more.
Psalm 71:14
Who are we to give up hope in our God?
Let it never be our portion!
Rejoicing with you in all things...
The Frees family
Thanks for continuing to give us updates. We are hungry for all the news from your family... everything from updates on the medical journey, to accounts of the various dramas in your neighborhood (an interesting place, indeed!), to getting to know the kids better through their posts and accounts of their adventures. One thing that happens when you pray continually for someone is that your love and concern for them grows. You, Dear Family, are very loved!!!!!!
Joy Ng
Post a Comment