Nov. 2017 update on Julie's Cancer Journey

This month it will be two years since our oldest daughter, Julie, was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer called Leiomyosarcoma, or LMS. The initial diagnosis left us reeling, not knowing what that meant for her and for us as a family. Since that time she has undergone four different surgical procedures. As I write this, she is recovering from the last surgery that took place on Oct. 12.  Thankfully, she is doing as well as can be, but also waiting for the results of a recent MRI to determine her current situation. Next week I will be flying with her and her family to a retreat in Maui for people with LMS.  Since her type of cancer is so rare, there aren't the usual local support groups like there are for more common types of cancer, so we are thankful for the support she has received from a Facebook group for people with LMS. We look forward to meeting other members from the group and also hearing from various physicians who specialize in treating this type of cancer.  Thank you to everyone who has supported us on this journey. Your thoughts and prayers are very much appreciated as we embark on this trip next week and connect with fellow cancer survivors.

2016 ABC's of Gratitude

• A - Appointments: Planned and Divine 
• B - Beauty in unexpected places 
• C - Community 
• D - Dear Friends 
• E - Encouragers 
• F - Freedom 
• G - Grand Kids: Brody, Jacob, Dekker, Max, Spencer, Felix, Zoe, Naomi and Milo 
• H - Husband: Garry, my life's partner 
• I - Inspiration from unlikely sources 
• J - Jesus, my Saviour 
• K - Kind people 
• L - Libraries 
• M - Mochas 
• N - New Mercies every day! 
• O - Opportunities 
• P - Precious children: Julie, Heidi, Marcie, Jeremy, their spouses: David, Dustin, Carmen, Roanne 
• Q - Qualified medical professionals who detected and removed cancerous tumors in Julie and my mom in this past year
• R - Reunions 
• S - Sabbath rests 
• T - Traveled to Alaska, Atlantic Canada, New England, Boston, New York City, Phoenix, and Kelowna 
• U - Unconditional love 
• V - Verse 
• W - Webinars 
• X - Exits 
• Y - Year-end reviews 
• Z - Zoe: for life itself and being able to live it abundantly!