Sweet Sounds

Well...we made it!  We are home now...and I couldn't be any happier.  I'm sitting here in my living room and all I hear is birds chirping and my husband snoring...two of the sweetest sounds. 

I'm totally enjoying the peace I feel at this moment.  There are no sounds of monitors beeping, nurses talking in the hallways, patients calling for help, food delivery carts clumsily making their way through the hospital...I could go on and on.  How is it that anyone actually heals in the hospital??  It's not like anyone gets any rest!  Every 20 minutes or so someone is coming in to take vitals, change a bandage, attend to the IV machine, etc.  By the end of our stay, I was ready to become a linebacker and just tackle anyone that walked through the door to disturb our rest.  LOL

But, even with all of the annoyances that come with staying in the hospital...I must say my gratitude outweighs any other emotion that I may have felt. 

My heart still goes out to those who have to remain at the hospital for any number of reasons that they are there in the first place.  The lady next door to us that came all the way out from Austin, Texas for her surgery and treatments...the older woman across the hall from us who didn't look so good when we left.  I pray that the Lord would just cover them with His love and comfort as they endure what it is that they are going through.  One of the doors in our unit was closed the entire time with a sign on it that said,"STOP! No entry except for doctors and nurses who absolutely must enter."  I don't even have a clue as to who was in that room...man or woman...but I pray that they are not alone in there.

I am just so thankful to the Lord for allowing me to be able to bring my honey home and in somewhat better shape (minus the cancer; plus staples) than when we went in.  I still can't believe that the Lord has given us this miracle of time.  I pray that we never take it for granted.

I want to say thank you to those of you who diligently read my blog and leave me comments of encouragement.  I want you all to know that I truly appreciate your thoughtfulness and I hope to begin leaving comments on your blogs again as well.  Life has just been a bit hectic and I haven't had much energy for much else but being there for my guy. 

Kelly - I still have Kimmie on my heart.  I think of her often, and wish that she could still be here so that I could share our victory.  She would've been so pleased to know that Jay has won this round of the battle.  But I am so happy that I have you to share my ups and downs with.  I think of you and pray for you often.  I gather much strength from you because you have gone through the toughest part of this disease and have remained a very strong and courageous person.

Betty - thank you for your words of love and encouragement.  You are always faithful to lift me up.

Krissy - thank you for sharing your words of encouragement to stay in the battle and be strong in my faith in the Lord to deliver my husband of this disease as he has done for your husband TWICE!  God is amazing...this I know.

AJ - thank you for always being right there with some loving words that lift my spirits up. 

All of you, I have never met, but you have become part of my family.  I love and appreciate each one of you.

And to those friends and family who have stuck by me and Jay and prayed constantly and put us on a million different prayer chains...it is that faithfulness, I know, that has brought about this new season of our lives.  God is faithful to answer the prayers of those who are faithful to seek Him and His will. 

I am in awe of the love that has been shown to us by everyone...those that we know, and those that we don't.  It is proof to me that Jesus is alive and well and living in the hearts of those who believe because that is the kind of love that you cannot keep to yourself...it must be shared...poured out in immeasurable amounts.

God bless you all.

Jamie

Heading Home

Hello All,

Jay has been doing very well the past couple of days, so the hospital says it is time to go home.  Praise the Lord!  They actually wanted to send him home today, but Jay asked for an additional day just to be safe.  I'm glad he did because I would hate to get home and have something go wrong.  So, here we are at City of Hope for the last night.  We should be out of here in the morning.

Jay has been a good boy and has done his exercises and walked the halls and done all that he was told to do and our reward is to be able to go home.  I miss my bed...and I know that Jay does too.  The people here have been perfectly nice and done a great job of taking care of my guy, but I can't wait to get him home. 

In my celebration for the fact that we get to leave soon, I can't help but have a heavy heart for those that have to remain here because they are too sick to go home.  We have walked the halls and seen who is doing well and who is not.  My heart goes out to all of them.  The struggle that they are going through to get well, or at least to have some small measurement of normalcy is something that we have gone through, but we get a break for now...I pray the same for them.  If  I could just take all of their pain away, I would in a heartbeat.  Cancer is a disease that can rob someone of everything they have and I know that we all go through trials for a reason, but in my ideal world...no one would have to go through having to endure cancer.

For those of you who are praying for me and Jay...please take a moment to thank the Lord for our miracle, but also lift up the patients here at City of Hope, that they would receive the same blessing.  Anything is possible with God, so if we all help to carry the burden of the patients here, God will listen.  He is faithful to deliver.  Prayer changes situations...and collectively, we could pray this disease away.  Pray in faith.

Thank you to all who have prayed for us.  I cannot express to you enough how much I appreciate your open hearts.  God is listening...please continue to pray.

With Much Love,

Jamie

God Delivers

Well, the past 24 hours have been filled with lots of ups and only a few downs...Jay has been given a miracle...they seem to have gotten all of the cancer out of his abdomen.  Praise the Lord!  He has been in some pain, but nothing that a few different kinds of pain killers couldn't handle...he has been up and sitting in a chair and has taken a few steps in the room...he has done amazingly well...except right now he is having a fever spike...101.8...not really sure why that is, but we are all watching him closely.  He says that he doesn't feel bad, just HOT.  So, here I sit in the room with him...placing cold rags on his forehead and on the back of his neck.  Doctors don't seem too alarmed...it's fairly common to get a fever after such an invasive surgery...so it's not time to panic...just time to give it to the Lord and do my job...be by my man's side. 

So, a miracle has been given to us...nothing surprising because God is capable of absolutely anything...but I am overwhelmed that it appears that my honey gets a break from this disease.  The doctors have said that they were able to get it all...they are confident in that fact.  There is a part of me that still wonders if this is just for a season...but regardless...God is in control and it doesn't matter that we've heard it before, "We got it all..." I am celebrating this miracle in this moment...God is so good.

For those that are praying...please pray that Jay is not developing anything serious and that the fever goes away and there are no setbacks.  But most importantly, in your prayers...thank Him for the miracle of time.

May the Lord receive all glory and praise!

Leaning on FAITH

It has been a few weeks since I have written...we've been on the roller coaster again...Jay has been experiencing a great deal of pain.  Possibly a hernia...or the tumors are doing something...we won't know - until tomorrow, that is.  Jay is scheduled for surgery tomorrow morning.  I don't know what time, but it's first thing in the morning.  On top of the pain that Jay has been feeling, a little over a week ago, Jay came down with the stomach flu.  Ahhh!  That was awful!  He got severely dehydrated and we ended up spending three out of the four days of him being sick in urgent care with him receiving IV fluids.  It was a rough few days...no sleep for either of us.  We were both just exhausted.  I don't know that I've actually recovered from that to tell you the truth.  I'm still exhausted.  But it could just be because of all of the preparation for what is about to happen tomorrow.  Tomorrow, our lives will change...no ifs, ands or buts about it...life will change.  It will either change because the doctors were able to eradicate the cancer from Jay's abdomen completely...or it will change because they couldn't.  Only time will tell.  I am trying to wrap my head around the whole thing, but it seems impossible to do.  What it comes down to is this...FAITH.  I have faith that God led us to City of Hope...in order to provide us with hope.  I have faith that no matter what the outcome, God is by our side, and not only that, he is carrying us.

The Lord gave me a scripture this morning and what a gift it is!  James 5:15 "And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up."

I will pray in faith that my honey will come through with little to no complications.  I will pray in faith that the Lord will reveal His plan to me tomorrow.  Healing may or may not come...it is my hope and desire for healing to come and I have faith that the Lord can deliver my husband of this illness...but I will pray for the Lord's will to be done because it is His will that I seek.  If His will is for my Jay to be healed; it will be so. 

I do not know when I will write again...I am going to be by my guy's side and keep him company.  If I feel up to it...I will write again soon.  For those of you who are praying for us...please pray for the Lord's will to be done, for peace and comfort for us, and for healing for Jay.  We are in need of much prayer.

God Bless You.

Jamie