"Well Done Thy Good and Faithful Servant"

I have no doubt that Mike heard these words when he went to heaven a little after midnight. He went peacefully in his sleep. I was trying to tell him how special he was but I guess he got tired of listening to me ramble. The next chapter in our lives are going to be difficult at best. Please continue to pray for our family. A couple of praises. The 2 family members who had to travel the farthest were here in time to visit and will be here for his "Celebration of Life" Ceremony. More to come on that a little later. Thanks for all your kind words and prayers.

Major Setback

Mike is currently on oxygen & pain medicines to ease his "distress" in the words of his nurse. This morning when I woke up he was not breathing like normal, it was almost like he was moaning. When hospice came they told me to call in the family that it would just be a couple of days. So we have had lots of visitors today. He isn't responsive but I am convinced that he can hear. We have his music playing softly and I am reading him facebook and email messages. I pray for our children and grandchildren that will miss out on growing up with this wonderful man in their life. I will keep you updated. Praising God for no pain, his sister arrived from California, and our wonderful friends and family.

Time for Hospice

I met with the Dr this week alone since Mike was too weak to go. He has been in bed for days and not eating. The Dr suggested we call Hospice and work on "Comfort Care". In other words, make him as comfortable as possible. I am not naive enough to believe he will beat the odds and I will do everything they say for him. I still believe in God's healing power and He will heal Mike if He chooses to do so. I personally can't imagine why he wouldn't but I can't see the future like He can. Our daughters are arriving to visit as much as they can in these next few weeks. Penny is here from Africa and it's great to see her and Michael. Mike isn't talking much. He will respond when spoken to but he has always been rather quiet. It's been great hearing from long lost friends and the visits are wonderful. I just hate it's under these circumstances. There just isn't much good to report! We know many many prayers are being prayed on our behalf and we are humbled. We appreciate all the kindnesses shown to us. Little things mean so much. We love you all. Here's an oldie but a goodie of Mike & Belle.

Prayers Requested

This is so very hard to write. Mike is too weak to continue chemo and radiation. Without these treatments or a miracle, there is nothing that we can do except pray. He is so tired and still isn't eating. They have given him something to increase his appetite but it hasn't worked yet. He is sleeping a lot and not in any pain which is a praise. Our family covets your prayers in the next few days and weeks. This is the hardest thing I have ever had to go through. Watching someone you love so much suffer and not being able to do anything for them is unbearable. I have tried to post positive updates but our hearts are broken. This is the reality of cancer.

Reality

Mike is not doing great these days. His bilirubin is 32 which is down from 36 last week but still extremely high. ( A normal person's bilirubin is under 2) This is the bile backing up in his body causing him to be yellow. His appetite is non existent. He lost 6 lbs in a week and due to blood work which indicates he's not drinking enough, they canceled chemo yesterday. They did administer fluids but not the chemo drug. He has been doing better since our visit yesterday. Please specifically pray that:
He eats and drinks more.
His bilirubin level drops.
His lab work shows improvement Monday.
His strength improves.
He is very weak. This is all part of the treatment but it's hard seeing him so sick. We truly appreciate all your prayers. I say that a lot but I really mean it. God bless you.

Dr. Visits Today

We had appointments with the radiologist & oncologist today. The oncologist was encouraging and showed us some charts where the liver enzymes were dropping. I am not exactly sure what that means but he was happy. So I am happy. Mike thinks I'm grasping at straws but I will take ANY good news. Mike is extremely weak and I need to get him to eat more. It's a vicious circle, he doesn't have energy because he isn't eating. He isn't eating because he's weak and feels bad. On a positive note, we have purchased an adjustable bed which should make him a lot more comfortable and hopefully help him sleep at night. It will be delivered Saturday. AND the nurse told us today it may be covered under our insurance. If that's the case I will be doing a happy dance. Last week we attended a Father-Daughter banquet at our church. Mike took our granddaughter and I also made an appearance. Please keep praying for Mike and our family. We truly covet your prayers. Until next time....