We're back!

Well vacation is over and we had a great time. It was nice to get away and just be Gerald and Julie...no doctors, medicine or talks about treatment plans. San Diego was awesome! We saw the zoo, Old Towne, the USS Midway and the Museum of Natural History. We took lots of pictures and still has time to just relax on the beach. We are convinced that Corando island is the place to retire. All we have to do is win the lottery and then we've got it made in the shade.

I went in for my PET and CT scans on Friday and we met with the doctor today to discuss the results. Great news - no cancer showed up in the scans! Dr. Pollock did explain that we are going to do chemo to keep the cancer away. He explained that there are still microscopic cells floating and we want to kill those off.

The treatment will be a little different this go round in that I will take Xeloda chemo pills. In addition to the pills I will take a medication called Avastin. The doctor explained that tumors develop blood vessels that attach themselves to good vessels. The Avastin will kill those blood vessels and prevent anymore tumors from developing. I will go in every three weeks for the Avastin and I'll take 4 chemo pills a day for two weeks and then one week off. We will continue the cycle for at least a year. During the year we will do multiple PET scans to monitor the effectiveness of the Xeloda and Avastin. I will see the doctor every three weeks prior to each treatment for regular check ups. During the first month of treatment, he has asked me to come in weekly so they can monitor any side effects and manage them, that to us shows a deep commitment to care.

So I will begin the treatment after Labor day. The doctor did not see any reason that I could not return to work as long as we keep a close eye on the side effects. I'll go back for two weeks on a part time basis and then be back to business as usual by the end of the month.

Philippians 4:4-14 NLT - This is on my heart today

I spoke with Julie today after they arrived home... she sounded so wonderful, so revitalized. I was happy to hear that they had a wonderful vacation, I won't spoil it for you, I'll let her share their great story... but this passage from the Holy Bible has been on my heart all day and I felt the need to share it with all of you. Chances are if you are "praying for julie" then you are already a Christ follower, but sometimes we need to be reminded that even in the rough seas, He is with us, and this scripture brings me comfort in knowing that the Lord will be with Julie, and Gerald, every step of the way, and that their worries can be given to Him, and that SHE can do all things through Christ who strengthens her.... Glory be to God... oh - and I saw another rainbow today :) enjoy the read... I read several translations before deciding to post NLT, though I usually read NIV, I thought this conveyed the message I wanted to send..... -in Christ, Tobra

4 Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again—rejoice! 5 Let everyone see that you are considerate in all you do. Remember, the Lord is coming soon.
6 Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.7 Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.
8 And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.9 Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me—everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you. 10 How I praise the Lord that you are concerned about me again. I know you have always been concerned for me, but you didn’t have the chance to help me.11 Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to be content with whatever I have.12 I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little.13 For I can do everything through Christ who gives me strength.14 Even so, you have done well to share with me in my present difficulty.

On Vacation

Well we have arrived! We made our flights with no hassles. The timing was perfect all the way around. We had just enough time in between flights to get something to eat and when we landed the hotel shuttle was pulling up just about the time we stepped to the curb. The hotel is beautiful. I'm including the web address so you can check it out (www.hoteldel.com). We checked in about noon, went out on the sun deck for lunch and watched the world go by for about an hour. Then we spent time wandering the resort and seeing everything that is available. After a little nap, Gerald and I went out on the town. Since we did not rent a car (travel agents' suggestion) we walked up and down the main street. It was wonderful, everything you need is right here and the exercise was good for us too.

Day one, we caught a ferry over to the mainland and went to see the USS Midway Museum. It is the actual decommissioned destroyer. Coming from a military family myself, it was cool to see the history and how they do things. It is a huge ship and took all afternoon to get through it. Then we took the ferry back to the island, did some shopping and had dinner. We left our room about 10:00 that morning and got about around 7:30......walking the whole day! My doctor would be proud. Needless to say we both fell asleep and slept like babies. So now it is 7:30 on Saturday morning and we're off to tour Old Towne.

We are having a great time! See you guys soon,

Because of Christ,

Julie

rainbow today

i thought i would share this after julie's post the other day... some of you aren't from here, but those of you who are familiar with owasso will know i took this today facing northwest in the jcpenny parking lot.... and if you know where julie and gerald live, you will recognize that the end of this rainbow essentially "lands" on their home. i thought it was fitting given her recent blog post...
remember - the rainbow represents God's promise...

in Christ - tobra

cancer didn't get to have her today....

wow! what a wonderful day we were blessed with! julie and i had a lot to "catch up" on... and we managed to check everything off of our list. i gotta tell you - that's a great feeling! we had to work on some computer stuff, tweak a few things, and set others up. but the best thing about today was that i could tell the moment julie got in the car she was feeling great. she looked beautiful, acted super happy, and was in overall great spirits. i felt like, for the first time in a year, i had my friend back. i felt that cancer didn't get to have her today -i did. that was awesome. i am so blessed to have been able to share this time with her! but i am more happy that she felt so great herself. it was wonderful to see her without pain, nausea, or sadness. she is looking forward to her new treatments, but mostly excited about her and gerald's first vacation this week. they are headed west for a wonderful romantic trip that i pray will energize her for the months going forward. i think this will be a great time of special memories, and more importantly, wonderful moments for them to escape the hold of doctors, medicines, and other things that won't get the joy of a mention. i hope you will join me in praying for a safe, happy trip for them in san diego and a week of solace and peace so that they can concentrate on themselves, each other, God and healing. i really anticipate that this journey will revitalize her already incredible zest for life. as we push forward, i want you all to know i will continue to appreciate your prayers and well wishes for julie. you have all been amazing... the support they have received is overwhelming. even the bracelets have been a huge hit... i love seeing people "wearin' the blue" :) if you have not received one, i still have some left. please contact me if you haven't already - and if you have sent me a message, but have yet to get a bracelet, please know that it's been a pretty chaotic couple of weeks with CTCA all of last week and my kids starting school this week. i have them available so just email me again.... thank you for your patience... i'm posting a couple of pics from today so you can see how FANTASTIC julie looks! thanks again for your continued prayers and let's wish them a wonderful and memorable trip.... in Christ - Tobra

Faith - by Julie Qualls

This poem was written by a friend/co-worker of Julie's (her name is also Julie) she is very talented and wrote this especially for "our" Julie... she asked that I share and I am privileged to do so....thank you!

Faith

Come with me now down the path unseen

To search for that which is lost.

Let one step follow another through the darkness,

Seeking illumination.

Close your eyes and trust,

And the heart will guide your way.

Walk through the fear, anger, shame

And leave them all behind.

They will not stay if you do not hold them close.

Feel the lightness of your spirit

As They fall away, like leaves

In the brisk November wind.

With the darkness fading,

Your vision becomes clearer

And you can see the beauty that exists

In what was once ignored.

The darkness may return,

But there is now within you

That which can defeat it---Faith.

© 2009 Julie A. Qualls

God's Promise

In the spring of 1999, I was planning our wedding. We were going to get married in the back yard of the new home we were building and the reception was going to be in the house. We had a DJ service set up and dance floor in the garage. It was going to be beautiful! The big day came and about 20 minutes before the ceremony it started to rain. Not just a spring rain but the kind that Oklahoma is so famous for...tornado rain. The winds picked up and blew all the chairs and arch over, the tornado sirens went off and the clouds rolled in and it looked like night time at 6:00 in the evening. The pastor's wife came to me and said..."slight change of plans, we are getting married in the house." It was not what I wanted but it didn't really matter because at the end of the day I was going to be Mrs. Gerald Herron.

We got married and the reception began. As soon as the ceremony was over, the rains stopped and the clouds broke. Gerald and I were in the back yard when someone snapped a picture and in the background was a rainbow. It is a really cool shot so we had in enlarged and framed. It was a special thing between us, our promise from God that things were going to be okay. Then one year later, exactly to the time, we were walking in to Albertson's to pick up a couple of steaks to grill and there in the sky was a double rainbow. We just laughed and said, God is just letting us know He is here to celebrate with us.

Now fast forward nine years, it is August of 2008 and we are told that I have colon cancer. God told me that He would heal me. We go through the surgery, the chemo and try to do all the right things. In April, the doctor says "congratulations, you are a cancer survivor!" We think we are past everything until 90 days later when the PET scans show the cancer has returned. You can imagine how that would shake your faith. All kinds of things have run through my head. As you know the doctors have told us to get our affairs in order. So to say that my faith has been a little shaky lately is an understatement. We have been calling on everyone we know to pray with us for healing.

Last night, our pastor and his wife came over. They asked what we wanted prayer for specifically. We asked that the cancer be driven out of my body and Gerald and I can grow old together. Curt reminded us of Abraham and how God told him he would have a son. It took 25 years for that promise to come about. We are sure that during that time both Abraham and Sarah questioned and reminded God of the promise. But in Hebrews, Paul wrote that both Abraham and Sarah were people of great faith. That helped me tremendously. God promised healing to my body, but in light of the recent events, I have questioned and reminded God of his promise. It made me feel like my faith was not strong enough and that I was doubting God. It has been an emotional roller coaster. The encouragement that Curt and Donna gave us last night was huge. But here is the best part....Gerald called me a little while ago to let me know that on his way to work this morning it rained off and on. Then as he was pulling into Hilti, there was a double rainbow in the sky! God is watching over all of us and he hears our prayers. Please continue to stand in the gap for us. Pray specifically for the cancer to be driven out of my body and that Gerald and I can grow old together.

I thank all of you for your prayers and encouragement. I am amazed at your generosity and kindness. May God continue to bless and keep you.

Because of Christ,

Julie

CTCA day one.....

wow. what a difference a day makes. the situation left untreated is still a bad prognosis, but fortunately for julie, we have new resources to help treat this monster. here's what we found out and experienced today...and be forewarned... this is LONG. (sorry... ) but our day was nearly 6 hours and can't be summed up in one paragraph....

9am... we walked into CTCA where we were escorted immediately to "the clinic" where they began the registration process. at this time, a "shadow" joined us to follow us through our day and view life from the patient's perspective - just the first of many clues that they are dedicated to care. we became quite attached to young suzie, my "blue state" friend who most recently lived in chicago where she graduated college in june. and we all got to make her laugh as we talked all day about guns in oklahoma. she was "blown away" (LOL) by finding out that many people are licensed to carry a gun... including those she was traveling with today :) she provided a lot of fun as we all planned a day at the range with our new friend. she also was extremely accomodating as we progressed and would often speak up with questions the 3 of us had overlooked. it was nice to have someone with us all day... espcecially someone who has only been in tulsa 3 days and didn't know anyone at CTCA. we were all in this together. sooo, after the normal paperwork, insurance stuff and contact info, julie was asked to complete a survey of approximately 50 questions regarding how SHE felt, physically, emotionally, mentally right now. it was very detailed wanting to know her pain issues, from surgery, from the illness, and from her prior chemo. it was nice that they are interested in everything from being tired, to being able to read without concentration issues, and being able to walk. from there, we met with patient resources where our rep explained how our week would go, who we would meet with, what resources were available, introduced us to the "amenities" of CTCA, an on site pharmacy, a cafe with a chef who prepares only meals made with organic foods, meats from a farm where no hormones, steroids or antibiotics are used, and foods that are specifically catered to promote healing and boost immune systems. there is "humor therapy, where a group of people get together just to laugh... as it is the best medicine." and she explained the rights of the patient, their dedication to care, and their committment to making sure the patient was happy. she explained a lot really, more than i can type. anyway, we moved on to an hour in a little room where julie gave her entire medical history, family history, current meds, symptoms, etc. the guy "chuck" who we were working with lives only 2 blocks from julie and gerald! they have patients from all of the country, and staff as well, and this guy is in the "neighborhood". we were very happy to hear about his christian faith and what he knew of the faith at this hospital. apparently, the founder, mr stephenson, lost his mother to cancer in the 70's. he was not pleased with the care she received and so he, having the resources, founded a faith based cancer care center with a group of oncologists. now, that has grown across the nation to a few select facilities and we have one in our backyard. he also explained the "mother standard" in which the founder requires every patient to be treated like they are the providers "mother" (sister, daughter, wife, etc)....and..chuck, and some other staff members, meet every morning in the same room we were in to pray for the patients coming in everyday. he also disclosed that before the facility was painted, the staff was invited in to write scripture on the walls. he also told of the psychologist who prays regularly with his patients, the chaplains, the church services, and groups that are all faith based. we were extremely happy with this and i personally felt some peace. next stop, dr pollock... but i'm going to jump ahead one appointment and tell you first what we learned with the naturopathic doctor.... this was geralds favorite part. he said he liked her best. we learned (or tried to learn) a lot of fancy words none of us - even suzie - could pronounce. but they were all intriguing. from homeopathic, to hydotherapy, to chinese medicine, to vitamin supplements, everything from evening of primrose (or something like that) to accupuncture was discussed. she is a trained doctor who specializes in non-traditional medicines such as vitamins, herbs, touch therapy, protien powders and bunch of things i don't know how to spell. gerald was extremely involved in asking questions about what was available and expressing his interest in these options. they have both always been big believers in natural medicine and healthy foods with excercise. we learned a lot about ways that she can relieve not only pain from surgery, and side effects of chemo, but boost the immune system and (a concern as of lately) help reduce the side effects of taking julie's only remaining ovary which was preventing her from going on hormone replacement therapy. there are many treatments available that none of us even knew existed, and many that we had already wanted to explore. we are extremely optimistic about this area of treatment. we all (as many of you) believe that vitamins, a correctly balanced diet, water, herbs and physical activity, etc, can not only help with the complications of this disease but actually work to cure it.....

now the doctor....this needs a new paragraph. soo, we meet dr pollock the oncologist, a/k/a the "med-onc". we were with him for an hour. he asked a lot of questions even though he had been studying what the charts already had to say. he was very interested in what she "felt" and what she had been through. he seemed honest and forthright to me. after he did a full body examination (something that had previously not been done by any doctor), and asked her questions about her emotional status to what pets she had at home (and wrote that all down) he began to tell us his history, and his beliefs on what can be done. there is a lot of info to process, so i will get to the nuts and bolts of it... first of all, our "presumption" that the tumor had been growing since the original surgery (sept of '08) was correct. he said that the surgeon - no fault of his own - probably didn't get all of the cancer cells the first time as many of them are microscopic. the fact that the cancer was in her lymph nodes a year ago was important too because 80% of patients who have them in the LN have the cancer elsewhere in the body - even if it's not detectable to the human eye. so, this tumor grew throughout the chemo treatments she was taking, meaning it was resistant to the type of chemo they were supplying. that was our thought all along - gerald laughed that i was just glad i was "right", (and we all know i like being right) but honestly, i was glad that we heard confirmation of what we were assuming all along, but wouldn't or couldn't be told by another doctor. this meant we knew what it was, and what DIDN'T work. next up... what to do and what this means for julie. well, we won't have a "treatment" plan for a couple of weekw after he evaluates some tests he is running. today that included some regular blood work, some special stains of the tissue retrieved during the first surgery (and maybe the second), and a new CT and PET scan. from there he develops a new treatment plan, which, (as we suspected) will include chemo. there are options without chemo, but "that won't get the best result". and of course, we want the best or else we wouldn't be there. the other side of this is that after evaluating the PET scan, it may be a possibility that he has their surgeons go in for another surgery to remove anything the PET reveals. here's why - there are 3 machines in the world that can detect a 2 mm tumor... 2 are in europe, and the third is in tulsa at CTCA. this scan can reveal what the previous could not and provide dr pollock and the surgeons with the ability to go in and remove any remaining cancer cells/tumors surgically before we begin the other treatments. soo, after that is determined, we continue on.... there will be chemo even if the PET scan is clear -which we obviously hope and pray for. however, either way, we will be doing a different "cocktail" of chemo with a different regimen. plus some added treatments with drug trials if they choose, and other medicines that are available. but, i was impressed that dr pollock, a medical doctor, was so supportive of the other "complimentary" (not alternative) treatments available. he was extremely detemined to convey the importance and benefits of utilizing a naturopathic doctor to maximize the chemo, boost the immune system, counter act the "poison effect" of the chemo on the parts of her body it doesn't need to affect, offset the symptoms and promote healing. not only will the naturopathic doctor be utilized for this, but a nutrionist to help specialize her diet, a psychologist to make sure her mind is clear and positive, a physical therapist to help with the surgical damage and counteract the weak effect chemo can have, a pain management doctor to help maintain comfort which promotes healing, and a list of others..... he made a point to say that he wasn't going to just "pump her full of the same poison every other doctor has available without doing other things to help heal her body". after i bombarded the poor guy with 30 questions, he explained that the next step would be lab work, scheduling PET/CT, and meeting again next week just to answer questions. a week after that we will have the results of the special stains (helping him to find out more specifically what strain of colon cancer this is and what it will best respond to) and, of course, surgery or not....then she begins the entire treatment program. i'm sure i'll think of and add other things he said. but to sum it up i will say this about his "prognosis"- he further explained to us that the "3 year median survival" that the other doctor had given us... saying that while 50% don't make it 3 years, we have to know that 50% live more than 3, like, 15 or 30 year, or 50... etc. but, he also said that those figures that the other doctor had given us were compiled before new procedure and treatments were available and were essentially, out dated. (my words, not his). anyway, he did not make light of the situation, telling us it was not going to be an easy battle, but one that has been, and could be won. he made no false promises, and no guarantees, either way .... he will need the new labs and scans to help formulate a better opinion, but the goal was something to do with "a hot summer day on her front porch sipping mint julips when she's 84 years old..." there was more to that story but i'm not obliged to share....:) LOL... anyway, he is optimistic that her condition can be treated but he told her after the tests, he might get information that she doesn't want to hear. and no matter what he will be honest with us. he addressed the issues of fear she has because other doctors haven't listened, he addressed her desires to possibly not pursue chemo depending on what results may or may not provide, and he promised to be supportive in all her decisions, even the ones they don't like, as he stated "julie is the boss" (i wanted to get that notarized so that gerald could hang it on his desk HA HA HA) anyway. no doctor is perfect, not even this one. no facility is perfect. there is no perfect cure or treatment and there is no guarantee this can be fixed, but i fully feel like if she can be healed - this is the place it will happen. i think it is no coincidence that a person of incredible christian faith has been led to a facility based on that same faith. we did not hear "you will be healed" today. we heard that CTCA will treat julie's entire body, mind, and spirit utilizing the latest, and greatest, technologies and resources available. there are several more appointments to go, we still haven't met with the nutrionist, physical therapist, psychologist, pain management specialist, and many others. and i promise not to write novels when we see them... :) but. i will close with this. our battle is far from over. this is not going be easy, but i think it will be easier. we have more soldiers, better tactics, more armory, and new ammo that we didn't have before. these new resources, i believe, will give us the best chance of winning this war. prayers are still requested, in praise as we thank God for providing this new place with new options, and with hopes of healing through this. she was a trooper today. she stood tall and walked through pain - physically and emotionally - as we went from appointment to appointment. with a true dedication i believe only a Christ follower can have. she is going to be ok - no matter what happens. but after today, i'm a little more optimistic that she will be here on earth for the long haul and glorifying God daily by showing others what she has overcome. her faith will be on display for many years to come i hope, and i think now is little more possible thanks to today. i hope you will all pray that CTCA can do what they say, that they can treat her whole body, that if anyone can heal her, they will. i thank you all for your continuous prayers and support through all this as always - in Christ - tobra

bracelets are in.... details from appt... and other ramblings from tobra

the royal blue bracelets imprinted with "praying for julie" arrived at my doorstep today.... if you would like to purchase one, feel free to email me or call to pick yours up. they are $5 each. monies collected (including above and beyond the cost of the bracelets) are being given to julie and gerald. i've had some people ask if i'm collecting donations for julie and gerald to help with their situation, and i am... that's what i will include with the cash collected with the bracelets. i'm not sure if i'm going to have enough for everyone in this first order, so let me know quickly how many you need and that way i can get a second order placed if needed. and fyi...royal blue is the color of colon cancer awareness.

we had a not-so-great appointment monday with her current oncologist who gave us news we were pretty much expecting from him. it boils down to this: she will have a "follow-up" PET scan in 3 weeks. if it is "clear" she WILL do another 6 months of chemo as "insurance" and that will give her a 25% chance of having a "median 3 years survival". if the PET scan is NOT clear, chemo will buy her some time until she decides to stop treating it, if she takes the chemo at all. and not that her current doctor is incapable, or incompetent, but...well, those numbers aren't good enough for us... so we are anticipating better news tomorrow at our cancer treatment centers of america appointment. CTCA if you are not familiar, is a specialty hospital for cancer patients that treats the person "holistically", mind, body, nutrition, diet, exercise, spirtuality, along with traditional medicine such as chemo, radiation, and other pharmaceutical products. so, since they rank with MD Anderson and Mayo as one of the top facilities in the nation, we are lucky to have them in our backyard here in tulsa and look forward to the treatment they can provide. i think my friend monica said it best today when she posted on my facebook "The doctors have been wrong before. There are some things that modern medicine can't anticipate. Hope, faith and Julie's amazing zest for life are things that a physician can't possibly calculate into a prognosis." this is so true. julie is indescribably strong and dedicated to her faith. if anyone can overcome this awful disease, it is julie.

i just want to thank you all again for your support. keep up the prayers... it has been a truly "awesome" experience to witness how many people who have come together from across the state, and the country, to join in prayer for someone many haven't even met -just out of love for Christ and our fellow brothers and sisters. i've never been first hand to someone who has influenced this many people. what a wonderful testament to others of what our faith in Christ can accomplish. not just the healing - but the drawing together of people for one purpose. i know i say this all the time, but your compassion is appreciated beyond words. thank you so much... - tobra

Met with the Oncologist Today

Gerald, Tobra and myself all met with Dr. Lynch today. He pretty much said what we were expecting. We are going to wait three weeks to heal from the surgery and then we'll do a PET scan. Option 1: if the PET scan comes back clear, we will do chemo as an insurance policy and will be pronounced in remission. Option 2: the PET scan comes back with cancer on it, we will do chemo in an effort to buy time. Dr. Lynch is estimating we can get between 6 months to 3 years maximum.

Not exactly what we wanted to hear but certainly not anything different from what we were expecting. But take heart, God holds my breath, not Dr. Lynch. I am not afraid, in fact, I have my game face on. We beat this before and we'll beat it again. I have been receiving your emails and I must say that I am deeply touched by them. It is and always has been my hope that one person would be drawn by the Holy Spirit as they witness this battle. And I am so pleased to hear comments like "thank you for giving me a reason to talk to God again" and "I find your demeanor uplifting and your Faith in God inspiring. I am praying for you and Gerald and know that God is with you."

My prayer continues to be that God would be glorified through this and that my words and actions bring Him glory and honor. Please don't misunderstand, I am not a saint, I am scared and angry but I know that I am not in this fight alone. I shared with some of you last year before I started chemo and was frightened, God gave me the following message:

So do not fear, for I am with you;
do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you;
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
For I am the Lord, your God,
who takes hold of your right hand
and says to you,
do not fear; I will help you.
Isaiah 41:10 & 13

I know that God's word is the same today, yesterday and forever. He does not change. My prayer for you all is that you will rest in His word and watch as His miracles unfold.

Our next stop is the Cancer Treatment Centers on Wednesday. They do a 5-day evaluation but we'll keep you posted as we progress.

Because of Christ,

Julie

hilti day

i just want to say i was SUPER excited to meet so many people today at hilti founders day. it was great to finally put some faces with names and make connection with so many people who are influential in julie and gerald's lives. i loved visiting the cubicles and seeing where you all work...what a great place to be employed~! mostly i enjoyed getting to see everyone's expressions when they saw julie up and about for the first time in a while.... and she was so delighted to see all of you! it really made her day. thank you all for your continuing prayers and we will keep you posted! - tobra

Thursday, August 6th

Hello everybody....it is Julie. I just want to take a moment to say how grateful I am to have such a support team behind me. Your prayers, calls, emails and cards have been overwhelming. I am sure you have all heard the pathology report came back with a very gloomy prognosis. It is the colon cancer and it has come back in a different area outside the bowel. My surgeon is saying we are going back to the oncologist for more aggressive chemo. They do not expect it to kill the cancer but simply buy some time. We don't know for sure until we meet with Dr. Lynch, the oncologist, on Monday (8/10). We also have set an appt with Cancer Treatment Centers of America on Wednesday, August 12th. I have been on the phone with them most of the day today and they are a lot more hopeful than my current doctors. So we are in the process of getting all my records sent over for them to review by Tuesday. Dr. Pollock, with CTCA, will be ready to meet and discuss options on Wednesday. I cannot begin any kind of treatment until my surgeon releases my later this month. But we want to have our ducks in a row so we can get right down to the fight. This will be a much tougher road than the first round but we kicked cancer once and we'll do it again!

My prayer request is that my faith would be strengthened through this...I have really had a hard time the past 24 hours. Being told the gloomy path report and hearing what doctors think but trying to hold on to God's promise of healing has been a challenge to say the least. But I know that God is greater that cancer. He says "Greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world". So I'm standing on the promise that God will not leave me and only wants the best for me. If we are going through this battle it is His plan and we will go through it together.

I thank God for each of you and your willingness to stand in the gap for me. Together we are going to see the awesome hand of God move and we will all be better for it. Please feel free to call or email anytime. You can reach us at the house (918) 371-2367 or email at: julieandgerald@gmail.com. Talk to you soon.

Because of Christ,
Julie

24 hours later

julie isn't feeling well today. especially after the news she received yesterday but we are determined to fight. she is tired, having some pain, and weird side effects which we are attributing to the lack of any ovaries now. we have an appointment with her current oncologist on monday and then with cancer treatment centers of america (which i will probably refer to as CTCA from here out) on wednesday. so next week will be very informative. the sad truth is that we have no idea what we are dealing with right now. considering the surgeon went in with the idea that this was an ovarian cyst and that her colon was clean, it's a surprise to all of us that the cancer had metasticized to the outside of her bowel. she tried to ask yesterday about lymph nodes but he said he couldn't find any which we interpret to mean that none were tested this time around. we don't know what was left, we don't know what is there or how much, we don't know what was tested, or how long this has grown, we don't know a lot and so we are praying for a lot of peace when we get some more answers and for sure some new ideas next week. please pray that she will maintain a fighting spirit. this is hard enough to go through, but much harder the second time around. and since she has had another major surgery we have to keep her healing and recovery from that as a major focus. i personally have struggled the last 24 hours, which i was hesitant to admit. and while this isn't about me, it gave me a glimmer of insight as to how she must feel. as i screamed and cried i realized that her pain and fear must be magnified so much more than i can imagine. and as i became frustrated with my own inability to change this or treat her, i realized gerald must feel so helpless and worried. i know he is strong, and i know she is strong, but even those of us with great faith and steady constitutions sometimes waiver in our positive attitudes. it is my wholesome prayer that they are both given strength from our Lord to deal with this, overcome this, and share their stories so that other people facing these same awful situations may be granted some peace. and i pray that this cancer will be removed from her body once and for all with the new treatments we will be encountering as we push forward. i cannot express to you all how much it means to see the support raining in from friends and co-workers, and even people through me that have never even met julie. you are all so wonderful to pour yourselves out with offerings of prayer and service during this time. i've had several requests already for the bracelets so i hope i ordered enough, but if not, i'll gladly order some more. :) thank you all for everything you've done and i'll continue to keep you posted. in the mean time feel free to email me at mrsavery678@gmail.com if you have questions. i'm hoping this will streamline the amount of calls that julie and gerald have to field because as much as they love all of you and your kind words, i know it is wearing on them to repeat 20 times a day the same information. thank you again, and keep up the prayer support - in Christ - tobra.

bracelets

i have ordered blue silicone bracelets that say "praying for julie". blue is the colon cancer awareness color and hopefully wearing these will remind us all throughout the day to say an extra prayer. i have been wearing 6 on my arm of different colors and reasons for several months so this will add to my collection. the bracelets are $5 each and should arrive in about a week or less. after the cost of the bracelets if there is any money left, i will just be giving it directly to gerald and julie. i will be glad to send these out to those of you who aren't in the tulsa area, if you will just send me your mailing address and the money for how many bracelets you want. my email is mrsavery678@gmail.com

thanks - and keep praying - tobra

no good way of saying this: the colon cancer is back

so i just got word from julie that the surgeon, dr allred, called and the colon cancer is back. that is what the mass was in her body apparently. they tested 5 times to make sure what kind of cancer it was and there is no estrogen and therefore it is not ovarian cancer. even though the colon was clean on the colonoscopy apparently it had spread to the outside of the colon which is why it didn't show up. he said it was "metastatic cancer" which essentially means that the original cancer spread to the outside and it "beat" the chemo she had previously been on. when asked what the treatment would be, her surgeon just said that was not for him to say, but he assumed more chemo. julie asked if this makes his initial statement that chemo would just prolong her life but not cure it, he said, "i don't know" dr allred advised that she see him again aug 19 for a follow up and then go see the oncologist. that is not ok with me. i want her in asap to see the oncologist, i was second opinions and i will be looking into cancer treatment centers of america. PLEASE have her in your prayers. she is not taking this well, no one is. i don't give up easily, and i know she doesn't either so please keep her in your prayers as we fight what looks to be a very rough fight. i will keep you posted. please feel free to post comments here or email me at mrsavery678@gmail.com if you have questions or messages, but, julie prefers to be left alone right now. she told me that she appreciates everyones concerns and well wishing phone calls but she needs some time to process this in private. please don't take offense, just understand she needs some space. i will keep you informed. thank you so much. - tobra

homeward bound

well....julie just called me FROM THE CAR and said they are on their way home. she sounded ecstatic to be out of the hospital and back in the real world. she has a pretty good supply of decent pain meds to help her and she is allowed to ease her way back into "real food". they will be home this a.m. but her first item on the agenda is a lot of sleep. she is hoping to get some real rest in her own bed so i plan to leave them alone until this evening and maybe check in again then. her surgeon was the actual doctor to discharge her this morning, and as of 7:30, he had not yet heard any pathology results. PLEASE continue to pray that comes back clean as a whistle so we can avoid chemo. but if indeed God has that in His plan for her, i know she will kick it's butt just like last time. SOOO....prayers again for the pathology and speed recovery now that she is home. thanks again everyone - i'll keep you posted! - tobra

sunday update

they removed the drainage tube from julie's side, as well as her epidural today. as of 6pm she was doing ok with just pain meds and was actually walking the halls with a couple of friends from work. the hope is that she can come home tomorrow (monday). we should also find out pathology results in the morning. she is still only eating a "liquid diet" as far as the hospital knows, but she has been snuck a few items from an unidentified source :) soooo, that seems to be going ok. i will let you know what we find out in the morning and if she is coming home tomorrow. thanks again -tobra

overnight stay

so when i got to the hospital last night, i found our damsel in distress :) a shift change error on the nurses part had left her without anyone to help her get back in bed or to provide some much needed anti-nausea medicine for about 40 mins. and considering i'm pretty sure julie likes me a great deal, i was fairly convinced she was not happy because i got to hear more of her "ugly superlatives" when i walked into the room.... so i immediately grabbed a nurse who alleviated gave the meds, and we had a pretty in-depth talk about the care we expected her to receive. it always helps to mention that someone will be staying with her overnight.... probably helps more to mention that her surgeon and doctor is one of the directors of the hospital and carries a lot of clout among the nursing staff....best not to upset him. so the nurse we had all night was wonderful. she did a great job and we were very pleased with her. gerald helped us walk the floor a couple of laps and it went very well. after he left, julie and i were up critiquing items on QVC until about 2 am when they finally finished what seemed to be drop-ins from the nurses for vitals, med checks, dosing, etc every 30 mins. but at 2, after a triple threat combo of 2 pain meds and an anti-nausea that causes sleepiness, she conked out for about 3 hours. i was happy that she was able to get some fairly solid rest. at 5:30 she was up again briefly and then she rested for another hour before deciding to stay up and get out of the bed for a while. when i was leaving this a.m. about 9, becky and gerald had both made it in and julie was still up and getting ready to take a walk. she is no longer on the iv, only the epidural and the other pain meds so today will be a big day in her recovery.... i am still guessing it will be tomorrow at the earliest before she goes home, but the doctor had not made his rounds when i left so as soon as i find out i'll blog it!

this photo is from last night when gerald was leaving. my friend matt had made our family some tortilla soup and asked me to bring some to gerald, so along with some of steph's leftover birthday cake, i packed my adorable thirty-one thermal tote with the pink bubbles.... wondering if he would walk out of the hospital carrying this... apparently he is secure in his masculinity because he toted the tote out the door :)

thanks again everyone.....keep up the awesome prayer work.