Hello everyone, Some bad news about my wife, Mary Jo.
They admitted Mary Jo to Baptist East yesterday to do additional CT
Scans and other tests. They have confirmed that her lymphoma has become
very aggressive. She had one lymph node that had become enlarged that
they were watching. Now, they are all enlarged.
She will be having an endoscopy and a colonoscopy tomorrow to try to
determine other things she has going on. They put a port in her neck
this evening for the chemo treatments. They will be using a regimen of
four powerful chemo medicines to shrink the lymph nodes, and to send it
back to an indolent state.
The lymphoma she has is not cureable, but is treatable with the chemo
regimen they will be using. I am sure that the drugs they will be using
will knock Mary Jo for a loop. My focus for the foreseeable future is
to do my best taking care of the grandkids that we help with, and being
a rock for Mary Jo .
We aren't sure at this point when the chemo treatments will begin, or
how often they will be. One nurse said once a month. I suspect it takes
the rest of the month to recover for the next treatment.
Please keep all of us, and all cancer patients in your prayers,
Deacon Gerry
________________________________________________________________
SAINT PEREGRINE LAZIOSI
Born in Forli, Italy, Peregrine is the patron saint of persons suffering from cancer, AIDS and other serious diseases.
As a young man he was a member of an anti-papal party until he encountered St. Philip Benizi, the head of the Servite order, who had been sent to try to reconcile the divided community. While trying to preach in Forli, Philip was heckled and even struck by Peregrine, who was overcome by momentary political fervor. But that moment also changed Peregrine. He began to channel his energies in new directions, engaged in good works and eventually joined the Servites in Siena and went on to be ordained a priest. Returning to his home town, he founded a new Servite house there and became well known for his preaching and holiness as well as his devotion to the sick and poor.
One of the special penances he imposed on himself was standing whenever it was not necessary to sit. Over time, Peregrine developed varicose veins and, in turn, cancer of the foot. The wound became painful and diseased and all medical treatment failed. The local surgeon determined amputation of the leg was called for.
Tradition has it that the night before surgery was scheduled ,Peregrine spent much time in prayer before the crucified Jesus, asking God to heal him if it was God’s will to do so. Falling asleep at one point, Peregrine had a vision of the crucified Jesus leaving the cross and touching his cancerous leg. When Peregrine awoke, the wound was healed and his foot and leg, seemingly miraculously cured, were saved. He lived another 20 years.
Peregrine was canonized in 1726.
Comment:
Peregrine got his miracle: His cancer was cured even as the doctors prepared to amputate his foot. But Peregrine had already experienced a more important healing: A softening of his heart rechanneled all his energy into the service of the gospel. Most of us pray fervently if not for a miracle, at least for some need that lies close to our hearts. And so we should, for God cares about our concerns. But no prayer would please God more than to ask that we might experience an ongoing softening of our hearts.
Patron Saint of:
AIDS patients
Cancer patients
They admitted Mary Jo to Baptist East yesterday to do additional CT
Scans and other tests. They have confirmed that her lymphoma has become
very aggressive. She had one lymph node that had become enlarged that
they were watching. Now, they are all enlarged.
She will be having an endoscopy and a colonoscopy tomorrow to try to
determine other things she has going on. They put a port in her neck
this evening for the chemo treatments. They will be using a regimen of
four powerful chemo medicines to shrink the lymph nodes, and to send it
back to an indolent state.
The lymphoma she has is not cureable, but is treatable with the chemo
regimen they will be using. I am sure that the drugs they will be using
will knock Mary Jo for a loop. My focus for the foreseeable future is
to do my best taking care of the grandkids that we help with, and being
a rock for Mary Jo .
We aren't sure at this point when the chemo treatments will begin, or
how often they will be. One nurse said once a month. I suspect it takes
the rest of the month to recover for the next treatment.
Please keep all of us, and all cancer patients in your prayers,
Deacon Gerry
________________________________________________________________
SAINT PEREGRINE LAZIOSI
Born in Forli, Italy, Peregrine is the patron saint of persons suffering from cancer, AIDS and other serious diseases.
As a young man he was a member of an anti-papal party until he encountered St. Philip Benizi, the head of the Servite order, who had been sent to try to reconcile the divided community. While trying to preach in Forli, Philip was heckled and even struck by Peregrine, who was overcome by momentary political fervor. But that moment also changed Peregrine. He began to channel his energies in new directions, engaged in good works and eventually joined the Servites in Siena and went on to be ordained a priest. Returning to his home town, he founded a new Servite house there and became well known for his preaching and holiness as well as his devotion to the sick and poor.
One of the special penances he imposed on himself was standing whenever it was not necessary to sit. Over time, Peregrine developed varicose veins and, in turn, cancer of the foot. The wound became painful and diseased and all medical treatment failed. The local surgeon determined amputation of the leg was called for.
Tradition has it that the night before surgery was scheduled ,Peregrine spent much time in prayer before the crucified Jesus, asking God to heal him if it was God’s will to do so. Falling asleep at one point, Peregrine had a vision of the crucified Jesus leaving the cross and touching his cancerous leg. When Peregrine awoke, the wound was healed and his foot and leg, seemingly miraculously cured, were saved. He lived another 20 years.
Peregrine was canonized in 1726.
Comment:
Peregrine got his miracle: His cancer was cured even as the doctors prepared to amputate his foot. But Peregrine had already experienced a more important healing: A softening of his heart rechanneled all his energy into the service of the gospel. Most of us pray fervently if not for a miracle, at least for some need that lies close to our hearts. And so we should, for God cares about our concerns. But no prayer would please God more than to ask that we might experience an ongoing softening of our hearts.
Patron Saint of:
AIDS patients
Cancer patients
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