udates.

This one is for those of you who follow Andy's updates/progress in blog land...

A few weeks ago we met with the natural Dr. to do some retesting. She does her testing, only doing a saliva test & comes up with all her numbers, I'm still amazed every time.

Test results are rated from -1-10(severely under functioning)...1-10(normal)...& +1-10(over functioning).

Andy's very first test (overall health) showed severely under functioning at a negative 7-10. A couple weeks ago, after being under her care for 2months, Andy was showing normal numbers from 4-6!

She said, "this doesn't mean the cancer is gone, but it does mean that Andy's body is able to fight the cancer at 100%! This was very encouraging news!

Last week he was scheduled for a CT scan so we could actually see what was going on inside of his body. We felt very confident going in. 2days later our hearts plummeted once again, the Dr. claimed there was new growth in his belly & once again stressed the need for chemo. So many doubts crept in. Are we doing the right thing? God had showed us so clearly that chemo was not the answer.

We left the Dr.'s office & headed to chiro where we sat & waited for our turn to be adjusted. They have a TV screen where they post chiro news, encouragement etc. We had just sat down & I looked up to see a bible verse pop up on the screen. I don't remember the verse or what the whole verse even said, but the last word of that verse was PERSEVERE!

It jumped out at me like a bolt of lightning!

I opened my phone & got on FB to pass the time & the 3rd post down...I don't remember all of it & it doesn't matter but it went like this...times might be hard...PRESS ON!

Friends, that was no coincidence, that was GOD!

We left the Dr.'s office feeling defeated, but we left chiropractic with HOPE.

The following day after the children went to school, I called our natural Dr. to discuss the CT results.

She had just done more testing on Andy the night before when he went in for his therapy & she had the results. The numbers for overall health were now a 7-8 & his numbers for lymphoma had jumped 8points! She said the growth they were seeing was likely due to toxins "gunk" that had not flushed through his system yet. Your largest lymph nodes are in your belly & everything gets flushed through there when detoxifying. This was good news.

Soon after I was off the phone, there was a knock on the front door. There stood a man that we had blown off about a month ago, trying to sell Andy a product that's supposed to be good for cancer. My first instinct was to get angry & send him on his way yet again, but something kept me from doing it, I let him in & let him talk, although I was only listening half-heartedly. All at once it occurred to me that it was odd that he should show up at our house again...the morning after getting disturbing news from the medical Dr. This also was no coincidence. I started really listening & then asked him if he could come back later that eve when Andy was home, he said, "sure!"

He came back, we listened, & we started using his product that same evening! he said we should see changes in 1month.

Andy has had chronic low back pain for over a year, the medical Dr. believes it comes from the cancer in his belly area & from the cancer in his bones. Tonight, 6days of using this product & following the program religiously, Andy came home & said he didn't have any back pain at all today. And that was after laying heavy block all day!

We believe good things are happening! Praise God!

 

 

We also have good news from Dawson's testings! His sugar levels went from a +10 to a +6.5 so it is coming down, slowly but surely! The testing also showed under functioning with his eyes & ears so we will be getting that checked out & maybe we will start seeing improvement in his grades at school! Poor guy can't do well in school if his eyes & ears are failing him :(

 

We also found out last week that Asher will need surgery in the near future.

We have a lot going on but we are finally getting some answers. This also means decisions need to be made & we pray that God would show us clearly what He would have us to do when each situation arises.

we covet your continued prayers. One day at a time....Thank you!

Andy, Ruth & kiddos



Andy's CT results.

   Tonight I have good news & bad news. The good news is, the tumor in Andy's neck area has shrunk significantly & is soft. He is not symptomatic in any area except on very rare occasions he will get night sweats. According to the Dr., at this stage, he should be extremely symptomatic. He should be having fevers, night sweats, decreased appetite, nausea etc...The bad news is, the lymphatic tumors in his belly & chest area how grown & appear more aggressive than the ones in his neck area. Is our faith being tested? We believe so. But we also know that God so clearly led us down the path of treating the cancer naturally & don't believe He did that, just to drastically change that course of direction in 2months time.  Again, the Dr. is puzzled that Andy isn't showing any symptoms at this point & we are praising God for this!
   The Dr. is wanting to push chemotherapy & repeatedly stressed the importance of going through with treatment. Andy is not on board. He was anointed in the name of Jesus & believes that God will bring healing to his body. The natural Dr. does testing each time he goes in for therapy & she is amazed weekly at the changes he is making & in the improvement of his numbers & believes his body is at a point where it can fight the cancer at 100% we are praying & believing that we will see positive changes in the coming weeks. The natural Dr. has also told us on numerous occasions that she has worked with chemo patients & has been very successful in treatment & if Andy would ever need to seek chemotherapy, that she would let us know & work alongside the medical Dr. to give Andy the best treatment possible.
    Andy is still searching for a job that would provide for our current needs but be able to work somewhere that he could avoid having to breathe in all the fine concrete dust that is slowing down the healing process for him.
   We ask that you please continue to keep us in your prayers as we make decisions for our future.

                                                            Thank you! Andy, Ruth & kiddos.

    Where do I start?... My brain feels like it's in fast forward mode & I can't keep up. There are so many things I want to share here today but I'm having a hard time putting everything into coherent sentences.

    I wonder how often I've told my friends, who are currently or have in the past had to deal with major life struggles, that they need to tell us what their needs are so we can help. If we don't know, we can't help.

    When life threw us this curve ball called cancer, people told us the same thing, it's very humbling having to ask for help, but we are really struggling these last few weeks. Andy & I feel like strangers in the night. There is literally no time to connect. The little bit of time that we do have together after Dr. appointments, is spent with the children, trying to keep life as normal as possible for them. I guess what we are asking is, if you are a local youth girl, single lady, or even a couple with no children reading this & you enjoy being with children, we would love to have you in our home, to give the children dinner & tuck them into bed. I would love to be able to go with Andy to a therapy session then have time to sit at a coffee shop & be able to connect with my Husband without any interruptions, where it's just us & a few hours, to cry together, pray together, catch up with life as we know it now.

    Or if you are a mom, who knows how difficult it can be to get a meal on the table under 'normal' circumstances, & would like to help out with a meal...it would never be turned down here :)

    Today I put in a load of laundry, started lunch then went out to the garage to put trash in the recycling bins, only to find that the laundry room was filled with smoke, I immediately assumed it was the washing machine, when I opened the top, smoke came billowing out . Our washing machine of 11years has finally called it quits, had it not been for the wet laundry in the washer, it would have gone up in flames. I'm so grateful God had His angels watching out for us today. But we are now desperately in need of a dependable washing machine, with 7 people in the household, laundry piles up very quickly. Our dryer is also about to give out, the heating element is shot & it takes multiple cycles sometimes to get the clothes dry.  If anyone has a good/dependable washing machine/dryer that you don't need, please let us know. We aren't looking for a hand out, we just can't afford brand news one right now. we are more than willing to pay for good-dependable used ones.

 

    Tonight we meet with Andy's natural Dr. to finally get some updates & to see what type of progress he is making & if the regimen that he is on is helping him. Pleas keep us in your prayers this evening that God would prepare us for whatever news we may get & wisdom to make decisions if there is anything we may need to change.

The hard days.

I sit here, staring at my computer screen thinking, am I really going to put my thoughts here for all to see? The answer is yes, I don't believe in always posting the good days, the days where we have been blessed beyond words, where things go right and good! Because they aren't always, some days are dark, overwhelming & I get so frustrated & angry.

When we found out Andy had cancer, there was never any doubt that he would be healed, but this emotional roller coaster was never supposed to be part of the journey & sometimes it doesn't even directly involve the journey. There are days when I feel as if I'm constantly treading water, barely able to keep my head above the waves that come crashing in. On some of those same days I sometimes wonder, how would it feel to just stop treading, to sink into an oblivion of nothing.

This past week there were many days like this. Not only are we still adjusting to a new way of life that brings many changes, but dear little man is teething like nothing I've ever seen before. Four days of holding my baby, as I listened to him cry, feeling completely helpless as I try yet another thing to ease his pain. Nothing seems to work so I hold him a little tighter, crying-praying with him that I could somehow take the pain for him as he vomits due to the extreme pain he is in. Those 4oz. of warm milk that I tried so hard to get him to drink, all coming back up & I wonder how his little body, so much smaller than most his age can possibly afford to lose more weight.

In the darkest of those moments, God sends people to bring comfort.

I got a text message awhile back that I just skimmed over a little bit, but today I took the time to really read it Isaiah 40:28-31 Have you never heard? Have you never understood? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of all the earth. He never grows weak or weary. No one can measure the depths of His understanding. He gives power to the weak & strength to the powerless. Even youths will become weak & tired & young men will fall in exhaustion. But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run & not grow weary. They will walk & not faint...He really does understand the way that I feel, it's ok to get frustrated with the journey, it's ok to get angry at the circumstances, it's ok to feel like you don't want to go on, as long as I take those feelings to God, give them to the One person who understands every trial I am going through. I'm ashamed to admit it, but I sometimes take those feelings out on the people around me, the ones I love the most, instead of giving it to God, & it's not pretty. I am ever so grateful that my family offers grace in those times. Thankful that I have a forgiving Father who reaches out & embraces the ugly & reminds me again that I'm not perfect,(and don't have to be)but I am forgiven.

And I am beyond grateful for those times that you all have listened to that still small voice & have given notes, cards text messages, meals & a helping hand  reminding me that we are not alone on this journey. Bless you for caring!

 



Update-October 13

   Today I've gotten several phone calls asking how Andy is doing & I realized I haven't updated in awhile.

   The tumor on Andy's neck continues to shrink-good things are happening there! Praise God!

   There have been no repeat scans done as of yet but according to our Natural Dr., things are looking good. We are due for an update here soon so we should have more info for you all later.

I did receive a call from Andy's oncologist this week that once again confirmed God's hand in this whole journey! They had originally staged Andy at grade 3/stage 4, meaning it was an aggressive cancer, throughout most of his body.

  At this point, if we had gone through with chemo, Andy would have received 2 rounds of the most aggressive/highly toxic chemotherapy.

   We are so thankful today that God lead us down a different path!

   The oncologist had sent the biopsies to Cleveland for further-more in-depth testing & was calling us to tell us that Andy actually had grade 2/stage 4 cancer. Which would have been treated with a much less aggressive chemotherapy regimen.

   Again, so thankful we chose not to go that route! His body would literally have been pumped full of toxic drugs that it didn't really need.

  We have learned, so far, on this journey, that we may not always know why God does what He does, but He only wants what is best for us & He is taking care of us each step of this journey. All He is asking us to do is trust Him.

   This Saturday, Andy will be going in for a minor, outpatient procedure where they will be removing the port that was implanted to administer the chemo-it will not be needed!

   We were advised to do repeat CAT scans every 3months to track his progress & in the event the Dr.s would need to step in & do something, above & beyond what we are doing now(but we are praying & believing that that will not be necessary!)they would be on top of things & know what is going on.

 Thank you for all the prayers sent on our behalf-please continue to pray & we will update as we get more information on Andy's progress.

 

Andy, Ruth & kiddos

Hope.

It's been a little while, & I thought I should update on Andy & let you all know how he's doing.

 

Andy feels great physically, he's working every day, playing softball & trying to keep up with appointments etc. Our schedule has us worn a little thin at times but Andy was encouraged to stay active with the sports he loves. he is seeing a chiropractor 3x a week & Holistic care 1x a week for therapy, so it can get crazy at times. Add your daily routines to that schedule & it gets FULL pretty quickly.

 

 

This past Sunday there was an anointing service, for complete healing for Andy's body.

I have never been a part of such an awe-inspiring service. Throughout the whole morning, God's presence was felt so deeply. From the time we got into the van to drive to church & God gave me 2 specific songs. To the worship service, where once again...I can't hardly even put it into words. God's presence was so REAL. I've never before felt so vulnerable but so much at peace, all at one time.

 

God has done amazing things in healing our family & now He is doing amazing things for Andy's body! The tumor on Andy's neck that had been about the size of a golf ball is now only 2 small knots on his neck the size of a fingertip & the 3rd knot is hardly visible.

Additional testing has not been done yet but we believe the healing has begun.

 

This song was led during worship on Sunday & it's been on my lips often this week already.

http://youtu.be/0ZFN8TBfgNU

 

 

How Great is our God!

Wishing you a blessed weekend & we ask for your continued prayers as we continue this journey.

Andy, Ruth & kiddos

Faith.

My heart is full tonight, I'm not even sure where to begin. So much has changed in the last few days that I am once again in awe of the workings of our Heavenly Father. Things like what we've experienced in the last 3 days are not just coincidence. They are divine intervention. We have no idea what the next few weeks may hold for us, but we do know that God is going before us & preparing the way.

 

 

Last week Thursday a friend gave me a devotional. She said how much it has helped her through some very difficult times in her life & wanted me to have it.

On Saturday night I sat down to read some of it & was flipping through it randomly. I felt so strongly that God wanted me to go to the devotional for that day, that He had something very specific for me, for that day. I closed the book & prayed that God would prepare me for whatever he had for me.

I opened the devotional to September 14th & started to read...& wow!!...

...these are the authors words...

He wrote your name on His hand.

What incredible authority we have been given in prayer. When we place our faith in Jesus, He gave us His name, enabling us to say, I am one with Christ. Then amazingly Jesus took on our name. As our High Priest, He wrote it on the palm of His hand so that our name is registered in heaven, under His glorious name.

You can see why the phrase, "in Christ's name" is not just some impersonal formula. Rather it is a literal position we have with Jesus. Jesus tells us, "In that day you will ask in My name, and I do not say to you that I shall pray the Father for you; for the Father Himself loves you, because you have loved Me, and have believed that I came forth from God"(James 16:26-27)...now here is where it gets so good!

Jesus is telling us, in other words: "whenever you ask in My name, your request has the same power and effect with the Father as if I were asking Him." Think of it: When we lay hands on the sick & pray, God sees us as if Jesus is laying hands on the sick to bring healing.

We are to come confidently to the throne of grace and pray boldly, "Father, I stand before you, chosen in Christ to go forth & bear fruit. Now I make my request largely, that my joy may be full."

I hear many Christians say, I asked in Jesus' name, but my prayers were not answered. One reason may be because we have allowed sin in our lives to become roadblocks to His blessing.

Perhaps the blockage is due to lukewarmness toward the things of God. Or perhaps we are filled with doubt, which cuts us off from the power of Christ. James makes it clear: "He who wavers will not receive anything of God."(James 1:6-7)

God knows our hearts, and He reserves the power that is in Christ for those who are wholly surrendered to Him. He has written our names on His hand!

 

Talk about GOD, speaking DIRECTLY to me, through that devotional. The devotional was just the beginning of these chain of events...

 

This morning right before Andy & I left to go see an NP,(my mom came to be with the children) my mom said, "I can't stand the thought of Andy taking chemo, as healthy & strong as his body is. It will just make him sick & run down & he is HEALTHY!"

She then proceeded to tell us of a place where they can treat the cancer naturally.

I was furious! I wanted to scream, why bring this up now, 2 days before he starts chemo, after all his biopsies & battery of testing. WHY?!

 We left for Andy's appointment, our hearts & minds in a complete turmoil! Little did we know that God had His hand in it all along.

I called my Brother who knows well what this Holistic Dr. is capable of doing. We talked for awhile, then we went in for the appointment that was to educate us about all the meds that Andy would receive during chemo. And we were in for a RIDE!!

After the nurse left, Andy & I looked at each other with looks of it ain't never gonna happen, no way no how!!! We asked the nurse to come back in & told her we need a few weeks to get a second opinion & to make an informed decision. She said that was fine, cancelled our appointments for this week & left again. (we had asked for a sign language interpreter to be there for the visit in order for Andy to better understand everything & allow me to just listen). The interpreter saw the look on our faces & proceeded with, "I'm not supposed to give out medical advice, but I know you want to look into Holistic care. And then she said the very same name(practice) that my mom had mentioned before we left. (That was GOD, affirming that we were making the right choice!) Then she proceeded to tell us that her Husband had sought treatment with this Holistic Dr. & was doing great under her care but got tired of the regimen & opted for chemo after awhile. Her husband died. not from the cancer. The medical Dr.s  put him into remission. But he died from the horrible side affects of the chemo & radiation.

On the way home, I thought of the devotional that God led me to on Saturday night.

I believe that God placed specific people in our lives today, to fulfill His purpose.

We had also felt that it just wasn't right to proceed with treatment if we were giving it to God through anointing, this Sunday morning.

So now, the future is more unknown than it's ever been, but we both have such complete peace, it can't be explained. All we know is, God is going before us & preparing the way for us. We pray that He gives us wisdom in making decisions, & praying, in the name of Jesus, for a miracle,  for life,  for good health,  for a cancer free body!!!! 

pray and Believe with us, thank you.

 

Andy, Ruth & kiddos