Take It To The Enemy

After the the U.S. was attacked on 9/11, George Bush made the best decision of his Presidency when he ordered his Generals to go on the offensive against terrorism. Regardless of your opinion on his performance in office, he was right to recognize that a defensive position would never work against this enemy.

We took the same position when our enemy suddenly appeared. Char flew in and took command. When local resources did not appear to be adequate, we went to UCLA and then to Cedars Sinai. Cedars was chosen. A quick fix surgical solution was our goal. That wasn't feasible so we began chemotherapy using Gemcitabine and Oxaliplatin.

We (not the Oncologist) decided that Avastin should be added and fought the tough battle for insurance coverage. This was followed by trips to Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Mn. and M.D. Anderson in Houston.

One decision after another. Use Laurie Frakes as a local oncologist. Change oncologists from Cedars to USC. Transfer from Scripps to Cedars for our gall bladder surgery. Use Dr. Lo for the stent replacement. Ask Dr. Tasher to be our local resource.

Tough decisions. Always tough. And we make them not knowing the outcome.

So lets stop and assess our position. We have a large group of soldiers physically involved in supporting this war. Loving family members. Decision makers. Transportation providers. Kid's care providers. Meal providers. Medical resources. But the most powerful division in this military machine is you, the prayer warrior, who supports us by lifting us up to the throne of God Most High. We acknowledge Him as our only source of wisdom in decision making.

And He honors every decision made because we make them on His behalf. He is our Commander-In-Chief. The battle is His.

And the results? Last night I read the Radiologist's report of a CT Scan done last week at The RB Imaging Center. In comparing it to the original scan done on 11/05/05, their results; no new growth! the cancer is halted! a huge victory, beloved, considering that this type of cancer does not have a history of good response to chemotherapy.

When Jesus gave Cephas his commission as an Apostle, He said, your name is Peter. On this rock I will build my Church and the gates of Hell will not prevail against it. Hell is defensively hidden behind it's gates and we are on the offensive every day by the character of our lives. Our God is on the offense in this world through us.

God expects us to continue our offensive battle against this cancer. We will by His great power do just that. Be encouraged, beloved, as we are. We claim the victory that is yet unseen to be ours!

Godspeed