Ramona's leg (the one that just got radiated) was starting to look pretty normal. In fact, we were just noticing that the radiated leg was actually thinner than the other one.
Anyway, these last two days, the radiation spot started turning kinda purple-ish again. Spotted and purple-ish is rarely good news in any situation, so we went to cancer care to get things checked out. Ramona has also been having slight nosebleeds through out these last couple of days.
Anyway, the blood work came back and Ramona's platelets are 11 and her hemoglobin is 73.
I'm not exactly sure physically how to explain the energy, but Ramona made supper after the appointments. Then we went to cheaps to catch a movie......and we're back home eating popcorn....
So, tomorrow Ramona needs to be at Cancer Care to get the platelets topped up and friday go back to St. B for packed red cells.
Oh ya, the doctors are also adding antibiotics, because the leg appears infected again.
Have a good night,
Earl

...I simply won't take the time to try and explain everything that's happening in the emotional and spiritual realms right now......I don't really think I'm absorbing half of what's going on....our brains are much slower than our spirits....anyway....
Just a quick note on how Ramona is doing physically.
Ramona has been exhausted and feeling sick (dealing with stomach cramps and things like that) for the early part of this last week. Saturday afternoon was probably the first time during the week that she had a few minutes of energy to get off the couch and do some 'normal' house cleaning things
We're thankful Ramona's starting to feel a little better. By Thursday night we were beginning to be concerned that she had some kind of hospital infection (C. diff or one of those crazy things). As far as we know, she has nothing like that.
It was a pleasure to be able to attend church today...Ramona missed both services last Sunday and I missed one.
It's been almost frightening these last few weeks how much time, money, food and prayers are being invested in us....Thank you.
To be continued,
Earl

Well... I was going to post last night but, at the time when I was going to write Ramona woke up....it's been a long time since I had seen her as nauseous as she was these last few days...
I was going post this morning too, but in the middle of talking to nurses and trying to get the meds Ramona needs and getting to school on time...it just didn't happen.
Ramona didn't have a good night at all. Stomach cramps kept her up quite a while . We appreciate all the prayers that are happening. Somehow the spiritual battles intensify when you're physically beaten up. Jesus' promises of healing are no less true right now than they were two weeks ago in Redding.

Although Ramona is not feeling good, she's feeling a little better this afternoon. She's actually starting to want to eat a bit.

Ramona was eating some angel soup this afternoon. Thanks for the soup Melissa. Here is the story she emailed to me about the soup:

So I pulled up to my garage last Thursday afternoon, after a grocery shopping spree with Katrina. A group of people were standing in the empty lot beside the garage. I felt a little bit uncomfortable with it, but figured I would just pull in and close the door, and all would be well. I proceded to do just that, but as I was driving in, a 30ish year old native guy from the group, sauntered up behind the car, and just stood there. I sat in the car, pretty sure it would be really rude to close the door in his face. So I waited a few seconds, hoping he'd leave, but finally I just got out of the car and went to talk to him. He held out a bag of groceries that he wanted me to have, to which I replied, 'I think you need them more than I do, but thanks!'...to which he responded, 'NO, take them.' ....to which I replied, 'No, seriously, I just bought a TON of groceries. You keep them.' ... At that point, he practically shoved the bag into my hand, determined I would take them. So, there I stood with a bag of groceries (mostly canned goods), and my car FULL of groceries, and he walked away. I closed the door, and put the bag down, thinking that if there was a bomb waiting to go off, better in the garage than in the house, and 'moved' into my house, forgetting about the incident. I went out again later on, and when I got back home, I took the bag inside, and went on to other things yet again. When I finally went through the donation, slowly at first, I started catching on to a theme...beans, diced tomatoes, more beans, tomato soup, a second tin of diced tomatoes, more beans (a chili version), corn, and another tin of tomato soup...Absolutely tin for tin (plus several random ones, namely condensed consomme soup and a tin of chick peas, as well as a small box of pasta) the exact ingredients I needed for a chili soup I had thought of making for Earl & Ramona, the night before!!!!!! I just stood there, as it was beginning to soak in. There were several other neat things...The recipe my Mom had sent me just a few weeks earlier, called for a tin of tomato sauce, but my Mom's revised version said 'or tomato soup'. According to the recipe, I was short a tin of corn, but I had put in less last time I had made it. And then the beans, as well as the soups, were ALL random brands, none of them matching up, obviously not a bag of stuff this guy had gone out to buy just for me. And No, the stuff was not expired. I had to wonder, did I meet an angel??? A native angel...in my backyard?? Cause the groceries were definitely sent by God! Hope you guys enjoy the 'Angel Soup!' Needless to say, I won't ever make it again without being reminded of you, and of my great big, PERSONAL GOD!!!!!
melissa


Later,
Earl

Just a note that we're home. Ramona has slept a large portion of the last day and a half. She really doesn't feel good when she wakes up, so, for now, all rest seems like a really good thing.
-Earl

Well...back to the old St. B kiosks here again.
Ramona is upstairs either sleeping or having the chemo pushed in. The chemo plan is a huge answer to prayer. The whole regime has pretty much changed. What used to be a 5 day plan is now a three day plan. The chemo used to run 19-20 hours a day, now it runs about 7 hours a day. The plan for next round (should it be needed) would be to have the chemo as an outpatient and come into cancer care for three days in a row to get the chemo. What an amazing improvement. Prayer answered.
We're still kind of in the process of getting Ramona's pain under control. The last few nights haven't been a lot of fun. The sleep that happens is kind of a chemical sleep....
Anyway, we expect to be out of here by Saturday afternoon/evening.
Thank you for believing with us,
Earl

As I'm scanning back and seeing the last time we posted was eight days ago I realize I'd have to sit here forever to properly fill everyone in on what's been happening in the last two weeks. The experience in Redding continued to get better the days following our return. We absorbed so much in so few days that it's taking a while to soak in.
Ramona's been having more pain, as it seems that the tumors haven't yet realized they aren't welcomed in her body. It was almost...weird...last week as we spent a lot of time awake in the night praying...and look back on those pain filled nights as.......fun isn't the right word...maybe powerful is a better word.
Within...I would say the last 3-4 days-ish, Ramona's pain has significantly increased and mobility has decreased. The left leg tumor is as big as I have ever seen it. Lung tumors are now causing constant pain again.
Yesterday, I went to Cancer care and told them we needed to do some chemo. So, tonight we are heading back to St. B, to begin what is chemo round number 17.
This is obviously not a fun day. Ramona has told herself countless times that "this is my last round of chemo ever".
Many people are praying for us all the time and thank you. When I asked Ramona what to write she said to "beg people to pray more".
....I'm really searching for my encouraging thought of the day here...
Ramona has been without chemo now for two months. As we looked back on these two months, they are probably the most fun we've had since we've been married.
There are two things that have changed.
1. We go to Starbucks together atleast once a week.
2. We're starting to see that God likes to hang around with us too.
Thank you for your prayers,
Earl

We're back safely in Manitoba......I have no idea how to start writing. We just got back from one of the most amazing weekends ever. Although Ramona's healing didn't happen as we were hoping, there is still....such an incredibly momentum that comes from this weekend. People were healed all around us...people were prophetically "reading our mail"...just such an incredible atmosphere of faith. Jesus is everywhere but such a large collection of Spirit filled people is unbelievable. Thanks Jake and Lillie for hosting us and pouring into us for the weekend....I don't feel like I can do justice to portraying what all happened...in fact Ramona and I just spent a bunch of time this evening writing together just trying to collect our minds on everything that happened.
In addition to all this, Ramona had an appointment with Dr. Wong this morning. In general, the tumors have doubled in size since early December and Ramona is dealing with pain, especially in the night. The medical options available continue to be temporary at best.
Thanks so much for praying....
Earl

So what should I say? It feels like so much has happened in the last while that I don't know where to start.

Thursday night I was really cold and had chills; Friday morning I had a super bad headache and in the evening I also was really cold with chills; Saturday morning I had a fever of 38.8 and by 3:00ish we were in emergency. I knew that with the open wound on my leg and with the way I was feeling I had to get things checked out. We were out of there within a few hours, but now having to go to a clinic daily for IV antibiotics. So, since then we've been traveling to get my antibiotics done. On Monday the doctor at the IV clinic told me to go through emergency to get an ultrasound done. This was to make sure that there wasn't an abcess and that the lump was dying tumor instead. So after 3 medical appointments on Monday, we went to emerg around 8 in the evening. They couldn't do an ultrasound then, but I hung around in emerg until 1 in the morning and had a CT done of my lungs to make sure there was no blood clot. Tuesday at 9 I was back at St. B for my ultrasound. Since then I've had all kinds of appointments. All in all-I have an infection on my right leg that I am on antibiotics for. Everything else is "okay".

On Sunday, Earl & I were at Beyond like usual and someone came up to me and made a comment that suggested just a little bit of doubt for my healing on earth. I tried to immediately push it out of my mind but Satan kept trying to make me doubt. So I prayed about it and asked God to confirm my healing by having someone come up to me and somehow in their comments say that I would be healed. I thanked Him that He would do it and left it at that. At the end of the service we were getting ready to go and literally less than a minute before we were going to leave our seats, a friend came and chatted with me and almost immediately stated that I would be healed! Thank you Jesus! I don't think she has a clue how much her chat with me meant!

This is what I read in my devotions yesterday. It's an excerpt by Bill Johnson from the book, "When Heaven Invades Earth".
"...I must passionately desire life-changing encounters with God, over and over again. I must cry out day and night for them..and be specific. I must be willing to travel to get what I need. If God is moving somewhere else more than where I live, I must go! If He is using someone more than He is using me, I must humbly go to them and ask them to pray for me with the laying on of hands.
Some may ask, "Why can't God touch me where I am?" He can. But He usually moves in ways that emphasize our need for others, rather than adding to our independence. Wise men have always been willing to travel."

.....and this is where Ramona quit writing, leaving me to explain the significance of what she read.

For the last few months it feels like we've been learning at break-neck speed just a little bit of who God is and what He's doing and His healing power etc...etc.. We were also introduced to the ministry of Bill Johnson and some of the things going on in Redding, California. I wrote an email to someone out there saying that when the time is right, we'll come.
....and, now the tickets are booked for this weekend. We fly to Redding tomorrow morning.
It was a neat affirmation to Ramona to read that section from her book. Sometimes it feels like you need to fight for peace.
We're in the middle of an incredible battle and we appreciate your prayers a lot, especially this weekend.
I really can't sum up the thoughts as we are about to go to a place where the people actually seem to live their purpose "out of intimacy with God, to destroy the works of the devil" There seems to be incredible sensitivity to the Holy Spirit there. We continue to trust God for healing and are expecting amazing things.
I think I'll just leave it at that for now.
Sleep well,
Earl

Radiation is done!

I finished radiation on Wednesday and celebrated at Starbucks with Earl! I even cheated on my no sugar diet and had a brownie-it was super good!
Here are some pictures to give you a glimpse of what radiation is like. The first picture is my leg. I know it looks really gross and it is. It's super red from the 'burn' of radiation and it has become an open wound because of the burn. The wound drains a lot of fluid and so I have a dressing put on it every day. It's pretty painful.
The 2nd picture is not my leg but Earl's. However, the cast/form thing is what they put on my leg everyday. It was perfectly molded to my leg before I started radiation so that it would keep my leg in place. It was pretty painful when they put the mold on my leg as it would press on the wound. Because the swelling has gone down, it wasn't quite as painful anymore.
So now I'm waiting to get an appointment with Dr. Wong so that we can discuss future plans. Until then, I'm enjoying my break from treatments.
-Ramona

X-ray results

Last week Friday I had an x-ray to see what was going on in my chest. I was pretty suspicious that the tumors in my chest were grower because I was having more pain. Finally yesterday we got some results. I don't quite know what to write because the results seem kind of unclear. The radiologists compared the x-ray to the x-ray done in October not December. The tumors in my lungs right now are significantly smaller than they were in October. That is definitely good, but we don't know how they compare to December. As much as that is frustrating that we can't access that information, it's good to know that they're not an emergent concern. So, I've decided to try to ignore the discomfort in my chest and just simply believe that the tumors throughout my body are shrinking. I really believe that if there was an emergent problem God would make it clear to us-we've done what we could.
I'm continuing to walk more and yesterday didn't use the wheelchair at all. It's so much fun to be able to do things, even small things like sweeping the floor, doing dishes, etc. Who would have thought a person would be grateful for things like that?!

My thoughts

Today I want to share with you the difference having Jesus in my life makes. Okay, now that I've said such a loaded statement many of you are wondering what is happening to me and why I'm getting so deep. Follow along and I'll try to fill you in.
Last night, as usual, Earl & I went to Beyond(Sunday nights at Calvary Temple). The speaker really challenged us to be bold in our faith and to share our stories. He then kind of forced us to grab the person beside us and start sharing. I was 'lucky' enough to be sitting beside my brother so I had it easy... or so I thought. I realized that I didn't have a clue what to say. How do I tell someone the difference that Jesus makes in my life? Does Jesus make a difference in my life? Is Christianity something more than just a title or something I do? I know it is, but how can I explain it to someone? I also realized that there are a bunch of people who read this blog who I don't know. First of all, I don't know their name, I don't know where they live,-there are many people who read this blog that I have never met. I definitely don't know where many people's relationships are with Jesus. I realized that I had this incredible opportunity to tell the world, using this blog, about the difference Jesus makes. And so the question is, "What difference does Jesus make in Ramona's life?" One of the first things that pops into my mind is hope. I can't imagine not having hope. Jesus gives me hope. I know that He's got my life completely figured out-it's completely in His hands and in His control. I know that He only wants what is best for me, therefore I can trust Him completely. If I had to try to figure life out, and if I didn't believe in a higher power, life would be so much scarier.
Having a relationship with Jesus gives me a purpose. Life is so much more than pleasing self, getting rich or making a name for yourself. Life is all about serving others, praising Jesus and telling/showing others about Jesus. This brings me to some stories that I want to share. If I don't share them, I feel like I am robbing Jesus of the glory He deserves. If even half of the people who read this, say "wow, God" then think of all the praise He receives that He wouldn't have otherwise. Sometimes I'm too shy to share how God is working, but when I think about it this way, it's wrong of me not to.
On Tuesday, one of my friends from Beyond called Earl & I and asked if it would be alright if her small group could fast and pray for me on Wednesday. Of course the response was yes and so Wednesday I had a group of approximately 6 people fast and pray for healing. Thursday night, I decided to try to walk a few feet and see if I could do it. I did and since Thursday I have been walking significantly more. I have some pain when I walk but WAY less than I used to. It's super exciting to not be in a wheelchair all the time.
Friday night Earl & I are at Starbuck's and as we're leaving, two ladies come up to us and say they recognize us from Beyond. They've been praying for us and were wondering if they could pray for us right now. Absolutely!! We invite them to our car to stay warm and they both cover us in prayer. Earl & I, as well as our friends, knew this wasn't a coincedence. Earl & I had been more discouraged on Friday and we knew that the timing was too perfect to just happen by chance. One of the ladies had wanted to leave earlier but ended up staying later because of the other one's insistence. Even the fact that Earl & I were at the Starbuck's we were at, wasn't normal. God had this all figured out!
Last night, I told Earl I was about ready to go but he wanted to stay longer so we were still hanging around, listening to the music when the same friends who fasted and prayed came and introduced themselves and once again surrounded Earl & I in prayer. More friends came and encouraged us until we had this big circle of friends around us. I don't think it's a coincidence that we were still at Beyond. To me it's obvious that God wanted us to be encouraged by our friends and it's so clear that He's in control.
And so I hope this blog reminds us of 2 things:
1.)Let's give God praise when He deserves praise, even for the little things
2.)Let's be bold in sharing our stories-sharing the difference Jesus makes in our life

Blood test/x-ray

So yesterday after radiation, I went for a blood test. I've been feeling some discomfort in my chest and so I wanted to rule out some things. The results from the blood test showed that my hemoglobin is really good for me (112) and so the shortness of breath/discomfort is not due to low hemoglobin. Good and bad-fixing low hemoglobin would be pretty easy.
So today after radiation, I had a chest x-ray. I don't have the results yet, but expect to get them early next week.
As we seek to trust God and know that everything is perfectly in His control, it's hard not to worry. It's hard not to think that the tumors in my chest are growing once again. If they are, then what? As soon as these thoughts enter our mind, it's a battle to replace them with positive, life words/thoughts. For Earl & I it feels like yesterday and today especially, have been emotionally/spiritually intense. We trust God and not the symptoms, but the battle to do so is exhausting.
-Ramona

So I thought it was time to give another update on our lives. This is a picture of Earl & I Christmas Day at my parents. I really wanted to take a picture of us, but I didn't want to be sitting a wheelchair for it, so here I am balanced on one leg, getting Earl to hold me up for the picture.
Radiation has begun-today was my 8th day. I'd say it's going pretty well. My leg is still super swollen and some of the skin is peeling, so I try to lather it with lotion a lot. Other than that, I'm not sure that I have any side effects. I'm feeling a little more tired, I think, which is the most common side effect.

Last night, Earl & I went to Beyond again. (Beyond is an incredible church service held every Sunday night at Calvary Temple at 7) We absolutely love Beyond. What an incredible place to come and worship God and be super challenged to keep going to the next level. Earl & I try to attend every Sunday and it has been a place of incredible growth for us. We really feel that God is doing some pretty crazy things in our lives right now. Medically things are hopeless, but we feel incredible hope. I know I will one day be walking again and enjoying good health-it's just a matter of time. God is using this experience to prepare us for the future. The plans God has, not only for us, but for all people, are way greater than we can comprehend or imagine. It's exciting to know that He is using this experience of cancer to prepare me for my dreams of helping children/orphanages. So what now, while we wait? How can I pursue my dreams/ use my gifts, while in a wheelchair? I'm not sure, but it's something I think about a lot. Life is not about me, life is about others. So how can I live to serve others and thereby serve Jesus? Today Earl called Siloam Mission to find out if they had any volunteer opportunities that Earl & I could do together. Just because I sit in a wheelchair, does not mean I can't do anything. We'll see where that goes. I'd love to volunteer somewhere-do something productive.

And so those are some of my thoughts. Right now Earl is skating with his brother and we've got some friends bringing pizza over for supper. Thanks again to those of you who come over and visit, bring us food, pray, encourage, whatever-we appreciate our friends a lot!

Oh yeah, a little exciting side note-as of today my eyelashes are officially coming back. It's incredible how fast they grow. Yesterday morning I could barely see them and today they're almost halfway there. But as my eyelashes come, my eyebrows go. Very interesting how the body works....

-Ramona

Hockey on Wheels

Playing hockey with my family on the Morweena rink.
What an awesome Christmas!

Just a quick note that I am doing quite well. God's peace is absolutely incredible. My pain is pretty well managed but I have had a bit more pain lately. My mind is more clear than it was and I am not hallucinating anymore. I still can't walk but rather spend my hours on the couch or wheelchair.
I've had more difficulty sleeping due to some of the medication so that is something I'd appreciate prayer for.
Radiation starts on Monday but I'll have a break on the 25th & 26th. Currently we are at my parent's in Morweena enjoying some extended Christmas gatherings.
Thanks so much for the thousands of prayers. God is faithful and is completely in control. All He asks is that we praise and trust Him.
Ramona

Alright...I'm sitting on my couch watching Ramona sleep. The house is cleaned up (Ramona's mom has been with us for the last few days...which was absolutely perfect), and I'm sick of trying to find gifts on ebay. Anyway, that last post was short exactly because Ramona's meds are affecting her mind quite a bit. In fact, I had to write those last two sentences for her.
As we mentioned previously, chemo is on hold as we deal with the tumor on the right leg that isn't responding.
We had a meeting with Dr. Akra on Tuesday. He's in charge of radiation and we're really impressed with him. We feel like he's putting in an impressive effort to have Ramona's radiation pushed through quickly. It's a process that, if we don't pay attention, or if Ramona isn't prioritized will get put off until after Christmas. As it looks now, radiation should begin within the two weeks. The CT Simulation that was scheduled for next week, has been moved to tomorrow.

In dealing with the long term, a radiated tumor will grow back. This means that we need to deal with a surgery to remove that tumor.
We were also able to talk to the surgeon on Tuesday...
I'm pretty sure I used to be a nice/patient person....but when people dealing with Ramona see the glass as half empty...(and I mean very empty).......

I think I'm just going to change the topic. I can't afford to be distracted by people without hope.

I'm not gonna lie. Every part of me that is a natural human being gets pretty scared in the middle of all this stuff. It's not my idea of fun to have Ramona be so heavily medicated...
I'm incredibly thankful for the thousands of people praying for us. There are also, people fasting and praying for us. Thankyou so much.

I meant what I said with "we have no Plan B". I find it so hard to live like that. I feel like I would gladly learn to trust God with everything.......if Ramona's life wasn't on the line. I have horrible visions of everything going wrong and people trying to explain to me that God is still good...and then be back to a safe, powerless God. How disgusting wouldn't that be, for God to be safe and powerless.

The Bible teaches us to pray " Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven". It's our role to pray that the kingdom come.........

I'm simply angry at how many people i see sick all around me...there is provision for healing...

In my reading, and from talking with people I notice a huge difference between people who are experiencing God...and those whose Christianity is in all practicality atheism.....
Maybe I'm more frustrated with what I see in myself. When I fear, I am agreeing with Satan. I'm agreeing that God can't fully be trusted.
I read of people who have a life that demonstates "out of intimacy with God to destroy the works of the devil"
That is awesome. I could look inside myself and analyze all this stuff, but I promise you I will never figure it out. That is one of the most destructive things in Christianity, to look inside yourself and focus on all the things you could feel guilty about, or could change, or what ever.

Heb. 12:2. "Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfector of our faith"
...this is more than just a good idea.....
It's such a huge temptation for me to look inside myself to think of all the things that I could have done differently in the last 2.5 years, or to fear the upcoming treatment decisions......

The spirit that raised Christ from the dead is inside of us as Christians.

Thankyou for reading my smattering of thoughts. If you want get to know a powerful God who is worth trusting with your life....pay attention....this story is not done.

I was discharged from St. Boniface on Sunday and my pain is much better managed. I'm still bedridden requiring help with even simple care. My brain is not working super well but my pain meds are. Thank you so much for praying. Let's not stop believing.
-Ramona

Well... I'm pretty sure Ramona is sleeping now. The last few days have been a pretty big battle to get her pain under control. On Wednesday (anniversary) , Ramona was just starting with the methadone, and it didn't really start providing much relief until, to my suprise, she felt "good" enough to head out to a restaurant for supper. I guess she was getting used to the new medication and so she fell asleep a few times at the restaurant, but it was incredibly special that it worked anyway. The leg tumor continues to affect the nerves in her leg, she just realized tonight that she can't really move her right foot much any more.
Yesterday, and parts of today had a lot of pain as they continued to adjust the pain medication. It seems to be fairly effective now...although Ramona is hallucinating sometimes.
Ramona is only taking one of the two scheduled chemo drugs. This is because we are hoping to have some radiation on that right leg (consultation appointment Dec. 9) ASAP. Adriamycin and chemo do not work together.
I can't do justice to any spiritual topic with the time left on this kiosk.............we know Jesus heals....The Bible has to be speaking the truth about the power of God...we have no Plan B...
- Earl

Thankyou to everyone who is texting and wishing us a Happy Anniversay today. We're celebrating quite a bit different than planned. We have the results from the CT scan. The tumors that we previously knew about shrank, but this previously mentioned leg pain is caused by a tumor in her lower leg. It is a 14 x 4 cm tumor that must not be responding to chemo, or else it would be shrinking now too. Today will continue to be filled with meetings with medical staff. Ramona's leg pain has quickly come to the point where her morphine dosages weren't cutting the pain. We're now in the process of trying new meds......now to my point. Keep praying. We've made it this far due to prayer. Thank you all so much.
-Earl

So...it's looks like we haven't written for some time. I think Ramona tried the other day...but I guess it must have disappeared.
Anyway, I guess we need to sum up the last two weeks. Ramona is heading into the hospital within a few hours to begin chemo round number 16. It's absolutely ridiculous. That's 885 hours that chemo has been pouring into her, never mind the hundreds of litres of other stuff. etc...etc..etc.

For some reason Ramona's leg continues to be a frustration. We're not sure why all the discomfort and pain is there. A bone scan for her leg is scheduled for a week from now.

This week is also the week the CT Scan is going to be done. Keep believing. It's often pretty easy for us to get discouraged with everything. It seems God has done everything except take the cancer away. It's really easy to forget all the little miracles that have happened along the way. Thank you so much to everyone who continually reminds us that you're praying.
I can smell supper,
Earl

Home Again

My hemoglobin Saturday morning was 118. That's got to be a record high for me! (Okay so I did have 3 units of blood this week, which might attribute to the high number) Whatever the case, I was excited knowing I wouldn't be delayed by a blood transfusion Sunday morning. So yes, we are home again.
This week was...I don't know...decent, okay, average, pretty good...it's still chemo...but honestly pretty good. No crazy anxiety attacks which was awesome. I cut out some anti nausea meds which I really think helped. Thanks to all the prayers in that regard. Whenever I enter the hospital and get connected to my pole, I instantly have this background anxiety. It stays with me until I am disconnected and discharged. It's a constant battle to fight the feelings of anxiety. However, these feelings were just background this round and for that I'm SUPER grateful.
Here's the God story of the week:
Monday night when I was admitted I was told that I was in Room 34. For those of you who don't know, that's the absolute best room on 5B-it's the luxury suite. It's designed for palliative patients, but when it's not in use for that, the nurses are so amazing that they allow chemo patients to be in that room. I was excited but at the same time I didn't know if I could handle being in that room. That had been Andi's room for the last month and that's where I saw her for the last time.
After a mental battle I decided that the advantages of being in a private room were so great, that I would put forth a real effort. I entered the room and forced myself to sit on the bed and almost immediately, it became my old room. Before Andi was so sick, I had been in that room numerous times and all those memories came back. Even though some of Andi's Halloween decorations were still dangling from the ceiling, I was okay with it.


Tuesday afternoon one of the charge nurses comes into my room, has a seat and asks if it would be okay if they would move me. What can I say? Of course I don't want to move, but they already know that and they wouldn't move me if they didn't have to. So I agree to it. Apparently I'm going to move to a nonprivate room and it's going to happen around supper.
This was super hard for me. I had just finished telling Earl how amazing it was to be in a private room and now I had to move. I just felt myself getting really discouraged and down and so I suggested that we pray. We prayed that some crazy miracle would occur and that somehow I wouldn't have to move out of my room.
The evening nurses come on and I ask the charge when I'm going to be moving. She doesn't know what I'm talking about. I tell her that the other nurse had told me that I'd have to move because they had to accept a patient from emergency. Apparently they were not accepting this patient anymore and I didn't have to move. Wow-I prayed and God directly answered my prayer; how awesome and exciting!

For those who are asking how I'm doing. Relatively well. I've been having some ankle/leg pain that has Dr. Wong clueless. I've had it for about 2 1/2 weeks and at times I think it's getting better and then it comes back. Today has been pretty good and I'm once again encouraged that it's getting better. I don't believe it's anything serious. I had an X-ray to rule out tumors and an ultrasound to rule out blood clots. Now we just wait for it to completely disappear.
Thanks for your prayers and support
Ramona

Andi

Today I went to my friend Andi's funeral.

Andi was an incredible fighter. The bravery that she fought this horrible disease with was amazing.
Andi was also hilarious-she had a great sense of humor and was cracking jokes even while she was in horrible pain.
Andi, you were such a welcoming person. There was never a time that you felt too miserable to visit with Earl & I. Even in your final days, you smiled when we visited and I knew you were glad that we were there.
Andi, you were so brave. When Dr. Wong told you that you were going to be transferred to palliative care, you still were able to put on a smile and come tell me about it.
Andi, I'll miss you.
Tonight when I go in for another round of chemo, I'll be looking at your room and be hit with the fact that you're not there. I'll miss not being able to come visit you whenever I'm lonely or bored.
I'm so glad Andi that you're not suffering anymore. Most people will never even come close to experiencing the kind of pain that you went through. You fought hard and I'm so proud!
Earl & I chatted with Bobby for a long time today, Andi. He was sitting with us during the meal. He's a great man and he loved you so incredibly much.
And so Andi, I now say good-bye.
I'm so glad we were able to meet and become friends. I can't wait to see you in heaven.
I love you
Ramona

Earl Cooke, myself and Andi Jan. /08
All diagnosed with sarcoma and all having chemo at the same time

This is kind of fun, getting people to guess what kind of food I chose for my birthday!
None of you got it bang on, but the Mennonites were the closest! I had a pretty big list of things that I was debating about. Good old homemade cottage cheese perogies covered in white onion gravy was high on the list. This wouldn't have been complete without farmer sausage slathered in ketchup on the side. So good...maybe next year. :)
So the menu was as follows:
Lunch: Chili & Greasy White bread garlic toast
Dessert at Dairy Queen -Reese Twister (Only was able to finish a third of it)
Supper: (Don't laugh too hard-I know it sounds childish, but what can I say... way too normal)
Taco Salad with that amazing white sauce and New Bothwell cheese, Juicy sausage burgers with all the works including processed cheese, and Spinach salad with bacon
Dessert was this amazing Pistachio Poppyseed Dessert.
Thanks to both Moms who made such a delicious supper!

25 Years

First of all, thank you to all of you who wished me a happy birthday. I truly can say that in spite of everything, I had a good day.
Yes, I got out of the hospital early Sunday morning. I've felt pretty good all week. Of course I'm super tired and weak, but I think I'm doing a lot better than last round.
All week I was hoping and praying and wishing that I would feel good this weekend. I really wanted to have a special birthday but I knew that Friday would be the beginning of my 'bad weekend'. (About a week after I come home, my white blood count always drops and I usually develop a fever. This has often resulted in me spending some quality time in emergency.)
I know there were a ton of people praying that this weekend would be different. I'm so excited because I am not writing this blog from the hospital but rather from at home! Yesterday I felt super weak and tired all day. I could tell my body was really fighting. I tried to rest a lot and drink lots of water. Usually the fever spikes in the evening. I decided that I was not going to check my temperature unless I felt really bad. As the evening progressed, I knew I had a fever but I felt okay so I just kept enjoying the evening with my family and Earl's family. Once everyone was going home, I checked my temp. It read 38.3. Not a good sign but I decided to wait it out to see if it would go down, or if I'd start to feel bad. (I'm kind of used to these things, so I know how to read my body) Just before my brother left, he prayed for me and a few minutes later I felt my body cool down. I really believe that the accumulation of many of you praying kept me from entering the hospital. I haven't checked my temp since last night-I can tell I don't have a fever. I've been exhausted today as my body is still fighting but I am so super grateful that I am doing as well as I am. Thank you everyone of you who prayed that I would have a special birthday.

Ramona

....so I get the task of proofreading this and I find nothing here about Ramona's food choice for her birthday...I'm curious if any of you guys could guess what kind of 'normal' food she would choose after having gone almost a year with extremely limited amounts of red meat, dairy, white flour and white sugar....

Earl

Well...here goes. From my perspective Ramona was having a pretty decent day. Last night was filled with aches and pains, and she actually never feels perfect during the day either, but this evening we realized that Ramona has gone three days without morphine. That's pretty impressive. The withdrawal effects from morphine are similar enough to what chemo feels like, I guess.

A combination of prayer, good people dropping by, and an adjustment to the nausea medication have improved the struggle with anxiety in the last two days.

When I came back to hospital tonight around 8:30. I went to the lounge to find a big group of people hanging out and having fun in there. Apparently, I had hair on my head.....so I didn't fit in. We have a neat group of people on 5B right now, all dealing with similar diagnosis es and chemos.

-Earl

Ramona is back in the hospital. On monday the port was put in with no complications. The whole process of this twenty minute surgery took 3.5 hours. Ramona also received two more units of blood on Monday. With all this happening chemo only started yesterday.
Prayer:
- Anxiety is a huge battle in the hospital
- Chemo would continue to be incredibly effective
- Our friend Andrianna is receiving horrible news from the doctors. They are talking about palliative care.

For now,
Earl

Monday night I went into the hospital dreading like crazy my 2nd round of chemo. I stayed the night and the plan was to put a port in Tuesday morning. (A port is a device that is surgically inserted just underneath the skin. It is placed near the heart. It serves the same purpose as a PICC.) Well, plans changed all day. Winnipeg doesn't have the kind of port I need-it needs to be shipped from Toronto. For awhile we thought we'd just put in a temporary PICC, but that didn't work because my veins are too "traumatized" from the the previous PICCs. So I was sent home Tuesday afternoon. The last I heard is that the port takes two days to get here from Toronto and so I'm expecting to go back in on Friday. I'll have my little surgery and then chemo will start immediately after.
Of course it's frustrating when things don't quite work out, but truthfully, every single day that I don't have to have chemo, is another day that God can miraculously heal me. I believe that God can and has been using the chemo to heal, but I absolutely hate going through it. As I told Earl, I'm sick and tired of being sick and tired. Ever since my first round of chemo, I have not had one day that I have felt good all day. I still am weak, I still feel sick a lot of the time. I have to admit that I'm fighting discouragement, I'm fighting anxiety. The battle is so intense. It's hard to stay positive when circumstances aren't positive. I feel like I'm battling this cloud of anxiety that says that I can't escape feeling sick. Yes, I know God is still the same God-I know He hasn't changed. I know He is protecting me and 'covering me with His feathers' (Psalm 91) No matter what you know, Satan is still trying to discourage. And so I ask for an extra dose of prayer in the spiritual battle realm. May Satan and his discouraging thoughts flee and may I continue to trust Jesus. May I rest knowing that He only wants what is best for me and He's got me completely taken care of.
-Ramona

Goodbye PICC

Today my PICC left me!! After weeks of arguing back and forth on whether it was infected or not, today we finally got some clarity. The blood test I had yesterday helped figure things out. So, I am super excited about showering, finally a shower where I don't have to worry about getting my PICC wet! I'll probably have a new one put in on Tuesday, but that doesn't make sense to me cause I'll need it Monday night, so I don't know......
And that's the deal. I'm still fighting some kind of stomach discomfort and still tired and weak. I'm hoping that now that the PICC is gone, I'll start feeling better.
Ramona

Home

Yesterday the doctors all finally agreed that I could come home. So around 3:30 Earl & I came home and crashed and slept for a few hours!! I had felt so good in the hospital and was so thrilled to be home, but last night I again developed a fever. It wasn't really high but enough to realize that something was going on. We went to bed-the night was filled with shivering and sweating but not too bad. I felt a bit better today and have not checked my temperature in hours. If the fever continues-I have to go back to the hospital. I'm really hoping and praying that doesn't happen.
Tonight Earl & I went to a fundraiser for a friend who is also fighting cancer. My heart is heavy tonight as I was faced with the realities of her situation. It is only more of an incentive to keep praying, praying, praying. It was also a lot of fun hanging out with our friend, Earl who was also at the same event. Another highlight was hanging out with my chemo nurse and meeting her family.
So tonight I go to bed, praying that I can enjoy this weekend and not land up in the hospital and praying for a miracle for my dear friend.
Ramona

Purple Hair

Those of you who know me, know that I would never, ever dye my hair purple-it's just not me. Well sometimes you do things you'd never do if you weren't in the situation you're in! Sunday morning as I was fighting fevers in the hospital, I noticed a few hair on my pillow and immediately my hand went to my head and gently pulled and sure enough, my hair was starting to come out. Instantly I decided to shave it and made arrangements to have a clipper brought in the hospital. However, Earl's sister and Earl thought it would be good to have some fun before I went bald and so this was my look for a few hours!
Right now, I am sitting at home and blogging. Again I'm not technically out of the hosptial, but thanks to an amazing husband who fights for me and an awesome group of doctors, I was allowed to come home for the night. I need to be back by 8 in the morning. Today I am feeling superb. I feel better than I have since before chemo. This morning something was simply just different. My white blood count is coming up and I believe that's a huge reason. My platelets are still super low, even after a platelet transfusion. It's not too worrisome at this point, but I have to be careful. I don't have a clue when I can come home for 'good'. I have not had a fever at all today, so that is a first since Friday night. As much as things are going in the right direction, the right doctors have to all agree that is is safe for me to be home. Fevers and possible infections for someone in my situation, are a big deal to doctors.
Now for the really encouraging part of my day. A year ago when I was in the hospital, there was another girl going through chemo as well. We were often in the hospital at the same time and sometimes hung out together. However, I had not seen her since then and have only sort of kept in touch. Today her mom came to visit. It was such a wonderful surprise and so good to chat, connect and relate. What was so encouraging to me, was how this woman has changed completely. Previously, she was stressed and worried(no one can blame her)but today she was fighting for her daughter, praying and believing that her daughter would live. The spiritual change was so amazing and so touching to hear that her and her daughter pray for me all the time. Medically, her situation is similar to mine. We both need miracles. If you think of her, please pray for her.
I feel like there is a spiritual battle raging. Ever since I openly stated that I believed God would heal me, a doctor has treated me much more rudely. Pray that the Holy Spirit does what He does best.
And so, that's my update.
A special thanks to Melissa who sits with me while Earl's in class and studying, to all those who've filled our freezer with food and for every single prayer.
I can't wait to get into my own bed
Good night

Ramona is still in the hospital right now. She hasn't felt super good the whole time in the hospital, but considering her Neutrophils were zero for a while and the rest of the numbers were really low, I'm thankful for how good she felt. She continues to get fevers. The doctors don't know the source of the fevers.
....I guess I'll just leave you with small bits of vague info for now....I'm heading back to the hospital right away....
-Earl

So, Ramona and I went out for ice cream last night. Unfortunately......it was our stuff left over in the freezer at St. B. Ramona is in emergency now. We went in last night around eleven p.m. Her white blood count is 0.1 and her platelets are 11. She is fighting with a fever too. Considering all the previously mentioned things she feels pretty good right now............as I'm writing this, I just got a call that Ramona is being brought up to the 5th floor.
Thanks so much for praying you guys
-Earl

So, how to sum up the last week?? I sit here not having a clue what to write, so much has happened, so much intensity...
The last everyone heard medically was that Dr. Wong came into my room trying to tell me the seriousness of a possible infection. Due to this potential infection, I have been on superbug antibiotics. These antibiotics can not be taken in pill form. Therefore, they did not let me out of the hospital on Monday, neither did they let me get out on Tuesday. Now Home Care is set up and a nurse comes to our house twice a day to administer my antibiotics. I was able to go home for a few passes on Monday and Tuesday and both nights were spent at home, that was awesome, even if we had to be back at the hospital early morning.
I'm sure a bunch of you are confused about this infection, so am I. Earlier in the week I had a fever which resulted in the blood cultures showing an infection. However, the 2nd cultures taken a few days later have not shown any infection. Apparently it can take a long time for these cultures to grow, so we wait and take precautions.
I feel like I'm super slowly starting to recuperate. The couch and I are great friends. :) My pain is for the most part under control.
Thank you so much for your prayers, comments and emails. We have been surrounded by support and I thank you. It blows my mind how many people around the world are praying-thank you. And as I genuinely thank you for you prayers, I long for more as I know that it's only through Jesus that I am healed. This weekend has potential for my white blood count to drop resulting in a hospital stay. Pray that the fever stays away.
Ramona

Finally Home

Just a quick note to say that this morning we finally came home!! How amazing to be home. Earl & I are so exhausted so maybe tomorrow I'll fill everyone in all the details.
Good night
Ramona

Thankyou for posting those verses in the comments. That is really encouraging.
So...., this morning Dr. Wong comes back and essentially tells Ramona that this infection could be a big deal, and potentially fatal and things like that....and a transfusion needs to be done again...and was kind of....simply not to encouraging. Anyway, the cultures came back shortly after that showing absolutely no infection, for which I am super excited about. It is possible for the cultures to show something in the next few days if something grows..........but really...why go there.....as I'm excited about this news, I guess there is no reason to stop praying. We do realize that anything that does go wrong when you have no white blood cells is serious. Anyway, I had better go back to the hospital to try to speed up the transfusion and the technicalities that go with trying to get out of the hospital.
-earl

Things to be thankful for:
-Ramona has barely mentioned words like vomit, nausea etc.
-there is only one bag of chemo left for this round.
-Ramona has been able to be in the 'comfy' room the whole time
-Nursing staff is unbelievable
-Had some incredible times of worship in Ramona's room
-Met and spent some time talking to a Christian doctor, Dr. Foerester
-Awesome friends, family, and food

.....I don't have a good title for the next part. These next things sure don't keep us from being thankful, but are important to let you prayer warriors know about...and end up being pretty difficult sometimes
-Ramona seems to have some type of infection and may need to have a new PICC line put in if the antibiotics don't take care of it
-Ramona continues to have significant back pain. Morphine in small doses does not seem to take care of it.

My time at the kiosk has roughly come to an end. Thank you so much,
Earl

It's a good thing that we felt peace before the chemo started. The chemo started yesterday at about 4 p.m. and....is just super tough. There is no proper way to describe it. On the first evening when we came to the hospital Ramona was feeling horrible to begin with, but, the struggle within her was absolutely huge. "I can't do it" she kept saying........and that makes sense to me....To knowingly put yourself into a prison cell and inject poison into you that makes you throw up, shuts your digestive system down, makes your hair fall out, etc...etc..., I don't know how else to explain it, but in my mind it's the closest picture I have to the Garden of Gethsemane. The unselfishness is amazing.... We know it is going to take something supernatural to get through this.

Ramona has really been struggling with anxiety too. She wanted me to post this, to have as many people praying about this as possible. Ramona has had small doses of drugs to calm the anxiety. Anxiety is physical and spiritual, and we know prayer works for both those realms.

Last night Ramona was getting a fever too. We're not sure at all what is going on. At first, the doctors suggested it might be tumors breaking down. Then as her temperature rose to 39 degrees they assumed it must be some type of infection. During the night they pumped her full of antibiotics. This morning her temperature is down atleast, but she was feeling pretty uncomfortable, and hadn't slept much during the night so she wasn't feeling too good when I left the hospital an hour ago. She was going down for an X-ray when I left and they're doing blood cultures and urine analysis to try and figure out what is going on. When I talked to her on the phone now, she was about to enter a morphine induced rest, which is a really good thing.

Hey Mark and Raelynn, thanks for the supper. We appreciate people rallying around us and encouraging us and brightening up those st. b walls.

Thank you Jesus that when you died on the cross you paid for sins and sickness.

-Earl

Quick note.
Ramona and I made it to the hospital around 8 this morning.
One blessing already is that Ramona's blood count looks good. (Yesterday's was filled with warning asterisks)
Chemo should start around 1:30. (Seeing as everything in hospitals always goes according to plan :) )
Where ever you are today you've got an opportunity to praise God. Thanks for agreeing with us for a miracle.
-earl

I'll see if I can print out the comments and bring them to Ramona

Well... I just spent an absolutely enjoyable evening at home with my wife and some of our friends. If you're confused, that' s okay I'll keep writing. First of all, I was mentioning that Ramona had huge amounts of pain last night. It was something unbelieveable. I don't know if I've ever seen Ramona in so much pain for so long. I know Ramona really wanted to thank the nurses for the amazing job they did taking care of her in the 2+ hours of agony before they could give pain meds.
In the morning a CT was done. The CT results weren't exactly what we would have hoped for. It was confirmed that the pain Ramona was having is a result of internal, tumor bleeding in her chest. In addition to that. In the past 2.5 weeks one of the tumors has tripled in size, and the rest have grown significantly as well.
Doctor Wong was at the point of trying to talk us out of chemo. I asked him if there was any other form of treatment he wanted to try. There is nothing he wants to do. The chemo, he says, has a greater than 0% chance of working. Better than zero, is a good thing.
Anyway, since by that point it was realistically too late to start chemo for the day we went home. We'll be back at St. B. tomorrow morning (8 am.)to get another CT scan done and then start chemo after that.
We spent this evening singing and worshipping God in our house with some of our friends. What an absolutely awesome time. It was super encouraging for us.
I hope these details help you know how to pray.
Thanks,
Earl


Also, I don't know how to say this. But if you are a Christian reading this. Do not limit the healing power of God. Our faith is being tested and we are far from perfect, but I do not appreciate when Christians either subtly or directly plant ideas of doubt in our minds.
We have many praying/encouraging people around us, for which we are incredibly thankful.

Quick update for the prayer warriors
Ramona was having incredible amounts of pain last night when we came into the hospital. At this point it's speculation what was all going on. This morning will include a CT scan as well as other tests. Chemo will wait until the tests are done. We want to praise God that the pain has subsided and ask everyone to keep praying as we expect God to glorify Himself with amazing healing.
-earl

.........as I sit here I don't think I have the words to describe the supernatural difference in our house......and I don't even think I'll try....you've probably read the last few posts.... A big huge 'amen' to everything Ramona wrote. We're planing to go ahead with the chemo plans. A little bit of chemical is not going to hinder God from doing the crazy, unexpected things He has in store for us. Ramona is booked to enter the St. Boniface hospital tomorrow at 8 p.m.
-earl

Earl Cooke-healed!!!!

So I'm at my parents in Morweena. Earl is at a men's retreat in the Whiteshell with a bunch of men from Soul Sanctuary. Tomorrow we'll meet in Arborg for the Terry Fox Run.
First of all, I thank every one of you for your prayers, comments and emails. It absolutely blows me away how many prayers were lifted upward yesterday-thank you! I'd also like to thank the girls that I had supper with last night. Thank you for allowing me to be real with you and for caring so deeply-thank you for praying with me; you guys are awesome! Now, where do I start? I'm so excited about what I heard today, that I'll start with that.
A lot of you have heard me mention Earl Cooke before. (Check out the link to his blog) This last week, God miraculously healed him of cancer!!! He was also fighting sarcoma and at his last appointment with Dr. Wong, he was given hopeless news. The cancer in his lungs was spreading fast. He went in to the hospital on Wednesday to start chemo. He had pain in his ribs so tests were done and his cancer was gone! There is one benign tumor, but everything cancerous is gone. Needless to say Dr. Wong was floored! Wow, wow, wow! I've been encouraging Earl Cooke for months that he & I would be Dr. Wong's first sarcoma survivors- it's crazy to see that happening. It blows my mind what God is doing. He's constantly affirming me that He is in control and that He's in the healing business. Thank you Jesus-you deserve all honor, glory and praise!
My next story will seem stupid to many of you and I simply don't care. I'm not forcing anyone to read this blog-it's simply Earl & I pouring out our hearts, allowing whoever wants to listen, to listen. Ever since my last bout of chemo, atleast since January, I can not remember a time that I sweat. I can not remember ever smelling sweat on any of my clothes or on myself. Yesterday, I was sitting outside and smelled sweat. I couldn't believe it was me- needless to say I really stank.(Earl can definitely testify to that :) ) This was the first time that I had sweat in almost a year. To everyone else, this is nothing to be thankful for. Most people wish they wouldn't sweat. I on the other hand, long to be healthy enough to sweat. I have no idea why I suddenly sweat, but I take it to be another little sign that God is healing my body. I'll let you think what you want.
And so here I sit, trying to absorb it all in-so thankful that God is completely in control. We were created to praise Him, no matter what we're going through!
As for the decision on chemo, I'll wait to officially post that until Earl is back from the men's retreat. I will share that we feel quite strongly in a certain direction and have felt a lot of affirmation.
Please don't stop praying
Ramona

Nigeria

I sit here and cry. I just finished reading the comments on the blog and all the emails you've sent and I'm amazed. The crazy thing is that most of you, I don't even know! God is up to something pretty crazy, I really can't fathom it. Thank you for your encouragement-thank you for praying. I'm just so in awe of God today. Let me fill you in.
This morning, one of my close friends came over that I hadn't seen in a year. We had a great time chatting and in the process, she told me how God had healed her this past year! God had really been speaking to her about dealing with some inner stuff and as a result, she was completely healed of an allergy and other medical stuff. Talk about amazing. Talk about affirming. I just got so excited. Here I am, seeking God and the Bible for healing, and my friend, totally unexpectedly, shares her story of healing-wow!
This afternoon, after chatting with 2 pastors, about which direction to take regarding chemo, Earl & I went to the Light Christian Store. One of the pastors had suggested getting some Praise & Worship music and had suggested a certain artist, so we decided to pick it up on the way home. All day, I'd been feeling pretty miserable with pretty intense chest pain, so after a bit I sat down in the store. I always like to watch people and today was no different. I saw an obvious African couple go to the counter and I thought, proceed to buy something. I heard them talking about sales and discounts and so on and so I gathered that they couldn't afford to buy this kid's CD/book that they wanted to buy. They left the counter and returned the item. The woman was still dressed in her traditional African clothes and I started dreaming about going to Africa, etc. etc. This couple really got to me. I started to wonder if maybe I should give them some money so they could buy this children's music. I imagined that they had just emmigrated and were probably really poor. I didn't really want to give them any money-I was too shy. I felt stupid, I mean how do I know if they're poor? What if they'd be offended? Was it just my imagination? I couldn't knock the feeling, so after we payed for our stuff, I told Earl how I felt. He encouraged it and so he went and gave them some money while I went to the car. I don't normally have these kind of moments, so I went to the car and prayed that that money could be used for awesome things and that something good could come out of it. After a few minutes, this African couple and Earl come out of the store and they come meet me. Before we've even introduced ourselves they wrap their arms around me and start praying. (Earl had told them I was sick) Here we were, in the parking lot-2 white people and 2 Africans hugging and praying-crying out to God. I thought we must look pretty crazy, but I didn't care. Turns out this couple are missionaries from Nigeria. They are traveling around, speaking about healing and have even written a book on healing!!!! Not only that, their son had a tumor on his head and was miraculously healed and the father also was healed miraculously! Wow! What an incredible God we serve. They were wanting to buy children's CDs, etc. because they are passionate about children's ministries in their country.Earl & I were so overwhelmed and then we found out that they were working with a church that is within walking distance from our house. They are currently living right close by. We gave them a ride to the house that they're living and the woman of that home gave us delicious Nigerian food for supper. After supper, we attended the Bible study. Now, I'm just trying to wrap my brain around it all. I feel so blessed to have so many people praying for me. I'm just amazed how God works. It's no accident that I felt God speaking to me, to give that money. It made me wonder, how many times I miss out on incredible blessings, just because I use the excuse that I'm shy. Earl & I were blessed and encouraged way more that that money ever meant to us. Let me just encourage all of us to be bold-who knows the blessings you will receive!?!
Ramona
PS. I'll try to do the Terry Fox Run in Arborg on Sunday. (hopefully bike) Love to see some of you there.

Yes, so we received my CT results on Monday. Just as we expected, the news was dismal. In two months, the tumors have doubled in size and one is putting pressure on the blood vessels going to my heart. Yes, it's scary and overwhelming. However, I told Dr. Wong that Earl & I were believing for a miracle. That even though it doesn't make sense medically, I am going to survive. I said no to chemo for now, but am really battling if I made the right decision. Dr. Wong said that I need to make that decision now, because in a month or two it could be too late(meaning the chemo would make me too sick because my body would be too sick to handle it). I believe without a shadow of a doubt that God will heal me miraculously. However, I don't know when. I am so sick and tired of chemo. The thought of it is so overwhelming that I begin to cry. The worst part by far, is being 'locked' into a small space for a week. The surroundings are so discouraging and depressive. I can't battle chemo, it's simply too much for me. BUT, I know God would somehow help me get through it. So here is where all of you readers come in. I need you, every one of you that believes in the power of prayer & or fasting, to please pray for Earl & I. I'm asking as many people as possible, this Friday, to pray specifically for direction as to whether or not I should have chemo. (Medically speaking, chemo will only prolong my life, not cure the cancer.) If God speaks to any of you, please email us at earlramona@gmail.com. I want to go confidently in a direction and believe that God will show us which way to go.
Thanks so much for your prayers. I know hundreds of prayers are and have been prayed for me and I am so grateful. May I become a woman of God, that is one day used to impact the world and give God incredible glory. Know that every prayer is valuable and may God bless you.
Ramona

Hey everybody,
Earl & I are now officially living in Winnipeg! We moved on Monday and are starting to feel settled in. Earl will be going to the University of Manitoba studying Nutrition and starts classes tomorrow.
My health is obviously weighing heavily on our hearts and minds. I had a CT scan last Friday and will receive the results on Monday. Unless God does an amazing miracle before Monday, Earl & I know that Dr. Wong will give us bad news. The tumor on my leg has grown tremendously and gives me a significant amount of pain. I try not to dwell on this because I firmly believe that God is healing me and that through a miracle I will survive this cancer. There are so many things that I am passionate about and long to do with my life. I don't believe that my life is over. God has wonderful things in store for Earl & I together. As much as I believe this, there are times when I doubt and fear so much. When I wake up in the night crying with pain, I wonder where God is. I get discouraged and just want to give up. Then when the pain is gone, it's somehow so much easier to trust and believe that God's in control. What a reminder to trust God-no matter how you feel, or no matter how things appear, God is still the same God and He knows what He's doing.
Pray for us to keep trusting. Pray for us that no matter how hopeless Dr. Wong sounds, that we won't let that get us discouraged, instead let him see that we serve the God who heals and who gives hope. Pray for us as we need to make decisions regarding chemo.
Thanks again for your prayers and support. Many of you have shown your support in tremendous ways-thanks for the food, the gifts, the money, the garden produce, etc. You may not receive a personal thank you note, but please feel personally thanked.
Ramona

I guess there has been quite a bit going on since the last post. First, Jay and Lonita got married a couple of days ago. A huge congratulations to those kids...and I hope you guys are relaxing and enjoying your honeymoon. In the midst of the fun of a wedding we've also been talking to doctors.

Trying to summarize:
At the time of the last post Dr. Wong had essentially no hope of any good news for Ramona. A day or two later I had the reports of the scans sent to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, hoping that they might find some glimmer of hope. The email I got back from Mayo is likely the most discouraging five sentences ever written. There was no way to glean any hope from that email. Palliative chemo, is what he was talking about. Meanwhile, we have been talking to Oasis to see if they really knew what they are talking about. I seriously questioned them and the group of doctors saw her case again last Thursday. They called me on Thursday and stuck to their guns that Ramona is in good shape. And this has been our struggle, how can doctors look at the same scans and have such different interpretations.
Anyway, today we had a Telehealth appointment with Dr. Waddell (lung surgeon) in Toronto. To our surprise, he said that to him, all the tumors in the chest looked operable. Lung surgery is not exactly an appealing thought, but it was refreshing to talk to someone outside of Oasis who atleast had a small glimmer of hope too. He would need chemo to be done first. We asked him when he thought chemo would start. He figured chemo would need to start in 3-6 months. So this is where we are at, in the time before the doctors here think chemo would need to start, we hope it will become even more apparent that the Oasis treatment is working. We will do everything possible to boost Ramona's health during this time. We have asked Dr. Wong to have a scan done at the end of August to evaluate where everything is at.
One good thing that has happened is that medical uncertainty is a huge wake up call for us. The God who we often think doesn't care, is actually the same God who loves us enough to have sent Jesus to die for us. God does miracles, not doctors.
-Earl

This is absolutely ridiculous. If we both hadn't fallen off the emotional roller coaster earlier in the day I'd know how to write. I called Oasis this morning to make sure that they were sure that Ramona is doing good.....and...they're sure. We talked to Dr. Wong today and he looked at the same scans that Oasis has and says that there is nothing her can really do for Ramona. The cancer is back full force and chemo will only temporarily slow it down...............ya.......that was the same scans he was looking at...............I'm leaving out huge amounts of important information...but I rode home from Winnipeg with Ramona listening to her talk about how she should quickly clean the house and make extra food this week because maybe she'll be having chemo soon????!... There are many phone calls and decisions to make. Please pray that healing happens somehow.....
Earl

Just a quick note. I'm not sure how to explain this, but we have have test results in front of us from a CT scan taken June 26th. It is the weekend, and there is no doctor here to explain the results to us. I have tried contacting Oasis clinic, and will try to call there again tomorrow. The results we see seem a lot less positive than what we believed this last week. Please pray for us as we wait impatiently to talk to a doctor......and...I'm writing just so you might know a little better how we're actually feeling right now.
-earl

We have the results! Ramona's scan shows that there is no major cancer activity and that her immune system is doing it's job! It was a little scary for me, because as I mentioned previously, the technician at Glendale MRI let me hang out in his office. This meant that I got to see some of the PET results as they were coming up. I saw what to me looked like an area of activity where there formerly was cancer. This scared me quite a bit, but I didn't know exactly what this meant. And the technician didn't either. Obviously a doctor needed to explain this to me/us. But, I didn't mention anything to keep us from both being worried. Anyway...I have a lot left to understand about the complexities of PET scans, but the important part is that Ramona is doing well. We'll spend the next day and a half here in Tijuana, getting medications....and since everything seems to be good. We'll spend some time on the beach.




This was our hotel last night.

Glendale MRI institute.

Tom Cruise's garbage cans. Like all gullible tourists we bought the five dollar, find-a-celebrity's-house map. Tom lives in a jungle...not that unlike Madonna. I guess if I was famous I'd plant lots of trees too.

We walked the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

We are at Glendale MRI and Ramona has just had her radio-active injection and needs to sit quietly, moving as little as possible for the next hour while the injection goes to work. The scan and wrapping everything up here should take about 1.5 -2 hours. This is a nice clinic with amazing staff (I'm using his computer in a room with a few technicians and some other lady having her scan just in the room in front of me). I'm not sure how good Ramona will feel after the tests, but hopefully we can enjoy a scenic ride from here...maybe we'll detour through Santa Monica....
-Earl

Back to Mexico

I'm feeling a little smug about my good deal here. Ramona told me that she would do the dishes if I would blog..........I guess atleast something useful might get done while she does the dishes....anyway.
We are heading to Mexico next week. It is three months since the previous CT scan and it is time to find out where Ramona's health is at.......it would be relatively simple to insert a line here about how we have great faith that the results will show no cancer.....but...it's not exactly always that simple to just believe....especially with what we see around us (pray for our buddy Earl Cooke, hisnameisearl.blogspot.com).
We fly out Monday morning and land in Burbank, California in the afternoon. Ramona has a PET scan scheduled for 10 a.m. Tuesday morning at the Glendale MRI Institute. This means that not only is Ramona's diet difficult at the best of times, in the 24 hours prior to the scan, sugars (fruit included) and carbs are eliminated too. The scan will be done Tuesday afternoon and we'll drive down to San Diego and be ready to be picked up by the Oasis van Wednesday morning. On Wednesday and Thursday we will be at the Oasis of Hope discussing the results of the scan and planning where to go next with the treatment...........
......i think we may start writing again....maybe....
We appreciate those of you who have encouraged us despite the fact that we rarely write,
Earl

Earl is now 24. We're camping at Hecla in the rain. We went under a shelter to make brunch. Earl got a bunch of camping supplies for his birthday and we had fun using them. I lit a sparkler and sang "Happy Birthday" to him for the first course of scrambled eggs.

As mentioned previously, Earl is having fun building. Here he's building a cage for my cabbage and broccoli. The idea is that the white butterflies that destroy cabbage are not able to get inside.

Pics

Yes, I still do get to eat 'normal' food. Sometimes I just have to be super creative. (Randy's 19th Birthday)

This spring Earl & I spent a lot of time working outside. It was a lot of work cleaning up the straw that was around our house and over our sewer. We also spent some time building a cat house. Earl taught me how to shingle and use his drill. Definitely a learning experience.

We went camping for Earl's Birthday at the end of May. We got rained out on Saturday so that was really disappointing. We're hoping to just go again soon.

One year since surgery

Yes Becki & I are home! We've been home since the 5th. Nothing very new or exciting has happened. My treatments in Mexico went well and now I will just have a CT scan every 3 months to monitor my tumors. Hopefully they will keep shrinking from the Laetrile injections I get at home three days a week, the over 50 pills (nutraceuticals) I take every day and my healthy diet. I had an appointment with Dr. Wong recently and he commented on how he never expected that 2 years after I was diagnosed that I would be sitting in his office chatting. He says that he doesn't know how to treat me because my situation is not typical. I told him I was going to be his first sarcoma survivor. I really get the feeling that he knows that there is something different about me and that he is starting to recognize that. My prayer from the beginning always was that God would be glorified through this.
On a different note...
One year ago today I said good-bye to my left hip. It's one year that I had my hip and armpit surgery. In some ways it feels way longer and in others it seems like it just happened. It's exciting that a year later I'm still around and healthy and yet it's also sobering realizing that my hip and arm will probably not improve much more. Whatever came back in a year is probably all that will. My walking endurance is definitely getting better. Earl & I try to go for a walk almost every night and I can already tell a difference.
My brother graduates from his paramedics training tomorrow and it's my other brother's 19th birthday tomorrow so my family is going to the city for supper to celebrate. I'm also 'celebrating' my surgery.
That's all for now
Ramona

Yesterday at lunch we had a pretty neat surprise. The patient representatives had decorated the dining room in a Mexican theme. They also had hired a 'band' to serenade us while we ate. It was pretty neat having 3 Mexican men sing to the patients during lunch.
Becki & I are learning how to take pictures of ourselves with the use of the reflections from the windows.












Becki's fabulous shot of a Mexican bee.

Having treatments in the sun.

!Hola!
No, I'm not really learning Spanish but since we are surrounded by so many people with different accents, my words are starting to come out rather weird. There are people here from Germany, England, South Africa, Australia, the US and so many other places. It creates an awesome atmosphere.
Treatments are going well. Today I feel a little more tired-not too bad though. Today it was a little warmer. Becki & I tried to soak up a little sun and whenever I wasn't on oxygen we went outside. It's been colder than we expected but today was nice. In a few minutes we want to go to the beach and watch the sunset.
This afternoon I took Becki to El Yogurt Place and she had some delicious frozen yogurt. Last night we walked to the theatre and watched August Rush. We were fortunate to have it in English. We've also done a little shopping and spent some time on the beach.
Right now I'm distracted by a 5 year old boy who's father is having treatment. He's trying to figure out where our room is so he can visit us. Really cute!
Have a good evening
Ramona

All credit for the creative pictures goes to Becki. She's having a blast taking pictures of anything and everything. :)