This is not related to Nate or Owen but our dear friend (more like family member), Jenny Daniel, who is battling breast cancer. Jenny was diagnosed with breast cancer and had a double masectomy. And, to top it off, her husband (of course, also our dearest friend/family member), Chris, has had prostate cancer and, hopefully, has beaten it & the odds!
Cancer has affected our families deeply. My mother had breast cancer, my dad had colon cancer, and my brother had melanoma. They are fine now - THANK YOU LORD! My Aunt Sue has been battling ovarian cancer for years via chemo and is still battling. Not only has SMA affected our family, but cancer as well. We pray for a cure for both of these horrible diseases! The strength of my Aunt Sue, Jenny and Chris leaves me in awe. I am amazed at how they have handled it and respect them so much!!! We pray and pray and pray for you all!
Chris sends out "Jenny Updates" and I'd like to share the most recent one from Friday since it is so profound and touching:
Everyone,
Jenny started chemo @ 9:00 this morning and got home @ 3:00. The short and concise version is she tolerated it fine, sleeping through most of it due to the Benadryl they give her. Over the past two weeks she was experiencing a fair amount of muscle, bone and joint pain because of the Taxol, but once she started taking the prescribed pain medication on a daily basis that too was well managed.
If I can, I want to share a little of what the treatment center is like. You have a couple dozen foks in there at any one time taking chemo for all sorts of different cancers. You have young, old and everthing in between. I marvel at the strength and the grace all the patients seem to exude. Beautiful and still somewhat vain women enter with a proud bearing wigs covering a bald head. They walk in as if they were attending a social function. When they leave, they depart with the same proud bearing, but may stoop and shuffle some as they exit, now wearing a wig that is a little askew. Others, like Jenny sit absorbing their poison unconcerned with their shiny bald heads reflecting the overhead lights.
Diane, an absolutely gorgeous girl of 36 is fighting a particularly aggressive form of breast cancer and Jenny speaks with her each time. They are pumping her full of God knows what. She happens to be a nurse, so she is no stranger to a lot of this. Diane was hurting so badly today she had tears streaming down her cheeks from red rimmed eyes.
Jason, a young man in his 20's, whom Jenny befriends, is fighting Hodgkins. Unfortunately, he also has battled Type I diabetes his entire life and has to undergo multiple injections of insulin daily. Jenny asked him a month ago about getting an insulin pump and he said he couldn't afford the $5,500 cost and he had no insurance. Today, as we were leaving, Jenny went up to Jason and said: "Honey, you ARE going to get a pump because I have been praying to Jesus everyday to find you one!" The response from Jason was pretty amazing. He said: "That's incredible, I just found out Wednesday that I am getting one!" (Some foundation is supplying it.)
Cancer REALLY, REALLY, sucks! However, the people are still so beautiful. I just hope I am as good at praying as Jenny is. Please, continue to assist with your prayers. Jenny just has two more chemo treatments to go.
Thanks to all.
Chris (your intrepid cancer reporter)
Cancer has affected our families deeply. My mother had breast cancer, my dad had colon cancer, and my brother had melanoma. They are fine now - THANK YOU LORD! My Aunt Sue has been battling ovarian cancer for years via chemo and is still battling. Not only has SMA affected our family, but cancer as well. We pray for a cure for both of these horrible diseases! The strength of my Aunt Sue, Jenny and Chris leaves me in awe. I am amazed at how they have handled it and respect them so much!!! We pray and pray and pray for you all!
Chris sends out "Jenny Updates" and I'd like to share the most recent one from Friday since it is so profound and touching:
Everyone,
Jenny started chemo @ 9:00 this morning and got home @ 3:00. The short and concise version is she tolerated it fine, sleeping through most of it due to the Benadryl they give her. Over the past two weeks she was experiencing a fair amount of muscle, bone and joint pain because of the Taxol, but once she started taking the prescribed pain medication on a daily basis that too was well managed.
If I can, I want to share a little of what the treatment center is like. You have a couple dozen foks in there at any one time taking chemo for all sorts of different cancers. You have young, old and everthing in between. I marvel at the strength and the grace all the patients seem to exude. Beautiful and still somewhat vain women enter with a proud bearing wigs covering a bald head. They walk in as if they were attending a social function. When they leave, they depart with the same proud bearing, but may stoop and shuffle some as they exit, now wearing a wig that is a little askew. Others, like Jenny sit absorbing their poison unconcerned with their shiny bald heads reflecting the overhead lights.
Diane, an absolutely gorgeous girl of 36 is fighting a particularly aggressive form of breast cancer and Jenny speaks with her each time. They are pumping her full of God knows what. She happens to be a nurse, so she is no stranger to a lot of this. Diane was hurting so badly today she had tears streaming down her cheeks from red rimmed eyes.
Jason, a young man in his 20's, whom Jenny befriends, is fighting Hodgkins. Unfortunately, he also has battled Type I diabetes his entire life and has to undergo multiple injections of insulin daily. Jenny asked him a month ago about getting an insulin pump and he said he couldn't afford the $5,500 cost and he had no insurance. Today, as we were leaving, Jenny went up to Jason and said: "Honey, you ARE going to get a pump because I have been praying to Jesus everyday to find you one!" The response from Jason was pretty amazing. He said: "That's incredible, I just found out Wednesday that I am getting one!" (Some foundation is supplying it.)
Cancer REALLY, REALLY, sucks! However, the people are still so beautiful. I just hope I am as good at praying as Jenny is. Please, continue to assist with your prayers. Jenny just has two more chemo treatments to go.
Thanks to all.
Chris (your intrepid cancer reporter)
Jen
