Dear All,
I trust that you had a very blessed and Christ-filled Christmas!
3 years ago, I started writting down blessings that I received each day in a notebook. Though I do not write everyday, I had written been fairly consistent in jotting down each blessing no matter how small it may be. By the end of each year, I would have so many things to thank God for. This year, one of the things I am thankful for is the experience of your genuine love and caring friendship in so many practical ways. Your gift of friendship is one of the most important things in my life. Thank you!
I also want to take this opportunity to bless you to enter 2005 with a greater desire into the deep things of God and a deeper hunger for His presence in your life.
To keep you posted, my next chemo and check up with Dr.William Hwang in SGH will be on 3 Jan 2005. This will be the 6th cycle and a bone marrow investigation will be done to see if there is any remission.
Please pray for me as the hiccups and experienced this last round was really terrible and extremely uncomfortable. It came every 3-4 seconds and lasted for 5 days. Usually it comes after the steriods are taken but becomes progressively worse after the 3 day of consumption. Also, the ache on my right thigh comes now and then due the bone disease. But thank God, there is no more pain like the one experienced upon my discharge from TTSHospital in Sept. I believe the Lord has healed the fractures completely. But, as much as I am focused on the Lord, there are times, especially in the night, when I feel weary and down, struggling to find strength to pull through all these physically. Therefore, I covet your prayers and will continue to "take heart and be strong" as I "wait upon the Lord". (Psm 27:13-14)
Struggling with hope in Jesus,
have a blessed new year,
david
Monday, December 27, 2004
Thursday, December 16, 2004
5th Cycle of Chemotherapy on 13/12/2004
Dear friends,
thank you for logging in to get theupdates on my medical condition. And for standing by us in prayer support.
I saw Dr. William Hwang again on Mon, 13 Dec. The HB level is still good at 13 for my condition. He will do a bone marrow investigation to see if the condition is in remission. A autologos stem cell transplant(blood from my own marrow) has also been suggested before going for the Allogenic stem cell transplant(blood from a donor/sibling) will be collected through general anesthesia to be pumped into my body.It will require me to be hospitalied for at least 2 weeks in SGH.During this stay, I will be given the usual chemotherapy where the purpose is to destroy the cells before they collect the blood for the stem cell harvest harvest and transplant into my body later. Will explain that a little more later when I get hold of the more info and details to explain to you in a simplier form.
There are mamy concerns on my mind. Primarily, staying in hospital for 2 weeks will cause Whee Ling to bear all the responsibilties at home, especially when Josh goes to Kingdergarten1 in a new school in Holy Grace Church from 3 Jan as well. That will be a new adjustment for Josh too, apart from the logistical arragements in the morning when he seesion starts at 8am sharp and ends at 11am. We trust that God will grant us the wisdom to work it out.
My next checkup is on the 3Jan 2005. By then,we should have got all my 4 other siblings (Angie; Roger; May and Mike) to have their blood taken for matching for the Allogenric transplant later. Hopefully one of them matches; otherwise got to look beyond my immediate family amongst Asian communities.
Thanks to those of you who have come to offer to be a donor. I am deeply touched. But meanwhile, the priority is to get from my siblings as advised by the doctor as that would be the closest in terms of comatibilty.
I feel disturbed to have to bother my family members as the selected donor will also have to go thruogh much suffering. Not only will he/she have to be hospitalised for the transplant under general anesthesia, it will also take at least a few weeks of his/her precious time to recuperate for a few weeks upon dischrage.
This is the 4th day since my visit to the doctor on monday. So far, I have taken 3 days of the steroids given to me with minimal hiccups this time. Thank God, still bearable. I have tasted worse times than this. Thank God for His strength and grace. Than you for your prayers.
Finally, just to let you know that Josh has memorised Psalm 27:13-14 with me. He is such a jewel. He knows daddy will have a time of devotion with him everyday. As a family, we have held fast to these verses as these were also released to me through a 15-minute prophecy by Rhonda Calhoun, who came to Singapore in April to minister with her husband during a seminar.
Both of them are the directors of Harvest Home, Inc., a ministry to the poor. During a recent quiet time by the Bedok beach few weeks ago, the Lord led me to read Psm 27 as I wanted to seek His face. In the chapter, I learn to just wait instead os wanting instant answers from God for all that I have been going thru since my resignation from FCBC. Someone said my ailment was a curse from God because I left my previous spiritual covering in March 2004. But I am very sure God gave me the liberty to go and had given me the indication to start something afresh as concerned by the prophecy in April. This diagnosis came in Sept 2005 and even in this,I believe God will see me thru. Even in this, I will "see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living". Meanwhile, while I do not yet 'see', I am learning to 'wait upon the Lord; to be strong and to take heart". I find this is one of the hardest things to do in the christian life. We refer instant noodles -everyhting fast and quick. I realized that all these years, few people have taught me to wait upon the Lord. Few have shown me what it means to wait upon God. And when I tried to do that recently by the beach of late, it was so difficult. All I knew was to work and work. Even at the beach, I think of what to do next, especially in reagrd to ministry. Then our Father in heaven had to teach me by not giving me any answers, but to cause me to learn to just wait. And in waiting, I began to experience may things - I learn to Talk and worship Him in spirit and truth; I learn to give Thanks and rejoice in the midst of pain and the people God has blessed me with; I learned to take it easy and above all, to Trust His Sovereighty in all that we as a family are going thru.
I know that we are in the good hands of the Lord. And He has the permission to do all He wants to do. Beacuse He is a good and loving God. He is the potter and I am the clay. Like the word in Jeremiah 19:5-6 says: "Can I not do with you a sthe potter does? declares the Lord. Like clay in the hand of the potter, so you are in my hand, O house of Israel."
With that I'll end. Thanks for 'listening' and for praying with us. That's the most valuable thing we treasure. And your friendship. Through this, we really experince who are the real friends who are with us after all these years. Let's learn to wait patiently upon the Lord to "see the goodness of the Lord" - together and magnify His glorious name!
in Him we live, and have our being,
blessings,
david; whee ling and little josh.
"I am confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait upon the Lord; be strong and take hear; wait upon the Lord".
Psm 27:13-14
thank you for logging in to get theupdates on my medical condition. And for standing by us in prayer support.
I saw Dr. William Hwang again on Mon, 13 Dec. The HB level is still good at 13 for my condition. He will do a bone marrow investigation to see if the condition is in remission. A autologos stem cell transplant(blood from my own marrow) has also been suggested before going for the Allogenic stem cell transplant(blood from a donor/sibling) will be collected through general anesthesia to be pumped into my body.It will require me to be hospitalied for at least 2 weeks in SGH.During this stay, I will be given the usual chemotherapy where the purpose is to destroy the cells before they collect the blood for the stem cell harvest harvest and transplant into my body later. Will explain that a little more later when I get hold of the more info and details to explain to you in a simplier form.
There are mamy concerns on my mind. Primarily, staying in hospital for 2 weeks will cause Whee Ling to bear all the responsibilties at home, especially when Josh goes to Kingdergarten1 in a new school in Holy Grace Church from 3 Jan as well. That will be a new adjustment for Josh too, apart from the logistical arragements in the morning when he seesion starts at 8am sharp and ends at 11am. We trust that God will grant us the wisdom to work it out.
My next checkup is on the 3Jan 2005. By then,we should have got all my 4 other siblings (Angie; Roger; May and Mike) to have their blood taken for matching for the Allogenric transplant later. Hopefully one of them matches; otherwise got to look beyond my immediate family amongst Asian communities.
Thanks to those of you who have come to offer to be a donor. I am deeply touched. But meanwhile, the priority is to get from my siblings as advised by the doctor as that would be the closest in terms of comatibilty.
I feel disturbed to have to bother my family members as the selected donor will also have to go thruogh much suffering. Not only will he/she have to be hospitalised for the transplant under general anesthesia, it will also take at least a few weeks of his/her precious time to recuperate for a few weeks upon dischrage.
This is the 4th day since my visit to the doctor on monday. So far, I have taken 3 days of the steroids given to me with minimal hiccups this time. Thank God, still bearable. I have tasted worse times than this. Thank God for His strength and grace. Than you for your prayers.
Finally, just to let you know that Josh has memorised Psalm 27:13-14 with me. He is such a jewel. He knows daddy will have a time of devotion with him everyday. As a family, we have held fast to these verses as these were also released to me through a 15-minute prophecy by Rhonda Calhoun, who came to Singapore in April to minister with her husband during a seminar.
Both of them are the directors of Harvest Home, Inc., a ministry to the poor. During a recent quiet time by the Bedok beach few weeks ago, the Lord led me to read Psm 27 as I wanted to seek His face. In the chapter, I learn to just wait instead os wanting instant answers from God for all that I have been going thru since my resignation from FCBC. Someone said my ailment was a curse from God because I left my previous spiritual covering in March 2004. But I am very sure God gave me the liberty to go and had given me the indication to start something afresh as concerned by the prophecy in April. This diagnosis came in Sept 2005 and even in this,I believe God will see me thru. Even in this, I will "see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living". Meanwhile, while I do not yet 'see', I am learning to 'wait upon the Lord; to be strong and to take heart". I find this is one of the hardest things to do in the christian life. We refer instant noodles -everyhting fast and quick. I realized that all these years, few people have taught me to wait upon the Lord. Few have shown me what it means to wait upon God. And when I tried to do that recently by the beach of late, it was so difficult. All I knew was to work and work. Even at the beach, I think of what to do next, especially in reagrd to ministry. Then our Father in heaven had to teach me by not giving me any answers, but to cause me to learn to just wait. And in waiting, I began to experience may things - I learn to Talk and worship Him in spirit and truth; I learn to give Thanks and rejoice in the midst of pain and the people God has blessed me with; I learned to take it easy and above all, to Trust His Sovereighty in all that we as a family are going thru.
I know that we are in the good hands of the Lord. And He has the permission to do all He wants to do. Beacuse He is a good and loving God. He is the potter and I am the clay. Like the word in Jeremiah 19:5-6 says: "Can I not do with you a sthe potter does? declares the Lord. Like clay in the hand of the potter, so you are in my hand, O house of Israel."
With that I'll end. Thanks for 'listening' and for praying with us. That's the most valuable thing we treasure. And your friendship. Through this, we really experince who are the real friends who are with us after all these years. Let's learn to wait patiently upon the Lord to "see the goodness of the Lord" - together and magnify His glorious name!
in Him we live, and have our being,
blessings,
david; whee ling and little josh.
"I am confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait upon the Lord; be strong and take hear; wait upon the Lord".
Psm 27:13-14
Thursday, December 02, 2004
Dear friends,
The first week of the 4th cycle was quite difficult as the hiccups were very bad. It came every 10-15 secs. Besides, it caused me to regurgitate so badly. I am not taking the medicine that stops the hiccups as that in itself causes very severe drowsiness and affects my temperament as well.Largatil is a psychiatric drug that has been used to stop hiccups.
Nevertheless, I am glad to have crossed over another week. Frankly, I drag the first week of every new cycle of chemotherapy. But I always remember that the worst was over when I experienced so much pain then when I was discharged from hospital. Thus, it could have been worse, but this is really nothing compared to that although it is very uncomfortable especially at night. Also, the mind tends to be active and thus more prone to negative and deceptive thoughts where the evil one can come to rob me of my joy in the Lord. Therefore, I would covet your prayers for me. To stay strong in the power of His might.
After the last visit to see Dr. William Hwang at SGH, the haemoglobin results were good. It has gone up to 13.2, which is a good indication that the myeloma cells are responding to the treatment. Although it is NOT indicative that the cancer is in remission, it is a good sign. A bone marrow investigation will be done after the 6th cycle to ascertain the condtion again, after which I will go for the Autologus cell transplant. This is not curative, but it does prolong the life span. I will still need to have the donor-cell transplant where one of my siblings will donate his/her marrow to me. This has a greater risk but more curative in nature.
Well, there are many mixed thoughts and feelings in this whole process. I am grateful to many of you for your prayers and support in so many ways. As I sought the Lord, He gave me Psm 27 as a promise.....
"I am confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait upon the Lord; be strong and take heart, wait upon the Lord." v13-14
Pray for me as I learn to wait upon the Lord.........patiently and eventually see the goodness of the Lord......even in this sickness.
appreciate you,
david.
The first week of the 4th cycle was quite difficult as the hiccups were very bad. It came every 10-15 secs. Besides, it caused me to regurgitate so badly. I am not taking the medicine that stops the hiccups as that in itself causes very severe drowsiness and affects my temperament as well.Largatil is a psychiatric drug that has been used to stop hiccups.
Nevertheless, I am glad to have crossed over another week. Frankly, I drag the first week of every new cycle of chemotherapy. But I always remember that the worst was over when I experienced so much pain then when I was discharged from hospital. Thus, it could have been worse, but this is really nothing compared to that although it is very uncomfortable especially at night. Also, the mind tends to be active and thus more prone to negative and deceptive thoughts where the evil one can come to rob me of my joy in the Lord. Therefore, I would covet your prayers for me. To stay strong in the power of His might.
After the last visit to see Dr. William Hwang at SGH, the haemoglobin results were good. It has gone up to 13.2, which is a good indication that the myeloma cells are responding to the treatment. Although it is NOT indicative that the cancer is in remission, it is a good sign. A bone marrow investigation will be done after the 6th cycle to ascertain the condtion again, after which I will go for the Autologus cell transplant. This is not curative, but it does prolong the life span. I will still need to have the donor-cell transplant where one of my siblings will donate his/her marrow to me. This has a greater risk but more curative in nature.
Well, there are many mixed thoughts and feelings in this whole process. I am grateful to many of you for your prayers and support in so many ways. As I sought the Lord, He gave me Psm 27 as a promise.....
"I am confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait upon the Lord; be strong and take heart, wait upon the Lord." v13-14
Pray for me as I learn to wait upon the Lord.........patiently and eventually see the goodness of the Lord......even in this sickness.
appreciate you,
david.
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