We all traveled up to Grass Valley where Karen's parents live and had a very nice Christmas all in all. As it happened, however, Christmas seems to have marked the lowest point in how Karen has felt since treatments started.

The good news is that today was the last of Karen's treatments and since yesterday she has been feeling a bit better each day. I've seen her smile more today than I have seen in far too long. Thank you all for your fervent prayers and steady affections. We are eagerly looking forward to Karen getting her voice and energy back. It looks as if she is headed in the direction of health.

I'll fill you all in early next week as to what the next steps are. We know there are MRI's, blood tests, and appointments but aside from that we will need to talk to both our John Muir and our UCSF doctors to determine the details.

We hope you all have a very happy new year!

Hi everyone. I just wanted to ask you all quickly for prayer. Karen, as you well know, has not really complained once during this whole process but last night her throat was so sore she was having a lot of difficulty even swallowing sips of water. She even sent out an email this morning asking for prayer for her throat which means she is truly concerned. Please pray that as we inch closer to the end of the radiation that her throat gets no worse and is able to heal quickly.

I spoke to the Radiation Oncologist today because Karen asked if we could postpone today's throat treatment. He said that at this point one more treatment will make no difference to her discomfort and that it is better that we just get it done and out of the way so she can heal. He will be providing some stronger pain medication today which he said should help.

Thank you all for your continued prayers on her behalf.

Dave

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good. His love endures forever. Give thanks to the God of gods. His love endures forever. Give thanks to the Lord of lords: His love endures forever. To him who alone does great wonders, His love endures forever. Who by his understanding made the heavens, His love endures forever. Who spread out the earth upon the waters, His love endures forever. Who made the great lights-- His love endures forever. The sun to govern the day, His love endures forever. The moon and stars to govern the night; His love endures forever.

Psalm 136:1-9

If our perspective were limited to the discomforts that Karen experienced each day, then this week we would have had reason to fear the future. As would be expected this far into her treatments each day gets just a little bit harder than the day before. The ‘sunburn’ on her head, neck, back and chest continues to deepen. What little hair she still has continues to dutifully fall out each day. The battle with her gag reflex is constant from the time she wakes until her head hits the pillow. By the end of the day her voice just sort of gives out and stops working except for muffled whispers.

However, (and that is a very important conjunction) God has been gracious to give us a better perspective. The daily discomforts are not all there is to Karen’s story, and even in the midst of these pains and discomforts God still provides her with everything she needs to make it through each moment.

To talk this way runs the risk of sounding like trite Pollyannaish optimism. That really is not our perspective at all. The perspective that Karen and I have been given is earthy and uncomfortable on the one hand and satisfying and glorious on the other hand. As with much of the Christian view of things, life is full of perfectly fit together paradoxes. These aren’t irrational leaps of faith, but a salty realization that as creatures we don’t know everything and we won’t be privy to all the answers even in Glory.

So we are left with that rushing anxious sense that we are falling through life, but not toward the unknown. We are falling into the hands of Christ our redeemer. Trusting in him is not irrational it is the most sane decision anyone can choose to make. And this trust extends not simply to the saving of our souls for eternity but also to the daily ordinary earthly concerns that make up most days. So I hope that what might sound like a “make the best of it” optimism can instead be understood in light of this greater context.

First, we are encouraged by the knowledge that with the close of each treatment we are another step closer to concluding the whole process. There is an end in sight. Furthermore, we found out on Friday that rather than an additional eight days, Karen only has to do an additional five. The extra three treatments might sound trifling, but no one would want to get punched even one more time than necessary and the same goes for having radiation pointed at your body.

Secondly, we are reminded every so often that the diagnosis and prognosis three months ago was dire and that God has already demonstrated his fatherly care in continuing to provide us with healing and a steady diet of good news. Things could be a lot worse, they appeared that way in the beginning, and we are glad that that was not the path God chose to have us walk right now.

Finally, we know that God is orchestrating this situation for his own good purposes. Though we don’t know why he needed to ordain things to come to pass exactly this way we are satisfied knowing that it is his hands that are fashioning our story.

We are very thankful that her last day will be the 26th of this month and that her complete healing can then begin. We are also looking forward to finding ways to bless you all. I shake my head in amazement daily at the truly remarkable generosity that you have all shown to us. I really do hope you all know how thankful we are for you. I know that you do not desire to receive anything in return for your kindness, but it will be nice to find ways to bless you all as the weeks, months and years wax on.

Sing joyfully to the Lord, you righteous; it is fitting for the upright to praise him. Praise the Lord with the harp; make music to him on the ten-stringed lyre. Sing to him a new song; play skillfully, and shout for joy. For the word of the Lord is right and true; he is faithful in all he does.
Psalm 33:1-4

It is true that God is faithful in all that he does. We are thankful that this week began and ended with him demonstrating his faithfulness to us with answered prayers.

The week began with what we thouhgt would be another 4 hour MRI. As we prepared for the MRI we were concerned that Karen continue to have the terrible coughing and gagging during the MRI that have plagued her for the past few weeks. We were also concerned that laying on her back for all that time would be extremely painful particularly for her head which is very sensative right now. So we prayed, as many of you were as the week began.

I was surprised to get a call from Karen a full hour and a half before she was supposed to be done. Somehow the MRI technician was able to get her in and out of the machine in two and a half hours. Better yet Karen only coughed once and her head felt good the whole time.

The week ended a few hours ago as we recieved really good news from the radiation oncologist Dr. Massullo after he got the results of the MRI. The tumor is responding extremely well to the radiation. The tumor in Karen's brain has not grown at all or moved into the cavity created by the surgery. Furthermore the tumor in her lumbar region has all but disapeared leaving only some residual scarring where the tumor was. There is only residual tumor left in her thoracic and cervical regions as well.

Needless to say, we are very happy and very thankful.

Thank you all for your consistent prayers.

I just want to let you all know that Karen will be going in for another 4 hour MRI tomorrow (Monday). Karen will not be having her radiation treatment tomorrow. In light of the radiation she's been going through she's actually looking forward to haveing the day off. I guess that's why I haven't written to you all earlier about this.It's amazing how one's perspective can change.

Please pray that Karen will not cough too much during the MRI; given the sensativity of her throat right now the results of this could make a big mess in a multi million dollar machine.

Also please pray that her head will not hurt to much having to lay there for so long.

We continue to be ever thankful for your prayers and support.