Take them a meal :)

This is Lynnea:

So Marcia starts chemo on Aug. 4th I thought it would be a blessing and a huge help to their family if we would do another meal schedule and bless the Stauffer gang during this time.

Marcia will have 6 months of chemo but I only have 3 months of dates listed on the meal schedule.  Once we get closer to October I will add more dates to get us through till January.There will be lots of opportunity to take a meal. :)

She thought meals on Tuesday and Thursday's will be enough...but we will see how she is feeling and may add more as needed.

THANK YOU.....I know they appreciate it so much and feel so loved. <3

Click the link below to sign up:

http://www.takethemameal.com/meals.php?t=KEYA2647

I am Free...

.... In Jesus Name. This is the name of  a song by Darlene Zschech. She battled cancer and takes a moment to pray for others during this song who are fighting cancer as well.  The words of this song are a very powerful declaration. I love hearing my girls walk around the house singing this!


"In Jesus' Name"

God is fighting for us,
God is on our side
He has overcome,
Yes He has overcome
We will not be shaken,
We will not be moved
Jesus You are here
[x2]

Carrying our burdens,
Covering our shame
He has overcome,
Yes He has overcome
We will not be shaken,
We will not be moved
Jesus You are here

I will live, I will not die
The resurrection power of Christ
Alive in me and I am free
In Jesus' Name
I will live, I will not die
I will declare and lift You high,
Christ revealed and I am healed
In Jesus' Name

God is fighting for us,
Pushing back the darkness
Lighting up the Kingdom
That cannot be shaken
In the Name of Jesus,
Enemy's defeated
And we will shout it out,
Shout it out
[repeat]

  I'm making good progress with my surgery recovery. The soreness has become much less over the last week. My ileostomy is working well and is also healing nicely. Friday it will be 4 weeks since surgery! My energy level is still not back to normal but my family is picking up the slack nicely!   I'm just so thankful to have wonderful family and friends to cover us in prayer and help us on this journey!

  My pathology results are in and the margins on my bowel section were all good. My tumor shrank from 5 cm to 1.5cm. They removed all 15 lymph nodes in that area and 2 of them had cancer.

The nodule in my lung disappeared but another one showed up. My chemo Dr. seemed to feel like it is probably not cancer by the way it is "acting" for lack of a better word, but he made it very clear that they will keep a close eye on it.
  On Aug. 3 I'll be having a port put in ( minor surgery) and will probably start chemo on the 4th if all my blood work is good. This is called preventative chemo. I'll get 12 rounds of it over 6 months. I will go every 2 weeks to the cancer center at the Health Campus in Lancaster and be there for about 3 hours to get my infusion. Then I'll come home hooked up to a pump for 2 days to get the remainder of the drug. I'll probably finish chemo in January and then a month or so later have my ileostomy reversed!!
  I'm so glad the surgery is behind me. It is easy to get overwhelmed when I think about the next 6 months but I must remember to take one day at a time and trust that His grace is sufficient for each moment!! Pray for strength and health over me and my family as we begin this next phase in a few weeks! I'm on my way to being cancer free! Thank you Jesus!


Marcia

  

After a week in the hospital...

...it is so good to be home. After a few days at home....I'm buggy. Ha Ha!! Well, it is still very good to be home. I am now 11 days post op and I'm getting stronger each day. I still sleep a lot and just am focused on eating healthy, resting and taking care of me. I went nearly a week without much sustenance so my body had to get used to eating again. I still have some intense belly aches at times but they are becoming less and less. I'm not in pain other than the usual tender belly and bottom from things being rearranged in there. The Drs are very pleased with my progress.  I'm still waiting on the pathology and CT scan results.
  I would have to say the recovery was more difficult than I imagined and I'm so glad the surgery is behind me. I know I was able to be peaceful through it all because of your prayers and just trusting God for each moment. I spent an hour one night commanding gas to come out of my belly in Jesus name!! Imagine 5 days of farts trapped inside your already bloated belly. Yeah! Not pleasant! I told Duane I would rather have 5 babies than go through that again! 
 My Mom brought the girls to see me every day. One afternoon when I was feeling miserable, they prayed over me for the bloating to go away. Soon after that things started moving. Precious times to see them growing in their faith and helping to take such good care of me.
 Yesterday I was feeling discouraged and was hitting God with the why questions. Today the title of  my devotions was "Coping With Life's Challenges".  Life is a set of challenges. We are tempted to see these challenges as preventing us from carrying out the ministry that God has given us. In fact, dealing with the problems is the ministry. (Bible in a year)
 Right now, my ministry is continuing to walk in gratitude and trust God in each moment.
You may never know, in this life, how God uses your faithfulness in the face of challenges.
Today, I'm encouraged to keep on keeping on. God can and will use all this stuff for good. May He be glorified!!
 


I took the world off your shoulders, freed you from a life of hard labor.
You called to me in your pain;
I got you out of a bad place
The Message
Psalm 81:6-7


Lots of love!
Marcia

A long road....

This is Lynnea:

Marcia had a good day yesterday and felt the best she felt since the surgery!

At 5:30 last night the family gathered for a training session on how to care for her illi bag.  It was a bit surreal.  It was something you never thought you would be doing/getting together for.  But it was so sweet and special to see her family rally around her and be interested and caring on how to care for Marcia during this season. (I was just there to take notes and observe.)

But this morning Marcia texted me and needs our prayers.  Pray that this bloating will GO AWAY. In Jesus name.  She felt very uncomfortable again overnight and I think is just over it all.
In terms of this surgery recovery she is doing really good.  This is all "normal"  but that doesn't make it any easier.

Duane is able to hang out with her today (which I think will lift her spirits, I know just having your hubby there is comforting) and she is hoping that things will start moving better and she is HOPEFUL that she can maybe come home tomorrow.

But the bloating/pressure has to subside and her illi has to start having more solid discharge (not just bile) and she has to be drinking enough on her own so she doesn't get dehydrated.

Thanks for your continue prayers and concern and thank you for those who have signed up for meals. The family is very appreciative of them and there will be more opportunity in 6 weeks when chemo starts to love on them more! :)