Monday Evening

Good Evening! (or maybe I should say "Good Morning")

What a beautiful day!!! Praise the Lord! Thank you God! It was great to be outside and get some yard work done. Just wish that I could have gotten more done than I did. Oh well, there will be other opportuites.

Marty is doing "pretty good". We have been able to affirm that the neck, shoulder, and back discomfort is probably from the treatment process. The tiredness today was almost as bad as before the treatment started. Again we believe that this is part of the process. When we last talked to Dr. Lee he told us there would be good days and bad days. Would probably put this one in the middle and maybe a little toward the bad side. The bottom line is she is still doing very well. Praise and thanks be to God! God has been so good in seeing Marty through this treatment. We are so grateful and put our faith and trust in God. And we thank you for your support, love, and prayers.

Have a great day and God bless.

Marty and Jack
John 3:16

Saturday Night 10:50pm

Greeting and God's blessing to all!

Last night I was in such a hurry that I forgot to tell all of you about a major dis-comfort that Marty has had the last few days. She thinks it started Wed. evening but really got bad Thur. night. Both nights she had been in her recliner and Thur. night when she went to get out of the chair she had really bad pain on the right side of her neck, shoulder, and upper back. It was even worse when she got into bed, so we got a heating pad. She has continued to say it is more of a muscle pain than a bone pain. She has kept the heat on it today and is indicating that it is imporving. We don't really know if she just strained something or what is going on but we praise God that it is improving. And other than that all other things are going pretty good. She is doing what she can, then resting for awhile and is really looking good.

Well, today sure was windy but was very beautiful around here. There are again severaly stories that I could relate about the trees and leaves in the wind today but it is late. So I will only say again God is good, all the time. All the time, God is good. And the one story that I do want to tell is about taking my truck down to the jail to get it washed and one of the inmate workers who I had not seen since before Marty went down to St. V's asked me as soon as he saw me "How is your wife?" And then he said "I think about and remember her very day." Wow!! Praise the Lord!

I think we are so blessed in the many, many, many ways that we have seen God at work and have seen God's love, grace, support, help, and all His great attributes. God cares about each and everyone of us and what is going on in our lives. After all each thing we go through in life, God has promised to be with us. So God doesn't want "bad" things any more than we do. Therefore, if we allow God, He turns them into "good" things. Praise the Lord!

Have a great day in the Lord's presence tomorrow and enjoy the community of faith and what God will offer through your sisters and brothers in Christ. Remember, God loves YOU!!!!!! Praise the Lord!

Marty and Jack
John 3:16

Friday Evening 10:10pm

Good Evening from the "liquid sunny" Peru, Indiana

I think that Mother Nature is trying to make the leaf raking done all at one time. With all the rain the lat two days they are coming down, down, down and I for one sure have not been able to get out and do anything with them. That is why I think I will only have to do them one time, but I do hope that is soon.

God is good, all the time. All the time, God is good.

The blood report today was a good one. Praise the Lord! WBC was 8.1, platelet was
436, hemoglobin was 11.1. The nurse said that they were really good espically for being out of the hospital just four days.

Taking a shower is still hard on Marty and she has to lay down after doing so for 15 to 30 minutes or more. Basically she is able to be active for about one and a half to two hours before she has to rest for a while. She is eating rather well and even enjoying some of what she eats. She is not drinking as much as she did in the hospital, but all seems to be going well. We praise the Lord and just are so grateful for how well Marty has done and is doing.

We will be on our own until next Wednesday when another CBC is done and we see Dr. Lee. At that time we should find out when the bone marrow biopsy will be done and when Marty will go back to ST. V's for sure.

We certainly still appreciate your paryers, support, and love as Marty continues to recover from all the chemo and as we wait to know the results of what has been done.

May you have a blessed week-end, getting rest, getting some things done around the house, and being in the presence of the Lord.

Take care and God bless.

Marty and Jack
John 3:16

Wednesday Evening 11:00pm

Gretting to all! Sorry it is so late, most of you will not see this until morning but that will be okay since all is well and God is still in control. It is a little busier at home than sitting around a hospital room. But God is still good - all the time! All the time - God is good.

I woke up about 8:00am this morning and looked out the window and said "Thank you God! Thank you for getting us home and letting me see that beautiful sight across the street." (Marty was still asleep and I did not what to wake her up.) You see, I was looking out the window at the trees across from us and what beauty and what a message. The top of the trees were in the sun and they were a gold/yellow, so bright/shine, it was just so beautiful. It certainly reminided me of God. It reminided me of the experience that Marty and I had just be through and the way that God made it and lead Marty to have so much better of an experience than a lot of people have. Then as I looked down those trees toward the bottom the leaves were a yellow and were dull with shaddows. They were not nearly as pretty and reminded me of an early life without the bright shiney light of God. How glad I was that we had God's light the last four weeks and as well as thanking God I prayed that God would continue to be with us for the next four to five months as we continue this treatment process to put the cancer in remission for what ever period of time. Praise the Lord!

Well, what you really want to hear is how Marty is doing and the answer is improving. Here ankles are really improving, the right one is almost normal, and the left one is a lot better. She came home on two diuretics and they seem to be doing the job. Her shins are getting better and she is on an antibiotic for that, so it is woking. Dr. Lee is now thinking that the shins are cellulitis so hopefully that will be better real soon. Her CBC today was getting even closer to normal limits, so that is really good. The WBC was 10.7 with 4 to 10.5 noraml limits, platelets were 367 with 150 to 450 being normal limits, hemoglobin was 11.2 with 12.5 to 16 being normal limits. Praise the Lord! We will have two more CBC done, one on Friday and the other next Wednesday. Also next Wednesday we will see Dr. Lee and will schedule when he will do a bone marrow biopsy to see if the cancer is in remission or not. So it will be another couple of weeks until we really find out how we are doing for sure. Also nest Wednesday will will probalby find out for sure when we go back to ST. V's for the 6 day. We will continue to pray for God's will to be done, for we know that God is good and that God's grace is good and has been and will be given to Marty and for that we will certainly praise God. Praise the Lord!

The one thing that is for sure, is that Marty is glad to be home. She is really enjoying her own bed, bathroom, family room, home, recliner, phone calls, visits, and "Buddy" on her lap. Of course, Buddy is also happy to be home and on Marty's lap when he is not making sure all the neighbors know he is home, and doing his job of guarding the neighborhood and barking at everthing. So all is well on the home front.

Will I probably will not post anything until we get the blood results on Friday.

So again we thank you for your support, prayers, and love and ask that you continue to let God's light shne to all of those that you come in contact with.

Have a great couple of days and God bless.

Marty and Jack
John 3:16

PS I put up the disclaimer for spelling again. I have done the last two postings on the home PC and again the spell check is not coming up and I don't remember what was done to fix that on the LT. So I take no responsibility for spelling.

Tuesday Evening 8:40pm

Greeting to all!!

I kown that a couple of you have looked for a post yesterday and/or today but I just had not gotten it done.

We got home about 2:00pm yesterday and I think everyone was very happy to be here. Buddy has been running and barking all the time. I think he wants everyone to know that he is back. Marty is so very glad to be home. She had a much better nights sleep, with not waking up until about 6:35am which didn't happen the entire time in the hospital. She has had a pretty good day - a little head ache when she woke up the first time, but not the second time. Her ankles are down a little, but the shines are still very touchy. She slept some this afternoon and has been asleep since we finished the dinner dishes. All and all it has been a good 30 hours. Praise the Lord!

I was busy yesterday after we got home, getting the new meds ordered by the doc at the drug store, getting the motorhome and jeep put away, and getting the jeep emptied. Today I got the motor home emptied and everything put away. But not until after I slept in - actually until early afternoon.

So we are getting back into the swing of things here at home. We will have a CBC blood test done tomorrow, so we will let you know what that shows.

Always remember that God is soooooo good, all the time! ..... And that we, you and I, are God's light and Jesus's hands and feet here on earth. So always be there and do God's will, what ever that may be and what ever that may mean, just as God is there for you with what ever you need. Praise the Lord!

Have a great night and God bless.

Marty and Jack
John 3:16

Monday morning 5:15am

Good morning and God's blessings to you this morning!! Right now it is so dark out that it is indeed hard to say "morning". Besides that it was way to short of a night.

At any rate, God is good, all the time! All the time, God is good! It looks like it is HOMEWARD BOUND today. Dr. Lee has not been in yet, though he is on the floor and I have talked to him very briefly. The lab report is back and it looks better. For the first time the white count has gone down to 21.7 (yesterday 25.7) with normal limits being 4.0 to 10.5. The hemoglobin is 10.5 (yesterday 9.7) with normal limits being 12.5 to 16.0. And platelet count was 310 (yesterday 258) with normal limits 150 to 450. And best of all no BLAST CELLS showed up today. We still have a few question about what all this means, but it looks good to us. It looks like HOMEWARD BOUND!!!

Talking about questions I have a number of them to ask, as you might guess.

5:45am

Yes, it is HOMEWARD BOUND!!

Dr. Lee has been in and is ordering a test on Marty's legs and ankles to be sure there are no blood clots or any thing like that. Following that it is HOMEWARD BOUND.

And for the rest of the story - Dr. Lee says Marty still has a roller coaster ride to go, with good days and bad days, energy and not so much energy. Next week we will come down for a bone marrow biopsy to confirm Dr. Lee's feeling that the cancer is in remission. Then in a week Marty will be back in the hospital for more chemo. This will involve the same chemo that she had this time, but a lower dose will be given on the first, third, and fifth day and then she will be released on the sixth day. And this will happen in Nov., Dec., Jan., and Feb.. When she gets out she will be allowed to do what she feels like doing, except work. However, Dr. Lee said to expect to see her in the recliner or on the couch quiet a bit when she goes home now and each time she get the chemo. That is what the ups and downs are all about.

Thank you God, thank you! And thank you to each and everyone of you for your prayers, support, and love. The last three and a half weeks have certainly been a very interesting experience, but the very best part of it has been the presence of God's grace, love, encouragement, and support. God is such a help in all of our times of need. Praise the Lord! We certainly look forward to continuing this journey with God's presence, knowing that God will be with us and we will do our best to continue to be with Him and let Him be in control that His will may be done. Thank you Lord -Praise the Lord!

See you in Peru!!

Have a great day and God bless.

Marty and Jack
John 3: 16

Sunday Evening 8:25pm

Good evening!!! I know I said I would not blog tonight but I decided I would anyway even though I don't have much to update. Marty has had a very sleepy day - that is sleepng most of the day. Her ankles have perhaps gone down a little but are still big and still hurt, especially to the touch as they did when we came in.

We are grateful for a number of phone calls today and for a visit from Jill.

Also, I have to say GO COLTS!!!!!! It was indeed a good game. I have to feel bad about the Steelers though, I was cheering for them today, but it didn't seem to do any good.

I fixed Marty dinner again tonight and she said it really tasted good and that she enjoyed it. That is a positive and we thank and praise God for that. Both that I got it all fixed and that it tasted good to her. Of course, she could have just been saying that to make me feel good.

Well, we are going to take the last walk for today and I will be leaving a little early since I will need to get up at 3:30am again tomorrow. So have a good night and get the energy to let your light shine for God tomorrow.

Take care and God bless.

Marty and Jack
John 3:16

Sunday Afternoon 12:10pm

Well, good afternoon to everyone. I hope you have had a blessed morning in the presence of our God and a community of faith. We are missing our community of faith so much. It is good to hear from them, and talk to them, but it still is not the same as being with them and worshipping with them. That will come again in God's time and we will certainly praise God in the mean time and at that time. Praise the Lord!

I did not get a blog on last night because I could not get on to the blog. I assume they were working on it or something but I tried every which way to get on and could not. Then I had expected to do this one to you from home but that is not happening either. God's time is not always the same as our time. God's plan is not always the same as our plan. And at all times and in all situations we need to rely on God's rather than our own, or someone else's, or what someone else tells us.

At any rate, Dr. Lee is off the week-end and the doctor (Dr. Miller) who saw Marty yesterday and today though that she ought to stay in for Dr. Lee to see her in the morning. There are a couple of issues of concern and question. The ankles are still quiet swollen and Marty's shins are very, very, very tender. These two things take us back to July when this whole thing must have started. Then the shins still hurt when we came in the hospital and until Marty got chemo, that is when the tenderness finally went away, but here it is back - WHY????????

Next the white blood count and the platelet count keep going up, up, up and Dr. Miller said that normally when the medicine for the bone marrow is stopped (which was done Wednesday) the white blood cells will drop back down and then go up a little and remain stabile. Big question what is going on???????????

Third, yesterday and today's blood reports showed a blast number, which means blast cells, cancer cells that are in the blood. Yesterday, it was 3 and today it was 1 so it did come down, but we certainly had hoped it would not be there at all and we still do not know what it means.

So what is next? That is what we have to talk to Dr. Lee about. Normally he would do a bone marrow biopsy in 10 to 14 days but Dr. Miller is questioning if he might not want to do it sooner. What happens after that? It is our understanding that if it still show a fairly large number of cancer cells in the bone marrow then Marty will go through the entire treatment again. And if the blood is showing clear or nearly clear then Marty will have to come back in three weeks for more chemo. We also understand from others on the floor, that she will have to come back for three months after that for more chemo. We have been told, by others not by a doctor, that the first time back is a 3 day stay, the second a 6 day stay, third a 3 day and the fourth time a 6 day stay. I guess we will find out for sure when we need to know.

I give God thanks and praise that Marty made it through this treatment and did it in such fine fashion. God has been so good and blessed us with His grace and love in so many ways the last three and a half weeks. Thank you Lord!!!! Now we must continue to have faith and put our trust in God for whatever is next in His plan. Obviously God still has work for Marty to do we don't know what, when, and where other than what she has already done by being here. In God's time we will know the rest and all will be well. Praise the Lord!

Almost forgot to tell you all again that Marty got to see Buddy on Friday. We got permission for her to go off the floor, so we went down to the front lobby and I brought Buddy in. It was a great time. Buddy and Marty were both so happy. I think we will try it again this afternoon.

We were happy to have Judy stop by yesterday afternoon. She had been to the RCA Dome to see Sarah perform with the band, stopped at Methodist to see Jessie and then stopped here. She found traveling all around so much fun.

By the way,please lift Jessie Davenport up in prayer. She is 20 years old and a part of our community of faith. She has systemic lupus and is in a very critical situation right now. She really needs our support, prayers, and love at this time.

Unless we learn something else of great importance I probably will not add any more to the blog today. And as soon after we learn something in the morning as I can I will get it on the blog.

So have a good day, keep the faith, take care, and God bless.

Marty and Jack
John 3:16

Saturday Afternoon 12:40pm

Isn't God beautiful? Isn't this day beautiful? At least down here it is - the sun is shining, it is warming up and is just beautiful. The trees are changing and all is well in God's great creation, because God is in charge. It is just that we don't always understand, wait on God, and/or follow God's will. Never-the-less, God's grace and mercy is given to us in so many wonderful ways. And oh, how we have been receiving them.

Marty's night was a little better, not awake quiet as much. Her head and stomach are feeling a little better, but her ankles are still really an issue. However, they are talking about her possibly going home tomorrow.

Right now Marty woke up long enough to eat pizza, fresh salad, and fresh fruit. She likes this lunch. When she had to eat pizza before she could not have the salad and said what is pizza without a salad? She did also say that the little individual pizza they serve is not to bad. And even though she doesn't have an appetite, she eats very little bit of it, and doesn't even offer me a bit. Oh well, I guess I will have to go down stairs and get myself some pizza and maybe even salad.

The blood work today showed more of an increase: WBC 24.1 hemoglobin 9.2 platelets 210 So now one is high, one is low, and one within limits. One of these days they will all get to where they are to be.

May you have a great day and God bless.

Marty and Jack
John 3:16

Friday Evening 8pm

Greetings to all!

Well, I guess I had more trouble this morning than I realized. I wrote one blog and went to spell check, had a different template which did not have spell check and as I looked for it I lost what I had written. So I wrote another and clicked on publish but just now realized it did not publish. Usually I check to make sure that it does but this morning was in a hurry and did not check - mistake! Sorry about that! Once I get this one finished I will have to try and find this mornings.

At any rate to bring you totally up to date, the last 24 hours have not been the greatest hours. Nothing major that we know of but just not feeling well. Marty says that she felt better when her WBC was as "o" than she does now. The blood lab work indicates a continued upward movement. Infact the WBC is up over 20,000 and the normal high is 10,000. The platelets are at 148,000 and the lower limits of normal are 150,000. So that is very close. And the hemoglogin was 8.8 and normal low is 10 - 12. She still is having head discomfort, her stomach feels bloated, her ankles are really, really big plus there is some discomfort that even goes up her legs. She continues to have to force herself to eat, and is just plain tired. She did not sleep well last night, was awake more than asleep. I understand that at 3am she was eating pop corn and then took a walk in the hall. It was not a good night and today has not been a lot better. She has continued to have head discomfort, stomach discomfort, and her ankles and lower legs are really bad, even though she has had lasix the last 3 days. We do not understand what is going on and guess we will have to wait until the doctor comes in in the morning to maybe get some answers.

We were really pleased to have Alice and Jim come by today, even on their anniversary. It was great to see and visit with them.

Since nothing else has been on the blog today, I suppose I better hadn't start preaching and get this published so you are updated. I hope you all have had a great day and felt God's presence even as we have. And may tonight be restful to give you all you need for tomorrow. Praise the Lord!

Have a great night and God bless.

Marty and Jack
John 3:16

Thursday Evening 9:15pm

Praise and thanks to our God of grace and love

Well here we are as promised earlier in the day and we continue to praise the Lord. Marty is just feeling fair tonight. We wonder if her body doesn't know what to do with all those white cells and platelets. Her head has still been hurting her this afternoon and evening and she has just seemed to feel restless and not good in ways that she cannot explain. She did not have a good nights sleep last night, awake 3 different times, so we are hoping for a good night tonight and that may help some of these issues.

We were blessed with the company of Vern, Bonnie and Glenn today. It was indeed great to see them and to receive the phone calls, and emails that followed the "GOOD NEWS" of the day.

We never know the total bottom line, or all of the details of God's plan, but it is proven again and again to us that God can do so many things that are so good with us and the things we consider to be adversities or negatives. With faith in God there are no negatives, because God is so gracious and loving. God wants good for all God's children, even for you and me as we are God's disciples and servants. May we truly make every effort with all aspects of our lives to be God's hands and feet and let God's light shine through us to all people we come in contact with. May we always glorify the Lord our God, and never take any situation for granted because God can make good use of all situations that we encounter in this life.

Need to go now so I can get out the front door before they lock it and I have to walk around the hospital from the ER.

Have a great day and God bless.

Marty and Jack
John 3:16

Thursday Afternoon 1:15pm

Greetings, PRAISE THE LORD! GOD IS SO GOOD! PRAISE THE LORD!
ALL THE TIME! PRAISE THE LORD! ALL THE TIME! GOD IS SO GOOD!

AND ALL GOD'S PEOPLE SAY AMEN!

***** GOOD NEWS *****


THIS IS A GOOD DAY! THE DAY WE HAVE WAITED FOR! THE DAY THE LORD HAS PROVIDED!

THE BLOOD COUNTS THIS MORNING WERE:

WHITE BLOOD COUNT 11,900 (4000 TO 10500)
HEMOGLOBIN 8.7 (12.5-16.0)
PLATELET 99 (150-450)

God is so good. Thank you Lord! And thank you to everyone for the support!

Dr. Lee said the neupogen, which is the med for the bone marrow, is what speeded things up. It is a fairly new med, but he now told us that it seems to be cutting off 5 to 7 days of the process for the bone marrow to come back. He had not told us about that. That is also the med that he doubled just a few days ago. He also said it is the one that is causing Marty's head ache.

So, how are things today. Excited, of course, because the edge of the woods is in view, and the trip home to Peru looks sooner rather than later. There still are a few issues to be dealt with, but they will come:
head ache - probably neupogen which has been discontinued
water retention - some more "vit. L"
stomach &
colon - PTN to be discontinued as eating is increased
mouth sores - continue meds
hip and leg pain - " " and hope that as bone marrow settles
down so will the discomfort

And the biggest one is another waiting time of about two weeks give or take when another bone marrow biopsy will be done to see what the status of the cancer is. There is a 50/50 chance that it was put into remission and we will now have to wait and see. Of course, Dr. Lee has also told us from the beginning that there are no guarantees as to how long a remission will last - it could be a day, a month, a year, or several years.

So we praise and thank God for getting us over this big hurdle and ask for God's continued assistance and guidance with the ones to come. Praise the Lord!

This is so late I need to get it published. Have a good rest of the day and God bless.

Marty and Jack
John 3: 16

Wednesday evening 8:15pm

Good evening to one and all! Sure hope you have had a good day and felt God's presence with you.

Marty had a bit of a rough day, with a head ache most of the day and being cold. She is not one who gets many head aches so it was particularly bad. There was not any change in room temperature so we do not know what was causing her cold flash. Also, I have failed to mention that for the last week or a little more, her hip and upper leg has really been hurting her when she walks. This is being caused by the pinched nerves in her back for which she is talking med. and it does pretty well when she is in bed, but really hurts when she is not.

Marty and Erin watched a movie today and had a really good time. It was indeed good to have them here for the brief visit. Also, I believe that I forgot to mention yesterday that Wally B. stopped by again. Marty was glad to see him and talk to him.

All and all Marty seems to be a little down from last night,I believe because of the head ache. Hopefully, with a good night sleep tonight it will be a better day tomorrow.

Even today with all of the various activities, God has been good and richly blessed us with His grace, love, and presence. We give to God our praise and thanks. Praise the Lord!

Have a good night to night and an awesome day tomorrow. God bless!

Marty and Jack
John 3:16

Wednesday Morning 5:15am

And a hardy greeting to all in the name of our Lord!

You know they say that doing something three times in a row is in route to making it a habit. Well I just want to tell you DON'T EXPECT this to be a habit even though this is the third time in a row I have come over to see Dr. Lee. I wanted to do it because there are some questions we need to ask about yesterday's CBC. So we shall see!

Marty had a good night, one that I believe, and so does she, shows that she was very tired last night. She remembers getting herself all fixed in bed for the night at about 10:45pm and then the next thing she remembers is it was 3:45am and she had never turned the light off in the room, moved from the position she was last in, and thus had slept all that time. Praise the Lord!

She seems to be feeling pretty good this morning. The nurse has been in and done the morning assessment and taken blood for the CBC. So we are waiting those results and to see Dr. Lee.

Eric and Erin made it in about midnight. Erin, of course was sound asleep and had been since shortly after they left Definace. They both were still sound asleep when I left to come over to the hospital. Buddy was the only one who woke up and then he didn't do that until I was getting my coat on. I think he though he was going to get I walk, but I fooled him. Never-the-less, he was so glad to see Erin and Eric, his buddies, that he will be fine.

I want to again say THANKS for all the cards, comments back on the blog, emails, phone calls, and visits. They are certainly just great, and such a help. It is always good to hear from home and those you love and care about. It is certainly a great way that God's grace and love comes though, and well it should since we are God's hands and feet. We are His disciples and the spreaders of His will and way. What an awesome task and responsibility. I certainly feel honored and privileged that God cares enough for me to allow me to do all that for Him. What do you think? Praise the Lord!

Well I think I will put this on hold until after Dr. Lee comes in and see if I have anything to add.

6:18am

The always smiling, cheerful, positive, and quiet mannered Dr. Lee has been in and indicated that we are at day 19 with 11 more days to go. Further, he indicated that the next 6 or 7 days will be more of the same and then finally things will change like "gang busters." Another new bit of information we received is that another bone marrow biopsy will not be done until 10 to 14 days after we have gone home. So we are looking at 3 to 3 and a half weeks until we will actually know if the cancer is in remission or not.

I am sure you are wondering about yesterday's CBC and Dr. Lee said it was lab error and today's CBC seems to show that as well. It is kind of what we though and were just ignoring it, so we will continue to do the same. Today's CBC is showing things are basically the same: platelets - 69; hemoglobin - 9.1; and white blood 400 which Dr. Lee says is insignificant at this point. Marty has also had a little problem with her sugar this morning, but they say that is normal when being on TPN and they will be able to do some adjustments of the TPN for that.

So that is the story and we will have to stick to it at this point!

May you all have a great day and God bless.

Marty and Jack
John 3:16

Tuesday evening 8:45pm

Hi! Praise the Lord!

In comparison to the last 3 or 4 days, Marty has had a great day and it may just be because I was not around a lot. You see after being here for Dr. Lee at about 7am I went back to the motorhome and after taking Buddy for a long walk went back to bed. I woke up about noon, later that I wanted to, and called Marty. She was doing good and though I was up and would be over. But I talked to her still being on the bed - mistake!!!! Yes, I went back to sleep until about 2:30pm. I called her again, but this time I did get out of bed.

Well any way, Marty has had a good and restful day. She has continued to have the med, is not running a temp, and so far the culture has not shown any kind of infections. Praise the Lord! Her stomach is still quiet distended but is not hurting. Thank you Lord! She is still on the TPN and clear liquid diet and that is working. So far today she has had to walks on this unit and one walk over the entire 6th floor like she had been doing. She wants to do that one more time tonight but she is going to have to wake up to do it. Right now I think she is cutting down the trees in our back yard that need to come down.

Eric and Erin are coming down tonight and Erin will be over to see Grandma in the morning. That is always a good day!

God is so good and we are so grateful for His blessing and His presence with us in so many, many, many different ways.

May you have a great night, a good sleep and a better day tomorrow.

God bless.

Marty and Jack
John 3:16

Tuesday Morning 6:25am

Good Morning - or should I say "Good Middle of the Night"! At any rate I did not get up until 4am this morning and Dr. Lee just left. So I was in plenty of time.

Brief, quick update - Marty had a good night, slept well! Nothing has really changed as far as blood counts. Temp. was pretty much back down yesterday. No new problems this morning. TPN was on all night and will be continued. Everything is going as expected, so we will stay the same course.

The med to help the bone marrow increase the white count was increased yesterday,and that is an "expected" thing to have to do.

Marty just got back from the first walk on this side of the floor for today. She brought back some hot chocolate, will order her breakfast which will be clear liquids in about 5 minutes, do her devotions, and go back to sleep until her breakfast comes.

I am going to go take Buddy for a walk - hopefully not in the rain - and then get some more sleep myself.

Remember to stand tall for the Lord today, because God is standing tall for each of us. Praise the Lord!

Have a great day and God bless.

Marty and Jack
John 3:16

Monday Evening 7:00pm

And a good evening to all!

It has indeed been a better day than we expected. The morning was rather busy with getting platelets, an infection doc. coming in, the trip down stairs for the new central line, and so forth. But Marty held up to it all very well. She even got a walk, actually two walks, in on this floor - about half the distance she had been going. And when we made it back up stairs she took a shower before they rehooked her. Then the afternoon was one pretty much of sleeping while the blood was going in. That is kind of a usual thing, almost all of the time Marty sleeps when she get blood because of the pre-meds they give her. Tonight she is feeling better than she did this time last night. A lot of that probably has to do with getting 12 units of platelets and 2 units of blood. Plus, some of her med were changed and hopefully they are helping to make her feel improved. She is getting more meds for her mouth which has a number of more sores in it. She is still on the liquid diet which she has said is really making her stomach feel improved. She is to start on the TPN tonight - they were up from dietary late this morning and talked to her about it. Tomorrow should be a day of rest and a time to let things work and help her to feel and get better. Dr. Lee said this morning we could expect a couple more bad days, so we are looking for improvement but still not to be out of the woods. Oh yes, the nurse told us that the med to help the bone marrow to regenerate was doubled. We will have to ask the doc about that in the morning,as to if that is usual or if he has just done that in Marty's case.

Thinks are looking up and we give God thanks and praise for that. God is good - all the time! All the time - God is good.

We hope you have been able to make it through the rain drops today and have had a good day. Even though I did not make it through the rain drops when I walked Buddy, nor did he, and I got wet when I went to WalMart for more candy for the nurses. You know if you want them to be sweet, you have to give them sweets. So we have a pumpkin outside our door and are keeping it filled with "goodies" for who every comes by. What a fun thing that has been to do. Praise the Lord!

Well, I suppose that does it for another day. Have a great night and God bless.

Marty and Jack
John 3:16

Monday Morning 6am

Good morning, can you believe I am up and on the computer at this hour? I can't - and I have only been up since 3:30am! I want to see Dr. Lee.

Well, Marty sleep fairly well last night. She was up early in the night and went back to the chair and went back to sleep until the nurse came in and said what are you doing in the chair sleeping and not in bed. Marty said I don't know, went back to bed for the rest of the night. After the doc was in we had the first walk for
today which was a little less than half the normal distance.

Marty is still feeling very tired today and has a busy day in front of her. The pick line is going to come out and another triple lumen central line is going back in. That will be done after she receives platelets. When that is done she will be getting 2 units of blood. Of course all of this is alone with her IV's, antibiotics, and other meds. She will also be started on the TPN today. Dr. Lee said she has a couple of days of feeling "pretty bad" ahead of her, but that she will make it. He is also having the infection doc stop in to see her, which he said was routine at this point in the treatment. The number of mouth sores has increased as well. So we are into that third week where anything can happen big time!

God is indeed with us as He has promised and we know that all will be well according to His plan and grace.

I want to get this published and posted for you early birds, so I will put another update on this evening.

Have a great day, allow God's light to shine through you and give God the glory!

God bless!

Marty and Jack
John 3:16

Sunday Evening

Greetings from room 6618 at St. Vincent Hospital, Indianapolis, Indiana.

This has been an interesting day. Marty was put on clear liquid and by late afternoon did indicate that her stomach was not hurting as much. They took out her central line about 1:00pm or so and then could not get an IV started. So they called the "Pick Line Team" in and they put in a "Pick Line" but the x-ray showed it was not in the right place. So they tried to move it, but that didn't work either. So now she is to go to x-ray tomorrow and have it put in with the guiding of x-ray. Mean while one of the girls on the pick line team was able to get an IV started so she is back to getting her IV's and meds and is back to sleep. What a day, but everyone has been so kind and gracious in all they have been doing and trying to do. We praise and thank God for the staff here on this floor. They are God's children and workers and certainly show a lot of concern and compassion.

Marty has also continued to show her strength and determination by having taken a shower after they took the central line out and then tonight, I don't know how, she walked about 3/4 of her normal walk. I could not believe it. I tried to get her to stop at half way but she wanted to go on. However, at the 3/4 point I put my foot down and said we were going back to the room. I don't think she even got her head on the pillow and she was asleep.

We have been blessed with visits today from Shirley, John, Bonnie, Marcia, Missy, Shaun, and Ed. It was good to see them all and we certainly appreciate their support, love, and concern, as we do from all of you.

We give God praise and thanks for the knowledge and feeling of His presence with us this day and look forward to that to continue until His will is done in this situation and forever.

May you have a good night of rest to prepare for doing God's will tomorrow. God bless!

Marty and Jack
John 3:16

Sunday Morning

Good morning - Praise the Lord. It is the Lord's Day let us rejoice and be glad in it! God is good, all the time! All the time, God is good. Praise and thanks be to God.

Well God is indeed holding us up right now. The chemo and/or infection have hit. Marty is running a temp so we know there is infection. At this point we do not know where for sure. They have started her on med. and are doing cultures and the infection doc are to come in. They are also going to remove her central line today instead of waiting until tomorrow as it is a little red around it. She is also to get some xrays. Today she will be on liquid diet to give the stomach and colon a rest as they appear to be quiet large at this time and are hurting. Tomorrow will also probably mean TPN which is a feeding through the IV that we have talked about before. With all that is going on in her body, Marty basically has no energy at all, or maybe I should say very little, and is doing a lot of sleeping. I know it is bad when she has not taken a shower, and she has not. God is holding her in His arms and allowing her to rest during this period. Praise the Lord!

This is the time the doc has been telling us from the beginning would come. The doc this morning said this is what always happens, she only has had one case where it did not. As much as we would have liked to make that two, God has a plan, that includes His grace and love and He will see us through. Praise the Lord!

By the way, if you plan to come down to see Marty and have had a flu shot the sign on her door says that you should not come in unless it has been at least 7 days since the shot.

Well I think that is about it and I need to get this published. I will put a little something on tonight.

Have a great day and God bless.

Marty and Jack
John 3:16

Saturday Evening

Good evening, we hope you have had a great day. Marty's day has been a lazy one. This afternoon and evening she has had a hard time staying awake, unless someone was here. It seems like it is getting more and more like it was at home. We were pleased to have Kyle Bosse pastor stop by to visit and pray with us. Then Cheryl and Francis stop on their way home from the airport. So it was indeed good to see them. We figure that Marty will probably be due for some blood tomorrow and then we know that she will have platelets on Monday because they are planning to change her central line and will definitely give her platelets before that. There is not much else new to share, and for the old, we again give thanks and praise to God for this day and all of His blessings.

May you have a quiet night that you can hear God's still small voice and feel His presence with you. And tomorrow as you worship Almighty God, give to Him the praise and thanks that He is due. God bless!

Marty and Jack
John 3:16

Saturday Morning

Good morning to all. First thing this morning is that I want to ask a favor of all of you. I want you to stop reading this for a couple of minutes and sit down and just praise and thank God for all the blessing God has provided you right now, this moment and this day. .......

This morning when I went to get my shower at the Martin House, Mary, the housekeeper of the hospitality room, and I got into a really meaningful, spiritual discussion. And then as I was showering I did what I have asked you to do and it felt so good that I wanted you all to have the same feeling. Marty and I appreciate the blessing that all of you are to us and we hope you know that. God is being so good to us and blessing us so much in so many, many, many ways right now. Since, Marty came in she has been keeping a "Blessing Diary Book" and to date she has 75 entries. These are 75 times that she has felt God's presence in a very special and meaningful way as she has been ministered to while going through this process. God is so good, all the time! - All the time, God is so God. Praise the Lord! Thank you God!

Marty had a better night last night. She was only up once and that was good. The WBC is still at zero and that is where it is expected to be for 5 to 7 days yet. The colon is still a bit of a challenge to manage. The liquid retention seems to be under control. She did loose more of her hair this morning and the Doc. said that she has only known of one person who did not loose their hair with this treatment. Marty has not yet lost enough to shave the rest off yet, but no doubt that will come. The tiredness still shows up, but some times I think that is without a doubt to be expected and she is causing some of it herself. For example, this morning she has had her breakfast, taken a shower, changed and made her bed, taken two walks in the hall, and then wonders why she is so tired. "Martha" will never understand, she will always have to be a doer! What an awesome and wonderful child and servant of God's. And the staff continue to be amazed at how she is doing and feel her activity has a part in that.

Well, I guess that catches you all up. So, I hope you have a great day and God bless!

Marty and Jack
John 3:16

Friday Evening

Nothing new to report. Marty did get a nap this afternoon which did help. Other than that it has been the same old news - ate three meals, walked the hall four times, is still wearing a hole in the floor to the bathroom, and no new areas of concern.

Of course, the other positive times of the day are when the mail is delivered, the phone rings, the emails are read, and visitors arrive. Tonight we had the joy of the company of Juanita, Beth, Susie, and Terry. It was indeed fun to spent some time with them.

We are hoping for a better nights sleep for Marty tonight and of course that you have a great night as well and may you always feel God's presence with you.

God bless!

Marty and Jack
John 3:16

Friday Noon

Well I am doing a little better today. We did have a visitor this morning, it was good to see Wally again and share with him.

Marty had a "fair" night last night. It seems she was awake more than she slept. She was doing her devotions about 1:00am and then had her first walk in before the Doc got in at about 6:20am, almost the latest he has been here since we have been in.

Her white blood count is still at zero, and probably will be for 5 to 7 more days. The platelets are at about 64,000 after getting 12 unites yesterday. She did loose some hair this morning in the shower, so we will see what happens with that. The colon we don't know a lot about yet today, not enough time in yet. She still does not feel like eating, but is doing a good job of eating three meals a day. The Doc. has suggested that if it gets to hard to eat they can give her TPN. Marty wants no part of that! A nurse just made comment about how much she is drinking. That is so true, because she doesn't want any problems with the bladder or kidneys. And so far the blood tests are showing that her drinking water, etc. is really working - there are no signs of problems. She is showing a few spots on her skin that we believe to be signs of bleeding but they are small and not bad. And we believe that her 3 to 4 walks a day have and are making a big difference in her response to this whole process. All and all everything is still going great.

Praises and thanks be to God. God is indeed the great physician and is so good, all the time - all the time, God is good. We certainly appreciate all of the ways that God's grace and love are being shown to us, and for all the cards,prayers, emails, visits, phone calls, and expressions of love that are coming to us. We are indeed blessed and thank and praise God for it.

Have a great rest of the day, and God bless.

Marty and Jack
John 3:16

Friday Noon

Well I am doing a little better today. We did have a visitor this morning, it was good to see Wally again and share with him.

Marty had a "fair" night last night. It seems she was awake more than she slept. She was doing her devotions about 1:00am and then had her first walk in before the Doc got in at about 6:20am, almost the latest he has been here since we have been in.

Her white blood count is still at zero, and probably will be for 5 to 7 more days. The platelets are at about 64,000 after getting 12 unites yesterday. She did loose some hair this morning in the shower, so we will see what happens with that. The colon we don't know a lot about yet today, not enough time in yet. She still does not feel like eating, but is doing a good job of eating three meals a day. The Doc. has suggested that if it gets to hard to eat they can give her TPN. Marty wants no part of that! A nurse just made comment about how much she is drinking. That is so true, because she doesn't want any problems with the bladder or kidneys. And so far the blood tests are showing that her drinking water, etc. is really working - there are no signs of problems. She is showing a few spots on her skin that we believe to be signs of bleeding but they are small and not bad. And we believe that her 3 to 4 walks a day have and are making a big difference in her response to this whole process. All and all everything is still going great.

Praises and thanks be to God. God is indeed the great physician and is so good, all the time - all the time, God is good. We certainly appreciate all of the ways that God's grace and love are being shown to us, and for all the cards,prayers, emails, visits, phone calls, and expressions of love that are coming to us. We are indeed blessed and thank and praise God for it.

Have a great rest of the day, and God bless.

Marty and Jack
John 3:16

Thursday Mid to Late Afternoon

Well here I am late again. It has been a busy and good day. Marty is doing a little better than yesterday but not as good as she wished she would be doing. But then you can blame part of that on her. She asked her nurse about making her bed, and the nurse said that was almost next on her list. So Marty said - any body want to guess what she said - yes, I am sure you are right - if you get me the sheets, etc. I will make it. And of course that is exactly what happened. Marty made her own bed. Oh well she will never change - but praise the Lord she is able to do it.

Well for the rest of day: Marty has had 3 walks so far, platelets were low enough today that she had to have 12 more unites (that makes 84 units of platelets and 12 unites of blood since Aug. 15 - oh we are so thankful that her needs are being met, that they have all this much on hand for one person - Praise the Lord! And if you can give in Marty's honor it sure would be appreciated. So far we know of two people that have done so and we are indeed grateful.) back to today, she does not feel quiet as fatigued but still not up to last week. She finds that at times she gets very shaky, which no doubt has to do with the condition of her blood. We were told that it would affect EVERYTHING, so that is just another.

It was also a busy morning with visitors. Pastor Tom Robbins was in as well as Rita, Phil, and Carolyn. What a joy it was to see them all and to visit with them. It is always good to see those faces from home. We do appreciate it. I also went out and had lunch with Fr. Frank Kilcline. Thanks Fr. Frank for the lunch and fellowship.

This afternoon, in fact soon, Marty will get the second shot to help kick start the bone marrow to get started again. This med is also to help the fatituge and can cause joint pain as well as large bone pain. So far it may be causing a little more back pain, especially when she walks, but not that bad. The colon problem is less today but still continues.

Well I think that about covers it for today. Don't believe that I will do another one tonight but we will be thinking about you all, and praising and thanking God for your support, encouragement, and love. As God is good - all the time. All the time - God is good. So are you all great in your support, enouragement, and love. Thank you so very much, it is indeed appreciated, more that you will every know, and words will ever express.

Have a great evening and God bless!

Marty and Jack
John 3:16

Wednesday Evening

I do not believe it but I have been working on a post for 6 hours today and was trying to run spell check (yes, believe it or not I did get it working, I think)but some how I lost the whole thing that I had written. I guess it was not to be published or something, so I will try again.

I was up at 4am and over to see Dr. Lee. It did happen this time and we had a good conversation. In answer to yesterday's question - no the WBC going to 100 yester-day doesn't mean a thing. In fact it was back down to zero today. And we were told that a side effect of the zero WBC and over all blood count in the colon has indeed raised it ugly head. He started Marty on a med today in hopes of getting it under-control ASAP. He said if the med does not work he might have to take her off food and on to nutritional feedings until the colon gets over it. It is an example that we are not out of the woods yet. Dr.Lee did say that things are going well and he is not expecting it to do other wise, but it still could go south at any time.

Today Marty has been more fatituged, having a harder time to do physical things, much closer to what she was like before we came in but still has eaten three good meals, walked the hall three times, done some reading, and resting. This afternoon she was given the first shot of med. that is to help the bone marrow to regenerate. It has the potential of causing pain in the joints and bones but we have not been told of any other side effects, and that one has not happened. Praise the Lord!

Chaplain Dan Coffey, the ISP Department Chaplain, stopped by to see us this after-noon. Marty had never met Dan and was certainly glad to do so. I had not seen him since June so it was good to catch up.

Marty also received 12 cards today. One from Columbus, OH from a person of the Great Banquet Community that saw her name on the prayer list, had had cancer herself and sent Marty encouragement. How wonderful it is to have such support and to see God's love, support, encouragement, grace from the faith community and others of God's children. Thank you all so very much we appreciate you and love you.

Have a great evening and a great day tomorrow. God bless.

Marty and Jack
John 3:16

Tuesday Evening

Marty had a good day with Eric and Erin. They held the blood off until this afternoon so she could be awake to visit so she is still getting blood tonight. And believe it or not she has not gone to sleep today. So all has gone well.

Again today she has eaten something, actually a pretty good meal, at all three meal times. She has also already taken three walks today. So she is keeping up with all the good things that she has done all along to be doing as good as she is. From the sounds of the nurses, etc. all that Marty has done for herself has really helped her to get along as well as she has. The amount of fluids, the walking, the eating has all been very positive. I think they wish more patients would be like Marty is.

Tonight I have to empty the holding tanks in the motor home and fill the water and lp tanks. I am trying to get ready for the rain and cold that they are talking about coming tomorrow and Thursday. So I think I will sign off for tonight and write more in the morning.

Praise the Lord in all that you do, have a great evening and day tomorrow. God bless!

Marty and Jack
John 3:16

Good Morning

Repeat performance - another good night, only up to run the track to the bathroom. The track is sure getting used a lot, but Marty's weight (liquid retention) is staying down to about her normal weight. Good thing particularly compared to a couple of days ago. White blood cells have come back up to 100 today. We believe that to be a good sign, but we have to check that out with the Doc. in the morning. Just checked with the nurse and she is going to do some checking for us and see what it might be doing. She came back and said that she is very low and needs to be very careful. Did not really say if going up is a good sign or not. Almost seems like she doesn't consider it to be up. Marty will also have to get blood today because the hemoglobin is down. The platelets are going down as usual, probably more of them tomorrow or Thursday.

Today is also a good day with lots of smiles because Eric and Erin are here for the day. They arrived last night, stayed in the motor with me, and now she is with grandma. So that is all good! Marty got dress on Saturday when Jennifer came and did so again today. It is really neat that she is allowed to wear her own pj's all the time and is able to dress when she feels like it and wants to. They really treat you quite well around here, are very kind, compassionate, and try to answer all your questions and meet your needs.

Well I better get this published so that it is still am. Will talk to you all tonight. Have a great day and God bless!

Marty and Jack
John 3:16

Monday Evening 10.09.06

Good evening to all! Marty has had a good day, but not quite as good as it has been. She has had the med for the sore in her mouth two times and will have it at least one more time before bed time. She has found her walks harder to do and that she is more fatigued during and after. In fact, this afternoon she slept for a couple of hours, that until yesterday, she had not done since coming into the hospital. She ate breakfast and lunch because she had to, but said that she really enjoyed dinner. You see I fixed it out at the motor home and brought it in for both of us. I fixed a steak on the grill, baked potato, and a frozen veg. then she got from the hospital some bread sticks and cheese cake. So as you can see it did indeed make for a nice dinner. We are doing our best to make the best out of everything! And we certainly thank you for your support and help.

After I finished and posted the blog last night, we had three visitors - Jill, Bill and Susan. Also, Wally was by in the afternoon but Marty was sleeping and I was out of the room. And today we have been visited by Kyle, John, Pat, and Patricia. It sure is good to see everyone and have the personal connect with our friends and faith community. There is nothing like the love, grace, and support that comes in that way. Of course, the blog comments and the emails, cards and phone calls are just awesome as well. Praise the Lord! Thank you very much.

I think that kind of covers things for today. We hope that you have had a great day and will give God the praise and thanks for it - for each and everything that has come in your path and life today - as we will do tonight as well. Praise and thanks be to God.

Marty and Jack
John 3:16

Monday Early Afternoon 10.09.06

I came over at 4:50am to see the doctor and he had been here at 4:25am and was even gone from the floor. Oh well, will have to try again. And after Marty and I spent a little time together I went back and went to bed for about 4 hours. So this one did not get published in the AM.

From what Marty tells me she has now completely lost her appetite. It is not that she can't eat, but she just really doesn't fell like she wants anything to eat. But you know Marty she is still ordering a tray and eating it. Way to go Marty!!!! Keep up the good work!!

She is also in the process of developing the first sore in her mouth. She had these when she had the chemo before. They are not to pleasant but "Mary's Magic Swish and Swallow" seem to do the job on them. She is waiting to get some of it.

Her white blood count is still "0" and Doc says he will leave that be for a couple of more days and then give her some medicine. Dr. Lee was back this morning and said the same as the doc yesterday that there is nothing happening that is unexpected. I am not exactly sure what that means, but Marty is taking that as positive, that all is going the way it should be, and I will agree.

I do know that she still looks good, talks good, has a good attitude, has more energy and stays awake better than she did at home, and on the outside does not look like much is wrong. Praise the Lord!

May you have a great afternoon as we are going to and God bless.

Marty and Jack
John 3:16

Sunday PM 10.08.06

Well, here we are at Sunday evening the 12th day in the hospital and all is going well. Marty has had another great day. She has eaten 3 good meals, even though she says she is not hungry and that the food doesn't really have any taste, at least any good taste, it is missing salt. She has taken 3 walks around the entire 6th floor, taken a nap, and continued wearing the path in the floor to the bathroom. She has been from her admission and continues to try and drink a lot to keep the bladder and kidneys working, since the chemo can be very difficult on them. She is also making a list of things for me to get at the store - still taking care of me. What a fantastic child of God, wife, and friend!!!!!

We certainly want to express our sincere thanks and deep appreciation to all of you for your continuing prayers, support, encouragement, and love. It is so true that without putting our faith and trust in Almighty God, and experiencing the love and mercy of God through all of you this part of Marty and my lives journey would certainly be a lot more difficult. We know that all things are in God's hands, and God wants good, even the best for His children. Praise the Lord!

May you have a good night and a better day tomorrow. God bless.

Marty and Jack
John 3:16

SundayAM 10.08.06

St. Vincent Room 6618 reporting in with a good report. The doc says that all is well and nothing is happening that is not expected. Today the white blood count was "0", the platelet count was 10,000, and hemoglobin was 9. So Marty has just completed getting 12 more units of platelets and we are ready to go.

Marty has had breakfast, a shower, and a walk this morning. It is so wonderful, her counts for the most part are less then they were at home before she came in, but her energy is 3 or 4 times as much as she had at home before coming. Praise the Lord! God is good - all the time. All the time - God is good. We do not understand this and have not yet asked the doctor about it. Actually why it has happened is not really important we are just so grateful that it has happened. It is really a lot easier to deal with it all. Thank you Lord!

Go Colts!

Have a great day and God bless. (sure hope you made it to worship this morning.)

Marty and Jack
John 3:16

Saturday Evening 10.07.06

Praise the Lord!!! It has been another good day. Again we are so happy and so surprised at how well Marty is doing. Yes, we were told that it would take a week after the chemo was in before it would really hit, and hit hard, but we had no idea that the week she got the chemo and this week would be as they are. We suppose that part of it is that we remember what it was like four years ago when she had chemo and were expecting it to be something like that. But indeed we were and are wrong. So we take each day like today and give God the praise.

Today we were visited by our daughter, Jennifer, but not the rest of the family. Trey her oldest son had some cold like things going on, so Travis, her husband, stayed home with the boys. It was good to see her and she and her mother had some good time together. We also had the pleasure of visiting with Wally and Kyle, and Lori and Dave who stopped in to say "Hi!".

This morning when I was lead by God to talk about the trees, I never gave a thought to the fact that Marty's favorite poem growing up was entitled "Trees" and written by Joyce Kilmer.

I think that I shall never see
A poem lovely as a tree.
A tree whose hungry mouth is prest
Against the earth's sweet flowing breast.

A tree that looks at God all day
And lifts her leafy arms to pray.
A tree that may in summer wear
A nest of robins in her hair.

Upon whose bosom snow has lain
Who intimately lives with rain.
Poems are made by fools like me.
But only God can make a tree.


Thank God for trees and for all of life. God is good - all the time. All the time - God is good.

Have a great evening, have a day of rest, and praise the Lord. God bless.

Marty and Jack
John 3:16

Saturday Early Afternoon 10.07.06

Greetings to all. It is early Saturday afternoon because I cooked breakfast this morning and then did some dishes. So I did not get over to the hospital until about 11am and then took a walk with Marty and of course had to harass the nurses. So now it is down to updating.

Marty had a good night. All of her numbers are going down. This morning hemoglobin was 8.7, white blood cells was 100, and platelets were 15,000 for those of you who get this picture. We are expecting that tomorrow will be a platelet day at least. It could be as early as Monday or Tuesday that the "fire works" may begin. Or as Marty says "the ____ will hit the fan, and it just may be messy." But for now we are taking each good day and praising God for it.

Don't think I have mentioned, and then again maybe I have, we have a beautiful view out the window. It looks down on the entrance to Children's Hospital, and the trees along that street have been changing since we have been here. They are beautiful. Then across the way is a woods and those trees are beginning to change. In another week they will be just awesome.

It is so good to see the beauty of the natural creation that God has given to us. And what a blessing it is as it shares God's love, mercy, and message with us. The message of always being present with us, even during the down times and the times of change. God is a God of love that wants the best for all of us and even gives His trees the most beautiful time of their lives each year before they rest for the winter. Our God is an awesome God!!!!

Jennifer is on her way here. She should be here in another half hour to 45 minutes. She has had to come by herself beaus Trey had a few little signs of a cold on Wed. and Thur. and did not want to take any chances of infecting grandma because of her low white count. So we will be happy to visit with her this afternoon.

Will go for now and return tonight with an update.

Have a great day and God bless.

Marty and Jack
John 3:16

Friday PM 10.06.06

Well the doc said the first two weeks down here would be boring. I don't believe that to really be true, but I would have to say our time so far as basically be uneventful. Praise the Lord! Today as been another super day. Marty has been awake all day, eaten very well, taken her walks, finished her second Grandma's book, done some reading, and welcomed some company. Busy day to say the least. We have been so happy to see Paula and Wally, Bonnie and Glenn, and Cheryl and Francis. It has been great to see everyone and for the way all is going.

By the way, Buddy is doing fine. He does spend a lot of time by himself but he get 3 walks a day. Last night I took him for a longer walk than usual, and added a new little area. So this morning when we got to the turn to the new route, guess who turned that way? Yes, you are right, Buddy decided that he wanted to go that way, backwards this time. He is such a good "buddy."

Well I think that covers it all for tonight, so we hope you have a great night and a better day tomorrow as we look forward to the same for us.

God bless.

Marty and Jack
John 3:16

Friday AM 10.06.06

Good morning - hope you all had a good night. Marty did have a good night sleep wise and this morning has worn a path to the bathroom. She was indeed retaining water yesterday and last night. This morning she was given lasix and is already feeling better. Infact she just put her shoes on for a walk and said they have gone on so much easier. Breakfast and shower are over and so it is now walk time. She wants to go out and show everyone how good she looks - she has a red night shirt on and black pants . She does look good. Oh, by the way, she has not lost any hair at all yet. Some say she will not, but others say she might. One day at a time and we will see. Blood counts are going down and that is to be expected. So all is well on the St. V's room 6618 front.

Have a good day and God bless.

Marty and Jack
John 3:16

Thursday PM 10.05.06

Have just returned from the evening walk all the way around the four wings of the sixth floor, and it was Marty's third time to do that today. She does have to wear a mask and push her IV pole as she goes. Today she has been wearing her street shoes when she walks and finds that to be a little better.

It seems tonight that she is retaining some fluids and perhaps even feels a little bloated but otherwise is doing great. She ate her three meals today, took all of her meds, got her shower, had her walks, so all and all another good day. Praise the Lord.

Was in such a hurry last night to get to the main door by 10:00pm so I did not have to walk all the way around the building from ER that I forgot to mention that John and Pat and Stephanie were here yesterday afternoon. It was really great to visit with them. And today Cheryl E. and Pastor Tom Robbins were here. Again it was great to see them and share some time with them.

Marty just shared with me that her calendar scripture for tomorrow it is "For God is not a god of disorder, but of peace." (I Corth. 14:33) And it is with that peace of God that we leave you tonight, praying that you get the rest you need to again tomorrow server our Lord to the very best of your ability and strength.

God bless!

Marty and Jack
John 3:16

Thursday AM

Thursday AM and alll is well. Marty had a great night. Though she was put back on the med that causes sleeplessness she is now getting a sleeping pill and it is really working. Praise the Lord! It is so good to see the peace that Marty has, the spirit that she has right now, and just how well she is doing. God is so good - all the time. All the time - God is so good!

All the chemo is now in her and at work. The poison is at work and we are asking for the "bad guys" to be killed and the good bone marrow to regenerate. We are told that it should be about 7 - 10 days until the "down time." But we go a day at a time and give God praise for them all.

It is a good day, may you feel God's presence and blessing.

Marty and Jack
John 3:16

Wednesday Night

Well folks here I am again with again all good news. Marty has had another great day. Each meal she had to work a little hard to eat, because she just wasn't hungry and on tonight's walk (her third for the day) she seemed to think that she was walking a little slower than she had been. The blood work done last night after she got the blood and then the regular blood work done this morning did give some indication that the chemo is working. So that is no doubt why there are starting to be some changes in her body. However they say that it will be a week to 10 days from tomorrow when the real changes will take place. We will not jump ahead, but take each day as it comes and wait and see.

At midnight she will get the last of the chemo bags. Each time that she has gotten a bag she has said a prayer and then sang the doxology. And for the midnight one the last couple of night when she has gone to sleep before she got it she has prayed and sang before she went to sleep.

Hope you all had as good a day as we have and particularly that you have felt God's presence, grace and love.

Have a great night, and get rested to serve God again tomorrow. God bless!!

Marty and Jack
John 3:16

Wednesday afternoon

Greeting to all. I am a little late in checking in today because I was up at 4:30am this morning to come over and see Dr. Lee and then I went back to the RV and went back to sleep. He is in on a daily basis between 4:30 and 6:00am. I really don't understand how he does it. He is quite a man and doctor.

Well, very thing is still going well. We are seeing signs in the blood tests of the chemo working but are not really seeing the effects in Marty externally. She is still walking the halls about 3 times a day, eating good - though she is saying that she really isn't hungry when she eats, she is in good humor and very cheerful, she is working very hard on getting the second grandmothers memory book done, and she is still being a nurse for her own care. She is having a good relation-ship with the nurses and keeping them right on target. How wonderful it is that she is doing so well - we certainly praise and thank God for His goodness, love, grace, and mercy.

Have a great afternoon, will be back this evening, and God bless.

Marty and Jack
John 3:16

Tuesday PM

Well not much new or different - today went well. The blood went in, the chemo went in, Marty had 3 meals, has gone for two walks in the hall and will be doing number 3 real soon.

She was given a grandmothers book of memories for her grandchild and did it for Erin. Then she asked me to get another one that she could do for the boys. I did that on Sunday and so she is working very hard to get it done before the chemo kicks in. She is almost half done with it now. It is about 90+ pages long. The problem is that as she does it a second time she thinks of new things and has to go back and add them to Erin's book. What dedication and love for those grandchildren. They will certainly appreciate what she has done whenever they get it.

We are looking for the blood she received today to bring the white count up from the 500 it was this morning. But they have not done another count to know what it did do. The nurse said they will do one soon not only to see what the blood has done, but also to see what happens over night. That is a good thing and should tell if the chemo has started working or not.

They also put her back on lasiz because she was retaining water. It seems as if it has helped, at least she sure has gone to the bathroom a lot today.

These things are basically expected as the chemo begins to work and as she gets constant IV's.

The staff here on the 6th floor is very good, kind, and compassionate. We appreciate them and certainly give God thanks for them.

Catch up with you in the AM - Have a great night and God bless.

Marty and Jack
John 3:16

Tuesday Afternoon

God is good - all the time! All the time - God is good. Praise the Lord! And thank God for this day!

Marty is doing good today. She is receiving 2 units of blood. Her white blood count is down to 500, at a point where infection could set in very easily. This is possibly a little earlier than expected, but it is expected. Never-the-less, good attitude, cheerful, eating good, up and around and all is good.

Will get back to you later. Have a great day and God bless.

Marty and Jack
John 3:16

Monday PM

Praise the Lord! Another good day. Good energy, several walks in the hall, eating good, and had a great time with Erin. Marty and Erin watched a movie, played a computer game, talked, walked and had a great time.

Did have to get 12 more unites of platatles and will probably have to have blood tomorrow.

Had some visitors this afternoon. Andy's brother, Randy and wife, stopped in to say Hi! It was great to see them. Haven't seen them since a Thursday night dinner last Spring. So it sure was good to see them again.

I was able to find Marty another Grandmothers Memory for her Grandchild book so she is working on it for the boys. She has Erin's almost all done and will now be working hard to get this one done for Trey, Mason, and Cole. Of course, she adding things to Erin's as she does the one for the boys.

I still don't seem to have the group email working, but I am now getting and sending emails. So maybe soon I will get the rest working as well.

Well I think it is time for me to get something to eat and get some sleep.

God has been good again today and I give thanks and praise for that.

Have a great night and a blessed day tomorrow.

Marty and Jack
John 3:16

Monday AM

Well yesterday was a really busy day and as everyone can well see I didn't get anything posted. But I am so glad to report that it was an awesome day. Marty really had a good day even though, or maybe becasue, I was not around very much. I went to Peru to preach and do some things (washing, etc.) leaving at 6:30am and getting back about 6:30pm. Long day!! Marty had a good day taking about 4 walks in the hall and even going to the hall at the other end of this floor. She was catching up for the first couple of days when she didn't walk I think. Then we had a great little communion service at about 7pm. John and Pat, Beth, Susie and Terry, Jim and Diane were all here and for the closing prayer we all laid hands on Marty. It was really meaningful, I think. Then Ed Morgan came, visited and worked on the computer. All and all it was a great day -- Praise the Lord! God is good - all the time -- all the time - God is good.

Eric and Erin arrived late last night. They stayed in the RV with me and we are over with Marty now. Erin and Marty are watching a movie on Erin's DVD. It is a new movie that Eric bought Erin to bring down to see with Grandma.

The doc was in to see Marty at about 5:00am and said all was going well, except the med that probably caused the sleeplessness Friday night has to be increaded back to the orginial amount. So they will try something else to help her sleep. She also was in need of platates, so she is in the process of getting 12 units right now. Even with just 5 or 6 hours sleep she is doing great. She has 3 days of chemo down and 3 to go. Everyone says she is doing great! Praise the Lord.!

Oh yes Marty was also very pleased to welcome Gary Palmer early this morning. He had been to the airport and Marty and I really appreciated that he took time to stop by to say Hi!

Well I think I will close for now. Have a great day and God bless.

Marty and Jack
John 3:16

I still don't know how to work the spell check and forgot to ask Ed about it - so I do not claim the spelling to all be right.