"Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way. The Lord be with all of you." 2 Thessalonians 3:16

Today has been a complete day of peace...Marcus was able to start his chemo back up again-on schedule-THANK YOU LORD-his temp has been normal 98.6 since 12-26, he feels better, he's eating again..things are on track!! God's plan is in action and we are watching and living in it!!

We did visit the funeral home and have to go the my Paw Paw Will's funeral tomorrow, but again, this is peaceful-not sorrowful...Paw Paw is free, finally and I am happy for him-praying he is sitting in Heaven with my Maw Maw, enjoying a big cup of coffee and breathing without his oxygen tank, with both legs-no wheelchair-finally free!!

We are still staying at my in-laws house, maybe for another day or so, and it has been nice. The girls have been playing with their cousins and enjoying their christmas break....we are a peaceful, happy family and we give all glory to God for every moment of it!!!!!

As I close, I just want you all to know how much we love y'all and we are so grateful for all your prayers....may the Lord be with all of you and give you peace at all times!!!!!

Merry Christmas after all.........

Well, for those of you that don't follow me on facebook, I just wanted to let you all know how our Christmas ended up....not exactly how we planned, but we were together after all-and that is the most important part..

So Christmas morning I left the hospital around 7am to come to my in-laws house to wake the girls up...let them open their stockings and santa gifts...then we packed up their other gifts and headed to the hospital so they could open their presents with their Daddy. He had spiked a fever the night before and we didn't know what the dr would say once he came in for rounds....

Well, girls opened their presents and we had a nice visit with their Daddy-then the dr on call decided since he spiked another fever-and after 3 days in the hospital they still had no idea what the fever was casued from-all blood tests, urine tests, etc were negative for any infection-so this dr decided to order a serious list of tests, that marcus felt were completely unnecessary-we have felt from the very beginning that his fever had something to do with his denver cath..which we haven't been able to drain much fluid out of for a week now....but no one at bapt hosp bmt would even remove the dressing to look at the denver cath-because they don't treat them-and told us they would have to send us back to MD anderson to do anything to it...so even if those multiple tests ordered would have pointed to the denver cath-they would have to transfer marcus to MD Anderson and they said that wouldn't happen to at least monday....after much discussion with nurses and med. oncologist on call-we made a decision to check out of the hospital-AMA-against medical advice and go to MD Anderson on our own....but first Marcus wanted to go home to his Mom and Dad's for Christmas, enjoy the day with our girls, his brothers and nieces and nephews....so that is what we did! I told him I was behind him completely in whatever decision he made...I saw how 3 days in the hospital had him feeling and I didn't want him to feel that way any longer...

Well, he felt pretty rough all Christmas day-the antibiotics pumped into him over the past 3 days were taking a toll on him-he had hardly ate anything the whole time and he just felt bad-but he held on and was able to sit in his dad's recliner and open gifts and visit, and even ate some food! PRAISE THE LORD! After a long day, he was finally able to shower and go to bed in a real bed-NOT A HOSPITAL BED-and relax....and he did....around midnight his fever did go up to 100.4, but he took some tylenol and went to sleep. and he slept until noon!!! Had the best rest he has had in 3 days! All day we just sat around and relaxed and he has felt pretty good. Fever has stayed around 99 all day, but he has felt ok, so that is all I can ask for. Whenever he decides what he wants to do-I am ready to do it...but he has decided to wait until monday morning and see if they have results back from the small amount of fluid that we were able to get into the tube from his denver cath 12-24-they sent that to the lab to see if it showed sign of infection but said it would take 2-3 days to get results...before he starts the second round of chemo, or goes to MD Anderson....he just really doesn't want to get stuck in the hospital-but knows he has to do something if his fever keeps spiking...

So thank God for my mother and father-in-law who have let us and our girls just do as we please today-we have rested, stuffed our faces, played games with the girls-and just relaxed...the girls actually stayed in their PJs all day!! We needed this SO much-we are truly blessed.

As I close this post I just want to ask for prayers for peace......my paw paw will passed away this morning..he has not been in good health and was 81 years old..and honestly he has not been the same since my maw maw passed away in 2001...I know he is no longer in pain and is free from the troubles of this world..I just pray he is in Heaven relaxing and having a big cup of coffee with my maw maw.

So thank you Lord for letting us have a Merry Christmas after all...we know you have a plan for us and we trust in You completely. The best gift we could ever ask for has already been given-your precious son, Jesus Christ...there is no other gift we need. THANK YOU LORD!

All glory to God-I will praise You always!!

So Marcus has been admitted now at Bapt. Hospital since around 11:45pm Tuesday-his fever went up to 103 and I made him call the dr-of course she said get yourself to the hospital asap!!! His WBC counts were very low (total count was ok but neutrophils-fighter cells-were only 300 and they are supposed to be 1000 minimum). He got antibiotics and fluids but still kept a
fever-drs decided to give him a neulasta infusion to boost those cells. I have been a praying maniac pleading with God to make his fever go away and get those neurtophils up to at least 1200-well-God is always faithful-Marcus' fever never went past 100.7 last night and his WBC went from 2000-6000 (neutrophils from 300-4000) overnight!!!!! Can someone please say AMEN??!?!?! So dr came in around 11am and said if no fever tonight and WBC counts still stay high then they will release Marcus in the morning!!!! Bringing a whole new meaning to please come home for christmas!!!! :)

I was a little emotional when I realized we wouldn't be waking up Christmas morning with the girls -but I worked it out where I will go to my in-laws house early-around 6-7am-wake the girls up and let them get their "Santa" gifts-which Sela already knows it's mom and dad gifts ;) then bring them up here to open the other gifts with their daddy-and wait until he gets released-because we are not accepting anything else-Marcus will not spike a fever tonight!!! Pray with me warriors-Marcus wants to come home for Christmas !!!!

Glorious Day

"Living He loved me, Dying He saved me, Buried He carried my sins far away...."

Words sung beautifully by Casting Crowns....words that keep me trusting and believing...

Marcus has been battling a fever over the past week and today blood was drawn to be cultured....we don't know if it is the cancer, an infection from his Denver cath or what-but it has been frustrating...
Just when he starts to feel a little better the fever comes back-so we just keep praying for God to make this fever work to kill the melanoma and then GO AWAY and leave Marcus alone!!!! As Christmas approaches, we are so thankful to God for every breath we take-and we just keep praying and trusting in the Lord to get us through this rough season of life we are traveling through right now. "One day He's coming, Oh Glorious Day"...and we are just holding on until that glorious, glorious day....

Merry Christmas-we love you all so very much!

Marcus, Mindy, Sela & Sloane Stanley

I finally feel truly born again.....

I love the song above by Third Day....they always grab my heart with their music-and open it all up to the Lord....Thank you Third Day-I love you!!

Yesterday marked a special day for Marcus and I....we celebrated 15 years of wedded bliss ;) A big milestone! Every day I have with him now seems monumental to me-it is just sad that it took Melanoma for us both to see through all the crap the world has for us and get back down to the REAL DEAL....we have grown closer as a couple and our relationship with God has been moved to a level I never dreamed....I am so eternally grateful for the love our God has given us-and the sacrifice He made by sending us Jesus...there are no words that can truly express that gratefulness.

Marcus still fatigues easily, but he is doing well. He starts his next round of chemo Dec. 28 and then will do scans in Jan. We are still standing in faith, believing he will receive a complete healing, from the inside out. Thank you all for your support-we love you all and pray you have a blessed Christmas!

I truly believe......You will Heal Marcus.........

I am attaching a video of a song that we have sung several times at church-it is very special to me-it was one of the songs they were singing during the Wednesday night service where everyone prayed on Marcus....the words truly say it all...and Jesus is all we need.....end of story.....

Marcus completed his last day of chemo today...and it was rough. He woke up this morning feeling very nauseated...and really didn't feel like getting out of bed-but he did and made it through his last infusion.....he pretty much stayed nauseated all day and has been resting since he got home around 4pm....I just keep praying he will feel better this weekend...he hates feeling like this and I hate to see him feeling like this-it makes me sad....I can't do anything, but I wish I could take it all away from him....please pray he can feel better over the next few weeks so he can enjoy Christmas...I just want him to be able to enjoy Christmas............

Speaking of Christmas...I was able to get a big chunk of shopping done today and I am glad-but I am still not finished...hopefully over the next few days I can knock it out :)

Nothing else really to say-just asking prayer warriors to keep sending the prayers-the devil is really getting that chemo to make Marcus sick-and we need it to make the cancer go away, but keep Marcus feeling good!!! Nothing is impossible through Christ....so help me pray for it!

Love you all and thank you so much again for your prayers and support of our family.

all is well

just a quick little post to let you all know that marcus is doing very well!! he completed day 2 of chemo today-and has 2 more days of this cycle....then 17 days off.  he spoke with dr. lavalais and she told him this chemo would accumulate and he may not feel anything until a few weeks after receiving treatment...but we are going to keep praying that God keeps all side effects to a minimum and he keeps feeling great!  we are still draining fluid from his denver catheter that was inserted into his chest last week-this has helped him tremendously!  he was having such a hard time breathing because of the fluid in his pleural cavity.  dr. lavalais said it may take 3-4 weeks before he sees a decrease in that fluid.

we are still standing in faith that God will use this chemo to produce a complete healing....and we will not accept anything else!!!  thank you all for your continued prayers, emails, texts and support-we love you all so very much!!

KINDNESS

Yesterday, Sela & Sloane were surprised with the most precious Christmas tree we have ever had.....my Aunt Kellie brought it to us-hand designed by her friend and co-worker, Lori Humphrey...with a special Melanoma Awareness ornament Aunt Kellie ordered for us......the kindness this gesture shows leaves me speechless....to some, it may be just a little Christmas tree, but to me and my family, this tree represents Love, Peace, Hope and everything Christmas is all about....the birth of Jesus Christ.  I knew we would have some sort of tree here in our 5th wheel, but quite honestly, I would have NEVER been able to put one together as beautifully as Lori did!! THANK YOU LORI !!!!!!  Sela & Sloane have been so excited!  We set everything up as soon as we got home...and the sweet gifts you sent are still wrapped-and that is driving them both nuts!! I keep teasing them and telling them the presents are for me and daddy!! ;) I will let them open some soon enough, but I love to see them squirm about it!! :)  There will never be enough words I could say to thank you both for the kindess you showed-we love you Aunt Kel and Lori Humphrey and pray your Christmas is blessed more than ever.....

Today Marcus will get an MRI of his brain...standard before treatment begins-he hasn't had one of the brain since June...and he will start his chemo cocktail on Monday....after last night's prayers at Golden Triangle Church on the Rock, I have no stress about next week at all.  I know that God will get Marcus through it and He will heal him....end of discussion.  We will no longer read things online, or listen to discouraging news, because we know the Creator of Heaven and Earth is in total control-and we are giving it all to HIM!  We love you all!!!

"Worship the LORD your God, and his blessing will be on your food and water. I will take away sickness from among you, and none will miscarry or be barren in your land. I will give you a full life span." Exodus 23:25-26

There are no words I can say to truly express my gratitude to Pastor Ron, the staff and congregation of Golden Triangle Church on the Rock. At tonight's service, you all sacrificed hearing Pastor Ron deliver a sermon to you-and instead gave your prayers to my husband Marcus and our family. Thank you and bless you all. Marcus needed every hand that touched him and every prayer prayed for him-more than you will ever know.

I have believed from the start that God will heal Marcus. I have told him that it may not happen quickly, but he will receive his healing-and once he does-he will have the most awesome testimony to deliver to people everywhere. I truly believe that his healing/testimony will bring people to Jesus that would never have come to Jesus-people that have strayed will return-and I am patiently waiting for that healing-patiently waiting to hear Marcus deliver his awesome testimony of faith, courage, healing, and complete trust in God. I will continue to pray, trust and give my entire life over to the Lord and let Him lead me and my family every step of this journey.

Marcus may have been diagnosed with Stage IV Metastatic Melanoma....but the Lord will take away the sickness and give him a full life span-in Jesus' name!!!