May 29th Update

UPDATE:

Thank you all for your prayers & support these 3 1/2 months.  It is hard to believe that it has been that long - and hard to believe that it has only been that long.  Please know that we couldn't have done any of this without each one of you!

Here is the update on Paul:

Kidneys - we were so thankful to get the lab report in early May seeing the progression of Paul's kidneys.  They were moving in the right direction and we had one of the three labs finally in the normal range.  With that in mind, we were prayerful that the labs Paul had done on Tuesday would show he was back in the normal range in either two - or all three labs.  

When we received the lab report yesterday, that was not the case.  While we haven't seen a dramatic slide, we also didn't see any improvement.  Here are the detail:

Creatnine - up slightly from 1.8 to 1.83 (normal is 0.8-1.5)

GFR - down slightly from 46 to 45 (normal is >60)

BUN - up slightly from 24 to 27 (normal is 8-26)

While one lab test does not make a trend, it does help us to realize that Paul's kidneys are not fully healed and he needs to continue to watch his diet and exercise.  This will help his kidneys not need to work so hard and allow them more time to heal.  His next lab draw is June 22nd.  Please keep praying for complete healing of his kidneys.

I also thank you all of your prayers for me.  I received my labs back on Wednesday, and my tests were all clear.  I will need to go back every 6 months for 3 years before I will be truly considered cured. Just so very thankful for that positive news!

We truly thank you for your prayers & support.  Please know how much we love you & appreciate everything!

Soul Spa - Collecting God's Miracles!

I was honored today to be asked to speak at the 2^nd Soul Spa Sisterhood Retreat, and to share God’s story of healing Paul.  What is so amazing about the opportunity is that the verse chosen for Soul Spa is:

Mark 6:31 (NIV):

“…Come with Me by yourself to a quiet place and get some rest.”

Right after that verse, Jesus performs the miracle of multiplication – feeding 5,000 with five loaves of bread and two fish.  But the miracle doesn’t stop there.  He then asks the disciples to collect the broken pieces – and those broken pieces fill 12 basketfuls! 

Here is how it connects – the disciples were collecting that miracle and taking that with them as a reminder of what had just happened.  And, I believe we are meant to collect the miracles in our lives – to see them, hold them, and share them with others. 

God’s healing of Paul is a miracle!  There are no other words to describe what God did.  It is a miracle.  And, I just feel so compelled to share His story – almost like walking through the time of Jesus and seeing the miracles He performed.  People couldn’t keep it in.  He would ask them to not tell anyone, but how could they do that?  How could they keep this to themselves?  They needed to share it.  And, that is exactly how I feel.

I do not know why God chose us for this.  I think about the Francesca Battistelli song – He Knows My Name.  Here is the starting of the song:

“Spent today in a conversation

In the mirror face to face with

Somebody less than perfect

I wouldn’t choose me first if

I was looking for a champion

In fact I’d understand if

You picked everyone before me

But that’s just not my story

True to who You are

You saw my heart

And made

Something out of nothing.”

The blessing is that I get to share God’s story of healing Paul.  I get to share His words and His healing.  I get to share His story.  And, truly, I don’t feel worthy.  

As I shared His story today, I am so thankful He gave me the words to say.  He helped me remember the parts of the story that would be impactful to others.  He helped me stay strong, even as I was sharing the most difficult times of our life so far.

Heavenly Father,

I praise Your glorious name!  I come to You in thanksgiving today for providing Your words and Your strength for the discussion today at Soul Spa.  I pray that the women that heard Your story of healing Paul will be able to see both that miracle, and the additional miracles You have provided in their lives. 

While the outcome for Paul is nearly complete healing, that is not always Your answer to prayer.  We know Your greatness is not tied to an outcome.  Your greatness is ALWAYS!  You provide miracles each and every day.  My prayer today is that we can all see the miracles You provide and share them and Your words with others, so that we can multiply the members of Your church. 

Father, I am not sure what You have in store for me next.  I pray for peace in the process.  I pray for my obedience to Your will and Your plan for me and for our family.

In Jesus’ Name,

Amen!

Paul: 5/12 Update

UPDATE:
What a few weeks it has been!  We have been away visiting family & friends the last two weekends and watching Paulie play baseball.  It has been fun, and has kept us somewhat busy - helping to keep our minds off the next sets of labs.

Paul​ went in yesterday to get his labs.  Praise The Lord - the labs all came back improved!

Kidneys:
Creatnine - down to 1.80 from 2.19 (close to normal of 0.6-1.5)
BUN - 24, which is NORMAL!!!!!
GFR - up to 46 from 36.  Normal is above 60, but remember it was 8 in the hospital.

Diet - While all of the labs relating to his diet look good, he has put on 14lbs in the past 6 weeks.  The doctor was a bit concerned (as I have been) about the weight gain.  While the lab numbers alleviated some of the concern, he told Paul that the extra weight will continue to delay the healing of the kidneys - makes them work harder.  He would really like Paul to be closer to 200lbs.  The good news is that he is only 219, so that isn't too far to go.  And, I know that Paul can & will do it!

Strength - Paul has been back playing basketball 2-3x per week and has golfed the last 2 weekends.  He notices that it takes him a little longer to loosen up than before, but once loose, he feels closer to the way he felt before all of this began.

With the travel, we have had the opportunity to see many people who have been praying for Paul through this entire journey.  It is an amazing sight to see him looking so good compared to how sick he was.  You can see the tears in many people's eyes as they are sharing their joy for his recovery.  It is a truly remarkable story of God's healing power!  Truly, we cannot thank everyone enough for all you have done to both pray for healing & strength.  We have felt so completely surrounded with love & prayers.

As for me...
The book is coming along.  I'm still hoping to have the first draft done by the end of the month.  Might end up being the first of June.  We will see where that goes...

This Friday, I am blessed to have the opportunity to share this story at the Soul Spa Sisterhood​ Retreat.  What a blessing it will be to share God's miraculous work in the healing of Paul!  I'm nervous & excited.  I am praying God gives me the words to share His Story.

As for work, I am finishing up my last few weeks with Pfizer.  It has been a true blessing to have worked for such a great organization for the past 16+ years.  And, I am thankful to have had the opportunity to effectively transition the projects I had been working on to others who can take the reins. I will also have the opportunity to speak at an upcoming LTEN conference in early June on the coaching platform we launched.  It will be wonderful seeing the team again before my official last day.  After that, we will see.  I am working on my resume and starting to look at opportunities.  I am hoping to be somewhere in September, so while I still have some time, I need to get a move on :).

Thank you again for your prayers, love & support!!!  Please know we have felt them and we truly know how blessed we are to have each of you in our lives!

Paul: April 25th Update (Sorry for the delay)

UPDATE:
Paul saw the nephrologist (kidney doctor) yesterday, and he was pleased with Paul's progress - Hallelujah!!! Here are some of the details:

Labs - he said that he would like to see Paul's creatnine come down to about 1 (which is what it was in December). He recommended that Paul get his labs done 1x/month now until we see the numbers back to normal.

This is good because Paul truly does not like giving blood. That said, I do like having the information every week. So, we will need to continue to pray for complete healing of Paul's kidneys and know that God has had this under control the entire time. While I may want the labs, He has got this covered. I just need to "Let God, & let go".

Diet - The doctor said that he didn't think it was necessary for Paul to be strict to the renal diet (which is good because Paul hasn't been too strict with it lately). He did want Paul to watch his sodium intake. And, he said it would be okay for Paul to have "a beer." I want to make that distinction as it wasn't okay to have "beers" just okay to have "a beer".

So, we are going to go out tonight to celebrate! We used to have a date night every couple of weeks (sometimes more). We haven't had a true date night since this all started. We are looking forward to it!

Plus, the kids are looking forward to having a babysitter! They love the sitters in the neighborhood and are looking forward to having some fun, too! 

Thank you all for your prayers & support! Much Love!!