Today we heard news we didn’t want but fully expected. Maggie’s cancer is progressing and the pace is accelerating. If we could start the available clinical trial next week, that might be a viable option. We know, however, a quick start wouldn’t happen due to all the necessary screening, insurance approval, and other preliminaries required. We canceled our meeting with the Targeted Therapy group for the time being. We will be returning to Batson for standard chemotherapy. The immediate goal is to arrest tumor progression and preserve and improve liver function which is showing signs of deteriorating. Unless we do that, she wouldn’t qualify for a clinical trial of any kind. We’ll be using chemo Maggie’s disease has not been exposed to since 2016. Dr. Raghav reached out to Dr. Collier to coordinate a smooth but rapid transfer of Maggie’s treatment. We will remain in consultation with our MDA team as treatment progresses and will return to MDA eight weeks from the start of chemo for re-evaulation. This gives us double assurance – two incredible teams taking care of Maggie. We also stopped in for another consult with the pain management team today to increase medication to cover the higher tumor burden.

That is the technical stuff. How are we doing? Only God’s grace is holding us and moving us through another unimaginably difficult day. Yes, we suspected the growth but seeing is believing. The mind has an amazing ability to ‘protect’ us from the truth before the facts are on the table. Seeing the scan images was sobering. And undeniable. We are faced with a mountain like never before. We have some processing to do but our ultimate goal has not changed. We are leaving Maggie in the hands of our Lord for her good and His glory. We continue to pray for healing in accordance with His will – not with the well-intentioned but often “here and now” centric desires of our hearts. After praying desperately and selfishly for my mom to survive a perforated colon (nine years ago), I rejoiced when she lived. Three months after that live-saving operation, she was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. I realized then, I don’t have the wisdom or foresight to know WHAT to pray. Not my will but yours (Luke 22:42) is a good start. And finish.

We’re moving out from our apartment in Houston tomorrow and traveling home. We’re looking forward to a restful but joyous weekend – Maggie will turn 20 on Monday, the 28th. It now appears she’ll start chemo on Tuesday at Batson. I’ll post more details as we get them.

Thank you for your prayers. We felt them today – and needed to feel them. I really don’t know where we would be without prayers and a sense of humor to make our way in the dark. Our appointment today took us through the morning and into the early afternoon. As we discussed getting lunch at the MD Anderson cafeteria, Maggie said she wanted Chick-fil-A nuggets. I agreed that sounded good. I asked, “What is it about Chick-fil-A that makes it such comfort food?” Maggie didn’t miss a beat and answered, “I don’t know, but it is almost like eating the Lord’s supper.” The other day she said she wouldn’t be surprised to find it served in heaven. I asked, “You mean at the marriage feast?” She said, “Well they do cater.” Yes, we really like our Chick-fil-A. But we love our sweet family and friends who walk this journey with us.