Prayers for my Dad

[almarquardt]

My dad called me from the hospital today. He'd been fighting bronchitis for weeks now, and after a third doctor visit they found spots on his lungs. Turned out they were pulmonary embolisms. They caught them in time, thankfully, and put him on blood-thinners.

However, they also found a spot on his liver, and my dad fears it's malignant.

I ask for your prayers for his physical health as well as his emotional well-being. He's been fighting depression for the last few years, and I'm sure this isn't helping.

Thanks, all.

[birdnerd]

Yikes.

Spots in the liver can be other things just as easily. Liver cancer was one of the tentative (and incorrect) diagnoses I was given during my year-long misadventure some 6-7 yrs ago. Turns out it's just a "hematoma." Sounds like cancer, but it's just a conglomeration of blood vessels all in the same spot. Not a problem and almost invariably benign, but it sure looks bad on the other tests. An ultrasound sorted it out correctly.

Nevertheless, I pray your dad gets past his bronchitis and that the spot is something harmless ... like a hematoma.

[Kristen]

Oh, depression is cruel. It can interfere with the immune system. I pray it will lift so your dad can embrace the wellness and healing God has for him.

[beckyminor]

Prayers lifted up for your Dad...amazing how health issues seem to show up in a constellation of troubles that are sometimes related, sometimes not. May the Lord guide the hands of the doctors to get to the bottom of his troubles, and may he find peace and strength as he passes through this tough time.

[almarquardt]

Thanks so much, ladies.

Turns out he has pancreatic cancer. The tumor is too large for surgery, so he doesn't have many options. He'll find out more from the oncologist tomorrow.

[birdnerd]

Hmm. Rough gig.

Modern medicine can do a lot. I pray for his healing.

[isabeau]

I just walked that same road with my father, seeing him all the way Home (his funeral is tomorrow), so you have my empathy and prayers.

Feel free to PM me if you ever need a listening ear.

[metalikhan]

Praying for your dad, almarquardt, as well as you and the rest of your family. May God's hand sustain you and comfort you throughout and beyond this time.

Praying for you and your family, too, isabeau.

My dad took that journey Home two years ago this month. We still miss him but know he's in the arms of our Lord. Praying you both have the same assurance of reunion with loved ones in His Kingdom.

[beckyminor]

So sorry to hear of your loss isabeau...I pray the funeral will be a time of comfort for those of you who will be missing your father.

And almaquardt, please keep us updated on how things are going so we can walk beside you along the difficult road ahead.

[almarquardt]

I, too, extend my sympathies to you, Isabeau. I may take you up on the PM, especially as his last days draw near.

The oncologist seemed optimistic that my dad will see one more Christmas. That gives him about a year, which for pancreatic cancer is a long time. Less than 5% make it past one year after diagnosis. We talked to him today and his spirits seem okay. All we can do now is make sure his last year is a good one, and pray that God sustains his spirit and soul both during his last days and beyond.

We'll be taking a short vacation in mid-January to visit him so he can spend as much time with his only grandson (he'll turn three on January 18th) as he can.

Thank you again for all your comforting words and prayers. They've helped already as I can feel God's comfort surrounding us even now.

[isabeau]

Dec 29, 2010 22:38:16 GMT -5 almarquardt said:

I, too, extend my sympathies to you, Isabeau. I may take you up on the PM, especially as his last days draw near.

Thank you (and all) for the kind thoughts, and please do feel free to contact me. I have some hospice literature that may be of interest or use to you as the time draws near, especially if you will be involved in decision making at that time. I also have materials from a class I took in seminary on Sickness and Suffering. I'd be happy to copy and send them to you.

My dad was diagnosed with a stage 4 inoperable glioblastoma, which is the most aggressive form of brain cancer. The tumor was the size of his fingernail, but he survived only a little over three months after he started treatment.

It's a difficult road to walk, even when those we love belong to Him.

[almarquardt]

I was just reading through other prayer requests, specifically Morwena's husband's job loss, and it reminded me of how God works. It's never what we anticipate, let alone fathom.

That said, I want to share where my Dad is at. I wrote about it in my blog on writing.com. Here's the link:

www.writing.com/main/books/entry_id/720165

Thank you all again for your prayers. They're helping!

[isabeau]

Apr 1, 2011 21:30:29 GMT -5 almarquardt said:

That said, I want to share where my Dad is at.

I'm so happy to hear this. Thank you for sharing. That's wonderful!

[morganlbusse]

Wow! That is a blessing Thank you for sharing that Alm.

[almarquardt]

Hi all,

First off, my apologies for not giving an update sooner.

My Dad was called home on April 22, Good Friday. When a friend of his came over to visit a mere one hour after he passed, we told him what time.

His mouth dropped and he stared at each one of us in turn.

I thought it was because he missed seeing my Dad one more time by a mere hour.

"3:15pm?" he asked.

We all looked at each other in confusion. We had no idea the significance of the time.

"It's supposedly the time of day Jesus died on Good Friday."

Kinda cool in a way that my Dad died at the same time.

So although he lost his battle with cancer, God won the war over his soul. For that I am beyond grateful.

Thank you again for all your thoughts and prayers. They helped send my Dad into God's arms, and kept those he left behind from grieving too much.