Wednesday, May 31, 2006

We arrived safely in Tulsa, OK.

The facilities here are new and beautiful. Their facilities before were on the Oral Roberts University campus. By the time they got this facility built and moved in, they had already outgrown it. So, they are currently adding on to it. The atmosphere here is so unlike any medical facility. The employees are so nice, and we have met many Christians. The ambience is filled with a peace that I can't explain; we just feel God's presence here. There is a grand piano in the lobby area and during the day someone will play hymns that calm, refresh and renew. The employees here are so very nice and helpful, all the way from housekeeping and cafeteria to the nurses and specialists. You can tell that they enjoy working here.

When we first found out about Rex' cancer, there were a few people that had asked us if we had checked into the Cancer Treatment Center, and I had looked at their website in the beginning. When I looked at it, I didn't see anything that looked any different from what we were getting in Hickory. So, my response was just that to those who asked - they don't do anything different than what we were already getting in Hickory. I didn't think about it further. Then, when we decided it was time to look for another doctor besides the one in Hickory, I started looking at Sloan-Kettering and MD Anderson. During this time, Erin had seen the Cancer Treatment Center commercial on TV and wrote down the 800 number. She went to Rex and told her daddy that she had seen that on TV and that he needed to call them because they could help her daddy. See, I didn't go back to their site because I had already looked at it thoroughly, or so I thought. But, when Erin brought that info to Rex, he called that number and talked with them. He was really impressed, so he started checking them out. One thing led to another, and here we are.

Yesterday (Tuesday), Rex met with the medical oncologist and got his orders for the week. He had a bone scan and an MRI.

Today (Wednesday), Rex is scheduled for another PET and CT scan. We will also be meeting with the nutritionist and naturophathic doctor.

Thursday, Rex has an EGD (this is the scope like the one that first found his mass). We will also meet with a PNI (psychoneuroimmunology) specialist, who helps you learn how to emotionally cope with the illness so that you don't inhibit your immune system. In other words, there is a relationship between behavior and health, so both need to be addressed in order to treat the whole body. We are not sure about this meeting since we don't know where it is heading spiritually. They want all of their new patients to meet with all of the areas on their first visit and then subsequent visits can be tailored to your wants or needs.

Friday, we meet back with oncologist and find out the results of all the tests and he makes his recommendation for Rex. We are scheduled to fly back Friday afternoon/evening. If Rex stays for any treatment, then I will fly back by myself and leave him here. If treatment is not started, then we will both fly home Friday.

The cafeteria is amazing. It is stocked full of organic and whole foods. For example, they serve no pork at all since they know that it is the most acidifying meat(which enables cancer to grow). The sweetener packets available are raw sugar and stevia. On top of that, the prices are extremely reasonable.

The first nurse we met was really great. She had this awkwardness with us when she first started talking to us; she was trying to figure out a way to confront our spiritual condition. Once she learned that we were Christians, she opened right up and just sat there and encouraged us in our faith and encouraged us to stay in the Word all the time. Rex has read some of the history of how Cancer Treatment Center started, and he asked this lady if the guy who began this center was a believer. She said that indeed he was, and that many of the workers here are Christians.

Then, the next nurse we saw was the medical oncologist's nurse; he walked in and the first words out of his mouth was, "Hello Christians." He had talked to our previous nurse. This nurse (Chuck) also talked about the numerous Christians that worked here. He also forewarned us that this particular oncologist we were meeting was not a Christian, and that we needed to remember that he is a chemo doc. That helped prepare us. Rex was really discouraged yesterday after we met with the oncologist. Keep in mind that oncologists are chemo people, so when this oncologist learned that Rex had not done any chemo since February, he was perplexed and questioning. He reminded Rex of the aggressiveness of the cancer Rex has and that he didn't need to delay treatment. What this oncologist doesn't know is that we serve a big God and that we were proceeding in the direction that we believed He guided us, which was strong nutritional therapy.

The scans also take us back to the reality of his illness. There has almost been somewhat of a bliss in not knowing where his cancer stands. In the past six weeks as each week passed, Rex' body got stronger and stronger and physically, all evidence of cancer was gone. He was feeling better and better as he filled his body with natural, whole foods and with necessary vitamins and minerals that nourish the body. We are experiencing some fear as we face the anticipation of what these scans will reveal. Prior to this week, Rex had not had a bone scan or MRI. When we last met with the surgeon in Hickory, he had encouraged us then to get a full body bone and brain scan to see if cancer had gone to his brain. All of the other scans that had been done focused on just the abdominal area of his body. Rex has not seen the oncologist in Hickory since that time, so no other efforts had been made toward testing or treating him conventionally. The last few times that Rex has been to see the oncologist, he had sent his assistant in to deal with us and would not come in to meet with us; we believed that God was guiding us in a different direction, so he quit going to him.

We have met many new people. Yesterday, Rex was particularly upset after meeting with the oncologist and feeling discouraged. We were in the cafeteria, and Rex couldn't help his tears from flowing. It wasn't real obvious unless you looked directly at him, plus our backs were to most of the cafeteria tables. Just then, a couple came to our table and just put their hands on us and prayed for us and encouraged us. Then, another lady came by and also encouraged us. Everyone who is here is someone with cancer or with someone who has cancer, so there is a comradery, but it's not of gloom and doom. It's actually very uplifting and optimistic.

In particular, we have met a young couple(they look to be in their low 20's) who have come here this week just like us. The husband (Joshua) started with cancer in his muscles between his ribs; it metastasized to his right lung. He had that lung removed; now it is in his left lung. We have spent significant time talking with them about treatment and research, conventional and alternative. They have a 16 month old girl here with them. Cancer Treatment Center does not allow children under 18 to stay here on campus, so this family is having to stay at a nearby hotel while they are in town. I had an opportunity this morning to ask the wife (Kristen) how they are sustained during the dark hours, and she said that it was her faith in the Lord that sustained them. I didn't get to talk to her long this morning because her 16 month old (her name is Patience) has some respiratory junk going on and she ended up coughing up plegm all over Kristen's shirt, so she had to go back to their hotel to change. Please pray for them. They are from Cleveland, OH and their families live in MI and PA, so they don't have family close by to help them through this. I have so much compassion for them.

Continue to pray for us here. Pray for Rex as we face the results of the tests. Whatever they may be we want to do what God wants us to do; pray that we will continue to trust Him for Rex' health and not be swayed or coerced in a treatment direction because of doubt or fear.

Please continue to pray for the girls. Erin has called us many times and text messaged us many times saying that she misses us. Amber and Lindsey seem to be doing better than Erin. Lindsey does keep asking when we are coming home, so I know that she is missing us too.

Psalm 30:1-12
1 I will exalt you, O Lord, for you lifted me out of the depths and did not let my enemies gloat over me. 2 O Lord my God, I called to you for help and you healed me. 3 O Lord, you brought me up from the grave; you spared me from going down into the pit. 4 Sing to the Lord, you saints of his; praise his holy name. 5 For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime; weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning. 6 When I felt secure, I said, "I will never be shaken." 7 O Lord, when you favored me, you made my mountain stand firm; but when you hid your face, I was dismayed. 8 To you, O Lord, I called; to the Lord I cried for mercy: 9 "What gain is there in my destruction, in my going down into the pit? Will the dust praise you? Will it proclaim your faithfulness? 10 Hear, O Lord, and be merciful to me; O Lord, be my help." 11 You turned my wailing into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy, 12 that my heart may sing to you and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give you thanks forever.

O Lord you're beautiful. Your face is all I see. And when your eyes are on this child, your grace abounds to me.

2 Samuel 2: 21-34

21 "The Lord rewarded me according to my righteousness; According to the cleanness of my hands He has recompensed me. 22 For I have kept the ways of the Lord, And have not wickedly departed from my God. 23 For all His judgments were before me; And as for His statutes, I did not depart from them. 24 I was also blameless before Him, And I kept myself from my iniquity. 25 Therefore the Lord has recompensed me according to my righteousness, According to my cleanness in His eyes. 26 "With the merciful You will show Yourself merciful; With a blameless man You will show Yourself blameless; 27 With the pure You will show Yourself pure; And with the devious You will show Yourself shrewd. 28 You will save the humble people; But Your eyes are on the haughty, that You may bring them down. 29 "For You are my lamp, O Lord; The Lord shall enlighten my darkness. 30 For by You I can run against a troop; By my God I can leap over a wall. 31 As for God, His way is perfect; The word of the Lord is proven; He is a shield to all who trust in Him. 32 "For who is God, except the Lord? And who is a rock, except our God? 33 God is my strength and power,And He makes my way perfect. 34 He makes my feet like the feet of deer, And sets me on my high places.

God's way is perfect! Do you believe that? Do your actions confirm it? Do your thoughts dwell in His safety? Are your words submitted and controlled by Him?

Donna Meadows

Monday, May 29, 2006

It has been a while since I have sent an update. There is nothing like waiting until the last minute to do this.

The last three weeks have been fairly normal weeks. Rex continues to change his diet to a very strong raw fruits and vegetables diet versus the meat, potatoes, bread, and sugar-filled diet. Also, he has been juicing, drinking green drinks, drinking essiac tea, taking several supplements, and has started eating a cottage cheese/flax oil mixture daily (you can research this under the "Budwig diet" - a very interesting study); he has also started taking a parasite cleanse.
With the introduction of the cottage cheese/flax oil combination, he has experienced a tremendous increase in stamina and strength. So much so, that he craves this just because of how good it makes him feel.

I also, have been drinking essiac tea, eating cottage cheese/flax oil, taking cod liver oil daily, and doing the parasite cleanse, as well as, eating a much greater percentage of raw fruits and vegetables. It has definitely made a difference in how I feel.

Today (May 29th), we are leaving to spend a week in Tulsa, OK at the Cancer Treatment Center of America. We will be there until Friday, June 2nd. A few weeks ago, Rex felt led to call them and talk to their cancer specialists. We had been researching Sloan-Kettering and MD Anderson during this time, and Rex really was drawn to the Cancer Treatment Center. While Sloan-Kettering and MD Anderson have integrative treatment for cancer, it seems to be a bystander. Cancer Treatment Center has a much stronger integrative/nutritional therapy program for their cancer patients. They place a great deal of emphasis on organic and natural foods even in their cafeteria foods. They offer their patients a whole approach to treating cancer - i.e. treating the physical, emotional, spiritural, and mental health. We were impressed with them through the several conversations that Rex had with them. Also, we have gleaned a lot of information from the book, Cancer with Nutrition which was written by a man that was the Director of Nutrition for Cancer Treatment Center for many years. One thing led to another and arrangements were made to go.

What do we expect when we get out there? We really don't know. We could go out there and learn a lot, and God could lead us to pursue further treatment with them. We could go out there and come back with nothing more than we went there with. One thing is for sure, we will not ever have to wonder "what if we had at least checked it out" because we did check it out. We could go out there simply for a divine appointment. We could go and find out that they can't find any cancer in Rex if God chooses to bless us that way. Any number of things could be why God has directed us to Tulsa.

I ask that you pray that we will not miss any opportunities that await us there. I ask you to pray that will be obedient in whatever God tells us. I ask you to pray that it would be God's will that we learn that Rex has no more cancer in his body. I ask you to pray that we grow closer to Jesus this week, that we see God in a way we have never known before. I ask you to pray for our safety coming and going.

I ask you to pray for our kids, Erin, Amber, and Lindsey as they will be staying here while we travel. I ask you to pray for their safety while we are gone. I ask you to pray for my dad and stepmom (Stan and Judy Smith), Mark and Kelly Senter, and Mike and Tonya Fulbright as they care for our little ones while we are gone. I ask you to pray for God to bless each of them as they have so been so gracious and willing to help us with our kids this week.

Each of us have experienced different times in our lives. Read Ecclesiastes 3:1-10. Whatever season you are experiencing right now, will you surrender it to God and seek His purpose in your life for that season right now.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-10
1 To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven: 2 A time to be born, And a time to die; A time to plant, And a time to pluck what is planted; 3 A time to kill, And a time to heal; A time to break down, And a time to build up; 4 A time to weep, And a time to laugh; A time to mourn, And a time to dance; 5 A time to cast away stones, And a time to gather stones; A time to embrace, And a time to refrain from embracing; 6 A time to gain, And a time to lose; A time to keep, And a time to throw away; 7 A time to tear, And a time to sew; A time to keep silence, And a time to speak; 8 A time to love, And a time to hate; A time of war, And a time of peace. 9 What profit has the worker from that in which he labors? 10 I have seen the God-given task with which the sons of men are to be occupied.

God's will be done.

Have a blessed day,

Donna Meadows

Saturday, May 6, 2006

January and February and early March we were very busy going to doctor appointments and with Rex undergoing treatments. Then, March and April was a waiting game until we found out the results of the treatment done so far. What started out as an aggressive plan suddenly stopped after the results of the PET scan were given to us. We've been left to pursue more or other treatment on our own. To fill the gap, Rex has been pursuing nutritional therapy. He overall feels good, but has some days after he has done some heavy nutritional therapy where he doesn't feel very well.

These last few weeks have been very emotional for us as we have experienced a wide range of emotions that we hadn't dealt with before because we were too busy to think about it. While we knew Rex' condition was very serious, there was still a certain amount of surrealness to it while we were so busy with treatments. All of a sudden, the surrealness dissipated and it became very real to us. Sadness and doubt engulfed us. The more research we did, the more real it became. Esophageal cancer is in the same ballpark as pancreatic and liver cancer in that it is very difficult to treat with little room for recovery, especially at stage IV.

This past Sunday was no exception to feeling some despair and defeat. During the morning worship service, Rex felt led to go the prayer chapel and pray. He decided to read some Psalms to try to lift some of his despair. Since it was the 30th of the month, Rex decided to start with Psalms 30, and it was such a blessing to him and later to me as he shared it with me. The Lord met Rex' need that morning. We know that God is in control; we know that He is faithful to us. Our faith has not wavered, but we have faced the grief of this disease. I want to share Psalm 30 with you:

1 I will exalt you, O Lord, for you lifted me out of the depths and did not let my enemies gloat over me. 2 O Lord my God, I called to you for help and you healed me. 3 O Lord, you brought me up from the grave; you spared me from going down into the pit. 4 Sing to the Lord, you saints of his; praise his holy name. 5 For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime; weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning. 6 When I felt secure, I said, "I will never be shaken." 7 O Lord, when you favored me, you made my mountain stand firm; but when you hid your face, I was dismayed. 8 To you, O Lord, I called; to the Lord I cried for mercy: 9 "What gain is there in my destruction, in my going down into the pit? Will the dust praise you? Will it proclaim your faithfulness? 10 Hear, O Lord, and be merciful to me; O Lord, be my help." 11 You turned my wailing into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy, 12 that my heart may sing to you and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give you thanks forever.

Every time I read this passage, I am brought to tears; it is such a powerful passage and has ministered to Rex and I tremendously.

This week in the process of all our research, Rex has been able to talk to three individuals that had been diagnosed with stage III and stage IV esophageal cancer that are now in remission or cancer free. He's talked to individuals in Indiana, California, and Georgia. It has really lifted Rex up and encouraged him in the midst of his own battle.

We have heard back from surgeons at Baptist, Duke and Chicago who have all said that they would not do surgery on Rex. This somewhat discourages Rex, but I just believe that God is protecting Rex.

Continue to pray for us as we embark on new roads to recovery. We are currently talking with Cancer Treatment Centers of America and looking into Sloan Kettering, as well.

Pray for us as we change our diets, eliminating processed foods, white flour, drastically reducing sugars and turning to organic foods. Rex and I both feel that God is calling us to be more responsible with the foods that we put into our bodies. We are just disappointed in ourselves that it took cancer for us to come to a point of submission and seriousness with it.

Pray for God to guide us, and direct us to the doctors we need and the treatment that Rex' body needs.

God bless,

Donna Meadows

Thursday, April 27, 2006

Could you please lift up an extra prayer today for Rex. He is not feeling well, and with his current state of health it also affects him emotionally and mentally. Pray that God will guide us and direct us to every single form of treatment his body needs to cure this stuff. Pray that we will be sensitive and obedient to what God tells us.

We have been reading The Maker's Diet, and we are interested in doing his 40 day diet in that book. If any of you are interested in doing that with us, we would love for it to be a group effort. If you are not familiar with the book, I encourage you to get it and read it. It is drastically different from the typical American diet. Deciding to do this is not easy, but I believe that it is worth the effort. It is not convenient, and it is not cheap. If you think that you would be interested in doing this with us, let me know. We will probably be starting on it in the next few weeks.

Donna Meadows