Down with running nose

Barely less than 24 hours of feeling better, David is down with running nose. The flu like symptoms started this morning. Right after dinner, he vomited all his dinner cum medicine. Not sure how he got the flu bug, suspect it could be at the hospital yesterday while waiting for his X-ray to be done. Please pray that he recover soon.

Many thanks & God bless,
Whee Ling

Excellent blood test result!

Praise the Lord! We have much to give thanks for. Today's blood test showed:
1. Total white blood cells at 3.7 (normal range 4 to 10)
2. HB level is at 9.1 (normal range 14 to 16)
3. Platelets level at 199 (normal range 140 to 300)
The engraftment of stem cells was at 75%, i.e. grafted stem cells are growing.

Other than some poor appetite, nausea, retching and abdominal discomfort caused by the medicine, David is feeling much much better than before. Every good result is possible becaue of God's amazing grace.

"Man is born broken. He lives by mending. The grace of God is glue. - Eugene O'Nell"

David's next medical appointment is on Wed 29Jun whereby he would need to do another BMA (Bone Marrow Aspiration) and full myeloma test to assess his condition after the transplant. Let us continue to pray for full complete healing.

Thanks for your prayers and concern. We are happy to share David's journey with you through this blog, may you also take comfort in this promise:
"The Lord is near to all who call upon Him,
To all who call upon Him in truth.
He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him;
He also will hear their cry and save them."

God bless!
Whee Ling

Note: If you prefer to e-mail David, his e-mail address is daveongke@pacific.net.sg.

Rashes are gone!

Praise the Lord! David's rashes are hardly visible - believe it is gone because the Lord has heard our prayers.

David's blood test today showed his total white blood count has gone up to 1.8 (noraml range fm 4 to 10), HB at 8.9 (normal range fm 14 to 18) and platelet level is within the normal range. Dr Koh who saw him today was quite happy with his progress. David's diarrhoea has also improved. Even though the result of the skin biopsy would only be out next week, all indicators are looking good. Next appointment is scheduled on Monday 27Jun.

"Oh give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever." Psalm 118:1.

It is our prayers and desire too that many who are afflicted or in need will find solace, strength and deliverance in our Lord Jesus - He who is our refuge and strength. To Him be the glory for every victory and blessing!

God bless,
Whee Ling

He is our help and our shield

"Our soul waits for the Lord;
He is our help and our shield.
For our heart shall rejoice in Him,
Because we have trusted in His holy name.
Let Your mercy, O Lord, be upon us,
Just as we hope in You."
Psalm 33:20-22

"The Lord is our help and our shield" - that was what I was proclaiming in the early morning (around 5am) after David was woken up by bad dreams of the deceased and indian spirits. Moments before he woke up to tell me about the "attack", I heard him praying in tongues. Praise the Lord for God has given us spiritual weapons for spiritual battle - to pull down strongholds, cast down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ. I also recalled Joshua being afraid as he was trying very hard to go to sleep last night. I prayed with him to allay his fears. Praise the Lord, relief always comes when we call upon the name of our Lord Jesus. Once again, was reminded to:

"Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world. But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you. To Him be the glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen." - 1 Peter 5:8-11

David will be going for another medical checkup tomorrow. He had a skin biopsy done yesterday to check if the rashes on his back was caused by GVHD. Really hope and pray that he does not need to be given steriods which may trigger another round of hiccups. Thank God, his diarrhoea has stopped but he still has some abdominal discomfort, periodic nausea and poor appetite due to the drugs he is required to take daily. Pray that he be free from all discomfort and that he is able to have good night sleep.

Praying with hope in Christ,
Whee Ling

Hallelujah! Praise the Lord!

Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Praise the Lord!!! Praise be to the Most High God, our Lord Jesus, who alone is worthy to be praised and adored! He is the King of kings and the Lord of Lords. He is awesome!

Have been praising the Lord and just want to continue to praise the Lord for all He has done, is doing and will continue to do. We can trust Him because He is a loving and faithful God!

Often I am really amazed by His lovingkindness - He is the great Almighty yet He listens to us when we pray. And often bless us exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think. To Him be the glory throughout all the ages, world without end!!!

We are really glad to have David back home and spend Father's Day together and to celebrate Joshua's 5th birthday. We couldn't thank all of you enough for praying unceasingly for and with us.

Ever since David's discharge last Thur evening on 16Jun, he has been generally well other than a bit of diarrhoea. Today (Day 19 after the transplant) is the first of the follow up checkups after the transplant. Dr William noticed some rashes on David's back and suggested he be back tomorrow for another test as rashes could be an indication of some GVHD (Graft vs Host Disease). Please pray that if it is GVHD, it would be gone, that the Lord's divine healing touch be sufficient instead of having need for more medicine/steriods. May the Lord sustains us according to His glorious might in this long, ongoing battle.

Thanks & God bless,
Whee Ling

Discharged from BMT/SGH 16 June 2005 

Glad to be home! 16 June 2005

Dear all,

By the time you read this, I will be discharged today. Praise the Lord! Exactly 3 wks of suffering here. Wouldn’t have made it the prayers of many concerned people and the love of dear friends like you really. Am also very thankful for the doctors (Especially Dr.William Hwang, my transplant physician provided by the Lord); wonderful nurses and staff of Ward 72, SGH who took such good care of me in their very special ways when I was going so much anguish during the BMT (Bone marrow transplant). Above all, for my younger sister, Angie who had to go through so much in order to give me her stem cells. Glad to tell you that the latest blood test has shown some engraftment taking place in my marrow.

“For you are with me” – The Chief Shepherd
Above all, the Lord has been with me in those darkest moments – it is so easy during those moments of agony and anguish to lose all perspective in those dark days while in pain and sorrow when I said, “It’s no use, I can’t go on. Please take me home”.

But Psalm 23 has given me so much new insights. Just like His presence was David’s comfort in the desert while tendering the sheep, His presence is the same for this little david. In the midst of my deep struggle in loneliness, I saw a vision of the shepherd in glittering white. Indeed, the Lord is great shepherd, even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil. Now I realized that no valley goes on forever – God knows what we can endure…….though the deliverance may be delayed, it will come. Even sorrow has its time to be when you are suffering, but those who mourn will be comforted by His rod and staff.

Prayer items:
Now that I am going home, the main concern is food. Everything needs to be high steamed in order to prevent any potential infection especially fungal spores that are harder to treat. No outside food for at least 6 mths. So no roti prata, wanton mee, loh-mee whatever mee etc. Therefore, one of the challenges is to carefully plan some simple, interesting meals everyday now. If you have good recipes let Whee Ling know –she collects recipes all her life though she doesn’t cook!
There is also a long ‘central line’ on my right chest, a long catheter inserted into a vein that runs into the heart. It will not be taken out for the next 100 days for the purpose of drawing blood and administration of drugs etc. Therefore it needs to keep it sterile with weekly dressings and flushing to keep it clean and unblocked. Whee Ling will have to learn to do it though I can do it myself as well except it is harder to do on myself. But no worries, Dr.Melvyn Tan who has been a dear doctor friend has volunteered to do it for me too. God is so good.
Most importantly, that the new stem cells that are settling in my bone marrow will not face rejection (GVHD-Graft verses host disease).

Suffering Successfully
Honestly, the journey is still quite long. At least for the first 100 days, I will be in SGH for follow up at least twice a week for regular blood checks and consultation with Dr. William Hwang. Pray that there will be no complications in regard to infections and GVHD (graft verses host disease). But Whee Ling, Josh and I are entrusting our lives to the Shepherd of our hearts to bring us thru each valley. There were many valleys mentioned in the Bible where God’s people went through. But there will be an end no matter how many valleys we have to go through. The dark valleys make God more real to us than ever before. God becomes a reality.

Thank you for journeying with us. By standing with us, you helped us experience His reality in the community of Christ in the Church of God at large.

In all my years of Christian living, this is the year I am reconnected with friends from all over Singapore and Russia in different churches, even pre-believing friends. May God’s name be glorified thru this part of my pilgrimage.

Glad to be home ,
(Especially to celebrate birthday of Josh on 20/6 and earthly & Heavenly Father’s day!)

Dave – His beloved.
Email: daveongke@pacific.net.sg

David is so much better now

Praise the Lord for answering our cries for help! David is so much better now. His hiccups are gone finally. He is also having better appetite even though he still has some diarrhoea. It is such a relief to see him up and about. Thank You Lord for Your grace and mercy!!! Thanks to all of you for praying.

Depending on the next blood test, if everything goes well, he may even be able to be discharged by end of this week! It is really wonderful news because we could then celebrate Joshua's birthday together next week. This is one of Josh's prayers.

Gratefully His,
Whee Ling

Blessed by the unexpected "Ministers"  

Awakened by demonic presence in room

Dear each and all,
Am very privileged to have so many of you interceding for me. And for sending your blessings and words of encouragement to see me thru especially thru your prayers in the name of our Chief Shepherd.

The past week has been most difficult, apart from all those times of pain thru the insertion of the central venouus catheter or BMA or even steroids in the past months. This time, with all the chemotherapy and total body irradiation, plus all the many different kinds of medications administered into my body, I felt all the side effects that sometimes were just unbearable. It was kind of hard to explain. So much going on inside the body.I could only try to bear whatever I could while desperately asking and calling a few nearest ones for a listening ear and prayer especially on one late night when I was like 'walking thru the shadow of death."

There was no immediate relief. There was times in reality I asked why God did not answer my prayer for deliverance instantly. Not only did I feel greatly discouraged, I felt such anguish in my great affliction. I could identify with the Psalmist in 6:6-7 when he desperately said, "I am worn out from groaning; all night long I flood my bed with weeping and drench my couch with tears. My eyes grow weak with sorrow; they fail because of the all my foes." Yet in my heart the Lord did not leave me alone and "from the Lord comes deliverance" Psalm 3:8. He heard my cry for mercy and accepted my prayer.(6:8-9)

At the very instant, a nurse stepped into my room to check on me that night and saw my pathetic state. She inmmmediately called for the doctor on call to examine me. To me, it was a way God delivered me although not every side effect like the hiccups, vomitting, diarrhoea, sore throat and restlessness was gone. But at least, my cries had been heart and "I could lie down and sleep in peace, for He alone makes me dwell in safety" Psalm 4:8

Vision of the Chief Shepherd
Thru all these, The Lord gave me a vision of Him as a shepherd. Whenever I close my eyes to dwell upon Him , that vision would appear in clear glittering form with Jesus in white holding the staff and the rod. Interesting, a very dear friend, Joseph Ling gave me a book on Psm 23 that I brought along to read. And it has given me a greater understanding of my shepherd.

A dream - Men coming towards me with fire
2 days ago, I had an interesting dream in the daytime when I was resting. A group of men were all holding torches and charred furniture moving towards me. As each drew near to me, I calmly declared that Jesus is the way, the truth and the life. And soon after that, one by one the crowd disappeared. Thank God for the power of His word - indeed, He is the word and He holds the word of life!

Awakened by demonic presence
I have shared quite a bit, but I am writing at this hour because I was just awaken by a very strong demonic presence in my room.

It was about 2 plus earlier when I was slepping. I was awaken now and then due to strange encounters. Each time as I got up, I was wondering where I was - sometimes in a strange land or even in a room where I don't even recognise or remember that I am actually in SGH as the colours of the walls were of different colours. Halluciating you may think. But after I realized after I got up, I then realized that I am still in the hospital.Honestly, in my mind, I could hear people talking and at one time, I saw many people - young and old; ladies and other people floating around me. At one time, I could sense a woman on my left that I had to say,"hey you go away in Jesus name. Straight away, I sensed in my spirit that it was not a dream but a demonic presence around me.Unlike the last round in the open ward, I did not shout in the name of Jesus for them to get out. Recognising that I was being disturbed in the spirit, I quietly commanded each of them to go in the mighty name of Jesus, the Kings of kings and Lords of lords! When I did that, all of a sudden, I could feel a gush of wind leaving my bed. Really! Never felt that before, but I realized the spirit of death in the hospital is so strong when many many have been very sick and have gone.

As it was quite late, I decided not to call anyone, but just sent a few sms to some for prayer in case some 'night birds' may still be awake.

Whee Ling called, and said she was still awake praying for me using a book on praying for deliverance. Here are some of the scriptures she shared:

Psm 50: 15
15 and call upon me in the day of trouble;
I will deliver you, and you will honor me."

Psm 31:2; 15
2 Turn your ear to me,
come quickly to my rescue;
be my rock of refuge,
a strong fortress to save me.
15 My times are in your hands;
deliver me from my enemies
and from those who pursue me.

Psm 18: 2-3; 16-19
2 The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer;
my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge.
He is my shield and the horn [a] of my salvation, my stronghold.
3 I call to the LORD, who is worthy of praise,
and I am saved from my enemies.

16 He reached down from on high and took hold of me;
he drew me out of deep waters.
17 He rescued me from my powerful enemy,
from my foes, who were too strong for me.
18 They confronted me in the day of my disaster,
but the LORD was my support.
19 He brought me out into a spacious place;
he rescued me because he delighted in me.

Psm 91:14
14 "Because he loves me," says the LORD, "I will rescue him;
I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.

Psm 56:13
13 For you have delivered me [c] from death
and my feet from stumbling,
that I may walk before God
in the light of life. [d]

Once again, thx for standing with us during this trying period. Your prayer and constant intercession for us have strengthened us to face the harsh realities of the whole battle with Cancer and the trials that the Lord has allowed us to go through. The journey ahead is still very long, but we are trusting God for every step of the way in order that His name may be glorified.

I specially want to thank many of you who called or sms. And for my immediate family members who cared so much for me and close friends who had visited me. It made my stay here more bearable though I could not talk much during this time of physical suffering.

Appreciate each one and all of you,
david

Josh taking care of Daddy 

Feeling slightly better

David is feeling slightly better today but still has diarrhoea and hiccups. He had another dose of chemo yesterday to further lower his immunity. The last chemo is scheduled on 12Jun. He has been sleeping most of the time and I suppose it is easier for him to cope that way. His blood count has not really dropped to the expected low yet. We are waiting for his count to drop and then pick up to a healthy level before he can be discharged - estimated around 2 weeks. Please pray that the whole process be more tolerable.

In Christ we have the victory over every circumstance!

God bless,
Whee Ling

Updates on David's condition

David vomited again this morning after 3 vomit-free days. His throat is also a bit sore (maybe due to the radiation). He had an chest x-ray done yesterday and thank God the result is good. He also has mild jaundice, likely due to the medicine. Hiccups did not improve much. Nonetheless, we are thankful that the Lord is watching over him and believe things will get better for him soon.

In His mercy and grace,
Whee Ling

My new look 

Father & Son 

A time of waiting...

Thanks for your continual prayers for David. He is feeling slightly better.

"Wait upon the Lord" and "Take heart and be strong". These are the 2 messages from the Lord that help David during the difficult moments of coping with nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, drowsiness, hiccups and poor appetite. Please continue to pray against the side effects from the many drugs he needs to take. Also pray against possible infection due to low immunity. May the Lord grant him strength, peace and joy.

God is good all the time!
Whee Ling

Day 2 - Through the valley of darkness

What David is going through must be like walking through the valley of darkness. Wonder how long this valley of darkness will be... the only comfort is the Lord is with him in this valley.

This morning he vomited again and had diarrhea. While having his lunch, after just a few spoonful of porridge, he vomited almost all the supplement drink he had earlier before lunch. Yet, he tried to finish his porridge after the vomiting. (Dietitian advised him to try to eat more because he needed the calories and protein.) It really pained me to see him like that - having to go through so much suffering.

Pray that the medicine given will be effective to stop the vomiting and hiccups, that he will have enough nutrition and also to be able to rest in the shadow of the Almighty.

"Because he loves me," says the Lord, " I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. He will call upon me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him. With long life will I satisfy him and show him my salvation." - Psalm 91:14-16

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.
Whee Ling

Hospital days - before and during transplant 

Regular visitors - 2 beautiful birds  

Day 1 - Much discomfort

"Very uncomfortable today. Miserable. Hiccups and terrible feeling all over body. Just vomited. Given lasix to expel water. Pray for peace and strength to endure." reads David's sms at 8:40pm today.

After the BMT (Bone Marrow Transplant), David has been given lots of medicine to prevent GVHD (Graft Vs Host Disease) and to curb possible side effects of chemo and radiotherapy. He has not been eating well even before the BMT. Please pray that his body be filled with supernatural strength from the Lord. Ask the Lord to deliver him from all discomfort and pain and to bring about miraculous healing.

"Lord Jesus, please strengthen David with all might, according to Your glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy; giving thanks to You who have qualified him to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light (Colossians 1:11-12).
Thank You Lord for Your grace is sufficient for us, for Your strength is made perfect in weakness(12 Corinthians 12:9), in Jesus name we pray. Amen!"

Pray also for Joshua who has a little cough and running nose and so for the first time since his daddy was hospitalised, did not visit him. Josh missed his daddy. Pray that he could get well soon so he could be with daddy again.

God bless,
Whee Ling

Infusion of Stem cells - New life begins

Praise the Lord concerning the stem cell collection! Yesterday's collection was very good - total for 2 days was 4.2m (target 5m). Angie is likely to finish with today's collection anytime now and so the stem cell infusion would likely be 2pm today. Wherever you are, join us to whisper a prayer of thankgiving and shout praises to our Almighty King, the Lord of Lords for this very significant moment in David's life.

Possible reaction of the infusion for some patients is high blood pressure. Let us pray that the peace of the Lord be upon David and God's love so overwhelm him that he could only feel the Lord's pressence and not any discomfort whatsoever!

Thanks & God bless,
Whee Ling

Day Zero

Tomorrow is Day Zero - the stem cell transplant day! So far, thank God David is still coping quite well with the chemotheraphy. He is thankful that he did not vomit nor feel very sick even though he did experience a little nausea, loss of appepitite and was quite drowsy, especially today.

The nurse told us that tomorrow he would be going for the Total Body Radiation at around 8:30 and the process would take about an hour. (Dr Hwang explained during the family conference that the purpose of the radiation is to further lower David's immunity to prevent rejection of the grafted stem cells.) The radiotherapy may cause David to be tired and the drugs for preventing side effects may make him drowsy. Please pray for the desired result to be achieved without other harmful effects. Pray also for good rest and protection from infections. Most importantly, pray against rejection and complications from Graft Versus Host Disease - a condition whereby donated stem cells attack the patients organs.

The stem cells infusion may start late morning or in the afternoon depending on the readiness of Angie's stem cells. Angie has started the stem cells collection 2 days ago. The first day was quite ok except for the bruise sustained during the insertion of the needle into her vein. Today, she felt much discomfort and the process was more painful. Please pray for Angie that the nurse who would be attending to her for the next 2 days be more skillful and that the Lord would shield her from all pain and discomfort. It is possible. In fact, the Lord did shield her from the pain associated with the daily injections she has to take to increase stem cells in her blood flow. She was given lots of panadols but she did not even take any because there wasn't any pain. Praise the Lord! Please pray and let us trust the Lord to continue to work miracles as we ask in faith.

Please also pray for lots of good quality stem cells to be collected so that Angie need not spend extended time on the machine. For last 2 days, the process took up to 6 hours a day (fm 9am to around 3pm) and all the while she could not move her hand. I am so grateful to Angie for the gift of life to David, and really wish and pray that she need not suffer much.

"For the Lord God is a sun and shield;
The Lord will give grace and glory;
No good thing will He withhold
From those who walk uprightly."
Psalm 84:11

God bless,
Whee Ling

Pain Pain went away!

Dear all,
Thank you all for praying for me. The insertion of the CVC was difficult probably due to the anatomical strutures of my body or fractures due to my myeloma. The senior radiologist could not figure out why. Although he was quite reassuring by telling me that it was not due to a lung puncture,the pain was so unbearable that caused me to cough and become breathless.It was like a pillow covering the face.I thought I was going to meet the Lord very soon! I quickly confessed all unknown sins to the Lord and prayed for my family and loved ones.All I wanted then was to feel Jesus near as I sang with tears in my heart.

After the insertion of the pheresible line was done, with an oxygen mask given I was wheeled for an urgent ChestXRay to confirm that there's no pneumothorax.Thank God there was no puncture to the right lung.

Back to the ward - In order to minimise the pain, I could not and dare not move or breathe too hard. But thank God, He heard the cries of my heart and your intercession. By this afternoon, the pain score has come down to about 3 and that's why I am able to write a short note here to thank you for praying for me.

Indeed, He "does not ignore the cry of the afflicted" Psm 9:12b

Well, the journey for me has been long. The journey is still very long. Honestly,I don't know what's going to happen tommorrow. But the words of a song I learned during my sunday school days years ago reminded me of our Father God who constantly holds my hand.

Thx for all your prayers,
david

***************

I don't know about tomorrow,
I just live from day to day.
I don't borrow from its sunshine,
For its skies may turn to grey.
I don't worry o'er the future, for I know what Jesus said.
And today I'll walk beside Him,
For He knows what is ahead.

Chorus: Many things about tomorrow,
I don't seem to understand;
But I know Who holds tomorrow,
And I know Who holds my hand.

Every step is getting brighter,
As the golden stairs I climb;
Every burden's getting lighter
Every cloud is silver lined.
There the sun is always shining,
There no tear will dim the eye;
At the ending of the rainbow,
Where the mountains touch the sky.

Romans 8:18
Paul Said: I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.

Excruciating pain

It must have been that - excruciating pain. I heard David telling the nurse who enquired about his pain from the result of the CVC insertion that it was about 8 or 9 from the scale of 1 to 10. "Oh Lord, please have mercy and alleviate his pain, if possible completely eradicate the pain in Jesus name!"

The whole CVC insertion process took so long, David was away from the ward from 3pm to almost 7pm. We had expected it to be easier than the last insertion in Apr since it is a smaller tube and done by a senior radiologist with the help of X-ray. Somehow, half way through the procedure, the radiologist had to adopt an alternative route because of unexpected unexplainable obstacle. David also experienced breathlessness and needed breathing aid. He shared he kept singing the song "Lord, You are more precious than silver...." over and over in his mind.

Coincidentally, Josh and I were singing that song while I was preparing him to take a nap in his daddy's room. I think it must be the work of the Holy Spirit, helping us to worship the Lord in the midst of trouble. Truly very thankful that it was successfully done in the end. Praise the Lord! It is His grace and His grace is sufficient. Thanks for your prayers and intercession.

Please pray that the wounds on his chest will not bleed again and that David can breath deeply without pain. The chemotherapy will start tomorrow, pray that he can tolerate the effects - he can do all things through Christ who strenthens him. Pray for no side effects at all. With God, nothing is impossible!

The Lord is doing an interesting work in Joshua's heart too. I was so blessed by what he shared just before bedtime. He told me he had one or two mosquito bites but not as many as daddy (David had quite a few mosquito bites in the afternoon). He wished the mosquito in daddy's ward would bite him instead of daddy and that he did not mind to even take on all the bites so that daddy be spared. He surely is daddy's darling boy. Please pray that Josh be free from any infections and be strong and healthy and that the frequent hospital visits will not tired him out but that he continues to bring cheer to his daddy.

Thanks & God bless,
Whee Ling

Stem cell transplant

Dear all,

David will be going for donor stem cell transplant soon. The result of his last BMA done on 10May showed only 2% cancerous cells left. Praise the Lord! We are trusting God to clean up all the myeloma cells and restore David to perfect health. As Joshua (our 4 year old son, who is turning 5 soon) shared with me the other day after we prayed: "Mummy, I felt so good after praying (heaved a sigh of relief), maybe now only 1% left, then 0% and no more." Yes, we are claiming total healing for his daddy by faith in Jesus our Lord.

David will be admitted to SGH tomorrow to begin a series of conditioning preparation for the stem cells. This include 3 days high dose chemo from 28May to 30May, full body radiotherapy on 01Jun morning so he is ready for the stem cell infusion on 01Jun. For details, you may refer to our blog on "Details of BMT".

The estimated hospital stay is at least 23 days. After the transplant, close monitoring of David's condition is required to detect any sign of infections, complications, rejections and what is called GVHD (graft vs host disease) - a condition whereby the grafted stem cell (ie donor cells) attack the patient's cells or organs. The effect of GVHD ranges from skin rashes to life threatening conditions. Something we need to pray against. Lets pray that only remaining cancerous cells will be wiped out and all healthy cells remain unaffected.

After his discharge from the hospital when his condition stablises, regular monitoring about 2 or 3 times medical checkup at the hospital per week will be required for the initial 100 days of the transplant. Thereafter, once a month for the first year after transplant.

We are very thankful that some friends and loved ones even took the initiative to oragnise prayer groups to fast and pray for David. We are also very glad to know that some people were encouraged through our testimonies in our blog of the Lord's goodness and love not just for our family but to all who call upon His name. Let us continue to pray for each other and draw near to God.

As you remember David in your prayers, please pray:

1. that David's mind, soul, body and spirit will be ready for what he will need to go through. That he will be able to focus on our Lord Jesus and find strength to bear all things.

2. for smooth insertion of the CVC on 27May - a hollow silicon tube to be inserted into his vein below his collar bone to facilitate the aministration of chemo treatment, drawing of blood for tests, stem cell infusion etc. Pray that the radiologist will be skillful in doing it and that if possible be painless for David. Pray for protection from risk of punctured lungs and from fever and infections.

3. for Angie, his sister who is the stem cell donor to respond well to the 2 injections of GCSF per day from 27May to 31May. The injections are necessary to facilitate stem cells collection from 30May to 02Jun. Pray that Angie will not experience any pain and discomfort and that the desired amount of quality stem cells can be collected.

4. that the high dose chemo and full body radiotherapy will completely destroy the diseased cells in his body without the usual side effects and no risk of donated stem cells be rejected

5. that when his immunity is low, he will not be infected by any virus, bacteria or any kind of infections etc

6. that after the stem cells infusion, the donated cells will grow and achieve the desired result

7. that in the event if AB+ platelets are needed, the potential donors who had gone for screening will be available to donate the needed platelets. (Really very grateful to each and every one of the 10 potential donors for their kind offer to help)

8. for Joshua to be healthy (he was down with fever yesterday but thank God is well now) and for me too, that I will be a good caregiver.
Thank you very much!
Just want to let you know in case some of you have problem logging onto our blog - every prayer request for David's last hospitalisation from 18Apr to 05May (in my e-mail dated 15Apr) was answered. Praise be to our awesome God! Thanks for praying. Your prayers mean so much to us!

Thanks & God bless,
Whee Ling

P/S: I will still check my e-mail from time to time and David may also have access to his e-mail and our blog (if he is not too tired to read). We love to hear from you - so do encourage us if you have a message, a verse, a prayer or just a note to say hello.

Faith is the assurance of things hoped for...

"Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen...
By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things which are visible. " Hebrews 11:1-3

Can I have the assurance that David will survive the BMT and not just survive, but will be completely cured of multiple myeloma? Yes, I believe it can happen because our faith is in the Lord Jesus, who said "I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it..." John 14:12-14.

The Lord has so kindly allayed my anxiety by reminding me through His word "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:6. Yes, let us continually present our requests to the Lord.

I want to share with you how the Lord has renewed my faith in Him again through His word:

As far back as the time when David was first hospitalised at TTSH last Sep, even before the diagnosis, the Lord has through a dear sister-in-Christ told me to be prepared for "things to get worse before they get better". When it was confirmed to be multiple myeloma, I was crying to the Lord for mercy and assurance that all would be well eventually. The comforting message from the Lord (in the form of thoughts from bible passage) came from Daniel 3 (attached below for reference). I felt the Lord assuring me that He would be with us as He had when Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego were in the fiery furnace. Just as the 3 of them emerged from the fire unharmed, we (David, Joshua and I) would too. However, what impressed upon me besides the miraculous deliverance but rather the attitude of the 3 when they said "If it be so our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the furnace of blazing fire; and He will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But even if He does not, let it be known to you, O king, that we are not going to serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up." The ulimate purpose is that His name be glorified! Yes, that is our desire too - that the mighty name of Jesus be glorified!

One thing I can testify is so far we have never felt alone - His presence has been with us.

"As sure as God puts His children in the furnace he will be in the furnace with them." -- Charles H Spurgeon

Thanks for praying. Hope you will also find strength, comfort and peace in Christ if you are also facing difficulties or trials in your life.

Rejoice in the Lord always!
Whee Ling



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Daniel 3
The King's Golden Image
1Nebuchadnezzar the king made an (A)image of gold, the height of which was sixty cubits and its width six cubits; he set it up on the plain of Dura in the (B)province of Babylon.
2Then Nebuchadnezzar the king sent word to assemble the (C)satraps, the prefects and the governors, the counselors, the treasurers, the judges, the magistrates and all the rulers of the provinces to come to the dedication of the image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up.

3Then the satraps, the prefects and the governors, the counselors, the treasurers, the judges, the magistrates and all the rulers of the provinces were assembled for the dedication of the image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up; and they stood before the image that Nebuchadnezzar had set up.

4Then the herald loudly proclaimed: "To you the command is given, (D)O peoples, nations and men of every language,

5that at the moment you (E)hear the sound of the horn, flute, lyre, trigon, psaltery, bagpipe and all kinds of music, you are to fall down and worship the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king has set up.

6"But whoever does not fall down and worship shall immediately be (F)cast into the midst of a (G)furnace of blazing fire."

7Therefore at that time, when all the peoples heard the sound of the horn, flute, lyre, trigon, psaltery, bagpipe and all kinds of music, all the peoples, nations and men of every language fell down and worshiped the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up.

Worship of the Image Refused
8For this reason at that time certain (H)Chaldeans came forward and (I)brought charges against the Jews.
9They responded and said to Nebuchadnezzar the king: "(J)O king, live forever!

10"You, O king, have (K)made a decree that every man who hears the sound of the horn, flute, lyre, trigon, psaltery, and bagpipe and all kinds of music, is to (L)fall down and worship the golden image.

11"But whoever does not fall down and worship shall be cast into the midst of a furnace of blazing fire.

12"There are certain Jews whom you have (M)appointed over the administration of the province of Babylon, namely Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego. These men, O king, have disregarded you; they do not serve your gods or worship the golden image which you have set up."

13Then Nebuchadnezzar in (N)rage and anger gave orders to bring Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego; then these men were brought before the king.

14Nebuchadnezzar responded and said to them, "Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego, that you do not serve (O)my gods or worship the golden image that I have set up?

15"Now if you are ready, (P)at the moment you hear the sound of the horn, flute, lyre, trigon, psaltery and bagpipe and all kinds of music, to fall down and worship the image that I have made, very well But if you do not worship, you will immediately be (Q)cast into the midst of a furnace of blazing fire; and (R)what god is there who can deliver you out of my hands?"

16(S)Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego replied to the king, "O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to give you an answer concerning this matter.

17"If it be so, our (T)God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the furnace of blazing fire; and (U)He will deliver us out of your hand, O king.

18"(V)But even if He does not, (W)let it be known to you, O king, that we are not going to serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up."

Daniel's Friends Protected
19Then Nebuchadnezzar was filled with (X)wrath, and his facial expression was altered toward Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego. He answered by giving orders to heat the furnace seven times more than it was usually heated.
20He commanded certain valiant warriors who were in his army to tie up Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego in order to cast them into the furnace of blazing fire.

21Then these men were tied up in their (Y)trousers, their coats, their caps and their other clothes, and were cast into the midst of the furnace of blazing fire.

22For this reason, because the king's command was (Z)urgent and the furnace had been made extremely hot, the flame of the fire slew those men who carried up Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego.

23But these three men, Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego, (AA)fell into the midst of the furnace of blazing fire still tied up.

24Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astounded and stood up in haste; he said to his high officials, "Was it not three men we cast bound into the midst of the fire?" They replied to the king, "Certainly, O king."

25He said, "Look! I see four men loosed and (AB)walking about in the midst of the fire without harm, and the appearance of the fourth is like a son of the (AC)gods!"

26Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the door of the furnace of blazing fire; he responded and said, "Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego, come out, you servants of the (AD)Most High God, and come here!" Then Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego (AE)came out of the midst of the fire.

27The (AF)satraps, the prefects, the governors and the king's high officials gathered around and saw in regard to these men that the (AG)fire had no effect on the bodies of these men nor was the hair of their head singed, nor were their (AH)trousers damaged, nor had the smell of fire even come upon them.

28Nebuchadnezzar responded and said, "Blessed be the (AI)God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego, who has (AJ)sent His angel and delivered His servants who put their (AK)trust in Him, violating the king's command, and yielded up their bodies so as (AL)not to serve or worship any god except their own God.

29"Therefore I (AM)make a decree that any people, nation or tongue that speaks anything offensive against the God of (AN)Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego shall be torn limb from limb and their (AO)houses reduced to a rubbish heap, inasmuch as there is (AP)no other god who is able to deliver in this way."

30Then the king (AQ)caused Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego to prosper in the province of Babylon.

Today is Day -12

Today is Day -12, the start of the count down to David's BMT transplant date on 01Jun05. Also the start of the conditioning regimen.

I am beginning to feel a little anxious. Cannot explain, kind of a mixed feeling. On one hand, it should be an event deserving celebration - David is given a 2nd chance in an otherwise hopeless situation (hopeless in the context of medical science because donor transplant is the only curative method for multiple myeloma). On the other hand, there are risks involved. Things could go wrong - oh Lord Jesus, please prohibit it!

Well, all the more I need to focus on the Lord and draw strength from Him. "Lord Jesus, we need You!"

May the peace of the Lord rest upon us.
Whee Ling

Details of BMT

David's Bone Marrow Transplant (BMT) in the form of Stem Cell Infusion is to be done on 01Jun05. This day is the transplantation day, often referred to as "Day Zero". This is the day that marks a significant event in every transplant patient's life, a special occasion sort of like a second "birth", the first day of a new lease of life. For David's case, his second birth is the spirtual birth when he was "born again" into the kingdom of God when he received the gift of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ. So, this would be his third "birth" after being "refined by fire in the furnace".

Before the actual transplant, the conditioning regimen begins. David will need to prepare for the transplant as follows:

1. start taking Oral Bactrium on 20May (Day -12)
2. Admission to SGH after family conference with Dr Hwang on 26May (Day -6)
3. CVC insertion at X-ray dept on 27May (Day -5) (CVC is a hollow silicon tube to be inserted into his vein to facilitate administration of treatment.)
4. High dose chemotherapy (IV Fludarabine) for 3 days from 28May to 30May with total body radiation (TBI 200 rad) on 01Jun (Day 0) before the transplant

The conditioning treatment is necessary to destroy the diseased cells in his body, to suppress his immune so as to reduce the risk that the donated marrow will be rejected and to make space for the transplanted cells.

In the meantime, he has been advised to build up his body with good nutrition and exercise to be ready for the BMT.

As for his sister, Angie, who will be the donor, she has to start taking 2 injections a day for 5 days starting from 27May to 31May. The injection of GCSF (Granulocyte colony stimulating factor) which stimulates recruitment of bone marrow stem cells into the circulating blood is necessary to facilitate collection of stem cells. The dates for stem cell collection are from 30May to 02Jun.

Please pray that the process will be as painless as possible for Angie and good amount and quality stem cells can be collected so the collection days may even be shorten.

Having a donor BMT is the only curative method in medical science today but along with it comes the risk of rejection and complications. I believe God can heal David miraculously simply by His word but if He has chosen this path that David has to take - the suffering, the waiting, the whole package - I totally surrender to His divine design. May the whole process bring glory to our Heavenly Father, our God, our Lord, our Maker and Provider, our all in all.

Thanks once again for praying. As a dear friend reminded me, the actual battle is in prayers, please press on in prayers with us.

Blessings and love,
Whee Ling

Result of BMA

Praise the wonderful name of our Lord Jesus Christ! He is worthy of praise, honour and adoration. God is good. His ways are excellent and His mercies know no bound.

The result of the last BMA showed there are still 2 to 3 percent plasma cells in the bone marrow. However, the doctors of the transplant team have decided they would go ahead with doing allogenic transplant (i.e. donor stem cell transplant) for David scheduled from 27May05. We will be able to get more details from Monday's medical appointment. In a way, it is a relief to know that David need not go through 2 transplants. Though, I truly wished the result was better - showing 0%, no more, total remission...I am thankful for all that the Lord has done, His healing touch, His blessings of moving people to pray and walk alongside with us in this journey and His steadfast love, His unchanging and everlasting love. God knows what is best and He is in control.

Another answered prayer is the approval of the medical subsidy. "Thank You Lord! Praise be to You always! "Halleluyah!" He is a God who provides!

Our heartfelt thanks and deep appreciation to everyone who prayed with us. Words cannot express our gratitude and appreciation of your continual prayer support.

Please continue to pray for strength to go through the next phase - it may be more trying, a more difficult test perhaps. Physically, the high dose chemotherapy and radiotherapy would be more unbearable. Please also pray that the Lord will free David from emotional stress and burdens (ministry related burden.)

Thank you once again and may the joy of the Lord be our strength always!
Whee Ling

Still no news on BMA result

In case you are wondering why there are no news on David's last BMA result - me too. Well, I guess we may have to wait till Monday, his next medical appointment, to know the result.

In any case, we are at peace knowing God's hand is upon David and He is in control of every circumstance.

Have a blessed weekend!
Whee Ling

Best BMA done!

Hi all,

Praise the Lord for the best BMA (compared to the previous three) done so far! Thank You, Jesus for answered prayer!!!

David's BMA done yesterday was so well done it could only be because of your prayers and God's favour. Dr Hwang, his consultant, did it for him personally and because he was so skillful and gentle, David experienced minimal pain. He said it was a heaven and earth difference compared to the previous BMAs done by other doctors. Now we await the result which may be out sometime today. Will keep all posted.

Gratefully His,
Whee Ling and family

Our pictures

Finally discovered how to post pictures to the blog. Enjoy!

David's new look - Josh & I like it! 

Papa Dave & Josh 

Our Lovely Family 

Tomorrow will be the next BMA

Hi all,

David will be going for his next medical appointment to see Dr Hwang tomorrow. He will be having the Bone Marrow Aspiration (BMA) tomorrow. BMA is a procedure whereby the doctor will extract bone marrow from his pelvic bone by drilling 3 holes (I think). It is quite a painful process. Tests will then be done on the bone marrow to see if there are still any myeloma cells in his bone marrow. Please please pray that:
1. the BMA will be less painful and that David will continue to have the strength to endure it
2. good report of 0%, absolutely no myeloma cells anymore in his bone marrow or any part at all.

Please join us in making our plea to our Almighty God to have mercy and let His supernatural healing be upon David. Our heartfelt thanks and gratitude to all for praying.

Pressing on in faith,
Whee Ling

P/S: You may wish to look up our blog http://prayfordavid.blogspot.com/ for details on why it is important that there are no more myeloma cells in the next BMA - blog posted on 24Apr.

Appreciating Mothers

Though Mother's Day is over, we can never thank our mothers enough for the selfless love and sacrifice they make for their children.

Just want to pay tribute to our dear Mothers (David's and mine) for their love and prayers. One of the greatest gifts from them were their constant prayers and intercession. During the whole of David's hospital stay from 18Apr to 04May, they even arranged a synchronised prayer time between themselves from 10:30am every morning to stand in the gap for David before the throne of our Father God seeking mercy, help, protection, healing and restoration.

They were rewarded with not just answered prayers but also experiencing God's faithfulness, the Holy Spirit's guidance, the building up of their faith and our heartfelt deep appreciation to them and praises to God from whom all blessings flow.

To all the Mothers who are reading this, we can do so much for our children but I sincerely believe the most important among which has to be prayers. Let us keep praying and interceding for our beloved children whom God has so graciously entrusted in our hands.

A very blessed Mom (having Josh is one of the greatest blessings in my life),
Whee Ling

Discharged fm SGH finally...

Thank God David is finally home after 2 and a half weeks at SGH.
Praise the Lord everything went smoothly in all the tests conducted before he was allowed to go home. X-rays of heart, lungs etc showed chemo did not harm any of those vital organs. The Lord has been sustaining him and protecting him from all harm and infections. Your prayers have great impact because God is faithful!

Through the whole course of the chemo, he only vomited once, experienced transient nausea and loss of appetite. He is now losing his hair. So far, by God's grace, he is still coping quite well. But do pray that he will get better and feel better soon.

Among the first things he did when he was discharged from the hospital was to have his head shaved completely bald. It was a good move instead of waiting for the hair loss to slowly take place revealing unsightly patches of remaining hair on his head. Josh was actually quite intrigued he could easily pull off his Daddy's hair without him feeling any pain. David is in good
Josh and I think he looks good with his new "hairdo".

His next doctor appointment is next Tue 20May. Not sure if BMA would be done then.

I have gotten permission from a dear Sister-in-Christ to publish her e-mail prayers for us below. I believe as the bible says in Matthew 18:19 "if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that you ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven." Do pray in agreement with us if you felt led.

God bless!
Whee Ling

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To David Ong
Oh Lord Jesus ! We rejoice that all authority has been given to You in heaven and on earth (Matt28:18) No principality or power, no human institution or invention. no infirmity or illness can prevail against You. (Eph1>21) We also rejoice that You have given Your disciples power and authority over all demons and to cure diseses (Luke 91:21) Therefore in the name of Jesus, We rebuke the spirit of infirmity myeloma cells and forbid it from prevailing over David. (Luke 13:11) From the common cold to terminal cancer, Lord , strengthen David's immune system . We stand on the promise of God's Word that because David has made the Lord his refuge, no evil shall befall on David, nor shall any plague come near David's dwelling (Ps 91:9-11). Lord,dispatch Your angels to encamp around David dwelling and protect him from any harm (Ps.34:7)

Your Word declares
If david diligently heed the voice of the Lord our God and do what is right in His sight, give ear to Your commandments and keep all Your statues, You will put none of the diseases on him which You have brought on the Egyptian,. For You are the Lord who heal David (Ex15:26) Because David have the righteousness of God in Christ and David belong to You, we ask that no disease would come near David. For You are the Lord who heal David.

May the magnitude of Your presence around David be so great that nothing will be able to touch him except that which comes from You.

"For You, O Lord, will bless the righteous;With favour You will surround David with a sheild"(Ps 5.:12) Because David's body is a temple of the Holy spirit. (1Cor 3:16-17) May the hedge of protection (Job1:10) You have placed around David serve as a testimony to those of Your power. Your Protection and Your Love We pray in the name of Jesus . Amen !

Whee Ling,
Oh Lord ! when whee ling feel enveloped in darkness and depair. Who do she turn to ? where she she go from here? So in the dark hour , when Wheeling hold fast to You. She will not let go of the hope she have in You because You are her only hope (Ps39:7) Wheeling will rest herself completely in Your goodness , faithfullness and love.
When wheeling in distress, Lord you will answer her. You promise to walk with her in the middle of her trouble, preserving her from harm, and surround her with songs of assurance and deliverance. Lord God, You are her hiding place (Ps 32.7) She has found You be a strong tower where she can run and be safe (Prov 8:10) But most of all, Wheeling know she have nothing to fear because of Your great love for her. If you know the number of hairs on her head and You care for her than the sparrow that falls to the ground (Matt 10:29-31) why should wheeling afraid ?
Thank you for covering Wheeling,David and Joshua with your love and Your protection In the name of Jesus we pray Amen

Love from lotusphua

Another answered prayer - more to give thanks for!

Hi,

Glad to report that David's collection of stem cells over last weekend, 3 days from last Sat (half day) to Mon was an impressive 6mil. We were told the the collection of the required quantity range from 3 to 5mil from which good quality stem cells would be selected and stored. The collection process usually takes 3 to 4 days or even a week depending on the presence of stem cells in the blood. Praise the Lord! Another answered prayer - "Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen." Ephesian 3:20,21.

Today, David had to go thru one last round of stem cells collection. Not sure why he needed to do so even though more than required amount were collected. Probably to increase the chance of good quality stem cells selection. Anyway, looks like he may be discharged tomorrow. Oh thank you God! We really look forward having him home.

Thanks for your love and prayers. I want to thank God for my boss too. Really appreciate his concern and understanding esp in making it possible for me to work from home at such times when my family needs me around.

Please continue to pray. We do not know when will be the next BMA yet. Will keep you posted.

God bless!
Whee Ling

Praise the Lord!!! Harvesting of stem cells began

Good news! David's blood test result today showed his total white count (i.e. no. of white blood cells) started increasing. The CD34 (stem cell marker) also indicated the presence of stem cells which are very young cells which mature and develop into red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets in his blood stream. Thus, the Dr made an urgent call to harvest his stem cells or what is called Peripheral Blood Stem Cells Harvesting. I know all these sounded pretty technical but it is definitely good news.
It is the desired outcome of the recent chemo treatment - to collect healthy stem cells which are free of any malignant cells. These good quality stem cells would then be stored as a backup for the transplant treatment. So, after a few days of harvesting and once the desired amount of stem cells are collected, David can be discharged for a couple of weeks before the stem cell transplant tentatively scheduled at the end of May.

Praise the Lord that David did not succumb to any infections or viruses when his blood count was low!
Praise the Lord that his blood count increases so quickly!
Praise the Lord for answering our prayers!
Praise the Lord for His lovingkindness and great tender mercies!

Thank you for all your prayers! We are very much encouraged by many of you who have been faithfully praying with us since the beginning and also the many more who have joined us subsequently - David's doctors, the potential platelet donors who were recently introduced to our blog, my boss' cell group and Joshua's kindergarten (Joshua said "my whole school prayed for Daddy you know! Not just my class, even the nursery and K2"). It is so wonderful to praise the Lord together for every answered prayer.

Please do continue to pray that many good healthy cells could be collected in the next couple of days. Also for good result in the next BMA. Let us praise the Lord together:

"Praise be to the Lord for he has heard my cry for mercy.
The Lord is my strength and my shield
my heart trusts in him and I am helped.
My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to him in song."
- Psalm 28:6,7
The joy of the Lord is our strength! May you find strength and hope in the Lord in whatever difficult situation you may face. God bless you!

Rejoicing in Him,
Whee Ling

Awakened by spiritual forces

"Awakened by spiritual forces at work but the Spirit of God is upon me. Gave me words for the church at large. Pray for discernment and protection and revival. Tell more later. Thx." This sms was sent by David at 4:50am 28Apr05.

In his dream last night, David was oppressed by evil presence and he called upon the name of Jesus and in the mighty name of Jesus was binding and casting out dark spiritual forces. He shouted so loudly at 4:00am that he not just woken up his entire ward of 4 other men but had a group of 5 to 6 nurses standing by his bedside when he was suddenly jolted awake. Thereafter he sought the Lord for understanding and discernment by reading the bible and received a message from the Lord.

The message was from Revelation 3. What strike me when he shared about the message was Rev 3:12 "Him who overcomes I will make a pillar in the temple of my God. Never again will he leave it...".

To me the call to overcome has great significance. "You are called to be an overcomer" was a thought I had during one of the worship services. A second time was during Dr Brian Bailey's teaching and now being reminded in Revelation 3. May the Holy Spirit grant us understanding and discernment to pray and do in accordance to the will of God our Heavenly Father.

Thank you Lord for your promise in Luke10:19 "I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcom all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you."

Yes, may the Lord help David and us to stand firm on the promises of God. God's word has power, it has life and with it we can truly rejoice always in the presence and protection of our Lord, our Savior, in Jesus name. Amen!

God bless,
Whee Ling

Blood count starts dropping

For the past couple of days, we were waiting for David's blood count to drop and then pick up again for stem cell collection. He was even given "day leave", whereby he could go home for a few hours and return to the hospital at night. Joshua was so delighted to have Daddy back home and when it was time for Daddy to go back at night, he earnestly asked if David could also apply for "night leave". Too bad it is against the hospital policy. Anyway, we were glad to have spent those moments with him.

Today, David's blood count dropped quite significantly. His platelets count was about 200+ on Monday and now is 60+. Please pray that he does not fall or cut himself. It is important that he does not bleed. Pray for protection from physical harm and also for good night sleep. He had been having disturbing dreams…which he could vaguely remember but one was about looking for Joshua (missing?) and another was someone's funeral… - of which he did not feel good when he woke up. May the Holy Spirit lead us and teach us how to pray.

Will go to the hospital now and will update when have more info. Thanks again for your labour of love!

God bless,
Whee Ling

No more myeloma cells in next BMA please!

Dr Hwang informed David that after having a discussion with a team of doctors concerning David's condition, another Bone Marrow Aspiration (BMA) will be done before the transplant. If there are still myeloma cells found in the bone marrow, even if reduced from 5% to 1 or 2%, the recommendation is to first do an autologus transplant (from David's own stem cells) and then a donor transplant.

Oh Lord, have mercy on David and spare him the need to undergo 2 transplants! Every transplant requires a full high dose chemo and radiation. Please I beseech thee to pray and intercede for David that our Lord will grant him complete healing and remove every myeloma cell in his body. May the next BMA (date not confirmed yet) shows 0% plasma cell in his bone marrow as an indicator that complete healing has taken place, in Jesus name I pray. Amen!

Thanks & God bless!
Whee Ling

Platelets donors

Dear all,

Thanks for responding to our appeal for donors. I have gotten about 9 names for AB+ and 11 names for O+ so far. I will contact each of them shortly regarding screening details. Please convey my thanks to those whom you have forwarded my message to. Thanks for praying and for being so willing to help.

Please continue to pray for David. Praise the Lord he has the Central Venous Catheter (a silicon tubing to be inserted into his vein for blood transfusion, stem cell transplant) done successfully today after 2 failed attempts which caused him much pain. The CVC or central line was supposed to be a simple procedure and the doctor had done it for more than 200 times without any problem. She was amazed that David was not upset with her but was still smiling after the ordeal. Eventually, the CVC was done by a radiologist using X-ray to guide the procedure. Though the CVC has finally been inserted, it is lodged near his throat, an extremely awkward position, very uncomfortable. Please pray that he could bear with the discomfort and not be too distressed with it. The thought of having to endure it for a couple of weeks can be quite depressing. May the Lord continue to lift up his spirit as grant him strength and renewed hope everyday.
As for side effects, David experienced a little nausea and vomiting yesterday. The hiccups also started today. 21Apr is day 3 of chemo. According to the doctor, his blood count will start dropping and will be very low in day 6, 7 when his immunity will be very low and prone to infection. Thereafter it will pick up and then his stem cells will be collected on day 11 or 12. May the Lord have mercy on him and protect him from all infections and complications. Our God is able to deliver him!

Thanks & God bless,
Whee Ling


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: Whee Ling Chern
Sent: Wednesday, April 20, 2005 11:31 PM
To: Whee Ling Chern
Subject: Platelets donors


Hi all,

David's doctor has advised that we need to gather names of at least 10 potential platelets donors for David. He would need platelet transfusions as his platelets (which are the smallest of the cells in the blood, essential for the clotting of blood) as his platelets would be destroyed after chemotherapy, radiation treatment and stem cell transplant.

Due to the recent high number of dengue fever cases, the blood bank's supply has gone down significantly. Therefore, it is essential to get platelets donation specifically for David. The platelets donated do not go to the blood bank but would be kept with the Haematology Centre. The blood types needed are O+ and AB.

To be eligible for donating platelets, the following criteria have to be met:
between 18 to 55 years old
weigh at least 50kg
did not donate red blood during the last 3 months
do not have a history of diabetes, hypertension and asthma
did not have flu, fever, cough or sore throat in the past one week
did not take antibiotics and flu medication in the past one week
did not travel to India, Nepal and other rural countries within the last 6 months
did not take anti-malaria pills within the last 6 months
have not been exposed to chicken pox in the last 6 months
have good prominent veins on both forearms
willing to spend approx 2 hours during the actual donation process for platelets donation
The donor will have to go for screening whereby blood sample will be taken and tested. The screening fees will be charged to the patient.

How is Platelets donation performed?
A needle is inserted into your vein at the forearm after applying local anaesthetic. Sterile procedure tubings are connected to the needle and blood is drawn from your vein into the blood sparator machine, which will separate the platelets from whole blood. The rest of your blood will be returned to you to avoid further blood loss. The procedure is painless and will take approx 1 to 2 hours to complete. It is very safe because only platelets are removed from the blood. All equipment that comes into direct contact with the blood is disposable, used only once and thrown away.

We need to provide a list of donors to the doctor asap, preferably by end of this week or early next week. As blood group AB is considered rare, please pray and help us find people who are eligible and willing to provide this gift of life. You can sms me or e-mail me the name, contact number and blood type of potential donors.

Thanks & God bless,
Whee Ling

P/S: I had so much problem trying to get this e-mail out. My notebook was giving me problem and the cursor kept moving till I literally bang on it and prayed that God make it work. "No weapon formed against us shall prosper. Amen!"

Devotion time with God

David would be delighted to know that the first thing Joshua missed doing with him was having devotion time with God. On of first night when his daddy was away at the hospital, Joshua said how he wished daddy was with us to have our devotion as a family. I told him we could still do so and that daddy was just a phone call away. So, he called daddy and requested that his daddy lead us in our devotion, i.e. our time worshipping God, reading the bible and praying.

Tonight David called and we did our devotion together using Joshua's 365 daily devotions book called "Quiet Times with God". The bible verses from Apr19 were from:

Numbers 23:22 - "They have the strength of a wild ox" Numbers 23:22" and
2 Corinthians 12:9,10 - "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness"...Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ's sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong."

We were much encouraged by what we learned and hope it would encourage you too:
God makes His people strong. Everyone who believes in Jesus and loves Jesus is part of God's family, and God's family is strong. All together, we are as strong as wild oxen. Where I am weak, you are strong. Where you are weak, I am strong. And where both of us are weak, someone else in God's family is strong. God makes us strong all together. We are strong because God Himself is with us and He is mighty and powerful. We are weak, but He is strong. So be glad and praise God that He is so mighty.
May God bless us to recognise the strength we can have in Him.

Today, David was supposed to have his Central Venous Catheter inserted to allow the administration of chemo drugs. However, the doctor was unable to set the catheter on either side of his chest, just below the collar bone. The Radiologist will try to set it tomorrow. Please pray that David be strong and that the CVC would be successfully done as painlessly as possible.

By His strength,
Whee Ling

"I miss Daddy."

Our dear Joshua boy whispered "I miss daddy" to me with tears in his eyes on Sunday night while I was preparing him to sleep. I told him "daddy has not gone to the hospital yet. He is at home, in the living room." But Joshua was already preparing himself for the impending though temporary separation from his dear daddy whom he loves so much and who loves him so very much.

Moments before that he had prayed for his daddy asking God to take away all the myeloma cells so that daddy could be well again to play with him.

I know this prayer will not go unnoticed by our Heavenly Father whose steadfast love extends to the heavens, whose faithfulness reaches to the skies.

David's chemo would start tomorrow morning. The good news is for this round, his hospital stay may be only about 1 week or shorter if he responds well. Thereafter in early May, his stem cells will be collected. It is only during end May, tentatively 27May, that he would be warded for around 20+ days for high dose chemo, radiotherapy and then the transplant.

So, please continue to pray for David against infections, diseases and side effects. Please also pray for Joshua to be able to cope emotionally. I could only imagine the extend of anxiety his little heart has to manage. Pray that I remain healthy to take care of them.

Thanks & God bless,
Whee Ling

My wonderful family: Whee Ling, Josh & David 

God hears and answers prayers

Greetings in the name of the Lord!

Yes, thanks be to God for the great improvement in David's condition - plasma cells down from 19% in Feb to 5%! Also, for making it possible for the stem cell transplant to take place so quickly and for giving not just 1 but 2 possible donors (David's sisters - Angie and Mary). My heartfelt thanks to both of them for their availability and sacrificial love.

I also want to thank all of you for your love,concern and support to our family. Thanks esp for praying for and with us. In addition to what David has shared below regarding the next step of his treatment, please also pray:

1. for the desired effect of the treatment in preparation for the stem cell transplant. The purpose of the chemotherapy is to wipe out all remaining myeloma cells, together with healthy cells and also to create a "bounce off" effect whereby the body would respond to the invasion of toxic drugs by producing more stem cells (according to my understanding - hope I am explaining it correclty in layman's term) which will be collected and stored in case required in future. So, simply pray that good amount of completely healthy stem cells may be collected.

2. against all side effects of the chemo treatment - i.e. possible loss of appepite, loss of hair, nausea, vomitting, fatigue, drowsiness...etc. In fact I believe, if the Lord is willing, He can spare David from all these.

3. protection from VRE - the superbug and all kinds of infections.

4. that his immunity will be miraculously high and the Lord to supernaturally build him up, both spiritually and physically

5. that the Lord will grant us favour to get the subsidy for the stem cell transplant treatment, without which may be around S$82k

6. that we continue to draw strength from the Lord and .... as the Holy Spirit leads. :)

Our GOD is ONE who hears and answers our prayers, Amen?!

Hope you don't mind receiving e-mail from me again (if you rather not - please let me know, its perfectly fine). I think our blog may not be very effective in providing a channel of communication regarding David's updates. Most of the time, we do not receive much comments to our posting but we do receive a few e-mail repsonses to our blog. Guess most people are still quite hesitant to publish their comments and accessing the blog may also pose a problem to some. I would also post this e-mail to the blog in case I may not have the e-mail addresses of some who faithfully check out our blog http://prayfordavid.blogspot.com/.

Blessings and love in the wonderful name of JESUS,
Whee Ling

BMA results/Admission on 18/4/2005

Dear all,
Thank you for praying with us and for my condition.

The BMA was done on Monday, 11/4. Dr William Hwang sms-ed me to inform me of the results. The percentage of the cancer cells have decreased from 19% (taken at last BMA) to 5%. As such, he wants me admitted this coming Monday,18/4 for the'tranditional' chemotherapy in SGH. Thereafter, my own stem cells will be collected and harvested on the first week of May before the Allogenic/donor transplant at the end of May. The doctor will select and decide which of my two sisters will be the donor for the transplant. This is his plan at the moment.

Please pray for divine wisdom on the medical team - especially for:
Dr. William Hwang, doctor managing my case. He is a believer as well.
Jing Jing, BMT (Bone marrow transplant co-ordinator).

Thanks for all your support and prayers.

finding delight in the Lord - Psm 112,

david

God's blessings...

Dear all,

Just want to praise God for His continuous blessings upon David. God has so lovingly blessed us by having many of you (who are to us, prayer warriors, intercessors, saints and angels) to minister to us during this journey through the valley of darkness.

Recently, a group of David's friends (from his old Bethesda Katong days some of whom he has known for 20 over years) were led by the Holy Spirit to fast and pray for him. Would like to specially thank sister Annette for rallying prayers support for David. I have gotten her permission to include her e-mail on recent prayer items for David in this blog (see below) so that if any of you should feel led, could join us in prayers to our Merciful Father.

Our heartfelt thanks to many of you who prayed, are praying and will be praying for and with us. We are also thankful to some for their practical means of help such as supplying health supplement known to be good for cancer patients. May the Lord greatly multiply your rewards as you have chosen to bless so generously.

I also want to thank David's brother Roger who has been helping us send Josh to his kindergarten every morning. As a result of this, David was able to have more rest. Before I end, I also want to thank and appreciate my 2 sisters-in-law on being available for the donor screening tests this coming monday in preparation of the stem cell transplant.

Gratefully His,
Whee Ling

***************************************

Hi Whee Ling,

Please do feel free to post my email on the blogsite.

It is only rightful for fellow-Christians to support one another in prayer.
Dong has been dear friend to many people, blessing them over the years.

You are a very supportive wife and patient mother. Feel free to write or call me when you need to as it can be very difficult for caregivers too.

May the Lord bless all of you.

Whee Ling Chern wrote:
Dear Annette,

Thank you so much for fasting and praying for Dong and also in rallying prayer support. It is friends like you that reminds us of His great love that so warm our hearts. :) Would it be alright for me to post your e-mail in our blog so our other friends could also join in to pray for items listed below?

Blessings and love,
Whee Ling



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: Annette Chong [mailto:nettiechong@yahoo.com.sg]
Sent: Tuesday, April 05, 2005 10:54 AM
Subject: Prayer/fast for Dong


Dear friends,

We'll be entering our 2nd week of fast/prayer. For those who did not manage to start, it's not too late.

We need to pray that:

1) the cancer cells will continue to drop till it's low enough for the bone marrow transplant to take place. The bone marrow aspiration will be done on 11 Apr. The doctor will then decide on the transplant date. Apparently, it is likely to be within a mth.

2) SGH will be able to quickly eradicate the antibiotic-resistant bacteria currently affecting their wards. Cancer patients are more vulnerable being low in immunity. We need to pray that Dong will not be susceptible to it.

3) The next step of treatment will be for Dong to be admitted for chemotherapy to prepare him for the transplant. There are risks as Dong's immunity will be weakened thru' this. Pray that he will be protected from catching any viruses, infection, etc. He is expected to stay up to 36 days.

4) When the transplant take place, one of Dong's sisters will donate her bone marrow. However, Dong's own cells will be needed as a back-up should his body reject hers. Pray that the transplant will be successful with minimal side effects. Most importantly that his body, will not reject the transplant.

5) Pray that Dong will be able to qualify for subsidies as the difference in cost in huge. Without subsidies, he will need to pay $84000.

As there will be major risks involved in the treatment as well as post-operation, we will really need to cover him with our prayers.

God be with you all and may the Holy Spirit remind us to pray for him even during the busy moments of our day.

Annette

Bone Marrow Aspiration (BMA) & Myeloma Studies on 11/4/2005

Dear all,
I am grateful for the concern and care shown by so many of you during my recent struggle with the side effects of the drugs - chiefly the steroids and the cytotoxic drugs that were given to intensify the treatment before I go for the transplant. Many of you have written to encourage our hearts and I appreciate some of you for calling, no matter how brief it was. Above all, I know of some groups that have gathered specially to intercede for us - Whee Ling and I are so touched by all that you all have done for us - by standing in the gap for us. Thankyou so much! Without your prayers, I wouldn't have been able to bear the torture of all that I was going through. And without His grace, I wouldn't have been able to endure every bit of the physical suffering. Frankly, I felt as if I was in deep waters.But His grace helped me overcome though I felt almost overwhelmed.

You know, going thru this especially during the Good Friday week gave me a little glimpse of the pain and suffering that our Lord Jesus went through.I know what I went through is really nothing compared to what He had gone through. It must have been very, very tough and excruciating for Him to walk the way of the cross! And it could have been me (and you). Instead we are free!

Well, come this Monday (11 April 2005), a BMA and full myeloma study will be done to determine the percentage of myeloma cells in my body after all these intensified treatment for the last 2 months. The last BMA/myeloma study done was 19%. It was 35% when first diagnosed.

Looks like Dr William Hwang will schedule me for the Allogenic Stem Cell Transplant very soon after the tests are done. My donors are going to SGH with me on Monday for a full medical screen and a host of other tests, including an interview to determine who will be the best choice.Do pray for wisdom for the doctor and transplant team.

Please pray also for the hospital that the VRE (Vacomycin Resistent Entercocci) superbug that we have all heard and read about will be controlled. It is not airborne but spread thru contact with articles infected.I may be hospitalised for about 36 days. Super long leh!!! By the way, because my immune system is low and will be knocked even lower deliberately during the transplant, I will not be able to receive any visitor at all. But you may email me at daveongke@pacific.net.sg or Whee Ling at wheeling.chern@sas.com. We will furnish you with more details when the dates are fixed for the BMT (bone marrow transplant).

Thanks for standing with us. We are honored to have friends all over and family members in Singapore and KL praying with us.

In Him we live and have our being,
david

One more month of Chemotherapy

Dear all,
On march 21st I saw Dr William Hwang for my medical review. He has further intersified the treatment of my cytotoxic drugs this time apart from the double dosage of the Thalidomide.

So far the effects are bearable. Surprisingly, the cytotoxic drugs do not give me much problem in terms of nausea and vomitting though the Thalidomide cause some sleepiness, constipation and a little numbness in my toes and fingers. But as long as there are no cramps it is fine. Otherwise I need to stop the medications immediately as the drugs work by blocking blood supply to the cells - cancerous as well as normal ones. Thus the sleepiness and numbness.

Please pray for the most unbearble one - the steroids. Had my first dose this morning. As I pen these words, the hiccups have come - but every 9 seconds.It usually builds up as the days go by. Altogether, there are 4 doses in a row with 40mg each time - a relatively high dosage used in conbination with the cytotoxic drugs and the thalidomide.

The last round was really torturing. It lasted for almost 9 days with the hiccups recurring every 2 seconds non- stop. It was difficult physically and emotionally. I wished I didn't have to go thru the suffering. There were times I wished God would spare me and let me go in peace. As much as I tried to hang on and asked God to 'lead me to the higher ground that is higher than I"(psm 61:2b) - a verse given by a brother I treasure very dearly, I must admit I did not have the strength to hang on. Neither could I function day and night, let alone being able to sleep. I felt very dizzy the whole day, yet unable to rest. I felt so helpless and useless. Though I know that God will see me thru, honestly, I prayed like Jesus at the garden of Gathsamane - that God may remove the suffering if possible. But God didn't. In fact, that round of hiccups was the longest in all the cycles. Though God did not remove the suffering, I am thankful He gave me the strength to pull thru. Wouldn't have climbed 'the rock that is higher than I' if not for His grace and strength. And your prayers that moved His heart and mine to motivate me to hang on. Thankyou for your care and prayers. Please continue to pray for us. We are very touched to know that some of you even fasted for me. The doctor advised me against doing that. I told him that God is so good - He got others to fast on my behalf while I can still eat so much due to the side effects of the steroids/dexathazone that caused me to put on weight.

In 2 weeks time I will see the doctor again for my next review. Then in a month's time/18 Apr , I will see him again for a final review where a bone marrow aspiration and a full myeloma study will be done. Then it looks like he hospitalise me to do a harvest of my own stem cells but will probably have me go for the donor=transplant(Allogenic Bone marrow Transplant from a donor).

To end, I like to share with you what I read in Joshua 3 where God told the Israelites to prepare to cross Jordan by consecrating themselves.

In Scripture, the Jordan River often represents death, which is why both Jesus and John the Baptist were baptized there. It reminds me about the symbol of baptism – dying and being risen with Jesus.

The last bout of struggle with the side effects almost made me feel like giving up. Like it’s better to go, than to go on suffering in every way. But as I read Joshua 3, I was reminded about Jordan. In order to cross onto the promised land, I need to cross the River Jordon. I need to die to myself again in order to 'see the Lord do amazing things' (Joshua 3:5). Then the Lord brought me to John 12:24: “Unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.”

Last week God gave me Jer 31:3-4. He said, “I will build you up and you will be rebuilt, for I have loved you with an everlasting love and loving kindness.”

Indeed, His words are life – I felt God has just given me a new lease of life to live and live for Him again – no matter how long He’s giving to me. The important thing is to live for Him – even in my suffering. Indeed, we can trust God – even in suffering – even in cancer.

Thx for reading and for your love once again.

You may find this update and previous ones at http//:www.prayfordavid.blogspot.com

Intensifying the treatment

Hi,

Today's blood test showed David's Hb at 12.2. Thank God he is coping well. This is the 2nd round of the additional chemo David is going thru. Dr William Hwang deemed it necessary to intensify the treatment after the result from his last bone marrow test.

The last round (2 weeks ago) of intensified treatment was quite unbearable for David. He was drowsy most of the time and was extremely tired but could not sleep. His hiccups were alot worse, occuring almost every 2 seconds. The whole effect lasted for about 8 to 9 days. When the effect worn off, he felt such relief it was as though he was given a new lease of life. Amazingly David experienced a new sense of hope and strength, the Lord has indeed lifted up his spirit. We know God has been merciful and had heard our prayers.

Thanks esp to Mike, David's youngest brother and his friends for fasting and praying for David last week.

As David is starting another cycle of treatment this week, really covet your prayers for him to have renewed strength to bear all discomfort and distress. Pray that He would be spared of the hiccups altogether. Also, pray against numbness and cramp with the double dosage of thalidomide.

"Blessed be the Lord,
Because He has heard the voice of my supplications!
The Lord is my strength and my shield;
My heart trusted in Him, and I am helped;
Therefore my heart greatly rejoices,
And with my song I will praise Him."
- Psalm 28:6,7

Praise the Lord!
Whee Ling

When the result was not as expected...

I was a little disappointed when I heard Dr Hwang said that there were still 19% plasma cells in David's bone marrow, down from 35% from the very first bone marrow test. Had actually hoped the myeloma cells be completely gone. David's immunity was also low and was given a booster in anticipation of the stronger chemo drugs prescibed this round. He would have to go for another 2 cycles of chemotherapy to further reduce the aggressive myeloma cells to a desired level before the stem cell transplant. His Hb level was 12.2 down from 13.2 before.

Even though the result was not as expected, there are much to be thankful for. I thank God for His grace is sufficient for us. Things could have gotten a lot worse. I also thank God for reminding me that the battle is far from over. I wish I was more consistent and fervant in warfare prayers by weilding the sword of the spirit - the word of God to tear down the works of the evil one.

I am thankful for the many who are still praying for and with us. Was told by a friend that a church in England was also praying for David. The prayers of a righteous man accomplish much. When we come to the Father with the righteousness of our Lord Jesus, our prayers would accomplish much. Therefore, do continue to pray as the Lord burdens our hearts.

As David has been given some cytotoxic drugs to battle the myeloma cells, these drugs are harmful to the body as they attack the good cells too. Please pray against side effects such as nausea and vomitting (so far thank God he is ok), also against hiccups and hair loss. Pray that the Lord would strengthen him and improve his immunity system. Also for God's protection from infections and illnesses, including dengue fever. Pray for spiritual covering and physical restoration.

"Lord, may your Glory be revealed through any cirucmstance you may use in our lives, in Jesus name. Amen!"

In His redeeming grace,
Whee Ling

"Daddy, will you really live till my children grow up?"

Just a few days ago little Joshua asked his daddy that question with such concern and hope. It has been his prayer that his daddy would live for a long time till he becomes ah gong (i.e. grandfather). This simple question reflected his strong desire that this prayer be answered. That has been my desire too.

I was reminded about Psalm 37:4 "Delight in the Lord and He will grant you the desires of your heart". This verse was also the key message in David's wedding exhortation when he officiated the wedding of a couple very dear to us yesterday.
Yes, delght in the Lord and rejoice always in Him - not necessarily easy but always essential in our walk with the Lord.

David has been very blessed with a book given by his dear brother and mentor Ps Patrick Wong called "When God and cancer meet" by Lynn Eib. Through it God gave him renewed hope and strength to press on. It reminded him that God can be trusted no matter what the circumstances in life are. God can be trusted in all things...even cancer.

Tomorrow is the result of David's bone marrow test. Am praying that God's healing be so complete that no traces of myeloma cells would be evident. "Lord, please grant Your humble servant Your healing power and deliver him once and for all the afflictions inflicted to his body, in Jesus most mighty name, I pray. Amen!"

Trusting in the Lord,
Whee Ling

Happy Lunar New Year!

Dear all,
Happy Lunar New Year to you!

The results of the bone marrow aspiration done as well as the blood taken for a full myeloma study are not known yet, although the HB has been good at each visit to the hospital. My next appoinment is on the 21/2, after which the doctor will discuss and decide which option to take in regard to the stem cell transplant. Looks like it will be in March but the dates will be known at next visit. Meanwhile, I am thankful that the steroids were taken off this round. Therefore, I was able to enjoy the chinese new year without much 'hiccups' in the true sense of the word!
A great relief indeed!

Well, just to share a joy - this Sunday, we will be celebrating our parents GOLDEN JUBILEE (50th wedding anniversary). Both my parents have come to acknowledge Jesus as their personal Lord and Saviour. They have 7 children and 17 grandchildren, of which many have also become christians. Do pray for us as we continue to restore our family altar to lift up the mighty name of Jesus in the family.

rejoicing in Him,
david

"He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children,and the hearts of the chilren to their fathers." Malachi 4:6

Bone marrow and myeloma tests

Dear all,

Really couldn't believe the last time I wrote was in Nov04! Well, I must confess not being blog savvy is more an excuse, the real reason is I have conveniently left the updating to my dear husband while I juggled with the seemingly overwhelming demands of daily chores.

Jan05 was esp bad when I found myself working long hours, attending to Josh and his adjustment in his new school and on top of that, the household chores while our domestic helper was away on home leave in the 1st 2 weeks. Thank God our helper is back and I could now spend more time with Josh and David, or so I thought - up till last week I still found myself spending too much time at work. Nonetheless, I am thankful to our good Lord for the daily strength He has provided and the wonderful hope we have in Him - in Him we can do all things thru Christ who strengthens us.

David is due for his bone marrow and some myeloma tests tomorrow. I earnstly hope and pray that the result will be so good that it is evidently a miracle that God has healed supernaturally. Of course, we understand God's way is higher than our way and His thoughts than our thoughts. If He thinks this journey has to continue for a little while longer, I guess we will simply cling onto His promise that says "His grace is sufficient for us." I sincerely believe certain hardships are unnecessary because of the power of prayers and our Lord's promise that it shall be done according to our faith. So, please pray with us to claim His promise of healing by the power of the cross.

Please also pray for healing from flu. Josh was having fever again this morning. I was down with flu a couple of days ago and guess I could have passed on to him. Even David is feeling unwell and has sore throat now. May His healing grace be upon us and all those whom we know are unwell, in Jesus' name. Amen!

Before I end, thought I would share about Joshua's prayer on 02Jan. I was preparing him for bed and while we were chatting before our bedtime prayer, he asked me about death and heaven. He was concerned about what would happen to him if both of us go to heaven while he is still young. I told him to pray that we will live for a long time until he has grown up and has children of his own. We knelt before our Father and he prayed simply: "Dear God, please let my daddy and mummy live for a long long time until they become ah gong, ah ma, in Jesus name, Amen." Yes, I pray in agreement and claim the promise in Matthew 18:19 "..that if 2 of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven." Amen!!! Thank you Lord Jesus!!!

May each of you be blessed by the many promises the Lord has given in His holy book!

Blessings and love,
Whee Ling