GOOD NEWS!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I heard today that the leukemia is in remission!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Dr. Patel says that my blood count will stay low for awhile and I may need a blood transfusion every now and then but that is NO big deal!

Thank you for your prayers!!!!!!!! Thank you for EVERYTHING that you all have done for me and my family. Please remember to say a prayer for thanks and praise his name for this wonderful news!

"Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen."-Ephesians 3:20-21

I love you all,
Lisa

I am sorry I have not posted in so long...just got busy, so I will try to get you up to date.

I finished my fifth round of treatment on July 31. On August 1st, I ended up back in the hospital because I was dehydrated. But with a few doses of phenegran, I was better by the next day.

On August 5th, I started my 20th year at Mars Hill. I have been working every day and although I have been tired, I feel I am getting stronger every day.

Tomorrow, August 19th, is a BIG day. At 1:00 pm, I will undergo a bone marrow biopsy. Say a special prayer. I will not know the results for a few days but I will post them when I get them.

Today at 3:00 when the last bell rang, my teaching colleagues met in the auditorium, held hands, and prayed for me-what a blessing to be a part of Mars Hill Bible School. The prayers of so many people have given me the faith and strength to survive the low times. Thanks so much. I love you.

Keep Praying,

Lisa

Went in the hospital for an overnighter on Monday, June 30. I was a couple of pints low so I got some more blood and then got the Rituxan. All went well, dismissed on Tuesday morning and went straight to the cancer center to start the next three days of Fludera and Cytoxin. If everything goes well I will finish this fourth round tomorrow.

Please pray that the next round will be the "final round", that the leukemia will be in remission, and that this will be a distant memory.

Thanks for your emails, cards, calls, and posts. Great friends get you through tough times.

Keep Praying,

Lisa

The Good News:

I received the news from the scan today and everything looks better. My liver and spleen are normal size and the enlarged lymph nodes are decreasing in size.

The Not So Good News:

Dr. Patel says two more rounds of chemo. I will go in the hospital on Monday, June 30th to begin the next round. The last round should be somewhere around the end of July. Then if everything goes as planned they will do the bone marrow aspiration in late August and hopefully I will be in remission.

No good news is by accident so....

Keep Praying,

Lisa

I have been very dizzy so I went to have bloodwork and ended up at the Eliza Outpatient Hilton to get a couple of units of blood. Im' already feeling better. Please contine to pray that the scan will go well this coming Monday and that the results will be promising.

Thanks for all the kind things you continue to do for me and my family. And remember...

Keep Praying.

Lisa

Received some bad news today. The scan is still scheduled for next Monday, the 23rd of June but regardless of the outcome I will have to take another treatment. That treatment should begin on June 30 or July 1st.

Im more than just a little bummed out over this news. But if there is one thing this whole process has taught me its this-nothing ever goes as you had planned. Please continue to pray that this ordeal will soon be over for me - it is really getting old and my faith is weakening.

Keep praying,

Lisa

This past week I just finished my third round of chemo and this time has been much easier than the last. I havent been nauseated this time and the fatigue has been lighter as well. I am scheduled for a cat scan on June 23 which should reveal if the lymph nodes, spleen, and liver are no longer swollen. If the scan looks good then I will undergo a bone marrow aspiration to determine if my blood is still producing lymphocites.

As you can imagine I am a little anxious over the tests and I am praying that the results will be good and the leukemia will be in remission.

So many of you continue to be so kind in sending cards and calls my way. I appreciate your love so very much. Please continue to pray that these next few weeks will yield positive results from the tests. If you would have your church or church groups say a special prayer on my behalf, I would appreciate it so much. God has answered so many prayers on my behalf and I believe He is alive and working so....

Keep Praying,

Lisa

I am still feeling much better. I was able to go to church this morning and it was good to be there. I also felt well enough to attend MHBS graduation. I could not stand for 53 of my "kids" to go off on a new journey without me being there for their important date.

To the Class of 2008, you have been a great group of kids. You entered my classroom back in August as my students but left my classroom in May as my friends. I wish you Godspeed in your life's journey and I really hope that your every dream comes true!

Keep Praying,

Lisa

The last week or so has been difficult. I was released on Tuesday night from the hospital and started the two other chemo drugs in the doctors office on Wednesday morning for three days.

The chemo REALLY wiped me out this time. I had no energy and the nausea was pretty bad. But enough depressing stuff, this morning I woke up and I was hungry! Today has been much better. I have more energy and the nausea seems to have subsided.

I went to the doctor today and the white count was up to 30,000 but the lab tech said most of them were "good" white cells so all in all it is good news.

Thank you for all your cards and email messages. Please continue to pray for my full recovery. We serve an AWESOME God who can do absolutely anything we ask and I know your prayers are being heard.

Keep praying,

Lisa

Well as I have come to expect, things never go quite as I had planned...

Instead of starting the second round of chemotherapy today, I have once again landed in the Eliza Hilton, accept this time I brought my own pajamas. I went to the oncologist for treatment this morning and my red blood count was very low. I was admitted to the hospital and as I type this, I am receiving my second unit of blood. It looks gross going in but I am happy to report that my cheeks are much rosier.

Since I am already here, the doctors have decided to go ahead and give the ritoxen in the hospital tomorrow. It will take about 10 hours to give the meds. I am hopeful to be released on Wednesday morning and I will go to the doctor's office to get the other two drugs on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday.

The white count was 6600 this morning. The doctors are pleased that the chemotherapy has brought the count down and it has stayed down so ....

Keep Praying,

Lisa

Sorry I have'nt posted in awhile but I was able to go back to school for a few days and things have been busy. It has felt wonderful to get back in the groove for a few days-I now feel sure that the lunch bunch can run the place without me!

I went to the oncologist on 4/28 and my white count was 8,500 which was within normal range. I am still anemic and they gave me a shot to increase my red count. Right now I am fighting a head/chest cold but have some meds so and I am getting better.

I will start the second round of chemotherapy on Monday, May 5th. Please pray that this round goes off much easier than the first one did. Please continue to pray that I will be in remission very soon.

I can never end a post without thanking so many of you for your continued acts of kindness. I heard Martina McBride's song, "I Am So Blessed" the other day and the words of the song could have been mine.

Keep Praying,

Lisa

I went to the oncologist for weekly bloodwork on Monday. My white count was up to 13,800 which is a little high but the doctor said it was okay because the white cells were neutrophils (good white cells) and not lymphocites. I am anemic now because the chemo destroyed some of my red blood cells so I got a shot to for the anemia which should give me more energy.

I am returning to school tomorrow. My white count is now high enough that my immune system is not as compromised as before. I should do just fine-funny but seniors dont usually hug on you and sneeze on you like little kids might. I am looking forward to getting back to my daily routine. I miss my co-workers and my students.

I cant thank you enough for keepnng up with the blog and offering up my name to Him. God has been so good!

Keep Praying,

Lisa

The last few days I have been extremely fatigued from the chemotherapy but today has been MUCH better. I have almost felt like my old self again today (maybe that's a good thing-maybe not!) I had a good visit from Ashley Atencio and Lauren McClure today from the senior class. It was good to see them-I miss them all very much.

Thanks to all of you who are including me in your daily prayers and to all of those who have placed me on prayer lists. Knowing that you are lifting my name up before Him is truly one of the greatest blessings of Christian kinship. Also thanks to everyone for all the cards, gifts, and other acts of kindness shown to me, Jeff, and the girls. Words can never express my heartfelt thanks.

With the inital diagnosis, I struggled a lot with "why" this had happened to me. Today, I find myself concentrating more and more on how I can use this "bump in the road" to glorify my Father. He has definitely answered and continues to answer your prayers, so ...

Keep on Praying!

I love you,

Lisa

I finally broke out of ECM on Sunday. They knocked me out for the Ritoxan on Saturday and I was able to get through it. I went to the Dr. today and the white count is now 3,000. Quite a drop from 245,000 just a couple of weeks ago. They gave me a shot to boost the growth of "good"white cells.

Thanks so much to everyone who is reading the blog and for all the cards and other acts of kindness.

Keep Praying!

I love you,

Lisa

Sorry it has been awhile since my last post...

On Monday, I started my first four day round of chemotherapy. I was scheduled to receive Ritoxan on the first day (the antibody) and then two other drugs on Tuesday through Thursday. I had a severe reaction to the Ritoxan and was rushed to the hospital where I landed in the Cardiac Care Unit.

On Tuesday, my cardiologist saw something in the blood work that alarmed her and she wanted to perform an arteriorgram before preceding wth any treatment. So on Tuesday afternoon I had the arteriorgram and it reavealed that I had a 70% blockage. So I received another heart stent. The leukemia had flooded my blooded with white blood cells and made my blood like mud and it simply could not flow through my heart. Many kudos to Dr. Therese Lango-she has been the Lord's instrument that has saved my life more times than I can remember.

Finally on Wednesday afternoon I began the other two drugs of chemo. I made it through the first round of those with just a little fatigue and I will receive a second does later today (Thursday).

The plan is that I will receive the third does of the two chemo drugs tomorrow and we will began the Ritoxan again on Saturday at a slower rate through the IV.

For the meantime, I am stuck in the Eliza Hilton in their complimentary hospital gown ...

Thanks for all your calls and acts of kindness.

Keep Praying!

Lisa

I will have surgery on Friday morning to implant the port under my collar bone. The port will enable me to receive the chemotherapy treatments and never have to be stuck again when the "draculas" come callin'.

Thanks again for all your kindness. Keep on praying!

Keep the Son in your Eyes,

Lisa

I received good news at my oncologist visit today.

There are two types of CLL (B cell and T cell). Most patients with B-cell have responded well to an antibody drug treatment which I will hopefully began on Monday of next week. Another piece of good news is that the disesase has not progressed to the point where my spleen and liver are enlarged. The initial scan has indicated that there are some lymph nodes in my neck and behind my stomach that are enlarged, but no effect on the organs.

And I saved the best part for last. After taking three days of oral chemo my white cell count went from 245,000 down to 143,000 when they checked it today. Although it is still very high, it does indicate that the drugs will be effective in continuing to bring it down to normal levels.

I will see the surgeon tomorrow and hopefully set up the surgery to have a port implanted on Friday. If all goes well, I began my first round of chemotherapy on Monday. The treatments will last four days.

Thanks to all of you who are praying so dilligently for me-your prayers are working so please continue to remember me.

Keep the Son in your eyes,

Lisa

As most of my friends know, I was diagnosed with CLL (Chronic Lymphocitic Leukemia) last Thursday. I have created this blog in order to communicate with all of you who have been so kind. Many of you have wished me well through cards, kind words, hugs, and prayers. Your acts of kindness are sincerely appreciated.

This situation is a test of my faith but I do believe the Bible when it tells me that He will not put more on me than I can bear. And as most of you know, I have never backed down from a good fight and I'm not going to start now.

Sometimes I found myself remembering Job and all of the difficulties that he faced. My prayer has always been that I could see my kids married to Christians and watch them build their own Godly homes. I have found a lot of comfort in the last two verses of the last chapter of Job--even though he was tried in numerous ways, Job lived to see grandchildren and died of old age!

I go to the oncolologist tomorrow and will receive results from the scan. We should learn the stage of the cancer and will discuss treatments.

PLEASE CONTINUE TO PRAY.

Keep the Son in your eyes,
Lisa