Category Archives: Prayer

Help is on the way.

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Today was originally the day Nelson was to exit the hospital after being admitted yesterday to stop his vomiting and coughing, and to help him breathe. He enjoyed his ambulance ride, knowing that better help was on the way.

Nelson’s cousin Luke, who has always shown up when it counts, came to Rochester today,    “…just to connect and be helpful any way I can.” When he texted that he was starting the 90 minute drive, he became more help that was on the way.

Luke and Ann Sophie appeared in Nelson’s room simultaneously while Luke’s two kids hung with Will and I in a hotel lobby across the street from the hospital. No children are allowed on cancer floors.

Cousin Luke was there only a few minutes before he texted me a list of what he thought we should strive to work on for Nelson today:

  1. Left arm has swelling.
  2. More consistent pain management.
  3. Cough suppressant to manage bronchial irritation.
  4. Draining of the lungs, or a shunt to steadily remove fluid.
  5. Acute anxiety med if needed at night.

By the end of visiting hours, Luke had worked his magic, and all five of these things had been addressed. In addition, a palliative care doctor will visit in the morning at the hospital, rather than having Nelson discharged prematurely to meet him elsewhere. Ann Sophie and I were relieved, and Nelson was feeling better.

As we often say, God is a very present help in trouble. He proved that again today, through Luke’s timely visit and in another way.

Since I knew I’d be partnering with little Will much of the afternoon, I decided to leave my purse in the car but slipped a credit card into my coat pocket.

Later, when Ann Sophie and I sat down to talk about Nelson at a Caribou Coffee shop (inside a hotel lobby), I reached for my credit card, and it was gone. Will and I had done lots of walking during our hours together, and somewhere along the way, it must have jumped out of my pocket.

Before sipping her hot chocolate, Ann Sophie prayed, asking God to show us where the card was. I left the table to search the sidewalk, hotel lobby, hallways, and everyplace we’d walked that afternoon, coming up empty. The hotel desk clerk said no one had turned it in. It was just gone.

Back at the coffee shop we chatted about Nelson’s busy day for 15 minutes while an older man sitting 30 feet away watched us. Ann Sophie and I wondered if he was homeless. He had a duffel bag and seemed to be trying to sleep on the hotel lobby couch. We agreed that he looked angry. His cap said “Vietnam.”

Suddenly he stood up, and believe it or not, help was on the way. He walked straight to our table. “Is this yours?” he said, holding up my credit card.

I was stunned but reached for the card, telling him what a kind and honorable man he was. He said, “I saw you wheeling the little one around and around, and when I saw it on the floor, I knew it was yours.”

After he’d returned to the couch, I borrowed $20 from Ann Sophie (I had no purse) and went over to thank him again—becoming help that was on the way to him. When I handed him the money, he said, “Oh bless you! I really need that! You don’t know how much!”

God sees to it that help is always on the way. And sometimes he even tends to it personally.

“Behold, God is my helper. The Lord is the upholder of my life.” (Psalm 54:4)

A Better Day

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The good thing about a bad day is that the next one is bound to be better.

Yesterday was rough, and it didn’t end at bedtime. Nelson’s vomiting continued through the night and into the morning, a vomiting like we’d never seen before—violent and ongoing for many minutes at a time. It seemed like he would pass out at any second.

This morning as the vomiting continued along with overwhelming coughing and choking, Ann Sophie and I didn’t know what to do. His pain was “off the charts” (his words), so we contacted his medical team. The first one to respond said, “Take him to the ER.”

And so back we went for our 3rd visit there in 2½ weeks. As we got in the car, we prayed, crying out to God to rescue Nelson—from vomiting, from coughing, choking, severe abdominal and lung pain, and inadequate breathing. Thankfully the ER was empty, and we went right in.

Several nurses and a doctor quickly focused on each problem in turn. Within an hour Nelson was breathing easier because of receiving oxygen, and his count had gone from 88 to 95. His pain was being treated with fentanyl and the vomiting with anti-nausea meds. And best of all was when Ativan diminished his panic about not being able to breathe.

Finally he fell into a sound sleep, which made me cry as I watched him. He hasn’t slept well in many weeks, some nights not at all. And always sitting straight up.

By 4:00 PM, the staff had decided to admit Nelson to the hospital for at least 24 hours to investigate the vomiting, a sky-high white blood cell count, and severe constipation from pain meds.

By 5:30 Nelson was being strapped in for his first-ever ride in an ambulance. This time he went to a different hospital, landing on a floor with only cancer patients. When he arrived, the staff said, “We are your people. We are already working with all the doctors you’ve been with so far, and we’re familiar with your medical situation.” It felt a little like coming home.

After they delivered all of Nelson’s meds along with an extra blanket, he  ordered dinner (an omelette, fruit and coffee), a welcome sight after not eating anything since yesterday’s nausea had begun. But today’s greatest delight was that we had cried out to God in the car, asking him to rescue Nelson, and he did.

Though his cancer and all the harm it’s doing remains, we were encouraged to hear that this week systemic treatment will begin. And our hope is that it won’t include vomiting.

“Because he holds fast to me in love, I will deliver him. I will protect him, because he knows my name. When he calls to me, I will answer him. I will be with him in trouble. I will rescue him…” (Psalm 91:14-15)

A burst of happiness, but then…

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All of us have been encouraged by the reports of literally thousands praying for Nelson and his family. It’s the most powerful thing any of us can do for him.

In addition to that, many have asked, “What can we do to help?” And suddenly multiple packages have begun arriving at our apartment complex, mostly things to help us set up housekeeping in our little apartment. Though a few days ago it was completely empty, now it’s beginning to look like home.

My nephew Luke loaned us furniture along with his trailer to haul it from his house to Rochester, an 80-mile ride. (He also let us stay at his house until we could find a place.)

YWAM friends Mike and Judy drove 100 miles from their home in northern Minnesota, to help us move. With Luke’s help, they loaded his trailer and towed it an additional 80 miles to our apartment. They carried it all inside, put together a couple of Ikea items, drove the 80 miles back north to return the trailer, and then did the last 100 miles to get home in the middle of the night – all with good cheer and the joy of the Lord.

 

Yesterday the landlord of our apartment complex said, “Come to my office. There’s a roomful of boxes for you here.” And suddenly it’s Christmas in May. We stand amazed.

But the gifts haven’t been limited to material things. Yesterday we met with a world renown doctor who is an expert in three areas: radiology, oncology, and lung cancer. He will be the “head honcho” over what happens to Nelson in coming days, dictating treatment along with his team of other specialists.

This doctor gave us a piece of good news that had us all rejoicing. Nelson’s MRI of his brain revealed no sign of cancer there. To that we shouted hallelujah! And the doctor was pleased to meet Nelson and his family, since all of us attended the meeting.

In 28 appointments over the last 5 days (doctors, nurses, labs, tests), no one has mentioned Covid and they’ve encouraged all of us to attend everything, even if Will is fussing. They understand how much Nelson has to live for and want to make that happen.

But…

today the all-important biopsy took place when they removed the center of an infected lymph node, poking Nelson 9 times in his neck. As Dr. Oliver said, “Without the tissue, there’s no issue.” Determining the source of the cancer’s origin is critical, because that will dictate treatment.

As we were talking about that today, the phone rang. It was one of the doctors letting us know that the labs done on the fluid that was extracted from Nelson’s lung showed lung cancer. But worst of all, his cancer is Stage 4. This difficult news has taken all day for us to absorb.

The renown doctor told us not to Google “Stage 4 lung cancer,” because we’d only find bad news. “And,” he said, “Google doesn’t know about all the new meds and treatments we have here at the Mayo Clinic.” So we continue to follow the doctors’ lead, knowing they know more about all this than we do. And we’re praying for a miracle.

“Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.” (Romans 12:12)