Prayer

Dear family and friends,
Our visit to the Dr. today showed Johns White blood count was in the safe range, but his platelets are
too low to begin the intended treatments this week. He will go back on Monday July 2nd for another blood test and if all is good at that time will begin round two of the stronger chemo.
  How to pray:
   For weight gain
   For white blood cells to continue to rise and that the platelets will also.
   For peace of mind, rest, for pain in low back to subside.
   For things to go well while I am away with my Todd, Beth and grands.
   
This is a verse I am praying lately...
   I will lift up my eyes to the mountains; from whence shall my help come? My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth. He will not allow your foot to slip; He who keeps you will not slumber nor sleep, The LORD is your KEEPER; your SHADE, your LIGHT; your PROTECTOR; 
He will guard your going out and coming in from now to forever!!!!!
  
God is sovereign, He is faithful and we can trust Him!!!
  Grateful for your love, prayers and encouragement,
  Mary

Low White Blood Count...

Dear Friends and Family,
A quick update on Johns health.  He had a blood panel done today.  His white blood count is extremely low, 0.6.  This is about where it was when he was put in isolation in Mexico in January.   When the count goes this low one is at risk for infection and your body has nothing to fight off the infection.  So he can have  limited visitors,  no one who has a cold,cough,fever, etc.  we are wearing mask, washing our hands often and trying to get John to rest!!!!  (not an easy task) Please call if you can, that way we can limit the time he is up.
He is scheduled to have another blood count done on Wednesday the 27th.  If the counts are up he will begin the 2nd round of chemo that day at the Brevard Clinic.  And then be admitted to  Mission St. Joseph on the 28th-30th for the 24/7 chemo.  Pray with us that he can stay on schedule and that his counts will go up.

I am scheduled to go out west with our daughter, Beth and her husband Todd Goins and 5 of our beautiful grandchildren on the 29th of June.  We have been planning this trip for a while and John is encouraging me to go ahead and go.  Soooooo, I am going.  Johns sister, Peggy Haden, our kids and a few friends are going to fill in the gaps so I can go and I am grateful.

Some verses that I am camping on today!!!

I will not depend on human strength, but on YOU, O LORD my GOD, for help and deliverance. 2 Chronicles 16:7-8,12

YOU, the LORD alone have declared what is to come from the distant past.
There is no god apart from YOU, a righteous GOD and a SAVIOR.  There is none beside YOU. YOU are GOD and there is no other.  Isaiah 45:21-22

I will sing of YOUR strength, yes, I will sing of YOUR mercy in the morning, for YOU have been my Stronghold, my Refuge in times of trouble.
To YOU, O my Strength, I will sing praises for YOU are my Fortress, my Loving GOD.  Psalm 59:16-17


We love you, we are grateful for you and your prayers, cards, encouragement and support as we walk this path, wanting only to be a reflection of our Father!!

In His Arms,
Mary

A letter from John

Dear ones blessed of the LORD,
I hope this finds you completely convinced our Father is still in full control of all our lives! I am so thankful for this gift of faith in my life more now than ever. Hope all you Dads had a wonderful Fathers Day and that all of you who have said farewell to your earthly Father were comforted by our heavenly Father as I was.
 In talking with our oldest daughter ,Beth Goins, who is still very young by the way, She shared with me that one of the many who had contributed to my health care while we were in Tijuana had asked if we thought it was worth it. The answer is an huge yes.I don't know how clear we were about my condition when we arrived in Mexico but I assure you it was desperate. I had been on a urinary catheter for at least 3 wks. and heavy narcotics for over 2 weeks which barely made my level of pain tolerable. We arrived at night so we only saw the Dr. briefly. I would like to say getting into this dire situation  took place by Divine Providence but really believe it was more due to UN divine stubbornness . You see there is only one thing I have feared more than the cancer and that is chemotherapy. When the Dr. came to visit us the next evening, he sat across from Mary and me and told me they had a lot of great treatments for cancer but the only one he could offer me was chemo therapy and  if he couldn't help me with that he couldn't help me at all. Then he asked me if I would trust him with that. I looked at Mary, only she knew how many times I had said no to chemo, and then back at him and I said yes. When we arrived my weight was 160  about 15 to 20 lbs. off my normal weight. My first x-ray showed my left lung 1/2 full of liquid my second showed it full and my right lung beginning to fill. After two chemo treatments both lungs and literally my whole body was full of fluid and my weight reached 191 lbs. two weeks. later when we left to come home my weight was 140lbs. I truly believe if it hadn't taken that trip, those Drs. and what they did, I would not have lived to receive the care I am now receiving . So thank you all for your sacrificial giving, and for one old man still alive in N.C., who believes it was worth every penny. By the way Uncle Sam has agreed to pick up the tab until August so praise God for all you tax payers too. Thank you all and I hope this hasn't been to long.

               Love and prayers, Johnny Linville

Fighting Hard

Just a quick update for John.  The port was placed successfully  on Monday morning. Dr. Bridges was able to place it just under the collar bone on the left side, without disturbing the tumors in that area. Today, (Tuesday)he had a 6 hour treatment here in Brevard @ the Cancer Center.  He is exhausted and nauseated.  He will be admitted to St. Josephs Hospital tomorrow for the heavier chemo.
I am tired and will attempt to post tomorrow evening after he gets settled.  Thank you for your prayers!!!! We love you and are grateful for you.

In His Arms,
Mary

Dear Family and Friends,
 Please forgive us for not posting before now.  Things have been a bit crazy the last few months.  Brevard is definitely a rain forest this spring and summer.  Everything is lush and green...just beautiful ... a constant reminder of our Creator and King, Jesus, who not only created all things but holds them together. Colossians 1:16-17

John had scans done on Monday, June 4th and we met with the Oncologist on Wednesday morning the 6th.  The report is not good. The tumors in his abdomen and chest have increased significantly and there are new ones growing.  This means the proto call the Dr. is using is not working. She is suggesting John be admitted to St.Joseph Hospital in Asheville, NC for five days of a stronger chemo, which has to be monitored 24/7.  Then wait 3 weeks and do this same treatment in the hospital setting and repeat the scans to see if they are responding. If the tumors respond this would be repeated for two additional treatments. It is such a powerful treatment it will then require a Stem Cell(bone marrow), transplant which is an 8 week process in Wake Forest, NC. If John chose to do nothing...the prognosis would be 2-6 months.
John is scheduled to have a port placed on Monday morning at
6:15 AM at Transylvania Hospital.  Then as soon as St. Joseph Hospital calls he will be admitted there for five days of the stronger chemo. I will let you know when he is admitted there.
We are trusting the Father to guide us moment by moment, to keep our minds at peace, to continue to show us how to be a reflection of HIS GRACE and to help us be open and honest in our efforts to live for HIS GLORY.
Today is Johns 63rd birthday!!! We have two families staying at the River Bend Campground for the weekend!!! We were approved for medical insurance!!!! We saw four of our nine grandchildren today! Todd and Beth and five grands are doing well in Brasstown, NC, getting ready for a big trip out west! Shannon and Heather finally found a specialist in Charlotte that seems to be on the ball with our grandson, Wills body producing too much calcium, creating kidney stones, and high levels of calcium in his urine.  he will be 3 July 3rd, thank you for praying for him. Jason and Jenn are doing well and just celebrated their 5 wedding anniversary! JT and Jonlyn are playing classical music for a wedding tomorrow. The Lord has supplied our every need!!!!!!!

We are trusting the one who created and holds all things together..."so that HE Himself might come to have FIRST PLACE in everything." Colossians 1:18

In His Arms,
Mary Linville (for us all)