Good News and Preparation for Round Eight

Loved Ones,

I have good news tonight! This evening we got an email from Ray's doctor saying that the pathology test they did on Ray's biopsy rules out hereditary gastric cancer. To say that we are overjoyed is not enough!! We are so incredibly grateful for this answer to prayer. We are still waiting for final results from more complex genetic tests, but we think this is a definitive result -- making our wait for the more complex genetic breakdown a lot less stressful.

Another piece of good news tonight is that Ray's white blood cell shot is approved for Round 8! So we are very thankful for that as its necessity has been shown this week! We are also appreciative to Ray's company who helped us navigate this isse.

Though our outlook for the next few days is still somewhat uncertain, we are learning to live with that! And our prayers are a little more specific tonight. First, it looks less likely that we will depart early for MD Anderson. So, we are really praying that Ray can get chemo as scheduled so we don't have to delay going to Houston. We pray that his white blood cells have increased enough to get treatment tomorrow.

We also pray for improvements in Ray's numbers across the board. We pray specifically that his bilirubin and AST have come down. This would give us a lot more confidence going into the next scan next week. And we have big prayers for big improvements in that scan! So confidence would be great!

In addition, we are praying that weather will not impact our travel or time in Houston. Hurricane Ike is scheduled to hit there this weekend! We just pray that we can travel safely there and that there will be no flooding in the med center! (This sounds impossible but we are told it happens!!)

Last, we ask for continued guidance for every step of this way and for courage and peace as we talk to all of these doctors.

We can't wait to meet with Ray's doctor tomorrow, see how Ray's numbers look, and find out the plan for the next few days!

We want to tell you that the prayerful emails flooded us today. Thank you. Words cannot express our gratitude for your very willingness to shoulder part of our burden, bearing us up under your collective arms.

In good news or in bad, in times of waiting or times of rejoicing, we are sustained by the fact that the Lord's very heart goes out to us. A friend sent us today a story where a widow's grief moves Christ to action. “When the Lord saw her, His heart went out to her and He said, “Don’t cry.” (Luke 7:13) As he comforted her, he restored her son.

We are emboldened by Christ's healing; we are comforted by his compassion.

"O people of Zion, who live in Jerusalem, you will weep no more. How gracious he will be when you cry for help! As soon as he hears, he will answer you. Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, "This is the way; walk in it."
Isaiah 30:19,21

not alone and not afraid --

kristin and ray