Better Than Expected

Harriet is doing better than expected and she's going down for her second shot at Kaiser today.  Hopefully things will continue and she will have a high enough white blood cell count for chemotherapy next Monday.

I want to do wish you and your family a Happy New Year!

Thank you for your loving support and prayers.

Maranatha,
Frank and Harriet

One More Lap around the Mountain

We received a call yesterday morning from the doctor that Harriet's white blood cell count was too low for the chemotherapy.  It has been rescheduled for next Monday.  In the meantime, to induce the growth of white blood cells, Harriet is undergoing shots yesterday, Wednesday and Friday.  Hopefully this will be enough to have her pass the blood test taken on Sunday.

That is about it.  Please continue to pray for Harriet's healing and ability to have her last chemotherapy next Monday.  Thank you so much.

Maranatha,
Frank and Harriet

To Chemo or Not to Chemo That Is the Question?

We received a call yesterday evening from the doctor on call and he talked to Harriet concerning her blood test.  The white blood count came in really low, so were not sure if they're going to allow her to do the chemotherapy this morning.  The doctor asked her a number of questions as to her health and if she's sick or anything like that and the answer is no.  Harriet stayed home from church yesterday morning because there were a lot of people out sick and some that were half sick.  That was the right call.

But, we won't know if she'll be allowed to have the chemotherapy until she gets in to the hospital this morning, I hope so.  If not, then she will have to have some more those dreadful shots that make her sick, but they stimulate the growth of white blood cells.  So, that's it for today.  Stay tuned and I'll let you know tomorrow morning how goes.

Have a great week, Maranatha,
Frank and Harriet

Blood Test Day

Today Harriet goes down to have her blood test in preparation for the chemotherapy tomorrow morning. Yesterday was not one of the better days. But even then, they not so good days are way better than they were a month ago. Please continue to pray that her white blood cell count is high enough and her blood pressure is high enough that she can have this 6th chemotherapy.

I'm late putting up the blog post because I'm working on the message for this Sunday morning at church. The title of the message is: Do New Years Resolutions Work? Just about everybody has a New Year's resolution, the question is will they keep it? The key Bible verse is in Proverbs chapter 23:7 For as he think is in his heart, so is he:.....  the decisions you make in your heart are the ones that you will carry through, they are just not a whim, they are a concrete decision.

I've not done this before but I'm going to do it this time. I'm going to give you all the verses will be using this morning at church. For those of you who want to receive a blessing, and enjoy them.

Maranatha,
Frank and Harriet

Jeremiah 29:11

11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.

Lamentations 3:22-24

22 It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.
23 They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.
24 The Lord is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him.

Proverbs 23:7

7 For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he: Eat and drink, saith he to thee; but his heart is not with thee.

Psalms 23

23 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.
3 He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.

Philippians 3:13-14

13 Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,
14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
Jesus said:



"I AM the door." John 10:9
"I AM the way." John 14:6
"I AM the truth." John 14:6
"I AM the light." John 8:12
"I AM the life." John 14:6
"I AM the true vine." John 15:1
"I AM the living bread." John 6:51
"I AM the good shepherd." John 10:14
"I AM the resurrection." John 11:25
"I AM Alpha and Omega." Rev. 1:8



Jesus is the I AM that I AM, the Preexistent One! Jesus is our redeemer and Savior and is coming for his bride, are you ready?

Keeping It Real

The good news is that Harriet continues to improve on many fronts.  We're so thankful!  Her sleeping has improved and so has her ability to eat a little bit more food.

You know I mentioned that when these blog posts are short, it is good news.  I feel kind of funny about it because people check the blog and when you only see a couple of paragraphs, is it really worth the effort?  So I decided to tell you my life story today, just kidding.  This really is good news and we are very thankful.  Thank you so much for your loving support.  Your prayers and well wishes!  We are truly blessed.

I hope you have a fantastic weekend!

Maranatha,
Frank and Harriet

The Day after Christmas

Yesterday was another good day.  Very restful.  Getting psyched up for the sixth chemotherapy.  Thankfully Harriet is doing well.

Thank you so much for your continued support and prayers.

Maranatha,
Frank and Harriet

Merry Christmas!

We went to see our oncologist, Dr. Chen.  He's a pretty optimistic guy, yet he's very guarded in his speculation as to how many chemotherapies are necessary.  The appointment went well.  We are on track for Harriet having her blood taken on Sunday in preparation for Monday's chemotherapy.

I hope you have a very nice Christmas Day.  It is imperative that we remember the true meaning of Christmas and not the commercial aspects of it.  John 3:16

God bless you and thank you so much for your prayers and support.

Maranatha,
Frank and Harriet

Christmas Eve 2014

What a great day yesterday!  Harriet was not only doing well, but she was able to come to church for our Christmas service, yesterday evening.  It was great to have her there as so many people have told me.  We sang many Christmas carols, the children sang a couple of songs, Caitlyn read the Christmas story from the gospel of Luke, I shared five sections the Scripture that give us hope for the new year, we had communion and then we had a candlelight service and sang Silent Night.  What a full evening!  Did I tell you we had a great day yesterday?  Well, we did.

The praise and worship was most excellent!  Just a great time was had by all.  And I want to thank everybody for all their hard work, to make it so.  It was great to have Harriet next to me while we were singing.  The entire service was focused on the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  I hope that you will spend the time and give thanks for all that God has done on your behalf.  We are all truly blessed.

I hope that you have a very Merry Christmas with your entire family!

Maranatha,
Frank and Harriet

Not so Much

Things came to a screeching halt yesterday evening.  Harriet has been doing so well and then she had a relapse because of her colitis.  This is a very difficult situation.  It seems that we move forward two steps and then back one step.  But, Harriet is doing much better than she was a month ago and that is the important perspective.  So, she's not out of the woods yet.

I appreciate you praying for her.  It is great to see her doing well in the good days and very tough to watch the difficult times.  I thank you for your faithfulness and thank you for keeping her in your prayers.

Maranatha,
Frank and Harriet

Last Week Was a Good Week

Before I got up this morning I was thinking about this previous week and I was comparing it to previous weeks since we started this roller coaster ride.  This past week was positively the best so far since August 1.

Some of the symptoms that Harriet has had because of the lymphoma, her body first retained a lot of water and she gained a lot of weight.  Then when she started doing the chemotherapy, she started losing a lot of weight.  As I have mentioned she has lost at least 25% of her body weight.  The good news is that since her previous chemotherapy, when she was weighed, she has gained 4 pounds.  This probably doesn't sound like a big deal except for the fact that this is the first time that the downward slide in losing weight has been reversed.  So, I'm very thankful for this.

A week from today she has her sixth chemotherapy and hopefully her last.  My prayer request on her behalf would be that her white blood cell count is high enough and that her blood pressure is also high enough, so they will do this final chemotherapy.

Thank you so much for your prayers and we really appreciate them.  I hope that you have a great week.

Maranatha,
Frank and Harriet

A Good Day

Yesterday was another good day on the whole. There are the usual speed bumps, but overall it was good. Harriet has gained a pound. I hope she's able to continue to put on some weight, even if it's slowly. Harriet was down to 104 pounds.

So this next week we have an appointment with Dr. Chen, her oncologist. And then a week from Monday on December 29 she has her 6th and we hope final chemotherapy.

Well, today is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it! I hope that you will go to the house the Lord this morning and worship the Creator of the universe.

Thank you so much for your prayers and your support, God bless you!

Maranatha,
Frank and Harriet

Doing Better

Mostly Harriet is doing better.  She's very slowly able to reduce some of her medications which is a great sign of progress.  I just hope that the symptoms of the chemotherapy do not return.  That's what all these medications are counteracting, the negative side effects of chemotherapy.

Another short blog post, which means things are going well.  Praise the Lord!  Thank you for your continued prayers of support.  God bless you and I hope you have a great weekend.

Maranatha,
Frank and Harriet

More Progress

It seems that we might've made a little progress yesterday.  Balancing the medications is very difficult.  If you don't take enough there are repercussions and if you take to much, then there are consequences.  Overall I would rate yesterday as a very good day.

Harriet's stamina level is still very low.  Yours would be to if you lost one fourth of your body weight.  It will take time to rebuild, but I keep promising her that I'm gonna fatten her up, when she's able to eat more food.

Thank you so much for your continued prayers and support.

Maranatha,
Frank and Harriet

Moving On

Yesterday was another pretty good day.  Everything in perspective.  A good day means there's no major problems.  Harriet is still suffering from the numbness in her feet and hands.  Her legs feel like 50 pound weights that she has to drag around.  She still dealing with the colitis.   She's almost down to hundred pounds and does not have a whole lot of stamina.  But, other than that she's doing great!

So I asked for your continued prayer for her healing and restoration.  I know it's going to be a long road back, but we are in this for the long haul.

Thank you so much, Maranatha,
Frank and Harriet

A Pretty Good Day

Yesterday went pretty well.  It is these good days that give hope that there will be more of them.  I was thinking about Harriet's main concerns at this time (or are they my concerns?).  Dealing with her colitis, the numbness in her feet and hands and of course the low white blood cell count.  These are the things I would ask for prayer on her behalf.

As I look back I can see that when I have a very short blog post, it's a good thing.  When there's bad news than the blog posts are longer.  So I'm very thankful for this short post.

Maranatha,
Frank and Harriet

Neurology

Well there's another wrinkle in the chemotherapy treatments.  As I've mentioned Harriet  has numbness in her feet and her hands.  We found out from the doctor that this is due to one of the drugs used in the chemotherapy.  The chemotherapy cocktail as it were, is a combination of 4 to 6 medications.  The amount and variation is determined by your specific cancer, and your size and weight.

Dr. Chen said that we're going to have to remove that specific medication for her six therapy.  Our friend Joan at church, said that her sister who had cancer and went through chemo, had the same problem.  Joan did say that after the chemotherapy's were over her sister did recover most of her feeling except in her hand a couple of fingers.  This shows you how strong the chemical concoction is that they give a person to kill the cancer.

My immediate prayer request for you is to pray that Harriet does not lose the feeling in her hands and feet.  Also that her white blood cell count will be high enough so that she can have her sixth chemotherapy on December 29.  The way I'm looking at it right now, it's going to be her last one.  Her strength is waning and I just don't know how much more of this she can take.  It's like there's a battle within her body and it's really tough.

So, this leads me to ask you for continued prayer for healing and strength. Thank you so much!

Maranatha,
Frank and Harriet

Here We Go Again

Yesterday morning went pretty well.  Harriet was able to come to church for a little while and listen to the message by Cyrus Mad-Bondo.  As I mentioned yesterday he is from World Help representing the African continent.  Great message that we all need to hear.

Yesterday evening did not go very well.  I might mention that for some reason Harriet's feet have numbness and there is some numbness in her hands.  I'm assuming that this is from circulation problems.  There's a battle going on within her and it's tough to watch.

Please pray for her that she will survive and endure through this next month.  It really is difficult to watch what is going on and not be able to help.  Thank you so much and have a great week!

Maranatha,
Frank and Harriet

Over 10,000 Blog Views

Over 10,000 blog views so far. You're probably asking yourselves so who is counting? Google does. They count everything it is just amazing. They tell you what country the audience that views the blog posts. United States, Belgium, France, England, Ukraine, Mexico are some of the areas that people live who have been following this blog.

I don't know if you find that interesting or not, but I thought I'd share with you anyway. Yesterday was a pretty good day for Harriet. It started off mediocre, but got better. The difficulty as I've mentioned before is the balance on the medications and dealing with the symptoms that they produce/side effects.

But today will be a good day! Today our friend Cyrus Mad-Bondo from World Help will be speaking at our church. Cyrus oversees an area of Africa that has been a concern for all of us. We've been supporting the orphans in Uganda for over 10 years. World Help does a great job with the kids and we look forward to his presentation. Harriet is going to try and slip into the service and listen to the message. Hopefully she is feeling well enough to do so.

I hope that you will have the opportunity and take the time to go to the house the Lord this morning. Yes, it's much easier to stay at home and do nothing. But that's always the case. I hope that you'll take the time to go to the church of your choice and worship the Creator of the universe! His name is Jesus and we are about to celebrate his birthday.

Maranatha,
Frank and Harriet

Fifth Week Cycle of Medications over

I'm posting a little late this morning because we had our Family Night, at church last night.  What a wild evening!  We did karaoke and it was really a lot of fun.  And that was after a beautiful turkey/ham dinner.  Thank you everyone for all your hard work.

Harriet had a really good day yesterday, which followed on the heels of a very bad day the day before.  The important thing is that she's completed her fifth cycle of medications and now she has two weeks to recuperate.  The main concern at this point is her white blood cell count which by my understanding the chemotherapy kills white blood cells.  If her white blood cell count is too low they won't give her the next treatment.  So I would really appreciate you praying that her white blood cell count is rising.

Thank you so much for your cards and emails of support.  God bless you and I hope you have a great weekend!

Maranatha,
Frank and Harriet

9895 Page Views

I have been doing this blog for just over 100 days and you can see how many page views we've had.  I mention this to Harriet and this gives a little insight into how long she's been dealing with this problem.  Even though the problem started a lot earlier.

Yesterday was not a good day.  All the symptoms/problems that are caused by the chemo and medications seem to come to a head.  Today will be her last day on the predisone.  Then she can start recovering from all these effects.

Thank you again for your love and support!

Maranatha,
Frank and Harriet

100th Post

Harriet is doing pretty good this week.  The predisone does take its toll and what I've noticed that by around 7:30 PM the drugs are leaving her system and that is good.  It allows her to sleep during the night.

Her feet have almost returned to normal size and the ankles are still slightly swollen.  I'm assuming that when the lymphoma has been completely eradicated from her body that her body will be able to get back to normal.  I realize this will take some time.  I look forward to fattening her up a little bit.

Thank you again for your continued love and prayers!

Maranatha,
Frank and Harriet

Prednisone

This is the toughest week in the 21 day cycle of chemotherapy.  After the chemotherapy on Monday Harriet gets four days of the prednisone and it really does a trip on the person's body parts.  She's hanging in there and Lord willing we have only a few more days of this.

I want to thank you for sending cards and emails to Harriet, they are a great encouragement.  I've learned a lot during this time.  It is really important to continue to encourage someone that's going through an ongoing sickness like this.  I think the mental state is very important.

I hope you have a great day!

Maranatha,
Frank and Harriet

Fifth Chemotherapy Treatment Completed

Thank you so much for your prayers.  Harriet was able to have her fifth chemotherapy treatment yesterday.  I find it very interesting that after each chemotherapy the aftermath/side effects seem to be different.

The important thing is that she was able to have her fifth chemotherapy and that she will take the course of prednisone this week.  We have an appointment with the oncologist on Christmas eve and then we have her final (Lord willing) chemotherapy on December 29th.

Thanks again for sticking with this and your continued prayer support.

Maranatha,
Frank and Harriet

Are We Having a Fifth Chemo Treatment Today?

Harriet had her blood taken yesterday.  Unfortunately we won't know until she gets there this morning to the hospital if she will be allowed to have her chemotherapy.  They have to check the results from the blood test and see if her white blood cell count was high enough, I sure hope so.

Stay tuned, tomorrow morning I'll let you know.  I hope you have a great week!

Maranatha,
Frank and Harriet

D Day

Today's the day that Harriet must have her blood test in preparation for the chemotherapy. I would appreciate if you would continue to pray that the white blood cell count is high enough that she will have her fifth chemotherapy on Monday morning.

This past week has been a pretty good week, overall. So we have a lot to be thankful for.

Today is The Lord's Day. I hope that you'll be sure to go to the house of the Lord and worship the creator of the universe. This is the season that we celebrate Christ's birth. I'm not going to argue the point that the probability of Jesus Christ being born on December 25 is slim. But something that we all should take in consideration is that everything we have emanates as a result of God's creation. God's gift to us is not just life itself, but he gave us his only begotten Son. He is a gift so that we could be reconciled with him. The Bible says that there is only one name under heaven by which men can be saved, the name of Jesus! He deserves all of our worship and praise.

 For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen.  Romans 11:36

I hope you have a great day!

Maranatha,
Frank and Harriet

Dr. Chen

We met with Dr. Chen yesterday.  His concern for Harriet is her white blood cell count.  It was low last time, she only had two of these shots to stimulate the growth of white blood cells.  Because of the side effects were so bad, Harriet did not have the six injections that he requested.  So I'm asking for prayer that the replenishment of white blood cell is enough for her to have her fifth chemotherapy on Monday morning.

Harriet has the mandatory blood test 24 hours prior to her chemotherapy.  So, we have a lot riding on this.  Because they won't do the chemotherapy unless the white blood cell count is up to at least what it was last time.

That was probably the most important thing that was talked about during the meeting.  Everything else goes as before.

We appreciate your prayers.  I hope you have a great weekend and I'll keep you updated.

Maranatha,
Frank and Harriet

Almost a Good Day

As in the previous days it went pretty good until nighttime.  It sure would be nice to know it's going on.  Have you ever had that situation?  Anyway it overall is going better.  We just have to deal with the residual colitis issue.

Today we go see Dr. Chen, my second favorite Chinese guy.  My favorite Chinese friend is Yiping.  He goes surfing with us each morning.  There's about a half-dozen guys that go out at first light and he's one of them.  Very up guy, very nice.  Don't know how I got to that topic, but anyway tomorrow morning I will give you an update on what Dr. Chen told us.

Thank you so much for your love and prayers!

Maranatha,
Frank and Harriet

More of the Same

The good news is that Harriet continues to do well.  Yes there are small problems, but as I mentioned yesterday compared to a month ago she's doing really good.  She's able to sleep and is out of pain.

Tomorrow morning we have the appointment with Dr. Chen who is her oncologist.  So Saturday morning I will give you that update.  Until then, praise the Lord and thank you so much for your prayers and support!

Maranatha,
Frank and Harriet

Wet Wednesday

Well we finally got some rain.  I know for some people it's no big deal, but we are actually in a drought here in Southern California.  Yesterday went pretty well, afternoon/evening was not as good.  In a sense when these blog posts are very short, it's good news.  The longer blog posts usually, bad news.

It's a matter of fine-tuning all the medications and food that Harriet can eat.  Breakfast seems to go the best and then when later on in the day after a very light lunch and dinner then things seem to go south.  But in retrospect she's doing way better than she was doing a month ago and that's great!

Thanks again for your continued support and prayers.

Maranatha,
Frank and Harriet

Another Pretty Good Day

Well, we've had a few good days in a row.  That is encouraging.  Hopefully things will continue to get better.  I'm trying to fatten Harriet up a little bit before her next chemo.  It is difficult.  

This would give us all pause to thank God that we can eat what we want and not have any problems.  For most of us it's never a problem putting on weight.

I hope you have a great day and thank you again for your prayers and support.

Maranatha,
Frank and Harriet

One More Week till the Next Chemo

The weekend went pretty well for Harriet.  A week from today she has her fifth chemotherapy.  So, technically this week she should be doing pretty well.  Unfortunately the Colonist which was brought on by the lymphoma, causes a lot of problems.  So that will have to be dealt with after Harriet's final treatment which we hope is December 29.

Harriet misses so much during her self imposed isolation.  We have no idea what her white blood cell count is at this time, but she's kept isolated so that she doesn't catch anything.  Which means she's not been to church for more than a month or seen the grandkids.  This is tough.

I mentioned yesterday that I went and visited Daniel.  I thought I had attached a picture that we had taken.  But when I went back to look at the blog post I did not see a picture so I'm going to post it today.  If you want to read about that adventure look at yesterday's post please.

That's it for now I hope you have a fantastic week.  Thank you so much for your prayers and support.  John, Harriet's brother is in China and I hope they let him out so they can return to his family.  I'm sure he's there on business.  I just got a short note that he's there in China and he's praying for Harriet.

Maranatha,
Frank and Harriet