I am new to this whole blogging thing, but the goal of this blog is to keep friends and family updated with the most current information on my mother, Carol Lewis. I will try to post things as soon as I am able to try to keep everyone in the loop on the progress of how my mother is doing.
On the morning of August 14th my mom went to the ER after the advise from all of her children. For three weeks prior she had been complaining of stomach pain and pain in her back and ribs. She thought it was probably her gallbladder acting up. The pain was getting bad enough that she started not sleeping well and was not able to eat much. All of us children were concerned and wanted her to get it checked out just to make sure it wasn't something too serious.
When my mom arrived at the ER in Tallahassee, FL, the doctors immediately started running various tests. I called my dad that Saturday morning to find out if in fact he had taken mom to the ER. At that time he said they were there and they were running all the tests, but no results had come back yet. The doctor did say in his professional opinion that she probably does have gallstones that will need to be removed along with the gallbladder. My dad told me he would call me back when the results had come back. At this point I was relieved that she had finally gone in to find out what was wrong and fix the problem so that she wouldn't be in pain anymore.
A couple hours later I received the phone call from my dad. He told me the results just came back. His words "they aren't good". As I take a deep breath and brace myself, I ask what are they. He said mom does have gallstones, but also she has massive cancerous tumors everywhere on the pancreas and liver. Once tumors are found on the pancreas, it is assumed that it is cancer. I am overwhelmed with emotion and shock. I don't even know what to say even if I could speak. He said mom would be going in for surgery to remove the gallstones, gallbladder and to take a biopsy of the tumor on the liver to find out if it had metastasized from the pancreas. The biopsy would also give us the stage of the cancer.
During the wait time our family tried not to do too much research on pancreatic cancer, but it was hard not to. None of the outcomes were what we would hope for. At best she would have five years. Trying not to focus on the negative, we filled our hearts and minds with encouraging Scripture such as Psalm 145:18 The Lord is nigh unto all them that call upon him.
Psalm 18:2 The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength.
Rom. 12:12 Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer.
Job 22:27 Thou shalt make thy prayer unto him, and he shall hear thee.
Isaiah 58:9 Then shalt thou call, and the Lord shall answer; thou shalt cry, and he shall say, Here I am.
Psalm 55:17 Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and he shall hear my voice. What shall we then say to these things?
Romans 8:31 If God be for us, who can be against us?
On Tuesday, August 17th I went to my sister Kristi's house so that the kids could all play together. While I was there, my dad called me and told me that the test results had come back. I again brace myself. He said that the biopsy they took from the liver had metastasized from the pancreas and the cancer was at stage four and they are only giving her four to six months. Once more, I am overwhelmed with emotion and shock. I can't believe what I just heard. How can it be that my mother of whom I just saw two months prior and was healthy as a horse has now been diagnosed with terminal cancer. It can't be only four to six months that I have left to spend with my mother who is always there for me for advise, who has loved me unconditionally from the day I was born, who I look forward to her visit and what we will laugh about next. There are so many things running through my mind. Then when I talk to my mother she is as calm and positive as ever. She tells me not to be sad, for she is not sad. If it is the Lord's will to take her, then she knows she is going to heaven and there is nothing sad about that. The doctors had told her that basically there is no point in proceeding with chemo or radiation, but this news did not make her give up. She told me she was interested in trying some natural treatment methods that she had heard work for some people.
Over the next couple weeks, we found a natural treatment center (The Longevity Center) in CA that uses the Gerson therapy method of natural treatment that uses organic foods, juicing, coffee enemas, detoxification and natural supplements to activate the body’s ability to heal itself. This center is close to my sister Karen. We wanted to move my parents closer to us kids anyway so this seamed like the perfect option. On August 31st my mom flew to Phoenix and my dad and brother Kevin drove from FL to AZ. My parents were able to spend some time with my three brothers and their families who live there. Then on September 5th my mom flew to CA and my dad drove their car there. My mom during this time has been extremely tired and in some pain so we thought it best that she fly rather then make the drive with my dad.
My mom's 10 day treatment started on September 7th. The first couple days went pretty good. The doctor gave her a lot more to eat then what she had been eating herself. She seemed to have a little more energy and her natural skin coloring started to come back after the first couple of days. The center also told her that they have treated patients that have been worse off then my mom and the patients that stick with the program have survived their cancer. The treatment time starts her on eating healthy and juicing, etc and basically gives her all the information on how to continue to live this lifestyle on her own. This will be a new way of life for my mom. We are all hopeful that God will use this method to heal her in a miraculous way.
~Kim E.
