Liver Bling

Metisha and Mark had a very long day but a successful one and her liver now has some bling! They were able to BEADazzle 50% of her liver with this first treatment which is great news. The doctor said they will treat the remaining 50% with a scond treatment in a few weeks and may need to do a third treatment for "clean up".

She still in the hospital tonight because she is having some abdomen pain and her stomach is upset but over all she is doing very well. They are hopeful they will be able to go home early tomorrow morning.

Praise God for such good results today and pray that Metisha will be back 100% tomorrow.

Happy New Year!

Beadazzled Tomorrow

Metisha gets her first round of chemo beads on New Year’s Eve so her liver will be beadazzled for the New Years! It will take most of the day between blood work, mixing the beads and chemo, lots of waiting, and then the actual procedure. They will monitor her after the procedure and she may have to stay in the hospital overnight for continued monitoring.

Metisha is excited to ring in the New Year (and a new decade) with a new treatment. There is a theme of new beginnings and we eagerly anticipate that God will turn her cancerous liver into a beadazzled liver, and then into a healed liver!

We are praying for several things:

• Metisha will have no side effects from the chemo beads or the procedure.
• The doctors will be able to treat a large portion of her liver in this first treatment.
• She will be able to go home tomorrow night so she can rest. She usually does a good job of talking her way out of the hospital!
• A BEADazzled liver will lead to a cancer free liver!

Sometimes I find myself asking where God is in all of this. Why did God allow this to happen to Metisha? Why hasn’t God cured her yet? Where is God when we are devastated from bad news and feeling hopeless? The truth is he is here and more than we will ever know or understand. He was here when Mom and Dad moved back to Fairview over 30 years ago, placing our family in the middle of a community that has shown us an immeasurable amount of love and support. He was here when he placed Mark in Metisha’s life decades ago to be her constant rock. He was here when He allowed Metisha to see the victory of heaven when our grandfather passed away. He was here when He lead Metisha to the Life Church giving Mark and Metisha a wonderful church family. He was here in his perfect timing when he blessed our family with the pending arrival of a baby while we fight alongside Metisha for her life. He was here when Dad was watching a TV program that lead him to send an email to a doctor that lead Metisha to the chemo bead treatment therapy. He was always here orchestrating events but most importantly he was and is ALWAYS here loving her. And oh how he loves her! We cannot fathom this love or begin to understand its vastness but we can know that he is constantly engulfing her in love. It is a love that is passionate, peaceful, fierce, endless, and so much more. Because he loves her, he hurts when she hurts but he is also fighting for her. No matter what, no matter the day, no matter the circumstance, he is here loving her with an endless capacity. That is where God is in all of this.

Psalm 103:11 – For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him

Fancy Liver for New Year’s

Metisha will get her beadazzled liver on New Year’s Eve so she will be ringing the New Year with some fancy bling in the hospital! We are very thankful to finally have a date set for the first round of treatment!

Metisha is having some Disney withdraws but is enjoying her Christmas break. We were absolutely blown away by how well her feet did in Disney and know that is a direct result of your prayers! On one of the rare occasions when she actually used the scooter (or more appropriately called “crash cart”), she was driving figure eights around some posts at our hotel and almost rolled then thing over! I wish I had caught it on video!

Good Preliminary Scan Results!

Metisha had her PET scan this morning and her oncologist already called with the preliminary results. He said everything looked good! They did not detect cancer anywhere besides the liver and thought it might even look a little better! They did see a shadow on her rib, but feel like it is just a shadow. We are praying that the final report confirms the cancer is only in the liver!

Metisha is still trying to get her TheraSphere treatment scheduled. Please pray that the TheraSphere center can get the surgery scheduled ASAP.

No Beads Today

We got back from Disney last night and had a great trip! There was a lot of laughter and funny moments. Tisha’s feet were pretty bad the first two days but after that they felt great and she abandoned the scooter for the rest of the trip!

Metisha’s first TheraSphere treatment has been moved to the 29th or the 30th. There are not any issues causing the delay it just took longer than expected to get it scheduled. She does have a PET (full body) scan on the 21st. Please pray that this scan shows no cancer outside her liver.

A BEADazzled Liver

It looks like Tisha’s liver is going to be BEADazzled! Her appointment with the TheraSphere clinic in Dallas went very well! Mark and Metisha really liked the doctors and the clinic and believe this is the best treatment option. If everything goes as planned, she will receive her first round of liver bling (beads) next Friday (12/18/09)! So here is what this treatment will include:

• TheraSphere uses glass beads to target radiation or chemo directly to tumors.
• They will be using chemo with Metisha’s beads.
• The beads are designed to block the blood flow to the tumor while the chemo directly attacks the tumor.
• The beads are inserted directly into main arteries feeding the liver.
• They cannot treat the entire liver at one time so they treat one section at a time. They anticipate they will divide her liver into 2 to 3 sections.
• They will treat one section, wait about 3 weeks and then treat the next section.
• She will have an overnight hospital stay with each treatment.
• The side effects are much less than traditional chemo. They said she may have some discomfort in her abdomen and may experience some light hair loss. They have only had one patient lose all of her hair.
• After they have blinged out all of her liver with beads, they will wait 3 months and then do another scan to see how well the beads have worked.
• Typically the goal is to control or reduce the cancer in the liver; it will not necessarily kill all of the cancer in her liver.

Even though the doctors do not say this can kill all of the cancer in the liver, our pray is that Tisha will be the all star and God will use this treatment to completely cure her liver. We believe this can and will happen!

We are so thankful to have a plan again! Mark and Metisha are extremely thankful to be able to get her treatments in the DFW area and stay close to home. All of her doctors are discussing restarting her on her oral chemo again. She stopped taking the oral chemo after the scan showed growth in the liver, but the doctors think she may need to keep on that drug because it was causing her cancer markers to go down. Pray for wisdom for the doctors in this decision and also pray for protection over Metisha from the side effects of the drugs. She did fine on low doses but developed very painful blisters on her feet and hands on higher doses.

The doctors that met Tisha on Tuesday could not believe how well she is feeling and the few side effects she has from the cancer in her liver. We know that is a direct result of the millions of prayers that have been said for her and we thank you for constantly praying with us through this battle!

So as Tisha starts the next round of treatment you can pray that:

• Metisha will respond better than expected and God will use this treatment to kill the cancer in her liver.
• Metisha will not experience any side effects.
• They can treat her entire liver with just 2 treatments and that both treatments can be given while she is on Christmas break from school.
• Insurance will cover the treatment without any issue or fight.
• The doctors will come to the right decision about the oral chemo drugs.

Metisha is leaving this weekend for a well deserved cancer survivor celebration with Mickey Mouse! There are six of us going and we are VERY excited and thankful to get to celebrate another year with Metisha! We have rented a scooter for her to use at the parks because of the blisters on her feet. I’m sure that will provide for multiple entertaining moments, especially since she is taking one of those key ties that you use on a wave runner to pull the key out of the ignition if you fall off! So if you are in Disney next week, watch out for a wild woman on a scooter!

TheraSphere Consultation

Metisha will have a consultation next Tuesday with a facility in Dallas for TheraSphere treatment. This treatment inserts TheraSphere beads directly in the main artery which feeds the liver. The beads are radioactive glass microspheres that feed high levels or radiation directly into the tumors.

Pray that her records can get over to this treatment facility quickly and that she will be a candidate for TheraSphere. Pray that this will be the treatment that finally rids her liver of all cancer and pray that there will be no insurance coverage issues.

Metisha is doing well and is ready to fight with new treatments! Oh and I know all those medical terms made me sound really smart, but I’m still just a nerd who knows how to use Wikipedia :)

Scan Results

Metisha got her scan results back and they were not the results we were praying for. The cancer has gotten worse in her liver. The existing spots have gotten bigger and there are also new spots. However we are thankful that there are no signs of cancer in areas other than the liver.

Metisha’s oncologist is consulting with MDAnderson and a treatment facility in Dallas that uses glass beads to target chemo directly in tumors then she will meet with the oncologist next Wednesday to determine what the next steps should be.

This is hard to take. It is hard to not feel like we are losing ground to cancer. We are sad, angry and scared amid a hundred other emotions. But we MUST remain hopeful, believing that cancer can be beaten, her liver can be restored to a cancer free state and she will be with us for decades and decades to come. We cannot give up and we cannot stop believing that God will provide total physical healing for Metisha in this life. We cannot give up.

We continue to need your prayers. It can be so hard to voice our needs and requests to God during these times and so we depend on you to stand next to us in prayer. We are praying for:

• Strength and a renewed hope from God.
• An unfaltering belief that God will give Metisha physical healing in this life.
• Wisdom for the doctors as they look at the next options.
• The next option to be the treatment that will cure Metisha.
• The next steps to happen quickly. Next Wednesday feels like 9 months, not 9 days away.
• Metisha’s hands and feet to heal quickly from the oral chemo.
• For Metisha and Mark and their families to be given peace and joy through this time. We want to enjoy life together without the dark cloud of cancer looming over.
• Metisha to be physically healed, here on earth, 100% and forever from cancer in 2010.

We are thankful for you, your love and your prayers. Metisha is strong, she is a fighter, she is my hero.

Lamentations 3:55-57
I called out your name, O God,
Called from the bottom of the pit.
You listened when I called out, ‘Don’t shut your ears!
Get me out of here! Save me!’
You came close when I called out.
You said, ‘It’s going to be all right’.

Scan Today

Metisha has a new scan this morning. We are praying diligently for good news to come out of this scan and for good news to celebrate on Thanksgiving! Please pray with us for peace as we wait on the results and for 100% good news and continue to pray that Metisha's feet will be healed.

We are believing we will have a very happy post for Thanksgiving!

Another Drop!

Metisha got her blood work back and her cancer markers have dropped for the 3rd time! The doctor reduced her meds a bit so we are praying that the new dosage will give her relief from the side effects but still continue to fight the cancer.

Keep fighting Tisha!

Rough Patch

Metisha has been continuing her oral chemo and IV bone treatments and her last two rounds of blood work has shown that her cancer markers have gone down which is a positive sign. We are very thankful for these drops and continue to believe that God will use these treatments to heal her!

Since she was responding so well to the oral chemo her doctor decided to increase the dosage but this is causing a rough patch for Tisha. She’s been very tired, is hurting a lot through her entire body and now has blisters and bruising on her feet and is developing blisters on her hands. As you know, if Metisha says something is hurting, the pain is very bad!

Please pray with us for Metisha to be relieved of these side effects. She goes back to the doctor on Wednesday so pray for wisdom for Dr. Nugent to prescribe the best treatment for total healing with the least physical impact on Metisha. We’ve always been so thankful that Metisha has been able to truly live with cancer, but these recent side effects are holding her back so we are praying that God will restore her current good health and her permanent freedom from cancer. We are praying specifically that she will improve quickly over the next few weeks because she has a trip to Disney World in 32 days!

Of course through all of this Metisha continues to smile and laugh. I was talking to her while she was in the chemo room getting her last bone IV treatment and she was just laughing and joking with the nurses and thanking them for their help. I would hate that room, hate the process, hate everything about it but she is just her amazing, strong, upbeat self!

Metisha will also have a new set of scans done this month. With scans always comes some apprehension and fears so pray for Metisha to continue to believe in her healing and that the scans will continue to show no cancer in her bones, no new cancer spots anywhere else and a huge improvement in her liver.

God does and will heal!!!

Good News IS GOOD NEWS!!!

Metisha just called with good news!!! She had blood work done yesterday and it showed her markers are down from 203 to 180 after only two weeks on the new oral chemo pills! We are so excited to finally get a good news phone call from oncology! Prayers to do work and our prayers are full of prasies today!

No News is Good News!

Metisha has been on the new oral chemo and has experienced ZERO side effects! We are so thankful that she is still able to LIVE the life she wants and has not been slowed down by cancer. She has also had an unexpected improvement recently: her hair has been growing back where she had radiation! What a happy surprise! And last weekend we experienced another miracle. Tisha was eating a s’mores and when she was finished she actually said, “I never thought I would say this but that was actually too sweet.” Metisha thought a sugary treat was too sweet! She is continuing to battle her sugar addiction and that was a “sweet” victory.

Mark recently got some new ink.



I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me. We believe all things includes beating stage four cancer! We are so thankful for all of your prayers and they are working!

Keep praying with us that:

• the oral chemo will remove all cancer from Metisha’s liver,
• there will be no cancer reoccurrence anywhere else in her body,
• she can replace her love of sugar with a passion for veggies and fruit and
• she will be a wrinkly, old, cancer free woman!

$25

Metisha got her oral chemo pills today and they were covered by insurance so she only had to pay $25! This is a huge answer to prayer and a testament to the power of prayer! We are so thankful and overjoyed today! Metisha will start taking the drugs this evening so pray with us that she will not experience any side affects; no sickness, no exhaustion and no hair loss. And most importantly pray that the drugs will work and kill all the cancer spots on her liver!

And since we know prayer works, please pray for our friend Lori. Lori and Metisha have been best friends since junior high. Lori had a beautiful baby girl last Thursday and then had a severe stroke Sunday morning that has affected her mobility in her left side. Please pray with us that Lori will be 100% restored and regain all mobility in her left side. And pray for her beautiful family: husband John, daughter Laney (2 years old), daughter Haley (5 days old) and her mother Marva. They are beautiful people and Lori is strong and we believe she will be running after her girls very soon!

Possible Oral Chemo Treatment!

Tisha’s doctor consulted with MD Andersen and they recommended an oral chemo treatment. They doctor said she has treated several women with metastatic spots on the liver and they have responded very well to this drug. Metisha would take several pills in the morning and the evening for 14 days, then take a break and then start again for 14 days. It has side effects similar to chemo (can make you sick and can cause hair loss) but they are generally less than chemo. This drug is very expensive at over $2,000 per month so a HUGE prayer request is that the drug will be covered by Metisha’s insurance. Please pray diligently for this. This therapy would be easier on Metisha than chemo, gives her a better chance of not losing her hair again and may be more effective.

So now we are prayerfully waiting for oncology to check on insurance coverage.

Could be Worse, Could be Better

Metisha’s PET scan came back today. No cancer showed in her neck or anywhere else in her bones which is great news and a huge praise! However her liver has gotten worse. There were previously 4 spots and now there are 11 which is obviously not good news. So we continue the pattern of it could be worse but it could definitely be better.

Unfortunately there are now so many liver spots that they don’t think surgery or ablation is a possibility. Her nurse told her chemo is probably the best option but she will discuss any options and the next steps with her oncologist on Wednesday afternoon. The oncology nurse is also going to consult with MD Anderson. A fear with chemo is that the original liver spot didn’t respond well to chemo last time.

Some days are just bad days and today was definitely one of those days for Tisha. After she got the call from her oncology nurse she went to Walgreens to get some prescriptions. She was standing in the inevitable pharmacy line when the lady behind her informed Tisha the seam was ripped out on her skirt, all the way up. Yes, her unmentionables became mentionable! Of course in true Metisha spirit, she said “oh well, that’s not the worst thing I’ve been told today”. And true to the theme it could have been worse; she was at least wearing a modest granny garment instead of a more risqué option. The moral of the story is when you’re having a bad day, just go home!

We have a very specific prayer now. The PET scan can show how many spots are no the liver but cannot show a 3D image of how the spots lie on the liver. So we are praying specifically that the spots are all in one lobe of the liver so that liver surgery is an option. Beyond that we are praying that a new drug or chemo is now available that will be 100% effective in killing the cancer in the liver. We are also continuing to pray that Metisha will develop a love for fruit and veggies and a hatred of sugar and junk food. And we are always praying for complete and total healing.

PET Scan Tomorrow

Metisha has her PET scan tomorrow morning. We are pray for good news from the scan and that the good news will come fast!

Markers Slightly Up

Tisha got her blood work back today and it showed her markers to be up 40 points which is a slight increase and not an alarming jump. This could be an indicator that the current drugs are not working but does not concretely mean the cancer has grown or spread. She will now have a PET scan on Thursday to see where the cancer is and the results of that scan will determine whether she continues with the current treatment plans or has to change course. Tisha is not upset about these results and is still smiling and focusing on her new school year.

This is not the news we have been praying for, but it isn’t necessarily bad news either so we continue to pray diligently. Metisha feels strongly that these test results do not affect her outcome because God is in control. We have faith in him and faith in his ability to heal her. Metisha also feels strongly that she needs to make dedicated healthy lifestyle changes with her diet to help fight her cancer. So we need to keep praying and lifting Metisha up in this area. Pray for:
· The PET scan to provide good news – no growth or even reduction of the cancer
· Metisha to continue to feel good
· Metisha to conquer her diet a become a veggie and fruit lover and sugar hater

Keep smiling with us! We are so thankful for your support!

Waiting on Test Results

Tisah went to oncology yesterday for her monthly bone treatment and blood work. We are waiting on the results of the blood work to see if her cancer markers are up or down. These results will determine what scans she will have next and if she continue with her current treatment.

Please pray with us as we await the results. We are praying for the markers to be down showing the current treatments are working.

Family Vacation, Back to School

Yes, I know I’m a bit behind on blogging. But I have faith that the prayers have continued during the blogging down time. To make up for the lack of blogging I will provide you with a day by day recap of our recent family vacation, enhanced with photos of the actual events.

We were very blessed to leave on a family vacation to Red River, NM the morning after Tisha’s birthday. It seems like Satan tried his best to still our joy (dead car alternator, housing plumbing issues, general pre-vacation crazies) but by 1:30 am we had all finally gathered in Fairview and by 5:30 am we were on the road heading west to the mountains! We had quit a caravan for 6 people and two dogs: a RV pulling a trailer with three ATV’s and a pickup pulling a jeep and carrying five mountain bikes. Yes, we travel with only the essentials! We made it to our breakfast destination of McDonalds in Guymon and to our picnic lunch at the Palisades surrounded by the beautiful mountains and cool, clean mountain air. We got to town early afternoon and were greeted by the perfect mountain shower. That evening we and had dinner at our favorite restaurant, Sun dance. I’m not sure if it was the altitude or something special in the Mexican food but Mom got the uncontrollable giggles at dinner and the trademark Barb snort was heard by all (more than once).

The next morning we split up and took on several adventures. The “boys” (Mark and my husband Jeremy) loaded up the mountain bikes for a little downhill in Angle Fire. Dad and I checked out the Angle Fire area in the jeep. And Metisha and Mom took off for a hike. Metisha is a VERY good daughter with a very POOR memory. Mom loves to hike up to a very gorgeous lake in Red River and says when she dies we must hike there to leave her ashes. The problem is it’s about a 14 mile hike and the first half of the hike is on jeep trails/switch bikes. Metisha knew Mom really wanted to go so she volunteered to go with her. Unfortunately she had forgotten that she swore she would never go again after the last expedition! So after more than 6 hours of hiking they returned without making it the lake. Metisha once again swore she will never go again. Mom was all smiles and carried about 15 pounds of rocks down with her. Unfortunately for Mom I predict her ashes are scattered at a lower altitude! The boys made it back with no biking injuries and had a great day. As for Dad and I, let’s just say we met an unpleasant man and Dad got to make a contribution to the New Mexico Highway Patrol.

The next day was family day. We gathered the ATVs and Jeep and headed out for Goose Lake. The day started out in a typical fashion for us, with a little trail side maintenance.

After we removed some unnecessary parts from the rhino, we continued on our way. We made good time up to the lake and were greeted with great views and very chilly temperatures.

While the rest of us ate a picnic lunch Mark decided he wanted to hike to the top of the mountain. He made it up and back in a little over an hour. Don't worry, we did save him a sandwhich.

For our final day of vacation the boys returned to Angle Fire for more downhill mountain biking but this time with an injury. Mark was riding so fast down the mountain that he ran down a bee. The bee ended up in his shirt and Mark received a third nipple. Mom, Dad, Tisha and I decided to do some more ATV riding. We started out trying to tackle 4th of July Canyon but the trail was very washed out and we were told the final ascent typically resulted in a rollover. So we made it to about the last 200 yards before we chickened out, turned around and headed back down the mountain. We ended up going up Old Red River Pass and adopted another couple from Texas who followed us most of the morning. From Old Red River Pass we misidentified our stopping point and continued on a trail that led to, well a dead end. But the dead end trail was the most beautiful trail we have ridden at Red River! The scenery was beautiful and we were the only ones on the trail. After we hit the dead end we turned around and headed back to a beautiful meadow for a picnic lunch with just the four of us.

So that was the 2009 Ewbank/Welsh/Unruh Family Vacation. Now it’s back to school for Mark and Metisha. Mark started this week with a camp he conducts for new students and Metisha reports back next week.

On the cancer front, Metisha goes back to oncology on August 19th. They will do blood work and then decide what scans should be done. Pray that this doctor appointment produces nothing but positive news. Pray for no new cancer. Pray for reduction of the existing cancer. Also pray for Tisha as she continues to battle her sugar addiction and adopt better nutrition habits. She loves sugar and our family loves to eat, so she can use lots of prayer support in this area. Most of all, pray for complete physically healing from cancer! We know above all things, prayers work!

Happy Birthday!

Today is Metisha’s 32nd birthday! Happy Birthday Tisha! We know you will celebrate many, many more birthdays!

Mark and Tisha made it home from Mexico. They had a great trip! They snorkeled, went scuba diving, repelling and rode zip lines through the rain forest.

But they are only home for less than 3 days. Tomorrow morning we leave on a family vacation to the mountains of New Mexico. Dad and Mom took me and Metisha to Red River every summer while growing up and so it is one of our favorite places and our annual Red River trip was the highlight of our summer. We would have a cookie and lemonade stand every year to earn our spending money and thanks to a few loyal and cookie addicted customers, we always had a nice stack of cash! When we were little we would spend hours throwing rocks into the river and playing catch at the softball fields and always looked forward to riding go-carts and horses. As we got older we were allowed some freedom to be parentless for a few hours every day which usually turned into hours at the skating rink (and huge blisters) and riding bikes around town. Without a doubt some of our best childhood memories are from Red River. Our whole family hasn’t been there together for about six years so we are all looking forward to this trip and to starting it off with a Birthday celebration!

The next step in her cancer battle will be a new set of scans which will happen during the first part of August. Keep praying for Metisha. Pray for decades more of birthdays!

Cancer Markers Up

The blood work came back to show Metisha’s cancer markers have risen since her last round of blood work. This isn’t the results we were praying for but the doctors want to give the current drug therapies more time. They will schedule scans the first part of August which will tell them if or where the cancer has grown.

Mark and Metisha typically take these types of test results better than the rest of us but we are all tired of getting bad news and are VERY ready for some good news. But as hard as it is to discount all of the medical “facts” we have to focus having a faith that she will be physically healed. This faith is a choice, a conscious decision and one that is constantly attacked. But God does give us promises of healing in the Bible. We have to believe those promises and chose to have faith in God’s physical healing no matter what the test results say. Your prayers are a part of that faith. In James chapter 5 God it says:

Are any of you suffering hardships? You should pray. Are any of you happy? You should sing praises. Are any of you sick? You should call for the elders of the church to come and pray over you, anointing you with oil in the name of the Lord. Such a prayer offered in faith will heal the sick, and the Lord will make you well. And if you have committed any sins, you will be forgiven.

“Such a prayer offered in faith will heal the sick”. It doesn’t just say to pray it says to pray in faith. We have to pray for Metisha’s healing and have faith that God will answer. Please pray with us and pray in faith. Pray for physical healing and pray for good news. We are continually grateful for your prayers!

Bone Treatment Today, Scans in August

Tisha is spending her day at oncology. They took her blood too late to get results back today so we won’t know what her counts are doing until Monday. The doctor also wants to wait until August to do new scans because she has only been on the current drugs since the end of April. He says they need more time to see if they are working or not. Pray that her counts are WAY down and that the cancer will go to hell before August!

She is getting another IV treatment for her bones today so she’s hanging out in the chemo room. Last month the treatment went much better with some achiness but no nausea. We are praying this treatment is easy this month also and does not have any side affects!

Mark and Metisha celebrated their 9th wedding anniversary this week! We look forward to them celebrating their 10th and many, many decades beyond! They are taking a vacation to Mexico this month and definitely deserve some time in paradise. As you can see, Mark is ready to go!

Busy Summer

I wanted to give a quick update on what’s been happening in Metisha’s world. She’s doing great and is staying busy this summer. She is traveling a lot this month and spending time with family and friends in Texas and Oklahoma. We are so thankful that her current treatments are non-invasive and allowing her to have a great summer! She looks so good people can’t believe she’s fighting cancer! She came to visit me at my office and people kept asking me how many sisters I have because they thought there was no way she was the sister fighting cancer!

Metisha does go back to her oncologist in Fort Worth on Friday for blood work and a checkup and then should have another round of scans. We are praying that the blood work on Friday will show her cancer markers to be down and that the scans will show no new cancer spots. Of course we are always praying that the scans will come back 100% cancer free!

The last few months have been an emotional rollercoaster. And while the ride itself is unfortunately familiar, those first stomach wrenching drops and sharp turns are always hard to endure and take some recovery time. But with all of your support and prayers we are able to get our footing again. Metisha has moments when beating cancer feels unachievable but most days are filled with happiness and trust that God will again give her a cancer free life. Every day that the cancer is kept at bay is a day closer to finding a cure for stage IV breast cancer. There is a promising new drug in trials now for stage IV breast cancer with genetic links. While Metisha’s cancer does not have these links, these types of trials provide hope and promise of more advances in cancer treatments in the near future. There is hope in medical advancements and always faith in God’s healing.

For now we are praying that her cancer markers will be down and the next round of scans will show a reduction in cancer. We are praying for only good news from these doctor visits and scans. We are praying for a continual strong faith and peace in God’s healing. And we are always praying for a cancer free life!

Just to show how well Metisha is doing here is a picture of her waksurfing just weeks after her last surgery.

You should probably add me to that prayer list because I’m probably going to take a big sister beating for posting this picture! But I think she looks great and am still jealous of her athleticism!

Back to Fort Worth

Metisha and Mark met with a doctor at MD Anderson yesterday afternoon. She reviewed all of Metisha’s records and told them that she would follow the same protocol as her doctors in Fort Worth have been providing and she did not recommend any changes in treatment. So the second opinion confirmed that her doctors are on the right path and Mark and Metisha are heading home. Mark and Metisha are happy to be able to continue treatments in Fort Worth and to hear MD Anderson say they are on the right track.

So the game plan is to continue to use daily drug therapy and monthly IV therapy to keep the cancer from spreading beyond the current spots and all the doctors believe that her recent hysterectomy will also help. While they do not expect the drugs will kill the existing spots, keeping it from spreading further will continue to give her a great life. She has been on this new drug for over a month now so we pray that it is working to prevent further spread.

Metisha is LIVING with cancer and that is important to know. The amount of healthy, cancer free tissues far exceed the amount of cancer in her body. She feels great and is doing everything she wants in life. She is truly LIVING and we are so thankful that she is! No one has put an expiration date on her life. No one has told her there is nothing left to be done. Every day we balance the medical “facts” against our faith in God and His healing. While the medical facts say there is no cure for stage IV metastatic cancer our faith tells us that God can heal her at anytime. We have never stopped praying for total healing and we will not stop now. So we pray over the doctors and the medicines that they will keep the cancer from spreading and these drugs will work for years and years and decades to come. But we also pray that God will show His power and perform a miracle of total physical healing in Metisha.

Metisha will have another set of scans in the first part of July. Pray that these scans will show the drugs are working and there is no new spread. But also continue to pray that God will give her complete physical healing and cast all of the cancerous cells out her body forever. Pray for the cancer to be gone from her C2 vertebrate, her liver, her abdomen structure. Pray for decades and decades of living for Metisha.

At MD Anderson

Mark and Metisha are in Houston and are heading to MD Anderson for thier first appointment at 1 pm today. We don't know what all will happen today (other than a lot of insurance paper work I'm sure) but I will post updates as soon as Metisha knows more.

Pray that God has a miracle waiting for her at MD Anderson.

MD Anderson in Two Weeks

Metisha talked with MD Anderson yesterday and will go to Houston on June 22nd. She does not know what will happen beyond reviewing her medical records but they told her to be prepared to stay for a week. We are so thankful to finally have an appointment for a second opinion! Keep praying for this process and pray for peace over the next two weeks. It’s hard to not know what the long term plan is and if her treatments will continue in Fort Worth or Houston.

Metisha does feel like her hysterectomy is making a difference. She can tell a physical difference (a lot less hot flashes which is nice for a Texas summer!) and so we are hopeful that the cancer is now out of fuel and will die. She is still a bit achy from the bone treatment on Friday but she is not nearly has tired. Today is her first day of summer vacation so she can get some rest before going to Houston. We are praising God that this round was much easier than the last. Thank you so much for your prayers!

Please continue to pray with us for:

• Metisha to be placed in front of the best doctors at MD Anderson
• Wisdom for Mark and Metisha as they evaluate the opinions and plans from MD Anderson and make decisions around her treatment
• Mental and emotional strength for Metisha, Mark and their families
• The cancer on her neck, liver, and muscle structure in her abdomen to die
• No other cancer spots to develop
• Our family friend Debbie who is also battling breast cancer and is currently in chemo
• A cancer cure for all types, forms and stages of cancer
• Metisha to be cancer free again, remain that way and live to be an old woman

Make sure you read yesterday's post. My sister is an amazing person!

The World Needs Metisha

Metisha’s bone treatment on Friday went much better this month. She was very tired Saturday and her bones ached but she did not throw up so we are praising God for an easier treatment! The goal of this medicine is to keep the cancer from spreading anymore in her bones and we continue to pray the radiation was affective in killing the cancer on C2 vertebrate in her neck. She will have another treatment in a month.

Metisha has been playing phone tag with people from MD Anderson and has talked to Cancer Treatment Centers of America (CTCA) in Tulsa. Right now Metisha’s gut is telling her to go to MD Anderson so we are continuing to pray that God will open up doors quickly for her there and that she can get down there for a second opinion in the next week. She should hear from MD Anderson today. Metisha’s current oncology staff continues to be supportive her going to MD Anderson for a second opinion and said they would adjust her treatment plan if that is the recommendation. We are so thankful her current healthcare team is supporting her through this process!

Metisha wholly believes that she can be cancer free again and we stand firmly beside her in that belief. The mind, heart and will play a huge role in the battle against cancer. Metisha is praying and willing her cancer to be gone from her body and cast into hell. We’ve watched Metisha take the last few weeks to get her mind, heart and spirit back in the full fighting mode and she is very ready to fight. So we are standing with her and praying for her cancer to go to hell! Please pray specifically that the cancer will be removed from her C2 vertebrate, from her liver, from the muscle structure in her abdomen and that all the cancer cells floating around her body will be gone.

I know Metisha’s story has reached a lot of people who have never met her and you may wonder what makes her so special that so many people are hurting with her and fighting with her. You need to know that Metisha is one of those rare people who make a difference in the lives of others. My big sister has taught me so much and has been one of the biggest influences in my life. From little on she’s shown me that it’s ok to just relax and have fun and be outside the lines (a good lesson for a type A). She helped me to be less rigid and judgmental and be more open and accepting. As a big sister she stood up for me and threatened boys who broke my heart! She has always been my support and my best friend.

But I am just one of many who have been impacted by Metisha. Metisha is a 5th grade school teacher at an inner city school in Fort Worth and she is doing exactly what God designed her to be. Not only does she make math and science fun and easy to learn by making up fun stories and songs for learning tools but every year she takes a class full of kids who would typically be overlooked by our society and helps them believe they can be or do anything. Last week was the end of the school year for Metisha and she had two former students come by to visit. They were both graduating high school seniors and both came back to tell their 5th grade teacher that she had made a difference in their lives. Seven years later in huge school system, they came back because Metisha, just being Metisha, impacted their lives so much that they wanted her to know they graduated and asked her to be at their graduation. The first student brought his autograph book from the 5th grade and asked Metisha if she remembered what she had wrote to him. He said, “You wrote to me to follow my dreams and I could do anything. I want you to know that I’m graduating Saturday and I want to go on to school to be an RN.” The second student had an assignment to write an essay about someone who had made a difference his life. His essay was about his 5th grade teacher and he brought it for her to read. He wanted her to know that she had made a difference and he was graduating a high school. One of the students told Metisha he knew she had been sick and said she had to keep fighting because she is such a good teacher and the kids need her. High school graduation is a huge accomplishment for these kids and every year Ms. Welsh makes a class full of kids believe they can accomplish that and much more.

Dad and I were talking about Metisha and these students and Dad made a profound statement. He said Metisha had two people in one week tell her that she had made a difference in their lives and he asked how many people can honestly say that someone has ever said to them, “you have made a difference in my life”. Metisha makes a difference. That is just one reason why we are all fighting with her because this world still needs her, because she is still making a difference.

Waiting and Treatments

Metisha has another bone treatment on Friday. Last month this treatment made her VERY sick for several days so we are praying that she will be protected from all side affects this time and will not experience one moment of sickness from the treatment.

Metisha is actively pursuing a second opinion on her current case and treatment plan. She is waiting on two different people to call her from MD Anderson. The first is a PA that has given her information by her current oncologist. The second person is a patient relations specialist who got Metisha’s information through a very dear family friend with MD Anderson connections. Metisha left the patient relations person a message this week and her oncology nurse let her know this week the PA will be calling her. Metisha is also going to call Cancer Treatment Centers of America. As Tisha makes more calls and waits for people to call her back we are praying diligently that God will open and close the appropriate doors and lead her to the right doctors and hospital. She is very anxious to get a second opinion and so we are praying for speed in this process.

Metisha won’t officially be released from post surgery until next Tuesday but she has already been wake boarding, mountain biking and four-wheeling! So she’s living it up and still not obeying the rules but is feeling great from surgery! There’s definitely no keeping her down!

Metisha continues to be mentally and emotionally strong every day but it isn’t easy. Every twinge of pain can bring up fears and she naturally has thoughts about death. While she knows this is normal, she wants to focus on being positive and believing she will be healed. I have never once heard her complain, feel sorry for herself or ask why her. When she’s sad and fearful, it’s because she’s worried about how us, her family and friends, would be affected by losing her. When she’s angry, she’s angry for how this has affected those around her. And when she says it’s not fare, she says it’s not fare that Mark and her family have to go through this. Her sorrows, angers and fears are never about her. She is just an amazing person with an abundance of strength and grace and a simple prayer request – to live.

We know we can count on you to continue to stand beside Metisha in prayer and love. We are praying that:

• She will be physically protected from all side effects from treatment on Friday
• She will get to the right doctors and hospitals for a second opinion and that it will happen quickly
• God’s direction and leading will be clear in the second opinion process
• Metisha, Mark and all of us around her will have complete faith in God’s healing for Metisha, claiming healing for her and believing she will be cancer free
• Metisha will continue to feel good and be able to continue with all her summer plans
• She will live, cancer free, until she is an old lady

Best Quote Ever

I just got off the phone with Tisha and she said, “Good news, I’m NOT going to die from cancer and I just thought you would be happy to know!” Yes Tisha, I am very, VERY happy to know that!

She said she has just made her mind up that she will not die from this and that between that, our prayers, and claiming God’s scripture of healing, this cancer will not get her. I could not agree more! There is so much evidence that having hope and strong will is critical to beating cancer.

Metisha called her nurse at oncology and asked her to send her files onto MD Anderson in Houston. She is still contemplating calling Cancer Treatment Center of America in Tulsa also. Pray for God’s direction in this process. Pray that God will make the best hospital and best doctor known for a second opinion. Pray that insurance coverage will not be an issue. Pray that a second opinion can be received quickly. And pray that the second opinion is in direct line with God’s plan for Metisha and provides her and Mark with a clear path.

So as you can tell, Metisha’s spirits are back up, and that’s largely thanks to your prayers for her faith and strength. We know that Metisha is securely in God’s grip and safe in Him. And I agree, Metisha will not die from cancer!

Urgent Prayer

I don’t know how to say this to make the blow any easier. The nurse who told Metisha her pathology report was fine last week was wrong. Metisha met with her oncologist today and was told that her uterus and ovaries had no cancer but that there was cancer on her appendix and a spot on the muscle structure between her ovaries and uterus. There were additional “cancer cells” in her muscle structure in her abdomen around these organs.

We are shocked, angry, and completely taken aback by this news. Her oncologist could not explain why she was given false information last week. The appendix spot was likely not visible on the last PET scan because it is too close to her bladder which always shows up as hot on a PET scan.

The oncologist started Metisha on a new pill form drug about a month ago that is supposed to help block the spread of metastatic cancer that is hormone driven. So they are waiting on additional reports from pathology to confirm if these new spots are hormonally driven like all of the previous cancer. If they are, the oncologist wants to continue this drug therapy along with the IV bone therapy until it stops proving good results. At that time chemotherapy would be the last option. Because this drug does not have the horrible side effects of chemo, the oncologist believes this drug gives her the best quality of life while fighting off additional cancer. They feel this treatment will best address the spot on her liver also so they do not want to pursue the Cyber Knife at this time. Her oncology nurse told her she has had metastatic (stage IV) patients who have been on this drug for years and had excellent results which is encouraging.

Metisha and Mark need urgent prayers for wisdom. They are trying to decide if it is time to get a second opinion at MD Anderson or Cancer Center Treatments of America. Metisha’s oncology nurse has been an angel who has done so much for Metisha but the last few weeks have shook her confidence in the doctors at Texas Oncology. She and Mark need to decide what the next steps should be to not only give Metisha the best chance possible but to also give them the upmost confidence in her treatment.

The oncologist believes we are now in a fight for quality of life but we believe our God is more powerful than any cancer or medical treatment and will give Metisha abundance of both quality and quantity of life. Metisha is claiming for her all the verses in the Bible that promise healing. When she was first diagnosed God lead her to Psalm 91 and that continues to be her strength. But claiming God’s healing and having a constant faith in His healing when you are staring down stage IV cancer is not easy. Metisha has times when her human nature and Satan out power her faith causing periods of doubt and she fears it is these brief moments that will cause her to lose this battle. Pray for her in this area. Pray that the Holy Spirit will consume her with a steady faith that cannot be shaken, even for a moment. Pray that God’s unfathomable peace will wash over her every minute of every day. This battle will take an enormous amount of spiritual, physical, emotional and mental strength and we know God will give her the perfect amount.

Metisha has gone from facing her death again to ready to fight this with everything she has. She is amazing and her attitude and spirit continue to amaze me daily. There is no doubt about it, today is just hard day, not a good day. But we always have hope in God. Pray for Mark and Metisha and their family that we will feel this hope and we pray the same for you.

Psalm 91
Safe in the Lord

1 Those who go to God Most High for safety

will be protected by the Almighty.

2 I will say to the Lord, "You are my place of safety and protection.

You are my God and I trust you."

3 God will save you from hidden traps

and from deadly diseases.

4 He will cover you with his feathers,

and under his wings you can hide.

His truth will be your shield and protection.

5 You will not fear any danger by night

or an arrow during the day.

6 You will not be afraid of diseases that come in the dark

or sickness that strikes at noon.

7 At your side one thousand people may die,

or even ten thousand right beside you,

but you will not be hurt.

8 You will only watch

and see the wicked punished.

9 The Lord is your protection;

you have made God Most High your place of safety.

10 Nothing bad will happen to you;

no disaster will come to your home.

11 He has put his angels in charge of you

to watch over you wherever you go.

12 They will catch you in their hands

so that you will not hit your foot on a rock.

13 You will walk on lions and cobras;

you will step on strong lions and snakes.

14 The Lord says, "Whoever loves me, I will save.

I will protect those who know me.

15 They will call to me, and I will answer them.

I will be with them in trouble;

I will rescue them and honor them.

16 I will give them a long, full life,

and they will see how I can save."

Good News!!!

The pathology report delivered good news today: no cancer in the ovaries or appendix!!! We are so grateful for this news! I asked Metisha what they said the spots on the ovary and appendix were and she said, “I don’t know, I kind of stopped listening after she said no cancer!” I agree Tisha, no cancer is all we needed to hear!

Metisha is healing well after surgery and is getting some rest. She did go to school for a few hours last week to put the fear of God in her kids who were abusing the substitute. I can’t believe any of Tisha’s students were brave enough to try that trick! But after a good lecture from Ms. Welsh involving a high play on guilt and the cancer card and some tears from some of the kids, the reports were all quiet the next day. Trust me, I’ve seen her angry face and it isn’t one you want to cross!

The next step is to hopefully go after the spots on her liver. Pray that she will be a candidate for the cyber knife and that the treatment will be easy on Metisha’s body. Continue to pray for physical and emotional strength. Pray for wisdom for the doctors and for a continued fighting spirit for Tisha. This cancer doesn’t stand chance!

Keep the Prayers Going

Metisha was released from the hospital this morning. She is feeling very well from surgery and isn’t having too much pain. As always she is the toughest person I know and the hardest part of her recovery will be making her obey doctor’s orders to rest and not do too much! But she continues to need your prayers. When the doctor came in this morning he said there were spots on one of the ovaries and nodes on the appendix so they both were sent to pathology. It will take several days for the pathology report to be completed. Pray diligently that this is not cancer spread. We continue to believe in God’s healing for Metisha and pray for peace and faith as we wait for the pathology report

A Few Organs Less

Metisha is out of surgery and in recovery. The surgeon said everything went well. One of the ovaries did have an area on it that looked diseased; the surgeon is not concerned but is sending it to pathology to be safe. They also found her appendix to be enlarged so they went ahead and took that out also. I guess that was a freebie and now she is another organ lighter :)

Pray for a quick and easy recovery and that the pathology report comes back clean.

Surgery Tomorrow

Metisha’s hysterectomy is tomorrow at 9:45 am. She will most likely spend one night in the hospital and then spend a few weeks recovering. She is definitely dreading this surgery and we are praying she will not have any pain and very quick recovery.

God has again answered our prayers for good doctors with Metisha’s hysterectomy. She has struggled to find a good OBGYN after her cancer diagnosis and several months ago someone told her about a doctor who specializes in OGBYN and related cancers. She wrote the doctor’s name down and put in her desk drawer for future reference. When her oncologist decided she needed the hysterectomy he referred her to an OBGYN and you guessed it, it was the same doctor the friend had recommended earlier! She also had a friend, who has a friend who is a nurse on the Cyber Knife facility where the oncologist wants to send Metisha for her liver and this nurse had great advice on who she feels are the best doctors. God continues to lead and direct Metisha to doctors he will use for her healing.

Metisha did receive some good news in pre-op appointments for tomorrow’s surgery. The doctor told her that her uterus is small. Metisha said, “Well that’s the first time anyone’s ever described anything about me as small!” Hopefully this small trait will make surgery and recovery easier!

Dad, mom and I want to say a HUGE thank you to Metisha’s co-workers who blessed her in such a big way last week! You are such wonderful people and you have eased a big worry we had for Metisha and her recovery. Thank you so, so much!

Continue to stand by Metisha in prayer. Pray for a non-eventful surgery tomorrow. Pray for no pain and a quick recovery. Pray that the Cyber Knife will be an option for the liver spots. Pray for Metisha’s physical, mental and emotional strength. Pray our faith that it will be strong and we will continue to claim God’s healing for Metisha. And as always, pray this is her last battle with cancer and she will live to be an old wrinkly lady. We are so thankful to all of you for your prayers and love and you make a daily difference in Metisha’s life!

Surgery Moved

They hysterectomy surgery has been moved to Tuesday, May 12th. Pray that God will continue to strengthen Metisha’s body during this delay so that she will have a quick and easy recovery.

Three for the Price of Two

Metisha saw the surgeon yesterday and he decided to do a full hysterectomy instead of just taking the oophs and the surgery will be one week from today, Thursday May 7th. I guess that means she gets a 3 for the price of 2 surgery! The doctor said she will be in the hospital overnight (but Metisha says she’ll talk him out of that) and then will be off from work for about a week.

Her last radiation treatment on her neck was Tuesday. She is glad to be done with those treatments because her throat has become extremely raw. They will do another scan of her neck in about 3 months to see the effectiveness of the radiation.

Mark and Metisha’s schools have been shut down for over a week because of the swine flu! So Metisha is getting some time to recover from radiation and the bone treatment before surgery next week. Pray for protection over Metisha from the swine flu. Her body is definitely a bit wore down right now so the swine flu could be serious for her. And no Mom, neither Metisha nor I have licked a WalMart shopping cart! :)

Keep lifting Metisha up in your prayers. The last week has been tough physically and mentally. Metisha is so brave and so strong but she still needs prayers for strength and faith. Pray that the hysterectomy will be an easy surgery for Metisha and that the liver spot can by treated with the Cyber Knife. Pray for ongoing wisdom for the doctors and grace from her insurance company. And as always, pray that Metisha will live to be a wrinkly, old, cancer-free woman!

The Worst Gift

Metisha just hasn’t had that great of a week so I decided I wanted to try to cheer her up a little today and send her a surprise. Instead of going with the traditional flowers, I decided to send her a fruit bouquet. Its bright and cheery, fun and different and healthy; the perfect gift. So I got online and schedule one to be delivered to her today at school. I was feeling good about my little surprise for about 5 minutes and then it hit me. Metisha’s throat is completely raw from radiation and she just told me last night she can only have liquids and I just sent her acidic, hard fruit! A quick phone call to Mom confirmed that fruit was not on the diet this week. So I tried to cancel the order but couldn’t get anywhere so I finally came to the resolution that she could maybe, maybe use the fruit to make a fresh smoothie.

I waited all afternoon for the certain sarcastic text from Metisha which I never got so I decided to call her and fess up. And that’s when I realized that I had screwed up again. I forgot Metisha had radiation today and had to leave school early so now the fruit basket is probably sitting on her desk, wilting away so she can walk in tomorrow morning to a sagging, probably dripping, dead bouquet of fruit with a happy face balloon floating above. Yes, this is the worst gift ever! Apparently I’m cursed when it comes to giving Tisha gifts. One Christmas I gave her a really nice hair blow dryer, 3 months before she lost her hair to chemo!

When I confessed my stupidity to Metisha, she had a really good laugh so I guess I did accomplish my goal of providing her with some cheer. Then she told me she was going to send me a bag a sugar (I’m diabetic).

So I’m hoping they either canceled my order, didn’t deliver it today, or someone at school put it in the fridge for her. But if not, at least there’s a smiley face balloon.

Sick Weekend

Metisha has had a rough weekend. She started a new treatment on Friday afternoon that has made her sick with flu like symptoms. When Metisha admits she’s sick, she’s really sick :( The treatment is supposed to help keep the cancer from spreading in her bones. She has to have the treatment once a month for at least a year so a huge prayer request is that she will not experience these side effects again. We do not want her to have to face being sick every month. Please pray hard for protection from this treatment.

In addition to the treatments for the bones the oncologist has started her on a new drug that helps block some receptors that can fuel cancer. So far there have been no side effects from this drug. The oncologist has also decided to have her ovaries removed. The operation is called an oophorectomy so Tisha says they’re throwing out the oophs! Her cancer is a hormonal driven cancer so the oophs have to go to eliminate the hormones. She has been on shots to keep the oophs dormant, but the doctors feel the shot may not have been effective enough so it’s time to get rid of them.

The surgeon who has done the previous procedures on her liver looked at her scans last week. He believes the original liver spot actually looks good and doesn’t have active cancer in it and the new spot is smaller than the original spot. The doctors think she may be a good candidate for 2nd generation cyber knife for the liver spot and there will be a new 2nd generation cyber knife available in Fort Worth next month! Cyber knife is a very cool technology. They implant gold markers into the tumor and then point lasers at the gold markers from all different angles and only where the laser beams touch each other (at the gold markers) do they kill tissue so all the surrounding tissue is unharmed. So hopefully very soon her liver will be worth gold!

She has two radiation treatments left this week. She has developed a sore throat from radiation and her hair has started falling out at the top of her neck. Unfortunately this hair loss will be permanent so pray it is minimal.

Beyond the radiation, ooph removal, bone treatments and cyber knife, the oncologist says there is a chance she will still have to do chemo again. Metisha told him, “No, I just got my ponytail back!” Metisha loves her ponytail so pray she doesn’t have to go through chemo again.

I know a lot of you want to do something for Metisha. Prayer is the most important thing she needs right now. But if you are a woman, there is something else you can do. Honor Metisha and her battle and the battle of too many other women by doing monthly self exams and getting your annual mammograms. Early detection is so important and so easy to do and you are NEVER too young to start! Yes ladies, I know the mammo isn’t exactly a treat, but where else can you walk around bra-less wearing a super pink boob cape and flaunt the girls with such confidence! I had my mammo last week, when was the last time you had yours?

Keep Metisha in your prayers. Pray that:
· She will not get sick again from the bone treatments
· She will not have to have chemo again
· The ooph removal can be scheduled quickly and will be an easy surgery for Metisha
· The liver spot can be treated with the cyber knife
· She doesn’t have too much more hair loss from the radiation
· This is the last time the cancer comes back
· She will live to be a wrinkly old woman, cancer free

Raced for the Cure

Almost 40 Welsh Warriors hit the pavement in downtown Fort Worth on Saturday to Race for the Cure! We started off with some critical warm ups and stretching in the parking garage and then gathered for a team picture. We then went after the free loot to get our pink capes, guacamole (it was only 7:30 am), sprout sandwich and pink pom-poms (just to name a few). Most of us displayed some self control, but others packed 5 pounds of freebies around for the entire race. At that point we were fueled up and ready to race! As always the race started out with an intense snail’s pace for about four blocks before escalating to a stainable turtle crawl for the remainder of the race. We completed the3K race in a very impressive 1 hour and 19 minutes and I am happy to report no Welsh Warriors suffered from any common racing issues like leg cramps, muscle pulls or dehydration! After the race we all went to the Ol’ South Pancake House to refuel. We had a great day at the Race for the Cure!

I wish you could see the seas of people walking the streets together in support of breast cancer awareness and finding a cure. During the walk, all we could see ahead of us and behind of us were people racing for a cure. It’s a very neat experience and the Welsh Warriors raised $1,830 for the Cure! I want to say a special thank you to Metisha’s former co-worker Dana Knight for organizing the team. And thank you to all of the co-workers and friends who walked beside Metisha on Saturday. For Tisha’s family, it’s hard not being with her every day through this battle so it was awesome for us to see all of the support and love Mark and Tisha have in Fort Worth! And thanks to Ol’ South Pancake House for your hospitality!

The final results are in and Mark and Metisha tied for first place with $350! Thank you so much to everyone who supported a Welsh Warrior with a donation! And even though I didn’t win, I will keep blogging :)

Metisha will continue daily radiation treatments this week. Radiation is going very well and takes about 30 minutes each treatment. We won’t know how effective the radiation is until about three months after the treatments are done. The doctors are still working on a plan for the cancer spots in her liver. We are anxious to go after those cancer spots as soon as possible.

Continue to pray with us. Pray that the radiation will kill 100% of the tumor on her vertebrate. Pray for wisdom for the doctors and Metisha as they identify a treatment for the liver spots. Pray that this will be the last time Metisha has to battle cancer and that she will live to be a wrinkly, old, cancer free lady. And know that every day we pray and thank God for all of you!

- Little Sister Regan

It is a Good Friday

Metisha had her first radiation treatment on her C2 vertebrate yesterday afternoon. Everything went great and the only side affect she experienced was a raw spot on her nose where her radiation mask rubs. She will have another treatment this afternoon but will have the weekend off.

Metisha is doing so well and taking this all in stride! She went back to school yesterday and is excited for the Race for the Cure on Saturday. Her positive attitude always amazes me!

Her oncologist is working on a plan to treat the two tumors on her liver. Pray for wisdom that the best treatment can be found and can be done quickly.

For us, this truly is a Good Friday! We are so thankful for all of you and the constant love and support you give us!

A Super Hero with an Angelina Jolie Mask?

Metisha met with her radiologist. Dr. Shide was very positive and wants to do 14 rounds of radiation on the tumor in her neck. She says most people with this type of tumor respond well to radiation therapy and so we are hopeful for good results! The treatments will begin tomorrow, and she will have a treatment every day, Monday through Friday, for 14 treatments. She said the possible side effects are a sore throat and maybe some permanent hair loss at the bottom of Metisha’s hairline.

Metisha has never seen Dr. Shide before but they really liked her. We have been researching a new cyberknife treatment at a hospital in Tulsa for both the tumor in her neck and her liver. Metisha talked to Dr. Shide about the cyberknife and she didn’t think it was the right approach for the neck, but thinks it might be a good treatment for the liver spots. We are very happy that Dr. Shide was open and responsive to the possibility of the cyberknife and was listening to Metisha’s ideas for treatments. That’s a sign of a good doctor!

As usual, Metisha is laughing and upbeat. To do the radiation they have to make a mask of her face and neck. So they had her strapped down to a table and were putting this mesh soaked in hot water over her face to make the mask when Metisha asked a typical Tisha question: “Can you draw some makeup on my mask and give me long eyelashes and Angelina Jolie lips?” The tech said yes so our cancer super hero will now have a super hero mask with Angelina Jolie lips!

After radiation treatments Thursday and Friday, Saturday will be a big day for us. It’s the Race for the Cure in Fort Worth and there is a team of Welsh Warriors ready to hit the pavement! You can support your favorite Warrior here or click on the links on the right side of this blog. If you’ve felt especially blessed by the creative, moving, inspirational writings on this blog, you can support me by clicking here. Yeah, that was shameless but I’m losing the competition and losing is NO fun in our family!

Metisha and her family cannot even begin to express what your prayers, emails, blog comments, Facebook notes and post and phone calls have done for us over the past week. We wish we could thank each one of you individually and in person! Please know you have changed our lives. You’ve given us strength, courage, hope, faith, love, endurance; all the tools Metisha needs to beat cancer and the tools her family needs to support her through this journey. We just cannot thank you enough and we know you will keep praying with us!

- Little Sister Regan

No Surgery

Metisha got out of her MRI and the tumor on her vertebrate is smaller than they thought and on the outside of the bone so the doctors are not concerned about an immediate threat of paralysis. Praise God! So there is not urgent surgery and they doctors want to target the tumor with radiation. Tisha has an appointment at 7:30 am tomorrow with the radiologist.

Praise God for the continuing good news we have received throughout the day. Pray for wisdom. We have been researching other treatments today and need guidance and wisdom on what to pursue and how to work with the doctors. Praise God for Tisha’s oncologist and his staff who have taken such amazing care of her!

Buckle in for the Ride

Metisha’s left her oncologist office and is on her way to Arlington to have another scan of neck. The PET scan shows the cancer is in her C2 vertebrate and there are two spots on her liver but the cancer is not anywhere else. After this morning, we are taking that as good news! Now we are waiting on this afternoon’s scan and the results to come back from that scan. If the scan shows the risk of paralysis is too high, they will do surgery ASAP. If the risk is lower, they will start radiation on her vertebrate this week. At this point the spots in her liver are secondary to the vertebrate and all focus will be on the vertebrate.

Please know how much your prayers mean to us and how much the truly uphold us. This is terrifying, but we will peace and energy from your prayers. And Metisha’s spirits are good. She even called me to tell me a joke!

Keep praying and I will update you as soon as more information is available.

Not Good

The initial results of the PET scan are not good. The cancer is in Metisha’s neck and vertebrate which has put Metisha at an extremely high risk of paralysis. They have not read the scan beyond this point so we don’t know if the cancer is anywhere else. She is meeting with her oncologist today at 1:30 to discuss the next steps and had another scan after that at 3:30 pm.

Metisha has peace around this news but does not want to be paralyzed. We even had some laughter when we talked.

Metisha’s immediate prayer request is that she will not become paralyzed. Please begin praying for this immediately. Pray for wisdom for the doctors. Pray that a treatment and a cure will be found quickly. Pray for safety for Metisha’s parents (Danny and Barbara) as they drive to Fort Worth to be with Metisha.

I will keep you updated throughout the day as news becomes available. Please, please, please just keep praying.

No Test Results Yet

Tisha had her PET scan today at 2 pm. We don't have any results yet but keep praying! Metisha is doing great and is ready to fight this cancer!

We can’t even begin to express how much your concerns, support, love and prayers mean to us. We are so uplifted by you daily!

Keep praying and keep believing for a miracle!

The Words I Don’t Want to Type

The cancer is back. I wish this was an April Fool’s joke, but it isn’t. Tisha had a routine abdomen scan and the results came back today. There are multiple suspicious spots on her liver and her cancer markers are up. She has a PET scan Monday at 2 pm to confirm the spots on her liver and to determine if there is cancer anywhere else in her body. The doctors will make the game plan after the results of the PET scan are back.

We are no doubt devastated and heartbroken tonight. We love Metisha so much. But we are also looking to hope. In God we always have hope and that is what we cling to tonight. Throughout Metisha’s cancer battle mom and I have each had our own signs of Metisha’s healing. Mom’s sign is a red cardinal. This afternoon as I sat on my balcony crying to God for answers I looked at the trees in spring bloom and there sat a red cardinal. Mom and Dad left for their nightly walk at the farm and Mom prayed on the drive out that God would give her a positive sign. As soon as they began their walk they saw not one but four red cardinals!

So in our despair, we already see God answering prayers. So join Metisha in prayer. Pray for healing. Pray for a miracle of complete and total healing before the PET scan on Monday. Pray not just that Metisha would be healed, but that she will live to be a wrinkly old lady and not experience cancer another a day of her life. Pray for strong faith and hope. Pray for peace. Pray for Mark (Tisha’s husband), Danny and Barbara (Tisha’s parents), Regan and Jeremy (Tisha’s sister and brother –in-law), Lyle and Ann (Mark’s parents) and Kaley (Mark’s sister).

From Lamentations Chapter 3:
I'll never forget the trouble, the utter lostness,
the taste of ashes, the poison I've swallowed.
I remember it all—oh, how well I remember—
the feeling of hitting the bottom.
But there's one other thing I remember,
and remembering, I keep a grip on hope:

God's loyal love couldn't have run out,
his merciful love couldn't have dried up.
They're created new every morning.
How great your faithfulness!
I'm sticking with God (I say it over and over).
He's all I've got left.

God proves to be good to the man who passionately waits,
to the woman who diligently seeks.
It's a good thing to quietly hope,
quietly hope for help from God.It's a good thing when you're young
to stick it out through the hard times.

When life is heavy and hard to take,
go off by yourself. Enter the silence.
Bow in prayer. Don't ask questions:
Wait for hope to appear.
Don't run from trouble. Take it full-face.
The "worst" is never the worst.

Why? Because the Master won't ever
walk out and fail to return.
If he works severely, he also works tenderly.
His stockpiles of loyal love are immense.

-Little Sister Regan