Rachaelisms...

She walked up behind Adam holding her iPod, and Adam turned around like where in the world is that music coming from?
Without skipping a beat, she says,
"My brace plays music now. :)"

Monday we were talking about The Voice and a former contestant whose name is Charlotte Sometimes. Neither of us cared for her, so Rach renamed her Charlotte Never. Lol!

This morning Jasmine was cuddled up with her of course, and we were talking, I
said something to her from across the room, and so she says,
"what's that you said? I have cat butt in my ear."


We were talking about the Titanic being re-relased at the theaters and the specials to commemorate the 100 year anniversary, and she says, "Did you know there's Titanic 2? How does THAT work???"

Never a dull moment I tell ya!

Followups with neurosurgeon and oncologist....

Neurosurgeon visit 4/5:
We had xrays and a follow up with the neurosurgeon to check her spine, to make sure there's been no damage from her walking twice/day. Praise God she's allowed to continue her short distance walks and also she's allowed to shower!!!


Oncologist visit 4/9:
Her tumor marker is up, BUT they assure us that it is very typical for her specific tumor type to bounce around this way. It wasn't increased so much that it was cause for concern :)

We've been referred to an endocrinologist to monitor her hormones and start weaning her off of her steroid, PRAISE GOD!!!

Our next scans & MRI's aren't going to be until the first week of May. That will be a very important scan, because not only will we know if the new chemo is working, but we'll also know how close she is to having her spine cleared of enough tumor to go in and surgically repair her spine-to get her OUT of this bed!!!

this pic is of a cross given to Rachael by my cousin... awesome!

A Note from Rach

The sharp knife of a short life, well I’ve had enough time. I’ll be wearing white when I come into Your Kingdom.

The last five months have been such a roller-coaster of emotions and the toughest of my life. I have been challenged in so many ways since my diagnosis and have had to put my priorities into perspective. I realize I had been taking so much for granted and come to appreciate so many things and people in my life. I’ve had an incredible army of support rallying behind and holding me up when I couldn’t stand on my own, I mean this literally. I’ve cried countless times and reached a very dark place where I couldn’t help but think about my impending death and the incalculable time I have left on this earth. But what truly drew out the most vulnerable tears was to think about what my death would mean to my family- to my mother. Sometimes I am so scared but keep a smile on my face so as not to appear weak. If I at least pretend to be strong, maybe those around me will too and I can continue to lean on them.  Sometimes I close my eyes and count to three. I’ll do this over and over but it’s never a bad dream that I am just waking up from. The truth is, this is all very real. I have a rare, stage four kidney cancer and a broken back as a result of the metastasis. I know enough about my odds of beating this disease to be realistic and prepare myself mentally for either outcome.  At the same time, I am comforted by the fact that I know Jesus as my Savior and I know exactly where I am going when it is my time.  I may be suffering now and not completely understand why God has let cancer wreak havoc on my body and mind, but He has not let it touch my spirit and I believe with all of my heart that He is using my experience to further His Kingdom. Don’t get me wrong, I am fighting with every fiber of my being and praying for God’s strength, but if it is my time, I will bow out graciously, still praising His name. Whether he sees me through this disease or welcomes me into Heaven, I can only hope that a few will come to know Christ through my story.

“For I know the plans I have for you”, declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future.” Jeremiah 9:11

I don’t blame God for my cancer.  He is giving me the swift kick in the pants that I needed to come back to Him. I wandered around lost for too many years, time I could have spent in worship and bringing those I hold dear to Jesus. It didn’t take me long after my diagnosis to figure out how He was working in my life and I am so glad He brought me back; I can’t imagine going through this without Him. I have put full trust in His perfect plan for my life and He will not let my or my family’s suffering be in vain. To God be all the glory!