Good Things

Quick Trip

Jane was able to drive to her mother’s house on Saturday!  This is the first time that she has driven since before October.  Praise God! 

Feeling Better

Jane is feeling a lot better lately, I think it is due to being off the decadron for a few months.  I think the most important thing is that she is able to sleep without any sleep aids,  her mind is a lot clearer.  Being off the decadron has allowed the swelling to go down.  This is good because Jane has been able to drop a lot of the weight that she put on.  Shedding the pounds is good, she was feeling pretty self-conscious.   The decadron make your muscles weak, not being on the Decadron, Jane has a little more energy.  These are all good things!

Status

The last status (Click Here) was in December, things have gotten better on the outside (non cancer health issues) as noted above.  We will not know how the cancer treatments are going until the end of February when Jane gets her next set of scans.

Travel

I am now in Nashville for work….it is cold…they ordered the snow the day before I came and I guess it pretty much shutdown the city.  The sun has been out and it looks beautiful outside. 

The weather is in the mid to high thirties with lows down to about twelve.  The forecast for the rest of the week is sunny and cold, maybe some flurries on Friday night/Saturday morning.  I am flying home on Saturday, through Chicago.  Hope I don’t get stuck!

Jane and Linda will fly to San Francisco on Thursday, they get back on Saturday a couple of hours before me.  The boys will be staying with uncle.

Prayer

Please continue to pray for Jane’s health.  Continue to pray for the cancer to be gone and that she continues to get stronger (I think that as she gets stronger, the medication can work better).    Pray for her trip and for the boys, since I am also gone.  She didn’t sleep well last night and had some wierd pains in her back.  I didn’t sleep to well either. Pray for my flight back, I am in the middle and would like to be able to get an exit row or aisle seat.

Back Pain

On January 16th we had a beach day.  We spent some time hanging out with friends, picking up shells and doing a little fishing.

The fish were biting (Gabriel and his cousin Braeden)

While at the beach Jane slip and fell.  A couple of days later when she was getting up from sitting on the couch she had major back pain.  We jumped in with a quick prayer request to the prayer team and then dosed her up with Motrin.  Jane was really concerned because this happened three days before she was suppose to travel.  The day before she left for San Francisco she had a massage.  The good news is that the day she left for S.F. the pain was pretty much gone and has not returned. We praise God for this and thank the prayer team for covering us diligently.

Back and Forth

(This post is unedited.  I just typed it and have not had a chance to check it for spelling or grammar)

The first six weeks of the trial are up.  Jane had an MRI two weeks ago and last week had a PET scan while she was in S.F.  The results were good.

Flight Time

Due to the clinical trial being in San Francisco, Jane has to flight to S.F. every other week.  Her sister and I have been taking turns escorting her.  Most of our flights are on Hawaiian.  I have had to fly into San Jose and out of S.F.  because it is a cheaper flight.  Flying into San Jose is good.  My good friend, old boss and pastor of the church I use to attend in the Bay Area (Stuart), picks us up and has allow us to crash at their house.  We fly on Thursday getting in to San Jose about 10:00 PM.  We get to bed by 11:00 and then we are up at 6:00.  We get to the hospital by 9:00 and spend most of the day there.  Stuart has been gracious enough to hang out with me while Jane is getting infused.  It has been nice to catch up and hang out.  Stuart is a connoisseur of coffee, he is the one that taught me to appreciate true rich bold coffee.  He also taught me to be a life long learner.  So, together we sit in a coffee house (Martha and Bros Coffee) not far from the hospital, sipping on a cup of Joe, reading and sharing.  The last time we were there we sat  in Martha’s and read for a couple of hours.  We were both pretty tired, so we moved to a comfortable looking red leather couch, taking our places on opposite ends.  I was trying to read but I kept nodding off.  I looked over at Stuart, who had already succumbed to staring at the inside of his eyelids.  Seeing this shameless example of peace, I closed my eyes and took a power nap.  All this to say, I/we really appreciate Stuart and Jendy for taking care of us on these quick turn around trips.  At the end of a long day, Stuart and I go back over the hospital, pick up Jane and then get dropped off at the hotel.  Saturday morning we are up, by 5:00 AM, we headed down to the lobby by 6:15 to catch the shuttle to the airport.  We arrive back in Honolulu about 1:00 PM. We go home unpack and try to get to bed early.

I am doing this once a month, Jane does this quick turn around trip twice a month.  The perils of flying this often are the physical toll that it takes on Jane’s body, the time it takes away from the family, sick people on the same plane and the farting guy.

Busting Wind

I am sorry to have to share this with you but with the amount of flying that Jane has been doing we are going to have a few good stories.  This is one that I should just pass on, but……I wouldn’t me be if I didn’t share.

On the last flight that I was on with Jane we were sitting in about the middle of the plane.  We were seated in the two seats by the window.  Behind me sat the couple from …HELL…Jane drop her blanket and ask me look for it.  I got up and the lady sitting behind us had picked it up and was clutching it like a lost child, not sure if it was Jane’s blanket for sure, but I’m pretty sure it was, I sat down kind of disgusted.  Throughout the flight they kick the back of my seat more times then the 6 year old twins I had sitting behind me on another flight a few years ago.  Not only did they kick my seat, they used my headrest as a handicap rail to get in and out of their seats, jerking and pulling with excessive force.  Then when I thought it could get no worse…. there was the farting guy.  I do not know who this farting guy was but instead of using the restroom he allow his peristalsis to force nauseous gas to seep out into the recycled air of the plane.  This did not happen once, or twice, this went on for the majority of the flight.  It was one of the worst I have ever been on.

Results

Sorry for the digression.  I know that you are really interested in the results from the scans.  The good news is there are no new spots!  Yeah God!   The not so good news is that three of the spots (tumors) seem to have gotten a little larger.  Dr. Melisko said that this could be caused by swelling since Jane is off the steroid.  Our desire is that her body would start to produce her own natural steroid to keep the swelling down.  The size of growth is under twenty percent.  Twenty percent would constitute disease progression and eliminate Jane from the trial.

Forward

For now Jane will continue on the trial.  This will require Jane to continue to go to San Francisco ever other week.  Her next scans will be sometime at the end of February.

The Toll

As a result of the swelling Jane still seems to suffer dizziness.  To treat the swelling, Jane was prescribed steroids.  The side effects of the steroids on Jane are sleeplessness, swelling of the body and loss of muscle.  Now that she is off of steroids she is sleeping better and some of the swelling/weight gain had gone down.  The muscle loss is a different story, Jane still has problem getting out of bed or standing up after squatting.  The chemo has cause Jane to lose most of her hair, causes her to be nauseous and fatigued most of the time.  She lives her life in spurts.  When she has energy she goes and when she is tired she shuts down.  The toll: Loss of hair, swelling/weight gain, muscle loss (weakness), fatigue, memory loss, nausea, muscle cramps and dizziness (I may have missed one or two).

Prayer

As I write this Jane is sick.  She has a slight fever.  Due to the chemo her white blood cell count is low and it is very hard for her body to fight off sickness or infection.  Please pray that her body takes care of the sickness.  Tomorrow, Jane’s sister will call the doctor and try to get Jane in to see her.  She may need a shot to boost her immune system.

Please pray for all the things listed in the toll.  The toll is taking it’s toll on Jane and the rest of us.  Pray that the chemo/trial works and that the tumors decrease and no new ones appear.  Jane is getting weary and this is very hard for her.

Note:

Jane has been very tire and has been unable to check her email or facebook.

As always

Thanks for your prayers and support it means so much to us!

Last Week, This Week, Next Week

Last Week

Last Friday we held the prayer meeting for Jane.  We wanted to accomplish a few things at the prayer meeting, 1. We would pray for Jane, 2. The presences of God would fill the place and 3. That the people who attended would be ministered and touched by the Holy Spirit.

I believe that all three of those goals were met.    As we started worship, led by Clint Chinen and Mark Frigillana, God’s presence and a sense of peace fill the sanctuary.  When worship concluded  we moved Jane to the back of the sanctuary to allow people to gather around her for the laying on of hand and to lift up an audible prayers.  Clint and Mark continued to worship, as people broke into small groups or sat by themselves lifting up prayers.  There was no time limit, just the freedom to pray as God led and the people left as they felt released.  Other people returned to there seats and a number of people moved to the front to continue in a time of spontaneous worship.  After an hour of leading worship, Tony Butindaro pick up the guitar and continue to lead.

Pastor Mike came up and shared a scripture that the Lord put on his heart.  The scripture John 11:4 But when Jesus heard it, he said, This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified thereby. He also reminded us that this is not a death march, but a time to rejoice in God and to not give up!

All in all it was a great night of prayer, ministry and worship.

Saturday, October 17th Jane and her sister went to S.F. to enroll in the study and to start treatment. Jane’s treatment consists of two types of chemo drugs, Irinotecan and Temodar.  The Irinotecan is a drug that is used primarily to treat rectal or colon cancer, but they are finding that it is working on other cancers.  In Jane’s case they are testing it along with the Temodar.  Temodar is a drug that Jane took before and is used to treat cancer that has spread to the brain.  It takes about four hours to infuse the Irinotecan.  The Temodar is taken in pill form, so Jane will take those at home or on the road, doesn’t matter.  It is taken seven days on and seven days off.

Jane had the opportunity to go to our old church, Valley Life Center in Santa Clara on Sunday.  Then on M0nday she had scans and blood test.  Tuesday was the treatment cocktail and she returned home on Wednesday.  While she was gone Samuel got sick and ended up staying home from school Monday through Wednesday.  When Jane got home she stayed at her mom’s house to ensure that  she didn’t get what Samuel had.  She was able to come home on Friday.

This Week

Jane was really out of it when she came back.  It took her about three days to kind of normal out.  We are still in the process of determining what her energy cycle will be.  As of today, Monday, Oct 26th she is doing much better.

Next week

Our next trip will be at the beginning of next month.   We will leave on Thursday the 5th and return on the 7th.  We will get to the Bay Area on Thursday night.  Friday we will go to the clinic for Jane’s treatment.  The treatment will take about 4 hours.  We will go back to the hotel to rest and then fly back on Saturday.

This will be the pattern for the next few months.

Miles

For those of you who have asked to donate miles to Jane, you can donate to her Hawaiian Miles account.  I will email the account information upon your request.

Prayer

The primary prayer is for Jane’s total and complete healing.  The second thing we are praying for is that the insurance will accept the trial and allow Jane to be treated here in Hawaii.  That would mean that we would not have to travel to S.F. every two weeks.

At this point, it is important that we pray for Jane to have energy.  Sshe will not only get the treatment, she will also be traveling.

REMINDER

REMINDER:
WHAT: PRAYER MEETING
WHEN: THIS FRIDAY @ 7:00 PM
WHERE: HCWO SANCTUARY

I just wanted to remind you that we will be praying for Jane this Friday night as she prepares to go to San Francisco on Saturday to start clinical trials. The pray meeting is open to anyone that wants to pray for Jane.

I have not made an agenda, but I would like to start with a little worship (we will see if this works).

For those of you who are coming, I want to ask you to come prepared. This is not a practice, it’s game time. Please spend some time in prayer before you come and fast if the Lord leads you.

I am thinking about having a book that if you have a word from the Lord, encouragement, scripture or prayer, you can write it in the book.

Thank you so much for all your prayers, love and support! We have definitely needed every single one of them. This past week has been tough for Jane and was by far the toughest week for me since she was diagnosed with cancer. Your prayers are coveted.

On The Beach

I am at the beach and updating from my phone, Jane is in the room getting some rest, so this should be short.

Jane is back on steroids as she began to lose mobility on her right side. She has improved slightly but still require my assistance to do some things.
we got the results of an MRI taken on Thursday. The bad new is there were two areas of swelling, one is in the same place as last time (believe this is the one causing the problem).

more bad news, the spot that is in the middle of the swelling has grown in the last three weeks.

there is some good news, there are no new spots  and the other 6 existing spots did not grow.

Jane is not sleeping well and has a very high level of anxiety.

please consider this one big prayer request!

Putting Matters In God’s Hands

Putting matters in God’s hands?  They are there already!

It Began

On October 12th Jane and I will be celebrating our 18th wedding anniversary!

I am excited to spend a few days staycationing with Jane in Wakiki next weekend!  Thanks for the help Charles Lee (Chuck, Bruce, Charlie, Chuckles)

It Begins

After our staycation, Jane will be heading to S.F. on October 17th.  Jane and her sister will meet with the doctor and do scans on Monday.  Tuesday Jane will get infusions and should be flying home on Wednesday.

In between

Before Jane leaves for S.F. her sister Linda suggested that we have a prayer meeting to cover Jane in prayer and to petition the Lord for Jane’s complete healing.

The prayer meeting is open to anyone that wants to come and pray for Jane and our family.

The Prayer meeting will be held at Hope Chapel West Oahu at 7:00 PM, Friday, October 16th.  The prayer meeting will continue until we are finished!

In The Future

We will know more when Jane returns from S.F.  I am assuming that we will put together a schedule of trips, and scans to keep tabs on whether or not the trial is working.

Prayer

Please pray for us as we prepare to send Jane and her sister to S.F.  Please consider joining us on Friday, October 16th @ 7:00 PM to pray.

Thanks Dave

Dave thank so much for the fasting and prayer! We do not take it lightly.  Be blessed my brother!

Back In The Brain – MRI Report

We got the result back from the MRI on Jane’s brain and it was not good.  It looks like one spot has some swelling, and about 6 others have grown quite a bit.

Frequent Fliers Miles

We are looking at the clinical trial at UCSF.  At this point we are still trying to figure it out.  The clinical trial will require Jane to travel to S.F. every two weeks.    It looks like Jane’s sister and I will be taking turns traveling with her, we will try to leave on the weekend and return on Tuesday.  This schedule will help us to minimize the use of our vacation/sick leave.    Another issue that we will need to address is how the drugs affect Jane and if they will inhibit her ability to travel.

It’s a Girl

Yes, we have a girl in the house! My niece, Kendra (AKA, Kinji, Kenny or my fav KendRAY) moved in with us about a month ago.  She picked up a job working in a preschool doing after school care.  She will be with us for at least a year.  The purpose of her coming out is to give us a hand with things around the house, to help transport the boys and to step out in ministry.  We have talked about a number of things from going on short term missions to helping in Sunday School or worship.  She hopes to start college in the upcoming semester.

Pray Is The Best Medicine

As always the best cure for this disease is divine healing.  So, lets start with prayer for Jane’s divine healing, that God will bring complete restoration to her body and brain.

Pray for Jane’s strength as we prepare for trips to S.F.  Pray for the separation from the boys and I.  Pray for the boys, Kendra and I as we will have a lot to take care of during Jane’s absences.  Pray for Jane’s sister and family as this will take a toll on all of us.   Pray for our finances, that God will cover this extra expense.

Blessings

Thank you for your prayers and support!  May God return these blessings 100 fold back to you, your families and  friends.  May these blessing be poured out over each task you put your hands to.  I declare the Lords blessing to rest on you and your house!

Faith and Perseverance

Alright!  The last post talked about the swelling in Jane’s brain.  The swelling is gone and she is now off the steroids, as of yesterday.   Wednesday, September 9^th, Jane had to go to the hospital to get a CT scan and bone scan.   On Friday we got the results back.

The Results

Overall the results were good but not great.  The results showed that the cancer in Jane’s back has progressed from T10 vertebrae to the T 7 vertebrae.

The rest of her body is clear!

Treatment

To stop this progression the doctor has recommended that Jane start on a new chemo regiment on Monday.  Jane will be taking Gemzar (Gemcitabine) on a weekly basis.  The side effects are minimal, but we will be watching her carefully.

NEWS FLASH

We have decided to hold off on the chemo treatment until after we get the results from the brain MRI that Jane got on Tuesday.  The results of the MRI will tell us the outcome of the GAMA Knife surgery and will let us know of any other activity.

Faith

I often wonder why God doesn’t just heal Jane. You might be asking the same question.  I don’t have an answer, but hopefully some encouragement.  I have been wondering if the reason that God isn’t healing Jane is due to a lack of faith.  Is it faith? Is it because I do not have enough faith?  Does Jane have enough faith? Do you, who have been praying fatefully, have enough faith?  What about people with the gift of healing, we’ve seen a number of them, do they have enough faith for Jane?  All it requires is faith the size of a mustard seed.

The Bible teaches faith as one way people are healed.    In Matthew 8 the Roman officer came and pleaded with Jesus for the healing of a servant.  When Jesus said, “I’ll come,” the Roman officer refused and said “I am not worthy to have you come into my home just say the word from where you are, and my servant will be healed.”  Jesus replied, ” I tell you the truth, I haven’t seen faith like this in all of Israel!”    And in Matthew 9 the woman that was suffering from bleeding for 12 years touch Jesus and she was healed instantly.  Jesus responded by saying, “Daughter, be encouraged!  Your faith has made you well.”

It is pretty clear, faith heals, or does it?  Truth be told I’m sure over a thousand people have lift Jane up in prayer and I’m pretty sure that one in that thousand has enough faith for Jane’s healing.  So then the question is why didn’t Jesus respond to our faith?

Perseverance

I don’t know why Jesus didn’t respond to our cries of faith, but I’m still trusting God and know that you are too!   I read a great post, by Pastor Tim Burt on the ‘The “Why God?” questions.’ It was timely and encouraging.  I don’t need to know the answer to every question, I just need to keep asking with a child like faith.  Over time God will show me more and allow me to understand more.

As we continue to wage this battle, I would like to encourage you to not lose hope and to continue to pray.  Take a look at Luke 18:1-8

One day Jesus told his disciples a story to show that they should always pray and never give up. ² “There was a judge in a certain city,” he said, “who neither feared God nor cared about people. ³ A widow of that city came to him repeatedly, saying, ‘Give me justice in this dispute with my enemy.’ ⁴ The judge ignored her for a while, but finally he said to himself, ‘I don’t fear God or care about people, ⁵ but this woman is driving me crazy. I’m going to see that she gets justice, because she is wearing me out with her constant requests!’ ”

⁶ Then the Lord said, “Learn a lesson from this unjust judge. ⁷ Even he rendered a just decision in the end. So don’t you think God will surely give justice to his chosen people who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? ⁸ I tell you, he will grant justice to them quickly! But when the Son of Man returns, how many will he find on the earth who have faith?”

As I read these scripture I am reminded to always pray and never give up.  I may be tempted to lose faith/heart and want to just give in (This is what the enemy wants).  As Christians, we often times find ourselves in crisis of faith.  The world looks on and cannot understand what drives us to keep calling out to a God who allows such awful terrible atrocities to bring disaster to people.  What they don’t understand is that God, our God, is a good God.  I won’t pretend that I haven’t questioned God, because I have.  I won’t say that I have walked in total faith, because I haven’t.   But, because I have a history with God and because he has always been faithful, even when I haven’t, I know that I can trust in the Lord.  Take a moment and look back on how faithful God has been, and continue to pray!

Prayer

Please pray that Jane will continue to recuperate.  Pray that her body grows strong.  Pray that her/our family stays strong of mind.  Pray for a complete heal and demand the cancer to leave her body.  Pray for her brain MRI later this month, pray for the results to come back clear.  Pray for our family as this has been a long and arduous journey, that at times leaves us tired, in tears and sometimes discouraged.  Most of the time we walk in courage and faith that is a result of the prayers that are lifted up by you. Let me encourage you to continue “to always  pray and never give up!”

Thank You

Thank you for all the prayers, support and kindness that you have poured on us.  We can’t express our gratitude enough!!!!!!!!

Tyndale House Publishers: Holy Bible : New Living Translation. 2nd ed. Wheaton, Ill. : Tyndale House Publishers, 2004, S. Lk 18:1-8

Just The Facts

Jane ask that I get out the facts. So with my trusty palm pre I send you this update. Please forgive the typos.

1. Jane’s MRI showed the the biggest spot is not a cancerous tumor! This is a big praise to God because had it been a tumor Jane would have had to have a brain surgery to have it removed.

2.  We have been told by the doctors at UCSF that the two new spot might only be blood vessels that showed up on the MRI.  If this is true the cancer in the brain is not spreading.  What this means is that the current chemo might still be effective. So Jane will not have to go to SF for treatment, instead we will continue on the current course of chemo.  In 2 months Jane will receive another scan to see if things have gotten better.  This is another victory!

3.  The steroids that Jane has been taking for swelling require a slow taper off the drog.  If she goes off to fast the side effects are worse then the side effects of being on the drugs.  Jane has problems sleeping while on the steroids, so she naps when every and where she gets tired.  Pray for this transition.

4  Jane’s recovery after the surgery has been going really well.

5  thanks for the prayers and support!