God of All my Days

Happiness Check out this video that my daughter Chloe made. Hope it brings a smile to your face as it did mine! 😊

Praise God that Ryan’s transplant was successful!! 🤗 He’s still struggling with side-effects from last week’s chemo though. And this weekend, Ryan needs to receive two more rounds as well as begin a new drug to help his donor cells graft into his bone marrow and to suppress his immune system. This is a critical time for Ryan post-transplant so let’s keep him in prayer. 🙏 As we were still reeling from the bombshell news of my niece Tabitha’s leukemia diagnosis, we received another bombshell regarding my transplant. My oncologist is concerned for a potential predisposing gene mutation that may have played a part with me and Tabby both getting cancer. Our particular type of leukemia is not hereditary so we’re hopeful that this is all a fluke coincidence. But, it’s still concerning that both of us would have such a rare disease. So anyway, after consulting with several specialists, my oncologist feels it’s best to pursue an unrelated donor for my transplant if possible just in case

As you may remember, my dear niece Tabitha had battled acute liver failure this past January. And now this past week, we received bombshell news that she has leukemia. Obviously, words cannot describe the utter sadness that has come upon us. It’s one thing to go through this myself but to see my youngest niece have to endure this is heartbreaking. Yet, we will press on day by day with the strength and faith that God provides. The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him.” ‭‭(Lamentations‬ ‭3:22-24‬) A dear old friend reminded us that God will sustain us daily with His new mercies every morning as he pointed out that the verses of Lamentations 3:22-24 come in the middle of the book, not at the end, in the midst of severe trials, not when they’re complete... a reminder that God is present and in control, even in our suf

Waiting room at Perelman with 6 feet of separation taped off between chairs!! Paul Tripp has said that “our lives are meant to be a community project” meaning we need each other to run this race. This is all the more pronounced during times of suffering, but community is needed just as much during times when we are “doing well”. The reality is we often don’t see how dependent we are for true fellowship and accountability with others,  those friends who can speak truth in love. There’s a temptation to just self-isolate during this season, but I hope we can see our need for one another and do our best to reach out and love others well as we go through this pandemic together.  As I’ve walked around outside with my mask as usual, it’s strange that everyone now looks like I have for the past several months!  😷 .    I used to hate asking friends visiting whether they were sick or not to protect myself, but now that has become the new normal for everyone. Everyone is keepi

Wanted to give an update on how these fellow fighters have been doing and would appreciate your continued prayers for them and their families esp. during this season with everything going on with Corona. They are all warriors whose steadfast courage and perseverance in their respective battles have been an inspiration to me.  Tabitha We praise God that my dear niece’s liver levels have returned to normal! She’s most happy cause that now means no more medicine!  🤗  What an amazing trooper Tabby has been through it all. A picture is worth a thousand words! Ryan Ryan is a true warrior who has overcome several life-threatening setbacks throughout his battle with cancer. Please lift him up (and his parents Craig and Kim) as Ryan prepares for admission next week to HUP for his long-awaited transplant on 4/21. Please pray for the donor’s health as well as he will have his stem cells extracted this Thursday and that the stem cells would be a perfect match for Ry

My brother recently found and sent me this funny pic from when we were kids. I remember he used to pummel me into oblivion (though to my defense, he did have a far greater height and reach advantage haha!)  😵🥊     Now I face an unrelenting opponent in this fight with chemo (and the ultimate opponent in cancer), and I feel like I’ve been getting beaten up. I need to take him on, but the effects are taking its toll.  Chemo - a necessary evil  With that said, my admission at HUP last week was short and sweet and went smoothly all things considered. I was happy to be on my favorite floor again and got to see many familiar faces and reconnect with nurses and staff. A friend of mine, Ron, who’s there for a few weeks of treatment (“fellow fighter update” to come) was on the same floor as well. Please pray for Ron and others receiving medical care during this season with Corona, as well as those providing care on the front lines. They are doing an amazing job. While in th