Just a Note Before I Go

It has been a great twelve days. I have felt great since June 6, our 21st wedding anniversary and our son’s graduation from high school. By God’s grace and the prayers of many brothers and sisters in Christ, I have been strong enough to speak at graduation, enjoy several graduation parties, attend church two weeks in a row, speak at the morning and evening services on Father’s Day, and enjoy many nice days at home with my family.

The mouth sores never came this time around. Maybe it was the baking soda rinses. Maybe it was the lysine tablets. Maybe it was the avoidance of spicy and acidic foods for the first ten days after chemotherapy – except for Chinese food one day! Maybe it was a combination of all of these. But certainly prayer was an essential factor. And ultimately, it was God’s grace and mercy poured out upon me.

According to my blood count numbers, I should not have felt as good as I did. God’s strength was evident in my weakness. In Him I live and move and have my being. From Acts 17:28.

Tomorrow it begins again. A new cycle. We meet with the oncologist at 9:30 tomorrow morning; then I check into Lehigh Valley Hospital for Round 8 of chemotherapy. Five days.

Our daughter will be traveling with us. My wife will take her on Wednesday evening to meet our niece at the train station. From there, our daughter and niece will take the train back to our niece’s apartment in Philadelphia. On Thursday, they will be driving down to Columbia, South Carolina for our other niece’s wedding. On Friday morning, my wife will drive home for the weekend. She will return to Allentown on Sunday with our two sons to pick me up. On Sunday evening, we will drive to Lancaster and spend two nights there, as I have an appointment with the orthopedic oncologist on Tuesday afternoon. Our daughter and niece will drive back to Philadelphia on Sunday, and meet my wife at the train station near Lancaster on Monday morning. On Tuesday afternoon, following my appointment, we will return home.

For the next week I will no have access to the Internet and will not be able to post to this blog. I look forward to sharing next week the things that I learn over the next seven days.