It is Well with My Soul

SEPTEMBER 11, 2011

2011-09-12T01:03:00.000+08:00

Three years ago today, as Gary was resting in the hotel room after having a biopsy performed on the nerve in his brachial plexus, we received the phone call that Gary had a rare cancer of the nerves called Neurolymphomatosis.

Upon arriving at Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, Gary was in severe pain, had lost the use of his left arm and hand, could not open his left eyelid, was seeing double due to his left eye wandering to the left, and was beginning to have pain in his right leg as well.

At that time, we had no idea what the future would hold for Gary. It is hard to believe that three years has past since that phone call. Now, 2 years post stem cell transplant, he is free of active cancer.

AUGUST 3, 2011

2011-08-03T12:12:00.007+08:00

Gary had his follow-up visit with the eye specialist this week concerning his Neurotrophic keratitis (NV). Gary thought he was able to see better with the eye chart and the doctor confirmed there was a slight improvement. His cornea is still rough ... no improvement there.

The doctor tested both eyes to measure tear production using Schirmer's test. He first placed a topical anesthetic into the eyes to prevent tearing due to the irritation of the paper strips. (Although, Gary can not feel anything touching his right eye.) The use of the anesthetic ensures that only basal tear secretion is being measured. The strips were placed in both eyes and Gary was instructed keep them closed for 5 minutes, like this...

Well, not exactly like this, but you get the idea. The paper strips were then removed and the amount of moisture was measured. A normal measurement for Gary's age would at 10mm. Gary's right eye was just over a 2, which confirms the severity of the NV. The doctor was surprised to see Gary's left eye was slightly under the normal level as well. He said this could be due to the medications Gary is on, so will wait till next month to see if it improves.

For the next month, Gary will continue what he has been doing, using the Cellufresh preservative free drops, this time in both eyes, every 2 hours and Lipolin gel in his right eye at bedtime. In addition, Gary will start using Restasis, a topical cyclosporine, in both eyes every 12 hours.

The Restasis stings for a few minutes but that should go away in a week, however, it is also making him nauseous and whether it is because of the drops, or the NV itself, his eyes are painful today. Appreciate your prayers for him.

JULY 14, 2011

2011-07-12T10:10:00.003+08:00

Yesterday, we visited the eye specialist we were referred to. He basically confirmed the diagnosis of Neurotrophic Keratitis. Gary's cornea is rough, but the outer layer is still intact. He is producing a small amount of tears so we have a few options on how to approach the treatment. We opted to go a middle-of-the-road so to speak treatment for two weeks and see how he responds. If at any time, his eyes give him severe pain, as they did two weeks ago, we are to go into to the doctor right away.

Gary will continue with the hourly eye drops, but was switched to a preservative free kind. He will use a steroid drop 3 times a day for 7 days. The doctor also recommended Gary taking Omega-3 capsules 3 times a day, as they have seen it work for inflammation.

Because the trigeminal nerve was damaged, we are limited on some options to stop the progression of this, but the doctor assured there were many other things that they can do, if his eye gets worse. The danger right now, is Gary is at high risk for infection of the cornea. We will have to watch out for signs of that.

The blessing is that it is only his right eye and his left eye is 20/20, but he feels frustrated to still be battling health issues caused by the cancer. We appreciate your prayers for him.

We also ask you to pray especially for our son-in-law, Andy Wileman. The last-ditch treatment option is not working. At this time, they are not sure what or if there is anything more they can do. They will contact their doctor at MD Anderson this week and go from there. You can read more about it on Andy's blog. Appreciate your prayers for our daughter, Becky and the kids as well.

JULY 1, 2011

2011-07-01T08:28:00.005+08:00

September 2010, I posted about Gary having a problem with his right eye. We were concerned he was losing his sight. The conclusion of the test were, due to the damage the lymphoma did to the trigeminal nerve, he probably was not tearing as often as he needed to be and therefore, the doctor prescribed eye drops.

Off and on since then, there have been days that Gary's eyes were so painful he could not stand to keep them open. This week, was a bad week. He spent a good portion of it in bed with an eye mask on, being in so much pain, he lost his appetite.

Wednesday evening, I contacted our eye doctor, Manolito Reyes, to see if I should take Gary to ER or wait to see him in the morning. He was out of the country and referred us to another doctor, so we made the decision to wait until morning.

On a side note ... I had asked you to pray for Dr. Reyes, as he had been diagnosed with stomach cancer last September. I am happy to say, after going through treatment, he is cancer free at this time. I know he appreciates your prayers for him!

Yesterday, we saw Dr. Ronquilla. He confirmed that Gary is seeing 30% less in his right eye since September 2010. He also gave a name to what is going on with him. Neurotrophic keratitis. You can go HERE for a more detailed explanation.

Basically, the damage the cancer did to Gary's trigeminal nerves on the the right side of his face are affecting that eye. The trigeminal nerve is what supplies the lubricant necessary for the cornea. Because this is not happening, all the pollutants, irritants and bacteria are not being "washed" away from Gary's cornea, therefore causing damage.

We are being referred to a specialist for this and will know more of what we can do to slow down the progression at that time, but for now, I would like to ask you to pray for Gary. He not only preaches every week, but has several classes in Baptist College of Leadership, and this coming week he will be teaching every day at the Missionary Training School for Asian Baptist Clearinghouse. His left eye is fine, but will also hurt some days ... probably due to compensating for the right eye not seeing properly.

And while you are praying for Gary, please remember our son-in-law, Andy Wileman and our son, Brian in your prayers.

Andy (see his blog HERE) is still battling stage 4 Melanoma, and Brian is serving in Afghanistan. Appreciate your prayers not only for healing for Andy and a safe return for Brian, but also for our daughter Rebecca as she cares for Andy while working a full time job, our daughter-in-law, Kristina, as she waits for her husband to return, and for me as I care for Gary and take as much work load from him as I can.

MARCH 13, 2011

2011-03-13T23:16:00.012+08:00

This week, Gary celebrated another birthday! This makes 2 post stem cell transplant birthdays! We are so thankful that God has given him another year to serve here in the Philippines. On his birthday, we had a few missionary friends over for a wonderful evening of fellowship and laughter. Gary spent that morning playing golf and was excited that he has broke 100 for the 2nd time since his cancer.

This Sunday, at Bethel Baptist Church, Quezon City, the members surprised Gary with a birthday celebration.

They presented him with a cake .....

Cards and gifts from the church members .....A hand drawn portrait by Pablo Barros .....Special number from the ladies .....Recited Scripture from Dolly Daquioag .....Special song composed and written just for Gary by Jamie Barros .....A "Shout Out" from the men ..... Special rendition of "Happy Birthday" by the Barros' brothers .....And along with a video of our Bible Club Children and members singing and greeting Gary, they put together a video, complete with greetings from our children and grandchildren in the States. I cannot get it to upload on this post, so go HERE to see it. They featured two of our precious babies at Bethel.

I would like to thank our children, grandchildren, family and friends and especially our Bethel Family for making this a week one for Gary to remember and cherish for years to come.

NOVEMBER 29, 2010

2010-11-30T09:26:00.004+08:00

Thanksgiving is past, but in our house, we are still giving thanks to God for His blessings on our life.

A little over a week ago, I had to accompany our one and only granddaughter to the dermatologist to have a mole removed and sent away for testing. Having Gary go through his journey with cancer and at present, dealing with our son-in-law, Andy with 4th stage Melanoma, this was a very disconcerting event in our lives.

I held onto the promise that God would not give me anything I could not handle, and made sure I told Him that I would NOT be able to handle Brianna having cancer too. Today, we received word that her test was negative and I do not have to say how relieved we all were!

This evening, I was thinking about all that has gone on in our life in the past 3 years.

Thanksgiving 2008, Gary had spent several months receiving treatment for his cancer and was supposed to start the process for his stem cell transplant after the holiday. His father had prayed a very special prayer that day, thanking God for bringing Gary through his journey with cancer. We did not know at the time, we would have some rough times ahead. That weekend the tumor in his brain manifested itself, causing him excruciating pain. I remembered praying to God, that if he was not going to survive the cancer, to go ahead and take him now and spare him the suffering. He would suffer for another 6 weeks until he had the GAMMA procedure.

Thanksgiving 2009, we were busy with preparations to return to the Philippines the first week of December. After spending an unplanned 2 years in the States, we were excited and anxious to return to the land and people we love. It was a very special time for us as a family. There were many times that year, we did not expect Gary to live, and to have him alive and free of cancer was a wonderful blessing for our family.

Thanksgiving 2010 ... Gary, Sandra and I are once again in the States, helping care for our grandchildren while our daughter and son-in-law travel to Houston for his treatments. Andy was present for Thanksgiving, just having arrived the night before from Houston. He is far from being finished with his journey and continues to need your prayers. You can go HERE for updates. So ... can I still "Give Thanks" when we are still dealing with CANCER? Yes, I can.

Giving thanks to God is not an optional thing for a believer. Thankfulness should flow naturally from the Christian who realizes the great gift of salvation offered through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross. Jesus Christ suffered the penalty for what He did not deserve (all my sin), then freely offered to me the reward (eternal life) that I did not deserve. What an awesome God!

"Shout joyfully to the LORD, all the earth. Serve the LORD with gladness; Come before Him with joyful singing. Know that the LORD Himself is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves. We are His people and the sheep of His pasture. Enter His gates with thanksgiving, And His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him; bless His name. For the LORD is good; His lovingkindness is everlasting, And His faithfulness to all generations." --Psalm 100

SEPTEMBER 16, 2010

2010-09-16T17:08:00.006+08:00

I am sure that as time goes by, and Gary continues to have good reports, I will relax about whether or not his cancer is back. For now, everything is still so fresh and I tend to look at every ache and pain he has, as something more than just the usual ache and pain. This week, we had a little scare.

Gary's right eye bothers him all the time. It tears up and at times, is painful. Wednesday, Gary went to see our eye doctor because he felt like he was not seeing well. We were shocked to find out that Gary has not been seeing from his right eye at all. His left must have been compensating for it. Everything on the eye chart was blurry for him, even after lenses were applied. That was disconcerting to say the least. Upon some further testing, Dr. Reyes told Gary that he saw something with his optic nerve and would like him to do some more test.

So, today we traveled to a different hospital for Dr. Reyes to conduct those test. I never did get all the names of the test he was doing. After he reviewed the results, Dr. Reyes brought us into the room and with a very relieved smile explained that there was indeed a slight swelling of the optic nerve in the right eye, but it was still in the normal range. As a swelling could have indicated Gary's brain tumor had returned, this was a big relief! The doctor said Gary will see him in 2 weeks after using a different kind of eye drops to see if the blurriness was caused by the drops Gary was using.

Dr. Reyes was relieved and rejoicing with us. As we were leaving the room, Gary commented, "You were concerned yesterday...", at which Dr. Reyes asked us to go to a private room and proceeded to tell us that part of his demeanor yesterday, was not all to do with Gary, but that he had just found out that he had stage 2, possibly 3 stomach cancer.

My heart just sank. After talking more about what his options are, we then spent time in prayer for him and his family. And now, I am asking you to pray for him as well. We have known Manolito Reyes for 10 years now and he is a fine man and faithful member of Sumulong Baptist Church, lead by our friend and fellow missionary, Lance Gotcher. Pray for him to know what and where he should receive treatment and for his doctors to have wisdom how best to treat him.

Before Gary went for the test today, he taught his class in our Novaliches campus. I went with him as we would be going from there to the hospital. As I sat listening to him teach, I was struck by the thought, "Why God, would you bring the cancer back now." In my opinion, Gary is such a wonderful teacher and loves being involved in training Filipinos to do ministry. After we received the good report today, my thought was, "Why God, would you give us a scare like this?" and then after hearing the news of Dr. Reyes, my immediate thought was, "Hmmmm, maybe all this was not about us."

Maybe it was about Gary choosing THIS week to see the doctor. The very DAY that Dr. Reyes had received devastating news. When I look back on Gary's journey with cancer, I KNOW God orchestrated events and people to come into our life when we needed it, so maybe, that's what all this was about.

I know you are continuing to pray for Gary and words can't describe my gratitude. I know you will pray for Manolito as well. I am sure he would say, "Maraming, Maraming Salamat po sa lahat!"

SEPTEMBER 11, 2010

2010-09-11T16:19:00.003+08:00

SEPTEMBER 11 ... to most Americans, this will forever be remember as the day over 3000 people perished in a terrorist attack in 2001. To Gary and I, we have another memory connected with this date. September 11, 2008, we were in a hotel room in Rochester, MN., awaiting a phone call. The news came that Gary had a rare cancer of the nerves. Neurolymphomatosis.

After 3 years of being unwell and a year of his body rapidly deteriorating, we finally had a diagnosis. We were stunned! Through all the test and doctors leading up to us going to Mayo Clinic, he had been repeatedly told, he had no cancer cells in his body. I guess that was true to a certain extent, since it was in his nerves and not in a place most doctors would see.

When I think back to how Gary was on this day 2 years ago, I am amazed that not only is he alive and back in the Philippines doing what he loves to do, but how much his body has recovered from the damage the cancer had on his nerves.

Two years ago:

* Gary had lost the use of his left arm and hand. The muscles had atrophied and his arm was just skin and bones. His hand was in constant pain. He could not dress himself or do the simplest of task.

* His left eye would wander and cause him to see double. His eyelid would not stay open, so he had reached a point where it was hard to read and had to wear a patch so his eye would not be constantly straining to do a task it could not do.

* And, his right leg was giving him pain. Enough to wake him up 3-4 times a night. He started to limp when he walked.

Today:

*Gary has the use of his arm back and his hand has made significant improvements. Although still weak, he rarely needs help to dress or do things things.

* His left eye is normal.

* His right leg is normal.

* He still battles severe pain in his left hand and will probably do so for the rest of his life. He relies on heavy narcotics to bring the pain down from a level 10 (unbearable) to a level 3. It never goes away completely.

* The right side of his face is still numb from the damage the cancer did to it and his right eye still gives him pain, but all in all, he is so much better than he was even 6 months ago!

He is able to do most of what he wants to do, he just has to pace himself and rest when he needs to. He preaches every Sunday and teaches in our Bible college two days a week. Yesterday, he went golfing with us Dad. He had to ride in a cart instead of walk, but was able to finish the 18 holes and felt good afterward.

I mention all of this as a testament to the healing power of God and the answer to the faithful prayers that were lifted up for Gary daily. We never took it for granted and were and still are, so very grateful!

ANDY WILEMAN

2010-08-31T08:57:00.006+08:00

September 24, 2009, our son-in-law, Andy Wileman was diagnosed with Clark level 4 melanoma. He had surgery to cut out the cancer in his right forearm and lymph nodes removed. Doctors declared him to be free from any active cancer and we rejoiced.

For the past year, Andy has been checked every 3 months, and continued to be free of active cancer. Until now. This past week, Andy had a PET scan done to confirm what the doctor suspected. The cancer has returned in his lymph nodes. The good news is, as far as they can tell, it has not spread to other areas of his body.

Andy needs your prayers! He will see a surgeon this week to remove all lymph nodes and then possibly consult further with doctors at MD Anderson for further treatment options. Andy is a policeman for city of Collinsville. He will have to take off work for the surgery and possible treatment, which will be a burden on them financially as well.

As a wife of a surviving cancer patient, I also want you to include our daughter Rebecca in your prayers. Many times, we focus on the person who is ill, and rightly so, but the caregivers need the prayer too! Rebecca is a communications officer for Owasso Police, which is stressful in itself. Now, she is dealing with a husband whose cancer has returned. This week, she developed singles as a result of all the stress. She told me, she thought she was handling it okay, but her body must not have been. *smile*.

Our grandchildren need your prayer as well. Andy may be their step-father, but they are very close to him. They feel the uncertainty that the word CANCER brings into their life and they know what it can do.

Gary and I know what the prayers of many did for us during his journey with cancer and we are so grateful to know you all will lift Andy, Rebecca and the kids up in your prayers as well. We thank you in advance!

NEW DIRECTION

2010-05-25T20:35:00.003+08:00

In many ways, Gary is starting a new chapter in his life. He continues to recover from his cancer treatments and we praise God that he has no active cancer in him at this time. Instead of doing away with this blog, we decided to take it in another direction.We will now use it as a way for Gary to share insights and devotions with our church family and Bible College students here in the Philippines. We will still post about Gary's health, but thankfully, those post will be few and far between. You are welcome to still check in and we hope you do. We can't say enough how much we appreciate all the prayers and encouragement through the last two years! We have made life-long friends with many of you and hope you continue to stay connected!

MAY 17, 2010

2010-05-17T08:46:00.003+08:00

Gary with our Executive Pastor, Jun Mostrales, discussing new ministry opportunity

This time of year is very hot in the Philippines and it seems to bother Gary more. Since arriving back in the Philippines, after a month in the States, Gary has had a hard time. He "hit the road running" and that may have something to do with it. He still tires very easy and his right eye gives him trouble. We have come to realize that recovery just doesn't happen overnight. It may take a long time ... and .... he may never fully recover. He battles pain constantly and recently, has had days of severe nausea. Please pray for him that he can accomplish what he wants to do and his strength levels will return.

APRIL 22, 2010

2010-04-23T09:19:00.003+08:00

We finished Gary's test and he saw his doctor today. I did a post, but accidently published it to our ministry blog. Instead of redoing everything, I will just direct you to go to PHILLIPS to the PHILIPPINES to read the results of Gary's one year checkup. We will head back to Oklahoma tomorrow to spend a week with family, then return to the Philippines on May 7. Thank you for your prayers!

APRIL 5, 2010

2010-04-06T07:20:00.004+08:00

On April 1st, we returned to the States. Gary will have an appointment on the 21st of this month at Mayo Clinic for his 1 yr. checkup. He continues to improve daily. At times, he starts to do something and it dawns on us that he is using his hand in a way that he has not done before. The Sunday before we left, we celebrated Family Day at Bethel Baptist Church. Gary preached, had a baby dedication and baptized! After the baptism, it hit me that he was using his left hand! He would not have been able to do that 6 months ago. Little things like that give us hope that he will get the use of this hand back completely.

Gary is still on heavy narcotics for the nerve pain in his hand and has no feeling on the right side of his face, except for occasional nerve pain. All in all, he has come a long way and we are so thankful!

MARCH 26, 2010

2010-03-26T13:15:00.003+08:00

ChinChin Palis with Pastor Gary

We are 6 days away from flying back to the States. The purpose will be for Gary to see his doctor at Mayo Clinic for his 1 year post Stem Cell Transplant. Hard for us to believe it has been a year! Today, Gary visited a pain management clinic. He is still in need of heavy pain meds and they are not available at just any pharmacy. This clinic is open 24 hours, so that is comforting to know they will be accessible any time he would need help. They were very thorough in their assessment of him, so we are confident they will be able to handle his needs. Gary continues to improve with the use of his left hand and arm. This past week, he was able to swim across a pool and tie his own tie. Little things, but major accomplishments for him. We will appreciate your prayers as we travel on April 1st. As anyone who has made this trip knows, it is a very hard one and will be especially hard on Gary.

MARCH 14

2010-03-14T18:27:00.004+08:00

Gary celebrated his 51st birthday this week! It was quite a celebration for our family, as last year at this time, we were not sure he would live another month, let alone a whole year! To be back in the Philippines doing ministry again has been a wonderful blessing for us. This Sunday, Bethel Baptist Church, Quezon City honored Gary for his birthday. The day was filled with birthday greetings and gifts.

The young people put together a sweet video presentation of Birthday greetings for Gary. Many of the children greeting him are from our street kids ministry. What a way to show their love for him! I have tried my best to load it here, but it is just too large a file for my slow Internet! Maybe when we go to the States in a few weeks, I can add it. I surprised Gary with my own presentation. You can see it HERE. Notice the children laughing behind Gary. I think it was the picture below that caused it. *smile* This was a great week for Gary, just being thankful to have lived another year. We have so much to be thankful for! Appreciate all your prayers through the past two years! We will be travelling to the States April 1st. Gary will see his oncologist at Mayo Clinic later in the month for his one year check up.

FEBRUARY 14, 2010

2010-02-14T23:00:00.004+08:00

Gary is absolutely having the time of his life being back in ministry. (Pictured here with Pastor Jun Mostrales) This time last year, Gary was getting ready to go back into the hospital for another cycle of Methotrexate. He was still experiencing headaches from the brain tumor which was a concern for us. At this time, there were still some doubts as to Gary living much longer, let alone, ever being able to return to the Philippines. Last week, Gary had a PET/CT scan done and from the initial report, it looks like he is still cancer free. His blood work up was all normal as well. He will still need to see his oncologist here this week and his doctor at Mayo Clinic will look further at the scans, but initially, it all looks good! Today, he is feeling poorly. We do not know if it is just a matter of him being worn out from a long weekend, or if he is coming down with something. Appreciate your prayers! I am so thankful, we have friends and loved ones praying for Gary and our family. We would love to be able to continue doing ministry here in the Philippines.

JANUARY 29

2010-01-29T17:08:00.004+08:00

For those of you who do not know, we have a Shih Tzu, named Charlie. Charlie was given to me from Gary for my birthday 5 years ago. He follows me around the house and is sad when I am gone. He has been such a joy to our family, that we have talked about getting another one. Gary said that he wanted the next one to be HIS dog, but he said he didn't want to get one until we were confident that the cancer would not return. Today, I found a precious little girl and brought her home to Gary. Gary named her HOPE because to him, she represents just that. This week, we found an oncologist here in Manila, who will do the necessary scans. She told Gary that he is a miracle! She said that as she was reading the update I sent when making the appointment, she was saying to herself, "How am I equipped to handle this case.... he is a dead man" Then when she read that he was cancer free at this time, she rejoiced and was amazed. The blood test she did this week have all come back normal! Please join us in praying that the PET/CT scans will do the same.

DECEMBER 28

2009-12-28T21:48:00.004+08:00

One year ago today, Gary was going through, and had been going through weeks of excruciating pain. We did not have much hope that he would live long enough to celebrate my birthday a month away. (See DECEMBER 28, 2008) Today, Gary is free of cancer, and he was able to play golf with his father, Robert Phillips and long time friend and fellow missionary Herb Hayes, on a newly built course overlooking the South China Sea. Gary's father, told us the other night that all through Gary's journey with cancer, he had one picture in his mind .... Gary being able to golf once again with him. Today was a very special day for the two of them and we just thank the Lord that He has brought Gary this far. How wonderful to be able to enjoy God's beautiful creation, have great fellowship with fellow missionaries, and make special memories with his father.

Gary's stamina is still not back to normal, but each day we see an improvement. He was able to drive the ball and play better than he had in October when he first tried. Thank you for your prayers!

DECEMBER 21

2009-12-21T08:41:00.003+08:00

Just an update on Gary's health. He still tires easy and does not have his stamina and strength back, but every day we see an improvement. He is going to try to golf 9 holes tomorrow using a cart. Hopefully, he will be able to gain strength each day.

We did get the final report of the last PET/CT scan and it was clear of cancer. We rejoice in that! Gary has struggled with his right eye, tearing alot and at times painful, so he went to an eye doctor last week.... mainly because his reading glasses were not working for him. *smile* We have used Dr. Reyes many times and he is a member of fellow missionary Lance Gotcher's church. He was well aware of what Gary has gone through these past two years. He ran the usual test and was concerned that the right eye appeared to have a little cloudiness in it, indicating cataract. He put Gary on another machine to test his eye and we had to wait for the results.

After the test were back in, Dr. Reyes called us back in his office and explained that he put Gary on the test because he was concerned that the damage to the nerves on Gary's face and/or the brain tumor, might have done some permanent damage to Gary's eye, causing him to lose his sight. He had tears in his eyes as he explained how relieved he was to see that the damage was very minimal.

There is some loss of Gary's peripheral vision, but considering all that he went through, it is nothing to be alarmed about. He put Gary on drops because his eye is very dry, and prednisone drops for a month. We will then go back and see if there has been any improvement. Gary has already noticed that his eye does not hurt or tear up as much as before, so we feel the drops are helping.

On another note... Before having the stem cell transplant.... in fact most of Gary's life.... he has had terrible cracked heels. He could never walk around barefoot or wear sandals. Since the transplant, his heels are as smooth as a babies! Just one of those funny, unexplained things that happens with cancer.

This past Sunday, we were able to reunite with our church we turned over just before going to the States. Faith Baptist. You can go to http://www.phillips2pi.blogspot.com/ to read about it. Thank you for your prayers!

BACK TO THE PHILIPPINES!

2009-12-08T08:37:00.008+08:00

We made it back to the Philippines on Dec. 2. Gary's MRI came back clear. We are still waiting on word of the PETscan , but the doctor acted like he expected that to be clear as well. Words just can't express our joy to be home at last. God has been so good to us! So many times, I thought I would be making this journey without Gary. I am so thankful he is by my side!Our people at Bethel Baptist Church, Quezon City, gave us such a warm welcome. They surprised us by acting as if they really did not know us ... greeting us very unemotionally. After the worship service, Pastor Jun announced, "Let's welcome Pastor Gary and family!" Then BOOM BOOM, confetti was flying and they all swarmed us, hugging, kissing and crying for joy. What a reunion! Many talked how Gary is a living testimony of what God can do. So many thankful hearts, lifting their praise to God for allowing Gary to return.

The choir sang, "It is Well with My Soul", and they had a short video of a little golf ball, who was a long way from home and went through rough times but finally made his way back. It was a great picture of what Gary's journey has been like. I am having trouble with slow Internet loading it, so will try later.

We are anxious to get back to the work God has called us to do. Please pray that Gary will recover his strength and stamina and be able to accomplish all that he feels God is leading him to do. Thank you for your prayers!

NOVEMBER 3

2009-11-03T23:14:00.004+08:00

Just wanted to give a few updates on what is going on in Gary's life and others that I have asked you to pray for. Get ready .... it's a long one! *smile*

Gary and I spent the majority of October in the State of Ohio. We were visiting several churches that support our ministry in the Philippines. This was exhilarating and exhausting at the same time. Gary had the opportunity to preach many times and although it was tiring, he enjoyed it tremendously. He still has a long way to go, to get back the same level of energy and strength he possessed before getting sick.

His hand continues to improve with physical therapy. I have noticed small changes that has brought back a certain level of independence for him. In a few weeks, Gary will be getting a checkup. They will be doing all the scans and MRI to see if he is still free of cancer. We appreciate your prayers concerning this.

We have booked our flight back to the Philippines and will be leaving December 1st. Please continue to pray for Gary's health to improve. He is anxious to return to what God has called him to do.

In my last post, I asked you to pray for our son-in-law, Andy. He was diagnosed with Clark level 4 melanoma that was large, ulcerated, and vascular. (meaning into the veins.) After surgery to remove more tissue in his arm, remove a lymph node and PET scan, the doctors say there is NO active cancer elsewhere in his body.

We praise the Lord for this good news, but also know that Andy's journey with cancer is far from over. This kind of cancer is very aggressive and has a high return rate... 85%. It is something that he will need to keep an eye on for the rest of his life. Please pray for Andy, for our daughter Becky and three kids as they take this journey with Andy. If you would like to read more about Andy, go here Andy Wileman

A few post ago, I mentioned Zach Smith and how miraculously, his cancer was gone. The cancer is back now, in a different spot. My heart just aches for Zach and his family, knowing what emotions they must be feeling at this time. Please pray for Zach. This week he starts a new chemo program. Here is Zach's writing about this new development. Zach Smith

And last, an update on myself. I did have surgery on my rotator cuff. They sewed one tendon back together, moved another back to it's rightful place and cleaned out all the areas that "old age" had creeped in. *smile*

I am one and a half weeks post-surgery, no longer needing prescriptive pain killers. I will have to keep my arm in a sling and sit in a rehab chair that raises my arm for me 6 hours a day for four weeks. I can not use my arm whatsoever, which makes it hard to do most things ..... like typing one handed at this moment.

I have learned that I am much better at being the caregiver than the patient. I told Gary the other night that God really didn't need to bring this into my life as a lesson for me. I understood full well the difficulty and frustration that he has felt these past two years not having the use of his arm and hand. The truth is.... I did need a lesson....

I admit I have felt sorry for myself. I have voiced daily my concerns of not being able to fix my hair. Of how hard the seat of the rehab chair is, and how uncomfortable I am trying to sleep at night with this crazy sling on.

Shame on me. My difficulties do not come anywhere close to what Gary has gone through or what Andy and Zach are going through now. Most of all, they don't compare to what Jesus went through to pardon my sin and the sin of the world.

"Lord, help me daily to count my blessings and give You honor and glory each day!"

SEPTEMBER 26

2009-09-27T00:35:00.000+08:00

I have several request for you today....

1. Please pray for Gary. He has not been feeling well this week and has had to cancel the three physical therapy sessions. His eyes are painful and the right one continually tears. He is just experiencing extreme fatigue and a general feeling of malaise.

2. We also need to you pray for our son-in-law, Andy Wileman. This week, he received the news that he has melonama. They will be doing further testing to find out the extent of the cancer. As you can imagine, this is hard on our daughter Becky and her kids, after going through it with Gary. Andy is a policeman for Collinsville, OK. We are praying that this has been caught early before it has spread to lymph nodes or organs.

3. And last, for me. I will be seeing a specialist on Tuesday and will need to have surgery on my rotator cuff. I am having a hard time dealing with the thought that I will be unable to help Gary for a time period. There is never a good time for surgery, but with Gary feeling so bad this week, I really am dreading it.

I appreciate your prayers! It is so wonderful to be connected to believers all over the world that know the importance of prayer! What a comfort.

ANSWERED PRAYER

2009-09-16T04:42:00.002+08:00

God answers prayer. Sometimes it is not the way we may expect or want, but He does answer according to His purpose and will for our lives.

A month ago, I asked you to pray for Zac Smith (see in archives). He had been diagnosed with stage four cancer and had been undergoing chemo treatments. To most of us and even medical doctors, his prognosis did not look good.

Today, halfway through his proposed treatment plan, Zac heard the news that he is FREE of cancer! His doctor said he had never seen anyone react to the treatments like this. All because of the thousands who lifted Zac up in prayer! You can read here Zac's own words on his wonderful news.

I can rejoice with Zac, his wife, parents and sister so much more, understanding what those few words meant to us when we heard them such a short time ago. Thank you for praying for Zac and thank you for continuing to pray for Gary.

SEPTEMBER 13

2009-09-14T11:21:00.004+08:00

This weekend marks the one year anniversary since Gary received his diagnosis of cancer. As many of you know, Gary had been ill for a long time before doctors had figured what was causing his pain and paralysis.

Today, at our sending church, Lifepoint Baptist in San Angelo, TX, Gary was able to preach for the first time since April 08. This was a very momentous and emotional day for Gary. He loves preaching and has missed doing it this past year and a half.

He told me this weekend that he was nervous about preaching because he was not sure if he would be able to. Partially because it had been so long since he had been behind the pulpit, but also because the paralysis that he still has on the side of his face sometimes affects his speech.

I told him that Lifepoint was the perfect place to do this for the first time, because the members would be listening to him with ears of love. It would not matter to them if he preached the same as he had done in the past.

Gary was very emotional after the services today. Being a preacher has been his life and he loves it more than anything. He told me he was just so happy to be back at it. If you would like to hear his message today, you can go here , click on video for the September 13th service.

God has been so good to us to give Gary the opportunity to continue serving Him. We appreciate your prayers! We know he would not have been here today without them!

NATHANIEL IS HOME!

2009-09-03T11:57:00.002+08:00

Thank you so much for your prayers! Nathaniel came home from the hospital today! I was pretty emotional tonight, thinking how just a few months ago, we did not know if Gary would be able to see Brian's son come into the world, and now Gary was able to spend the day holding and talking to this precious blessing! God has truly blessed us!

NATHANIEL

2009-08-27T09:55:00.004+08:00

Thank you for your prayers for Nathaniel. This morning, he was taken off the breathing machines! The doctor said it was a "MAJOR milestone". He is not out of the woods yet, but we are very relieved to see him doing so much better.

NATHANIEL JEAN PHILLIPS

2009-08-24T11:09:00.003+08:00

On Wednesday of this week, we received a call from our son that they were going to hospitalize our daughter-in-law, Kristina because her blood pressure was high and she was having headaches. She was experiencing preeclampsia and if she got worse, they would induce labor. Since we had 6 more weeks before our grandson's due date, we made plans to drive to Georgia Thursday. Even though the 14 hours trip was very hard on Gary, we were so glad we came when we did. Early Friday morning, they did an emergency C-section and Nathaniel came into the world weighing in at 4.7 lbs. He lungs are immature and so has had trouble breathing. Today, they had to insert a chest and put him on a breathing machine. Please pray for this precious little guy! Pray for Kristina and Brian as well. Kristina is recovery well from her surgery and will probably be released from the hospital tomorrow. It will be very hard on her to leave her baby in the hospital.

AUGUST 17

2009-08-18T07:28:00.003+08:00

Today was another milestone for Gary. We went to the driving range to see if he would be able to grip a golf club enough to hit the balls. HE COULD! He still has a long way to go as far as getting his strength and stamina back, but it was wonderful to know that he will be able to play golf again! I told him that now he doesn't have to just drive the cart for me. *smile* This may seem like a small thing, but you golfers out there know how it would feel to not be able to play again. This is such an encouragement to Gary. We appreciate all the continued prayer for him.

ZACHARY SMITH

2009-08-11T09:00:00.004+08:00

In the past year, you all have proved that you are great prayer warriors! I would like to introduce you to Zachary Smith.Zac grew up in Ecuador with his missionary parents, Jim and Sharon Smith. This past year, at age 32, Zac was diagnosed with colorectal cancer, which has metastasized to his liver and spleen. He is married and the father of 3 young children. He is in need of prayer.

I do not know Zac personally, but have a connection because of being fellow missionaries with his parents and having his grandfather, Carl Boonstra, as our missions director for a time. I told Zac, we have friends all over the world that prayed for Gary and would pray for him!

The church Zac attends recently did some videos with their youth department, and asked Zac to do one. The message that Zac shares is not just for young people, but for all of us. You can also go to his website www.zacsmith.com Please take the time to watch and remember to pray for him! Thanks!

Letter to Zac from NewSpring Production on Vimeo.

PHILLIPS to the PHILIPPINES

2009-08-10T10:00:00.003+08:00

We have made the decision to change our website to a blog format. It has the same name as our website, except "blogspot" is inserted before .com. Those of you familiar with our website will need to remember this.

I will be posting about past ministry opportunities until we are able to return to the Philippines in December. We hope that doing this format, we will generate more "hits", so sign up to be a "follower" and you will be notified each time a new post is published.

Check us out!

www.phillips2pi.blogspot.com

BACNOTAN, LA UNION, PHILIPPINES

2009-08-03T09:55:00.003+08:00

Bible Baptist Church

Pastor Delfen

Bacnotan, La Union

Philippines

SAN FERNANDO, LA UNION, PHILIPPINES

2009-08-03T09:50:00.003+08:00

Bible Baptist Church

Missionary/Pastor Robert Phillips

San Fernando, La Union

Philippines

JULY 30

2009-07-31T10:31:00.002+08:00

For the last 3 months, Gary has been attending physical therapy with the hope that he can get the use of his hand back. Although he still can not grip very well, we have seen an improvement. One of the things I have noticed is his fingernails are healthy again. For a time, the nail bed was blue from lack of oxygen and his nails were very brittle and started growing in a strange shape. At least all the activity is restoring circulation in his hand and making his arm and shoulder stronger.

His physical therapist asked him to let them know what his results were from his checkup, so we had called them on Tuesday to let them know the good news. Today, when Gary arrived for his session, they all burst into applause and gave him a card congratulating him. *smile*

I have put together a little video to show the different exercises that Gary has to do three times a week. Most of them are designed to make his thumb start working and give flexibility to his hand. They have him play in the popcorn to "wake up" the nerves in his fingertip. Then they have him play in a fake snow like substance as a way of soothing those nerves that have been stimulated. Gary still needs your prayers for his recovery.

JULY 28

2009-07-29T09:55:00.003+08:00

NO CANCER!!!!

Today we saw Dr. Johnston and he related the great news that all the scans and MRI revealed NO cancer in Gary's body! It was very hard to control my emotions ... the relief was so great! Although this does not mean he can be declared cancer free, it at least is very encouraging that he has a chance to beat this.

The doctor said that due to the rarity of where the Lymphoma showed up in Gary's body, he wants Gary to have all the scans done every 3 months. We do not have to go to Mayo Clinic to do this, but he definitely wanted to see Gary again on the one year anniversary of his transplant, which would be April, for the next 5 years. If Gary continued to show no cancer after the 5 years, then he would declare him to be in remission.

We asked if it was normal for Gary to still be so tired and weak and the doctor said yes, that everyone is different and some take longer to get their strength back. We then asked what he thought about us leaving for the Philippines. He said he felt it would be fine, just to get a flu shot. *smile*

So, as long as Gary continues to feel better, we will plan to return to the Philippines in December!

Thank you so much for all your prayers! Last night, I was thinking how God must be pleased with His children lifting one another up in prayer all over the world and then today, with all the comments we received after hearing the good news ... I thought how God must really be loving all the praise, honor and glory that was lifted up to Him today! *smile* How wonderful it is to be a child of God and to know that we have so many around the world praying for us. I know that even if today's news would have been bad, we would still be able to praise God.

"Thank you Lord, for your many blessings to us. Thank you for allowing Gary and I to go through this trial to learn more of your grace and love for us. Thank you for the many friends and loved ones that have prayed for us and encouraged us in the times that we needed it the most."

"Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness,
and for his wonderful works to the children of men!"
Psalm 107:8

JULY 27

2009-07-28T04:05:00.002+08:00

We are back at Mayo Clinic for Gary's 100 day checkup. In some ways, it seems like we have been away for a long time and then sitting in the waiting rooms and walking the halls, just made us feel like we have never left. Gary started the day early with labwork, then PET scan, body CT scan, MRI and chest xray. In the morning, he will do a pulmonary test, then see his doctor in the afternoon. We are anxious to see what all the scans will show or not show. Thank you so much for your prayers! It is a comfort to know that so many people around the world are praying for Gary. We know that no matter what these test show, whether good news or bad, it is all in the Lord's hands and we will deal with it with His grace.

JULY 17

2009-07-18T07:03:00.002+08:00

9 more days before we head back to Mayo Clinic for Gary's 100 day checkup. To say the least, we are anxious to see what the scans and MRI's will all show. Our hearts desire is to be making plans to return to our ministries in the Philippines. Lord willing, that is what we will be able to do after this checkup.

Gary continues to have good and bad days. He still tires easily, but each day, we see an improvement. His physical therapy is going great. We are seeing a big difference in the flexibility and strength of his hand.

Thank you for your prayers for Gary and the encouraging notes and emails we get. We appreciate it so much!

JULY 5

2009-07-06T04:21:00.003+08:00

Gary came through his bout with pneumonia okay. Had no complications and recovered well. Thankfully, we caught it early. He still tires easily. Some days, spending the majority of the day taking naps. His physical therapy is going well. The therapist have have noticed improvements as well. In a few weeks, we will head back up to Mayo Clinic for Gary's 100 day check up. I am anxious to know if the cancer is still gone. We cannot really make any plans concerning returning to the Philippines until after this checkup. We appreciate your prayers for Gary and for our family!

JUNE 27

2009-06-28T10:46:00.002+08:00

Gary was feeling much better today! Just a world of difference! The antibiotic shot they gave him must have really went to work. Thank you for your prayers. I can't tell you what it means to me, to know so many daily lift him up in prayer! Thank you!

JUNE 26

2009-06-27T03:59:00.002+08:00

Gary woke this morning with a low grade fever and chills so I took him in to see the doctor. They ran blood test which did not show any sign of infection, and a chest xray. The xray did show something on his right lung that could be the start of pneumonia. To be on the safe side, the doctor gave an antibiotic shot and then prescribed more antibiotics for a week. We will follow up with the doctor on Monday. Gary is pretty miserable and a little discouraged since he had just started feeling better before this hit. Hopefully, we were able to catch it early and he will not have any complications from it. Thank you for your prayers!

JUNE 25

2009-06-26T02:28:00.004+08:00

PRAY for Gary today. He has been experiencing a low grade fever with chills and just a general unwell feeling. I have talked with his doctor's nurse, and she says if he has the chills to take him into a doctor to have him checked. At this time, the fever has broke and he is feeling better, so will wait and see. He really doesn't want to go into the hospital, but I will take him in if it starts up again. Just keep him in prayer today. Thanks!

JUNE 22

2009-06-23T00:50:00.002+08:00

I was out of town Friday and Saturday, leaving Gary with our daughter Sandra. It has been a long time since I felt I could leave him. He is still dependent on help for even simple things like fixing himself a sandwich. When I returned late Saturday night, he told me how that he dropped his reading glasses beside his chair and instead of getting up and reaching for them with his right hand, like he would have in the past, he reached down with his left to see if he could pick them up. And he could! We are seeing a change every week with his hand and it sure is encouraging!

Tomorrow, Gary and I will celebrate our 30th wedding anniversary. It will be a special day for us. I have been thanking God for allowing Gary to live long enough to reach this special day. Looking back over the last 30 years, we have discussed the many things we have went through as a couple. We would have never foreseen all the things that God had in store for us. The things we have experienced as a couple, whether good or bad, have made us the way we are.

Recently, someone dear to me, told me they have always been envious of the relationship that Gary and I shared. As much as that is a compliment, I have to say none of us can compare ourselves to others, because we have not been on the same journey as them. The journey that Gary and I have had these 30 years, is unique to us, and made our relationship for what it is.

I am thankful that God brought us together and has been in our life. One of the blessings of Gary going through cancer, was seeing how God worked in our lives and how it brought us even closer and made us stronger. I am asking God to give us another 30+ years together!

JUNE 13

2009-06-14T09:22:00.002+08:00

This past week was a busy one with having our son Brian and his wife Kristina visiting us. We enjoyed our time with them so much and was sad to see them head back to Georgia. Gary had his three days of physical therapy and each day he says he feels stronger. Today, I had brought a snow cone home for Gary and as we were sitting on the couch enjoying them, he said, "LOOK!" There he was, holding the Styrofoam cup in his left hand! He has not been able to hold anything for over a year! Pretty exciting to think he has accomplished this with just 6 therapy sessions! Thank you so much for your continued prayers!

JUNE 10

2009-06-11T11:11:00.003+08:00

Gary is doing well with the physical therapy. He has noticed an increase in strength already and is encouraged by that. This week, our son Brian and his wife Kristina are visiting. We have enjoyed spending time with them and talking about our newest grandson due in October. I can remember back in November how I was sad to think Gary would not live to see a child of Brian's and now, here we are watching ultrasound videos and discussing names! God is good. Thank you so much for your continued prayers! We appreciate it!

SULPHUR SPRINGS, TX

2009-06-04T08:45:00.003+08:00

Sunday School class lead by Terry Weise

Central Baptist Church

Sulphur Springs, TX

JUNE 3

2009-06-04T08:30:00.002+08:00

Today, Gary had his first therapy session. He will be going three days a week. The therapist took measurements of Gary's arm and hand and then bent his fingers every which way to determine the extent of his paralysis. It was very painful for Gary to go through. None of this will be pleasant for him, but he knows he has to do it in order to get the use of his hand back. His goal is to be able to grip a golf club. *smile*

His mustache is growing back in and he has felt better in the last few days, just still very weak. Thank you so much for your continued prayers for Gary. We need to pray that the cancer stays out of his body and does not return, that he will grow stronger each day and will get the use of his hand back.

MAY 31

2009-06-01T06:06:00.002+08:00

It has been awhile since I wrote. I miss doing my daily update! *smile* Gary is still very weak and tires easily. He still has days where he has trouble with nausea. Sometimes, he thinks he will never get well ... so tired of being sick. It will just take time. One new development is he has started to grow hair again on his upper lip.

We have found a physical therapy clinic here in town and after explaining what has happened and what he needs, they say they think they can help him. He will see his doctor here in Tulsa on Tuesday in order to get a referral for insurance purposes in order to start the therapy. Please keep Gary in prayer as he continues to heal and that through physical therapy, he will be able to get the use of his hand back.

MAY 24

2009-05-25T03:37:00.002+08:00

We have made it back to Oklahoma after a long 13 hour drive. I would like to thank Gary's brother's for providing the airfare for our daughter Becky to fly up to Rochester, and Becky for her help driving the moving van back to OK. I know it was not easy on her driving that long drive. Gary and I are blessed with a great family. Parents, siblings and children have been there to help when we needed it and we appreciate it!

After packing up our apartment and getting it loaded into the U-Haul, we spent the night in a hotel before heading out in the morning. It was the same hotel we stayed in 8 months ago, when we received the diagnosis of Gary's cancer. I couldn't help but think how we felt that night ... just in total shock.

I gave thanks to God all evening for bringing Gary this far and allowing us to leave Rochester together, instead of me leaving without him. We had been told by other doctors in the Philippines and Oklahoma, that Gary had no cancer cells in his body. To hear, not only did he have cancer, but he also had something very rare, was just mind boggling. After making phone calls to our children and emails to other immediate family members and close friends, I spent that evening 8 months ago, getting this blog started.

My purpose for the blog, was to be able to write updates without having to constantly answer the same questions concerning Gary and his treatments. I also, could hardly talk about it. It was easy for me to email or write in a blog, but when I tried to talk, I would break down.

Little did I realize, how much the blog would help me. I was able to put to words the lessons that God was teaching me and later, when I would feel overwhelmed, I could read back through the encouraging comments left by friends around the world, and the scriptures that had brought me comfort.

The coming months will be filled with physical therapy and just letting Gary heal. He is very weak and it will take a long time to fully recover. Being near family will do alot to help him do just that. Words just can't express the gratefulness for your prayers for Gary! We could not have made it this far without them. Please continue to pray the cancer will not return, and Gary will be able to regain the use of his hand through physical therapy.

MAY 20

2009-05-20T21:16:00.005+08:00

Gary continues to have good and bad days. Yesterday, he was able to get out for awhile and although was tired at the end of the day, he felt good. This morning however, he started the day throwing up. So, he is back to bed hoping his stomach will settle down.

Tomorrow, is moving day, or at least loading the van day. I plan to take Gary to a hotel so he can rest while the hired movers load our things for me. My daughter Becky, is flying up tomorrow night to help me drive the van back to Oklahoma on Friday.

I can't say enough good about Mayo Clinic and the doctors! This is definitely the place to go if you have unexplained symptoms or cancer! They just have the knowledge, technology and resources that other places don't have. God used them to work a miracle in Gary's life. Stage 4 large B cell Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma of the nerves and CNS involvement! To be honest, there were many times that Gary and I did not think we would come to this day ... for him to be clean of the cancer and for us to be leaving Mayo Clinic together. My heart is full of thankfulness to God, to the doctors, nurses and staff of Mayo Clinic!

MAY 16

2009-05-17T06:02:00.002+08:00

It has been enjoyable to not have to go to the hospital every day. We are busy packing, getting ready to move back to Oklahoma on Friday. It will be good to be near family, but in some ways, I am nervous about leaving here. There is a security in living so close to the hospital and doctors.

Gary still battles the nausea from time to time. He has also battled an infection of sorts in his eyes off and on since doing the Gamma knife procedure. He has been on antibiotic drops for 5 days now and it has not gone away. It will take months for him to really start feeling better.

Something you can pray for at this time ... that we will find a good physical therapist near our place in Oklahoma, where Gary can start working on his left arm and hand. Those nerves have been so damaged from the Lymphoma, but we do know from past EMG tests, that they are still alive and there is hope they will heal. As long as his hand is unusable, he is still dependent on others to some extent. Try spreading peanut butter on bread with only one hand and you'll understand. *smile* Thank you for praying for Gary and for our family!

MAY 11

2009-05-12T07:07:00.002+08:00

IT'S OFFICIAL! Gary had his line removed today, which means no more treatments, no more blood draws and doctor visits! The next scheduled doctor visit will be the end of July for the 100 day check up. At that time, they will do a PET scan, CT scan and MRI of his brain along with blood test.

Today, Gary has been pretty sick. He threw up all morning long, even while seeing the eye doctor. The nurse said it is normal to have a few "set-back" days and that it was nothing to be alarmed about. It just shows that Gary is not over it all yet and still needs prayer. The good news is his counts are excellent. Today's blood draw showed that his white blood count was 9.9! That is better than he started with, so I would say those baby cells have engrafted well!

Several of you have asked if I will keep the blog. I plan to keep it at least until the 100 day checkup .... just may not write every day. I would still like to post pictures of you if you can get them in to me.

On another note ... sad note. Little Esther, who sent Gary the Valentine, went on to heaven Saturday. I can't imagine the pain her mother is going through losing her little girl right before Mother's Day. Esther was in severe pain leading up to her death and it is a comfort to know that she is now in heaven, sitting at Jesus' feet, free from disease and pain. Please pray for Esther's parents, Adam and Jennifer Travis. The funeral will be tomorrow and although they know Esther is in heaven, I am sure it will be a rough day for them. Little Esther was a blessing to Gary in her faith she had. Even though she was so young, she was an example of simply trusting God .... no matter what happens. It seems it is easier for children to do that than adults. *smile*

I have thought about Gary's outcome alot lately. Even though we don't have 100% assurance the cancer is gone ... it is gone at this time. So many have written comments and notes, praising God for the answer to prayer. I too have spent alot of time thanking and praising God for bringing Gary through such a rough journey ... I still find it hard to believe! BUT at the same time, I realize now, that God had been working a change in me.

If it had turned out differently, and Gary had not made it through, I would still be able to praise God and thank Him for His blessings. That just amazes me. I have often heard and often quoted to others, how God gives grace when you need it. I can say with a certainty ... that is exactly how it works! "Thank you Lord Jesus for your love to me as your child. For your constant presence. For the grace you bestowed on me when you gave your life on the cross and for the grace you have given me these past months."

LONG BEACH, CALIFORNIA

2009-05-10T12:52:00.001+08:00

Bill Renna

Long Beach, CA

Bill is a long time friend from Gary's days of working as Axillary Chaplain for Wallace Airbase in San Fernando, La Union, Philippines. We appreciate him getting in contact with us and not only praying for Gary, but helping us financially!

MAY 7

2009-05-08T08:05:00.002+08:00

Gary and I are still having a hard time believing his treatments are over! Today he went for a blood draw. Tomorrow will do it again and then on Monday he will have an appointment with the eye doctor and get his line pulled out. That will be it! We will be free of doctor visits until the last week of July!

Gary will still need to be careful and take things slow, but all in all, he is doing good. His white blood counts are rising and more importantly, his neutrophils are rising. (Neutrophils are part of your white blood cells and are the first to respond to an infection. Since neutrophils are such an important part of the immune response, a lowered neutrophil count results in a compromised immune system.)

I spent today reserving a Uhaul truck and movers to help load the truck for me. Put in address changes and cancelled Internet and cable and gave notice to the apartment manager. Now, I just need to pack up our few possessions. We plan to be out of here May 22!

Words just can't express our gratitude for all your prayers for Gary! Please continue to pray for his complete healing. He would very much like to get the use of his hand back. We will be looking into physical therapy for that. Also, the side of his face is still numb. We don't know if those nerves were damaged beyond repair or in time will heal. We will not return to the Philippines until we are sure his immune system is where it should be, but our desire would be to return in December. Thank you for your prayers!

MAY 7
HEMOGLOBIN - 12.6
WHITE BLOOD COUNT - 5.1
PLATELETS - 268

SALINA, KS

2009-05-07T12:47:00.001+08:00

Ray Ave. Baptist Church

Pastor John Day

Salina, KS

QUEZON CITY, METRO MANILA PHILIPPINES

2009-05-07T12:07:00.006+08:00

Our ministry in Quezon City, MM is having their Daily Vacation Bible School (DVBS) this week. Each day, they are having a time of prayer for Gary. I wanted to include several photos to show these precious children praying for Gary. Our staff have done an excellent job of handling this ministry in our absence!

DVBS children
Bethel Baptist Church
Quezon City, Metro Manila
Philippines

MAY 5

2009-05-06T10:41:00.005+08:00

DAY 14

Today, we met with Dr. Johnston to discuss Gary's care from this point on. Gary will still need a few days of lab work done since he is being "let go" earlier than the 21 day mark. Because of this, Gary opted to leave his central line in until Monday. Dr. Johnston will need to see Gary on the 100 day mark, which will be the last week of July. After these few more days of blood work, Gary will no longer need to be monitored every day! He can stop wearing the mask, unless in a place where it might be wise to do so. The doctor said he is doing great!

We are still in a little shock, realizing that at this moment in time, Gary is cancer free. It seems like it has been a lifetime since his diagnosis. He will still need to be careful about catching anything and it will be a long time before he will have his strength back, but at least we know we are on the downhill run now. Thank you so much for your prayers!

MAY 4
HEMOGLOBIN - 11.6
WHITE BLOOD COUNT - 3.3
PLATELETS - 115

MAY 4

2009-05-05T09:11:00.003+08:00

DAY 13
Well! The day has finally come! After 8 months of treatment, Gary will go tomorrow to have his central line removed and will be able to leave the area. We are just kind of in shock to think he is really over any treatments! He will just need to come back to Mayo Clinic in July for a check up with his doctor.

Gary's journey has been such a rough one, and although he was very sick a week ago, we are surprised that the stem cell transplant went smoother than expected. I know it is all due to the many prayers around the world! We could NOT have gone through this without them!

Gary will still need prayers as he continues to gain his strength and recover. I would still like pictures sent in to post on the blog. If you are unable to send a picture of yourself with a sign of Gary's name (see past post), please write me at bamaw5@yahoo.com.ph and give your name, State or Country. I would like to make a list of all those that had a part in praying for us. If you do not want your name used, just say so and I will only post your location.

We are now starting to plan how to move back to Oklahoma. It will be wonderful to be back with family, especially our daughter and grandchildren. Again, thank you for your prayers!

MAY 3
HEMOGLOBIN - 11
WHITE BLOOD COUNT - 2.4
PLATELETS - 75

TULSA, OK

2009-05-04T10:38:00.002+08:00

Calvary Bible Class

Southeast Baptist Church

Tulsa, OK

MAY 3 update

2009-05-04T10:32:00.002+08:00

The nurse called this afternoon to give us the results of Gary's blood work. He is doing great! He did not have to go in this evening for the antibiotic ... that particular one has been stopped. His white blood count had jumped to 2.4! Gary is able to drink nutritional drinks relatively easy. The sores in his mouth are getting better and not having to deal with the nausea helps. We took a walk for several blocks today. He felt good, but may have overdone it a little as he is pretty tired tonight. He is just a different Gary than he was last weekend! I am excited to hear what the doctor will say tomorrow!

MAY 3

2009-05-03T23:00:00.003+08:00

DAY 12
We went to the hospital this morning for Gary to have a blood draw and receive his antibiotic. The doctor had some very encouraging news! Because of the way Gary's counts are jumping up and depending on the lab results from today .... it is possible that not only will he not have to return this evening for the antibiotic, but he is very close to having his central line taken out and free to leave Minnesota and go back to Oklahoma!

It is just so hard to believe that a week ago, Gary was so very sick and today they are talking about letting him loose before the 21 days are up! Even if it does not happen on Tuesday as they are planning, it still means he is very close. I just wanted to skip down the hallway as we left the hospital! Thank you for your prayers!

MAY 2
HEMOGLOBIN - 10.5
WHITE BLOOD COUNT - 1.5
PLATELETS - 33

MAY 2

2009-05-03T03:01:00.004+08:00

DAY 11

Wow! We are halfway to the 21 day mark. At first, when Gary was so sick, I thought each day would go by so slowly, but now that he is doing better, they are going by fast. Gary seems to not be battling the nausea and has a desire to eat. He just has a hard time, because of the mouth and throat ulcers. The doctor said they would be gone in the next couple of days. He has not had a fever in 48 hours and his white blood cells are showing signs of engraftment, so they will release him from the hospital today. He will still need to come back in twice a day for antibiotics, but it will be good to have him home. Thank you for praying!

MAY 1
HEMOGLOBIN - 10.1
WHITE BLOOD COUNT - 0.8
PLATELETS - 22

MAY 1

2009-05-02T08:22:00.003+08:00

DAY 10

Today has been a better day for Gary. The nausea was not as bad and he even had a desire to eat. The mouth and throat sores just made it impossible for him to do so, but it was a good sign that the nausea was gone. The doctors said that he would not be released from the hospital until the fevers were gone and he was eating.

The best news of all is, his white blood count jumped up from 0.4 yesterday to 0.8 today! That is a sure sign that the cells are engrafting ... GO BABY CELLS, GO! *smile*

APRIL 30
HEMOGLOBIN - 10.2
WHITE BLOOD COUNT - 0.4
PLATELETS - 14

APRIL 30

2009-05-01T07:52:00.003+08:00

DAY 9

When I walked into the hospital room this morning .... Gary was missing. They had taken him down for an xray. Because he is still spiking a fever, they wanted to check out his lungs. They also later in the day did an EKG, just to make sure his heart is doing ok. Gary's nausea is getting better, although he still has no desire to eat, mainly because of the ulcers in his mouth. His white blood count came up yesterday and today. The nurse said sometimes, it can jump back a few times before really moving upward, so tomorrow's count will give an idea if they are truly starting to increase. Another change is his hair. I know some of you would joke that he didn't have much to lose, but it sure is a shock to see huge spots in the back of his head. They brought in a razor for us to shave his head so he would not keep "shedding" all over his pillow.

I see a difference each day for the better. This has been a long journey for Gary and he will still have a long journey to go to complete health, but it is encouraging to know that we are nearing the end. I know I say this in every post, but it truly comes from my heart ... THANK YOU so much for your prayers!

APRIL 29
HEMOGLOBIN - 10.7
WHITE BLOOD COUNT - 0.3
PLATELETS - 17

APRIL 29

2009-04-30T10:52:00.002+08:00

DAY 8
Gary has done a little better today. He was able to drink a nutritional drink to help get calories in him, but said it burned all the way down. The mouth ulcers are now down his esophagus. The sores in his mouth have not bothered him too much because where they are the worse, is the right side, which Gary still has no feeling. When I walked into the hospital room this morning, there was quite a change from yesterday ... he has lost his goatee. *smile* Sure happens fast!

He is still "talking out of his head" off and on. Other than the episode with the Apaches .... most of his talking is doing ministry. *smile* He is either organizing something or teaching someone. It makes me smile to think that even in his subconscious, his heart desire is to be back in the Philippines doing ministry. Lord willing, we will be able to do just that. Thank you so much for your prayers.

APRIL 28
HEMOGLOBIN 8.2
WHITE BLOOD COUNT - 0.2
PLATELETS - 31

GARY PHOTOS

2009-04-29T08:27:00.004+08:00

I have been taking a picture of Gary each day through the stem cell transplant process. The picture I took yesterday compared to today tells a story as to how he was feeling each day. In the Day 7 photo, you can see his hair falling onto his shirt. It looks like a Labrador puppy was sitting on him. *smile*

DAY 6DAY 7

APRIL 28

2009-04-28T21:49:00.001+08:00

DAY 7
Gary is about the same today. He started the day feeling pretty good and even tried to eat a few bites of oatmeal, but as the day progressed, he started to feel worse. He is still experiencing a fever, so this evening, they did another blood culture.

Yesterday, they gave him a unit of platelets since he went below 20 and today they gave 2 units of red blood cells because he was lower than 10. The anti-nausea drugs are still causing him to talk a little out of his head. He wakes himself up talking, and realizes immediately what he is doing.

Because of this, he is not resting completely. He told me to leave the TV on last night, but this morning, said that he had conversations with it all night long. *smile*

His doctor has not said anything about Gary leaving the hospital and Gary hasn't asked. Thank you for your prayers!

APRIL 27
HEMOGLOBIN - 8.6
WHITE BLOOD COUNT - 0.3
PLATELETS - 19

APRIL 27

2009-04-28T08:00:00.002+08:00

DAY 6
Gary told me this morning that he was glad he was admitted. He felt a little better due to the heavier anti-nausea drugs they can give him. Still not eating, but maybe tomorrow. For the last few days, he has not talked because the effort made him so nauseous. This afternoon, he started chatting up a storm, but I soon realized that he was not quite in the same world that I was. I'm smart enough to know that when he talks about staying around to help "them" fight off the Apaches .... he isn't with us any more. *smile* This has happened before with the drugs, so I was not surprised. What was funny to me was, he went in and out and after saying something off the wall, he would say, "I'm just having a conversation with myself!" The nurses probably thought I was weeping for sadness, but it was silent laughter!

Gary's main doctor is on the rotation this week and as he walked into the room, he said, "Boy! You will do anything to get me to visit you in the hospital!" This has been a joke between Gary and his doctor since we arrived. His doctor is on the transplant team, so between those rotations, and seeing patients in his office, he does not do the "regular" morning visits. He said what Gary is going through is perfectly normal and nothing to be concerned about. Hopefully in a few days, Gary's counts will come up and he will start to feel better. Thank you so much for your prayers!

APRIL 26
HEMOGLOBIN - 10.1
WHITE BLOOD COUNT - .3
PLATELETS - 34

MORRIS, OK

2009-04-27T22:08:00.004+08:00

First Baptist Church of Morris
Morris, OK

ROCHESTER, MN

2009-04-27T09:54:00.002+08:00

Our daughter Sandra

Rochester, MN

APRIL 26

2009-04-27T09:13:00.004+08:00

DAY 5

Gary has not done well today. We came in this morning for them to put him on antibiotic IV for 2 hours. This one is called Vancomycin and they will continue with this twice a day until 3 different cultures come back negative. The first one has. They administered another antibiotic through his central line called Cefepime. Because he has had a fever, he will now have this given twice a day, whether or not anything shows up in the cultures, until his white blood counts come up.

Gary has not been able to eat anything today and barely managed to drink some Gatorade, so this evening before the time I was to bring him in for the antibiotic treatment, I called to let them know how he was doing. They instructed us to come in and they planned to admit him. Gary was ready to do this, so that shows how bad he is feeling. He would do all he could to stay out of the hospital.

They will watch him tonight and if he still can't manage to keep eat anything or drink anything with nutritional content, they will put him on a nutritional IV. The doctor said that he is at the worse, and in a few days, his blood counts will start to rise and he should start feeling better.

I asked Gary tonight which was worse ... the extreme nausea or the pain. He said, that he is experiencing both. They took him off Lortab because it contains Tylenol and would mask a fever and gave him a different pain med for the "break through" pain. Obviously, it has not worked as well, so tonight the doctor said they would try something different.

Although this is all new to us, miserable for Gary and a little scary for me, it is all expected and they have seen it before. Gary is a typical transplant patient ... this time, he isn't being "special". *smile*

I appreciate your prayers! The comments we have received on Facebook and through emails, have also been such a blessing! Thank you!

APRIL 25
HEMOGLOBIN - 11.4
WHITE BLOOD COUNT - .3
PLATELETS - 66
POTASSIUM - 3.4
WEIGHT - 100.1

APRIL 25 update

2009-04-26T10:34:00.002+08:00

Soon after posting for today, I had to take Gary back to the hospital. He was running a fever. They immediately hooked him up to an IV antibiotic that he was on for 2 hours, and then also administered a different one through his central line. They took blood draws, urine sample and chest xray to determine what kind of "bug" he might have and where it might be located, i.e. lungs or central line. This is a common thing among transplant patients, caused by their white blood counts being so low. The nurse said that our own skin has "bugs" and normally it isn't a problem for us, but when the white blood counts are so low, you can't fight it. The antibiotics they gave will cover a wide range of infection, so he will be put back on it tomorrow morning when he goes and then again in the evening, every day, until they are sure he no longer needs it. Appreciate your prayers!

APRIL 25

2009-04-26T06:30:00.003+08:00

DAY 4
Gary is not feeling well today. It is starting to sound like a broken record, but that is the way it will be for the next several weeks. The nurse told me today that it will get worse before it gets better. They administered another 1000 ml of fluids this morning along with an IV anti-nausea medicine. Then they applied an anti-nausea patch behind his ear hoping that will help along with the two different drugs I am giving him at home.

Starting Day 4-7, he will lose his hair and develop sores in his mouth. Some get the sores all the way down their esophagus. That will make it even harder to eat. Gary has started a sore on his tongue and looks like one is starting on his upper lip.

When we started this, we thought "three weeks will go by fast!", but now realize that it is going to be a tough, long three weeks for him. Appreciate your prayers!

APRIL 24
HEMOGLOBIN - 11.6
WHITE BLOOD COUNT - 0.9
PLATELETS - 111
POTASSIUM - 3.5
WEIGHT - 100.1

Thank you for praying for Gary's Dad. Although not completely well, he is out of the hospital and plans to preach this morning (Filipino time) for the churches anniversary service. *smile*

SKIATOOK, OK (2)

2009-04-26T06:18:00.003+08:00

The Day and Phillips Family

Skiatook, OK

SANFORD, FL

2009-04-25T02:23:00.003+08:00

Praying for Gary in Sanford, FLPilgrim's Sunday School Class

Palmetto Ave Baptist Church

APRIL 24

2009-04-25T01:42:00.004+08:00

DAY 3

Gary had a rough afternoon and evening yesterday, being very nauseous and not able to eat or drink much. This morning, the doctors were concerned enough to have him stay hooked up to fluids for an hour. They also administered an anti-nausea drug by IV hoping that would help. Gary's white blood count dropped significantly the day before, so that is the cause of the nausea and general "UGH!" feeling.

The nutritionist said if all he could do was drink ... to drink calories. So, if he feels like it, he can have all the milkshakes he would want. *smile* I did find out that a small milkshake at Dairy Queen contains 560 calories. Ouch! I guess I can't join him each time he wants one. Having one yesterday morning helped him to come close to his daily calorie goal. Thank you for your prayers!

HEMOGLOBIN - 9.4

WHITE BLOOD COUNT - 1.4

PLATELETS - 134

WEIGHT - 100.7 kilos

On another note, please pray for Gary's father, Bob Phillips. He is in the Philippines ... admitted to a hospital for pnuemonia. This is very hard on his wife, Sue, to not be able to be there with him since she is here with us. Thank you!

PHILIPPINES

2009-04-25T00:43:00.012+08:00

Staff and youth from Camp 09

Joint project of

Sumulong Baptist Church

Bethel Baptist Church

Faith Temple Baptist Church

Metro Manila, Philippines

Can you see Gary's name? if you click on each picture, they will enlarge to be able to see everyone close up. This years camp had 177 young people come to know Christ!

COLLINSVILLE, OK

2009-04-25T00:35:00.002+08:00

Our oldest grandson, Tyler

Collinsville, OK

APRIL 23

2009-04-24T06:22:00.002+08:00

DAY 2
Gary had to have 1 unit of blood given today. His red blood cells from yesterday were 9.6. That is not terribly low and they normally wait until it is under 9 before giving a transfusion, but because of his previous heart condition, they want to keep his count above 10. He has just felt a little "off" today. This is all to be expected. We know that starting tomorrow, the effects of the chemo will hit and we expect several weeks of him being sick. All in all, he is doing as well as could be expected. I will start listing his blood counts from now on to keep record of it.

4/22/09
HEMOGLOBIN - 9.6
WHITE BLOOD COUNT - 3.2 (8-10 is normal)
PLATELETS - 167 (150-400 is normal)
WEIGHT - 101.9 kilos

Thank you so much for your prayers! On another note, the young man I mentioned in my last post has come through surgery well. Go to their CareBridges site to read how God has worked a miracle for Jeff, and continue to pray for them. Thanks!

PRAY FOR JEFF McCOART

2009-04-23T12:10:00.005+08:00

This week, a friend asked that I post to my friends, a request for prayer for this young man. He is 24 yrs. old, married with a toddler and baby on the way. Jeff was recently diagnosed with a brain tumor and was able to make it up to Mayo Clinic to see the doctors here. He is scheduled to have surgery on his brain in the morning. I was able to call Jeff and his wife to encourage them that they were in the right place with the best of the best here. I know they would be encouraged to know many others will be lifting them up tomorrow as he goes through this procedure.

You can read about him here

http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/jeffmccoart

Thanks!

APRIL 22

2009-04-23T11:49:00.002+08:00

DAY 1

Gary was able to eat a small breakfast before heading to the hospital. He will go every morning at 9am to have blood draws and have the doctors check him over. They have me chart his medicines, which are many, and go over that with us plus any questions we have.

In a few days when the full effect of the chemo will kick in, I will also have to chart everything he eats and drinks. At that time, it will be very important for him to get in a certain amount of calories whether he feels like eating or not. So, he could have all the milkshakes he would want if that is all he could stomach.

The rest of the day, he has slept off and on. Some of that is due to the pain and anti-nausea drugs. He still has a smell of cream/sweet corn about him due to the preservative that was in the stem cells. The doctor said she was surprised he wasn't as strong as some are, considering he had 10 syringes given to him. I hope that means it will go away soon.

I had to change his dressing on his central line for the first time tonight. It needs to be done weekly. Until now, he has been in the hospital and the nurses have done it. I have watched it enough times, but doing it yourself is a different story. Everything has to be handled with sterile gloves and both of us wearing mask. It would be very dangerous for him to get an infection at the site since the line travels right to his heart. Appreciate your continued prayers for him!

APRIL 21

2009-04-22T07:20:00.004+08:00

HAPPY TRANSPLANT DAY!

Today Gary received his stem cells. It was quite a procedure! They started early in the morning taking blood draws to record his red and white blood counts and then hydrated him for 4 hours. The lab sent up Gary's stem cells still frozen in a little cooler. One nurse stood outside Gary's room and would place a bag of his stem cells in a warm water bath to thaw out. She would then draw it into a large syringe and hand it to one of the nurses inside his room.

The nurse inside the room would then slowly administer the stem cells into Gary's central line. They used 10 syringes and it took about an hour and a half to complete it.

The whole process was relative easy on Gary and we had a good time joking around with the nurses.
Many call the stem cell transplant "your second birth". Gary told the nurses that this was his third birth. His first was when he was born. The second, when he accepted Christ as his Savior at age 9 and then today, his third birth receiving the stem cells. He then told them that the second one was the most important!

Gary was able to come home today and will just have to go to the hospital every morning for the next 21 days for them to monitor his blood counts and make sure everything is going well. Thank you for your prayers. The important thing now, will be that these new "baby" cells will engraft into his bone marrow and will start making new white and red blood cells and platelets.

APRIL 20

2009-04-21T05:35:00.003+08:00

In Gary's room, there is a poster that has spaces for the patient to write about himself. Gary had not done this, but when we arrived back in his room last night, his nurse had written some for him. This is the same nurse who had commented about our relationship. A few days ago, I had just arrived to his room when she asked if she could do anything for Gary. He said, "I'm fine ... now that my eye candy is here". That is whey she wrote what she here. *smile*

Gary started the day being sick and it has continued. He only had one hour of chemo and that is the last of it. His white blood count has already dropped from 8200 when he came in Wednesday, to 2800 this morning. He has lost another 2 kilos, so that is 5 kilos (11 lbs.) since Wednesday! Tomorrow is the BIG day! He will get his cells put back and we will start the count down to "wellness". Thank you for your prayers!

APRIL 19

2009-04-20T01:13:00.003+08:00

Gary is having a hard morning dealing with nausea. Not severe ... but enough to not want to eat. Through this process, the hardest part will be getting enough calories in to stay healthy. There is no getting around the fact that he is going to be very sick ... just pray for him during this time.

Gary is developing quite a reputation with the nurses. In the section where he received his MTX treatments, the nurses commented how they were always happy coming into work and find out he would be their patient, because he was "easy". Meaning, they didn't have to do much with him and he was pleasant to deal with. That's a good reputation to have.

This time around, he is developing another reputation. His main nurse mentioned yesterday to him that it was nice to see a couple still in love after so many years of marriage. She has been telling all the other nurses about us. *smile* Sure brings home the fact that we show Christ in the way we live AND love.

APRIL 18

2009-04-19T06:09:00.003+08:00

DAY -3

Gary still doing well with the chemo. He was slightly nauseous today, but nothing to "write home about". He has lost 3 kilos since starting the chemo on Wednesday. Most of that was probably extra fluid that he had gained during the collection process. Tomorrow will be the last day of "double dosing". Thank you for your prayers.

APRIL 16

2009-04-17T11:35:00.002+08:00

Gary did ok with the two rounds of chemo today. He was able to leave and go back to our apartment and stay until after dinner. That helps his morale more than anything. Even though he may sleep most the afternoon, he would rather be home. He should do ok the rest of the week. The adverse affects of the chemo will not hit him until in a week. Thank you for your prayers!

APRIL 15

2009-04-16T05:38:00.006+08:00

DAY -6

I had so much to talk about yesterday after seeing the doctors to discuss what Gary will go through with the chemo this week, but THIS is why I was not able to get online ...My usually WHITE dog had swept up ALL the dirt on the sidewalk during our walk. Although it gave us all a laugh, I had to spend the evening brushing and bathing him. I have made the announcement, that he is not allowed to go on walks this week while I am busy running Gary back and forth to the hospital. *smile*

Today was Gary's first day with chemo. During the BMT process, they call this, Day -6. For those that may be interested, here is the schedule of what he will be given ...

Day -6 ... BCNU (Carmustine) given over 2 hours. Gary was able to leave the hospital for the day and does not have to be back until 9pm. This made him very happy as he really has started to hate being in the hospital. He has to wear a mask when outside his hospital room or our apartment and avoid crowds. Day -5 thru Day -2 ... P-16/Etopside, and ARA-C. The VP-16 is given IV over 2 hours twice a day. ATA-C is given IV over 1 hours twice a day. IV hydration begins on Day -5.

Day -1 ... Malphalan. Given IV over 1 hour. Hydration ends.

Day 0 ... Day of transplant. Gary will receive his stem cells through the IV along with hydration. Should be dismissed from hospital to "Outpatient Management" later that afternoon.

The risk are many. One main risk is to the vital organs. Because Gary has had trouble with his kidneys shutting down in the past ... he is particularly at risk. His doctor has given specific instructions to everyone involved to be on alert for this. I am so comforted from the fact of so many lifting Gary up in prayer. I will never be able to express my appreciation enough! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

SKIATOOK, OK and SPRINGFIELD, MO

2009-04-14T23:29:00.006+08:00

Gary's niece, Leah Phillips and sister, Tina Phillips

Gary's great-nieces, Kate (with mom Lisa) and RachaelGary's nephew, Zach Harris

(notice the letters on the ducks) *smile*

REMEMBER TO GET YOUR PICTURES IN AS WELL!

HAPPY EASTER!

2009-04-13T09:54:00.002+08:00

APRIL 12

2009-04-13T08:18:00.002+08:00

Gary wanted to attend church today, but did not feel well enough. He is experiencing flu-like symptoms, which is caused by the growth shots. Tomorrow morning, he will go to clinic to have his kidneys checked so they will know the amount of chemo to give him. He commented at how nice it was to spend the day at home today. It was a needed rest. This video really was a blessing to Gary and I today, so wanted to share it with you. Appreciate your prayers!

APRIL 11

2009-04-12T07:48:00.003+08:00

Today was Gary's final day at collection. He produced 1.95 this time so his total is well over 5 million ... 6.27 to be exact. Monday, the BMT nurse coodinator will call to let us know when they will start the chemo. Gary really wants to be able to go to church in the morning, but is feeling pretty rotten this afternoon. Please pray that he will have a restful night and be able to go. Enjoy your Easter celebrations and thank you for praying for us!

HOPE

2009-04-11T21:03:00.001+08:00

A Hope Transfusion

by Charles R. Swindoll

Revelation 1:17, 18

Easter and hope are synonymous. That special day never arrives without its refreshing reminder that there is life beyond this one. True life. Eternal life. Glorious life. Those who live on what we might call "the outskirts of hope" need a transfusion. Easter gives it.

I think of all those who are battling the dread disease of cancer. Talk about people living on "the outskirts." They fight the gallant battle, endure the horrible reactions of chemotherapy, and anxiously await the results of the next checkup.

And then there are those who still grieve over the loss of a mate, a child, a parent, or a friend. Death has come like a ruthless thief, snatching away a treasured presence, leaving only memories. What is missing?

Hope. Hope has died. There is nothing like Easter to bring hope back to life. Easter has its own anthems. Easter has its own Scriptures. And Easter has its own proclamation: "He is not here, for He has risen, just as He said" (Matthew 28:6).

When Christians gather in houses of worship and lift their voices in praise to the risen Redeemer, the demonic hosts of hell and their damnable prince of darkness are temporarily paralyzed.

When pastors stand and declare the unshakable, undeniable facts of Jesus' bodily resurrection and the assurance of ours as well, the empty message of skeptics and cynics is momentarily silenced.

Our illnesses don't seem nearly so final.

Our fears fade and lose their grip.

Our grief over those who have gone on is diminished.

Our desire to press on in spite of the obstacles is rejuvenated.

Our identity as Christians is strengthened as we stand in the lengthening shadows of saints down through the centuries, who have always answered back in antiphonal voice: "He is risen, indeed!"

A hope transfusion awaits us. It happens every year on Easter Sunday. Alleluia! Jesus lives, and so shall we!

Excerpted from Day by Day with Charles R. Swindoll, Copyright © 2000 by Charles R. Swindoll, Inc. All rights reserved worldwide. Used by permission.

CAINTA, PHILIPPINES

2009-04-11T20:54:00.003+08:00

Stephanie, Nimfa and Malou - Cainta, Philippines

APRIL 10

2009-04-11T06:19:00.002+08:00

Another day of collecting produced 1.92 stem cells! Now they have over 4 million to work with. The doctor still wants Gary to come in tomorrow for collection to get closer to 5 million, but he will not have to have the growth shots. That will make him happy. This means that we have Sunday off, which we were hoping would be the case. It will be good to be able to celebrate the Resurrection in church instead of in a hospital room! Thank you for your prayers!

APRIL 9

2009-04-10T06:29:00.002+08:00

Gary had another good day, although it didn't start out well. Before he could sit down to have his breakfast and coffee ... he was headed for the bathroom ... very sick. We left for the hospital hoping that would be the last of it, and it was. Probably a side effect of the Plerixafor.

From then on, he relaxed and watched The Masters on TV while getting his cells harvested. The 5 hours seemed to pass quickly for me ... maybe not so much for Gary. *smile* I will say that the nurses who handled him these three days have just been awesome! Couldn't ask for any better.

Tonight, the BMT nurse called to say that Gary put out 1.29 cells! That puts him to 2.38, which is enough to go to transplant, if Gary has a hard time giving more. They will still have him continue with the Plerixafor tonight and go back for harvesting tomorrow and possibly Sunday. Even though over 2 million cells are enough to go to transplant, they have found that if you have close to 5 million, your chances of the cells grafting back into your bone marrow is significantly better. So, let's pray that he does over 2 million tomorrow!

APRIL 8

2009-04-09T06:35:00.003+08:00

Gary did well today. It always seems like we are always watching some kind of number to determine good or bad days. *smile* The collection today brought in .85 so that brings the total to 1.07 million stem cells. The BMT nurse was very pleased with that. They still want Gary to go back tonight for a Plerixafor shot to keep this going. Thank you for your prayers!

APRIL 7

2009-04-08T11:15:00.004+08:00

Today was Gary's first day to start collecting his stem cells. We arrived at the clinic at 8am and within 20 minutes, the nurses had him connected to the machine. The disappointing news was he would still have to receive the two growth shots (G-CSF)each day of this process.The next 5 hours was spent just waiting ..... and waiting...

For the machine to take out his blood ... separate the red blood cells, plasma and stem cells ... store the stem cells ... and then circulate the red blood cells and plasma back into his body.

The end result is this little bag of stem cells! They tag it, send it directly to the lab for them to count how many cells were harvested and then they will freeze it.
They hope to collect a million cells a day, but are happy with what they call .5. Later in the day, the Bone Marrow Transplant (BMT) Nurse Coordinator called to say that Gary only produced .22 so he needed to go back to the hospital at 8pm to get a shot of a new drug called Plerixafor.

This drug has just been approved this past February, and they have nothing but good things to say about it. It helps push the stem cells in the bone marrow out into the blood stream so they can be collected. Before this drug was available, Gary would have had to go in tonight and received 2 more G-CSF shots, which are painful. Although this drug is also administered in his belly, it is not painful. All in all, it was an uneventful day. Gary slept most of it. *smile*.

So, how can you pray for Gary? Pray that he will produce the desired amount of stem cells each day. He needs a total of 5 million or more. He will have to go every day and receive the two G-CSF shots and possibly every evening for the Plerixafor until he meets this amount.

APRIL 6

2009-04-07T04:01:00.003+08:00

Once again our day started with Gary getting two shots in his belly. They took a blood draw to see how Gary is doing making stem cells. If the number was at least a 10, they would proceed to harvesting tomorrow. Around noon today, we received a phone call that Gary's number was a 12! Gary was so happy to no longer need the shots. They are not pleasant at all. So, tomorrow at 8am, Gary will go in to be hooked up to a machine for 4-5 hours as they start to harvest the cells. This will go on for 3-5 days, depending on how well he is at giving up his blood.

APRIL 5

2009-04-06T10:26:00.004+08:00

Gary arrived at hospital at 7am for his two growth shots. They also changed the dressing on his central line. All in all, he is doing ok today. Been very tired, but that is a normal thing lately. Has not had the pain he had yesterday. I am still hobbling around, but don't think I did any serious damage to my knee. Thank you for your prayers!

APRIL 4 update

2009-04-05T10:09:00.002+08:00

After I wrote a post for today, Gary started having severe pain in his back. We were told this would happen, we are just a little surprised it started this soon. They said he would have aches as if he was getting the flu. This was good, as it means the stem cells are multiplying and putting pressure in the bone marrow trying to get out. It is pretty significant pain but he is allowed to take an extra pain medication as needed, so I hope it will help him to be able to sleep tonight. Thank you for your prayers!

APRIL 4

2009-04-05T08:55:00.003+08:00

Gary is doing better with the pain from the central line being put in. He had two more growth shots this morning and then has rested today. I on the other hand, need your prayers.

We had our carpets cleaned today to prepare for when Gary will need a sterile environment. The solution they were using was bothering me so I thought I would take my dog Charlie out into the hallway. I made the mistake of walking on wet carpet ... then onto the kitchen linoleum. My right foot slipped out from under me and I landed with all my weight and Charlie's on my left knee. I now have a very large "goose egg" on my knee cap. So ... I am laid up this evening with ice on my knee. Please pray with us that I did not do any serious damage to my knee and it will be better by morning. It will be hard enough caring for Gary in the next month without having to worry about seeking treatment for my knee. I told my daughter, Becky that I pray constantly not to get sick, but forgot to include accidents .... Just call me "Grace".

APRIL 3

2009-04-04T07:22:00.002+08:00

Gary came through the procedure for the central line fine. It will take a week or so for him to get used to the tubing under his skin. He was given several instructions concerning the line and the one we thought was funny was that he could take a shower ... just don't get it wet. *smile* Guess I will be drawing a bubble bath for him from now on. *giggle*

We went to lunch, then back to the clinic for him to have the growth shots. It was bad enough to know he would need a shot given in his belly, but after arriving to the infusion center, he was told he would have to have TWO shots. He said it feels like bee stings and continues to sting awhile until the drug gets into his system. He will have to do this for two more days and possibly three.

Tonight, he is understandably worn out and sore. Says he is in considerable pain at the site of the central line. Hopefully his pain meds will kick in and he will be able to rest tonight. Thank you for your prayers today. Although the risk for this procedure was small, it was still a comfort to me to know that so many were praying for him. We are so blessed!