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.

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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.

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