A Time for Everything

"There is a time for everything and a season for every activity under heaven." Ecc 3

Anita enjoyed reflecting on this passage from the Boxing Day sermon as she visited a local church. It was so good to know the sovereignty of God and to trust HE has made everything beautiful in its time.

Knowing there is a time for everything, the Chan's household had made use of the unpredictable change in Reg's body to make the best of their Christmas. They praised God for the miraculous turnaround when Reg managed to take food in without feeling sick. So when he felt better, they took the opportunity to go outdoor for fresh air and had fun in the nearby park.

There is a time for everything, Reg got tired very soon! They went home for lunch. Reg made a request to have hamburger for lunch. With the fear that Reg would get turned off by the food once it is cooked, Anita did her best to grant his wish. Thankfully, Reg ate it and liked it and so did Jed.

The short trip to the park was enough for Reg to take 2 hours nap in the afternoon, while Anita played with Jed and prepared the Christmas dinner at the same time.

Even both Reg and Jed had limited food range, Anita managed to cook and serve variety of food in time for the arrival of Reg's mum and sisters. Reg got excited because his turkey was a success and he even managed to eat some. Unfortunately, both Reg and Jed missed out on the lobster dish. Yet Jed could not get his eyes off his contribution (the Christmas cookies) and he even took a picture to proof this was his favorite! (YES! Jed took that piture)

We did enjoy a nice Christmas meal with family and we were so glad to see Reg eating again. His temperature did rise to 37.7 at night, but we thank God that it did not go up to 38.

The next couple of days will be when Reg's immunity reach the lowest point, and we really pray nothing happens. However, we rejoice the time we had in these two days. And we look forward for 2010 to pass and with new hope, we await for the new year to come.

May everyone has a blessed New Year!

Ravens

This is one of the strangest christmas eve in the Chan's household. Ravens have been coming to our home. No, not the scary "omen" black bird. Rather, the kind that brought food by the grace of God. (1 Kings 17:1-7)

Reg did not sleep well all night, as he had been having diarrhoea up til morning. Anita rang the nurse from hospital and got more drugs for Reg to stop the diarrhoea. On her way to the chemist, Anita could not help but became a satirist: "If you are sick, here is a drug that will make you well. Side effect, never mind, here is another drug. More side effect, don't worry, here is another one for it. Another side effect, this works wonder! " What can she do but be thankful that the drug did work wonder and Reg had no more diarrhoea.

Anita was totally defeated and exhausted all morning not just by the drug thing, but also with everyone had breakfast at different time, different food or no food, then came morning tea and/or brunch all confused. However, Reg saw a raven and Anita went to check out. The raven dropped them a box of fruit. They were so overjoyed, for Anita was too scared to step into the supermarket even it was on her way to pick up drugs for Reg. Soon after lunch, two more ravens came to drop food for Reg, and by evening, they received more fruit and veg. These ravens certainly reflect the grace of God to the Chan's household, especially to the rather flattened and frustrated wife in the house. God is good even in the midst of exhaustion.

We tried our best to keep this Christmas memorable. So we were risking Reg to see christmas lighting last night. Jed loved it but dropped dead as soon as we got back into the car. Today, Anita and Jed made Christmas cookies. Jed had lots of fun, and enjoyed the fruit of his labour. Anita will give an attempt of a christmas dinner with Reg's family on Christmas day. As for Reg, we're still working on somewhere quiet and close by to go to, so he can get out of the house a bit and enjoy some fresh air. Reg is definitely feeling more tired each day and we know his immunity is getting lower each day as well. So we keep praying that God will sustain Reg in this critical time but we praise God that we can still rejoice our Saviour's humble birth in a quiet manner like the very first Christmas.

The First Milestone

After the long and tiring process of tests, we're so relieved that we have finally reach the first milestone -- the 1st dose chemo therapy.

We dropped off Jed at a friend's place 8am in the morning. As much as Jed missed us, he was brave to be separated with us three days in a row. We're just thankful that Jed has always been an early riser, so never a problem to get him out of the house by 8am.

How much we thank God that the traffic to the hospital was such a smooth ride compare to last week, what a relieve!

Reg loves looking at the entire chemo therapy as a "detox" program. He is so happy that no weight loss program can be as successful as this. One of his workmate even wrote on his best wish card that "what someone would do to get out of work!" Humour is a great medicine on its own, and it is such a joy to know Reg is more ready than ever.

Anita on the other hand was bombarded with information overload. She had been visited by social worker and dietitian and oncology nurse to explain and they have given her information about the journey to the lymphoma treatment. No matter how overwhelmed the information may be, she has been chewing them all and doing her best to understand what and how to act next.

It was amazing that the social worker has even manage to get Reg to apply for temporary disable parking pass from the doctor; the dietian gave a simple instruction that Reg is to eat like a pregnant woman (That's not bad); the nurse gave Anita just less than 10pages of info how to deal with the reality of the effect of the cocktail of drugs and its side effects on a patient. What to do in emergency etc. So while Reg has been relaxed letting the chemo drugs dripping into his body, Anita was running around to buy more drugs and diligently working out when to take each drug pre and post chemo and has to work out a simple system for a husband who is happy going and take any drug that is given without a question.

After 5hours hospital stay, Reg requested to drive home and with the affirmation from the chemo nurse, Reg was overjoyed! Anita was anxious throughout the entire trip but they returned home safely and picked up Jed.

In the shortest possible time, Anita made different dinner for Reg and Jed according to their needs. Resting from the exhausted day, we thought at least the chemo wasn't too bad but just as Anita bathing Jed, the uncontrollable thing happened. Thankfully, Jed was playing happily in the bathtub, Anita managd to clean up the entire corridor, while Reg gathered himself. The reality that the drugs are in REg's body is undeniable. We just keep praying that our God will be merciful and the side effect of the drug will not wear out Reg's body. We continue to ask our mighty God to give strength to Anita as she busy around the house.

Both Anita and Reg are resting today and preparing for Reg's sister coming from overseas. Jed felt so happy that for the first time he didn't have to go anywhere. And they all thank God for a day of rest!

The Wait is Over

Today began very early when Reg went to the dentist to get his teeth cleaned before the start of chemo. We really thank God his teeth are in good form. Then we had a visit of a friend who are currently undergoing chemo. Both Reg and I found it helpful to hear people who has been there. Then rushing Jed to a friend, we went to the hospital with mixed feelings.

The wait is truly over, we have been given a definitive stage IIB diagnosis (Praise God) and was told the PET scan gave a false positive reading. Both Reg and Anita were thankful and relieved. Anita has been reading up all the chemo drugs for Stage III and was thrilled when we were told Reg will now undergo a relatively easier chemo, but he will need to do radiotherapy after chemo.

Chemo treatment will start early tomorrow morning. We don't know how Reg body will react, but we ask for God's mercy that he will not have too many bad side effects; and that Anita will be wise & strong enough to take good care of her husband during this delicate time. Pray that Jed will be settled with his friend as we need to drop him off as early as 8am.

Pray for a good night sleep to prepare for the first time chemo!

Jehovah Jireh

God provides! Tueday & Wednesday child minding for Jed has been found. Praise God.

Even it is so close to Christmas and everyone is busy with activities for their kids and shopping and holidays, we're just thankful that people are still willing to help.

Reg wanted to go out today to somewhere nice, quiet, but fun for Jed. It took a whole morning to work out if such place exists in Christmas holiday time. Thank goodness Eden Garden came to mind. We had a lovely time and we had the whole garden to ourselves. It was a huge garden! Reg had a great time taking photos, while Jed was running around, excited to see fish in the lily pond. This will be a good place for him to hang around during his treatment. We just hope we can continue to think of good spots for him to relax, enjoy fresh air without the crowd over this holiday time once treatment started. We welcome any idea.

Reg has been trying to do things that he loves before chemo begins. So he decided to cook up a turkey for church group gathering tomorrow. Really looking forward to it.

Good & Bad & the unknown

This year Jed has taught me to sing a song from pre-school called "Good or Bad". It says: Good or bad, happy or sad, I know that God is there! And indeed, it has encouraged me to face good & bad times, with the assurance that my God is there! So today, we trust whatever the result is, we know God is there for us. So is the result good or bad???

Well, the good side is it is one of a better type cancer with very good prognosis under chemo treatment known as Hodgkins lymphoma. The bad side is the chemo will be much tougher. So we praise God that at least it is a more curable cancer. We do ask God for mercy in the course of chemo, both in terms of the short and long term side effects.

It took a while for the doctor to confirm the type of lymphoma, likewise, we're still in the unknown in terms of the stage of his cancer due to some uncertainty in the result of the PET Scan. Reg went for another scan today and hopefully by next Tuesday, we'll have the result, and begins treatment on Wed. The determination of the stage of his cancer will affect the course of chemo, so once again, we ask for people to pray for clarity & precision in the diagnosis.

We have been informed the drug used for treatment will have a huge impact to the heart & lungs, so Reg is in for heart & lung function tests on Monday to determine the probability of success with the use of certain drugs in the chemo process. So we pray for strong heart & lung function & sustainability during treatment.

Another praise point for us is that Jed was being well looked after and had a great time with his playmate today. Thankfully our friends were extremely patience and understanding with our delays in returning home from hospital, and Jed tried his best to behave well and sharing his toys.

Knowing 3 consecutive days of hospital visits next week, we really thank God for His goodess in receiving a phone call tonight with an offer for Jed to see the Wiggles concert and being taken care of by one of his school friend's mum on Monday. We will keep trusting appropriate babysitters for Jed will be found for Tuesday & Wednesday when we have to go to hospital.

It has been a nice week that our family has taken everything slowly, and relaxed ourselves before the chemo treatment: Jed has been enjoying having the attention of both mummy & daddy. We even managed to take Jed to bowling with his best friend today!

Reg has finally hand over his work stuff and received many best wishes from colleagues. He has been helping Anita so she can rest her back, and hopefully recover before the time of chemo. We stocked up our fridge and pantry with food and tried to keep up with the household cleaning that we've neglected from the past two weeks of chaos.

Reg's wound from operation is causing him a bit of stiff neck, soreness and tiredness. Pray that the wound will completely heal up.

We need more than ever the strength from God tomorrow in hearing the final verdict of Reg's condition. We're slightly apprehensive about the result, but know that God is in control and He will not give what beyonds us. We also know we need to face the inevitable chemo treatment, yet we pray that the doctor will give us clarity and understanding the journey ahead.

We thank God that tomorrow Jed will be taken care of in the comfort of his own home by a caring sister from church. We pray that Jed will behave and play well with his friend.

We pray for a good night rest for everyone in the household, so we're all ready to face tomorrow.

God doesn’t comfort us to make us comfortable; He comforts us to make us comforters.

After a seemingly long week of visits of hospitals and tests, we have finally managed to have today off to ourselves, so we felt blessed to soak up His goodness for us.

It was devastating in receiving the news at first, and all we could do was trust in God's unchanging goodness in us all. It was never a question of life or death for we know our eternal destination, but what strike us was the long unknown and difficult road ahead that requires much faith, courage and perseverance. We could not but ponder the question "Why Lord?"

In the time of our devotion, this verse came to be: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble” (2 Cor. 1:3-4). Sometimes God gives us the opportunity to use the lessons we’ve learned and the comfort He’s given us during difficult times to help others in special ways. This week, we had been comforted by many as well as confronted with life issues that we have never thought of and it is hard for anyone to understand the emotional intensity taht we had to deal with. We seriously do not know and cannot even foresee how tough this road will continue to be, but His good purpose in us we're assured. We're convinced that there are times when God doesn’t comfort us to make us comfortable; He comforts us to make us comforters. We're thankful for many who uphold us in prayers and we will continue to need them for the long battle that is ahead.

The PET scan went well besides some minor discomfort. Reg were told to stay away from home for 6 hours as he was too radioactive to come in contact with Jed who is under 5. But after a night recovery, he is overall well with some discomfort in the wound on the neck.

The outcome of the precise diagnosis will be known next week and we'll need to be ready for chemo before Christmas. It is our prayers that the lymphoma has not spread into the bone marrow or other areas.

We thank God that we have each other and our son to celebrate our wedding anniversary next week even we had to cancel our holiday. And it is amazing when we could count our blessings day by day, even the sky is not blue everyday. It is the best time to remember our Lord's birth and the hope it brings!

Thanksgiving and a great relief

God has been so kind and answered our prayers.
Jed went with babysitter at 8am and was good, even he was still sick.
The early morning was a stressful time with being stuck at traffic, we made it to the hospital late. Thankfully there was a long delay, indeed one very very long delay, but the operation went successfully by the afternoon.

It was a tough afternoon with the hospital not able to confirm the discharge time and trying to find people to pick up Reg on a standby mode. We are just thankful to God that Reg didn't have to stay in the hospital overnight and Antia's brother-in-law came to the rescue.

It was one long day with so much waiting for the unknown and need to stand by, but we really thank God that we made it through. Thank you for those who prayed for us and offered their help.

Tomorrow, Reg will be in for PET SCAN at RPA just before 8am. Pray for smooth traffic and safe procedure.

Continue to pray for wound healing and sleep well for the Chan's household.

Operation

We thank God for the many concerns that has been expressed by others; we really can feel the love of God and we also thank Him for those who had been offering us practical helps, no matter how small it may be. We thank GOd for His surpassing peace that is in us.

Reg will be at St Vincent for operation at 9:30am
Jed is still unwell with fever and cough

Thank God for neighbour's friend to look after Jed in the morning, pray that Jed will cooperate given he is still not well

Pray for logistic that ANita will be able to manage to pick up REg (as we do not know when); otherwise, God will provide someone to pick up Reg if she must attend Jed in the evening

Pray for good result from biopsy that no cancer cell in bone marrow and type of lymphoma can be identify for correct chemo treatment

Thank you God that those who are weary and heavy laden can come to Him and found peace.

Lymph node & bone marrow biopsy operation

Operation on Thurs 9th

Pray for fast healing post-op

Pray for clear result so correct treatment may begin

Pray nothing has spread to the bone marrow

Pray for finding available sitter to look after Jed on the day

Test

Test