Parting the Sea - An Update from Greg

I will praise you, O Lord my God,
with all my heart;
I will glorify your name forever.

For great is your love toward me;
you have delivered me
from the depths of the grave.
                           Psalm 86:12-13

Friends & Family,

Today I want to share with you some really great news.

Last week I had a CT Scan and three MRIs. I was basically scanned from my chin to my knees. On Thursday Jeane and I saw my oncologist to get the results. All I can say is HALLELUJAH!

~ The many tumors on my lungs have shrunk to half their size.
~ The tumor in my left kidney bed is stable--no change. It hasn't grown or decreased in size.
~The large tumor in my thigh has shrunk almost in half; it has gone from 16 x 4 cm to 10 x 2 cm.

My oncologist was [quote], "really impressed" and almost speechless. He didn't know what to say. In fact, that's exactly what he said--about ten times: "I don't know what to say!"

He joked, "If you had take even one pill of that Sutent [the chemo drug] I could have taken credit for this, but I can't." He seemed genuinely happy and excited for me. I don't suppose he sees a lot of his stage IV cancer patients with receding tumors, especially if they have not had surgery, chemo or radiation. However, we did remind him that we were taking "prayer" treatments; or as I like to call them (for you Lone Ranger & Tonto fans) "kemo sabe" treatments.

I am humbled, overwhelmed, sobered; brought to my knees with gratitude.

Moses, finding himself trapped between the Egyptian army and a great body of water, heard the voice of God: Don't be afraid. Stand firm, and you will see the deliverance of the Lord today. The Lord will fight for you. Move on. I am the Lord.

Those are pretty much the same things I have been hearing these past ten months: Don't be afraid. Stand firm. I am the Lord who heals you.

After God miraculously parted the Red Sea and the Israelites had landed on dry land and the armies of Pharaoh had gone for a very long swim, the Bible tells us that Miriam, Aaron's sister, "...took a tambourine in her hand, and all the women followed her, with tambourines and dancing." Can't you just see her? The words of her song, found in Exodus, Chapter 15, were put to music and  used as a worship chorus back in the 80's:

I will sing unto the LORD,

for he has triumphed gloriously,

   the horse and rider thrown into the sea.

The LORD, my God, my strength and song,

has now become my victory.

The LORD is God, and I will praise him,

our Father's God, and I will exalt him.

The LORD is God, and I will praise him,
         our Father's God and I will exalt him!

We didn't have a tambourine with us, but Jeane and I had to break into that song a few times during the hour-long drive back home from MD Anderson. And, well, we couldn't resist throwing in a few lines from the rock group, Rare Earth, circa 1971:

I just want to celebrate another day of livin'.
I just want to celebrate another day of Li....i....i...ife!

Like the Israelites, our battle is not over. But we celebrate. This is a cool drink and a tall tree to sit under for a while, and we are grateful. We have seen the Lord fight for us. We have seen the sea part. We have witnessed a mighty work of God, and we give him all the glory.

But please, don't stop praying. The cancer is smaller, but it's still there; and I still have a kidney that doesn't want to work right. The numbers keep climbing on my labs, and we can't figure out what's wrong.

One theory about the kidney is that it is overloaded by the tumors breaking down, and of course the residue and toxins must be processed by my one remaining sluggish kidney. Another thought is that the many supplements I am taking are overloading it, so I am praying about which of my supplements or medications I might need to decrease or stop taking.

That is a tough decision because my supplements were prescribed by my doctor at Oasis of Hope and each has a key part in destroying cancer cells. It's kind of a catch-22. I guess it is time to get on my knees and listen for God's wisdom and direction once again.

Friends and family, I can't thank you enough for the encouragement you are to me and for taking time to pray and intercede before the Father on my behalf. You are warriors, fighting beside me to battle back the powers of darkness that seek to destroy. God hears our prayers!

Thank you for your messages and notes. I love hearing from you.

My prayer is that you will be encouraged by this story, and that is why I write this blog. It's not just my story, it is our story. It is our testimony to God's goodness and the power of prayer.

Blessed be HIS name,

GregP.S.  Kemo sabe, by the way, is translated as "trusty scout" or "faithful friend."