In the Book of Mormon, there is a record of a family who traveled from the Tower of Babel to the American continent. The family of Jared soon received their first glimpse of a vast, stormy ocean, having been required of the Lord to crawl into some mysterious air-tight vessels they were promised would carry them safely to a better place. As they gazed into the deep, moving water, they breathed the unfamiliar sea salt and felt the ice cold water lap at their feet. "What will become of our family?" "Can we do this thing that God requires of us?"

These were the questions we asked as our family stood on the edge of a new journey in February 2011. Before Cathi was diagnosed with aggressive breast cancer, we saw the waves of an unfamiliar storm brewing and felt the fear of anticipation. When the cancer was certain, our family was required to wade into the cold water, crawl into a mysterious vessel and trust the Lord would be in charge.

The family of Jared was given stones touched by the finger of the Lord that provided light inside their vessels "that they might not cross the great waters in darkness......and it came to pass that...(they) set forth into the sea, commending themselves unto the Lord their God. And it came to pass that the Lord God caused that there should be a furious wind blow upon the face of the waters, towards the promised land; and thus they were tossed upon the waves of the sea before the wind. And it came to pass that they were many times buried in the depths of the sea, because of the mountain waves which broke upon them, and also the great and terrible tempests which were caused by the fierceness of the wind. And it came to pass that when they were buried in the deep there was no water that could hurt them, their vessels being tight like unto a dish, and also they were tight like unto the ark of Noah; therefore when they were encompassed about by many waters they did cry unto the Lord, and he did bring them forth again upon the top of the waters. And it came to pass that the wind did never cease to blow towards the promised land while they were upon the waters; and thus they were driven forth before the wind. And they did sing praises unto the Lord; yea, the brother of Jared did sing praises unto the Lord, and he did thank and praise the Lord all the day long; and when the night came, they did not cease to praise the Lord. And thus they were driven forth; and no monster of the sea could break them, neither whale that could mar them; and they did have light continually, whether it was above the water or under the water." Read the rest: http://lds.org/scriptures/bofm/ether/6?lang=eng

This blog is the captain's log of our family's journey. It will serve to keep all of you updated on Cathi's condition but also be a place where I can express the lessons we are learning so that it might be a source of strength for others who are going through difficult challenges. We are certainly not unique in this regard. I hope to continue trusting in the light we have been given and to lead our family when we are encompassed by the dark ocean or tossed by its waves. We sincerely seek for your faith in asking the Lord to calm the water, give strength beyond our own and lead all of us of us to a better place.

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Cathi Update

I'm sitting here in the Rocky Mountain Cancer Center at Skyridge Hospital with Cathi as she gets her first chemo therapy medications.  We came at 9am and it's now about 12:30pm.  I think we have another couple of hours to go.  She's had blood tests and received her "pre" medication including an anti-nausea drug and a steroid.  Shown in the picture below is Cathi receiving one of the three chemo medicines...this one seems to be the most "notorious" of the bunch...I've heard it referred to as the "Red Devil".  The other two will be given to her through I.V.


Just as we've learned with all previous steps in this cancer treatment...once the mystery goes away, so does the fear.  The administration of the chemo drugs is no longer a mystery!  Cathi was pretty nervous about getting the line put in her port (the port that was surgically inserted under her skin about a week ago and is still very tender).  But as soon as it was done and especially as this red stuff started flowing, she had a big smile on her face and said, "I'm doing it!"  This next photo of Cathi eating lunch during her treatment shows the Cathi I remember at our wedding reception.  I couldn't eat a thing and kept asking myself, "what am I doing??"  Cathi seemed to become more animated and eat more voraciously as the evening went on (which made me even more nervous)!  Anyway...a sign that she's doing GREAT!


I will write more often during the next week to keep you all updated on how her body reacts to these drugs.  I'm working from home the rest of the week and will be keeping a close eye on her.  We also live in the best neighborhood and are part of the most awesome ward (Mormon congregation) in the entire world!  Every day we get calls and emails from people who want to do something to help.  I also have great friends at work who are constantly checking up on us.

I'll end today's post by passing on some advice that one of the oncology nurses (strongly) shared with me.  He looked at me and said, "Husband, your job is to immediately cut off anyone who wants to tell Cathi things they've heard or read about these drugs or share any kind of drama or sad story about chemo therapy."  I'll add to his words by saying...keep those positive stories and your great moral support coming!  We've just started perhaps the most difficult phase of this challenge and know we can get through it with your help.  We love each of you and express our gratitude in every prayer...for YOU!
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4 comments:

  1. wjmomApril 12, 2011 at 4:19 PM

    There are so many of us who really appreciate your regular posts. All of your family has been and will continue to be in our prayers, but we are so far away! Please give everyone love from the West Jordan Hills, especially from me!

    And to all of you wonderful friends and ward members, thank you for taking such beautiful care of our family!

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  2. KelliApril 12, 2011 at 8:18 PM

    I love that you took a picture of her eating her lunch! haha :) Definitely a good sign. Sending all things positive your way! Thanks SO much for the updates.

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  3. TXboomApril 12, 2011 at 9:00 PM

    Thanks for sharing your journey, Jerry. Our faith and prayers are with you each. We know the Lord is watching over Cathi and your little family at this time. We love you.

    Grant and Laurelle

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  4. The Vuki FamilyApril 12, 2011 at 11:57 PM

    Love you Aunt Cathi! If anyone can do it, it's you! You ROCK! You've taken the bull by the horns and now you must ride it! Go girl! Go girl!
    Thanks Uncle Jerry for your posts. I look forward to them. Give your wife a big hug and kiss from ALL of us in SACTOWN!

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