Tag Archives: Questions

Live life!

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There are some words you never tire of hearing:
“I love you. I forgive you. Be my friend.”

There are others that are less inviting to hear:
“You have Leukemia.”
And after 27 days of treatment… “You STILL have Leukemia.”

We learned yesterday that there were more “blasts,” though only 10% compared to my original 96%. And so in the last 24 hours we have been contemplating two possible scenarios: 1) all is well (blasts might be normal); go home today or 2) the Leukemia is more resistive than anticipated and we basically start over with another 7 day round of chemo and another month hospital stay. It has been a day and night of pursuing faith in the midst of honest questions and human emotions.

Today’s news: The Leukemia remains.

But before anyone responds with, “How terrible,” we were instantly reminded that another month stay here means more opportunity to grow relationships here at the hospital, and that wherever God places you is a good place to be. My devotion for today is from Colossians 1:10-13 (summarized):
Live a live worthy of the Lord.
Bear fruit. Grow. Be strengthened. Have great endurance and patience.
Joyfully give thanks.

With the opportunity to continue to grow relationships here, I was not surprised to wake up this morning with this song on my mind, Mighty To Save…Let the words speak deeply to you today as they do to me:
V1
Everyone needs compassion, love that’s never failing, let mercy fall on me.
Everyone needs forgiveness, the kindness of a Savior, the Hope of nations.
CHORUS:
Savior, He can move the mountains
My God is mighty to save, He is mighty to save.
Forever, author of salvation
He rose and conquered the grave, Jesus conquered the grave.
V2
So take me as you find me, All my fears and failures,
Fill my life again.
I give my life to follow, Everything I believe in,
So I surrender.
(Repeat chorus)
Chorus 2:
SHINE YOUR LIGHT and let the whole world see,
We’re singing to the glory of the risen King!
(Repeat chorus 1)

“Do you have any questions?”

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I love to laugh and without doubt the funniest story so far in this journey through cancer is when our eldest son went to talk with his children about my illness. He told them he needed them to turn off the Wii game they were playing and then proceeded to tell them very calmly but seriously that Grandpa Thayer was in the hospital and very ill. Being very careful to make sure they understood the gravity of the situation he then asked, “Do you have ANY questions?” After a long pause, one of my granddaughters who adores me asked…
“Can we turn our game back on now?” 🙂

The first 7 day round of chemo went exceedingly well. Other than being tired and the stomach (etc) problems caused by the chemo and high powered antibiotics, I have little complaint. I have an excellent TEAM of nurses and technicians, housekeepers, dietary staff, etc who pay close attention to my every need. And of course, I simply cannot imagine going through this without the undying love and support of my absolutely AMAZING wife.

To answer some questions:
1. There are no restrictions on visitors other than they must be COMPLETELY healthy (no sniffles or anything) because my immune system will be at zero by weekend. Yes, visits tire me out but they also pump me up. Just like the animals at the zoo, I am generally most active in the morning.
2. My appetite is good though I continue to struggle to maintain weight. I cannot eat fresh fruit or vegetables and cannot have live plants.
3. I take four 1/4 mile walks a day for exercise. This is also part of my new volunteer job as “Mercy Hospital Smile Checker.”
4. I expect to enjoy my beautiful hospital suite (rm 817) into the first part of January unless God chooses to do a miracle in my body sooner.
5. God has quickly turned any disappointment into joy of HIS appointment. (See earlier blog)