A Foggy Morning

 

"Living a life of faith means never knowing where you are being led. But it does mean loving and knowing the One who is leading. It is literally a life of faith...a life of knowing Him who calls us to go." Oswald Chambers

Mom and Dad at dinner on Tuesday evening. 😊

On the drive to church a couple Sunday mornings ago, I hit a stretch of road where the fog reduced visibility to maybe 20 feet or so. I don't encounter dense fog very often and it was  disconcerting, almost disorienting, because the fog obscured points of reference: street signs and intersections; traffic in front and behind. It occurred to me that fog is a fitting analogy to the journey my Mom, Dad and our family have been on these past ten months.

We may not have been confronted with literal fog, and yet the path in front of us has most often been shrouded in mystery: Has GBM been arrested? What will the next month bring? Will there be finances to continue providing the caregiving Mom requires?

I have mentioned in previous blog posts that my husband, Roger also battled Glioblastoma. Certainly, I have experienced many "Why God?" moments, particularly since this is not a common cancer diagnosis. Since the purpose of this blog is to focus on Ann/Mom, I have been intentional to limit references to my husband and what our journey was like. However, there is an aspect that I wanted to touch on because of where things are with Ann.

Keith, a long-time VW friend from England, took Roger out in Rog's 911. (The restoration of the Porsche was one of the "Red Sea" style miracles we experienced.) 😃

When Roger was diagnosed in September 2010 he didn't have health insurance and he was the primary breadwinner. (I was a preschool teacher part time.) Like Ann, Roger was much beloved by family and many friends. In addition to the trauma of finding out my husband had a very aggressive type of cancer, we faced what seemed an insurmountable obstacle: no medical insurance and astronomical medical bills. But, between "parting of the Red Sea" caliber miracles from God, and support from family and friends we were carried through 52 months of Roger's 'race' (as we referred to his battle with GBM). What I initially feared would result in emotional and financial ruin for our family, ended up being a dramatic display of the kindness & generosity of many, many people. And ultimately the unmistakable fingerprints of God's love, compassion, kindness and provision for our every need.

My beloved Momma. (I told her yesterday: "You're the BEST Mom!")

It has been an ongoing prayer request in my blogposts that Mom and Dad would have finances to provide the 24/7 caregiving that Mom requires. We have researched possible aide from various organizations that assist cancer patients, as well as others that might be able to help. My siblings and I have contributed toward the caregiving expenses to support our parents too. I am mentioning this on Annie's Song for a few reasons. First, that those of you who have been praying for Mom would continue to ask our heavenly Father to make a way for caregiving to continue for my Mom (It is approximately a $4,000/month expense). Nothing is impossible for Him. Amen? And second, if you have the financial means and desire to help my parents, then I am referencing Mom's GoFundMe below (unfortunately the link is not working correctly but if you need assistance finding her GoFundMe please feel free to contact me at my email address below):

 

I also want to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has been so kind and generous in myriad ways. Ann and Joe have been extremely touched by the outpouring of affection from their church family at Corpus Christi and from family and friends. Support has come in many forms and I am very grateful for bright spots in the midst of what has been a really hard ten months, especially for Ann and Joe.

Praise:

• For God's faithfulness.
• For the opportunity to celebrate Mom's 77th birthday on Saturday, May 13 and for another Mother's Day with her. 🎉

Updates/Prayer Requests:

• Ann has been receiving Avastin infusions every two weeks. 
• An MRI was performed Friday, May 5. Mom and Dad have an appointment with the chemo oncologist tomorrow to review the MRI results.
• Prayers please for Mom and Dad (our entire family actually) regarding whatever the MRI report reveals. Mom has experienced some concerning issues with increased confusion and with her gross motor function. 🙏
• Wisdom to know what is best for Mom going forward.

Grateful for the love & support of community,

Terrie

tgrago@gmail.com

"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit."   

Romans 15:13