Message from Donna

I want to thank everyone for your outpouring of love and support and for the many, many prayers that are being lifted up for Dusty and me. Please keep those prayers coming! This news has of course been overwhelming for me and I apologize for not having returned so many phone calls, but it has been "beyond difficult" for me to talk these last few days. Please know that I love each and everyone of you and you are all in my heart. Your posts have lifted my spirits more than words can express. I know that God is holding me tight in his loving arms and I feel his love comforting me as he knows my fears.

Comments

Donna really appreciates the comments that are being left. Knowing she is in your thoughts and prayers has already comforted her. When you leave comments if you could please leave your full name so Donna knows who is leaving comments it would be much appreciated. There are several people that have the same first name and it would just help us to figure out easier who is writing. If you would like her to contact you, you can also leave your email address. Please continue to pray for Donna and Dusty.

CT scan

Donna had a CT scan of her chest to just check to see if there were any more signs of cancer before proceeding. We should have more information on tests by end of the week or first of next week. The surgeon & Oncologist are meeting to discuss the best course of action. She is feeling overwhelming support from everyone who has responded and sent her messages on this blog. Thank you very, very much for your outpouring of love.

Dusty Update

We wanted to let everyone know that Ronnie & Donna both sat down and talked with Dusty and told him that Donna has cancer. He was naturally upset at first. He is concerned but feels better knowing what is going on. They shared two scriptures with him and told him that we not only need to thank God in the good times, but we need to thank Him in the bad times, because it will strengthen our faith and make us stronger. Here are the two scriptures they shared. Philippians 4:6-7 "Don't worry about anything, instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all that he has done. If you do this, you will experience God's peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus." Nahum 1:7 "The Lord is good. When trouble comes, he is a strong refuge. And he knows everyone who trusts in him." ~~Please continue to be sensitive to his needs and feelings as well. It is hard for someone his age to fully understand what is going on. It might even be helpful to send him an encouraging card now and then. He is a very sensitive little boy who dearly loves his mommy.

Donna's Journey

Donna's health situation probably all started last spring with some weight loss (which she thought was a good thing). Then around Thanksgiving 2007 she got sick with what seemed like a chest cold. The cold didn't seem to get better but she was in the middle of moving before Christmas and trying to take care of the cold with "over the counter" medicines. She started experiencing trouble breathing and having shortness of breath. Finally deciding that the medicines she was taking were not helping, she went to her doctor last week. The first thoughts the doctor had was pneumonia and proceeded with blood tests & X-rays. The X-rays came back clear. Next came lung and heart tests, which also came back clear. The blood tests started coming in and showed that she was severely anemic and was admitted to the hospital for a blood transfusion. Her low blood counts were the reason she was having trouble breathing. A CT scan was also done at this time which showed multiple masses on her liver which the doctor was 90% sure was cancerous. The surgeon said the masses did not start in the liver and we needed to perform a colonoscopy and an endoscopy to determine where the masses originated from. These tests were done today and unfortunately we did not get the results we were hoping for. A large mass was found in the cecum portion of her colon and biopsies were taken. We will have more confirmed results from the biopsies in 3-4 days, but the doctor says that he is certain that it is cancer. A surgery will be performed in about a week to remove this portion of her intestine and then they will start chemotherapy. This is where things stand for now and we will update as more information becomes available.

Now for some information on what Donna's needs are right now.

~~First of all, Dusty DOES KNOW that his mommy has a spot in her intestine and will have surgery to remove it soon. He also knows she will have treatments that will make her not feel well. He does NOT know that she has cancer yet. We are waiting to discuss this with him. We don't want to overload him right now with too much information.

~~Donna would like you to PLEASE be careful what you say in Dusty's presence, or to your own children that might talk with Dusty. This is VERY IMPORTANT to Donna. Please respect her wishes and we will let you know when he knows everything.

~~Donna is appreciating the phone calls, but is also going way over her cell phone minutes. She is requesting that you use her home phone number if you would like to reach her. If you don't have this number or her address, you can email Tina at tnt312@gmail.com to get that information. Donna does have Verizon cell phone service, so if you also have Verizon then your calls to her cell phone are free.

~~Donna is feeling very overwhelmed, emotional and tired right now and would appreciate a few days to rest and process everything that has just happened. Also for "out of town" friends & family that are wanting to see her, she wants to see you, but would appreciate it if you would just check with her before coming. She has a lot to deal with right now.

~~Last, but not least, Donna needs your prayers! This is comforting to her to know that there are so many people out there praying for her! She appreciates ALL the prayers so far and knows that God is watching over her. She does have a wonderful support from her local church family in Texas, but also is comforted by all the prayers from around the country.

~~Please continue to pray for her! ~~