Thank you to all for your prayers and support during these recent  very difficult days. In our last episode, we updated you on the revelation that we had been receiving the wrong treatment all along, and that we needed to start a new, more aggressive treatment ASAP – with that new treatment having the potential to kill me (in several different ways) due to the additional severe weakening of my already compromised body.

Long story short, as we met with Dr. Pomeroy yesterday, we found that he has been giving me the dosages and medications required by Magrath (the standard treatment for Burkitt’s lymphoma, my malady). He pulled one very toxic medication in Magrath off the treatment because (Dr. Pomeroy’s words) “I had brought you as close to the point of death as I could” and I wouldn’t have been able to tolerate that medication.

So: it turns out this whole thing has been much ado about nothing. We’d be mad but we’re way too tired and wrung out!

What’s next, then? We have to finish up conversations with the Stanford doc’s, but it appears that I don’t need additional rounds of Chemo treatment after all. That is, aside from the one exception noted above, there is no additional treatment or medication they could give me to fulfill the Magrath requirements. So: I have two chemo sessions to finish Dr. Pomeroy’s original Rx (next one scheduled for Monday), and Dr. Pomeroy is considering whether or not I even need two…..Monday could be my last Chemo!

Beyond that, Dr. Pomeroy has been considering (and has temporarily ruled out) me getting a bone marrow transplant, unless the cancer should return. While he doesn’t feel it’s necessary, and most other oncologists don’t either as a routine adjunct to the chemo, he wants a second opinion, which will probably require a trip to UCSF.

I’m sure you can imagine what a great relief this news is to us! To be this close to potentially finishing is very exciting, as is knowing I don’t have to go through an additional brutal round of chemo treatment. While we are happy, we are wrung out from this “story”, which has come at the end of an already long road.

Where did the communication go off track? We’re not really sure. And we’re honestly too tired to want to investigate it or figure it out. Many of you have been angry on our behalf (nice to have passionate friends on our side!), and I trust you’ll forgive our exhaustion at this point.

So, once again, what a boatload of good news! We will keep you posted as things progress.

Thank you again for your many prayers, posts, e mails, cards and phone calls during this difficult time. Your care has carried us. You are loved!

Scott & Lynne

Changing health landscape

My health situation has changed drastically in the last 48 hours. Warning – this is a very complicated situation, and I’ll try to be concise but this will not be a short update.

In “our last episode”, you’ll recall that I’d just seen a radiologist, who was questioning whether or not I even needed radiation treatment. Unmentioned by me in the last post was that the Radiologist had begun to question whether or not I had been receiving the right chemo treatment.

The radiologist began to check this out with Dr. Advani of Stanford, one of the leading experts on Lymphoma – literally one of the doctors that wrote (within the last 2 years) the treatment guide for high risk lymphoma. Dr. Advani has opined that I have been on the wrong chemo treatment plan, and has provided substantial data behind that opinion.

How does our treating Oncologist feel about this? He totally disagrees that I’ve been given the wrong treatment. However….he has not seen the 2 studies (specific to my rare cancer, Burkitt’s lymphoma) that we have seen. Here are the troubling numbers: under the treatment plan I have been on, there is a 44% chance that my cancer will return in one year. And that number is the average; most Burkitt’s, patients in the US are children – so there is good reason to believe that the numbers would be even more unfavorable for me. And, if the cancer returns, the only possible hope is bone marrow transplant – and the odds on that aren’t always high (depending on whether I’d be able to use my own bone marrow, or else one how close a match the donor is).

We’ll be meeting with my current Oncologist on Wednesday to review these studies and see how (if?) he fits in to future treatment options.

Choices

So where does this all leave us? We’ve been referred to a Stanford-trained Santa Cruz physician, who has been in consultation with Dr. Advani. He suggests there are three choices right now:

1. Switch to a treatment known in Chemo-land as “Modified McGrath”. Modified McGrath is now the standard treatment for high-risk Burkitt’s lymphoma (there is an 8% chance with this treatment plan that there would be a re-occurrence) . This is an extremely aggressive form of Chemo. I would have to be hospitalized for most if not all of the treatment (as the health risks to me, the patient, are severe). Complicating the situation is the fact that I’ve already received 6 treatments of the old (inadequate Chemo) method. Because of this, if I went through this Modified McGrath treatment I would be at high risk for the following life threatening situations: infections, bleeding, and cardiac arrest. Even if I avoid those land mines, the rest of the treatment is pretty bad – I’d be very sick and hospitalized for most of 6-8 weeks.
2. Continue with the current treatment plan and hope for the best. The downside to this is that it would eliminate the possibility of going with the Modified McGrath treatment; there is a lifetime limit on one of the medications (used in my current treatment and also used in McGrath). Plus there’s that pesky 44% return rate number.
3. Stop the current treatment plan right now and hope for the best, with bone marrow transplant the only available option if the cancer returns.

My uniqueness

Burkitt’s has only 100 occurrences per year in the USA. Most of the occurrences are children. And of the few adults that get Burkitt’s, most are HIV positive. Lastly, 49 is the oldest age typically for those who get Burkitt’s. So I’m really in a unique position – there are not a lot of others to compare me with. Combined with the fact that I’ve already had partial chemo treatment, this leaves the doctors befuddled as to what the right choices are for now.

Perfect Storm

Just to make this a perfect storm, there is an international cancer convention taking place next week. Dr. Advani – whose studied opinion we are waiting for – is key at this convention, and, because of this, super busy. It figures to be 3 weeks before we see Dr. Advani, possibly less until the other Stanford docs can get her opinion. And we’re told pretty much anybody who’s anyone in Stanford cancer is gone right now.

Then there’s insurance. Turns out the local Stanford oncologist is not covered by my insurance. Mount Hermon’s health insurance broker (David Angel) is busting it to try to change this in a hurry. (We are very thankful for David Angel – he’s done a lot for us during this long road).
What’s next?

We don’t really know. We’ll next hear from the local Stanford oncologist possibly on Tuesday (though he’s really not supposed to talk to us – not covered by insurance). And we’ll meet with our current Oncologist on Wednesday. We don’t know beyond what we’ve outlined above what will be next. The road is very unknown, and every turn that is presently seen has major pitfalls.

Prayer requests

Pray for wisdom and guidance in this process. We’d also appreciate your prayers just that we could keep our chin up. This has been an overwhelming and discouraging week. Pray also for our meeting next Wednesday with our current Oncologist; we may be parting ways with him, and we want the relationship to finish well (It has been said by a friend of mine that “the Kingdom of God is the kingdom of right relationships”. I couldn’t agree more, and want this relationship to be right at the possible end).

Where is God in all of this?

Yeah, I’m a pretty good guy going through a pretty lousy set of circumstances. I guess it’d be easy to get mad at God in all of this. But it’s not where I’m at. I think about the life I’ve had – married to my best friend, getting to work at a place that I love, family and friends that are terrific – and there is so much to be thankful for. And then I think about the hard times I’ve had in my life – rough years in adolescence, retinal detachments in college, my Dad dying when I was 22, being clinically depressed when I turned 40 – and God showed up and redeemed every one of those situations. Yeah, it’s hard to figure this situation out, but I know God will show up in it. It probably won’t be my prescribed solution, and almost definitely not in my prescribed timing, but He will show up. That’s where “I’m at”.

Needs

We have not hesitated to bring our needs to this blog community and I trust that you will indulge such one more time.

Our finances are currently a struggle, and will be until I return to full health. That is: Lynne has not worked for months, and we are living on disability pay (60% of my regular salary). Santa Cruz Bible Church, our church home since 1992, has heard of our need and graciously will be administering a quiet fundraising effort to assist us. If you have interest in helping with this, gifts can be sent to: Santa Cruz Bible Church, 440 Frederick Street, Santa Cruz, CA 95062. Gifts should be noted as “Scott & Lynne Halverson Benevolence”.

Thank you for reading through this long blog entry. More than that, thank you for praying. We badly need wisdom and encouragement at this time. We have received so much encouragement through this community, and we know that God gives wisdom when we ask. Thanks for standing with us.

Much love,

Scott & Lynne

Yesterday with the Radiologist

Yesterday we met with a local Radiologist. We thought the meeting would be an outline of what kind of radiation schedule I could expect, but the appointment took a surprising turn: the Radiologist is not sure whether I need the treatment. As a result, two steps are planned: 1. I will get a CT scan to see what (if any) remaining cancer shows in my body and 2. The decision whether or not to get radiation will be evaluated (second opinion) by a Stanford oncologist (regarded as the top lymphoma physician at Stanford). Realistically, it will probably be three weeks before the Stanford appointment takes place, so it will be a while before we know what the recommendation will be.

Why a second opinion sought by the Radiologist? My type of Lymphoma – Burkitt’s – is very rare, only 100 cases per year in the US per WebMD.com (and the vast majority of those in children). So she wanted to get input from a lymphoma expert.

The possibility of no radiation treatment at all excites me incredibly. It would mean around July 1 I would start feeling strong, with no more treatment scheduled…”only blue skies do I see”. I could be out on my bike for a long, mountain-climbing ride perhaps by Labor Day!

If I do have to go through radiation, there is good news and bad news. The good news is that the Radiologist says I should not experience the typical side effects of nausea and diarrhea, because of my tumor location. The bad news? Radiation would start around July 13, and of necessity go four weeks straight – and I would have to miss my Mom’s 90th birthday bash in late July.

The other possible treatment option involves bone marrow work. But my Oncologist doesn’t feel this is necessary as I’ve responded so well to Chemo – so this would only come about if recommended by the Stanford Doc.

Somewhere buried in this complicated, technical update is a prayer request. I think you the reader know my heart’s desire: first to be able to attend my Mom’s birthday bash, secondly to be over with this awful cancer treatment sooner rather than later. But these desires must be tempered against whatever is medically the best long term decision. Any prayers you could offer for guidance and the right medical decision would be welcomed!

I’ve been doing a lot of reading online about Burkitt’s lymphoma. The more I read, the more I realize how fortunate I was. When a case of Burkitss’s has multiple tumors (I had two), Burkitt’s often spreads into the central nervous system or bloodstream. I think I could not have been more than a few weeks away from this awful fate. I am sure I am here today because of God’s mercy and the prayers of his people. Thank you, thank you, thank you for your prayers – I am a most fortunate man.

Warmly,

Scott

Meeting today with the Oncologist

Well, met today with Dr. Pomeroy (the Oncologist). He is definitely of the opinion that I should have radiation therapy (says its SOP when someone has a tumor as big as mine was [5 inches by 5 inches]). So it’ll be interesting to see what goes down when the Stanford opinion comes back.

In the meantime, we agreed to take another approach to try to get Scott up to Seattle in time for his Mom’s 90th: we’re going to try to do the last two Chemo’s with only two

weeks in between. This is the pace adopted between Chemo #1 and Chemo #2, after which I had such awful results (since then chemo has been on an every-three-weeks schedule). But I’ve been in such good shape for the last several weeks (the Radiologists quote yesterday after a physical exam: “You’re the picture of health”) that Lynne, Dr. Pomeroy and I all feel good about giving this a try. If we’re able to do the last two chemo’s with only two weeks in between, this would allow a six and one-half week period in which to get the four weeks of radiation done before Mom’s 90th. There will be

some delay between Chemo and Radiation as they have to make sure my blood cell counts are healthy before proceeding with Radiation. But this plan should allow for just enough time to pull things off.

So, as of right now, we have the next Chemo scheduled for this Friday (15 days after the previous one). If we can change a couple of appointments, we plan on going with this Chemo date.

All in all, if we can do this, I’d be very enthused. To move up the Chemo schedule a net 2 weeks means I’m that much closer to all the things I’ve missed: being at work, good cardio exercise, a long walk with my wife, appetite returning to normal, NORMAL LIFE etc. It also means the next 4 weeks look to be pretty grim for Lynne and I – as my pattern has been that I need 10 days to recover from chemo. So, a 4 week period equals 28 days, out of which I’d feel lousy for 20 of them. But, hey, I’m alive, and will hopefully get to be there Mom’s 90th. That’s a trade I’m happy to make.

So in my little world right now that’s a pretty significant set of changes. We’ll keep you posted as things develop. Thanks for your prayers and wonderful partnership.

Scott

Writing on Sunday afternoon. For my birthday weekend, my friends Dan and Shelly Lawrence came down from Seattle and Marty Walker came down from Sacramento. Dan and Marty have been my friends since I was in Junior High. Dan’s wonderful Shelly has been putting up with our antics for over 25 years now, as has my wife Lynne (well, 24 years in Lynne’s case). Anyhow, I am so blessed to have such friends, and the weekend had everything I could hope for in a birthday: great talk, funny old (and new) stories, laughs playing some games, great time around the dinner table (below I’ve got a picture of us (including Daniel and Becky) enjoying dinner at Mama Mia’s in Felton.

Health news

I’m now 10 days removed from Chemo treatment. The cycles of Chemo have become predictable now, with me feeling lousy for the first 7 days after. I began feeling decent again Friday (just in time for the birthday weekend!). I was able to avoid diarrhea this go-round, and I’m grateful for that. I remain very weak (typical for this part of the post-chemo cycle) as my red blood cells try to recover from getting blasted at by the treatment (the biggest hassle with this weakness is that it’s just hard to do basic stuff like walk and lift things heavier than a few pounds). If the past patterns hold, I’ll rebuild strength from now until the next chemo.

This cycle was perhaps my most difficult emotionally, and I’ve struggled with depression. It was chemo #6 out of 8, and I knew after my treatment 1. The final treatment was still 6 weeks away and 2. exactly what to expect for the week after chemo (very tired, nauseated, unable to do anything but lie in bed). It was hard to endure the depressing, nauseating, weak week). It REALLY helped to have my friends visit for the weekend and break the mood. When I get my next chemo I’m not expecting it to be as emotionally difficult as I’ll know it’s the second-to-last one and the last one will only be THREE weeks away!

Tomorrow we meet with a Radiologist. Our Oncologist had mentioned early in treatment that he would want to give me some “mop-up radiation” treatment when I was finished with chemo. We were kind of surprised to learn that “mop-up” work was going to be 5 full weeks of radiation treatment! With my last chemo around June 20, this would put my last radiation treatment around July 25 (if we start radiation right after chemo). This is problematic as a wonderful woman in Seattle (my Mom) has a big, multiday 90^th birthday bash planned beginning July 27. So we have a lot of questions for the Radiologist: Does it have to be 5 consecutive weeks? When can it start? Etc making tomorrow’s meeting an important one. We’d be grateful for your prayers.

Thoughts about Hezekiah

I’ve mentioned Hezekiah a few times in the blog. Hezekiah was one of the last kings of Israel. The prophet Isaiah comes to him at one point and tells him that he will soon die and should prepare for his final days. But Hezekiah cries out to God, and via Isaiah God communicates that Hezekiah has been granted 15 more years of life. This has become a powerful story for Lynne and I. When we first got the diagnosis of cancer – from a leading Bay Area oncologist – we were told that our outlook was ‘grim” unless I somehow had a lymphoma (at which point the oncologist crossed his fingers and looked away). Now, 8 days later, we found out that I had Burkitt’s lymphoma (the most aggressive non-Hodgkins lymphoma, but highly treatable if caught in time) – but for 8 days, we lived under a death sentence. During those 8 days, more than once, we prayed that God would allow me to be as Hezekiah – granted more years. Which, of course, is what happened.

Anyhow, I found this great passage in Isaiah 38 where Hezekiah prays, and you see both his despair (I’m going to die) and relief (I’m going to live). Here’s an excerpt, after Hezekiah has processed the good news:

“I will walk humbly all my years because of this anguish of my soul. Lord, by such things men live; and my spirit finds life in them too….Surely it was for my benefit that I suffered such anguish”.

So I believe this now becomes my challenge moving forward: remembering these days of this anguish of my soul, and discovering that “by such things men live”, as well as the benefit that will come from suffering. This will be a challenge; indeed, in Hezekiah’s case, the scripture reports that he no longer walked humbly in his later years. I need to grab from this lesson and learn how to walk humbly.

Needs

So many of our needs have been met so marvelously by the local community! We are so very grateful and continue to benefit from great meals and kind taxi drivers. At the same time, we’d like to make you aware of some needs that we could use some help with:

Social Security Disability – the disability insurance company is forcing me to apply for Social Security disability, even though it won’t apply in my case (I don’t expect to be away from job for 1 year or longer). Anyhow, there is an 8 page application that needs to be filled out. Because of neuropathy, my handwriting is presently shaky and often illegible. If someone with good legible handwriting could simply come by some time for 30 minutes, I could dictate to them what to put in each slot of the 8 page application.

Quicken We rely on this computer program to keep track of our finances. I am the data entry guy. But during chemo I have not been able to keep up with the data entry. It is not a difficult program to learn to use. A few hours of data entry time would get it mostly caught up, which would be a great blessing to us as we try to navigate this difficult financial season. If you have interest in this, or the social security disability item, please contact us.

Thank you to all who bless us with prayers, kind words, and other acts of kindness! We are so grateful for each of you. And, believe me, each blog posting is read and cherished by us.

Much love,

Scott & Lynne

So Saturday I turn 50.  Hard to believe….in my heart I still feel like a kid.  At any rate, it’s my birthday, so I wanted to take this chance and give a few reflections on what life is about to this guy.  So, with no further adieu….

The God of the Bible can be trusted.  And he should be loved and feared.

That’s been the story of my life in a nutshell.  God has always shown up.  His timing (rarely early but never late) is a bit funny, and he solves things in different ways than I would prefer.  But he’s always shown up. 

And it’s true that God’s people are often the worst advertisement for the God of the Bible.  I am guilty as charged on this account.  But I suppose it’s a bit like a driver of a Lexus: it might be a lousy driver, but it doesn’t make the thing itself – the Lexus – lousy.  God is worth our trust, love and fear.

Solomon puts it best: “…here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man”.

Most of the best things in life have little to do with money

A great talk.  A hike in the mountains.  Playing with kids.  A great meal with friends.  A magical sunset.  Yeah, one needs money, no doubt – but in the middle of the night what we ache for is rarely more money – it’s that great talk, or great walk, or more time with those whom we love.   Solomon again says it well: “It is good and proper for a man to eat and drink and find satisfaction in his toilsome labor under the sun…for this is his lot”.

We’re made to live for a purpose

In my 20’s, I resented that I had to do this thing called work.  But I’ve learned that work can be a real blessing.  It’s a good thing to work hard and be content in what one does.  Solomon, tell us about it! “When God…enables [a man] to…accept his lot and be happy in his work – this is  a gift of God. He seldom reflects on this days of his life, because God keeps him occupied with gladness of heart”.

God has given me some funny bookends these last two round numbers.  On my 40^th birthday, I was clinically depressed.  But that turned out to be a great blessing, as I got some good counseling and unlocked some painful stuff in my past that had been shackling me – it changed my life.  And, now, on my 50^th, recovering from cancer…but given a sentence of life.  Life is hard, but God is good.

What’s the update on my health?  In brief, I had chemo on Thursday, and I’ve been feeling pretty tired yesterday and today.  I probably won’t feel decent again until Friday.  Not fun, but part of my recovery. Thanks for your prayers and love and friendship.

Love, Scott

Scott just called from the doctor’s office to let us know that as of 9:15 this morning, his white blood count has shown a 60% improvement!  That’s overnight!  His chemo treatment will proceed today.

This is a longer blog entry, so for those of you who just want to know how you can pray, we do have one timely and urgent prayer requext.  A blood reading today found that my white cell count is VERY low.  I have chemotherapy scheduled tomorrow, and the low white cell count jeapordizes the chemo session (as the chemo drugs will kill white blood cells, and if my white cell count is low, I’m highly susceptible to any virus or bacteria that I come in contact with).  Our best guess is that cvhemo would be postponed for a week.  This is a problem because of a very special celebration in July.  My Mom will be celebrating her 90th birthday, and my Seattle siblings have a big bash planned.  Because I still have 3 chemo session and a month of radiation treatment scheduled, the postponement could mean I don’t make it to Seattle for my Mom’s birthday bash.  So, late night blog prayer warriors: please pray that there will be some way around this.

Ok, for those of you who REALLY like to read about my life, back to our regularly scheduled programming…

Many of you know that I am a comic book fan.  This started when I was home sick with the flu one day in the 5th grade.  My Mom brought home a stack of 4 Disney comic books, and all of a sudden my time in bed was transformed.  I probably read each of those comics 3 times that day! (and felt so cozy and loved – that’s something only a Mother can do.  Thanks Mom!).  That started a lifelong love.  Today I don’t read comics, but I do have a successful eBay business in which I sell comics (that I acquire by hook or by crook – they are hard to find these days!).  I still get a jolt when I buy a collection and see an old comic that I read or wanted to own.

Anyhow, a common phrase on the front page of many stories in the comics of the 60′s was “reprinted by popular demand”.  While now and then the reprinted story was lame (Hey, who requested THIS story to be reprinted???), this phrase was usually an indication that you were about to read a really good story.  Well, we returned from our short time away with some “popular demand” that we update the blog – it’s been a whole 3 days!  So, in that vein, “by popular demand”, our latest update.  As always, we will not be hosting a pop quiz on this later…

We had a great time in our 2 days away.  Right before we left we had a fairly serious issue come up, and the 2 and 1/2 hour drive gave us time to talk through things.  By the time we arrived, we had the issue talked through and were ready to relax.  It would have been so hard for us to find this kind of time to talk had we not been away.

Once there, we did what marks a Scott & Lynne vacation: we really pulled the plug out and relaxed.  We slept in both days, took naps, went for walks in 2 different parks (I walked for an hour on Monday – the most I’ve walked since January!), Lynne did a lot of knitting, we played games of Yahtzee (true, basically a game of mostly luck and little skill….but it was just right for our tired brains), ate (at my insistence) some junk food, found a really good candy shop (they had old candies like “Sugar Babies” and “Flicks” – remember those?), went out for a nice breakfast, got Scott to TWO In-n-Out Burger meals, watched the Sharks-Stars 4 overtime hockey game until the 3^rd overtime (we got way too sleepy)….you can see we had a great time.  We didn’t make it out to the Ocean for the hike – it turned out the drive was an hour each direction, and on our one available full day we didn’t want to do another 2 hour round trip drive.  But we found enough great places to walk that it didn’t matter.  And not only was the timeshare given to us for free, but some other friends slipped us a $100 bill as we left, which basically paid for our 6 meals.  So all we had to pay for was the tank of gas.  Man, has the family of God been good to us. Truly the hands and feet of Christ.

Speaking of which – when we returned home, we found that a team of 5 Mount Hermonites had cleaned our house, raked our pine needles, taken down some stray Christmas decorations, put back up the decorations that had been down since December, put a new mat in our shower, replaced a lamp shade that our big cat damaged….you can imagine how encouraging this was to Lynne! 

Random Cancer Comment moment: Hey, did you know that having a bald head has some really great advantages?  Take showering…you get rid of conditioner, shampoo, dry the hair, comb the hair – showering goes really quick!  And bedhead – I haven’t dealt with bedhead for 3 months now! 

Well, tomorrow Chemotherapy is scheduled.  The night before kind of feels like the night before on death row: I eat all my favorite foods, knowing that nausea and diarrhea are on the way.  Man, I’m really tired of the diarrhea “Brat” diet (Bread, Rice, Applesauce, Tea).  I like all those foods but last week that’s basically what I had for 5 days straight.  So tonight Lynne made a Quiche, I had a bite of Becky’s mini-Pepperoni Pizza, a couple of slices of tri-tip (Thank you Craig and Kim!), and am right now enjoying some Chex Mix.  Did you know that traditional Chex Mix has 60% less fat than a diet of Potato Chips?  Is this a great country or what!

Anyhow, with this blog entry I will probably “go dark” with blog entries for a while (or at least shorten them quite a bit) as my Chemo “patterns” show that I’ll be very weak and tired for the next 8 days.  The 4 days after that, I’ll likely have diarrhea.  Great fun, but I am slowly making my way through this awful treatment (this will be #6 out of 8 scheduled Chemo’s) and each turn through I am getting stronger.  So Lynne and I are seeing real progress in my recovery and are encouraged.

Today we had a visit from Roger & Alden (CEO and COO of Mount Hermon, respectively).  We had a good visit, connecting on various items relating to my eventual return.  I work with the greatest people in the world, no lie.  The Mount Hermon staff is full of bright, energetic, fun and funny, committed Christian people.  Most work days I bounce out of bed charged to get to work and be with this great bunch of staff who are my friends.  So even a short visit like today charges me up.  I find as I get healthier physically,  my need for “people time” increases, and when I get deprived I begin to fight the feeling of depression.  This is just another consequence of cancer, though.  That is, I have 3 weeks between chemotherapy sessions.  The first 8-12 days of the 3 week period are spent with me being weak, nauseated, and/or with diarrhea.  The next 4 or 5 days after that are spent with Scott trying to catch up on bills (lots of medical bills right now).  So that leaves about one week max for anything “fun”, and we try to cram in what people time we can into that one week.  There are so many of you (especially here at Mount Hermon) that we haven’t had any chance to talk to yet just due to time – and we’re really looking forward to remedying that.  Anyhow, you can see that right now I’m kind of in a situation where people deprivation can occur.  So that can be a prayer request.

Speaking of which – for those of you who are still reading this very long blog entry – here are some of our current needs:

·         I rely on Quicken to manage our finances.  While I’ve been sick, entering data into Quicken just hasn’t been possible for me time-wise (see 3 week cycle description above!).   We would be greatly blessed by someone that doesn’t mind boring data entry, catching up our Quicken records.

·         Part of our income right now is from an employer-provided disability insurance policy.  You know insurance companies….they like to reduce costs.  So, they are requiring me to file an application for Social Security disability (which only kicks in after a one year disability – I’ll be back to work well before that).  Because, if I don’t, they will deduct an amount from the disability compensation that they think I will get from Social Security!  Put another way, I have to apply for Social Security disability and prove that I’ve been rejected, otherwise they will calculate an amount they can deduct from my pay.  So: we would be blessed by someone helping with this seemingly needless paperwork process.

·         A “Man” thing for the list: the last time I did a dump/thrift store run was maybe last summer.  We have a lot of stuff that needs to go, and would be blessed by a strong guy that enjoys doing this kind of thing (hey, actually I personally LIKE going to the dump!)

One more special thank you to the people who made our getaway possible and the return to a clean house so wonderful (you know who you are!).  These were such gifts to us.   

Thank you to all that care enough about us to want to read this level of minutiae about our cancer story.  Lynne and I have the best set of friends in the world, and we know it.

Gratefully,

Scott & Lynne

Enough of you have said “Hey, when do we get an update” that I figured it was time!  It’s been a good week, with some real great things happening.  I’ll get to those in a second, first an update on my health.

Saw the Oncologist today.  He’s pleased with my progress.  My hemoglobin count, which has been way low, continues to rise (and I can feel it – we’ve gone for some “long” walks the last couple of days, probably 3/4 of a mile each day).  The hepatitis is totally gone.  So a good report from the Doctor’s office.

I had a pretty bad bout of diarrhea early in the week.  This also happened at about the same time 3 weeks ago – in other words, at the same time in the post-chemo cycle – so my body seems to be settling into a pattern.  When I get the diarrhea it really slows my chemo-attacked body down, and I have to spend a lot of time sleeping.  That gets to be a drag – in between chemo sessions, I really want to get out and “do”.  But I guess this season in life is a time where I have to force myself to slow down.

I also have the weird issue of some of my fingernails falling off.  I’m told this happens now and again with cancer.

My appetite is mostly good, but the diarrhea has really effected what I want to and can eat.  I’m tired of toast and applesauce but don’t really want to risk the diarrhea again.  Plus I’ve totally lot my appetite for chocolate!  I’ve been a choc-a-holic all my life but right now it just tastes funny, kind of like “wow, why did I like this?”.  I’m hoping this will change!

I’ve been doing a lot of reading on the American Cancer Society’s website, trying to educate myself about what’s going on with my body (this is the first time since the diagnosis that I’ve had the emotional energy to do this…it’s felt scary up ’til now).  I realize how very fortunate I am to have a curable lymphoma.  I also realize how close I came to dying – I am so fortunate that my cancer did not spread to the bloodstream or spinal system.  I am lucky to be alive, and am a Hezekiah.  I have been asking God what he wants me to do with my “15 extra years” he’s granted me.

One of the things that has really changed in the wake of this situation is how much we appreciate “normal”.  For instance, we’ve really been enjoying listening to the robins sing this year….looking at spring flowers…going for walks….enjoying a good movie….having a meal at a favorite restaurant…hearing the wind through the trees….seeing the stars come out – these things have come to mean so much.  When you almost lose your life (or, in Lynne’s case, your husband), the small things in life take on such great meaning.  I really can’t put words to how strong this feeling is.

OK, this week was the Mount Hermon Staff Retreat.  May 26 marks my 16th anniversary on full time staff at Mount Hermon, and this was the first Staff Retreat we missed.  Staff Retreat is a highlight in our year and missing it was going to be depressing.  Knowing this, we loaded this week up with time for one-on-one, two-on-one time with people….the kind of thing that brings me deep satisfaction.  So, this week, I and/or Lynne had time with Bob Russell, Ken Harrower, Susan Schaaf, Lynne’s brother Richard – great visits all.  Lynne also had some “knitting coaching” from Marilyn Miller, which was a fun and energizing time.  Topping it off were two contacts from old friends.  One confided to us that they’d had cancer several years ago, and kept it quiet – so we had a lot to talk about, deep and worthwhile.  Another was a friend of mine from grade school that evidently found out about my cancer via googling my name on the internet.  We’ve traded some rich e mails this week and will have a good long talk via phone tomorrow night (our first talk in maybe 8 years).

So you can see God’s goodness in all of this! We are so grateful to have had such great people time.  It has been draining for me physically but energizing for me emotionally.

On Sunday morning we leave for our two-day time away.  A friend has generously donated time at their luxury timeshare.  I’d appreciate your prayers that Lynne could really get away and rest (yes, I need rest too, but bear in mind I spend many of my days lying around….I’m not the one in need of down time).  I found online a handicapped-accessible one mile hike bordering the ocean near Jenner, and I’m hoping we can do that hike on Monday (hopefully will have pictures to show you) as that will be a real highlight.  Plus there will be at least one In-n-Out Burger stop!

The next scheduled chemotherapy happens next Thursday.  I’ll try to get one more post done before I “go under” with next chemo.

Thank you for your continuing prayer and kindness to our family.  We are so moved by your love and kindness.  Keep those posts and e mails coming – they mean a lot to us!

Gratefully,

Scott & Lynne