Back to 3 Month Check-ups

My dad's stent was removed last week. I keep forgetting to take a picture of it - yes, my mom asked the doctor for it, to keep as a souvenir (the doctor said she's the first person to ever ask to keep it) :) He got a slight fever and didn't feel well for a few days immediately afterwards, but is all better now.

So, now he just goes back to the regular quarterly check-ups!

Thank you all for your prayers, emails, and support. We feel so loved and blessed, and don't have enough words to express our gratitude to everyone. I guess this concludes this part of his journey!

5 Months and a Trip to China Later...

Less than 5 months ago, we were told my dad would probably live another 11 months, and that was if he did chemo treatments. I remember when my mom called to tell me my dad's cancer recurred. I was with Carrie in NYC, sitting in a theater, waiting for a Broadway show to start.

So much happened in the past few months. My parents had so many tough decisions to make, and despite lots of doubting from well-meaning people around them, were able to make a decision to go to China after lots of praying. God worked a miracle, answered our prayers, and now the experiences of the past few months seem like they're all over, just like that! My dad's just back to normal. It seems strange to just be done. When it all began again, I think we expected to all be emotionally invested til the end. But now, it's another beginning.

It's funny how China has such a bad reputation. Of course it probably comes deserved, but it amazes me how much we all trust in the US health system too. The numerous recalls in the US should be enough of an alert that things aren't always fine and dandy just because it's been approved in the states. Even after my dad's CT came back clear in China, I think some people were waiting for the US CT to be done, just to make sure. It's as if the US CT scan was an official stamp, the proof that this was all real.

I have to say, I had some questions right after my mom called me from China to say everything was good. But immediately, I said a prayer, and told God "I don't want to be a doubting Thomas. It is a greater blessing to believe without seeing. Help me believe now, even though my mind wants me to doubt and I have lots of questions." It has been such an experience for me, learning to pray so much more through all of this. The whole praying-for-healing thing leads to many questions in my head too. Obviously there's a natural course in life, in which we all die eventually, so at what point do we decide to pray for healing, vs. just accept that it's time to go? All of these questions are still unanswered for me, but I prayed for a simpler faith. He has answered that prayer, and it has been refreshing to be able to come to Him in prayer with whatever I'm thinking about.

So what are my parents up to now? Well, they're still busy! They're meeting up with lots of old friends from church. They've spent some time relaxing at the beach. They still have some doctor's appointments to go to. My mom's cooking for all of us. Basically, it's back to the daily grind. Except that we have never ending thanks to give to God for giving my parents an amazing testimony to share, and hopefully many more years to spend together.

All Credit Goes to God

My dad had his CT scan done today at SCCA, and they just finished meeting with his oncologist. The results are the same, my dad looks just like a regular, healthy, normal person :) We found out today that my dad's oncologist is also a Christian, and he told my parents "All credit goes to God."

Next steps:
-Remove the stent
-Continue with 3 month check-ups!

Praise the Lord :)

Home, Sweet Home

We came home to wonderful, Seattle summer weather. My mom actually thinks it's a bit on the warm side, because we've had AC blasting the whole time in China. We enjoyed a picnic dinner at Matthews Beach last night for Gary's birthday.

Usually my mom is pretty strict about what my dad is allowed to eat. But this time, my dad had a blast with all the snacks we brought - Dad: "We should have picnics more often."

Everyone says how handsome my dad is. Dad is surprised that he looks more handsome now that he's older. Doing some stretching after eating:

And, dad being yeh-yeh (grandfather):

Speaking of which, while we were in China, my parents were riding a packed bus, and some people stood up from their seats. My parents hurriedly sat down, thinking the people were getting off at the next stop. It turns out, the people were just giving up their seats specifically for my parents, because they looked like senior citizens! Doh.

Visit the other macktinalin blog

Kyun and I are off to China! Please visit the following blog site while we are away (we will redirect you back here when we return):
http://macktinalin.blog.com

We will be in Beijing for part of the trip to visit some specialist doctors there. The doctors want to do multiple days worth of tests on my dad.

Surprised Doctors

The doctors at the hospital were surprised by the results of my dad's CT-PET scans. Going into it, they told us the goal was to get the tumor smaller, and long-term wise, gene therapy is just supposed to stabilize the cancer. You learn to "live with cancer", meaning it isn't totally gone, but it's not actively growing or spreading. They don't advertise gene therapy as a cancer-cure.

My dad's doctors said they've never seen these results before in a stage 3 or 4 cancer patient.

A number of people were praying with us for my dad's complete healing, and I truly was praying it with faith that God could do it. I knew He could. Yet, when it happened, there's still this surprise, like "WOA, seriously God?" I don't know why I was so shocked, I shouldn't be! About the next thing that came into my mind was "Alright, gotta keep praying for mom".

On Sunday, my dad will be speaking at a fellowship in ShenZhen. He's getting more of his strength back, after having a fever again and having less of an appetite. The next steps are still uncertain, since the results just came back. There is the option to continue with more treatments, or possibly return home earlier. We will keep people posted. In the meantime, Kyun and I are still scheduled to leave for China early next week.

Miracles Happen!

My dad had a CT and PET scan done two days ago, and he just got the results - the doctor can't see the tumor! It's gone! And in the PET scan, previously it "lit up" where the cancer had spread...but this time there were absolutely no places were the cancer lit up! The doctor said he has never seen this happen before.

I'm in shock, basically my mind isn't able to process it all right now. Praise the LORD!