Mar. 31, 2010 (Wed.)

Chrissy sent pictures of David's appointment at the Chou Cancer Center at UCI Medical Center yesterday.

My guess is...getting chemo through the Port-A-Cath

Spinal Tap (Lumbar Puncture) 

Spinal Fluid

David with  - Karen Sommers (his Nurse Practitioner)

Thank you Chrissy for sending the pictures.
David's friend Terry came over and visited with David today. Chrissy's friend Thu watched the kids so Chrissy could get errands taken care of.

"The Word is very  near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart so you may obey it."   Deuteronomy 30:14

Mar. 30, 2010 (Tues.)

It seems whatever David and Chrissy were told on Monday, changed today. David ended up having to be at the hospital today at 2:00 pm for a spinal tap and chemo treatment. It took the doctor 5 pokes with the needle before she finally was successful with the lumbar puncture. On the last try she had David change positions and was able to get the needle to go in.

The current news is that he won't have to go back to the hospital until next Tuesday. Check back in tomorrow and I'm sure the information will change. Ugh.

Joe took the day off of work today and picked up the kids at 8:00 a.m. this morning. They went to Home Depot, the pool store, Rock City for Rock Climbing (Ethan really like it) and out to lunch at In-N-Out. Grandpa is sleeping soundly now. :)

When Joe returned the kids back home tonight to David and Chrissy, Joe fed David his dinner while Chrissy put the kids to bed. David has learned to keep laying down flat after the spinal taps to help his headaches not be so bad.

Thanks for the people who responded to bringing meals, we now have the next few days covered. If you are still interested, I would like to make plans for the next few weeks.

"The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still."
Exodus 14:14

Mar. 29, 2010 (Mon.)

Today was a whirlwind of a day. David and Chrissy received a call this morning that their treatment plan was being changed because of their insurance company. David now has to be driven down to the Chou Cancer Center every Monday - Thursday for the next 3 to 4 weeks. He won't be admitted to the hospital.  However, he was pleased that he won't have another spinal tap either. David had to be at the hospital at 12:30 pm, when they arrived and had some blood work done. They were then shuffled around and had to wait for his chemo treatment. By the time Chrissy called me this evening at 5:30 pm she had just dropped David off at home and was running out to pick up his prescriptions.

David has also been suffering from heartburn. He didn't realize they had been regularly giving him Prilosec ( a medication for heartburn) while he was admitted in the hospital because heartburn can be a common side effect to Chemotherapy. He will start taking the Prilosec to see if it helps.

Chrissy has also asked that meals start being delivered to the house, with the additional traveling to the hospital and now having to care for David and the kids the assistance would be appreciated.  Please let me know if you can sign up for a day.

"Dear David, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well."   3 John, verse 2

Mar. 28, 2010 (Sun.)

The first week that David was in the hospital back in January of 2010 and the doctors first diagnosis was lymphoma I was curious why does a healthy 25 year old come down with Lymphoma? I was concerned about David's time spent overseas during his deployment and started googling around for the search words "Iraq military lymphoma" and found quite a few links regarding veterans that have been coming down with many kinds of health issues regarding exposure to dangerous chemicals that where improperly disposed of on or near some of the the military bases in Iraq and Afghanistan. I asked David if he had been in Balad, Iraq (he's never admitted before where he was stationed), David was very surprised that I had guessed the location where he had served overseas. Many soldiers have come up with leukemia and different kinds of lymphomas and more. In more than one of the articles a lawyers name (Elizabeth M. Burke, Esq. of Burke O'Neil LLC) was mentioned who has brought a class action lawsuit against the contractor KBR.

David was deployed to Iraq in approximately October 2004 and returned home around March of 2005

I emailed the lawyer, Elizabeth Burke and her response follows:

We have brought suit on behalf of over 200 soldiers and contractors against KBR for their operations of dangerous open air burn pits in Iraq and Afghanistan.  The emissions from the pits are implicated in many serious diseases, including cancers.  If your son is interested in joining the ongoing suits, I can send you further information and a retainer agreement.  It is so unfortunate that so many soldiers have been injured in this manner.  Please feel free to call me if you have any questions or would like to discuss.  Don Winslow, our team paralegal, can send you further information.  Thank you for contacting us.  We will keep you in our thoughts.

Since that date we have been notified by the lawyer that there are now more than 270 injured military personnel and contractors that have joined the battle against KBR.

Before David had read any of the articles,  we asked him to estimate how many water plastic bottles a day where disposed of, David's guess was "about 80,000". One of the articles estimated that David was exposed to the harmful chemicals of the burning of up to 90,000 plastic bottles (plus other dangerous hazardous waste) every day for 5 months.

David has now signed the retainer agreement and has been sent a huge stack of papers that must be completed for the lawyers. Pray that he finds the energy to complete them also pray that justice may be found if David came down with this awful illness due to someones gross neglect.

Below you can click on some of  the links to articles I have found:

CNN News
Army Times
Los Angeles Times

"Is any one of you sick?  He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and annoint him with oil in the name of the Lord.  And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well;    James 5:14-15a

Mar. 27, 2010 (Sat.)

David and Chrissy had a quiet day of resting, eating and movie watching today.

If I understand the paper correctly that David showed me, David will be going to the Chou Cancer center (as an outpatient) on Tuesday for a spinal tap and dose of chemo and will be home for another week. Then he'll be readmitted to the hospital for what looks like 2 more weeks of hard hitting chemo treatments.

Joe and I had the Ethan, Anna & Titus. We took them to Home Depot & Sam's Club, then came home so Titus could take a nap. We had lunch and went for a long walk/wagon/stroller ride to the fish store where we saw beautiful salt water aquariums. After that we got cleaned up and went to a 50th birthday party/potluck for a friend. Ethan and Anna fell asleep in the car on our way down there and I let them sleep in the van for a half and hour and then we enjoyed the party until 8:00 pm. They were very excited to go home and see Mommy & Daddy.

"for I know that through your prayers and the help given by the Spirit of Jesus Christ, what has happened to David will turn out for his deliverance (healing)."  Philippians 1:19

Mar. 26, 2010 (Fri.)

We (Joe and I) had just gotten into the car and were on our way to work at 6:00 a.m. this morning when the phone rang. Titus had been coughing most of the night and had a runny nose. Since we’ve been warned that David is very vulnerable to catching viruses, we turned the car back around so Joe could go to work in a different car (thank the Lord we bought a minivan last Sunday). I got in the van and went and picked up Titus and brought him back to our home. Aunt Joelle started her first day of Spring break today and she helped me immensely! She took Titus for a walk, fed him lunch and played with him while I was able to get some work done from home.

I’ll try to update the blog again later tonight. I hope to get some more information from David or Chrissy when we go pick up Ethan and Anna. We had already planned on all the grandkids spending the night tonight and some of the day tomorrow.

"Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Mar. 25, 2010 (Thurs.)

I called Chrissy this afternoon for an update. She said David is having a rough day. He has been throwing up and continues to feel nauseous. He’s been lying down and sleeping a great deal. He has asked for lots of crackers and isn’t up for visitors today.

"For no matter how many promises God has made, they are "Yes" in Christ. And so through Him the "Amen" is spoken by us to the Glory of God." 2 Cor 1:20

Mar. 24, 2010 (Wed.)

Huge Praise Report!
The house in Romoland has been rented and the new tenants take over on April 1st! Thank you everyone for your prayers!
The landlord is still requiring an additional $200 worth of expenses to be covered. The Riverside Sheriff's Association (RSA) has generously offered to pay them.

David has been VERY tired today. He says it almost feels like flu symptoms, but Chrissy says he doesn't have a fever.  He is resting at home.

Also, please keep Chrissy in your prayers; she really struggles in the spring with allergies and has been sneezing and feeling miserable.

"Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer."
Romans 12:11-12

Mar. 23, 2010 (Tues)

David was given doses of.....Pegaspargase, Methotrexate, Vincristine then he threw up and was released from the hospital today.

Pegaspargase is given as an injection into a large muscle. The Methotrexate was given during the Spinal tap and the Vincristine was given in an IV push.

We were going to take them dinner but David called and said he was too nauseous for visitors or dinner.

Please keep him in your prayers.

"Yet, David did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what He had promised."   Romans 4:20-21

Mar. 22, 2010 (Mon.)

Quite day...David was feeling too nauseous for Joe to bring lunch. Chrissy was able to go visit him at in the evening and take him dinner.

"Now Lord, consider their threats and enable Your servants to speak Your Word with great boldness.  Stretch out Your Hand to heal and perform miraculous signs and wonders through the Name of your Holy servant Jesus."
Acts: 4-29, 30


"After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken.  And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the Word of God boldly."   
Acts 4:31

Mar. 21, 2010 (Sun.)

We went to visit David in the afternoon for a couple of hours; Chrissy had been able to spend the night and had just left before we got there. David says he was able to walk around the floor of the hospital for awhile. He said the new chemo they are giving him makes him more tired and lousy feeling in the morning and better in the evening which is opposite of how he used to feel. He described it as a “kick in the pants”. They give him the chemo on an empty stomach early in the morning and he feels really nauseous by 7 – 10 am.

He has a cough today and the nurse was giving him a breathing treatment with some sort of bronchial mist. They had given him a chest x-ray; we haven’t gotten the results yet.

They are planning on removing the PICC line on Monday and still haven’t used the Port-a-cath. The spinal time is still scheduled for Tuesday. I asked when the next bone marrow biopsy is and David stated they may not do another one for 6 months.

"So he said to me, "This is the Word of the Lord to David: "Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit, says the Lord Almighty."  Zachariah 4:6, and

"Then David will bring out the capstone to shouts of "God Bless it! God bless it!" Zachariah 4:7b

Mar. 20, 2010 (Sat.)

Chrissy brought the kids over this morning and we watched them for several hours. Both Ethan and Titus have their hair buzzed off to match David, I'll try to post pictures of them tomorrow when I can transfer the pictures to my computer. Ethan had a good time going outside to examine bugs with Aunt Joelle.

Since the doctors have so many procedures planned for David this coming Tuesday they are going to keep him in the hospital over the weekend. We were informed that they have a spinal tap, blood transfusion and Chrissy said they had a couple of other things lined up. They have discussed discharging him on Wednesday.

Yesterday a woman who had contacted me through the blog came and prayed for healing for David. Thanks all your precious prayers, words of encouragement and support.

"I have come that David may have life, and have it to the full." John 10:10b

Mar. 19, 2010 (Fri.)

Chrissy took the kids to visit David at the hospital today. By the time Joe called David this evening, he sounded very tired.

David said that they are planning on giving him another dose of Chemo on Tuesday and do another spinal tap. He also mentioned that they may send him home the same day.

I also forgot to post that he weighed in at 131 pounds on Wed, I think that is up several pounds since that last time I mentioned his weight.

"Lord, I have heard of your fame; I stand in awe of Your deeds, O Lord.
Renew them in our day, in our time, make them known;"
Habukkuk 3:2

Mar. 18, 2010 (Thurs)

David received a dose of intravenous and oral chemo today.

Joe went to go visit him for a couple of hours during the evening; he didn’t have any other visitors.

He was craving red grapes and getting bottled water takes the nurses awhile to bring sometimes, so Joe took him several extra bottles.

"And I will do whatever you ask IN MY NAME, SO THAT THE SON MAY BRING GLORY TO THE FATHER." John 14:13

Mar. 17, 2010 (Wed.)

David did have a spinal tap today with chemo and he had an additional dose of Chemo tonight. He anticipates that he’ll be tired tomorrow and even more tired on Friday if he follows his normal pattern.

He was told that they may remove his PICC line tomorrow and start using the Portacath that was inserted last week. He’s not too excited about using the Portacath since it’s below the surface of the skin and with each injection they will have to puncture the skin.

Chrissy’s mom (Pam) committed to having Ethan over once a week for a few hours to do preschool activity with him.

We took David breakfast this morning on our way to work, but David didn’t wake up when we arrived. Joe took him dinner tonight and enjoyed spending a couple of hours with him. We have to start worrying about David’s addictions…He’s now on Season Five of Star Trek Voyager. His friend Danny has been a dangerous pusher. :)

"For the Scripture says, "Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame". Romans 10:11

Mar. 16, 2010 (Tues.)

David was admitted back into the hospital this afternoon; he is in room #7626 and his phone number is (714) 456-3118. He said it’s his favorite room so far. It has an adjustable air mattress that he finds very comfortable.

When he first got to the hospital he tried something new, he stopped and set up the internet while he was still in the lobby before going up to his room. Last time it took several days to get everything up and running, today when he got to his room, it worked great.

Since it was so late in the afternoon by the time he was admitted, they’ve postponed the spinal tap until tomorrow.

"And the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will Himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. To Him be the power for ever and ever. Amen" I Peter 5:10-11

Mar. 15, 2010 (Mon.)

It’s been quiet from David’s household today. My guess is he is resting, enjoying time with his family, getting ready to return back to the hospital tomorrow and mentally preparing for another spinal tap.

Thanks go out today for the members of the Riverside Sheriff’s Department. I got several emails of words of encouragement that I passed on to David & Chrissy. One member emailed that she is donating some of her "Time Bank" hours to David. The more “Time Bank” hours that get donated means that David extends the length of time he has on disability. Even though we hope and pray that he is well and back to work way before that time runs out.

"The LORD Himself goes before you and will be with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged."

Deuteronomy 3:18

Mar. 14, 2010 (Sun.)

David & Chrissy were able to attend church today, they enjoyed the fellowship.

We celebrated our Saint Patrick’s Day dinner at our house and invited them over. However, driving in the car makes David very nauseous. He had no idea how sick traveling would make him, so they opted to stay home.

"For He says,"In the time of My favor I heard you,

And in the day of salvation I helped you."

I tell you, now is the time of God's favor,

Now is the day of salvation."

2 Corinthians 6:2

Mar. 13, 2010 (Sat.)

David looked pretty good today. When we got to the apartment at 7:30 this morning he was getting Ethan and Anna ready to come to our house. He likes to be at the apartment, he woke up several times last night when he was hungry and was able to fix himself food instead of having to wait for breakfast at the hospital.

When we returned the kids this afternoon. David was having Chrissy buzz his hair really short. It's been getting very thin because of the chemo. Sorry I didn't have my camera with me. :)

The Blue Team (Floor Ops, Classification Unit, and the Business Office) from the Riverside Sheriff’s Department collected another generous amount for David. Thanks everyone for all your amazing blessings. We are very grateful.

A correction from the last posting…He has to be at the hospital on Tuesday, not Monday. He is planning on having a spinal tap on Tuesday.

The kids had a fun time in the Jacuzzi with Uncle Seth and Joe today. Uncle Seth was teaching Ethan to swim.

Ethan learning to blow bubbles and go under water

Anna says the water is too "wet"

Titus joined too

"In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And He who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for David in accordance with God's will." Romans 8:26-27

Mar. 12, 2010 (Fri.)

How confusing…We got a call from Chrissy this afternoon, they were told that David would be discharged today. We called on our way home from work and asked if we could bring or do anything, David said he wanted purple grapes…so we stopped at Fresh & Easy on our way to the hospital and picked up grapes. By the time we arrived at David’s room, David was being moved into his wheelchair to be discharged. David was holding an ice pack to the back of his head to help reduce his headache. Chrissy had her arms full of stuff with Ethan in tow. It was nice to be there to help them move everything to the car. David has to be back at the hospital on Monday. Please pray for him this weekend, he was nauseous today.

We will be picking up the kids tomorrow morning so David can have some rest time.

"Now a leper came to Jesus, imploring Him, kneeling down to Him and saying to Him, "If You are willing, You can make me clean."

Then Jesus, moved with compassion, stretched out His hand and touched him, and said to him, "I am willing; be cleansed." Mark 1:40-41

Mar. 11, 2010 (Thurs.)

Joe had a nice visit with David for a couple of hours this morning. David was feeling a bit nauseous and was waiting for his anti-nausea medication to arrive.They were able to get the internet working on his laptop while he was there.

David was a little discouraged today when he found out that the internal medicine team is discussing the possibility of keeping him at the hospital for a 40+ day treatment plan. Because he is young & durable they can be more aggressive with his treatment and perhaps see better results. The decision will depend on the approval of his attending physician. Please pray for wisdom. He enjoys being home with Chrissy and the kids. It's a tough choice.

Chrissy took the kids to the hospital this morning for breakfast. They had a nice time and the kids didn't want to leave. Chrissy told me tonight that they are planning on another Spinal tap on Tuesday.

The Bennett family was kind enough to watch the kids today so Chrissy could get some pampering time. Chrissy and the kids came over for dinner tonight. The minute they hit the door they wanted to play "Tiger" with Aunt Sarah. It's a game that they play that includes lots of running and screaming through the house.

"The glory of this present house will be greater than the glory of the former house, says the LORD Almighty."
Haggai 2:9

Mar. 10, 2010 (Wed.)

David will now be receiving syringes and oral chemo regiment for up to 40 days. We have heard conflicting information that he’ll either be at the hospital for 6 days or over 20. He has a whole new team of internal medicine physicians that he has to get to know.

Chrissy was able to spend the night at the hospital last night. Joe went for a visit this morning and helped David with his breakfast.

After the spinal tap on Tuesday he worked very hard at staying flat and not lifting his head all day, the headaches seem to be better today.

"Great crowds came to Jesus, bringing the lame, the blind, the crippled, the mute and many others, and laid them at His feet; and He healed them.

The people were amazed when they saw the mute speaking, the crippled made well, the lame walking and the blind seeing. AND THEY PRAISED THE GOD OF ISRAEL."  Matthew 15:30-31

James Welte (a friend of David’s) sent this scripture to share….

Romans 8:37 "Despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ."

Mar. 9, 2010 (Tues.)

Late last night Chrissy called after I had already updated the blog. They gave David 2 syringes of Chemo and an oral dose of Chemo. This morning he was very tired when we took him breakfast. He is usually wide awake when we get there, but he could barely open his eyes. He sounded a little better this afternoon and was enjoying Star Trek Voyager tonight.

He also had the spinal tap today. He asked Joe to come to the hospital and help him with breakfast tomorrow morning since he anticipates that lifting his head will be difficult.

Yesterday we took the truck over to Sean and Thu’s house (good friends of David & Chrissy’s). Sean said he would be willing to detail out the Durango and get it posted on Craig’s list since it rained again this weekend.

"Look upon my suffering and deliver me, for I have not forgotten Your Word. Defend my cause and redeem me; Preserve me according to Your promise."

Psalm 119:153-154

Mar. 8, 2010 (Mon.)

David’s ½ hour surgery that was supposed to start at 8:00 didn’t start until 11:30 am today. The procedure took 2 ½ hours. With UCI being a “teaching” hospital the doctor took the opportunity to instruct a student on how to insert the portacath which took much longer. He wasn’t under full anesthesia but in a “twilight” sleep instead.

When he got out of the surgery, the bed they were supposed to hold for him had been given away. They finally received a bed at 4 pm this afternoon. It was a long day. His jaw and neck are sore and won’t be able to shower for 10 days until the incision heals. He’s now in room #7631.

He was informed that he will have another spinal tap tomorrow. His last headache just ended yesterday so he’s not too thrilled.

David’s appetite was up. They got In-N-Out for lunch and Coco’s Shrimp Scampi for dinner and Cheesecake Factory Cheesecake for dessert. He’s now at 124 pounds.

"Heaven and earth may pass away but MY WORDS WILL NEVER pass away." Mark 13:31

Mar. 7, 2010 (Sun.)

David stayed home and rested today. He has to be at the hospital at 6 am for an 8 am  portacath surgery.

Anna had a slight cold today so she came and stayed with us for the day. We didn't want to take the chance of David catching anything.

"Behold, on the mountains the feet of Him who brings good news, Who proclaims PEACE! O David, keep your appointed feasts, perform your vows. For the wicked one shall no more pass through you; He is utterly cut off." Nahum 1:15

Mar. 6, 2010 (Sat.)

We received an email that the "SCF Blue Team" (Floor Operations/Classification Unit) from the Sheriff department where David works made a donation . It came at a perfect time. Thank you!

David's face looks more "swollen" and his neck is stiff but he had a lot of energy today.

We took Ethan, Anna & Titus to see Aunt Kara and the Tomato Sale at Fullerton College. We had fun seeing the sheep!

Plant Sale and a visit with Aunt Kara

Feeding the sheep

"I was pushed back and about to fall,

but the LORD helped me.

The LORD is my strength and my song;

He has become my salvation." Psalm 118:13-14

Mar. 5, 2010 (Fri.)

Joe took the day off of work today to take Chrissy down to the VA to start filing papers for benefits. There are stacks of forms to complete.

Chrissy said that David's doctor appointment yesterday was a 4 hour ordeal. There was some confusion about whether he should or shouldn't have been discharged from the hospital on Wednesday.

Chrissy said that David will be readmitted to the hospital on Monday and will have a portacath inserted.

We brought Ethan, Anna & Titus home tonight to spend the night so David and Chrissy could get some rest. They had friends over who brought dinner and were helping them do some cleaning.

"We always thank our God as we remember you, David and Chrissy, in our prayers, because we hear about your faith in the LORD Jesus and your love for all the saints.  We pray that you may be active in sharing your faith, so that you will have a full understanding of every good thing that we all have in Christ.  Your love has given us great joy and encouragement, because you have refreshed the hearts of the saints."   Philemon 1:4-7

Mar. 4, 2010 (Thurs.)

Joe and I took David breakfast this morning at 6:30am. Usually he is wide awake and famished. He didn’t even budge; he was sound asleep. Chrissy called later in the morning and before we could finish our conversation she had to hang up because David was nauseous.

Financially they got some disappointing news today. The landlord from the rental house in Romoland has sent them a letter saying the lease they signed requires them to continue to pay rent until a new renter can be found. They didn’t receive back any of their deposit and were charged a cleaning fee even though they left the house in better shape than when they first rented it.

Also, Wachovia called and said they wouldn’t take a settlement on the Durango. They need to sell it for the amount remaining on the loan or take a loss on it. Joe’s going to take some time this weekend to wash & vacuum it and post an ad on Craig’s list.

"Jesus sent him away saying: "Return home and tell how much God has done for you." So the man went away and told all over town how much Jesus had done for him."

Luke 8:39

Mar. 3, 2010 (Wed.)

David was discharged from the hospital today, he and Chrissy got back to the apartment at about 5:00 this afternoon, he is pretty miserable. He received a dose of chemo yesterday and is not feeling well today. He is running a very low grade fever and Chrissy was told that if his fever goes above 100.4 degrees she has to take him to the emergency room. He will have a nurse come to flush out his PICC line 2 times a day. He also started losing his hair today. He was nauseous while I was on the phone with Chrissy tonight. Please continue to pray for him.

They have to go back to the Cancer Clinic tomorrow at 1:30 for an appointment.

Chrissy is pretty stressed right now; trying to care for the kids and David is overwhelming. Your prayers are greatly needed.

I was also asked to tell you that David would still love to have visitors while he is at home.

Praise Reports:

SPINN has provided their rent for the month, plus a gas card, some food and other gifts for the kids.

A friend had bottled Sparkletts water ordered and it will be delivered to the house.

"You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit - fruit that will last.  Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in My Name.  This is my command: Love each other."  John 15:16-17

( Thanks Grandma Griffin for providing the scripture every day)

Mar. 2, 2010 (Tues.)

Joe took David the infamous Breakfast burrito this morning. David called later in the day and said they might release him for a week, and then keep him for up to 28 days again. He said that they like the aggressive attack and want to nail it down now.

He finally had a spinal tap this afternoon at around 2:00 pm, it went well. Chrissy said he wasn’t able to lift his head afterwards but had a great appetite for dinner which she helped him eat.

Chrissy said the hospital is still working on his discharge orders but he will need to be back in the hospital on Tuesday for his next treatment so it may be a short time at home.

We were told that when they remove the spinal fluid it leaves a void of fluid surrounding the brain which causes the headaches. They also inject Chemo into the spinal fluid to try to replace the void which doesn’t seem to agree with him a great deal.

"Come and listen, all you who love God; let me tell you what He has done for me.

I cried out to Him with my mouth His praise was on my tongue.

If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened;

but God has surely listened and heard my voice in prayer.

Praise be to God, who has not rejected my prayer

or withheld His love from me." Psalm 66:16-20

Mar. 1, 2010 (Mon.)

Joe and I took David a Breakfast burrito on our way to work this morning. His face looked pretty swollen and David said it is from the Prednisone.

David contacted Joe later in the morning after a visit from his oncologist and the “medicine team”. They will only be performing a Spinal tap Tuesday at about noon.

The results came back from his last bone marrow aspiration. He is currently at less than 1% of Cancer cells! Pray that it doesn’t come back.

David also spoke to the doctors regarding his weight loss. They are encouraging him to eat foods with high fats and proteins. I guess his cravings for In-N-Out and Breakfast Burritos isn’t such a bad thing after all.

They are currently working on discharge papers and he may be released in the next day or two. He’ll be home for a week and then back to the hospital for more treatments.

The doctor also mentioned that at some point radiation therapy may become part of his treatment plan. This link helped explain some information about radiation therapy and leukemia.

http://www.leukemia-lymphoma.org/all_page.adp?item_id=9083

"Now I know that the LORD saves His anointed;

He answers him from His holy heaven

With saving power of His Right Hand.

Some trust in chariots and some in horses,

But David trusts in the Name of the LORD our God.

They are brought to their knees and fall,

But David will rise up and stand firm." Psalm 20:6-8