"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!!!

We will praise you in our storm......

So today we heard some good news and some not so good news. Good news: there are no new mets in Marcus' liver, spleen, pancreas, etc...THANK YOU JESUS!!! Not so good news: the tumors in his lungs have grown and do not appear to be responding to IL-2.

So, Dr. Kim has suggested he begin a chemo cocktail called CVD (Cisplatin, Vinblastine, & Dacarbazine)......he can possibly do this locally with Dr. Lavalais (Marcus loves her and hopes she will take this on) if she feels comfortable with it. If not, we will go to MD Anderson to get this treatment. He will go 4 days-all outpatient, have treatments for about 4 hrs each day, then get 17 day break, repeat 4 days, then 17 day break, then scan again. In the meantime, they are going to try again for BRAF testing on the cells from his biopsy in Sept..and see if they can test the cells from the fluid they removed from his lung over the weekend.

Some of you may be disappointed and feel your prayers are not working-please do not feel this way. We know that God is in control and we are waiting patiently for Him to heal Marcus-and we will continue to "praise Him in this storm"-our faith is not shaken-and we pray neither is yours. Marcus and I have felt drawn to Jesus, more than ever and we are ready to battle! So the devil better get ready-we are not letting this slow us down!

If Dr. Lavalais is on board, Marcus could start this treatment by wed or thurs-so we need all prayers to continue-this treatment is 3 different chemos all at once and it will be rough...but Marcus is ready-willing to do whatever God offers him to fight this monster called Melanoma.

So please watch/listen to the video above and do not let the devil shake your faith-Marcus isn't, and neither am I.....So stand strong with us and PRAY, PRAY, PRAY!!!!!

We love you all so very much and thank you for all the text messages, emails and phone calls to check on us!!!

Home, but not for long

well, we spent black friday in the ER at MD Anderson...not our first choice of places to be-but, Marcus was really feeling short of breath and called Dr. Kim-and of course he wanted him to come in-and i am SO thankful that Marcus agreed-he ended up having pleural effusion and they had to remove 1900ml (half gallon) of fluid from his pleural cavity!!!! i told him i didn't even see how he could breathe at all !!! anyways, good news is, since they saw he was already scheduled for CT today, they would do it all then...so about midnight friday, he got the full CT of chest/abdomen/pelvis! of course, the ER drs would not give us any insight-they want us to wait and get the word from Dr. Kim today....so today we will visit MD Anderson again and see what's going on-we are still faithfully believing that God will heal Marcus and we will not accept any bad news today! we are patiently waiting, trusting God and know in our hearts that Marcus will get through this-it is just a little mountain he has to ask God to move for him-but not impossible-nothing is impossible through Christ!!

if tumors are responding, Marcus will admit for another round of IL-2...if not, he will discuss with Dr. Kim a new plan of attack! he is NOT giving up and will NOT let melanoma win! so all you faithful prayer warriors, keep praying!!!! we love you all and thank you for your continued support of our little family. more posts to come.....

Walk by Faith-everyday

You know, living in our 5th wheel has been very interesting-some days I feel like screaming, some days crying-then other days I truly feel that we are blessed beyond words. The closeness we have felt over the past month is amazing-although I will admit, sometimes Marcus has to remind me-but we have been a closer family because of our surroundings-we have no other choice ;) But seriously, we know that this is situation is temporary, and God is working all around us, getting things in order(mainly healing Marcus by making those tumors go away!)-we just have to "Walk by Faith", even when we cannot see!! Sometimes the world (or the devil) makes it easy to get distracted or frustrated about our lives or situations-we are always so impatient and want things done our way-NOW! I admit that I am like that A LOT-but I try very hard to let go of those feelings and I pray for God to get me through with patience. I know for years the devil really worked on me and made me believe that because of my past mistakes or my genetics, I would one day, eventually, go down a path of destruction and there was nothing I could do about it.....THANK YOU LORD for showing me that this is NOT true!!! Jesus has already paid for our sins-done-we are forgiven! All we have to learn is that we must repent, ask Jesus to come into our hearts and lives-and live our lives the way He wants us to-bottom line. The devil cannot win that war-unless we let him-so I decided a long time ago that God would win me-NOT the devil!! And every day I truly "Walk by Faith" and pray for guidance-won't you join me????

Please watch the Jeremy Camp video attached-he is very talented and I have not found a song that I didn't like from him-he is truly blessed with a unique way to get the message and word of God out to people through his music. Thank you Jeremy Camp for following through with the path God has for you!!!

TOTALLY THANKFUL

 

So, we have been home a few days now and trying to get back to normal life-whatever that is ;) Marcus is doing good-still pretty tired and coughing some-but he is just trying to enjoy every second he has home-before we go back nov. 30 for another week of IL-2. Things are going well with the girls, but it is still a struggle to get Sela to discuss her feelings-her teachers told me today that she had a rough day today-and I talked to her this afternoon-she is just so worried about her daddy. Marcus and I will talk to her again together, but I simply reassured her that God is in control and we just have to pray for strength and peace to accept whatever comes. Her main worry is about losing her daddy. Which I completely understand, because of course, that is my main worry too. But I explained to her how I pray daily (sometimes several times a day) for God to grant me the strength to get through all this and the peace to accept whatever happens-even if that means God needs daddy in heaven more than we need daddy down here. I explained to her that God doesn't always answer our prayers the way we pray them, but He always has a plan and He will always take care of us. No matter what, we will be ok. Sounds like I have it all together, huh? NOT REALLY-you should have seen me saturday when I had a mini-meltdown on the way home! BUT, it doesn't mean I don't completely trust God in His plan-because I do-I just keep prayin for the strength to accept whatever plan that is. And, like I told Sela, none of us is guaranteed one second on earth. We all need to enjoy each other and the time we have because cancer, or no cancer, we could all be gone from here tomorrow. I am so thankful for my sweet girls. God truly blessed us with some angels. So I am attaching a few shots of Sela & Sloane from this afternoon, being silly girls, like normal! Thank you God for letting me enjoy them on earth-however long that is....

Ready to go!!

Marcus is feeling MUCH better.  He hardly slept last night, so this morning he felt bad.  But got him a nap and we walked around more and he is better.  He just ate supper and is ready to go home!! Dr says he can tomorrow as long as he continues to lose the fluid and his levels stay good-and so far so good!  We are so ready!!  Thank you all for your continued prayers-we appreciate them so much!!!

What faith can do

Click and enjoy!

This morning has been rough. Marcus had 6th dose at 2am and all was well until 4am. Nurse came in to get vitals and made him stand up for weight check. Afterwards-everything went downhill fast!! All at once chills/rigors started and at the same time he got nauseaous-vomitted and nose started bleeding-BAD scene in room P1004. He has totally had enough! Says when doc comes in this morning he is telling her he is done-that last dose really worked him
over. This whole round over all hasn't been too bad, but his swelling started sooner
and it just seems his body is done.He is finally peacefully resting-thank God. So I decided to share the video above because it helped me so much this morning. Real hard to see the man you love suffer like this. But I know God is working-I have complete and total FAITH!

Moving all the while

5th dose down! Marcus had 5th dose of IL-2 around 6:30 and as of 8 no chills/rigors.  
He even ate supper and is watching
the world series now-he is super swollen with 
all the fluids and feels like crap-but he is hanging on and not 
complaining one bit! He is such a fighter-I admire his strength 
so much. So next dose scheduled for 2am-then see doc in morning-
and will let him know if he'll go more-or not-keep the prayers coming!!!!!
So far they have helped him so much-so please don't stop!! God is "Moving all the while"-listen to this song by sidewalk prophets and u will know what I mean ;). Love u all!!!!

Restin and rocking along!

Sorry I have been bad about posting today-BUT it is only because we have nothing to post-THANK GOD-Marcus has been resting all day after his 1st dose this morning around 9:40-he will receive his 2nd dose about 6pm.  Just need tons of prayers-we know the tumors aren't gone yet-BUT- they WILL be soon because God is running this show-not IL-2, not the docs and not MD Anderson-ONLY God has the power to heal-and we are patiently waiting for Him to do His great work!!!!!!!  We love u all and thank u so much for every prayer u send our way! 

Happy-but not

Well we are finally settled in our room-thank you Lord for getting us into P1004 and not ICU!!!!! Tonight Marcus will get fluids and antibiotics but won't start treatments until tomorrow morning. We met with Dr. Kim today and found out some news that fustrated us a little-Dr. Kim wants him to do 4 rounds of IL-2 no matter what. We are scheduled to come back Nov 30 for scans and then admit again for 3rd round-then, even if tumors are
gone, he still wants him to come back for 4th round-if tumors are not gone, but responding, then he will go 6 rounds. We totally misunderstood all his before-but now we know the full game plan-4 rounds of IL-2 no matter what-possibly 6! We were so happy to get this room-but then not when we found out about the additional treatments-BUT Marcus says he will do whatever it takes to get all this melanoma out of his lungs!!!! So keep the prayers coming prayer warriors-Marcus needs them!!!!!!!!

PSALMS 40:1

"I waited patiently for the Lord; He turned to me and heard my cry."  Psalms 40:1

So today we were scheduled to be at MD Anderson and Marcus would have already received a dose of IL-2; BUT, when we were there yesterday, they didn't like the way his PICC line looked-said it showed signs of infection-so they had it removed, swabbed to find out what type of infection and started him on antibiotics.  So, now we are scheduled to come back 11-2-09 to start Round 2-a week delay-but we are not discouraged-we are being patient.  We know that God is bigger than this infection and cancer and He will get us through this.  
Marcus was a little disappointed-he was ready to get this mess over with-but understands that the doctors just don't want any infection before they start the IL-2-they need him to be healthy and ready to fight!  So we are counting this extra week home as a blessing and trusting God with the rest!!!!!
Thank you to all you faithful prayer warriors out there-we truly appreciate every prayer sent to our family-we are blessed-and so grateful-we love you all!!!

1 Timothy 6:8

"But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that."  1 Timothy 6:8



So this morning I am awaken to another blessed day living in our 5th wheel!  We are finally settled and we are pretending we are on a permanent camping trip!  It has been amazing to see all the JUNK we have accumulated over the past 10 years and now have in storage.  Ridiculous is really the best word to describe it.  There is NO way that we need any of that-and we have realized now, that we have taken for granted the simple things in life-and like most people, have filled our home and minds with useless material items.  So as we begin this new chapter in our lives, we are starting our journey with a new declutter ritual and mindset.  We will not bring useless items into our home that we do not need.  We will learn to enjoy each other and what we have and be grateful for it all.  And like the scripture above says, we will be content with that.  


Eventually, after Marcus is done with treatments and on the recovery track (I am expecting God to heal him completely), we will find ourselves either building or buying a new home.  But we have committed to continuing this new lifestyle in a new home as well.  Not only for ourselves, but for our girls.  They need this example to see that material items may only bring you joy for a moment, but it is the simple things in life that will keep the joy in your heart for a lifetime.

Life is good for us-and we thank God for every second.