Happy Easter! He is Risen!
Today has several special meanings for us.
Firstly, we celebrate the resurrection and life of Jesus Christ, for "He is Risen!" Because he lives, after dying on the cross for our sins, we can face tomorrow.
In regards to the suffering that all of us endure, so many things can be said and drawn from the reflection of Christ's death and resurrection. For those who are sick, we look to the prophet Isaiah's words and those reiterated in the New Testatment by the apostles Peter and Matthew:
But He was pierced for our transgressions,
He was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him,
and by His stripes we are healed.
~Isaiah 53:5 (BSB)
He Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree,
so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness.
“By His stripes you are healed.”
~ 1 Peter 2:24 (BSB)
While Peter is referring to the sickness of sin that plagues all humans, the apostle Matthew links Isaiah's prophecy to Jesus Christ's power to heal us from illness.
[14]When Jesus arrived at Peter’s house, He saw Peter’s mother-in-law sick in bed with a fever.
[15]So He touched her hand, and the fever left her, and she got up and began to serve Him.
[16]When evening came, many who were demon-possessed were brought to Jesus, and He drove out the spirits with a word and healed all the sick.
[17]This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah:
“He took up our infirmities and carried our diseases.”
~Matthew 8:14-17(BSB)
Praise God, for the lashes Christ endured have not only healed us spiritually, from our sin, but also give us hope that he is able to heal us physically.
Made it to Easter!
After being released from the hospital on January 29, we were faced with making a decision of whether to move forward with chemo treatments or continue to seek out alternative treatments. When asked how long I had to live, if I chose to do nothing, my oncologist estimated two months, tops, before my liver would start to fail. That made today, Easter Sunday, a major milestone to celebrate, having been blessed to live past the doctor's initial estimate.
Current Medical Status
In February, I took a baseline PET scan, showing we were now dealing with a few cancer cells around the scar tissue from the colon surgery, a measurable spot on each of my lungs, as well as a spot on each side of my liver.
We decided to get aggressive with the treatment by going with the recommended chemo treatments. As of today, I have gone through five (5) two-week treatment cycles. Each cycle starts with:
- Saturday morning - taking various blood tests at a local lab
- Monday - reviewing the blood test results with my oncologist team at Ironwood Cancer & Research Center
- Wednesday morning - undergoing a four-hour IV drip routine of Flouracil, Oxaliplatin, Leucovorin, and Bevacizumab
- Wednesday afternoon-Friday afternoon - wearing a pressurized pump/balloon that pushes 248ml of Folfox6 through my chest port for 72 hours.
- Friday-Monday - waiting for the chemo toxicity to flush out of my body and dealing with whatever adverse side effects my body exhibits
While the first three treatments caused very minimal side-effects, the cumulative effect of the chemo is definitely starting to exhibit more noticeable/repetitive side effects and fatigue. Mostly, the fatigue seems to be setting in Friday or Saturday and lasts up through Tuesday. During that time, my body tends to have a non-stop tingling feeling from head-to-toe, which can make various moments throughout the day hard to think and concentrate.
During my last cycle, I ended up being directed to an urgent care center, after experiencing several moments of chest tightening with difficulty breathing/moving. Fortunately, after a chest x-ray and EKG, the medical staff at the urgent care and my oncology center all agreed on the diagnosis being a form of severe acid reflux - though I had never had a heartburn incident that caused a pulsating bulge trying to pop out of my chest before. Since then, I've been watching my intake of fats and increasing my protein-based calories, which seems to be preventing more episodes.
Believing in the Lord's Faithfulness
I have to admit, throughout each cycle, I've found myself on a roller coaster of emotions, I can still well up with tears as I catch myself yearning for the Lord to provide more complete healing.
In the meantime, I have seen other forms of healing, as various relationships are mending, or as my perspectives on having faith and trusting God mature. I have seen the Lord's faithfulness by being surrounded by so many people who are expressing their love and care through: ongoing prayer, donations of meals or money for medical expenses, taking time to help me walk around the block, replacing burnt out ceiling lights, keeping us out of trouble with our HOA's oversight of landscaping, implementing ways to reduce our water bill and other expenses, etc., etc.
Your eyes saw my unformed body; all my days were written in Your book and ordained for me before one of them came to be.
~Psalm 139:16
When it comes to dealing with the cancer within my body, I am slowly learning to rest in knowing my life is not my own. Rather, the Lord has numbered each of our days. The Bible is full of reminders of the fragility of our lives, which when acknowledged, can lead us to the conclusion our best path forward is in trusting the Lord to get us through the darkness and into the light.