Mel’s Update Jan 30

Today we met with hospice to make plans to come home Friday. A
hospital bed is to be delivered and set up tomorrow. It will feel
right to be at home surrounded by loved ones and friends. Melanie is
already concerned about visitors, she really loves to socialize. We
would just ask that those who come will be sensitive to sickness as
Mel’s counts will be low. We discussed with the children that the
doctors here have done their best to help; however, the doctors feel
that they won’t be able to keep the cancer in remission. If Mel’s
kidneys were in better shape we could forge ahead with more chemo.
Chances are great that her kidneys would shut down. The doctor
suggested an oral chemo that is not as toxic to her kidneys which
could possibly keep her cancer at bay for a while. Pain management is
a priority to us so that we can enjoy Mel as much as possible. I never
thought that we would be at this place 7 months ago, words like
“hospice” are not welcome words but a wonderful agency to help with
Mel’s care. Life is full of adjustments but this ranks among something
you don’t really adjust to. You accept, and in time, embrace the
reality. Surrendering my will to the will of a Loving God is the
essence of Kingdom living. If someone pushed you to the curb and
caused you to break your arm, would you be angry? Would you continue
to be angry if you found out that the person pushed you out of the way
of an oncoming truck, they broke your arm but saved your life.
Sometimes the unexplainable circumstances of life are a small part of
the bigger picture. Mel has too much faith to be confined to 236
Central Church Rd. She is my teacher, I hope I get an A.

Marty
–

Tuesday Evening.

The end of another day has come–it has been full of many difficult
and hard conversations–those kind of situations one can only imagine
and hope one never has to be a personal part of, and yet very
necessary–sometimes there is anger, doubt, discouragement, denial, or
fear–all very real emotions. Each one of our children handle pain and
emotion in different ways–we have been trying to keep them updated on
decisions as we make them–they left for “home” so they can get back
into the school schedule–Mel especially wants the older ones here so
she doesn’t get “bored”–she seems to be feeling some better
today–eating and sitting on the edge of the bed with much help–
The cold, hard realities of life can sometimes feel a bit cruel and
unreal–yet I have to say that I have been able to feel that “peace
that passes all understanding”–in talking with Mel about going home
by the weekend, she said that sometimes when people go home, they get
better–we have told her that we will have a comfortable bed ready for
her at home, and be able to give her the pain meds that she needs–she
will probably be transported by ambulance–we will still have the
support of the Dr.’s here–they will oversee her care through the home
care agency–
Tomorrow at 2:30 we will meet again with Dr. Powell and others to
finalize some of our goals and plans for home care–it has been a
blessing that Marty & I are basically on the same page–I can’t
imagine having to work through conflict with a spouse in the midst of
this journey–
Many times through the course of a day people will ask how we are
doing–sometimes we don’t always know–the faith that has brought us
this far will continue to hold and carry us–into an unknown
future–never to walk alone, but alongside with One who has promised
not to leave or forsake us–a shelter from the raging storm, a place
where it is safe to lay down and rest–always in the back of my mind
is the underlying confidence in knowing that I can trust the heart of
my Shepherd–even if it means going places I have never before
traveled–
Please continue to pray– we know you have been–so many people
comment on the support system that we have–I can’t imagine walking
alone. Thanks for the many kind comments, e-mails, cards, phone calls,
ETC.–we are grateful–         Love, Lori

Monday Night.

We have had a rather tough day again–we’ve been putting this update
off because we’re exhausted as well as not sure what to write–they
tried to do an MRI of the brain, but were unsuccessful even with
sedation–we decided not to put Mel through another one just for the
sake of knowing a little more detail than what the CT scan showed on
Saturday–she seemed to be a little rested this morning but still in
pain–we are talking with the Dr.’s tomorrow around 1:00 to discuss
further options–we are leaning towards coming home possibly by the
weekend–making Mel comfortable is one of our main concerns–we could
do some oral chemo at home to sort of hold things at bay–the options
will be up to us–that is the difficult part, for which we need much
prayer–we feel so responsible to make the right decisions–the hard
part is, whatever we choose, we want to be convinced that it is the
right path–God only knows what that is–we want to be assured of His
very clear direction–in the past, He has been faithful–we want to
rest in His arms–pray for no interference from the enemy, as well as
peace in the decisions that are made–Thanks once more for your
lifting us to the Father–Love, Lori for the Miller’s

Sunday Afternoon.

Another morning has come–we find ourselves falling before our
Father’s throne again, calling out for grace & mercy–Yesterday was a
difficult day for us–Melanie had a real good day on Friday, playing
the keyboard and singing, sitting by the window during the prayer
vigil, and reminding me to pray for others during that time as
well–when we finished praying, we spent some time singing with the
guitar–songs Mel wanted to sing–one that especially stands out to me
is one we’ve sung together as a family–’
He’d still been God even if He never
calmed the storm on the raging sea,
He’d still been God even if He never
caused the blinded eye to see,
He’d still been God even if He never
brought a crippled man to his feet,
It’s not about what He did, it’s all
about Who He was,
‘Cause even if He never come and done a
single miracle,
Jesus would’ve still been God—-
The prayer vigil was again such a reminder of the care and love a
people that have been the hands and feet of Jesus–it was so
overwhelming–we are so grateful–
Yesterday(Saturday) Mel had a headache, was extremely sensitive to
light, and then became nauseous–her blood pressure was high and her
heart rate was low–around 5:00 pm, I was standing by the bed when I
noticed her right arm starting to twitch–I called Marty from the
other side of the room–by that time, both sides were twitching
uncontrollably–I ran to get the Doctor while Marty called the
nurse–by the time I got back, she was worse so Marty hit the “code
blue” alarm–in record time, we had people coming to help–the seizure
lasted maybe a minute or more–she never stopped breathing and came
back around on her own–they took her down for a CT scan–as you know,
there was no bleeding on the brain–for which we are so grateful.
Dr. Bean, a neurologist, Dr. Warf, the neurosurgeon that resected
Mel’s brain tumor, and Dr. Griffin, an oncologist–all took a look at
the CT scan. They determined there hasn’t been much of a change to the
area surrounding the site of where the tumor had been–she had more
nosebleeds during the night as well as a lot of discomfort and more
high blood pressure–she is getting blood pressure meds to attempt to
keep it down–Dr. Bean came in last night as well as this morning–he
suggested that the high blood pressure could be due to kidney
function–her creatnine level is 1.2–it had been as high as 1.9–they
like to see levels below 1.0–she is also on Keppra–an anti-seizure
med, in hopes of warding off any more seizures–
She is resting comfortably now–whenever she needs to be moved she
is in pain, but still always apologizes for whatever she thinks
of–she never ceases to amaze me in her fight–she doesn’t want to be
a bother to anyone–the desire of our hearts is to continue to hold
onto the Hand of the One that created Melanie for His honor and
glory–we don’t know what tomorrow or the next day holds, but we are
trying to cling to the promises that One day we will stand before the
One that is not allowing anything to pass our way that is a surprise
to Him–it is a daily or dare I say, hourly choice, that we make–Love
to all–Lori, for the Miller’s

Update

Marty called and said the scan did not show bleeding on the brain so they are not sure what caused the seizure.  They are watching her blood pressure and giving pain meds. The neurologist will possibly be in tonight to talk to Marty and Lori. She still seemed to have pain in her back. They will probably update in the morning.

More Prayer Needed!

We just had a call from Donna(Lori’s sister) saying that Mel had a seizure, threw up, and had high blood pressure, so they are taking her down for a CT scan. Once again we can lift them to the Father. Thanks!!

Saturday Afternoon.

Last evening a prayer vigil was held on our behalf. It was a sight to
behold with a great big bus and numerous cars across the way. A friend
of ours gave us some light sticks to wave in the windows. We are
overwhelmed by the love and support we have felt. We met with the Dr
yesterday, He didn’t like the fact that the tumor isn’t receding like
he had hoped. Mel’s kidney function is better, but more aggressive
chemo would possibly further damage her kidneys to the point of
dialysis. We could opt for less aggressive chemo to try and keep the
tumor at bay for a while or we could risk damaging her kidneys by more
aggressive treatment. Another option would be clinical trials which is
new treatments in a testing phase. We want what’s best but we’re not
sure which avenue to take. We might be able to come home on I.V.
fluids later next week. Mel doesn’t have a lot of strength to get up
and she is still having some back and leg pain. Hopefully she will
feel good enough to go home soon. Thanks for praying with us about
these decisions. Some of you are probably facing uncertainties of your
own, don’t give up the fight, eternity will be worth the struggle on
this side.

Marty

This picture of Mel was taken last night after the prayer vigil.

Prayer Vigil

A little bit of a change… sorry but they didn’t realize the potential of how many would maybe come, so we will not be able to encircle the hospital. Instead security will meet us when we get there and tell us where to park. They are reserving the parking lot on the left after the play ground. Then we will be gathering around a tower or replica of the hospital or something not quite sure what he meant. Sorry was hoping to keep it a little more discreet but that’s OK. Maybe since we’ll be together in a group we can also do a little bit of singing some praise choruses at the end. Thanks

Friday Afternoon. (video link added)

Mel is in much better spirits today. She is still singing. We have
been moved into a private room which looks out over the playground #
3208–Mel’s CT scan yesterday showed that the tumor has not grown,
which is good, but the Dr’s were hoping for shrinkage. They would like
to sit with us to formulate a plan of action. The last chemo was hard
on Mel’s kidneys so they are considering other options. For some
reason the cancer is somewhat resistant to the chemo. Sometimes cancer
cells change structure to protect themselves from chemo, sort of like
what healthy cells do to protect against disease.
Last night she had quite a few nosebleeds, which prompted platelet
and red cell transfusions–she will possibly get more transfusions
today. Her counts are zero–so we hope that soon her counts will rise
again–we had a very pleasant surprise last evening–her stoma
(iliostomy–bag) decided to start working again–Mel started
singing-’Praise the LORD, Praise the LORD, let the earth hear His
voice’–why do we pray for things, and then are surprised when God
does answer? We are hoping the NG tube will come out today if surgery
thinks it is OK–and then Mel will be able to eat again–she has been
eyeing an apple that is here on the shelf–she has warned us not to
eat it! She has also made up her shopping list that she wants filled
from Acme–
Yesterday as we learned of the prayer vigil, we were moved to tears
as we contemplated such an act of kindness and sacrifice on Melanie’s
behalf–as well as for our family. Once again words are so inadequate
to express our gratefulness for the way we feel to be so blessed to be
surrounded by the larger Body of Christ–joining with us in
petitioning the very Throne of God the Father, allowing us access into
the most Holy Place–and at the same time, coming against the enemy of
our souls—”Our Father, which art in Heaven, hallowed is Your Name,
may Your Kingdom come, may Your will be done on earth, as it is in
Heaven. Give us today our daily bread, and forgive us our sins, as we
forgive those who have sinned against us. Lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the Kingdom, the Power, and the
Glory forever. Amen
–
Love from all the Miller’s

This video clip link below is from the same night we celebrated Lauren and Joelle’s birthday. It was recorded after we got back to Mel’s room and some of Mel’s sisters are helping to sing part of the song “Praise You In This Storm”. A link to this video clip has also been added on the right margin of this blog under “links”.

Click here> Mel Singing

Prayer Vigil For Mel and Family

Here’s an invitation to all who follow this blog. We got permission from the hospital to have a prayer vigil for Mel and the family outside around the hospital. To all who are interested we will meet at the hospital tomorrow evening January 25, 9:00 p.m. (Friday). There are some specifics we would like for you to follow. We want to make this a time of prayer not a time of socializing. When you get there let’s not have any talking to each other after you leave your vehicles till you get back in your vehicles. Meet outside the visitors entrance of the hospital, sign your names in a book provided. (So Mel and the family can be encouraged by all who participated.) Then start forming a circle around the hospital maybe about 5-10 ft between each person, when you get to an entrance go on either side of the entrance. ( They don’t want us to block any entrances.) Bring candles if you care to. Because of limited parking we encourage you to car pool. The Central congregation and others who would like to meet us there will meet at the church at 7:30 p.m. We will plan to take the big bus and the mini bus plus other vehicles as needed. We encourage you to cancel previous plans if possible. We’re hoping to literally be able to pretty much surround the hospital if possible. Everyone is welcome near and far.( Don’t forget to dress warm it may be quite cold.) Our plans are to start leaving again around 10:00 p.m. We would also encourage you to fast and pray tomorrow. This can be a way for those of you from a distance or who are sick or for whatever reason can join us and you can also join us in praying between 9:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m. We appreciate your participation. Any Questions call us at 302-242-0576 or 302-659-1451