I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday. Jeanie and Kecia actually hosted for our family gathering this year and it was a great treat. Just like old times. Kecia felt pretty good for awhile then went to be for the night around 4. But just having her up and about with us for the afternoon was nice. They have received some good news this week. But first let me back track....after all the changes with Kecia's cancer treatment center closing down, she was forced to find a new doctor so that she could get treatments locally without having to check into the hospital for every treatment. She may go back to dr wazenski once he has reestablished with a new clinic but for now she has found someone else. He ran some more scans...now back to the good part....and they came back very positive. She had not been able to get any of her chemo except the one that protects the brain, during this whole dr switch time. She was concerned for how much cancer would have grown back. But her cancer markers were at ZERO. I don't know exactly what that means but it's good! Her brain scan revealed the tiny spots on her brain are still there, but no new growth! AMEN! Her heart function has improved from the low 20's to the upper 40's. He would like them to be above 50 for her to recieve any more chemo and since there has been no new growth he wants to keep off the big chemos and just do the herceptin (which is a preventative) and the brain preventative that I can't remember the name of. She will continue on her heart meds and her shots that prevent her body from producing estrogen. So in a nutshell...she stays on preventative meds and heart boosting meds but stopped taking the heart killing meds because there is no active cancer that needs attacking. YEAH! Emotionally Kecia is so encouraged by this news. Thank you all for your continued prayers. Maybe now she will start feeling like getting out there and reconnecting with friends. Thats one of my next prayers for her right now.

Well, Kecia came through her gamma radiation ok. Said the first day was horrible, but the second was faster and not so bad. She found out that the center where she gets regular treatment was closing and has been looking for a new place to get chemo since then. Yesterday, after spending hours on the phone it was decided that she would go to a hospital in Mckinney for treatments and go to her dr's office across the street for regular appointments. Its a much longer drive than she has now, and she will loose the personal care she got from the cancer center staff but we are praying that there is someone special with whom she will cross paths during this process of change. She has been sick for the past few days (more than usual) so she thinks it may be a virus (although Im sure it's hard to tell them apart at this point).
Our church has been putting together small individual meals that Kecia and Jeanie can heat up easily, which has been a huge blessing since neither feels much like cooking healthy much anymore. They asked me to send a BIG "THANK YOU" to all who have sent food, prayers, and well wished thier way!

Another Spot found

Kecia just called and told me that while reviewing the scans taken while they were measuring for her gamma radiation treatment, they found a 4th spot on her brain. She is so disappointed! She knows we are praying that the 3 spots be gone and not that new ones are added so she was a bit suprised to hear this unexpected news. They are still planning to do the gamma radiation on Thursday and Friday (about 2-3 hours each time) and have decided to go ahead and put her back on one of the preventative chemos. Her heart is a little better although not at all where her doctor would like it to be. Please pray for Kecia's health (specifically that her heart will continue to strengthen and not decrease function, and that the spots will be dead and gone) but also that the Lord will make himself known to Kecia in an undeniable way. She is so tired yet not at all ready to give up. She needs the kind of strength that only God can give her. He breathed life into her at birth and she is needing that breath of life again now.

Kecia just got finished testing her heart function and the numbers have improved from 25 to 42. I don't really understand what that means, but higher is better so PRAISE GOD! She goes in for measurements tomorrow. You may remember from last year when they did gamma radiation on her brain. She spends a day getting measured down to the millimeter (actually probably closer than that) and then next week they will do the actual radiation on thursday and friday. I have been praying a very bold but exciting prayer and I want to ask each of you to join me. Please pray that after doing all this measuring, worrying and praying, they will go to do the radiation and find that the 3 spots on her brain are already gone. They are not treating that right now in any way so if they aren't there, its because God removed them before they had a chance to. Wouldn't that really blow the doctor's mind!!

Kecia just texted me asking for prayer. I didnt even realize that she had gotten scans done this week but apparently she did, as she found out today that there are 3 active cancer spots on the brain again. She also found out that the cancer center where she gets treatment is scheduled to close this week as well. She has very little information about either situation and is obviously very saddened by this flood of bad news. She said she will find out the course of treatment, and where she will receive treatment early next week. She is asking that everyone pray for God to take care of these 3 spots just as He did the last 3 so that there will be no need for radiation or that horrible gamma knife again. I will let ya'll know more when I hear. Thank you!

Ready for some good news?

Kecia went in to see Dr Wazenski, her oncologist, today and he told her that her heart function was up slightly from 25 to 28. Not sure exactly what that measures (i thinks it how much it can pump out) It is supposed to be up in the 80 range so while it is impoving, it still has a long way to go to be out of the danger zone. He then found out that her lung scans from the previous day were ready to be read. He is very open with Kecia and honest about everything she has been going through so he once again brings scans in to read out loud to her and Jeanie even before he has had a chance to review them. He was dumbfounded and said "well, people are REALLY praying for you arent they? " The lining of her lungs has become think due to the cancer lesions growing all over it. The legions were relatively small, but there were tons of them covering both the upper and lower portions of the lung. He told her there are absolutly NO legions that can be detected and the lining of her lung has returned to normal thickness! I dare somebody to try and explain that away as something other than God! Dr Wazenski is one of the best in his field and he knows this is so much more than medicine. He asked Kecia "You are praying people, right? Christian? Well PRAISE JESUS! This is amazing. I don't know what to say except you must have alot of people praying for you." (Dr. Wazenski is Jewish but Kecia thinks he is a Mesionic Jew) Kecia and I discussed how this is becoming her testimony and how she is "accidentally" touching lives with her story and faith. My girls are so excited to see God working for Kecia in this way. We stopped praying that God would "please heal kecia" several weeks ago and began instead thanking him for the miracles he has already done for her and for the ones he is doing right now. We just believe He wants to heal her and we are thanking him in advance for the healing that we know he will do! WOW! I have goose bumps! Im so happy to be able to share good news with my faithful prayer warriors who know that our real battle is not with flesh and blood but with the forces of evil....who did NOT win this battle! (I cant stop smiling)

Kecia met with several different doctors this week and it was discovered that she has many small spots of cancer on/in her lungs. They are not going to be able to get her back on her original chemos due to the damage to her heart. Tests show that even though she has not been on the chemo for several months, and she is taking the heart medicine, her heart is not showing any recovery and is actually a bit worse than at her last visit. Her doctors have consulted with the leading cancer specialist worldwide and she told them to try two different chemo meds (don't know which two) because they are shown to do little damage to the heart. She will loose her hair again, which is not a big deal in the whole scheme of things, but is important to her. This specialist says there is a new drug coming on the market in about a year and another in about 18 months which are supposed to do big things for breast cancer patients. I think she is trying to give Kecia some hope about a future cure. It may comfort Kecia later, but right now she is sounding pretty down and worn out. The thought of "starting over" after already battling for 3 years is exhausting to her. She is tired of being sick! I am still praying for Kecia's miracle healing. I want to see her cancer free and drug free! But in the mean time, I pray that God will make himself so real to her. I dont think there is a "hope" big enough here on earth to comfort her. Her real comfort will have to come through him and I pray that she will seek that with her whole heart. Please join me as I pray for Kecia and her family. Your support is priceless to us!

cardiologist report

Kecia saw her cardiologist today. She was hoping for a much improved report but found that the heart hasn't improved at all. For this reason he is going to have her continue on the heart meds for another month. They will reevaluate at that time. She will see her oncologist sometime this week and ask him to put her back on Herceptin as she fears all this time off her chemo will allow for new cancer growth. She is feeling a bit down, as she had really expected to get a good report today so please pray from an emotional "uplift" as well as continued prayers for her healing.

Scans for Kecia's heart...

My last update was actually written as an email as I was hurrying to get it out and so it doesn't show on the blog. That update was about Kecia having trouble breathing because her heart was literally drowning by fluid build up in the sac around it. Her doctor prescribed a strong diaretic that flushed every drop of fluid from her body and told her the meds she was taking in order to repair her heart are what causes the fluid build up.
She is going in for more scans of friday to check her heart again. We are praying that the 33% that was "dead" at her last scan is working properly now and that the fluid around the heart is gone. If this is the case, she will be allowed to start back up on her chemo, Herceptin, which is the one that prevents new cancer growth. She has been without this drug for 5 weeks now, in order to give her heart time to heal, and Kecia is concerned that they will find new cancer growth. Please join me in praying against this!

kecia gets bad news

Kecia had her routine scans done and was given some very sobering news. 33% of her heart is no longer functioning. Her cardiologist actually said "it appears that 33% of your heart is dead". This is obviously very serious and her doctor wants to start her on some heart medicine that can possibly rejuvinate the heart if it is not actually "dead" and is just dying. To increase the chances that it will be a successful attemp, her doctor wants to stop all chemo for one month and allow the heart meds their full impact. Kecia feels sure it is the chemo, Avastin, that is responsible for this rapid decline in her heart function because she has been on the Herceptin for her entire 3 year battle and all heart scans up until now have shown her heart at full function. She would like to stop the Avastin and continue the Herceptin, but her doctor is strongly advising against it. This is scarey for Kecia because she knows that even a short time off her chemo usually means that cancer spreads to a new place in her body. She is having to choose to stop chemo to strengthen her heart, but risk new cancer growth, or continue some chemo at the risk of a heart attack. She has been told the issue is so serious that she needs to drastically limit her intake of water (and all fluids, I think) because it can pool around her heart and cause pericardial effusion. (sack around the heart fills with fluid and "smothers" it) She is inclined to trust her doctor on this one and will probably stop her chemo for the month as he is suggesting, but this means she will be going in to find out how much damage has been done right after her birthday (june 7th). While it might be silly to some people, this time of year is always a nervous time for Kecia since it was the week after her birthday, 3 years ago that she was given this horrible diagnosis. She is really struggling with fear vs faith and could use all the prayer you can offer. Jeanie is also in a very difficult place. Both are trying to be so strong for the other, but inside they are frightened and confused and need God's hand on them during this unthinkably difficult time. Please pray for them.

prayer needed

My last update was a very happy one, telling everyone that Kecia had been told to "ring the remission bell" at her treatment center. To all of us, that sounded like wonderful news, but what Kecia realized just a few days later, is that it meant very little for her in the way of "quality of life". Most people who are told they are in remission get to stop treatment, grow their hair back, feel better and begin living again. For Kecia, however, this is not the case. Very little changed for her. She is so thankful that the cancer is not growing right now and feels blessed to be out of that part of her diagnosis, but she is still taking a full load of chemo, feels sick everyday, rarely leaves the house, and has what most would call a rather poor quality of life. She is told by her doctors that to stop or even measure down the chemo would mean it would instantly grow back. Each time it begins again it is harder to get rid of. So she feels like this is it. If there is no cure any time soon she is destined to feel like this and live like this for a very long time. Some days, she is very strong and believes God has helped her to overcome so many odds. She believes He has a purpose for her life. But on many days, she says she thinks she might just want to quit all treatment and go "home" to heaven to be with her Nanny so all this misery can just stop. She is in need of our prayers! In addition to that, Kecia is asking prayer for her mom. Jeanie has spiraled downward in depression over this past year. She has suffered several severe panic attacks and it is affecting her ability to even function in her normal life. She rarely leaves the house for fear of having a panic attack which is keeping her away from church and her support group. I have no doubt this is satan attacking her at her weakest point. Please rally with me in prayer for our two girls. June 7th is Kecia's 31st birthday. She will have been fighting this deadly disease non stop for 3 years! She sees no end in sight and she is tired. Thank you in advance for your continued support. Without all of you, I would have noone to share all of these burdens and prayers!

more prayer needed

Haven't had much to report lately. Kecia has been in the bathroom for the past 4 months with sickness related side effects. She hasn't been out of the house except for doctor visits in a long time. But finally, I have some good news to report. Kecia had scans done this week and yesterday afternoon her doctor said "well Kecia, I guess you get to ring that bell again" (refering to the bell in his lobby that patients ring when they have been given the "you're in remission" news) Several of Kecia's nurses were out there and they started crying..lots of hugs for everyone. Her doctor explained that once again, there is no cancer detected in her body and only the "scars" from where they were remains. There is a tiny exception to that, being the pin point dot on her brain that is literally the size of a pin point. All of the other spots on her brain are gone and this one has been this size for a long time with no changes so he feels confident it is dead as well. YEAH!!!!! But what we are even more excited about is the change that will occur in her chemo treatments. Back when Kecia was first diagnosed (2 and a half years ago) her doctor had said that his goal was to keep her alive until cure for this type of cancer was discovered. That hasn't happened yet, but a really great med has finally been approved for use. It has been in trials the whole time Kecia has been in treatment. I cant remember any of the names but Im going to attempt to explain this to you. She is taking 3 different chemo meds right now. The most powerful one she takes (which has these horrible side effects) she will not take anymore. Instead, she will take this new chemo which is a once a month shot. It is supposed to be more effective on this type of cancer but have less side effects. YEAH YEAH!!! The other 2 meds, she will continue to take but at a very small dose. Currently she is taking enough to treat an elephant, is what her doctor says. It will take a few weeks for the strong stuff to get out of her system so relief of symptoms wont be immediate, but we are expecting her to feel alot better by next month!!! This is such wonderful, blessed news. Her mom said "I don't know why I worry so much. Every single time there has been a need God has jumped in and taken care of it". God is so good! I couldn't wait to share this news with you! Kecia's birthday is June 7th and I am praying that she feels great, is cancer free, and up being productive again by then. I have been encouraging her to seek God's will and guide her to her "after recovery plan" where she will be able to be a light in the dark for other people. I know God wants to use Kecia for powerful and mighty things! Thank you SO MUCH for all of your prayers. Kecia is a living miracle and she couldn't have made it without all of the prayers and support of friends and family. Last night she said "Im ready to LIVE and be more than just ALIVE"

A Great Way to Start Off the New Year! Just after Christmas, Kecia was given the results from her total body scans. As you remember, the three spots on the brain had been down sized to just two spots at her last scan. Well God has down sized again as only one remains! Every inch of her body was checked and no new cancer can be detected anywhere. They found that the severe pain she continues to have in her lower back is not due to deterioration of the bone due to cancer as they had feared, but a slipped disc instead. She is scheduled to see a spine specialist this next week to see if it will need surgery or if it can be fixed otherwise. This is serious, I suppose, but Kecia is so thankful its a "normal" injury and not a sign that cancer is eating away at her bones. So she was very happy with the results. They did find that she has a slightly irregular heart beat (beating slower than it should be) but he is not overly concerned. Based on statistics, the cancer was supposed to have killed her by now, and if it hadn't, the damage that the chemo did to her organs should have. Just another reminder that God has certainly placed His hand of protection over her! Her doctor does want to have a specialist look at that too just so they can keep a close watch on it, but he assured her it is nothing to worry about at this point.



AND.....if that's not enough.....God shows Himself to Jeanie (Kecia's mom) once again. It all began a few months ago when both Jeanie and Kecia fell into a pretty serious depression. Kecia did nothing but go to treatments, sleep and get sick. She felt horrible every single day and though tests said her body was getting better, I was feeling worse. She started asking "If it's going to be like this then what's the point?" She wasn't able to go to church, be uplifted at her Bible study, or hang out with friends or family. She was falling into a deep dispair and noone knew how to help her. Seeing Kecia so miserable and being helpless to change anything for her, left Jeanie deeply depressed. To add to their downward spiral, both of them struggled with guilt over the belief that "if they really trusted God they wouldn't feel this way." Jeanie started praying that God would send a friend to Kecia. It would have to be someone special because Kecia can't really go anywhere or do anything fun. This friend would have to be okay just hanging around the house and it would have to be someone Kecia was very comfortable with because she's funny about people seeing her when she's down and out. For about a week she prayed everyday not even knowing who, exactly, she was praying would come. Then...last week after infusion, Jeanie suggested they stop by one of their favorite stores for a few minutes just to get Kecia out of the house. Kecia didn't feel like going but said she would (just to get Jeanie out of the house). At the last minute, Jeanie said "I could tell Kecia really wasn't feel very good so I suggested we go another time." Kecia was relieved and they headed home. Just a few minutes later a car pulled into the drive and three women got out. Jeanie assumed they had the wrong house. I guess she forgot that she had specifically asked God to send Kecia a friend. And not just any friend. Gina and Kecia had been best friends all through elementary school. Jeanie worked with Gina's mom and the girls spend weekends and summers together. If Gina was staying with Kecia it was not a bit unusual for both girls to come spend a few nights over at my house too. She was just extended family as far as we were concerned. The moms (Jeanie and Elva) were best friends too. And so much fun to be around. When these two ladies got together there was always so much laughter Im amazed they ever got any work done! Anyway, Gina is EXACTLY the kind of friend Jeanie had been praying for. Gina and her family had no idea that Kecia had cancer and were in complete shock when Jeanie told them. They explained that they had come by 2 other times in the past year but noone had been home. Jeanie too had tried to contact them, but they had moved, gotten new numbers and remarried since they had lost touch. It occured to Jeanie that if they had gone to the store as she had planned, they would have missed each other again. When Jeanie called to tell me this story she was crying. She said "I just can't believe that I ever doubt God. EVERY SINGLE TIME I have asked Him for something he has delivered it." She started listing things for me like...the time she asked Him to get them to the right surgeon and then give them a sign that it was the right one. Not only did He get them to Dr Ladely, but she walks in WITH THE LOST INFORMATION Kecia needed and said "I just happen to have this file on you Kecia because that procedure you had done TEN YEARS ago was done by my partner...so we have everything we need. If that wasn't enough, she quoted to them something very specific Jeanie had been saying in her prayers the night before. A few months ago Kecia was told there was probably going to be a 6 month lapse in her health care coverage. The people from long term disability said she'd probably have to go on COBRA but she was gonna end up paying out of pocket for all her medications. That would have been literally thousands of dollars per month. They expected it too take 4-6 months for her paperwork to be approved. We all prayed about it and God came through. The next to last day of the month, her paperwork was appoved. Not ONE SINGLE DAY did she have to miss medication or pay out of pocket. And now, He sends Kecia the exact friend she needs just when she needs it most! If that's not enough, He sent Elva for Jeanie because He knew she needed a friend too! So her prayer wasn't just answered, it was answered two fold!! It's easy to believe that God cares about big stuff like life and death, sickness and war. But He reminded Jeanie and Kecia that He cares about the little stuff (that sometimes ends up being more important than we realize) too. He cares about friends, and car payments, and medical bills. He cares about the house we move to and the schools our kids attend. I often wonder if Kecia REALLY knows how special God's plan for her is. We are so excited to be able to share this great story with all of you who pray so faithfully for Kecia and our family. Our prayers are heard and answered at every turn! Thank you for walking this out with us. Now go and make all your little bitty prayers, that you thought weren't important enough to ask for, known. Because you serve a Great Big God who cares about even your little bitty requests! HAPPY 2011 from the Snyder/Rezaie Family