Complete remission!

Hallelujah!!! Praise the Lord!!! David is in complete remission!

So glad to be sharing this with you. His BMA result showed ~ 1% plasma cells - Dr William confirmed he is in complete remission. He need not go for another cycle of Velcade treatment. What wonderful news! His next appointment is in 5 weeks time - a "far cry" from his weekly medical appointment since Sep 2004.

What a relief! A time to celebrate! Hallelujah! His name to be praised forever and ever! Words cannot express our joy, our thankfulness and eternal gratitude to the One who made this possible! Also, to all who are instrumental in His divine plan - the doctors, the nurses, the prayer warriors, family, friends and everyone who in one way or another helped reveal His love to us.

The Blessedness of answered prayer is so well described by King David in Psalm 30:

"I will exalt you, O LORD,
for you lifted me out of the depths
and did not let my enemies gloat over me.
2 O LORD my God, I called to you for help
and you healed me.

3 O LORD, you brought me up from the grave ;
you spared me from going down into the pit.

4 Sing to the LORD, you saints of his;
praise his holy name.

5 For his anger lasts only a moment,
but his favor lasts a lifetime;
weeping may remain for a night,
but rejoicing comes in the morning.

6 When I felt secure, I said,
"I will never be shaken."

7 O LORD, when you favored me,
you made my mountain stand firm;
but when you hid your face,
I was dismayed.

8 To you, O LORD, I called;
to the Lord I cried for mercy:

9 "What gain is there in my destruction,
in my going down into the pit?
Will the dust praise you?
Will it proclaim your faithfulness?

10 Hear, O LORD, and be merciful to me;
O LORD, be my help."

11 You turned my wailing into dancing;
you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy,

12 that my heart may sing to you and not be silent.
O LORD my God, I will give you thanks forever.

Yes, we too give thanks to Him forever!

If you are in some kind of "night of weeping" situation, it is my prayer that you too find relief as you place your trust and hope in Jesus Christ our Lord. Look to Him, wait upon Him and cling to His promises.

Rejoicing in His goodness,
Whee Ling

Just finished BMA...

"Just finished BMA. Painful but bearable. Thx God its over!..." David's sms reads. Yes, thank God and praise Him indeed!!!

Rejoicing in His goodness,
Whee Ling

M Band marker

David and I went to the hospital thinking he has an appointment today but it was actually on Thu. We are so grateful that Dr William was so kind to see him, we couldn't thank him enough... We also want to thank Clarice, the nurse who informed Dr William of David's "plight".

So, we got the know the myeloma study result earlier. The M Band marker is zero. It is a good report. It means there are no cancer cells found. Praise the Lord!!! I asked if there is anything of concern and Dr William reassuringly said "no". However, David would need to do a bone marrow aspiration (BMA) on Thu. It would then be dependent on the bone marrow test result to determine if further treatment is necessary.

Please pray that the BMA will be done as painlessly as possible.

We are thankful for the good report so far and firmly believe there will be greater rejoicing and more thanksgiving items.
Praise the Lord his headache is also completely gone.
We also want to thank God for our darling boy.
A few days ago, while David was with Joshua, David vomited. He was touched by Joshua's caring words "Daddy, are you ok? I care you know" and was much encouraged by Joshua's words "remember God's promise, Daddy."

While typing this, Joshua wants to add some words:

I don't know what to say but I am glad that my Daddy is healed. from Joshua.

Thank God for you too, our prayer partners, our friends.
God bless!
Whee Ling

Full myeloma study

Greetings in the lovely Name of Jesus!

David does not have any medical appointment this week. In his last Monday's visit, a full myeloma study was done to determine if the next cycle of Velcade (chemo) is necessary. Please pray that his recovery is so complete that he need not go through another treatment. Pray also that he be relieved from his headache and possible sinusitis.

He was having headache last 2 days, probably in part due to the haze. Singapore has been blanketed by smog from forest fires in Indonesia and the PSI level has reached the unhealthy level of > 100 more than a couple of times already.

As for me, I was under quite alot of stress with demands at work and even had nightmares for 2 conservative nights last week. David heard my "struggles" and prayed for me. It was to me a reminder to draw near to God and to pray ceaselessly.

Be blessed as I have with the following passage from the bible, 1 Peter 5 v7-11:

"Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.

Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings.

And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen." 1 Peter 5:7-11

Thanks & God bless,
Whee Ling

Wonder what is next?

David has his medical appointment this morning with Dr William. His platelet level was low from his last Monday's blood test. Hopefully his count is up. Really glad that he does not need to go for any other round of radiotherapy according to the oncologist friend who saw him on Monday. I wonder if he needs to have another cycle of Velcade. Please pray that his condition would improved so remarkably that it is not necessary.

"Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge." Psalms 62:8


Thanks & God bless,
Whee Ling

MRI result?

Not sure if the MRI result is going to be out today? David has an appointment with Dr William this morning but I still have not heard from him. He was having constipation for the last 2 days, likely side effects from Velcade treatment. Please pray that his system be cleared and there be no secondary problem of any sort.

"Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior,
who daily bears our burdens." Psalm 68:19

Thanks & God bless!
Whee Ling

A note from Josh

This is my favourite beagle!!!

josh

Paris, the beagle and Josh

  

My husband is too kind

David has put me in such good light that I felt I need to confess and give glory to God for any good thing that I have done. I was not exactly the "saint" he had described. I am just a sinner saved by grace who is learning to trust in the Lord to meet all our needs. In fact, I should have done much more than what I am doing - which is hardly anything. The nurses and doctors in SGH would have agreed with me he is very much a DIY (do it yourself) person, not wanting to bother others too much. Always so considerate and thoughtful. I hardly need to help him to his medicine or packing/unpacking his bag for hospitalization or planning his menu. This care giver - me, hardly provided much care except praying and trusting God and trying not to nag and be a good mother to Josh. If I had done anything right, it is the grace of God and the guidance of His Holy Spirit. I really cannot claim any credit at all and so all glory goes to our wonderful Lord Jesus, our God and Father!

And, he was not the "monster" he claimed to be at all. For all he is going through, I am amazed he hardly ventilated on me. Of course, there were frustrating moments when expectations were not managed properly, I sometimes felt really sad I could not share all his sufferings and feelings of loneliness he must have felt at times in battling the illness. I guess it is an experience only those who have suffered could better comprehen. But I take comfort in knowing he is never alone and that what people cannot do for him, our Lord Jesus can!

Oh ya, I think I forgot to mention the card I received was personally made by my beloved husband. How not to be touched right? It helps when he has this creative knack in making beautiful cards.

Regarding the dog, other than being afraid of its overly friendly disposition, the licking and the possible scratching (it actually scratched Josh's face leaving a long red mark on his face which took a while to disappear and Josh explained it off saying it was his fault for getting too close to the beagle, not hers!), it is also the hygiene problem that I was concerned with. I pained my heart too to see Josh being so sad but I prayed for wisdom and I stood firm with my decision that the dog has to go. I explained to Josh I had this fear of dogs and he immediately prayed for God to take away the fear. I assured him God will when the time is right.

Yesterday, David had his 4th dose of Velcade. He was not feeling too well last night, had mild fever at 37.5 but blood pressure was ok. He also had slight headache this morning. Called him just now, he said feeling better already but still very tired. Please continue to pray that his health be restored completely and also for excellent MRI result.

Heartfelt thanks,
Whee Ling

2 Years Liao!

Dear all,
I was surprised that Whee Ling shared about the card. I am not that romantic sort, but I think she has done so much for me. In this walk thru the valley of the shadow of death together as a family, she has sufffered much as a caregiver too. If only you know how this monster has ventilated much of my pain and misery on her, you will see the strength and inner beauty that this godly woman has! So much so, that I've stopped nagging about petty things at home like when she forgets to off the lights when not in use most of the time!!!
Guess I value the relationship more than the lights. I must say that when I stopped nagging, she has also improved tremenduosly! So the little card was just to appreciate her for going through so much with me. She wasn't bitter, she made me better!

I shared with josh about the card. Jokeingly I said,'that's the way to handle the woman in your life'. He laughed! And said, 'ya lor'. Must start young!

The other day, Josh was soooooooo sad and cried very badly when mummy refused to let him keep a beagle that someone wanted to give away recently. We had her for several hours and Josh loved it so much. His wish was shattered when mummy returned. It was too big for her. So, we returned it and Josh greived for many days and eventually got over it after a good closure by visiting it for couple of days to bid goodbye. Innocently he commented,"next time I must marry a wife who loves dogs!".

That started me thinking. There are many differences in my marriage. After a while, the differences attack instesd of attract. It can be depressing at times when you don't share similar interests and look at things with likemindedness. but at the end of the day, when one is down with cancer, the way we look at things will change. David look at God instead of Goliath when faced with such a 8-foot tall giant. He looked at Goliath from God's perspective.

Whee Ling has been through much with me in this valley. We've walked through the sadness, difficulties and moments of darkness in this journey. She can choose to leave but chose to walk together in sickness or in health. I think I owe her too much. The little card was not enough to repay her for what she's done for me in loving me. It was not sent to manipulate her, but to make her the greatest person and soul-mate that God has given in my life! Loving dogs does not mean I love her lesser. And whether she likes dogs or not doesn't matter anymore- maybe a smaller breed still can lah for Joshua's sake! Most importantly, Josh knows that he will marry a girl loves her husband like his mummy who loves his daddy.

Thank you for following our journey as we journal. We are putting our journals in a book that will be co-authored by an old church friend.His name is Thomas Chong, from Bethesda Katong Church. It was he who sparked me to put our journey into a book to identify with those walking thru different valleys in their and to inspire, impact and influence each reader to look to the sovereign maker of our lives.Thus , we covet your prayers for us to tie the pieces together to magnify the Lord in this. Hopefully, it should be out by early December.

I am wriiting from home at this very moment. Was discharged yesterday as Whee Ling has mentioned.Understand her concerns but I am fine by God's grace. Compared to the last 2 cycles of Velcade/chemo given, my tolerance to the drug so far has been much better. I had fever, severe malaise; ulcers and peripheral neuropathy where my extremities(toes and fingers)went numb with occasional cramps. It is much lesser this time and is bearable, though with increasing doses (so far 3 in this 3rd cycle), I get very tired. A prodromal flu was coming 2 days ago but with much rest it seems to be disappearing. I have been sleeping a lot but it helps. Am also very glad to be home-there's nowhere like home where you can smell your own pillow!! And see your loved ones!

Once again, we Appreciate all your sms-es, calls, emails and visits by close friends at the hospital.

Through these 2 years, God has revealed so much of His goodness in our lives that we've often failed to see. These 2 years had been one of the worst years in my life, but they are also the best years in my life because I have tasted the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.

Thank you for walking with us through this valley - your prayers, your presents and your presence enable us to walk through........ very soon, we'll see the mountain together!

david

Surprise surprise ?

Surprise surprise ? David can be discharged today! Even though the MRI result is not out yet and there should be another IV (intravenous drip of Velcade) on Thur, his blood platelets level is good enough for him to be home. He just needed to do the IV as outpatient on Thur. I guess the MRI result may be available then. He is driving himself home (insisted that I should continue with my work), so please pray for journey mercy.

Thanks alot & God bless!
Whee Ling

Going for MRI now

Just received an SMS from David that he is going for MRI now. Called him a couple of minutes ago and he was in the waiting room. The whole process may take over an hour. Please pray for excellent result that there be 0% myeloma cells, for completle restoration.

I did not expect the MRI to be so soon and suddenly felt very anxious... may the Lord guard our hearts and mind in Christ Jesus...

Home leave during the weekend

It was really good to have David home last weekend, even though he needed to "check-in" around 10pm every night. He was rather tired and slept most of the time while he was home, probably due to the effects of the Velcade and other medicine he was taking. We went to church on Sunday and that was about the only public event as the possibility of him picking up infections in crowded places cannot be underestimated.

His platelet count is expected to drop significantly this week so do pray with me that it would still be at a safe level, no need for transfusion and on complications at all. I know God is in control but as our Pastor reminded us not to take God's protection for granted, we are to pray for protection and deliverance from evil. This is evident in the prayer our Lord Jesus has taught us to pray in Matthew 6:8-13:

"for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
"This, then, is how you should pray:
" 'Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one."

Dr William has advised that he may or may not have the next Velcade treatment depending on the next MRI result. Witnessing how he grimaces in pain this morning when the needle is pierced into his skin for the intravensous drip (sometimes the nurse/doc requires numerous attempts because his veins tend to "run" or "collapse"), I earnestly seek the Lord's mercy to give him a clean bill of health soon, to deliever him from the pain the suffering, to release complete healing as we gaze upon the cross - the finished work of Christ in redemption, healing and deliverance. Please join me in prayers and supplications.

With heartfelt thanks & gratitude,
Whee Ling