The Countdown Begins

It has been three weeks since Dennis finished his first round of cancer treatments.  A week from today, they start again.  Although the treatments offer us one source of hope that Dennis could beat this horrible cancer, we also dread them.  His experience with the first six weeks was not horrible.  He tolerated everything well but still the radiation was “creepy” and he was so physically exhausted from it.  We are definitely hoping that without radiation in the mix this time that he is not so exhausted but we won’t know until they start up again.  This round of treatments will last at least six months.  About every two months he will have an MRI to see if any regrowth has happened.  I’m sure that we will face each one of those with some measure of apprehension as we wait to hear the results.

But the medical intervention is only one part of our hope.  The greater hope and peace we have is that the Great Physician is in charge of our lives.  We know Dennis will be healed.  What we don’t know is if that healing will come here on earth or if it will come when he leaves this world and enters into complete healing in the presences of his Savior.  We, of course, pray for his healing here.  We want him to have many more years to spend with us, to be my husband, Brooke’s Daddy, a brother, son, friend…But we fully trust that God will do what is best for all of us and walk with us through the days ahead.  I often think of how King David prayed and fasted for his son’s life to be spared – that is where we are at today.  We are continually asking God for this for Dennis but like King David, if God chooses to heal Dennis by calling him home to heaven, we will go on with the assurance that we will one day be reunited.  

Please continue to pray for us as we enter this new phase of treatment.

• Dennis – that he is not exhausted by the treatments and that they are successful in eradicating any remaining cancer cells.
• Ellen – that she will be able to know how to best support Dennis as he walks down this road.
• Brooke – that she is at peace with what is happening to Daddy.
• Generally – for volunteers to continue to be so helpful in giving Dennis rides to appointments and encouraging us along the way.