Side Effects:A Real Smile

Kregg had his first three day cycle of chemo this past week. He reported no nausea or dreadful side effects. After day two, he actually told Kris he felt better than he had in a very long time! He was notably "up" the day I took him to the infusion center. He joked with the receptionist and the nurse. The pharmacist stopped by to check on him and he proudly told her that he wasn't having any complications from the "poison" she had warned him about. On day one she had gone into great detail about all the possible side effects. On this day he was smiling because he could tell her that he had no side effects. I took it all in...my brother was smiling....my bald brother was smiling and was happy. I realized it had been a long time since I had seen a real smile from my brother. It is a true blessing that he does not have side effects, but it is also a blessing that he can smile....really smile. I don't know how long he has to live, but each day that he physically and emotionally feels better is a true blessing and an answer to many prayers.

"It"

Mike, my cousin had just arrived. Dad, Rod and John were drawn to the sitting room television watching a Tiger Wood's putt. James, Hannah, Drew, John M and Samantha were jumping on the trampoline trying to see who could out bounce the other. Mom, Kelly and I were in the kitchen talking about David's reaction to his first birthday party the night before. While the crowd of friends sang Happy Birthday to David he tried desperately to disappear into his high chair and make all the attention go away. Precious.
Kris and Kregg arrived. They were on time. This was the first time we had seen Kregg since his hair had fallen out. As we greeted my brothers, we made reference to Kregg's new look. I touched his bald head reflecting on what it represented....three weeks of daily whole brain radiation. It had been 5 weeks since Kris had taken him to the emergency room and they found five tumors in his brain. It, the cancer, would change our family. Of course, "It" really is God. God has changed our family. With Kregg's cancer God has written a prescription that is allowing our family to heal and become healthier than we ever have been. Kris and Kregg are sober. Broken relationships are being restored. God's prescription is powerful, but His medicine must be taken as prescribed to work. This morning I read Proverbs 4 vs 20-23 and I knew I was reading God's prescription label for "It". I hope you will read "It's" prescription label for your life today.

David Laughlin, First Birthday, August 14, 2009.

To Do List

I told Kregg on our way back to Kris's house after his radiation treatment on Friday that he was going to have to put "arrange for 5 days of transportation" on his "to do list" for next week's treatments. In a joking manner I told him it would give him something to do and keep him busy. He joked back with me that if he had a "to do list" he would forget where he put it. I laughed because life is just one big "to do list" for me. Kregg and my life could not be more different when you compare how we spend our time. He spends a lot of time alone without a list of things that "need" to be done. He doesn't have a schedule that has him going in 15 different directions today and wondering if he'll make it. He rests without interruption.
When mom and dad called to find out how things went with Kregg, I shared with them that he seemed to be doing well except for an itchy scalp and burning ears. Kregg planned to talk to the doctor on Monday about what he may be able to do to relieve these new symptoms...until then he thought he would try taking Benedryl. It had been a very busy week for me...a longer than usual "to do list" with four kids to get ready to start school next week and a full time job to manage. My parents sensed I was tired when we talked. I told them that I longed for just 4 hours of alone time on a raft in a pool without someone calling my name needing something. After we said goodbye and I hung up the phone, I realized that I would last about 15 mins by myself on a raft with someone not needing me. I can't sit quietly anywhere without giving into the desire to do something. I wonder, if I knew that my life was being threatened what would I do differently? Kregg knows his life is fragile and yet he chooses to do what he has always done. He lives it one day at a time with no sense of urgency and with minimal needs and wants. We all have choices on how we live and so I look at my "to do list" not as much as an enemy today but as a reminder of all the people that need me...and as a reminder of how much I need them.

Before Radiation and Chemo

This is the most recent picture of Kregg taken just about a week before we learned he had cancer and obviously before treatment started. He has had 6 radiation treatments and approx 6 more to go. He has gained 7 lbs since this picture. This weight gain is a result of the steroids he is on for his brain tumors.

He is scheduled to start Chemo on August 17th. Mom and Dad will be here for most of that week.

An Invitation

My sister Kelly, my cousin Mike and a friend took turns providing transportation this week for Kregg to and from his radiation treatments. Besides making him tired, the treatments seem to be going well.

I called to extend an invitation to Kregg and Kris to my house for dinner on Sunday since work and family kept me from spending any time with them this week. Kris told me that he has been cooking meals fit for a king for Kregg. Kregg has gained 4 pounds since last week... a combination of Kris's good cooking and an increased appetite from one of his medicines. Not that I am a good cook, but I thought they might enjoy someone else doing the cooking for a change. I do not know if they will accept my dinner invitation or not.

Over the years I have invited them over and they don't answer my invitation. I never know if they will show up or not....usually not.

As I was driving home from work yesterday I thought about how God invites each one of us to spend time with Him. He invites us to have a personal relationship with Him. He invites us to spend eternal life with Him and yet we often ignore the Creator of life's invitations. Do we really only show up when it is convenient for us? I know I don't always show up when He wants to spend time with me. I don't always RSVP when He offers to feed me. Do you?