The two previous posts were written and unpublished until Mark was ready to share his news… not to mention that we didn’t really have any news at that point. I wanted to capture just a bit of what it feels like to wait.

Before sharing our updates I want to share this music video by Gentri. I will write soon and explain why they (as a group) have a new significance for us – but I have always enjoyed their music. After writing my previous post – the “Waiting Day” I watched this video to their song, Don’t Let Go. I didn’t actually watch it (because I have seen it before) because this time I was listening with quite a different context. I was thinking that the words matched my feelings as I had prayed that morning, petitioning the Lord, “Don’t Let Go!”

“Your whisper heals my soul, Don’t let go!”

I hope anyone that is reading this will take a moment to enjoy the music video – not while thinking about us, but while thinking about issues in your own life.

“When my strength is weak, I can feel you carry me.”

It seems that everyone I know is carrying a heavy burden and what a variety of burdens they are! I wish I had better words to demonstrate/share that somehow the best path forward always involves the Lord!

“And I plead with all I know, Don’t let go!”

Well, we have updates. Mark’s tumor is a high grade pleomorphic sarcoma. Right now it is stage 3 and further tests next week will determine if we can keep that staging or move on to stage 4. We obviously don’t want that! Remember how we were hoping to have surgery right away? Well, that is not going to be happening for awhile.

Mark will need five weeks of radiation, five days a week. Yikes. As Li-Fraumeni patients we have been trained to avoid radiation at all costs. In this case, it is worth the cost. Next week he will be measured and prepared but we do not actually begin radiating until a couple of weeks after that. We are praying for that time to be shortened so that the tumor growth will (hopefully) be curtailed. It will not shrink, but should stop growing. After the five weeks he will be given three weeks or so to heal and take more images at which point we should be eligible to schedule his surgery.

Because we live 75 miles from the hospital we are eligible to stay in the Hope Lodge. This is housing provided by the American Cancer Society in Salt Lake City. They called us yesterday and they are booked solid, but they said we have priority because of the length of Mark’s treatment. Again, we are praying that there will be room for us. Not having to drive each day (especially with a sore leg) would be such a blessing! And what an adventure that would be!

I know I have friends near and far catching up on this news. Thank you (once again) for joining us on our journey. I will try to be better at blogging to keep everyone updated, and in the meantime I am sure I have plenty of untold stories to get me back into the habit. Feel free to skip over those while looking forward to learning about and supporting my sweetheart in his new battle with cancer!

Don’t Let Go!!