Wednesday, December 3, 2008

Our Amazing God

Some of you may have noticed the prayer request we had listed for Ben's brother on the right column of our blog. I have been meaning to blog about this to fill everyone in once we got all the details. Below are a couple of emails from my me and my husband. The first one went out the day we got the bad news and the last one one went out today....they pretty much sum up the roller coaster we have been on the past week. Thank you so much for all your prayers!

Prayer request!!
11/24/08 at 3:28pm from Ben

I wanted to let you all know about a situation with my family. I found out on Friday that there is a chance that my brother, Steve, may have cancer. Steve has had a lump above his hip for some time. His family doctor has known about it and was not concerned. But recently his legs started falling asleep for no reason, so he went to see an orthopedist. The orthopedist was extremely concerned about the lump and rushed him into an oncologist. They are doing a procedure Tuesday (tomorrow - 11/25/08) to find out if it is cancer. The concern is very high and radiation and chemo are already being discussed. PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE be in prayer about this. We have been praying for Steve for several months as well, because he and my sister-in-law Anna are also in the process of adopting a little girl from Ethiopia. I know that God has huge plans for Steve and his family. Thanks in advance for all your prayers!!

Update on Steve
sent yesterday by Me

I wasn’t sure if my text came through to all of you or not. I wanted to let you all know we found out Wednesday that Steve does have cancer. He has a sarcoma in his lower abdomen that is the size of a soft ball. More than likely he will be traveling to MD Anderson in Houston for treatment. They specialize in this type of cancer. Thank you all for continuing to pray for our family. We know there is a rough road ahead but we are prepared to let God carry us through it.


Hey everyone,

First off, I need to say thank you to everyone who has been praying for my brother Steve. You can never know how much your prayers & concerns for him and the rest of our family has meant to us. And to see that our prayers have now been answered, now gives us even more cause to rejoice!!

My brother had an appointment this morning with his oncologist to go over the treatment plan, and course of options for the cancer they discovered last week. Steve said that he and Anna were in the doctors's office waiting when he came in with a giant smile on his face. The doctor told them that it was very rare that he got the opportunity to tell anyone in their position any type of good news, but that that was all he had for them. He told them that after a detailed diagnosis the mass they discovered is NOT CANCER!! The mass is instead a benign tumor that is attached to a nerve, known as a Schwannoma. And that while it will still require surgery to remove, there is no cancerous growth associated with it. They have told him that the tumor and its removal will likely mean that the minor pain he has been having in his left leg associated with the nerve damage may become a permanent issue, but that it is not in any way life-threatening.

This is such an answer to our prayers that I personally do not know how to respond, but to again say Thank You. We serve an awesome & powerful God, who cares for us & listens to us. I know that your prayers for Steve and God's unending love for us is what caused this. We prayed for a miracle & that is what God has given us. The doctor told Steve that the preliminary diagnosis they received is correct approximately 98% of the time. And that the cancer they thought this was, even with treatment, would likely have given him only 2 years to live. Today I am thankful that our God doesn't care about percents or possibilities, for IN HIM, ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE. As you continue to pray, offer up Thanks from us.

GRIZ

4 comments:

Sylvia Grace said...

Amazing news- and very inspirational! We truly serve and AWESOME God- our Savior, Redeemer, Rock, Strenght, and HEALER!
Praise that wonderful name of JESUS!
I will definitely keep your and your family in my prayers!

Emily said...

Jamie, This is such great news!!!! John and I will continue to keep your family in our prayers!

Jessa Mullen said...

When I heard about this, it just blew me away.. You have it correct.. you nailed it.. Our God is an AWESOME GOD !!! Knowing how God answered your prayers and gave you a miracle gives me hope !!!!

McKinney Madness said...

God is so good! I wish you guys all the best, as I know you have so much to be thankful for this holiday season!!