A Visit

This past weekend, my mom's niece (really, more like a daughter), Karol, came to visit with two of her three daughters, Mandy & Ashley (we missed Amy!). It was a great, if short, visit. When my mom said goodbye to them, it was heartbreaking.

Goodbyes are so hard~when I dropped them at the airport, I said "so long", because I know we will see each other again, whether on this earth or in heaven.

I've had a couple of thoughts lately that I wanted to share. First, my mom was given Biofine in early August for the radiation scab she'd had on the right side of her neck since May. Why didn't anyone tell us about this cream before? Not even the radiation oncologist's office mentioned that Biofine was meant to specifically treat the effects of radiation on cancer patients. My mom has needlessly had this painful scab on her neck for two months. It is almost completely gone now with the use of this cream prescribed by the wonderful wound care nurse, Beth. When reflecting on this, I thought of how people have the opportunity to be healed through Christ's blood but they may not know He even exists. Or, if they have heard of Christ, they may choose to not believe in His healing eternal power. We, as Christians, have the opportunity to help others learn about Christ and be cleansed of their "scabs" of sin through Him. I encourage you to share Christ's healing power with those who don't know Him.

And, last night it occurred to me that I haven't asked friends and family to pray specifically for my mom's eating problems. She isn't eating because:

1. Part of her parotid gland, which produces saliva, was taken during the February, 2008, neck dissection surgery. This means there is not a lot of saliva in her mouth and therefore, food stays in her mouth and it is difficult for her to swallow.

2. A side effect of the radiation treatments is that food does not taste "right". Many times, even the best milkshake, hamburger, or pancake tastes like metal. It is hard to enjoy eating when the food tastes bad.

So, my specific prayer request is this: pray that her saliva production increases and that her sense of taste returns in full force. I believe that if this happens, she will have a better quality of life, more strength and potentially more time on this Earth. I ask that you pray that God's will be done in this situation and if it is His will to increase the saliva and return her sense of taste that He will do so.

Thanks for your continued encouragement, prayers and love.

Anita

Reality

You know, reality can bite us in the butt. And it can be hard to swallow. Hope is always much better. But there are times when you have to face reality. This week, reality has unfortunately smacked me in the face.

My daughter, who is a great athlete and whose identity is wrapped up in being an athlete, didn't make the volleyball team at her school. This totally blows me away because she has played for 4 years. But God has a plan for her that is bigger than this team. As much as I know that, it still breaks my heart to see her not make the team.

The other reality is that my mom is not well and my dad doesn't want to see that. It must be very difficult to take care of someone for so long and see them declining.

Hospice is in place and stopping by the house twice a week. The chaplain visited with them Monday and the bereavement coordinator will visit with them soon. She went to the wound care nurse on Thursday to try to get the place on her scalp where the surgery was performed on 7/9/08 to heal. Please pray as transitions take place.

Love,

Anita