Fellow fighters (update)

Just a heads up, this blog post will be a long one, but hope you can read it when you get a chance. We’ve all been keeping each other in prayer. And they would really covet your prayers as well.

God has used my suffering to enter the lives of others and comfort those around me who are suffering in a way that I never imagined. Please keep these dear friends and their families in your continued prayers. I am blessed to know these fellow fighters. They are all courageous and have been an inspiration to me and in sharing their stories. 

Tabitha

As many of you know, my dear niece Tabitha has been in the hospital for almost 2 weeks now due to liver issues. The docs have been running various tests and are hopeful that it’s not an autoimmune or congenital disease, but suspecting it’s viral related. The concern is with her bilirubin levels and something with her bile duct. She is scheduled for liver biopsy today under general anesthesia if you could please pray for her, her parents Dan and Judie, and her older sister Deborah, as we can only imagine how taxing this has been on all of them. My heart is honestly broken for them and I’ve wished I could be there with them during this difficult time. But keeping connected in and through prayer.  It’s just so much harder when it’s your kids involved as we just want to take their pain on ourselves. 

Trent

He was admitted to HUP on Jan 15 and received Chemo for several days prior to starting his Car-T infusions this week. If all goes well, he will be discharged by February 1st and hopes to finally return home to Kansas with Kayla and his beautiful family later in the month!  He struggled with nausea and lost a lot of weight due to the chemo but said he’s feeling a lot better since then though they anticipate his levels to continue to trend down in the coming days. Hope to see him again soon. 

Ron

He’s been receiving his immunotherapy treatment at home and will be readmitted to HUP on 1/29 for a week or so to continue to treatment as inpatient then again a few weeks out. He’s feeling pretty good he said and is actually in sunny Florida for the week!! 🌞 Unfortunately can’t swim cause of his PICC line but still nice respite nonetheless. We hope to cross paths and see each other again. He was the one who is super fast with his laps and kept me motivated to keep walking! 🏃‍♂️

Soo

Let me introduce you to Soo, a dear nurse, who actually helped take care of me while at was HUP!  So thankful to have crossed paths with her. She was recently diagnosed with breast cancer. I had shared with her that "suffering reminds us that our lives are to be community projects" and she has since allowed folks to enter into her journey including sharing through this blog. And I told her that God will use her to minister to others here at HUP on the oncology floor in new ways through her own suffering. I look forward to seeing her again when I come back for my transplant. God surely goes before us. She had an appointment with her surgeon last Thursday and she said that much of the weight was lifted after speaking with the doctor. She is scheduled for surgery on feb 11 and will be starting radiation x29 sessions. Please pray for her, her husband, and her two kids in college as they process and go forward in faith with this journey ahead. We told each other that we will commit to fight together for our families! 🙏💪

Mary Lou

Let me introduce you to Mary Lou. She’s a beloved nurse whom I’ve had a pleasure to work with for over 14 years at Shriners (and she has served patients there much longer than I!). She has been battling a bone marrow cancer called myelodysplasia and has a mutant p53 Gene which has made it hard to treat. She recently found out too that her brother was a perfect 100% match for bone marrow transplant and shooting for this summer or fall. Unfortunately, they don't want to do the bone marrow biopsy and transplant too soon because it's her last hope. She’s been having some kidney issues and is currently waiting for her adrenal labs to improve so she can restart chemo. She recently told me “Faith and trust in God got me through the first one and I am sure this one....I only pray to travel this journey, whatever the outcome, with faith, grace, quality and dignity.  I accept whatever the outcome and I am thankful for having the past 4 years with great quality.”  She’s the  epitome of a fighter in faith.

Chung “Mrs. Oh” 

Let me introduce you to Chung, whom I’ve always called “Mrs. Oh”. I knew her when I was child through my home church and grew up with her kids. We just recently reconnected after all these years as I found out she has been battling cancer. She has given me many helpful tips to navigate this journey from her experience. Another true fighter in faith. Here is her story and a letter she wrote 3 years ago when got diagnosed:

My Dx: 

3/10/2017Acute Myeloid Leukemia

8/11/2017Stem cell transplant

2/20/2018 relapsed 

3/01/2018 IV Chemotherapy 

8/11/2018 in remission 

8/23/2019 relapsed 

8/25/2019 started oral chemo 

Total blood and platelets transfusing 36times so far.

My family and I would like to thank each and everyone of you for all your prayers and for all your thoughtfulness. My family and I are so overwhelmed by your encouragement and kindness. 

On March 10th, I remember waiting for my results in the hospital room and the Oncologist knocked and came in. She sat besides me and held my hand and said "I'm so sorry Chung but you have Acute Myeloid Leukemia".  In that moment, as she was giving me the diagnosis, I saw out of my eyes a vision from God. There was a peaceful river and across the river there was a blurry figure holding out a very large rainbow lollipop. I felt true peace like no other as I heard my diagnosis and I knew God was showing me His promise.  This peace can only come from God. I truly thank God for giving me this type of "vacation" as it gives me time to reflect on His goodness during this storm but most of all it gives me ultimate surrender so God can do His work and let His Glory shine. Even if one person gets closer to God or is saved, I will be so happy and my trials will be worth it. 

As I reflect through my trial, I see how much God has prepared me for this moment and how much he has provided for me. For one, Ive been a nurse for forty plus years and I feel so comfortable being admitted in the hospital because I have knowledge in the medical field and do not have fear or anxiety.  He's provided me with many people praying and supporting me, He's provided people to care for my grandsons enabling my son and daughter to come visit very often, He's providing me with many home cooked meals, He's provided unbelievable amount of donated paid vacation hours from my colleagues, and this is just a few to list. Most of all He's given me incredible strength, peace, and a stronger faith through this time. 

I do not ask "why God did you give me AML" but I try to thank Him for using me for His glory. I will receive another bone marrow biopsy on April 4th, 2017 and no matter what the outcome is, I will continue to Praise God and thank Him! For God is so good to me. He is greater then anything and I Trust in our God especially through this storm! 

Jimmy Lieu’s dad

As many of you know, my dear friend’s dad, Mr. Lieu, passed away this past Tuesday night after a recent setback and valiant fight. Please keep Jimmy and his precious family in prayer esp. his mom in the time to come as they grieve the passing of their dear dad. 

This is from Jimmy: 

Thank you everyone for you prayers for my family and I.  This afternoon my family decide it was time for my dad to stop suffering and so we moved him to hospice care.  At 9:15pm January 21st, my dad passed and my family is gathering to mourn.  Agueda and I are thankful for you all and all the prayers you lifted for our family and support and encouragement you all gave.  

As one of our pastors reminded us:

“Such suffering to someone dear and close to us is a stark reminder of the presence of sin and the broken world that we live in. But let us not forget that God hates sin; he hates death and cancer—so much that he sent his Son into our broken world, so that [we] would have something that no sickness can take away. We believe God is more than loving and is more than able to heal and above all, glorify himself through such ordeals. And so in faith, let us be on our knees this week in prayer.”

Thank you everyone and God bless!