Grateful While Learning to Be Gracious

My last post was the day before the second round of chemo and here we are completing our third round two weeks later. Two additional drugs were added to the regimen on the second round - one to help the chemo work better and and the second to try to alleviate some of the side effects. Tim noticed that he did recover within a few days and was able to manage the side effects he did experience.

He returned for a check up this last Thursday and was told that his liver numbers look "excellent" and the tumor marker has dropped in half since starting chemo.  This was all good news and we are extremely thankful.

On Friday, he received the third round of chemo.  This time they decided to do all of the infusion in one day, so he had right at 7 hours and 45 minutes of infusion time.  This made for a long Friday.  When he returned home, he immediately noticed new side effects - eye twitches, spasms in his feet and toes, and hand shaking.  Another side effect is the insomnia, which just adds to his tiredness throughout the day.  Overall, he's just extremely weak and tires very quickly. However, considering what we were told to expect, he's managing the treatments pretty well.  We know it could be much worse.

This journey is not fun in any way, but we have been very blessed and are extremely grateful for everyone who has reached out to us with meals, rides for the kids, yard work, and we continue to receive numerous cards in the mail everyday.  We had no idea how many people would be there to support us through this fight and are overwhelmed each and every day.

Honorary Team Captain 10/13/17

Tim was honored by Head Coach Rodney Southern and the entire football team and staff when he was asked to represent those who are cancer survivors, those whose lives were taken to cancer, and those who are currently fighting cancer.  This was not something he wanted to do as it calls attention to him, but he did and it was a sweet moment.  

It's been extremely difficult to be on the receiving end of so much love and attention. At times, I've found it embarrassing. But I know the Lord is teaching me things through this.  Ephesians 4:2 says, "Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love." It's this humility that I struggle with.  I don't like feeling like a charity case.  I know this is not at all what people intend or think.  It's my own insecurities. This is not something new for me, but through this experience I am practicing being gracious in my acceptance of the blessings of others.