Message from God

God is truly moving among His people...

My last post was about our first breakthrough for this year, about the miracle we received regarding Joann's diagnosis. Much has happened after that, which seems to overturn the previous turn of events...

After we received the good news 2 weeks ago about the disease being IN SITU, we decided to offer up a praise and thanksgiving offering to God. I asked our pastor if i could go back to the worship team and lead the worship as thanksgiving to God. He graciously agreed and i was scheduled the coming sunday.

The day after our pastor and i talked, the 1st pathologist (who read the diagnosis as invasive) called me up. He said he learned i sought 2nd and 3rd opinions who both diagnosed IN SITU. He took the remaining tissue samples, mounted them in slides and he wanted to show me what he saw.

He showed me that there is really invasion, much clearer seen in this new set of slides, and that there is even invasion seen into a blood vessel. Long story short, Joann and I were once again stunned at this development. I took the new set of slides and the old set of slides and sent them to UP-PGH for further analysis and testing. We're expecting results this week, which would very well determine the need for chemotherapy.

I can't describe how dissappointed we were. It's like going through the process all over again. In my minute limited mind, i can't understand what was happening. We already graciously accepted the diagnosis before, even prepared for chemo already. Then the diagnosis was turned and chemo was no longer needed. We already sent testimony to God's goodness and power. And then this...is God taking back the miracle? Is He taking back our breakthrough?

In all things we ought to give thanks. Lowly hearted as we were, we decided that i continue to offer a sacrifice of praise and lead worship the coming sunday. A great struggle indeed, but God's grace is sufficient.

After much prayer, and asking God for anointing, strength, faith, peace and grace...i submitted my line-up of songs, practiced last saturday, and praised and worshipped yesterday, sunday. Truly in God's presence darkness flees, for in the time we praise and worship God, there is no fear, there is no worry, there is no darkness.

After the 3 services, i prepared to go home. A caucasian man i don't know and never seen before walked up to me at the lobby and told me that he received a message from God to tell me. He wrote it down as it was not really a "short message." As he began to read, my knees shook. He read as follows:

"You are a man of God and My delight is in you. As you have studied and examined my word you have discovered a treasure that has become a way of life for you. The persecution that has happened to you has been allowed for My purpose - just as iron sharpens iron, so am I sharpening you.

Be lead by My Spirit and develop the spiritual relationship I desire for your ways and your life are in Spirit and truth. Don't judge and you won't be judged.

There is another dimension of worship I will lead you into as you seek Me and especially the empowering and enabling that My Spirit brings.

Be not concerned about family members who are not walking with Me, surrender and give them to Me and I will open their hearts to respond and receive My engrafted word."

After he read this to me, he introduced himself as John Cochrane, a national of New Zealand and his filipina wife. They have a ministry in sorsogon, a christian run orphanage.

I thank God for His message, which really encouraged me, my wife, my whole family. I wanted to ask John "so did God tell you up to when this persecution will last??" but i guess that's up to God alone. It is enough for me that "it has been ALLOWED for HIS PURPOSE!" and that His delight is in me.

As we wait for the results, it could be that it is invasive and that chemo treatment would be needed. Or God can make it purely In Situ and that no more chemo is required. Although we continue to pray our heart's desire that it is In Situ, we just trust God now. He alone knows what is best. May His will be done.

God be praised! We still face mountains. Sometimes, God removes the mountains in front of us. But more often, God simply gives us the strength to climb and overcome!

Our First 2010 Miracle! First Breakthrough!

"He moves in ways we cannot see, He will make a way for me..."

There is truly sunshine after the rain. If you've read my previous posts, you'd know what my wife and our entire family went through this November-December of 2009. The biggest blow was the diagnosis of my wife with breast cancer.

After my wife's surgery, histopath biopsy results was read as Invasive Ductal Cancer, associated with extensive Ductal Carcinoma In Situ. In fact,the pathologist commented that 80-90% of the 5x5cm mass was Carcinoma In Situ, and that only a small portion was invasive. As such, the stage was stage IIa. If it was purely In Situ, it would be stage 0.

Now, for non-medical peeps, when we say "IN SITU" it means the cancer is CONTAINED and carries a better prognosis than INVASIVE cancer. After surgery, invasive cancer needs chemotherapy, In Situ does not.

So after a lot of tears shed, Joann and I have submitted to the will of God and had peace and joy in our hearts. We prepared for her chemotherapy, which was supposed to be started today, January 8. Part of the preparation entailed sending out the histopath slides for receptor testing (estrogen ER, progesterone PR and HER2) receptors that would influence what type of chemo drugs would be used. We consulted with an oncologist already and prepared ourselves for the possible side effects, such as hair loss, etc.

What would be better was to have ER positive PR positive and HER2 negative results, which is relatively easier and cheaper to treat.
As such, as I called up the lab for results, it came out exactly the opposite/ ER and PR negative, and HER2 positive. This would require a more toxic chemotherapy regimen, and an extra drug, Herceptin, which would cost around Php 90,000.00 per vial. It would have to be given every week for 1 year.

Still, in all things we praised God, and gave thanks to Him, and committed to Him our future.

I went to the lab to get the official result, As I read the result, it stated ER negative, PR negative and HER2 positive. But after HER2 positive, this was written...(IN SITU). I was a little baffled. What we needed was the HER2 status of the invasive part, not the In Situ part.

So I called up the pathologist, who, i didn't know at the time, was a previous president of the society of pathologists. I asked him what was the HER2 status of the invasive cancer was. He told me "I didn't see any invasive portion. It was all In Situ."

My ears popped up. Long story short, I sent him additional slides for review, and still he gave an official report )just this wednesday) DUCTAL CARCINOMA IN SITU.

Joann and I were stirred up. Could this be true? If this was true, she WOULDN'T NEED CHEMO TX at all.

To settle our anxiety, we sent the slides to a 3rd pathologist, also a senior and respected doctor in the medical community. As I drove to the pathologist today, I prayed to God "Lord, let it be that whatever reading this 3rd pathologist says, be the true reading. Whether it be invasive or In Situ. But our hearts desire o Father, let it be In SItu!"

Long story short, I gave the slides (all 25 of them) to the pathologist this morning. I saw him browse through the slides. One by one he looked at them. He looked at me. He told me, "all I see is In Situ. I'll give you an official result tomorrow but to me it's In Situ."

Hallelujah! Praise God! Praise Him! Praise His most holy Name!

I'll be talking to the oncologist later, but all medical guideline show there is no need for chemotherapy for Carcinoma In Situ. The surgery done was enough management. All we need to do is close monitoring.

God STILL answers prayers. He STILL moves mountains. He STILL parts the waters of the seas. He STILL does the impossible.

This is our first miracle for the year. This is our first breakthrough. And we are expecting more from our Great and Almighty God!