Novalis Starts Today

Kara will have her first of five Novalis treatments today. She will have further treatments M-W-F of next week and again the following Monday.

EDIT:
Kara has returned from her Novalis treatment, and it went smoothly.

Prayer Requests:
- Please pray that the Novalis treatments are completed as scheduled, without any complications.
- Please pray that the Novalis treatments are successful.
- Please pray that the cancer be eradicated from Kara's body, permanently.

Thank you.

Novalis

Kara will meet with her Novalis doctor later in the week, and hopefully will have her three Novalis treatments on M-W-F of next week. Novalis is pinpoint radiation that Kara had on her brain tumors. They can now do Novalis in other areas of the body as well -- a great advance in the year since Kara was diagnosed.

The chemotherapy is beginning to catch up to Kara and she has been feeling more fatigued, but this type of chemotherapy continues to be easier for her to tolerate than the in-patient kind she received previously.

Prayer Requests:
- Please pray that the Novalis is successful and without complications.
- Please pray that the cancer is eradicated from Kara's body, permanently.

Thank you.

Meeting with Doctor Lynch Tonight

I was misinformed about the test yesterday. Kara just had a CT scan done to locate the liver tumor before the Novalis, not a fullblown PET Scan to check the progress of her tumors. Nothing out of the ordinary or unexpected was found on the CT Scan, and they'll go over the results and the plan for the Novalis treatment tonight.

Prayer Requests:
- Please pray that Doctor Lynch has encouraging news for Kara.
- Please pray that the Novalis goes forward without any complications.
- Please pray that the cancer be eradicated from Kara's body, permanently.

Thank you.

Bluebonnets

IMG_1836.JPG
Originally uploaded by jeanjean78.

Emma and Luke

IMG_1795.JPG
Originally uploaded by jeanjean78.

PET Scan

Kara is having a PET Scan done today, after the completion of her second round of chemotherapy. She and Matt will meet with Dr. Lynch tomorrow evening, and then Novalis on her liver tumor will probably begin later in the week.

Prayer Requests:
- Please pray that the PET Scan shows no new tumors, and that the present tumors have continued to shrink.
- Please pray that Novalis can begin this week.
- Please pray that the cancer be eradicated from Kara's body, permanently.

Thank you. Waiting for these results is always a very fraught time for Kara and Matt and all of us, and it is comforting to know that so many are praying for her.

Biopsy

A specimen of the tumor on Kara's liver was taken to send off to a place in Arizona for a new and very promising biopsy. The lab there has found a way to isolate what protein-type the tumor is. The usual treatment for cancer is based upon broad "types," i.e., lung cancer, breast cancer, neuroendocrine cancer. There are lists of what chemo drugs tend to work best with those types, but those treatments may not be best for the particular tumor type that a person has.

This new biopsy, if all goes well, should isolate specifically what protein the tumor is rich in, and then from there they should be able to specifically isolate what chemo drug is most successful in treating that particular tumor. It may be a drug that is way down on the list for neuroendocrine cancer, or not even on the neuroendocrine cancer list.

Prayer Requests:
- Please pray that the lab is able to successfully run the tests on Kara's tumor.
- Please pray that these tests reveal a better way to treat Kara's cancer.
- Please pray for continued tolerance of the chemotherapy for Kara, and for increased energy.
- Please pray that the cancer be eradicated from Kara's body, permanently.

Thank you. On a lighter note, Matt's brother and sister, Jamie and Katie, have been visiting in Houston this week, and everyone's been having a great time. They went to Kemah on the coast one day, and to the farm another. Kara's friends from Joplin, the Hoaglands, visited at the farm earlier in the week. So there was a big gathering at the farm on Sunday, which was very fun.

Procedure Went Fine

Kara is in the recovery room following her procedure. The doctors had some trouble finding the tumor to implant the device, because it was so small, so that was encouraging news. They were able to implant the device and collect a biopsy of the tumor.

Praises:
- Thank you God for seeing Kara through this latest step in her treatment safely.
- Thank you God for the good news that Kara's tumors are continuing to shrink.

Prayer Request:
- Please pray that Kara has no complications following this procedure.
- Please pray that Kara continues to tolerate chemotherapy well.
- Pleas pray that the cancer be eradicated from Kara's body, permanently.

Thank you.

Procedure Tomorrow

Kara is having a procedure tomorrow to implant a device in her liver that will help the doctors detect where the tumor is precisely for the Novalis treatment. She will have Novalis on her liver next Wednesday.

Prayer Requests:
- Please pray that tomorrow's procedure goes smoothly.
- Please pray for continued tolerance of the chemotherapy.
- Please pray that the cancer be eradicated from Kara's body permanently.

Thank you.

From Kara

Matt and I enjoyed a wonderful weekend away at the lake with the children. We had our own little cabin perched over a finger of the lake -- the kids could fish right off of the deck. Matt even caught a good-sized bass on Emma’s princess fishing pole!

Other highlights were canoeing all over the lake and stopping to picnic along the way. Luke was upfront with me, Emma was in the middle, and Matt was in the back doing all of the work. Emma brought her fishing pole with her to try for a big catch like her daddy.

We took a horse-drawn carriage ride to breakfast Saturday morning. While the kids enjoyed a pony ride, I enjoyed a horse ride myself. Though it was short, it brought back many fond memories of my horseback riding days and my horse, Bobbie.

But what I will remember most about this trip was a special encounter that I would like to share with you.

Just after we checked into the lodge and were getting ready to go to our cabin, the lady behind me asked, “How do I know you? You look so familiar to me.” We looked at each other but couldn’t place each other. This same lady saw Matt later at the lodge and asked Matt how she could pray for me, because she had seen me limping slightly. Matt filled her in on my story, and she revealed a similar story to him and said that she would be praying for me and would send out her “prayer warriors.”

As I look back, to me it was another way God was showing me he cares for me and was encouraging me. I will always remember her words “how do I know you,” because she recognized me as a sister in Christ, even though we had never met. Now we know each other as Kara and Wendy.

Dear God, thank you for the encouragement I receive through family, friends new and old, and those whose names I don’t know. I am learning faithfulness through my faithful friends and family. I am learning how to encourage others through those who encourage me. They are an inspiration to me.

Thank you for your healing!! I rest on your word.

"Then you will call, and the Lord will answer;
You will cry for help, and He will say ‘here I am.’"
Isaiah 58:9

Update

Kara began another round of chemo on Friday, when she had her second full eight-hour chemotherapy session. Next week and the week after she'll go in for a shorter chemo session.

She and Matt and the kids wento to the big Houston rodeo on Saturday and saw all the animals and enjoyed a concert. On Sunday, Kara and the kids left for the farm to spend their Spring Break while Matt stayed behind to work on some work projects. Emma and Luke have had a great time running around the farm. Emma drives around in the Gator while Luke chases after her pushing a small buggy that is his new favorite toy. We took bluebonnet photos and visited the Miniature Horse Farm at St. Claire's Monastery in Brenham yesterday. Emma and Luke got a kick out of the tiny horses.

Kara has been feeling more fatigued after this past round of chemotherapy, but other than that she continues to tolerate this treatment better than the in-patient treatment she had last year.

Prayer Requests:
- Please pray that Kara continues to tolerate chemotherapy well.
- Please pray that the cancer be eradicated from Kara's body, permanently.

Thank you.

Meeting with Dr. Lynch

Kara met with Dr. Lynch today and he was very pleased with how well Kara is responding to this new treatment -- he thinks she is even doing better with this chemo drug than the previous one. She'll have six more treatments, and will also have Novalis on the spot on her liver.

Praises:
- Thank you God that Kara's responding so well to this treatment.
- Thank you God for the hope and encouragement that brings to Kara and her family and friends.

Prayer Requests:
- Please pray that Kara continues to tolerate chemotherapy well.
- Please pray that the cancer be eradicated from Kara's body, permanently.

Thank you.

Good Test Results

The PET Scan results are very encouraging and reassuring. The lung spots have just about gone away completely. The spot in the spleen is gone. The adrenal place is smaller, and the liver spot is smaller. And it looks like there is nothing in the brain. They'll meet with Dr. Lynch tomorrow to go over the results. So the treatment does seem to be working, and the tumors are sensitive to it. Very good news! Kara was pretty anxious throughout the day waiting for the results, so she is quite relieved to have gotten some good news.

Prayer Requests:
- Please pray for continued hope, peace, and comfort for Kara during this time.
- Please pray that Kara continues to tolerate her chemotherapy well.
- Please pray that the cancer is eradicated from Kara's body, permanently.

Thank you for your prayers and words of encouragement. We are very glad to have heard the good news, that the new treatment plan is working, especially since this treatment has been much less difficult for Kara to tolerate.

PET Scan Today

Kara has a PET Scan this morning to determine how effective this new type of chemotherapy has been.

Please pray that the test results are encouraging, and show that this treatment has reduced the tumors.

Thank you.

Going to the Lake

Kara has been continiuing to tolerate her chemotherapy well, and she, Matt, and the children are going to a lake in East Texas for a long weekend break from the city. It will be the first time Kara has been anywhere besides Houston, Austin, or the farm in quite awhile, and she's looking forward to it.

Kara will go in for more scans Monday or Tuesday to see how the tumors are reacting to this new chemotherapy.

Prayer Requests:
- Please pray for encouraging results for Kara's next round of scans.
- Please pray that God continues to give Kara hope and peace.
- Please pray that the cancer be eradicated from Kara's body, permanently.

Thank you.