Scan today!

This morning at 8:45 and 10:00 Deb has her echocardiogram and a PET scan. Please be praying for:

• Quick procedures 
• Peace for Deb during the procedures 
• The PET scan to not show any new cancer
• The echocardiogram to show Deb's heart healthy enough for the treatment the Dr's want

Thanks so much for praying!!

The Plan

It feels silly even writing that. Knowing full well that the plan will change at least 30 times in the next few months. But, we have a game plan and we are thankful for that.

Here is what we know:

• There was no cancer in the lymph node that was tested yesterday!
• Deb will have a PET scan and an echocardiogram (hopefully tomorrow) to make sure the cancer hasn't spread anywhere else in her body and that her heart is ok for chemo
• Deb will have chemo first, then surgery, and then radiation if necessary
• Deb will likely start chemo next week and will have 4 treatments; 1 every 2 weeks and then 12 weeks of a different kind of chemo
• Deb will have a port put in in the next couple weeks

We are asking for prayers for the following:

• Peace for Deb and her family & friends
• Wisdom for the Dr's and nurses
• Clear PET scan and good results from the echocardiogram 
• Maximum effectiveness of the chemo
• Strength for the long journey ahead

Appointments today & tomorrow

Deb had her first appointments down at the Piper Breast Center today. She met with a surgeon and had biopsies of the two cancer spots and a lymph node and should have the results tomorrow afternoon. She will meet with an Oncologist tomorrow at 3pm to discuss her plan of action.

We covet your prayers about the following:

• Clear, easy to read results of the biopsies
• Wisdom and clarity for the surgeon and oncologist
• Peace for Deb and her family
• A clear plan of action for the treatment of Deb's cancer

Courage

First of all, THANK YOU so much to all who have been praying! It is such a relief to know that so many of you are on your knees praying right alongside Deb, the Miller family, and their friends and family.

Deb's MRI today showed another little spot in her breast. They are not sure if it is more cancer or if it is nothing at all. However, the only way to know that is to do an MRI guided biopsy. If it is nothing, then she will most likely have a lumpectomy sooner rather than later. If it is more cancer, she will have a mastectomy. Right now the plan is that she will likely have surgery first so they have the full pathology report to help her Dr's decide what kind of treatment is best for her.

We are humbled by the prayers and support. Please keep praying for:

• Patience for Deb as she waits for decisions to be made about treatment
• Patience for her family as they wait for details
• Wisdom for Dr's as they make decisions
• If it is God's will, a clear MRI biopsy tomorrow and peace to accept different results if that should be His will
• Strength for Deb to fight the physical and mental battle that is cancer

My Bible study this week was about when Joshua was commissioned by the Lord as the new leader of the Israelites as they were about to enter the Promised Land. God knew the challenges that lay ahead of Joshua. He knew Joshua would face many hardships of leading a rebellious and sinful people. God knew he would face seemingly impossible battles to take possession of the Promised Land. To put it simply, God knew this was not going to be an easy journey by any means. But God's commission to Joshua was simple:

"Be strong and courageous, for you will bring the Israelites into the land I swore to them, and I will be with you." Deuteronomy 31:23

We tend to think of courage as an act of bravery or strength. Something we muster out of our own might. But the Bible paints courage in a different light. 

Courage: A settled confidence in the heart of a believer that God will be true to His promises.

Many of us are not leading a group of more than 3 million people into a land they would have to fight to conquer and claim as their own. However, we each face a battle every day. One that we would be a whole lot better off if we were confident in our hearts that God is true to His promises and that He is with us.

Take heart TEAM CHIN, He has been with us every step of the way thus far and will continue to do so. Be courageous.

Here we go again ...

We've endured more than our fair share. 3 1/2 years of cancer with Leanne. A brutal, painful, faith building journey that ended with what still seems like the worst possible outcome was God's sovereign plan since before time began. Months after Leanne's death, my grandma was diagnosed with breast cancer. Thankfully, she had a successful surgery, needed no chemo or radiation, and was declared cancer free.

It felt safe to think that God would surely give us a break from breast cancer for a while. We deserved that right?! 

Last Thursday, Deb, Ryan's mom had a routine mammogram which revealed something suspicious. Her Dr. scheduled a biopsy and results would be in on Monday. Her Dr. called and said it is cancer. She met with her Oncologist and surgeon today at 4pm and here is what we know:

• Deb has HER2 estrogen negative invasive ductal carcinoma 
• She will have a MRI tomorrow (4/22) to give the surgeon and oncologist a better picture of what her tumor looks like
• Regardless of what the scan shows, Deb will have surgery, chemo, and radiation. We just don't know what order they will be in.
• Deb and her family are praying about seeking a second opinion

I wrote something similar when Leanne was diagnosed the second time and it is just as applicable today as it was then: 

God knew that this was going to be the news we heard today. He is not the least bit worried about what will happen in the next few days, weeks, months, and years. He has a plan for Deb and it is better than anything we could ever imagine. We are going to trust God's promise in this verse:

"Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." Isaiah 41:10

Please be praying for the following:

• Wisdom for Deb, her family, doctors, and surgeons in making decisions
• Strength for Deb in this journey as she battles cancer
• Strength for her family and friends as they support her in this journey
• Peace to be abundant in the days, weeks, and months ahead

Why ...

I have been plagued by one question for the past 335 days.

Why?

I cannot find a rational answer that makes any sense. I know "...all things work together for the good of those who love God..." (Romans 8:28) But good would probably not be the word I would use to describe day to day life around here. So, in the midst of the pain, sadness, frustration, and grief the question of "Why?" still remains. Thankfully, God's definition of good and mine are not exactly the same :) 

Grief Share is an incredible organization which provides support to those who are grieving. One service they provide are daily emails to encourage those throughout the grieving process. The subject of my email one day was: What To Do With The Why's ...

“What do you do with the whys?” asks Kay Arthur after her husband committed suicide. She answers, “You have to lay them at the feet of Omniscience and, by faith, leave them there and say, ‘If You want to show me why, God, fine. If not, I’m going to cling to who You are and what You promise.’ When you’re asking why, and you’re in the dark, and you don’t have any reasons, you are to cling to Him in hope. He is the God of all hope. The thing that you have to realize is you are here for a much larger purpose than you realize.”

God has never promised ease in this life. In fact, hardship and trouble are actually promised. "I have told you these things so that in Me you may have peace. You will have suffering in this world. Be courageous! I have conquered the world.” (John 16:33) So, in the face of these hardships, I am challenged to lay the question of "Why?" at the feet of Jesus and leave it there. I will replace it with a prayer asking God to continue to show me who He is and what He promises. 

As many of you know, our grandma was diagnosed with breast cancer and underwent a successful mastectomy. She is now cancer free! At the time I felt like shouting at God and asking Him "Are you kidding me? Haven't we had enough?" But once again God reminded us that He is faithful and sovereign over all areas of our lives. Well, we are about to enter the trenches again. And to be brutally honest, I feel like shouting at the top of my lungs again. But instead, we will challenge each other to lay the Why? at the feet of Jesus and leave it there. We will replace it with a reminder from Leanne that #God'sGotThis. 

Please be praying for us. Here are some specifics:

• Good, restful sleep for Leo
• Wisdom for Dr's
• Peace for our family

We'll update with some more info when the time is right.