Has it really been two months since I updated?  I probably should have posted sooner but life has been a little crazy, not just in the cancer world, but for our whole family.  We are in the middle of remodeling a home in Layton that my parents used to escape the hot Arizona summers for a few months at a time.  My Dad was going to sell the home and we decided it was a great "empty nesting" home, so we dove into the adventure of remodeling the kitchen and 2 bathrooms. Even though we have an amazing contractor who is really doing all the work, we didn't realize how time consuming our contribution would be.  All that is happening as our youngest, Elizabeth is wrapping up high school and we are preparing for her graduation.  She is also getting ready to perform with her Theatre company as Miss Honey in Matilda.  Daniel is staying busy with work as a math and computer science tutor now that his college semester at Weber State has ended.  Josiah still sends us regular reports about his happenings in Japan.  C. R. stays busy juggling work, helping others and taking care of me!  Oh, and I'm still in treatment, right?!

On that front, my second TVEC injection in late March came with the worst of the side-effects: fever, aches, chills, nausea, headache.  It only lasted a few days, but it was definitely not fun.  I received a tiny taste of what it's like to be a "real" cancer patient.  I always felt a little guilty that my infusions were so easy, so now I know better how to pray for everyone on a more challenging road than mine.  The doctor gave me some great suggestions on how to combat the side-effects with ibuprofen.  After a little experimentation, I have what seems to be a good routine, so now I typically only feel some aches and headache for the rest of the day on Thursdays.  If I am disciplined and take it easy (you KNOW that's hard for me), then I am rewarded with bouncing back very well by Friday. So, I try to sit back on those Thursdays and do very little.  

My regular scans were last Wednesday. My surgical oncologist and medical oncologist were both thrilled to report that the immunotherapy is working. 😀 All the concerning lymph nodes from the February scan decreased in size (one node was even referred to as "resolved"), except one node slightly increased in size. Dr. G says the one slightly increased node could easily be "reactive", meaning that node is showing my immune system is working on defeating the cancer.

The surgical oncology team was particularly excited because they don't always see their patients respond this quickly.  Often times they will see an increase in activity or stability before they see a decrease.  So this is definitely promising.  Those were great words to hear and has us thanking God for His goodness and for showing His power in this way!  

So, I will continue with my Pembro immunotherapy infusions every 6 weeks and TVEC injections every 2 weeks.  Dr. G says since I am so "well-behaved", I can see the PA at my next 6 week visit and in 12 weeks I'll have only a CT scan-no brain MRI needed for 6 months-yay!

I am enjoying going through a great book with a friend and found a quote this past week which keeps coming to my mind.  I am reminded about how important it is to focus on my God who can manage much more than I can!

"Worry keeps me focused on my own limited resources. Trust keeps my attention on God's abundant resources".

~James Bryan Smith

“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice! Let your gentle spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

‭~‭Philippians‬ ‭4:4-7‬ (New American Standard Bible)

Praise God for:

• Encouraging scan results!
• No Pembrolizumab side-effects so far.
• Manageable TVEC side effects.

Pray for:

• God's continued peace and my contentment.
• Contentment with frequent trips to Salt Lake.
• All my interactions with hospital staff and others as I spend more time in treatment.
• God's help to finish everything that needs to be done for our move.
• If it's God's will, that He would eradicate every cancer cell with my immunotherapy treatment.
• That God would be glorified in everything that is going on.