FEBRUARY 26

"bamaw. if papaw teaches about god why does god give him cancer why?"

This question was posted on Facebook by our 11 yr. old grandson, Tyler. I admit that I have thought the same thing many times and my heart breaks to think that my grandchildren have to go through this with us. Gary spent time tonight talking to Tyler on the phone trying to explain to him how just because you are faithful to God and His will, doesn't mean that bad things will not happen to you.

My prayer is that Tyler will see God work His will in all that Gary is going through and he will see his Papaw and Bamaw glorifying God no matter the outcome. As you pray for Gary tonight, please remember our children and grandchildren too.

FEBRUARY 24

Today, Gary woke up saying he wanted to get out of the apartment and walk in the mall ... so that is what we did. We did not stay very long, mainly because I was concerned he would over do it. He has not felt like doing anything like that for quite some time now. Gary mentioned that he has noticed he is not as sleepy as he has been before this last treatment. His pain levels have been better in his head also. We are hoping these changes are an indication that the cancer has diminished at least some. Thank you for your prayers!

TAKE TIME

Today, I was reading a devotional written by Chuck Swindoll at http://www.insight.org/ titled "Take Time". It was a blessing to me to be reminded of this verse and how we can tell Jesus how weary and over-burdened we are.

"Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light." Matthew 11:28-30

Toward the end of his devotion, he said ...

I suggest you accept Jesus' invitation---today. Come to Him. Tell Him how weary and over-burdened you are. Pull that heavy backpack loaded with all your stuff off your shoulders and drop it at His feet. Do it now. Then enter into His rest. Relax for a change---take an extra several minutes to enjoy His presence . . . embrace His peace. Before you turn in tonight, curl up alongside those who mean the most to you and tell them how much you love them, how valuable they are to you.

Good words for all of us, whether we are going through trials or not. "Thank you Lord, for taking my burdens, for dying on the cross for my sins and allowing me to feel your presence every moment of every day."

FEBRUARY 22

Gary was dismissed from the hospital today with an MTX level of .07. His Creatinine levels stayed at .8 the entire time. Everyone is please, especially Gary. We have an appointment to have MRI of head and PET scan done on Tuesday, March 2. Please join us this week praying that there will be a significant decrease of the cancer. Please pray for me to have a quite spirit and not be anxious waiting on news of whether the cancer has increased or decreased. Thanks!

FEBRUARY 21

Gary continued to fight the nausea today, but is handling it okay with anti-nausea drugs. His Methotrexate level this morning was .19. A good drop from the first reading last night of .59, so we are pretty confident that it will be below .1 tomorrow, enabling him to leave the hospital. We appreciate so much your cards, emails, and phone calls letting us know that you are thinking of us and praying for Gary.

FEBRUARY 20

Gary is still not feeling too well. He has not wanted to eat today. He does get up and walk down the hall in between naps. He is not holding onto the extra fluids they are giving him, so has not needed the diuretic. Tonight they took the first blood draw to check the MTX levels. We will know in the morning what that is. Thank you for your prayers!

FEBRUARY 19

Valentines Day has passed, but I wanted to share a special card Gary received. Esther is 6 yrs. old and has been dealing with cancer for quite some time now. Her parents are missionaries in India and are now attending the same church as Gary's parents in Tulsa. Her little note really touched our hearts. She certainly taught me something with her simple words of faith. I still have days I struggle with why God would allow this to happen to Gary. Esther's little note reminds me to stop asking why and just give God the glory... whatever happens. Thank you Esther.

Gary has not felt well today, not wanting to eat. Tonight he finally asked for an anti-nausea drug. They have started the rescue drug so now we wait for the MTX to leave his body. We appreciate you praying for him and while you are at it, please pray for Esther too.

FEBRUARY 18

Gary started on the Methotrexate tonight. He is not feeling too good this evening. The steroid they give before the MTX makes him have hot and cold flashes and the extra fluids that they have pushed through him tend to make him nauseous. All in all, no "excitement" and that's the way we like it. We appreciate your prayers!

FEBRUARY 17

Gary saw his doctor today before being put back in the hospital for another treatment. Dr. Patrick said his plan is to have Gary go through this treatment and possible one more before moving on to the stem cell transplant. This all depends on how well Gary is responding to these last treatments. They plan to do a MRI and PET scan after this treatment to see how much of the cancer is gone.

Tonight they have started hydrating Gary with fluids and tomorrow night, they will administer the high dose of Methotrexate. Just because Gary has done well with the last two treatments, does not mean there is no cause for concern. Even the doctor commented today how Gary has responded different every time he has done this treatment. Several specific areas you can join me in prayer during this time are:

*That the MTX will not affect his kidneys

*That the MTX will rapidly leave his body once the rescue drug is administered

*That while in his body, the MTX will be effective against the cancer

*That we will see a significant improvement in the next MRI and PET scan

FEBRUARY 15

Becky and grandkids left today. We sure enjoyed having them here. Even though Gary felt bad, he was very happy that they were with us for a few days.