Here’s one more blog entry from a year ago, written by Nelson, three months into his lung cancer diagnosis.

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July 13, 2022

The nurse Joe calls me just about every day to warn me about how dangerous my Platelet levels are and how careful I should be about getting cut, bleeding, and if anything, including shortness of breath. If any of that happens, I need to go straight to the ER.

I’ve done that, but lately I’m giving myself a little more leeway. This whole, “better safe than sorry” mentality can be taken too far.

I have been short of breath ever since this whole thing started in March. Don’t get me wrong, I’m so grateful for the help I have and still will receive here, but there are those who err on the side of caution, and there are those who seem to almost live for the dramatic.

If you pray for anything for me, please pray that I can get as strong as humanly possible before the next round of Chemo. I don’t even know what to write for the blog, because I don’t have an all-access pass to the clinic, being Covid positive and all.

Somehow it’s fine for me to go in for a blood draw, but nothing else. That’s my routine. Astrid drives me at 8 am, and they stab away a few times until they get one of my veins to pump out enough blood for the test to work.

Joe the nurse calls at some point later that afternoon, warning me what dangerous shape I’m in. I ask him what can I do to help my situation, and he says nothing, just stay healthy. Ok boss. Got it.

It’s better for me to just trust them with the process and leave the research stuff to Annso and Astrid. After all, I feel like with the pain meds I’m taking, it’s hard to really know what everything means.

Time for a gratitude inventory. Simple. Write things I’m thankful for.

I can start with prayer, and then my short time with everyone out shopping today, leaving me alone for a minute to write.

I am thankful for the support coming from YWAM Kona. It’s a place I underestimated for people who would reach out saying they are grateful for the service Annso and I rendered.

I’m thankful for YWAM and how many relationships I have as a result of being there all these years.

Thank you, Lord, for your healing touch, for the docs who are your hands and feet, and for the nurses who seem to really care.

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“The Lord is on my side. I will not fear.” (Psalm 118:6)

The journal entry below slipped past me in the last few days, so I’ll print it here, 3 days “out-of-sequence.” I was blogging back then in July, 2022, to keep Nelson’s friends, ministry partners, and family members current on his condition. But that day was a travel day for me, so Nelson volunteered to write the blog himself (below).

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July 9, 2022

Hey everybody, one more from me here.

We started the day by saying goodbye to Mom here in Rochester, so she could travel back to Michigan to be present for a large group of family. She writes this blog almost every night so everyone can have prayer material and to communicate the latest.

Ann Sophie’s Mom, Astrid, landed here last night from Germany, to be with us for 3 weeks and finally get to meet her one-and-only grandchild, which is our little Will. We are so thankful for the Lord’s timing when it comes to having the right people stop by at the right time.

Annso and I were just reflecting to each other that it would be too much for us to go it alone with all my complications and a four-month-old baby all happening at the same time.

Thank you, God.

Today was day 10 since my chemo and theoretically around the time when I get a little break from the nausea and vomiting before the next round July 20. All I can say is, I’m up for a boring few days. The only thing happening medically is a blood work-up tomorrow (yes, they’re open Sunday) to check Platelet levels so we know where we stand going into the week.

I never thought I would wish for a boring weekend. People ask if I have plans, and I say, “Hopefully nothing at all. I hope nothing happens this weekend.” Just being able to be home with Annso and Will, feeling relatively good, is good enough for me.

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“For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses….” (2 Corinthians 12:10)

When Nelson hoped that something desirable but improbable would happen, he usually came down on the positive side. “It’ll happen.”

Even on July 12, when the rest of us were already at the Ark Encounter in Kentucky, he saw a sliver of hope that maybe he and his family could still get there.

But realism had become his new companion, and this time, what he hoped would happen, didn’t. He took the dilemma to his journal, the words of which show him moving from “maybe we could” to “it’s best if we don’t” and back to “maybe…”

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July 12, 2022

Well, we are in Rochester, MN, and the rest of the family is down in Kentucky at the life-sized Ark. Mom ended up getting her wish and having most of her grandchildren down there together.

I still have a tiny glimmer of hope that we can go there and be with everyone, even if it’s only for a couple days. Since everyone in our house has the Covid, I feel like that ship has probably sailed, but, Lord, you make anything possible.

Maybe, though, it’s too much to cram in, and it wouldn’t be good for me anyway. Just having the appointment schedule wiped clean here because of the positive Covid test result is the best feeling. I’m tired of all the non-stop appointments and things.

I was so close to being in the hospital again last night. I should be sitting there right now, getting jabbed and poked to find out what’s wrong with me. Thank you Lord for your faithfulness to us and how you show yourself in those little things. I’m so grateful.

If we could travel after 5 days from the onset of the first [Covid] symptoms, then it started with Will on Sunday I think. It would be down to the exact day. We’d have to check in with the other parents to see if it’s something they’d even want to chance.

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“You do not know what a day will bring forth.” (Proverbs 27:1)