I have not posted in a while. We have been busy with life. Yes, there is life after a cancer diagnosis! It is spring, the dogwoods and azaleas are in full bloom. New life springs forth and so also with our family! We welcomed a new generation to our family this past Monday with the birth of our great grandson Conner. God blessed our tiny little grand daughter and her hubby with a nine pound baby! She herself is a miracle! A few years ago she and her hubby (then finance) were in a wreck. She broke 5 vertebrae in her back,lost a lot of blood and  later had to have a spinal fusion. The doctors told us that it was a miracle she was living and especially so that she was not paralyzed. We know who brought that miracle about! She had so many prayers going up for her. We worried when she became pregnant. We worried about her tiny petite size and the spinal fusion she would need a C section..we need not have! God brought her and the baby through just fine. Her epidural did not take due to the fusion but she handled it the way she handled the pain from the wreck...like a trooper! She is one amazing little girl..no, she is a full fledged woman now!!!

   There has not been a lot of things to change lately with Ronnie. We are in the routine of chemo , ordering the Revlamid ,taking the 10 steroid pills every Monday,getting the Zometa treatments every three weeks and counting out pills like we own a pharmacy! I say we, but I count them out and he takes them.I do his meds two weeks at a time! He has been able to cut back some on the mgs. of morphine.He seldom has to take pain med for the break through pain. He had to do another 24 hour urine test last week. We don't have the results back but pray that the test results will show he is beating back the cancer!

  He can feel really well for a couple of hours and then be completely exhausted for the next six. In a normal day he has to rest a lot. He has not missed but one Sunday worship service and he was at the hospital that Sunday! Sunday mornings are about all he has the energy to do and he sometimes is groggy from the pain meds but he loves being there. I have learned I can no longer commit to any event! He may feel great one hour and like mud the next! It is a trademark of this illness. Had he not been diabetic, perhaps we could have caught it much sooner!We assumed the tiredness was from his diabetes.Don't put off visiting your doctor. He was making regular visits to the diabetic center but neglected to see his regular physician!

  His immune system is compromised so he is at risk for any virus that is around. To date he has been blessed in that aspect! No flu , cold or virus since his diagnosis! His  blood work has been remarkably well ! The numbers still show him to be sick but they have not been low enough that he has had to skip treatment or take blood. What a blessing this is! His doctor tells us that his numbers are consistent with him feeling better. He thinks it shows his body is beating the cancer down! Pray that he will be meet the physical qualifications for the bone marrow transplant. We could be going very soon to Augusta for the consultation. It will be a 4 to 6 week hospital stay and tough in a lot of ways but with your prayers and God's help we will get through it with flying colors!

   Until Ronnie's diagnosis I did not know much about this MM as we call it. (Multiple Myeloma)  Now I know this disease recently took the life of a fine Christian educator in our city, a lady who was the first woman to run as VP of our country and then today, saw an author on tv who shared he has it! I also learned a lady I know from years ago was diagnosed just today with it! My heart hurts for her and her family. I went back tonight and re-read some of my first blogs and cried just reliving the pain of those early weeks. The unknown , the fear and most of all coming to grips with the fact I could lose my life mate from complications of this disease! God equipped us with the ability to live our lives with out worrying we will die any minute. The fact is we are ALL going to die! This is just a reminder of the fact none of us are going to be here forever. Given the way things in this world are, I don't want to..but we all want to be with our families here as long as we can. It is just a reminder of what a precious gift God gave us with life and family to share it with! God is good , ALL the time!