answered prayers...

KELLY'S PET SCAN WAS CLEAR!!!!

did you hear me?? IT IS CLEAR!!!

God is so good.

The port placement went good without any complications. Tomorrow the battle begins. Chemo is at 9am. She will be on a 48 hour drip...a pouch she can wear around her waist. We are thankful she can get treatment at home even if it means sporting a fanny pack ;)

He answered prayers today. He held our hands. He is in control. He is so good.

Specific prayers for tomorrow:

1. Pray the side effects are minimal...and for whatever side effects she does have they can give her meds to minimize them.

2. Pray a big thank you for giving Kelly positive news today.

3. Pray that her anxiety lessens as she is just really scared of the unknown...this chemo is very harsh.

4. Pray another BIG thank you to our Father for watching over our family.

yesterday, today and tomorrow...

Yesterday...good day....lots of laughs with old friends. From one of her dearest (in reference to how many friends have resurfaced) --Kelly is like a Coke...she brings the world together :o)

“Is any pleasure on earth as great as a circle of Christian friends by a good fire?” C.S. Lewis" Just love those BU college roomies.

Today...got the call to schedule a PET scan and port tomorrow!

1. Pray the scan is completely clear of any other tumors in her body. (6am)

2. Pray that Dr. Gogel places the port in Kelly with ease and no complications. (1pm)

3. This is day surgery, but also pray for it to be pain free for her.

4. Chemo starts Thursday...pray that her body accepts the treatment and begins to heal.

I keep making reference to our devotion...a dear friend of Kim's gave all us girls in the family this little book in case you want to know...it is "Jesus Calling" by Sarah Young

--If you try to carry tomorrow's burdens today, you will stagger under the load and eventually fall flat...It is in the present moment that I walk close to you, helping you carry your burdens. Keep your focus on My Presence in the present--

We are forever in debt to all of you for your continued prayers.

Houston...

Kelly and Jason made it to MD Anderson early yesterday morning to meet with Dr. Javle. He has some other treatment options that he is going to discuss with Dr. Savin (the oncologist here in Dallas). He wants Kelly to start treatment here and then come back to Houston for a CT scan in 3 months. I'm thanking God for a team of doctors collaborating on the very best treatment plans for Kelly. We are also grateful that treatment can be done here in Dallas. I know she is finding comfort in these answered prayers.

As scary as all this is, God is present. We feel Him all around our family through all your outpouring love and prayers. From yesterday's devotion --My loving Presence is sufficient to carry you through each day-- And that is what He did for Kelly and all of us yesterday. She got through a really scary day with His loving Presence....His arms wrapped tightly around our family...each one of us.

MD Anderson TOMORROW!

This is pure proof the PRAYER IS POWERFUL!
Kelly has an appointment at MD Anderson in Houston tomorrow morning, February 24th, at 10:00 am. She's not really sure what to expect, but they will be running plenty of tests. She's asking for lots of prayers for peace and understanding.
A Prayer For Peace:
     O God, you will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are fixed on you; for in return and rest we shall be saved; in quietness and trust shall be our strength.
     Isaiah 26:3, 30:15

Blessing and safe travels...
Gayla

kids...

thoughts and comments from the kids...

sam (9) --i wanna shave my head with you, mom.

will (13) --yeah good idea...let's do it!

ben (11) --yeah i'm in!

ella (7) --do i have to shave my head?....kel's reply...absolutely not!

cole (10) --a text to his friend...will you pray for my aunt kelly? we are all crying over here. and if you see me crying at school...please don't make fun of me...it's because my aunt kelly has cancer. his friend's reply...yes, i just prayed for kelly...and you can't cry, because if you cry, i'll cry.

cate (11) --mom is what aunt kelly has really serious?

dylan (4) --miss kelly, i hope you feel better. i miss you!

--look straight into your children's eyes and draw your strength from them. They are God's gift to us. --from Valerie

3 john 1:4 --I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in Truth.

Results

Kelly and Jason met with the doctor today at 3:00. He verified that she does have pancreatic cancer and it has spread to her liver. 


They felt confident with their doctor and he is very optimistic about treatment, although they will seek a second opinion at MD Anderson very soon.


Please continue to pray for peace, clarity, good doctors, and a successful treatment plan.


     The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.
          - Deuteronomy 31:1


Sending lots of love,
Gayla

Big Plans

Your problems will pale when you view them in the light of My presence....a piece of our devotion from yesterday. Kelly has said many times that this is so much bigger than just us. God has something BIG planned to use Kelly in this way. There are so many people witnessing and experiencing this with us. Someone will be changed...I believe many actually will be changed, moved, brought to their knees...me being one of them. I pray God will use our family as a way of showing the lost and stumbling what He is capable of. He is in control. My sweet father-in-law preached just that last Sunday...in a commanding statement...like any good baptist preacher would say...BELIEVE IN GOD--HAVE FAITH IN HIM...with a loud preachy voice. I love that loud preachy voice that is kind of rare in his sermons. So right now, I leave my discouragement at the alter and walk away with Encouragement because I have Faith in Him to make this all ok.

Three specific prayer requests

Hey friends. As you are lifting Kelly and Jason up in prayer this week, here are a few specifics you can pray for:


1) Clarity on which doctors to choose


2) Clarity on which avenue of treatment is best


3) For Kelly's anxiety


Thank you for being such great friends.

Blessings,
Gayla

"Some thoughts I wanted to share" - Jason

Over the last few days I have experienced a few moments of clarity, mostly due to timely advice and encouragement from my friends and family. I wanted to share these new (or newly regained) insights with all those praying for and thinking about Kelly. There's hundreds of years of theology that probably can better elucidate all of this, but here's what has dawned on me.


On Tuesday morning I came to work but literally felt crushed underneath an insurmountable weight. In this day and age, information is abundant and my instinct was to gather as much of it as possible after hearing from doctors on Monday night. The information available to us concerning this malady is not good. I was immediately overwhelmed with hopelessness, untethered and adrift, lost completely. I received constant encouragement from friends and family but having become recently "informed," I saw all of that for what it was worth. I became a blubbering mess and knew I had to do something to get it together for Kelly's sake and for that of my kids. Then I spoke with one of the dearest friends that night. He is himself a physician and no stranger to the "facts" about this disease. He reminded me that Kelly isn't a "fact," or a "patient" or a "subject of study." She is Kelly, a unique child of God. And that it will be devastating to race to the "logical" conclusion of this. And that it must unfold before us one little step at a time. And that my role in this is to walk with her, at her side for each of those steps.


The next morning I returned to an email I received from the day before. In it was a bible verse, from Lamentations 3:19-23. As I read it again, I focused on the last verse:


23 Great is his faithfulness;
          his mercies begin afresh each morning.


There it is - that strange connecting of the dots that seems to happen when two people who barely know each other manage to speak to me in different ways at different times but point me to the same subtle truth. Kelly and I have taken great comfort in this truth since that moment - as we grow overwhelmed with the "reasonable" outcome of all of this, we have to get back to the journey, and not anticipate the journey's end. We will take each day as it comes, with its unique challenges, and follow the footsteps in front of us. Following Christ means a lot of things, but for us right now it literally means stop, find the trail again, and follow where he walks just ahead of you.


The second awakening for me in the last few days occurred yesterday, as I waited anxiously during Kelly's surgery. The blog and the constant buzzing of my phone as texts, voicemails, and emails continued to flood in from everybody everywhere - phone numbers I didn't recognize at first, people I hadn't heard from in years, people I had forgotten to reach out to but in some amazing way had learned anyway. It pointed me back to the night before - when I had difficulty parking at my own house at 9:30 PM because my neighborhood just isn't suited for parking for the 50 people that showed up to pray over my wife and my family. Again, there is better and more eloquent theology, but it occurred to me that we sometimes pray for the presence and power of God to manifest itself. I think this is because of our imperfect understanding and our habit of ritualizing our communion with God.We thing of prayer and God in a mystical way - like we can summon him with our incantations and convince him of aiding us towards an outcome we desire. The power and presence of God were not brought forth by our prayers, but our gathering together was the power and presence of God. He didn't show up because you got there first and called on him, he brought you there. The prayers prayed over us are God's voice speaking to us; your hand in ours, his hand in ours, your tears shed, his tears washing over us; your embrace, his loving arms enveloping us. That's what God called all of you to do, and you did it. And lives were touched by it in ways none of us are able to understand. Ways that have nothing to do with illness. In particular, one of my own children was moved by it in a profound way. God makes people desire to follow him, because he moves his children to lift one another up, physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually, and believers and non-believers alike bear witness.


Thank you all and may God bless you!


Jason

Tuesday...

The results from Kelly's liver biopsy will be released on Tuesday, February 21st.

Kelly's trying to stay busy (which isn't hard with four kiddos) and needs our prayers for a good outcome.

Kelly, to pass the time, why not paint some fingernails?

          Kelly painting Ben, Will & Codi Grace's fingernails in 2002.

Ella, just another reason the boys are so glad there's another girl in their home!

Love to you all,

Gayla

CareCalendar for Stewart Meals

Camey Dill has created a CareCalendar for the Stewart's meals. Please see the link below and add the dates where you can bring a meal to them. This is a GREAT tool and it's fun for the family to look online to see who's bringing and food and what's for dinner!

http://www.carecalendar.org

Calendar ID is 102912
Security Code is 1403

Today's going to be a stressful day, so please say some extra "calming" prayers for Kelly and her family. The waiting game for results can feel like an eternity. We're diligently praying for miraculous answers, Kelly, and whatever the doctors say, we're all here to help you with any curveball that might be thrown (gotta add a little baseball lingo in for all the big and little leaguers).

Blessings,
Gayla

Home and resting well

Update from Jason @ 4:35 pm, a man of few words:

     "Home and resting."

Short and simple, but we're so glad to hear it. Thanks, Jason! Give her hugs from all of us!

Hugs,
Gayla

"Please continue to pray for my sister"

I received an update from Carol @ 2:38 pm today:
"Biopsy surgery went well. She is in recovery and should go home in a couple of hours. Diagnosis to come in the next 24-48 hours. Please continue to pray for my sister."

Carol, don't you worry. We have hundreds and hundreds, if not close to a thousand people praying specifically for YOUR SISTER right now. I know she's on every prayer list I have, so multiply that by the hundreds of friends she has who have done the same thing. She's totally covered. And you are too. We're praying for you, Kim, and your parents, so hopefully you're feeling the peace that can only come from our Savior.

In Him,
Gayla

Out of surgery

Update from Jason @ 11:40 am today:
"Kelly's out of surgery and everything went fine and Kelly's doing well. Cell phone has no battery left and Kelly's phone is in the car charging."        Translation: don't panic if you can't reach them.

Thank you for praying, TEAM KELLY! Y'all are amazing and I know Kelly feels you prayers. Keep 'em coming.

Blessings,
Gayla

We Gather Together

Thanks to everyone who came by and joined in prayer over Kelly, Jason, Will, Ben, Sam & Ella tonight.

Kelly told me as I was leaving tonight that she felt an amazing sense of peace. God's presence was evident, and He will never leave her side throughout this time in her life. Neither will we.

Kelly was feeling some stomach pain early this month, and after some tests and a CT scan, the doctors found a mass in her pancreas and spots on her liver. We have created this blog to keep you up to date on Kelly's progress so she and her family won't have to re-tell the medical updates to the hundreds of friends who care so much for them.  Feel free to subscribe to the blog because when Kelly, Jason or the kids request specific prayers, they will be broadcast to you via email.

Thursday, February 16th, Kelly will have a biopsy on her liver. Prayers are being lifted up for wise doctors, concise diagnosis, quick recovery and successful planning for Kelly's next steps to recovery.

And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. - Philippians 4:7


Blessings,
Gayla