on infusing faith to others

As we've shared our news, we have been so humbled to see how our story has strengthened the faith of our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. That God would be able to use this whole circumstance not only for our good, but for the blessing of others is simply astounding. Below is one of the emails we received that was a tremendous encouragement to James and I, and such an expression of rejoicing with those who rejoice. Our friend Mike relates events from the first week of November, when we traveled south to participate in a missions conference. 

This truly is a miracle only the Lord could orchestrate -- and to me, it's not only an extraordinary outcome, but this news comes at a miraculous time of the year.

Kristen and James, I'll never forget hearing your testimony during the dinner at the conference just a few short weeks ago. It had many of us in tears as we listened to you describe not only what both of you had been through so far, but the way you continued to put your trust in God, despite what seemed inevitable.

At the end of the conference when we interviewed the two of you on camera, that faith continued to show through, even as James had to step aside because his cough was so bad that night.The two of you were graceful in your acceptance of the circumstances -- and you demonstrated that grace and your faith in every word you said.

And now, to hear this amazing news is such a blessing to all of us. When I spoke praise in my prayers yesterday at dinner, my wife -- who'd heard your dinner testimony -- burst out in tears. We've been celebrating with you ever since.

In homage to our Old Testament roots, there's an old Chanukah blessing that goes like this, "....Ba-ruch A-tah Ado-nai E-lo-he-nu Me-lech Ha-olam she-a-sa ni-sim la-avo-te-nu ba-ya-mim ha-hem bi-zman ha-zeh." It translates to, "...Blessed are You, Lord our G-d, King of the universe, who performed miracles for our forefathers in those days, at this time."

Clearly, God is not finished performing miracles. I'm grateful that He revealed His hand in this way...and Kristen and James, I unabashedly thank God on your behalf. May He continue to bless you both -- and may your story infuse faith into the lives of people everywhere.

Now Here's News Worth Mentioning...

Over the past few days, news has been trickling in from Jay, Dr. Einhorn's nurse. We first heard that James's cancer diagnosis had not changed. After a review of pathology, it was determined that James had squamous cell NSCLC with no genetic mutation...which means no form of pill chemo for treatment. And then we discussed the potential use of immunotherapy drugs. (Blech, but...well...okay.)

And then...THEN...the following news this afternoon.

After review of medical records by two "Tumor Boards" (i.e., the nerdy club you get to be in as an oncologist) and two teams of geneticists, Dr. Einhorn has determined
1. James is disease free
2. James does not currently need any treatment, and
3. "Cure" is possible, meaning that it is statistically probable that James will survive 5 years or more.

WOW.

Just, wow.

We have been overjoyed to get to share this news with some of you in person/over the phone, and it has been, by far, one of the highlights of our lives to share what God has done and to laugh and cry with you as we rejoice together. Words cannot express our gratitude to you who so faithfully walked this hard road with us. God was so gracious in giving us such awesome friends who loved and supported us every step of the way.

I am sure you have questions - we do too! We will meet with Dr. Einhorn in January where we can ask all the questions we have and get insight into how best to proceed. For the near future, Dr. Einhorn plans to monitor James every 4 months via lab work and x-ray.

In the meantime, continue to pray for James's health...he is happy to report that nearly every day he feels better than the one before. He is back to walking at very nearly a normal pace, can breathe, and says that his lungs feel so much clearer. His cough is greatly reduced, he is sleeping well, and has all kinds of energy. Apparently his eyebrows will be the last great holdouts for recovery - ha! But as one of our friends said, "I'm going to keep on praying, because I want to see James FULLY RESTORED." Yes, and AMEN. Pray too that God will give us wisdom as to how we return to "regular scheduled programming" in terms of our lives. Our return to Asia will be one of the issues discussed with Dr. Einhorn.

Now go and have an awesome Christmas...with hearts a little lighter, and just a tad more joyful than you had hoped for. It's our gift to you.

xoxo
--james & kristen

where james gets "famous"

Last Friday we had the chance to speak to Jay, Dr. Einhorn's nurse, and got a small update on things over at IU. 

IU was able to procure samples from St. Vincent's...after a bit of wrangling professional reminding. (It went something like, "This patient is not getting chemo treatment while we wait on you!")  So, there was a bit of delay intially, but things are good now. 

Dr. Einhorn consulted with his partners who have all agreed it is good for James to stop treatment for now. (This made me laugh...I'm sure the other doctors are not slouches, but does anyone disagree with Dr. Larry?!)

Additionally, there's a team of thoracic cancer researchers at IU who have already been made aware of James's case. Their next meeting will be December 17th. James will be one of the patients they plan to discuss. ("Oooh! I'm getting famous!" James said.) They will be reviewing all the results and together will determine the best course of treatment. Jay said that sometimes one doctor sees it as a straightforward case, while another notices something that changes the equation. Pray for God's wisdom to be granted them!

In general, James is feeling much better these days sans chemo. He has been complaining lately of the inability to focus/concentrate when he reads. Pray that his mental acuity will return to him as the chemo works its way out of his body. He is sleeping better and is coughing less and less. Pray that God will completely heal and restore his lungs! I was remembering yesterday how last fall, even into November, James was able to run. Now, because of his lungs, he can't. We are continuing to trust God for great things, and are encouraged by your faith as well. Thank you!!  Have a great week...