chemo today...hopefully!

The Stewart family has had a great weekend spent at kelly and jason's alma mater...GO BEARS! Many blessings over the past week and weekend with old friends and new. Here are just a few...


-Running into unexpected friends, jill and melissa, at George's in Waco.


-Spending time with the phillips family...kyle told her about his time with God each morning praying for her...laughing with julie...painted rocks from jackson and griffin.


-SGBC Smith/Irby class all sporting TK shirts at their annual fish fry...so many friends she has known all her life.


-Lemonade stands for Team Kelly


-Spending time with her kids and being there for school parties last week


-This text from nikki...I'm in awe of your strength and spirit...you are a true blessing (always have been). I got "hope for each day" book to help me pray more thoughtfully for you here is today's message- ask and receive. The part about being attuned to God and living in obedience is so YOU. Go Team Kelly:)


-This email from jason's cousin, pat...Just a note to let you know you and your family are in our prayers daily. Also, my Sunday School class, made up of numerous amazing women who are such prayer warriors. We are now studying PRAYER in our class and have a great portion of our time together devoted to corporate prayer. Kelly is fervently prayed for in these times on Sunday mornings and individually by numerous friends who are on an e-mail list that I have compiled for the purpose of giving updates (forwarding copies of the blogs) from time to time. There are so many who ask about Kelly--they feel like they know her! I must say that I now know her far better through this life situation than I did before. What an amazing testimony your life has already been Kelly. I, along with my Sunday School Sisters, believe you are going to see your children's children as mentioned in Psalms--what a testimony that will be!!!!


- A friend who recently worked on their backyard remodel is working across the ally. He came by and told kelly about his mom being a 3 year cancer survivor. He told kelly (who he only met recently) that he prays for each and every morning on the way to work.


- Carson's personalized Team Kelly iPhone case...losing is NOT an option! Love it!


- Drake's customized Team Kelly kicks :)


I could go on and on...so many encouraging emails, texts, calls etc. She receives God's love every time she sees one. Today she will hopefully receive her 5th round of treatment. She is anxious and nervous. Having complete trust and faith isn't easy, but your continued words of encouragement and prayers are keeping her spirit high.


from our devotion yesterday~
Welcome challenging times as opportuniteis to trust ME. You have Me beside you and My Spirit within you, so no set of circumstances is too much for you to handle. When the path before you is dotted with difficulties, beware of measuring your strength against those challenges. That calculation is certain to riddle you with anxiety. Without Me, you wouldn't make it past the first hurdle! The way to walk through demanding days is to grip My hand tightly and stay in close communication with Me. Let your thoughts and spoken worlds be richly flavored with trust and thankfulness. Regardless of the day's problems, I can keep you in perfect Peace as you stay close to Me.


Prayers for today:
1. Pray she has high numbers in white blood cells and platelets to receive treatment.
2. Pray for nourishment and hydration.
3. Pray the chemo attacks the cancer with minimal side effects.
4. Thank Him for so many weeks of feeling good.
5. Thank Him for her positive spirit that her family and friends witness each and every day.
6. Thank Him for all the many prayers lifted up each day by TEAM KELLY.


If you ordered a shirt...it is in! Please shoot me an email so we can get it to you. We also ordered lots of extras if you want one, just let us know! $10 each and you can pay by donating right here on the blog. Thanks for supporting kelly...she is joyfully overwhelmed with TEAM KELLY's population!
carol.davis2@verizon.net

you can do this!!

His mercies for today...the CT scan showed shrinkage and no new growth!  Her white blood cell counts are still low, but she received a shot to boost those numbers.  She has 2 more rounds of chemo to complete this 6 round treatment.  She will get her 5th treatment on Tuesday...hopefully!  And 3 weeks after that she will get her 6th.  Once that is accomplished, she will have a PET scan and they'll discuss a new regimen of treatment.  Dr. Savin is sending the scan results to Dr. Javle at MD Anderson and she will visit Houston once this current treatment plan is completed.

Dr. Savin was amazed at kelly's strength and energy with such low numbers. The fact that she feels so good, looks so good and has such high spirits is a miracle!  He was so encouraging and told her she is much stronger than she knows.  He told her the chemo she has been given knocks most people to their knees.  She has so much support and so many prayer warriors that her mental fight (that is so much of the battle) is carrying her through this harsh treatment.  He asked how the kids were.  He gave her a hug.  He told her she is the kind of patient that makes him an optimistic doctor.  

Yesterday on the CT table, she prayed.  She asked Him to heal her and make her whole...and she will be a positive spirit for Him.  She wants to give HOPE to others!  After making this "deal" with Him, we read our devotion yesterday...this verse being in the references...
I grasp and cling to whatever you tell me; God, don't let me down!  I'll run the course you lay out for me if you'll just show me how.
~Psalm 119:31-32 The Message

So many cards, texts and calls everyday...she loves each and every one.  All these kids and close friends seeing His love and mercies...showing her SO much love.  It gives her great strength and encouragement and HOPE.  One friend leaves her with these words in a card every day...

YOU CAN DO THIS KELLY!!  

much love to you TEAM KELLY...thank you for all 

your love and prayers this week :)

CT scan tomorrow...

Hi TEAM KELLY...thank you for being present and keeping kelly in your prayers this weekend.  She is feeling great and is gearing up for a big week ahead.  Here are a few pics sent over the weekend.  

kelly, amy, erica and dawn at baylor sing

 mere warren powell in sacramento, california

with her 5th grade class cheering for TEAM KELLY!

 a teacher gift made while thinking of kelly

kelly got a text this week from a sweet friend reminding her that only when we are weak, do we turn to God.  So many have turned to God on her behalf that never would have done so before.  Praise Him for using kelly in such an amazing way.  As Christians, we often are only awake when we are in the fire.  And we often get sleepy in the sunshine.  Feeling so good these past few weeks has allowed us to get a little sleepy.  So here we are, anxiously anticipating the week to come...worry setting in as we think of...tuesday's scan...and wednesday's doctor appointment, and possible treatment...and thursday being the last day of school.  But so many of you are WIDE AWAKE for kelly and praying for her every day.  That gives us so much strength and HOPE for this week.  

from our devotion yesterday...
--the world is too much with you, My child.  Your mind leaps from problem to problem to problem, tangling your thoughts in anxious knots.  When you think like that, you leave Me out of your world-view and your mind becomes darkened.  Though I yearn to help, I will not violate your freedom.  I stand silently in the background of your mind, waiting for you to remember that I am with you.  When you turn from your problems to My Presence, your load is immediately lighter.  Circumstances may not have changed, but we carry your burdens together.  Your compulsion to "fix" everything gives way to deep, satisfying connection with Me.  Together we can handle whatever this day brings.


Isaiah 41:10; Zephaniah 3:17; Psalm 34:19


Prayers for this week:
1.  Pray for her anxiety over the scan tomorrow
2.  Pray the scan shows shrinkage and positive results
3.  Pray for her platelets and white blood cell counts to be up so she can receive treatment
4.  Pray for Dr. Savin and her nurses to be precise and not miss anything
5.  Thank Him for several weeks of feeling great
6.  Thank Him for new mercies every day

one hundred twenty three

Unfortunately, kelly did not get chemo today.  As frustrating as it is, her platelets and white blood cell counts are not in that safe zone of receiving treatment.  However, there was good news today...He gave us a huge heaping amount of HOPE today. The tumor marker test that has dropped from it's highest at 8800 to 435...has gone down to 123!  This tumor indicator number is falling even after several weeks of not having treatment.  Nurse tammy said these numbers are extraordinary.  God's love for kelly and all of you is extraordinary!  He hears our prayers and He answers them.  We asked for shrinking tumors and He gave us just that.

Here is just a glimpse of what kept her spirits high this past week and weekend~
-tons of texts today...to all of us
-baby lucia!!
-prayers with elizabeth and her parents in the front yard
-South Garland Baptist Church sending her flowers and cards and a princess wand :)
-a "warrior chicks" book in the mail from heather
-averi's crafty bead work
-visiting with monica all the way from Sweden
-a new pretty necklace from trisha
-time spent with close friends at trisha's birthday celebration
-new friends and prayer warriors mark and kay
-old friends and prayer warriors erin and bill
-field day
-tripp's speech
-TK t-shirts and bracelets seen all over town
-being at the ball fields with her mom friends and cheering on her kiddos
-melissa's sweet statue and note in the mail

This verse was sent to her by a friend this week...

--Every time your name comes up in my prayers, I say, "Oh, thank you, God!"  I keep hearing of the love and faith you have for the Master Jesus, which brims over to other believers.  And I keep praying that this faith we hold in common keeps showing up in the good things we do, and that people recognize Christ in all of it.  Kelly, you have no idea how good your love makes me feel, doubly so when I see your hospitality to fellow believers.--   Philemon 1:4-5  The Message

This passage is SO kelly.  It really describes how we all feel about her.  We, all of us, pray for her with great sincerity...because she is so good, loving and kind...and has been that way forever.  Monica reminded her of that this week, how in high school she was friends with everyone...not in any one particular group...but in everyone's groups.  Her friends today joke with her because everyone "thinks" they are kelly's best friend.  Let me tell you, that you don't have to just "think" that.  She actually does think of you that way.  How does a girl have that much room in her heart to share such a close friendship with so many?  God made my sweet sister unique and with a GIANT heart.  Thank you all for being her best friend, for being her constant and faithful prayer warriors, and for being on TEAM KELLY!

Her scan is still scheduled for next week so please continue to pray for positive results.  Also, please thank Him for hearing and answering our prayers!

One last thing...we are ordering more shirts!!!  We've lost track on many are out there now...it's well over a thousand!  So if you want one, email me size and quantity by the end of the week.  You can pay right here on the blog :)  ($10 per shirt)