Just a quick note from Greg...

Greetings Friends,

It was a busy week this past week:

I went for a 3-month checkup at MD Anderson which included a CT Scan and 3 MRIs. The results were good. The tumors were all reported as stable--no significant growth or reduction. We were a little disappointed that the MD Anderson radiologist did not take measurements this time. It made it harder to document any small decreases in size. (We shamelessly look for all the good news we can get!)

I also had an appointment with my nephrologist (kidney doc). The function of my kidney has continued to decline--a matter that is of serious concern for us.

Then I spent a three-night surprise stay in the hospital over the weekend. I had some shoulder pain that was shooting down my arm and into my neck. It got worse throughout the week. On Friday late afternoon I decided it was best to get it checked out, so I walked down to the emergency room after I'd finished work. Well, I guess you don't walk into an emergency room with pain shooting down your arm without some extensive testing, so a brief visit turned into a weekend hospital stay. They wanted to check for blood clots as well as heart issues. (Apparently having cancer puts you at a greater risk of developing blood clots, which I did not know.)

All ended well on Monday afternoon when I was released with a prescription for muscle relaxers and some Lidocaine patches. Turns out it was a muscular/nerve issue. Guess I have to sit up and pay attention to how I work when I am at my desk and in front of my computer.

I have to mention one of the neat things that happened in the hospital this weekend: When I was admitted they immediately took a chest x-ray to check for heart blockage. The radiologist compared this chest x-ray to the last one that was taken at my hospital (Banner Thunderbird), which happened to be my x-ray from December 2011--the one that first alerted us to the two largest nodules in my lungs. (Later the nodule count was upped to 11 after a CT scan found more, smaller nodules on my lungs).

Anyway, when the radiologist compared the two x-rays taken 14 months apart, his report stated that the nodules seen on the previous x-ray were "no longer identified. The lungs are clear." That means that the two largest nodules on my lungs are now too small to be seen on a chest x-ray. Praise God!

I am going away tomorrow, Wednesday, to Jacksonville, Florida for a prayer retreat with Christian Healing Ministries (Judith and Francis MacNutt). This was the same retreat that Jeane and I went to last January the week after we learned of my cancer diagnosis. We're so grateful for that ministry and the wonderful people there. We both believe that the retreat impacted us deeply and "set the stage" for how we dealt with the cancer. It set our minds and hearts in the right direction to deal with the tough battle that was ahead in the spirit realm as well as in the physical.

Returning to the retreat one year later is very important to me. It feels like a pilgrimage for me. I will be there to give thanks to God for his sustenance, grace and healing power that he has shown to us this past year. I will also be praying specifically for my diseased kidney. I ask for your prayers for its restoration and healing.

Thank you all for your love and prayers. It is so good to be a part of the family of God. May you be blessed with the powerful presence of his Holy Spirit in your life this week, and may you be overwhelmed by his great love for you.

"I am the Lord who heals you." Ex. 15:26

Greg