Is this for real?!

Well Dad called me today after church. He's like "can you check for tickets El Paso to Winnipeg? Preferably between Saturday and Tuesday sometime. You guessed it!! The tickets are booked for them to arrive in Winnipeg Sunday afternoon!! This seems unreal. But hey I'm not even close to thinking about complaining!!

God is good,all the time!!

Sing to Him a new song; Play skillfully with a shout of joy. For the word of the Lord is upright, And all His work is done in faithfulness. (Psalms 33:3, 4 NASB)

Emphasis on the last phrase!

Consultation with specialist

Mom, Dad, and Lenora visited a cancer care hospital in El Paso today for a consultation with a specialist.  The specialist did say Lenora's case is a rare one and that her symptoms don't point towards cancer. If it was cancer she should still be having those up and down days only each up and down would be lower than the previous. Instead every day seems to be just a bit better then the previous. Hopefully I will have more on that tomorrow afternoon or evening.

Thank you again for praying. Pray especially for God's leading in Mom and Dad's decision making over the next few days.

Happy Easter and may you be reminded of what truly took place on Easter morning  just over 2000 years ago. Jesus is still alive today!!

Steady uphill

Lenora is steadily climbing uphill as far as her health is concerned! She is feeling well enough to not dread the trip home the way she did a month ago when mom and Dad took her to Mexico. I still don't know when they will be coming home. Hopefully by the weekend but I haven't heard what the plans are for certain.

Otherwise there isn't much to update at this point. Thank you so much for praying!! We have all felt strengthened because of you!! Pray for Mom's Health as she is feeling a sick although not near as bad as yesterday morning.

May God bless you for all you've done for us as a family!!!

Lenora had another great day! The MRI yesterday confirmed that everything from neck upward is all cleared up! The lump in her neck is dormant but has not completely disappeared.

All the inflammation she had to deal with is gone so it shouldn't be too long before she's home in Canada again!!

In spite of everything else seeming to have cleared up really well, her eyes and the one side of her face are responding slower then Lenora would like. Both are improving though it's not noticeable on a daily basis.

Than you again for praying! God is answering Prayer!!!

Eye sight

Someone asked me how Lenora's eye sight is by now. I'll share an incident to help you visualize. For a while now Lenora just couldn't figure out why Mom would read in such low light conditions at bedtime. It's bad for your eyes, you know. Then, yesterday she realized it wasn't as dark as she had thought. It was only that her eyesight is that bad. The fact that she realized this indicates her eyesight is getting better; though slowly. Thank you for praying for her in this!!

I mentioned a few days ago that Lenora would be coming home early this week. Doesn't look like she will be home by tomorrow. It's not settled at this point since the MRI results haven't come back yet. The Doctor who goes over these results was in surgery and didn't have time to sit down and talk.
Lenora is really optimistic and cheerful. She tries proving she can do everything herself. This is good! She walks very well and quite fast already but needs to gain weight.

Lenora and mom and dad send you heart-felt thanks for your prayer support! May God Bless You

MRI

Lenora is taking chelation treatments again but is off all other IV. Dr James scheduled an MRI for Monday. I'm curious, we all are, what that will reveal. Hopefully she won't even need radiation. I'll know better tomorrow. The way things look now, if she does need radiation it will be only a few treatments. The results this MRI reveals will play a large part in when Lenora will be released.

Lenora has been playing outdoor lawn games as it helps take her mind off the fact she is in a health Center and would love to be living normal life at home already.

She is eating well and generally feeling pretty good. She can do a fast walk already. The docs are impressed! Lenora does her own dressing, bathing & combing. Sounds like she should be able to start exercising on Monday which potentially will help her gain weight. Her exercising will involve mostly the treadmill & bicycle.
This eve she came to mom & asked if the leftover subway sandwiches from lunch were already wrapped. She wanted to help clean them up...feeling absolutely better, mom says.


So, thank-you for praying for her as she walks steadily towards health and wellness again. God is faithful to finish the work He has started in Lenora and in everyone who has been touched by her as she is going through this. Lets keep on praising Him!!

Same...

Still in Mexico Lenora s looking forward to coming home soon. Hopefully soon means early next week!
In other news Lenora improved some since yesterday. She's still taking hydration and some anti-nausea through IV but otherwise is not on any steady medication right now.

God is good and we will keep trusting Him to do 'abundantly more then we can ask or even imagine'
Thank you for praying!! God bless you for caring!

Blood-work

Dad, Mom, and Lenora went over Lenora's blood-work with Dr James.
Among other improvements her liver is rid of the toxins it was loaded with when she first arrived in Mexico. Her negative blood count showed too high when they first got there. That has dropped down to normal.

Lenora did more walking around today than yesterday or the day before and overall she was in better spirits. Thank you for praying for her! You are making a difference!

The Lord makes firm the steps of the one who delights in him; (Psalm 37:23 NIV)

Inflammation almost all gone

Ok so Lenora was in bed most of yesterday. She is feeling better though and is eating some again along with drinking the dreaded Ensure, meal supplement! She drinks only as much as she gets told to drink! Quick question: Do all hospital patients hate that stuff? She got so tired of it when she was still in Winnipeg!
It looks like she's on the upward climb again. She can walk as well as before her nausea spell. If things keep improving this way or quicker 😀 She possibly will come home by Monday or Tuesday.

Today Lenora went outside the front entrance to lay on a bench in the sun for a while. Apparently the temperatures were up at 25C!!
Nurses are giving her something for her stomach through IV along with Hydration fluids. (I did mention her veins are collapsed. Just by way of clarification, they are not collapsed. They are only really hard to find. My aunt tells me veins react to pokes and get smaller and 'hide' I didn't know the difference between collapsed veins and veins that are hard to find. Sorry! Hopefully this helps!!)

The biopsy and test result reports came from Winnipeg today. We are really curious what Dr James will conclude when he goes over this information!
The inflammation on her brain lining as well as in her stomach lining has cleared up!! Thank-you, Jesus!!

Many have been wondering what we were hoping to accomplish by taking Lenora to Mexico over treating her in Manitoba. Treating her here would have meant using steroids. None of us, including Lenora, wanted to risk the side effects possibly involved. By Treating her in MX we were able to tap into natural treatment methods and thus avoid many, if not all, side affects. Were we not going out there to get a diagnosis? No! We would have been happy to get one but the main reason we went was to find help so Lenora could regain her health and come home to live normal life again.
The decision to take her south was hard. It would've been so much easier for right now to stay here. But we believe the long term benefits will be worth it.

Lenora did ask for special prayer that Dr. James will find what happened that caused her to have this bout with nausea.

The Lord is righteous in all His ways And kind in all His deeds. The Lord is near to all who call upon Him, To all who call upon Him in truth. He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him; He will also hear their cry and will save them. (Psalms 145:17-19 NASB)

Morale wearing thin

I don't have much for news tonight. Lenora is feeling better although she's still flat on her back. One tough experience today since Her veins are mostly all collapsed, was trying to find a vein big enough to insert an IV needle. This really seemed to take a chunk out of Lenora's spirit.

So pray that Lenora begins eating again and gains weight. Pray for mental and emotional strength for her and Mom and Dad!

Thanks again and God Bless you!

Gastritis

Dr James found out Lenora has gastritis, which is inflammation of the stomach lining. She dehydrated because she threw-up so much on Friday. To treat Lenora they are hydrating her through IV along with an antibiotic treatment to cure the gastritis. She is being confined to bed for 24 hrs.

She did eat a bit today again except for birthday cake which Mom saved in the refrigerator for her until she feels well enough to eat it.
Lenora has a little less movement in her face and her eyes are slightly more dilated then before, Otherwise there is no real noticeable setback from this bout with nausea. Mom said Lenora had the same symptoms now as she did back in Winnipeg leading up to the seizure and nausea she experienced there. Mom is definitely getting better at noticing symptoms and analyzing them based on what Lenora has already gone through!

The good news is that Dr James says Lenora may still be able to come home in a week, depending on how well she responds to this treatment.

Praise God for answering prayer! We serve a Living God!!

Steady progress interrupted..

Well, there has been a setback in Lenora's steady upward climb. She started feeling nauseous night before last, felt a little worse yesterday, and quite bad today. She ate breakfast, but mom brought her lunch in bed, and no supper because of CT scan.
Dr's are working to find the cause for this new wave of nausea. I'll keep you posted..

Even as we continue praying for Lenora and thanking God for what He has already done, let's remember that God is in control here and even when Lenora's situation seemed to finally be a steady upward climb, the path out of the valley is seldom straight up the slope. Often there are foothills to cross and more valleys to go through, before we reach the mountain top again.


Luke 18:27 says 'what is impossible with man is possible with God!

For what you (God) have done I will always praise you in the presence of your faithful people. And I will hope in your name, for your name is good. (Psalm 52:9 NIV)

Lawn game

Mom, Dad, and Lenora played a lawn game outside yesterday. Sounds like summer kind-of fun to me! Especially when I look out the window and see not ankle deep or knee deep snow but snow past my waist! Not that I'm that tall but there's absolutely no chance I will be playing any kind of lawn game involving throwing beanbags in a croquet type game outside for at least 2 months yet!! I honestly love the snow though! It's great workout material! If you find yourself running out of fun ideas, try taking a brisk, 20 minute walk out in the middle of a ditch full of snow! It's quite exhilarating to say the least!!
Sometime this coming week Dr James plans to check out Lenora's entire digestive system using a camera. They will push it down her throat to check if there's any indication her problem will have come from something wrong in there.
They are treating her for the intestinal inflammation she contracted from being constipated for so long. She kept feeling pain in her side we thought was from the biopsy in her lower back, while she was still in Winnipeg. Dr James found out the pain actually came from her colon being inflamed. Her body is responding well to the treatment they are giving her for this and the inflammation is clearing up quite well!
As for the inflammation in her neck and spine, this is clearing up well too. Praise The Lord from whom all blessings flow!! The MRI she had last week showed the lesion in her neck was about 50%. The plan is to do another MRI or CT scan before leaving the health Center to check how much is left of the lesion.
Lenora spent a good hour on the roof soaking up vitamin B in the sunshine!
She is doing so well, Dr James is talking of doing a thorough checkup and then releasing her to come home! Next week sometime!!

Thank you for remembering us and especially Lenora in your thoughts and prayers. God bless you for caring!

Went shopping

Lenora is growing stronger day by day. She walked the 5 blocks to the mall, which covers an area of 2 blocks, to do some shopping with mom and dad. They walked a number of aisles inside and then walked back to the health Center without Lenora even hanging onto mom's arm!! I consider that a noteworthy improvement! According to Dad Lenora is walking straighter then before! Her smile is slowly becoming wider!!

That's about all I have for news tonight!

Steady Improvement

 Sounds like Lenora keeps improving, feeling stronger!! Praise the Lord! She walked on the treadmill for 10 minutes, did physio therapy, then Chelation, and spent time soaking up the warm sunshine again!! She is walking straighter and is becoming more confident on her feet!  Her smile is just a touch bigger.
   Dr James said Lenora might be able to come home next week Wednesday!! That is exciting!!

  Praise God for what He has done already and will continue to do! The only thing God forgets is our sin when we repent and choose to walk with Him. He has heard all our requests for healing and has He not promised to answer our prayers? He has answered them and is continuing to answer them.. in His time.

(4) But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which he loved us, (5) even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive with Christ (by grace you have been saved!) Ephesians 2:4,5

Stairs

Lenora walked up the stairs onto the roof of the health center. There is a Gazebo up there. I'm not too sure what else but after spending a bit of time up there she walked back down the stairs. Walking stairs really helps her regain normal walking since this forces her to use her ankles.
She told someone yesterday that, "If two other people would receive help as a result of all my pain and suffering, it will have been worth it..."Now that I feel better!"

Everyone who comes to see her down there now says they expected her to look much worse then she does. Lenora asked the one patient how much he would say she had improved since she got there. His reply "when you came you looked like a corpse. Now I'm beginning to see you really are a beautiful young woman!"


Lenora asked me to share this verse with you.

"And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing." (James 1:4 NASB)

And to cap it off I did get a few pics. Pardon the quality..

Another good day without much news

Well it sounds like Lenora's face is slowly waking up. Her eyes still tire quickly and so she does prefer to listen to her Bible in audiobook form rather then read it. She told me she spends a lot of time emailing and facebooking because typing even a short message takes her a long timer to write. This problem with her eyesight is what she finds most frustrating of it all. Otherwise she's doing great spiritually and is real happy that her situation keeps improving.
Lenora did sit outside on the lawn in the sun today. I must admit I envy her.. But then I remember she can't go snowboarding in that kind of weather! Thank you for praying. I know God hears and is answering so lets praise Him for His goodness to us, to Lenora!!

Lenora is doing excellent

  Well, I was going to write more last night.. If I'd write down my excuses you wouldn't believe me anyway!
So here goes,,
  Lenora is continuing to improve. They're concentrating more on helping get her facial muscles wake up again. Sounds like they will be using various methods to help her gain back her smile and other movements she's slowly lost over the last several months. Among these is stimulation using mild electric shock. Massaging her face will also help. I haven't heard that someone volunteered to to this for her so I guess she will have to settle with massaging her own face!
   Winnipeg sent the information we were waiting for. Comparing the MRI's taken then and now, revealed the lump in Lenora's neck is definitely shriveling up. Hopefully things keep moving forward positively so she can come home before too long. We trust they will!
  Lenora's cousin and his wife stopped in to see her last night. He watched Lenora walk towards them and commented: "Who was it again we came to visit?" Apparently Lenora really is looking better. Not that I don't believe what Dad tells me only it sounds affirmative coming from someone else!!
   She is learning to walk normal again. Heel to toe instead of completely flat footed.

Continue praying for healing to her facial muscles ,her eyesight, and for the doctors as they make decisions. Thank God for the healing He has already given Lenora. You're prayers make a big difference!! May God bless you!

Neck lump

Not much has changed down in Mexico other then, as of before lunch today Lenora claimed to having heard more cop sirens since she came to Mexico then the rest of her life combined! Interesting! Also, the MRI Lenora had yesterday revealed the lump in her neck has shrivelled up to look like an empty balloon! Praise The Lord!! God does hear and answer prayer!! And no I have not yet heard what her diagnosis is. We are expecting continued healing. God is good! Hopefully I'll have more tonight.

Lenora speaks for herself.

     Today Lenora went to a different hospital to get an MRI done. Hopefully tomorrow we will find out if the lump in her neck has changed. Hopefully it has shrunk. Maybe you remember I mentioned her vision being permanently damaged from the pressure in her head. Apparently its her optic nerve that's damaged. Time will tell whether the vitamins and other detox treatments will change that. At this point her eyesight is improving little if any or so it seems at least.. So keep praying for healing. God is hearing and answering prayers even though it seems slow at times. Isn't that the way we people are though? Always wanting everything right now!? I believe God's timing is perfect.
   Lenora's face is slowly 'thawing'! She's got her crooked smile back again.  ;)

Some of you have read Lenora's post on facebook, so this is for those of you who haven't but are interested in what she has to say for herself, here you go...

Sunday, March 3

Feeling the burn from sitting in the sun this afternoon! Now, many of you are wondering what I'm doing here in Juarez, Mexico.
  I see Dr Ricardo James (who, by the way, seems to be able to SEE what is wrong with you), get Chelation through IV, eat good food, sit in the sun :) , blood work, physical therapy, massage therapy, foot detox, beam ray, hyperbaric oxygen chamber, get pumped full of vitamins, learning Spanish (teasing nurses in the process :) , and visiting with the Amish, Old Colony Mennonites, none-denominationals, hillbillies, and others :) its interesting, to say the least.
  I'm really enjoying having my Grandparents as next door neighbors! Oh, and I'm walking by myself, though still weaving a little. I'm not nauseous anymore, YAY!!! only on natural 'medication'. I read a storybook chapter to Mom, and , I'm on Facebook! This is an answer to prayer, my eyes are improving!!!
  So there you have it, folks. And thanks again for all the prayers you've sent up on my behalf!  God is answering your prayers, though it seems slowly. That's another thing we really appreciate about this clinic, the staffr are all Christians, and are praying for me.
    Well, that's it for now..... Good night

P.S. I did find out today they are treating Lenora with hydrogen peroxide in gas form in the the hyperbaric chamber.

Walks 5 blocks

Lenora is slowly looking better. She walked 5 blocks to the mall and halfway back before taking a seat in the wheelchair! She does have a bit of a hard time with depth perception so that makes walking the streets challenging.
Please continue to pray for healing. Thankyou so much again for all you do for us!!

Sunburnt

Lenora is feeling good! She sat out in the sun today long enough to get sunburn! She's on Facebook and email again so that will help her to feel more connected.

Thank you for continuing to pray for healing. Lenora isn't nearly well yet and so we continue trusting that God will bring complete healing! Pray for Doctor James as he looks at all the details of Lenora's case. God bless you in return!

Toxins

   I listened to Mom tell stories for about a half hour tonight. One of the things she mentioned is, doctor James admitted this case is a tough one.
  I thought Lenora's balance was alright yesterday and the day before yesterday but according to Mom her balance has improved quite a lot. Sounds like even Grandpa is impressed with how much Lenora has improved since she came there!
   Mom said they have some interesting foot spa with a kind of mineral water that changes color depending on what part of her body is releasing toxins. These toxins are released through her feet. Apparently her body is loaded with them.
  Lenora has been able to enjoy all the food they've served there so far. She's not taking any anti-nausea or anti-seizure stuff.
   Mom has lots of stories to tell about how much they're enjoying their stay there. I'm beginning to wonder if they may just end up not coming home!
   Lenora spent several hours outside in the warm afternoon sun today. In the sun its t-shirt kind of weather but in the shade a hoodie is comfortable.

   Please keep praying for Lenora and for the doctors as they study her case. Thank you for your prayer support!!

Hyperbaric chamber

Lenora seems be getting better and better! Last night she slept 7-8 hours straight! She hasn't done that in a long time. At this point I haven't heard a specific name for the treatment she's getting, only that it cleans her blood and takes care of inflammation, or for sure what they will be treating her for on the long run. For right now the focus is on strengthening her body and that is working.
Among other things, she spent a half hour in a hyperbaric chamber. For those of you who don't know what that is, it's an air-tight chamber where they give you 100% oxygen for a short period of time to completely saturate your blood with oxygen. Personally, I've always wanted to sit in one, or in this case lay in one. The chamber is just big enough for a person to lay in flat. There's clear glass all around you and you can communicate with family/visitors via mic and speakers. Dad said Lenora looked very white through the glass. Whether that's because of the air pressure/ high oxygen level or simply that you're looking through glass I don't know. I do know that some professional sports teams have their own hyperbaric chambers to speed up healing of injured players.
One of Lenora's most dreaded experiences is all the needles. Dad's teaching her to speak Spanish with the nurses. Anyway, when the one nurse came and asked if he could poke her, she she replied with 'I will poke you!' That made his day! Lol!!
The health Center is a dedicated Christian facility who's goal is to get patients back on their feet so they can enjoy life again. The atmosphere is a very peaceful one.
Right after lunch everyone who gets treated through IV takes a seat in one of the many leather recliners set up there specifically for that purpose! The main lounge is also lined with leather couches. Very relaxing in any case! That is all I have on Lenora for now. Thank-you for taking the time to read this.
We can never thank you enough for praying for Lenora, for us as a family, and for the medical staff that's done their utmost to help Lenora get well again! Ultimately it is God who grants the healing. For that reason we keep bringing Lenora before Him in prayer!