Last week was challenging as I continued to deal with heart arrhythmia and a virus that would not let go, but last weekend was wonderful. We did five presentations of the Gainesville Christmas Festival. God granted great performances and a wonderful response from the people who attended. I was on my way down on Thursday evening for the first performance and realized I was a little sad because for the first time since 2000 I would not be singing in the Christmas musical. I immediately caught myself and began remembering all I had to be thankful for. I was able to be here and not in Arkansas, I got to ride in the sleigh each evening with Gary, and I got to see and hear the program.

When I arrived at Gary’s office last Thursday evening I picked up a book that was on his desk. It was Power In Praise by Merlin Carothers. I opened it to a passage I had previously underlined, “Praise releases the power of God into our lives and circumstances because praise is faith in action. When we trust God fully, He is free to work, and He always brings victory. It may be a victory that changes circumstances, or a victory in the circumstances. Death may be turned away, or made to lose its sting. Praise is a permanent acceptance of what God has brought into our lives. We enter this attitude of praise by an act of our will, by a decision to praise God regardless of how we feel.” It was a great reminder to me to focus on all the good God had given me this past week instead of the circumstances. “My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed: I will sing and give praise” (Psalm 57:7, KJV).

I needed that reminder as I have struggled the last few days with more irregular heart rhythm than regular heart rhythm. It has been physically draining and the doctors are struggling with what is creating the problem. I am thankful that they are committed to finding out and solving the issue as soon as possible so that I can continue my chemo regimen without interruption. They have increased the dosage on one of the heart medications. If that doesn’t work, I will be spending a few days in the hospital for one of two treatment options. Hopefully, the increased dosage will work.

The chemo treatments are going well, my blood counts are holding steady, and the myeloma markers sent to Arkansas last week again showed stability of the disease. I will be contacting the doctor’s office in Arkansas this week to see if they feel the disease level is stable enough to allow me to delay the January check-up until March. I hope so. It would be good not to have to go back so soon.

Thank you so much for your many prayers, love, and support. I pray each of you will have a very Merry Christmas. May God bless you as you celebrate the birth of Christ.

Thursday and Friday were good days last week. Labwork looked good on Thursday and I felt better Friday than I have since returning from Little Rock. I also got cancer marker results (I send labwork every other week) and they indicated stability of the disease. Gary and I enjoyed a fun time at my Sunday School class Christmas party Friday evening.

Unfortunately, when I got up on Saturday, I knew my heart was acting up again. In between doing things to prepare for Sunday, I was sending readings from the heart monitor I wear to the group that takes and interprets them, I could feel the fast and irregular beating and was very light headed so I was not surprised that they kept asking me to send another reading. It looked like I was headed for the hospital again. Then the heart settled down a little after 1:00 pm. I was so grateful. I had begun preparing myself for missing a wonderful day at Westside and with my family, but knowing God was in control and He would determine what happened.

When I began the day at 6:15 Sunday morning, I did so with an intense gratitude for the opportunities of the day. I did some final preparation on my Sunday School lesson and for the birthday celebration that was to be in our home at lunch. (My mother turned 82 on Friday.) As always my class was a joy to lead and fellowship with and worship at Westside was spirit-filled and joyful. At lunch we listened as mother shared her memories of hearing about the bombing or Pearl Harbor at church that Sunday evening and the changes that occurred as the country adjusted to fight a war. Sunday evening with Governor Huckabee was an unusual opportunity and a very special time. When I got home about 8:15 pm, I was very tired but grateful and happy as I thought back over the day. I appreciated and enjoyed Sunday even more than usual because of what happened on Saturday. I knew how close I came to being in the hospital instead of being at Westside and home.

One of the positive things out of this illness is the heightened awareness of the importance of every moment and every day. I often awaken in the mornings thinking, “This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it” (Psalm 118:24). If God gives another day, we need to rejoice. We have no promise of tomorrow. The illness has also made me more conscious of the need to “make the most of every opportunity” (Colossians 4:5b). I want to praise Him and I also want to be used of Him each day. I do not want to miss what He is leaving me here to do. When He gives a day of life, I do not want to waste it.

I will be leaving for the doctor shortly. If all is well, I will continue the cancer treatment that I began two weeks ago. The doctors do not feel that the current cancer treatment and the heart problems are connected. There are side effects to the three chemo drugs, but thus far they have been very manageable. I am so grateful that they are oral and I do not have to deal with the time it takes to do infusions. God is so good. Thank you for your prayers! Please keep praying.

I pray you had a Happy Thanksgiving...

I pray you had a Happy Thanksgiving. God was good to me. I had the opportunity to be with family on Wednesday evening and Thursday for a wonderful Thanksgiving lunch.

I had had some irregular heart beating Sunday evening and Monday morning, but then things settled down until Wednesday evening. Thankfully, I did not have to go to the emergency room until Thursday afternoon. I was placed in the Progressive Care Unit because I was having atrial fibrillations and rapid heartbeat again. They gave me medications to slow the heart rate but the fibrillations continued through Thanksgiving night. Then my heart put itself back in rhythm about 6:00 Friday morning. I thought I would be going home until they came in with the results of my 4:00 am blood work. I needed two units of blood and shots to raise my white blood cell count. Each unit takes about two and a half to three hours so by the time all the paper work was done and the units were given it was 10:00 pm and I settled in for another night.

The trip to the hospital was definitely a blessing in disguise. Later in the weekend, as my blood levels continued to drop I would have become very critical. Instead God arranged for me to be where it was noted and the necessary blood was given. I was then able to check out and be with family again to watch that exciting gator football game, play with grandchildren, and visit with Gary and our children.

Though I would have preferred to be with my family the whole weekend (they had all moved into our house for the holiday weekend). There was comfort in thinking of them being together. This time when Gary would leave the hospital, he did not go home to an empty house! I also had rest and relaxation which I am sure I needed. I had plenty of time to read and pray and even opportunities to minister to some of the hospital staff. God always loves us and our focus on Him enables us to see the joy in each situation instead of what we think we are missing.

I saw my oncologist Monday. He and his staff have been one of God’s special gifts to me over these last nine years. We spent about 45 minutes discussing my treatment and other things. One thing that came up in discussion might explain the atrial fibrillations. A medication I have been on for most of the last nine years is now being tied to atrial fibrillations when it is used over a long time. It would be wonderful if the solution was this simple. I am no longer taking that medication. I also saw another cardiologist Tuesday afternoon that specializes in procedures to treat atrial fibrillations. Please pray for wisdom in decisions resulting from this appointment.

I write a monthly prayer letter which is mailed to participants in the women’s prayer group at our church. It has been suggested that I post those letters on this website. Though they are written specifically for our women the hope is that you will find encouragement and insight in them. I am going back to the letter written at the end of September where I first talk about the upcoming trip to Little Rock.

As I think of and update this blog, I pray for its readers. Thank you for your prayers!

.

From Freda

I am sorry to be so long in updating this blog. Things have been hectic with doctor’s visits and trying to catch up after being in Arkansas for six weeks. I hope to post regular updates now that I am home.

Two weeks ago I saw my doctor here and began the new chemo protocol. I made it through three days before having to come off. Gary found me passed out on the floor Thursday of that week and took me to my doctor’s visit. I was having atrial fibrillations and was hospitalized. The fibrillations continued so the shocked my heart on that Friday morning to get it back in rhythm. Praise God it only took a small shock. They observed me until Saturday afternoon and then let me go home. I was grateful to be home and to be able to teach my Bible study class on Sunday, attend worship with the Westside family, and lead a home fellowship that evening.

Last week I hoped to get back on the chemo protocol but could not because of extremely low blood pressure and a racing heart. I continued to see the doctor’s and the cardiologist finally put me on a heart monitor on Thursday afternoon. I will wear it for the next month so they can better determine what is happening with the heart. In spite of everything, God has graced me with feeling well when the heart was behaving. I was able to spend a couple of hours with all of our children and grandchildren late Friday afternoon and again on Saturday afternoon. I was also able to teach Bible study and attend worship on Sunday.

Some ask me why I push to teach and attend worship on Sundays instead of staying home and resting. The answer is simple really. I feel better in church than at home and I am able to minister and be ministered to. I walked into my class on Sunday morning and enjoyed a time of laughter and fellowship, followed by a time of prayer and sharing our needs before delving into a great Bible study. As I looked around that room, I saw people who had stayed strong in class ministry during my six weeks away. I was grateful for their support of each other, me, and the church’s ministry. They encourage and uplift me and I hope I do the same for them.

The Message Bible translates Psalms 73:16-17 this way, “Still, when I tried to figure it out, all I got was a splitting headache. . .Until I entered the sanctuary of God. Then I saw the whole picture.” I underlined these words while I was in Arkansas because they expressed part of what it means for me to be in worship. In worship I gain the “whole picture” and don’t get stuck in my situation and the circumstances all around. Worship is encouraging because it focuses me on God and gives me an opportunity to express my gratitude to Him for who He is what He has done, and is doing, in my life and the life of others. I find it impossible to worship and not feel God’s joy and peace. I also get to see the faces of those who are praying for me and I pray and thank God for them. I also know that their commitment to be in worship will produce change and growth in their life and the lives of those they touch.

Thank you for your continued prayers.

.

Click below to view Pastor Gary along with his wife Freda in a message titled:
"Comforted to Comfort"

Launch Video

Freda saw the doctor on Monday, October 27...

Freda saw the doctor on Monday, October 27, for follow-up after the first round of chemotherapy which was very challenging because of complications. But, she felt your prayers and knows they made the difference. At the appointment she was told that there were still myeloma cells in the bone marrow. The doctors wanted to do further testing to determine the best type of chemotherapy to give for the second cycle and to determine if a stem cell transplant or a stem cell boost would be most appropriate. They scheduled an appointment for Monday, November 3^rd at which time they were to tell her the new protocol and begin treatment. Critical test results were unavailable on Monday and the appointment was rescheduled for Wednesday.

On Wednesday, Freda met with her doctor and the head of the myeloma center who is also a doctor. After a lengthy consultation in which they looked at her treatments over the last nine years and her current test results, they came up with a treatment plan. They decided to set aside her “nasty” cytogenetics results that have been bad off and on since her first visit in 2000 and consistently bad for the last 6-8 months. They decided just look at her current level of myeloma in the bone marrow. This is a major change in treatment because normally bad cytogenetics are an indication that the cancer will increase rapidly and thus require a more drastic treatment. This rapid increase of cancer cells has not been true in Freda’s case up to this point.

Therefore, their decision is a complete turn around from the treatment planned a week ago. They decided to try a combination of three chemo drugs that can be taken orally and administered and monitored in Gainesville by Freda’s local oncologist. She will mail labwork to Arkansas every other week for them to determine cancer levels. If the levels remain stable or decrease, and if her body can tolerate the treatment, she will continue this protocol and return to Little Rock in January. If levels increase, she will return to Little Rock for a stem cell transplant. Please pray that this will not be necessary.

Freda feels very confident about the doctor’s decisions and views this change of treatment as an answer to your many prayers. After finishing things at the center in Little Rock, Freda and Pastor Gary will return to Gainesville. She is very excited about being back with family and friends and very grateful for your prayers. Your prayers, financial support for medical expenses, cards, and emails have made a great difference for her and Pastor Gary during these five weeks away from home. Please continue to pray for her.

.

Freda saw the doctor yesterday (Monday).

Freda saw the doctor yesterday (Monday). Current test results show increased myeloma activity in the bone marrow. She will be undergoing further testing Thursday and Friday to determine more about the aggressiveness of the myeloma cells in the marrow. She will see her doctor again on Monday (11/3) and he, in consultation with the head doctor at the Myeloma Center, will determine what treatment to do next. The current indication is that it will be a higher dose chemo followed by either a stem cell transplant or a stem cell boost. She will remain in Arkansas and start the treatment immediately because the doctors think it is important not to wait and give the disease any more time to increase. She continues to remain encouraged by your cards and, most importantly, your prayers. Please continue to pray for her.

Freda continues...

Freda continues to make daily trips to the clinic for labwork, needed transfusions, fluid, and IV antibiotics. She is progressing in a positive direction though she is still struggling with some chemo side effects. She hopes to see a doctor on Friday for further evaluation and direction. Her spirits remain high and she is very grateful for the birthday and get well cards and the many prayers you are offering on her behalf.


Some of you have asked about the message that Freda and I shared on September 28th. You can go to www.definingmomentswithGaryCrawford.com to see the DVD or get a copy from the library.


Freda will check the blog when possible for any communication from church family and friends and looks forward to seeing you as soon as possible.

.

Freda's Address in Little Rock

If you would like to send a letter of encouragement to Freda while she is in Little Rock, here is the address:

Premier Suites
Attn. Freda Crawford
11601 W. Markham, Suite D
Little Rock, Ar 72211

.

Freda remains in Little Rock...

Freda remains in Little Rock after a critical point this last week, she is stabilized and continuing her treatment protocol. Your prayer, support, and encouragement is appreciated beyond our ability to say.

Family members have been with her this week while I am in ministry at Westside. I will return to Little Rock Monday of next week and will return for Celebration Sunday (October 26).

Freda wants you to know of her love for you and confidence of God's healing grace in her life.

.

Welcome

Welcome, this blog will update Freda Crawford's health status, among other things. Stay tuned for updates.

.