Tom's Thoughts

A Spring Update

noreply@blogger.com (Tom) — Thu, 20 Mar 2025 13:18:00 +0000

2025.03.20

Aren’t these tulips beautiful? I took this picture in May of 2007 in Turkey. Just wanted to share it.

According to my calendar, yesterday was my 15th Stem Cell Birthday. Fifteen years ago I had an autologous stem cell transplant at The Winship Cancer Institute at Emory. and six subsequent treatment regimens, and LOTS of prayers by many faithful Christ followers have brought me to this day.

Here is an update on where my Multiple Myeloma treatment stands. Right now, I am receiving no treatment for cancer. I am under “careful observation.” Here is how that has happened:

On March 1, 2022, I began a clinical trial at Emory. The drug was one of the new bi-specific immunologic drugs. Bi-specific, means it does two things: One, it identifies an antigen on the myeloma cells, and, two, it activates the immune system to go after cells with that antigen.
After the first four weeks, my numbers were “normal.”
After eight weeks, my numbers were so low they couldn’t find them. That has continued. The hope is that things they measure will get back to normal and stay there.
In September 2024, I was informed that the sponsor was canceling the trial effective in December.

So what now? Careful observation. This and similar drugs may have long lasting results for some patients. After lots of testing to see what was going on with me in November of last year, and finding no evidence of cancer, my doctor recommended that I move to having bloodwork every three months. I made a visit to Emory Tuesday, and am awaiting the results.

So please keep praying. Historically, Multiple Myeloma is very good at hiding… for a while. But it always show back up. However, with these new drugs, no one really knows how long things are going to hold.

Praise the LORD with me, and keep praying. For the first time in fifteen and a half years I am not taking anything for the cancer. Glory to God.

Grateful

noreply@blogger.com (Tom) — Sat, 21 Oct 2023 15:33:00 +0000

Today, October 21, 2023, is a significant day for me. Fourteen years ago today I was in my oncologists' office for one final, definitive test, when the doctor told me that he was certain that I had Multiple Myeloma, and he had already scheduled me to start chemotherapy five days later. He was right and I did.

Multiple Myeloma is (for now) an incurable cancer in the plasma cells of the bone marrow. Effective treatments beat down the cancer so that it doesn’t take over and do its deadly deed.

Many of you know I began a clinical trial in March of 2022 at Emory. The results started out as phenomenal, and continue to be so. I am grateful for this new treatment (my sixth). I am grateful for fourteen years and counting. I am grateful for my God who has blessed me beyond measure and for no other reason than His grace and your prayers.

I know I am blessed. I cannot explain it. But I am grateful.

Giddy-Up! (A Horse #6* Update)

noreply@blogger.com (Tom) — Thu, 31 Mar 2022 01:44:00 +0000

Update: After one month of the new clinical trial drug, I got a GREAT report on Tuesday (3/29).

Glory to God!

Now pray that: 1) God gets all the glory, 2) This treatment "horse" has lots of stamina, and I can ride it for a long time, 3) The side effects remain minimal.

Your prayers are the main ingredients in my treatment.

*A friend’s doctor commented that Multiple Myeloma treatments were like Pony Express ponies, “you ride one until it is exhausted, and then you get another horse.”

Saddle Up - Horse #6*

noreply@blogger.com (Tom) — Mon, 28 Feb 2022 02:57:00 +0000

*A friend’s doctor commented that Multiple Myeloma treatments were like Pony Express ponies, “you ride one until it is exhausted, and then you get another horse.”

As many of you know, I entered a clinical trial back in August (fifth horse) and it worked great for two months, but then the horse began to walk backwards, and the numbers went back up. By the first of February, the number that we pay most attention to was higher than it has ever been, so we began looking for what was next. My doctor at Emory recommended another trial, and after praying about it, I signed the consent form. That began the process of tests and pictures (PET scan, Echocardiogram, blood tests, covid tests, and the ever-popular bone marrow biopsy and aspiration. So all that is done, and it is time to saddle up.

I go to Emory tomorrow and check in the hospital for about a week. Yes, I will be in the hospital. It is a new immunological treatment, and it can have some very serious side effects, so I have to be in the hospital for the first dose or two. Assuming things go well on Monday, I will get my first small dose of this medication on Tuesday. Assuming no major reactions, I’ll get more later in the week.

So, your prayers are coveted and needed. My request is as usual: First, that God is glorified in everything. Second, that the treatment works. Third, that the side effects are minimized.

Thank you. So many have prayed for me for so long. I am blessed and grateful.

P.S. If you would like to know more specifics about what I am taking and how it is supposed to work, contact me. I will try to post updates here, but most will happen through Facebook or April’s emails.

Looking For Horse Number Six

noreply@blogger.com (Tom) — Sun, 09 Jan 2022 23:56:00 +0000

“Multiple Myeloma treatments are like Pony Express horses. You ride one for as long as it lasts, and when it is exhausted, you get another horse,” said a friend’s doctor. I have quoted him before, and I am quoting him again, much sooner than I had hoped. The clinical trial I began in August started with two months with the number we watch dropping a lot. The next three months, that number climbed at an accelerating pace, to the point it is now higher than ever before. So, I am asking what the next “horse” will be. Pray with me about that. Pray that God continues to lead us and glorify Himself, and that we find a treatment that will be effective, long-lasting, and I will tolerate well. Thank you! Your prayers, as always, are the main ingredient in my treatment. Thank you! I feel fine. Enjoying the start of my retirement

By the way, the Horse Drawn Wagon scene accompanying this post I photographed in 2003 near Oradea, Romania.

The Next Horse?

noreply@blogger.com (Tom) — Sun, 01 Aug 2021 14:59:00 +0000

A Potential Treatment Horse

Multiple Myeloma treatments are like Pony Express horses. You ride one until it is exhausted, and then you get another horse. Horse #4 is worn out, so we are looking for horse #5.

My doctors at Emory's Winship Cancer Center have identified a clinical trial that seems to be a good fit for me. August 3, if all continues to seem good, I will sign the consent form and begin the tests that must be done to be sure I qualify for the trial, and also to be as sure as possible that I could stand the treatment. This is a new iteration of a family of medications I have taken through the years, so hopefully it will work and side effects will be minimal. April and I will know a lot more after Tuesday, and we will try to keep you posted as things develop.

Philippians 4:6-7 says, "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

As always, your prayers are requested and appreciated. They are the main ingredient in my treatment. I firmly believe they are why I have made it almost twelve years since my diagnosis.

Looking for a Fifth Horse

noreply@blogger.com (Tom) — Sun, 27 Jun 2021 23:44:00 +0000

Sometime within the last year, a friend who is also walking the Multiple Myeloma Road quoted her doctor as saying, “Multiple Myeloma treatments are like Pony Express Ponies. When one gets exhausted, you have to find another horse.” It looks like, for me, that my doctors and I will soon be looking for my fifth horse (5th type of treatment).

Recent blood tests show that the number that I and my doctors watch was no longer creeping upward but climbing rapidly. Not the news I wanted to hear, but not totally unexpected either. MM treatments don’t always have a long period of effectiveness.

I got the news by phone, and after I hung up, I opened my Bible to Psalm 16.

Psalm 16:1-2

Preserve me, O God, for in you I take refuge.

²I say to the Lord, “You are my Lord;

I have no good apart from you.”

Psalm 16:8

I have set the Lord always before me;

because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken.

Those were the words I needed to hear at that moment. I know I am very blessed to still be here since my diagnosis in October 2009. I'd like to stay a bit longer.

I am scheduled for a visit to Emory on July 6. They called Friday and are hoping to get me in for a PET Scan either here in Augusta or there at Emory before July 6. That is kind of a tight schedule. Pray that happens.

So, please pray:

1. That God will be glorified

2. That we’ll find a very good next treatment.

3. That I will tolerate the treatment and its side effects well, and that it will work.

4. That I will get the PET Scan before I go to Emory on July 6.

5. That the new treatment can be done here in Augusta, if possible. It is so much easier.

Your prayers are the main ingredient in my treatment. Thanks!

Keeping Flexible

noreply@blogger.com (Tom) — Sun, 22 Nov 2020 18:03:00 +0000

(Note: I sent this to some of our small group leaders earlier this week at our church, and some sent it on to their group members. Response that I received was positive, so I thought I would share it with a wider audience.)

Keeping Flexible

Above my desk in my office, there is a display of flags from places the Lord has allowed me to go, and in the middle of them is Gumby. Why on earth? Well, when you are on mission, whether right here at home or thousands of miles away, flexibility is key.

The back story on the Gumby is that a former student minister gave it to me when we finished some mission training with students, with one of the latter sessions being on the necessity for flexibility. If Gumby is anything, he is flexible.

Flexibility is a quality demanded in much of life, and that is no less true in how we do church, where we do church, and what we do as a church. We rarely know ahead of time which way the wind of the Spirit is going to blow, so we have to raise our sails and be ready to go in whatever direction He leads us (or blows us!).

Jesus said in John 3:8 “The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

Paul wrote in Galatians 5:16, “But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.”

Stay flexible. Be ready to walk as God leads you, fulfilling His direction, no matter what that might be. Even if it is hard.

————————
A quick health update: The cancer is being held at bay by the treatments and your prayers. Praise the Lord. I have recently developed a new heart issue (“atrial flutter”) so I have some tests and appointments on December 1 and 2. I would appreciate your prayers in all of those.

Blessings,
Tom

Embrace In Faith

noreply@blogger.com (Tom) — Sat, 28 Mar 2020 15:42:00 +0000

The picture accompanying this post has nothing to do with what I am about to say, but it sure is pretty. I took it in Istanbul in 2007. Did you know that Tulips actually originated in Turkey? (That is what they told us.) The folks in The Netherlands just figured out the marketing. Anyway, as you are inside most of the day, enjoy this picture from outside.

Like many of the Old Testament prophets, Habakkuk prophesied the message of the Lord when it wasn’t popular at all. The people of God had wandered far from Him and His ways, and it was the job of the prophets to warn the people to return to the Lord or face his judgment.

[Aside: Do I think COVID-19 is judgment from God? Not necessarily. It is an attention-getter though, or should be. It is certainly the result of the fallen nature of our world. When Eve and Adam ate from the proverbial tree, not only did mankind fall, but so did creation (See Genesis 3; Romans 8:19-22). At the Fall, disease and death became a thing. Today, we see the results of that on a global scale. To attempt to explain this would be another blog post, and it would likely be long, so let’s get back to Habakkuk for now.]

Habakkuk and his contemporaries all warned Judah of God’s coming judgment. The Northern kingdom was already in the hands of the Assyrians. The Chaldeans were a strong and intelligent people that lived in what was the southern section of Babylon, and eventually the name “Chaldean” and “Babylonian” became synonymous. The Babylonian kings whose names more readily come to mind: Nebuchadnezzar and Belshazzar were all Chaldeans. Nebuchadnezzar was the king that would lay siege to Jerusalem on his expansion west.

Habakkuk’s Plea

Habakkuk begins with a plea to the Lord about how long God would wait to call his people back to himself (Habakkuk 1:2-4). The answer he got was probably not what he wanted (Habakkuk 1:5-11. God says (verse 5), what I am about to do you will not believe. You will be amazed (but not in the happy sense). God was going to use the Chaldeans (Babylonians) to start the people back on the process of coming back to Him. Jeremiah tells us in Jeremiah 29:10 that the process would include seventy years of deportation in the city of Babylon. God goes on to remind Habakkuk, his people, and us, of the power and ruthlessness of the Chaldeans. They are a “bitter and hasty nation” (Hab. 1:6). “At kings they scoff, and at rulers they laugh. They laugh at every fortress… They sweep by like the wind and go on, guilty men, whose own might is their god.” (Hab. 1:10-11)

As I read this passage the other day and was reminded of the power and relative speed of the Chaldean army, I could not help but think of this virus that has swept around our world. It is no respecter of boundaries or persons.

Embracing the Situation

There is a lot more in Habakkuk, but I want to focus on his closing word. The name “Habakkuk” possibly means “one who embraces.” Habakkuk embraced the bad news counterbalanced with faith (Habakkuk 3:17-19).

¹⁷Though the fig tree should not blossom,
    nor fruit be on the vines,
the produce of the olive fail    and the fields yield no food,
the flock be cut off from the fold    and there be no herd in the stalls,
¹⁸yet I will rejoice in the Lord;
    I will take joy in the God of my salvation.
¹⁹God, the Lord, is my strength;
    he makes my feet like the deer's;
    he makes me tread on my high places.

We need to be prudent, but we must trust God. MUST!

Are you trusting?

Health Update:

Got a call of Friday, 3/28, from my oncologist office. When I was there on 3/19, I came in some form of contact with someone who has since tested positive for COVID-19. So, I am to stay put at home for another week (through 4/2 if no symptoms develop). Otherwise, things continue to go along well. The Multiple Myeloma blood tests won’t be drawn until next Friday, if we keep the current schedule. Please keep praying: 1. That God is glorified, 2. The treatment works, and, 3. Side effects are minimized.

In fact, pray for our world and our country that 1. God is glorified, 2. The spread of the virus is limited and the curve is flattened, 3. Our health care workers are kept safe and have the equipment they need, and, 4. Effective and safe treatments are found.

Pray on.

For More information on the Chaldeans, click here.

To read Habakkuk 1-3 (3 pages in my Bible), click here.

Faith: Simple But Solid

noreply@blogger.com (Tom) — Fri, 20 Mar 2020 16:50:00 +0000

You may feel like the sheep in the picture. The location, by the way is in Norway.

From Wikipedia:

Kjeragbolten is a boulder on the mountain Kjerag in Sandnes municipality in Rogaland county, Norway. The rock itself is a 5-cubic-metre (180 cu ft) glacial deposit wedged in the mountain's crevasse. It is a popular tourist destination and is accessible without any climbing equipment. However, it is suspended above a 984-metre (3,228 ft) deep abyss. It is also a popular site for BASE jumping. The boulder is just southwest of the village of Lysebotn, just south of the Lysefjorden.^[1]

^{https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kjeragbolten}

Not sure if the sheep was photoshopped in, but I think it probably was. Still, the Bible often calls us sheep. It isn’t the most flattering term but is probably more accurate than we would like to admit. Right now, during all this COVID-19 stuff, you might be feeling kind of like this sheep.

[Most of what follows was an addendum to a Life Group lesson I wrote for March 15. There are a few changes.]

So Let’s Talk About Faith

Sometimes, when we talk about living by faith, we seem to move toward having faith in faith, and that is shaky ground. It goes like this, “If you just have enough faith…” which implies that the greater quantity of faith you have (not sure how you measure it), then the more likely your prayers will be answered, your physical ailments healed, and all your relationships will be wonderful. The problem is there is no object of faith—no foundation.

Faith must have an object. Faith is no stronger than its object. That object must be Jesus Christ. It is not the “quantity” (how much) faith you have, but what or who your faith is in.

Not long ago, a friend and I were talking about why it seems that God moves in powerful ways on the mission field in ways we are not familiar with in the west. Sometimes this work is miraculous. My friend asked why that seemed to be so. One reason I proposed was that believers in developing nations had, at least for many years, nowhere else to turn. They learned to trust God.

Now we are faced with something clearly beyond our control. Yes. Social Distancing helps, and washing your hands as well. But as we have watched the global spread, it is obvious that we, at least so far, are not in control. We can, and should, do things to mitigate the threat, but the threat will still be there. We just don’t know how this is going to play out.

My experience is limited to just a few countries and the believers I met there, but in every case where I noted the greatness of faith lived out, it was simple but solid. Simple in that there was no flourish to expressing faith. No grinding of the teeth or spiritual (and physical) gymnastics that we sometimes see on TV to “pump up faith.” There was no big show, be it an individual or a church expressing faith. There was simple trust that God, based on what He said in His word, would do what He said He would do. It was solid because it was grounded on the Word of God and the God of whom it speaks. Faith in faith is building on the sand. Faith in God is building on the rock (Matthew 7:24-27).

So cling to the promises of God’s Word, but cling to them in the total context of Scripture. While Psalm 91 is true and a great comfort to hang on to, so is James 1:2-4, Philippians 4:6-7, and 1 Thessalonians 5:18. (Have you thanked God for COVID-19? We are to give thanks. We don’t have to feel thankful).

Trust God. Wash. Your. Hands.

Quick Health Update:

On the cancer front my indicator numbers are falling, so the chemo is working. I am also getting stuff to boost my immune globulin level (IGg), so that is very timely. I get my treatment all in Augusta, so that is nice. Also, you may remember the problems I had in the fall with low hemoglobin. Now that treatment has begun, that seems corrected, and the numbers are coming up on their own. Praise the Lord!

Your prayers are ALWAYS appreciated and needed. They are the main ingredient in my treatment.

Dealing With Chronic Illness

noreply@blogger.com (Tom) — Mon, 20 Jan 2020 21:07:00 +0000

I am not sure I have ever used my blog to link you to another's blog, but this post today from Dr. Charles Fielding, M.D., struck a chord.

Multiple Myeloma and heart disease are treated as chronic diseases (see my previous post for recent news). His words are insightful, but not easy.

By the way, the doctor who accompanied the Apostle Paul was Luke.

It is a short read.

https://lifeuntangled.org/2020/01/20/living-with-chronic-illness-or-the-pride-down-pride-up-paradox/

Pastor Tom

Just A Clay Pot

noreply@blogger.com (Tom) — Sat, 18 Jan 2020 12:35:00 +0000

Superman was said to be the “Man of Steel.” I remember watching those “Adventures of Superman” episodes back in the fifties and sixties and seeing bullets, fists, and other objects bounce off Superman’s body. Of course, this man of steel could fly, use his x-ray vision, and do whatever he wanted to do. (There was one thing he couldn’t be around, and that was kryptonite, which would render him weak and whimpering, but that is not my point here.)

the Apostle Paul says we are not men or women of steel. He is speaking to Christ followers about the treasure of the gospel, and the weakness of he, his co-workers, and, well, all of us. The whole passage I am considering here is found in 2 Corinthians 4:3-11 (https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2+Corinthians+4%3A3-11&version=NLT), but my focus today is verses seven through twelve.

7 We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure.[b] This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves.

8 We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. 9 We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed. 10 Through suffering, our bodies continue to share in the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may also be seen in our bodies.

11 Yes, we live under constant danger of death because we serve Jesus, so that the life of Jesus will be evident in our dying bodies. 12 So we live in the face of death, but this has resulted in eternal life for you.

In 2 Corinthians 4:7-10 (NLT), Paul gives us some encouragement amid what must have been great adversity. He starts off with the truth that we are just earthen vessels, jars of clay. You know, Genesis 2:7 (NIV) “Then the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground…”

But those circumstances (vv 8-9) do not crush or destroy. Why? Not because of some inner strength but because of God’s strength, available to every believer. Paul’s “threat of death” was likely due to persecution. We face adversities and even death (life is terminal, you know) from a myriad of possibilities.

Over the last few months, I have faced some health issues that underline my “clay-potted-ness." Let me try and give you the Reader’s Digest version. If you would like details, just let me know.

Fall, 2019

By mid-summer, we knew the clinical trial I was in treating the Multiple Myeloma was not being as effective as we had hoped, and knew a change was coming.
September 26, had a heart catheterization and I received two stents. Chest pain relieved!
October 11, with approval from my cardiologist and oncologist, went to Peru.
October 27 - Came home really sick. Visited ER the day I got home. Next day, went back to ER, and stayed in the hospital for fifteen days. Treated for Pneumonitis / Pneumonia.
After the Hospital stay, ten more days in rehab, then home, November 22, under the watchful eye of home health
Visited family during Thanksgiving week. Over the next couple of weeks made a couple of short visits to the office, saw some doctors, worked at home some, and finally returned to the office on December 16.
How could I have gotten so sick? We are not sure, but it probably goes back to a really suppressed immune system. We are going to watch that much closer in the future.

January 2020

I started cardiac rehab. It will be good for me for both the heart and the lungs.
I have also begun cancer treatment again. This is the first cancer treatment I have had since the heart stents on September 26. Treatment runs on four week cycles, and involves an infusion (carfilzomib) twice a week the first three weeks, a good amount of a steroid (dexamesthasone) once a week for three weeks, and then a pill (pomalidomide) that I will take daily for twenty-one out of twenty-eight days. (I have learned these by generic names, since the folks at Emory use them and the folks here recognize them.) If the treatment is effective, I will be on it at least a year.

Remember, first, that you are a clay jar, not a person of steel. You need the Lord Jesus living in you (by the presence of the Holy Spirit)

As you pray for me, please pray that 1. God would be glorified, 2. That the treatment works, and 3. That side effects are minimized.

Blessings,

Tom

Tunneling

noreply@blogger.com (Tom) — Wed, 25 Sep 2019 19:06:00 +0000

The picture is from Amsterdam in 1988. The tunnels seem appropriate because of what is happening tomorrow. I was with a group traveling to Africa and we had a fifteen hour layover, so we got to see some of the city.

For four or five months I have experienced shortness of breath and since May have had some occurrences of chest pain when I exert myself (climbing stairs, walking a good distance, etc.) I kept hoping it was something that would go away as some of my cancer treatment medications were finished, but it has not. So, today, Wednesday, April accompanied me to see a cardiologist. The short story is that tomorrow, I will have a heart catheterization to really see what is going on. Pray as they tunnel their way up to my heart through a vein, that if there is something they will find it. When they find it, pray that it can be fixed while in the cath lab. We are not sure if this is related to cancer treatment, or being 69 years old with some family history of heart disease, or a combination of the two. Still, I want to get it checked out, and this is the best way to tell. Pray that God is glorified through all of this.

On the cancer front, I am still in the clinical trial, and the creepy number keeps creeping upward. A change may be coming to my treatment, but nothing definitive yet.

Thanks for your prayers

Mountains and Valleys

noreply@blogger.com (Tom) — Wed, 07 Aug 2019 23:52:00 +0000

The picture above doesn’t have much to do with what follows, but sometimes fighting cancer does seem like climbing one mountain, then descending to the valley, and then up the next one, each getting a bit higher and higher. (The picture, by the way, was made at Three Crosses (Tres Cruces) between Omas and Ayviri. Tres Cruces is able 12,000 feet.)

These verses from Isaiah 40:4-5 come to mind: “Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain: And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.”

These verses are from a prophetic passage about the coming Messiah, but they speak to me as well. God will be glorified. That is what I desire.

Yesterday (8/6) at my Emory appointment, our PA noted that my numbers continued to creep upward, and that we might be looking at another treatment sooner rather than later. Of course, that is disappointing. I probably won’t know the results of Tuesday’s test until Friday, but hopefully then I will get an idea of the pace at which things are going. It will likely be a few months (I hope) before things go up to a point of having to discuss a treatment change. We talked a little about future options with our PA, but not a lot. The good news is there are options!

I am a little bummed, as I was hoping I would get a year to two years out of this current treatment, but it looks like that isn’t going to happen. Multiple Myeloma is stubborn.

Here is how I ask you to pray:

Pray that the IgL numbers slow their climb, or go back down! (That would be nice!)

Pray also that this will not interfere with a mission trip in October and a vacation trip with my son in November.

Pray that God is glorified, that my treatment will become more effective, and side effects will be minimized.

I will keep you posted. Next appointment at Emory is September 3.

Normal. Sort of.

noreply@blogger.com (Tom) — Sat, 27 Jul 2019 22:42:00 +0000

The chart pictured here is one of my latest reports. The picture of the dryer control reminds us that "normal" is a setting on a clothes dryer. I believe Erma Bombeck,
a writer and humorist well known in the 1960s through 1990s, is due the credit for that little statement.

For cancer patients, "normal" is a precious and often elusive goal. We want our numbers to be normal. For those of us with blood cancers, our doctors do lots of blood tests. They do them often. The tests are the first look to see how things are going. There is one test in particular that lets me know if the treatment I am receiving is effective. It looks at my "Free Lambda" or "IgL" number. "IgL is one of a number of immune globulins all of us have in our blood. They work together to fight off infections. Sometimes, though, they go rogue, and that means cancer.

Since early this year, I have been in a clinical trial at the Winship Cancer Institute at Emory University Hospital because it seemed like the most effective option after my previous treatment began to lose its effectiveness. I have just taken the last treatment in the "intense phase." I have a week off. Then I start the "maintenance phase."

As you can tell from the chart, as soon as the trial began, that Free Lambda number dropped quickly. After a few cycles it actually hit normal, but has been creeping up since. However, that is not a big, bad, thing. The chart gives perspective. I may not be "normal," but I am a long way from that peak in the early part of this year. As my PA said, "We will ride this as long as it lasts." Would I like to be in the normal range? Of course! There is a lot I want to do. Hopefully maintenance will be a long phase, and maybe the numbers will actually creep toward normal.

Where is God in all of this? Right in the middle. Christians affirm that the world is broken. It has been since Adam and Eve. Diseases, along with many other things, exhibit that brokenness. Yet God provides for those who will believe in Him and follow Him. This is not faith in faith, but faith in Christ, who paid the penalty for our sin when he died on the cross and rose again three days later. (See 1 Corinthians 15:3-8). He is faithful. He will listen to our complaints. He will answer our prayers, but not always in the way that we might want. Christ followers look forward to a better place after this life, so we endure what this life brings and trust Him to bring us through it.

What is your part in all this? Please pray. Pray that God is glorified, the treatment works, and side effects are minimized. And pray that the number creeps downward. Thanks! Your prayers mean more than you know.

Eucatastrophe

noreply@blogger.com (Tom) — Sat, 20 Apr 2019 15:38:00 +0000

About a month ago, while sitting in the chair in the Infusion Clinic at Winship Cancer Institute at Emory in Decatur, Georgia, I had the pleasure of meeting a new friend, who introduced himself as an "Art Therapist." We talked awhile, and he asked if I would like to draw something. I explained that my drawing or painting would likely end up with an unintelligible result. This is why I take pictures.

So, Art (yes, his name is Art) asked if I would like him to draw something for me, and that seemed a far better idea. He showed my a few banners he had designed for his church to use this year on Easter, and asked if I would like something like one of those. I picked one, and as he turned a blank sheet of paper into a work of art, we chatted about all kinds of things, from faith, to family, to fighting cancer. It was a good time, good conversation, and I was able to bring home a memento of that hour. Thanks Art!

Recently I have read two books that have mentioned a word coined by J. R. R. Tolkien, "eucatastrophe." The picture that Art drew for me and the word coined by Tolkien speak to what Christ followers celebrate this weekend. "A catastrophe is an unexpected evil, and by adding eu as a prefix, he expresses the unexpected appearance of goodness." (Vroegop, Mark. Dark Clouds, Deep Mercy (p. 192). Crossway. Kindle Edition. )

Yesterday, Good Friday, Christ-followers remembered the great sacrifice of Christ on the cross to pay the penalty of the sins of all who would believe in His resurrection, which we celebrate tomorrow, Easter. Friday may have appeared a catastrophe, but Easter brings us to the eucatastrophe. Thanks be to God!

From the Apostle Paul:
Romans 10:9-11 (ESV)
"if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.11 For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.”

1 Corinthians 15:3-8 (ESV)
3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. 6 Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep.7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. 8 Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me.

Following the Path #2

noreply@blogger.com (Tom) — Wed, 03 Apr 2019 00:19:00 +0000

October 2018, Peru - A farming family brings their animals home from a day a grazing.

A few mornings ago, I was reading and writing about the events found in the Bible is 1 Samuel 7. When I came to verse 12, I remembered being in Ukraine in 1995. Some friends and I were visiting some believers, and we were meeting at their church building. During a break we took a little time to see their auditorium. On the wall high above the pulpit and choir loft were words in Ukrainian that I could not read, but the reference was decipherable: 1 Samuel 7:12. Looking it up, I found the words, “Thus far the Lord has helped us.” It was so appropriate in such a setting, in a country where faith in God had been mocked, attacked, and in many cases violently suppressed for ninety years. The encouraging reminder was painted on the wall to remind the people of God’s help in the past to encourage their trust in Him in the present and future.

It is good for Christ followers to look back and see how God has gotten them to where they are. Seeing His hand in our lives past encourages us for the present and future. It isn't just about dealing with a cancer diagnosis, but all kinds of ways and circumstances that God works in to take us to places, people, and more. Think about how thus far God has helped you. When I do that, I am grateful.

Medical Update
Today I began cycle three in the clinical trial I am in for Multiple Myeloma at Emory's Winship Cancer. Last week I could not have treatment because my platelet count was too low (24). I ask several of you to pray that things would rebound. Today it was 204. The Nurse Practitioner I saw said that she had seen numbers come up often with a week off, but not that much. Thank your your prayers! He gets the glory.

We won't know the results of the tests that really tell us what is going on with my MM until next week, but they expect nothing but good results. Once again, keep praying that 1) The meds work, 2) The side effects are minimized, and 3) God is glorified. You know I consider your prayers as the main thing in my treatment.

Tom

Following The Path #1

noreply@blogger.com (Tom) — Wed, 06 Mar 2019 19:40:00 +0000

On a Mountain Road in Peru.

I continue to follow the path laid out for me in the new cancer treatment. Except for taking pills everyday, I have completed the first cycle in my new cancer treatment. Thanks for your prayers. Side effects are minimal, drives to Emory tolerable, and I am seeking to glorify God. He has been so good, how can I not do that?

Next Tuesday, on Cycle 2, Day 1, I hope I will get to hear some blood test results that will tell us whether the new stuff is beginning to work. Pray that way, please.

When Trouble Comes

This week, I received a newsletter from a missionary friend who has some chronic health challenges, and she included the following quote from Joni Earickson Tada

Ephesians 1:3 - “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places,"

When a particular trouble intrudes into our life, it has a way of taking over. It dominates our thoughts, controls our emotions, saps our will, and drains our energy. Eventually, it crowds and bullies every good thing out of our day. As God’s children, we can’t let that happen. Today’s Scripture tells us God has blessed us in the heavenly realms. He’s given us peace of heart and mind—something the world craves but can’t find. He’s given us faith to pass through deep waters. He’s given us the grace to give and to let go. He’s given us the sweet knowledge that we have an eternal home in heaven, waiting for us just around the bend. He’s given us His own Spirit as Counselor and Comforter. He’s washed away our sins and forgotten our evil deeds. We have more going for us than His own angels, who have never tasted such grace.

God, there are times when I give in to my pain or surrender to my anxiety, allowing these troubles to fill my heart with dread or fear. In such times, I ask You to remind me of all the gifts You have given me. Help me to wash away the dark thoughts with fresh gratitude and heartfelt praise.

Tada, Joni Eareckson. A Spectacle of Glory (p. 76). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.

First Cycle First Week, In The Books

noreply@blogger.com (Tom) — Fri, 22 Feb 2019 22:17:00 +0000

No matter the weather outside, the ceiling in the waiting area of the Infusion Lab at Winship Cancer Institute at Emory always is sunny and bright. Great idea.

Today marks the completion of the first week of the first cycle of the clinical trial I am now enrolled in at Emory. I feel very encouraged to be able to participate. So far side effects are minimal. Thanks for your prayers. Trusting that it all works and God is glorified.

The picture above reminds me of some words of Jesus found in Matthew 5:45b: "For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust."

Cancer is hard. So are other diseases. But I am thankful that God's "sun" and "rain" include treatments that are getting better and better.

Thanks for your prayers. Prayer is the main ingredient in my treatment.

Something Different

noreply@blogger.com (Tom) — Fri, 08 Feb 2019 16:41:00 +0000

Lima, Peru, October 2018. We could not exactly figure out what this contraption was, but we guessed it was an older version of the Flux Capacitor.

Something Different

Test results sometimes vary, and mine has. The genetic marker that showed up in my 2016 tests failed to appear in my most recent tests. That means I cannot be in the first trial, but I can be in another, so here we go—at least that is where we are right now. For a while, it will mean a couple of trips to Emory each week, and all the meds of the first study plus one. Cancer patients receive a "cocktail" of several meds, and those cocktails vary from cancer to cancer, and even patient to patient. (These, by the way, are the only cocktails I have ever had.)

Prayers are greatly appreciated. Pray that the meds work, side effects are minimal, and God is glorified.

For those who want to know more, private message me on Facebook and I can give you more details.

Convergence

noreply@blogger.com (Tom) — Mon, 28 Jan 2019 22:37:00 +0000

Traffic in Lima, Peru, October 2018

Convergence

Traffic in Lima can be interesting. Here we see two busses that appear to be converging to squash the fellow carrying the produce. Everyone got through the traffic jam safely with no injuries or bent metal.

There appears to be a convergence of treatment regarding my cancer. So much is happening so quickly.

Back in November I wrote about some changes in my Multiple Myeloma status. After another visit to Emory’s Winship Cancer Center last Tuesday, here is where I am headed—a clinical trial. Let me say at the start that I think this is good. It is NOT a last ditch effort to keep me around, but a course of treatment that seems to hold the most promise for me right now. There are multiple other treatment options, and those remain as a possibility for treatment later on, or if I don’t get accepted into the trial, or if the trial meds don’t work as expected.

I have to go through the prescreening process, which is tomorrow, January 29. It involves blood work, x-rays, and some other fun things, but we assume that I qualify based on previous test results. Once that hurdle is cleared, we will set up a treatment schedule and get on with it.

The trial involves a medication already approved for the treatment of certain types of leukemia (CLL). The medication is called Venetoclax. About 15% of people with Multiple Myeloma (MM) have a particular genetic marker, and for those people, this medication seems to be very effective. That is what the trial is about.

I will also receive a couple of other medications. Cancer patients are often recipients of a combination of medications that help fight the disease. Venetoclax is a chemotherapy medication. I will also receive an immunotherapy medication called Darzelex (daratumumab), as well as a steroid.

Please pray all will go well tomorrow, including the travel to Emory and back, and that if this is God’s direction for me, that I will be accepted in the trial. While the medications are amazing, prayer is the main ingredient in my treatment. Always.

I will post again when we know the results of the tests.

Blessings,

Tom

"Teach Us To Number Our Days" or "Bump In The Road Update, November 30, 2018"

noreply@blogger.com (Tom) — Fri, 30 Nov 2018 12:46:00 +0000

Mountain Sunset, Yauyos District, Lima State, Peru, October 14, 2018, Tom Lowry Photo

The photo above was taken around Tres Cruces on October 14, as several friends and I headed back from Ayaviri to Omas. We were somewhere around 12,000 feet up. It is ruggedly beautiful. The people are wonderful, too.

The sunset relates, though, to Psalm 90:12, "So teach us to number our days that we may gain a heart of wisdom." This is a line from a Psalm of Moses, and if you know Moses' story, you know he had seen many challenges, difficulties, and victories in life. While yours and mine might not be on the scale or notability of those of Moses, life is filled with all kinds of things, good or bad, easy or hard, happy or sad. Moses is saying that we need to be wise and realistic about life.

The Preacher Ecclesiastes well makes the point that no matter what we accomplish in life, we are all going to die, and, at least after a generation or two, no one will remember us. Sorry. It isn't the most encouraging book, but it is realistic. None of us lasts forever.

In a few days I will have my second ever PET scan. That funny little number (IgL) that rose up when I wrote about this in 2015 and 2016 is trying to get out of control again, and so the doctors and I are looking ahead to the next step—probably a change in medication in hopes of continuing to punch this Multiple Myeloma in the nose. I will keep you posted about that. Results will likely take awhile, as tests usually beget more tests, and all of them together help determine a course of action.

Anytime a little glitch comes in our health, it should remind us of the temporary nature of our lives. That should give us a realistic perspective, and move us in the direction in making a difference. If you are a follower of Christ, that is especially true. How are you impacting this earth for the glory of God?

As you pray for me, pray:

First that God will be glorified in all of this.
Second, that the right medication(s) can be found to treat this stuff, and,
Third, the side effects will be minimal.

Moses says in Psalm 90:14, "Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days." May we lean on Him for our satisfaction and hope.

Good Dog, Levi. Good Dog

noreply@blogger.com (Tom) — Tue, 19 Jul 2016 21:13:00 +0000

I noticed the tale had stopped wagging on Friday. Levi’s “glad to see you” wag was the usual side to side, but if it had been awhile since he had seen and been with you—an hour or two—you’d get the circle wag. Now it almost never moved.

We said goodbye to Levi today. To keep him here any longer would have been selfish of us and meant misery for him. At his annual vet visit earlier this year, the doctor warned us that there were two things that would probably progress to a point where we “would have a decision to make.” The day has come. And we are sad. But we are glad, because Levi was a good dog.

Levi came to live with us more than thirteen years ago. His mother, who lived next door, was a licentious woman. an escape artist, and the friendliest boxer I have ever seen. We never met Levi’s dad, but he must have been a Shepherd or a Lab because Levi could shed an amazing amount of hair. Levi was a good dog.

Levi lived first in our kitchen. He had a rough start, but some medicine turned him around quickly. When we had to leave the house, we would leave him in the kitchen with baby gates at each door, but he would scale those with ease (like his momma) and find his way to the living room sofa. Okay, sometimes he wasn’t, but mostly, Levi was a good dog.

Levi grew and the backyard became his domain. He got lots of exercise chasing squirrels - don’t know if he every really caught one. If another, slower animal wandered into our back yard, woe would befall them in Levi. Poor possums. He really just wanted to play with them, but they didn’t know how. He figured his job was to protect his domain from all intruders. He did once overstep his bounds and latched on to the hand of a visitor. As soon as he did, it was like (probably due to my tone of voice) he knew he’d had a momentary lapse of good sense, he released the hand and headed to his hiding place under the shop. Other than that, Levi was a good dog.

Levi did not like to eat alone (unless there was steak or other human food in the bowl—a rarity). All of us, as well as those who would feed him when we were away, knew that. I read a lot of the Augusta Chronicle standing in the backyard while Levi finished his breakfast. He made sure I was up-to-date on current events. Levi was a good dog.

When April and I were at Emory for months in 2010 for my cancer treatment and stem cell transplant, Levi was here, keeping Philip company, and listening to whatever Philip had to say. Levi was a good dog.

When he was younger, he loved to run, play fetch, wrestle, and just do the dog things that make us love them. As he got older, he would act like he wanted to play fetch—looking longingly at a ball—and when I would throw it I would get that, “Gee dad, you really threw that a long way.” And he wouldn’t budge. His hearing began to fail. Lots of things pointed to the fact that we were nearing the end. As his physical condition changed, he was helping us get ready for that last day. Levi was a good dog.

We don’t usually think about it, but when you bring a pet into your life, you know, deep down, that they will not outlive you. That is just the way it is. But you cannot really be prepared, totally, for the good-bye day, no matter how it comes about. There will be many times, I am sure, that I will be in the backyard and expect to see him. I’ll find a toy, a ball, a hole, or some other thing that will remind me of Levi. But that is okay. I will love having the memories. My whole family will, because, even though we are sad today, we remember, Levi was a good dog.

Bump In The Road #5

noreply@blogger.com (Tom) — Tue, 26 Apr 2016 11:47:00 +0000

dys·cra·sia

dəˈskrāZH(ē)ə/

nounMEDICINE noun: dyscrasia; plural noun: dyscrasia
an abnormal or disordered state of the body or of a bodily part.
(Definition provided by Google)

"Dyscrasia" originates from the Greek language. It roots are the Greek “dus” and “krasis” and literally means “bad mixture” or “bad combination.”

Several months ago I wrote about a bump in the road regarding my health.

The bump has grown and the dyscrasia was noted. It means my cells are between normal and having full blown Multiple Myeloma again. I’ll probably give more details later, but for now this means it is time to add to the maintenance chemo pill that I have been taking since shortly after my Stem Cell transplant in 2010. What are they adding? First, there is dexamethasone. It is a steroid that enhances the work of the chemo pill and helps in other ways. It has a few side effects, but is nothing compared to what other cancer patients endure.

The second drug is Empliciti (Elotuzumab). It has to be administered via IV, so about ten days ago I got a port, and about a week ago I got my first round. I will get a dose every Tuesday for nine weeks, then every other week for, well, only God knows. I noticed no side effects from this drug last week.

Empliciti is one of the new immunotherapy drugs, and the way I understand it, causes my immune system to produce extra numbers of a certain kind of T-Cell, and it also reacts with the myeloma cells to make them noticeable to these T-Cells, which then attack them and destroy them. A helpful article can be found at http://www.themmrf.org/multiple-myeloma-knowledge-center/myeloma-drugs-guide/empliciti-elotuzumab/

And so we begin…

Hopefully this will be little more than an inconvenience in my schedule. The doctors tell me I should still be able to lead mission teams, maintain my schedule and keep on going. That is encouraging.

Pray…

But I do request your prayers. I need them. I have said since my diagnosis in 2009 that the main thing in my treatment is your prayers. The goal is always that God is glorified.

My mom…

The delay in getting this word out was because I wanted to tell my mother in person. Some of you now she has been in the hospital and now in rehab. I was able to tell her that last Thursday. Pray for my mom as she, my brother and our families are working on some new living arrangements. It is a huge transition. My family moved into that house five months before I was born.

As I posted earlier today on Facebook,

“Fear not, for I am with you. Be not dismayed for I am your God. I will strengthen you. I will help you. I will uphold you with my victorious right hand.” (Isaiah 41:10).

Bump In The Road Update #4

noreply@blogger.com (Tom) — Thu, 19 Nov 2015 23:47:00 +0000

The moon rises in Peru's coastal desert region. The town we visit is about
5000 feet above sea level.

Yesterday I had the MRI as a follow up to my PET scan. The report is good. Nothing shows except what goes along with being sixty-five.

There is that troublesome little light chain number from my blood tests that my doctors will continue to watch, along with a few other numbers. At this point we think what that means is a few more vials drawn occasionally at my monthly blood tests.

Overall, GOOD NEWS!
Thanks for your prayers. Keep them going.