J's Cafe Nette

Archive for the ‘Prayer Request’ Category

Daddy's Little Princess

About five months ago Belle Mitchell, 2 years old and the daughter of our youth minister and his wife, was diagnosed with an aggressive brain cancer.

The cancer was removed from the brain, but a spot remains on her spine. So far the spine is “clean” of cancer but the spot is still there.

Belle’s parents decided to take her to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, TN, for treatment. Belle and her mother have been there a bit over four months now, with almost two more months of treatment before they can go home.

Never before have I been so near to a situation like this and never before have I ached for the entire family the way I do for the Mitchells who have three other children.

I visit Belle’s CaringBridge site daily and my emotions run the gamut of every emotion I have ever felt in my life.

Although family and some church members have been regular visitors to Belle and her mother Kelley, I wish that David could be with them so that Kelley would have someone who has the same concerns as she to lean on. Yes, the others love Belle and share the same emotions, but it’s not the same as it is with the parents.

David and the other three children visit also, but only for a few days at a time and at great personal expense to them. Of course, our congregation helps them babysit, shop and with money to pay the added expenses of traveling. I’m sure David could take a paid leave to be with Belle and Kelley, but then he has the other children to worry about too. By the time school is out Belle and Kelley should, hopefully, be coming back home.

I read the comments in the guest book and I am uplifted by the amount of people around the world who are praying for this little ray of bright sunshine that has come into all our lives as though she were our own. I see the human discouragement of Kelley at times, but I always see her faith and I think of how hard it must be to have your faith tested that way. To know that, despite the best medical care available, you still could lose your child and still show the faith she has shown is an inspiration to me.

Last week my husband spoke to David about another matter and asked him how Belle was doing. David was very cheerful and said she was doing well. I’m so happy they have such faith to sustain them and have a wonderful church family praying for them and asking friends around the world to pray for them.

I pray Belle has a complete recovery from her cancer and lives a long and happy life. I also know that, for some reason unknown to any of us right now, it may be God’s will to take little Belle home with Him. And I know we will all have to accept it as His will, no matter how this turns out.

You see, I’m weak, and I can tell you my human fears. I’m still a sinner and the devil still plants these ideas in my head. But her parents are strong and have not expressed these feelings.

For those of you who pray will you pray for Belle Mitchell’s healing and will you pray for David, Kelley and the other children? I’m not asking you to do this once a day, although that would be great, but I’m asking you to be burdened enough that you think of this lovely little child and her family several times a day and that you say a prayer for them every time they cross your mind.

I feel so helpless in this situation, but know God hears my prayers and those of the others who are praying for this family and this sweet little girl who doesn’t really understand why she has to take meds she doesn’t like or have to have “fuids” as she calls fluids. She shouldn’t even know those words at the age of two.

She shouldn’t have nausea and diarrhea for days at a time, frequently because of the poisons put into her body to kill the cancer in there. She should be home with her family, playing on her swing set and being the normal little two-year old she is trying to be while in Memphis being dosed with medicine that is poison, but is her only human hope for survival. Pray that the Great Physician will heal her completely and this experience will not have been in vain.

I thank you for your faithful prayers for Belle and the Mitchell family. May God bless you for praying for one of His little children.

And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28

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I haven’t given you an update on Belle, our Youth Minister’s and his wife’s two year old daughter, who was diagnosed with an aggressive form of brain cancer some many months ago.

Belle and her mother have been at St. Jude Children’s Hospital (which is thinking of using Belle in a commercial) for nearly four months now.

It’s easy for us to pray for them all the time, but we aren’t the ones going through the fire. Although I have confidence that God will heal this baby, there are always those human doubts.

On Tuesday, Kelley (Belle’s mother) seemed to be a bit down and exhausted. Some of the women they know well from the church (our veterinarian’s wife in particular) have taken at least monthly trips to be with Kelley and Belle and to help with anything they can to make their lives a little more “normal” and “easy” if normal and easy are possible when your entire world has been turned upside down.

I want to give you Tuesday’s and Wednesday’s posts from Belle’s CaringBridge Journal:

First is Tuesday’s, which I found to be terribly difficult to read and yet inspiring at the same time. It’s been a long time away from the Dad and the other three children, although they do get to Memphis every few weeks.

Tuesday, February 16, 2010 1:04 PM, EST
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.” Heb. 12:1-3

In 2 days, we will have been gone from home for 4 months; I am tired. Although this is a remarkable place, I am tired of the day to day life of St. Jude. The labs, the waiting, the clinic visits, the waiting, the medicine room, and more waiting. Vital signs, blood and platelet transfusions, bags of fluid, IV poles, dropping counts, low magnesium, flushing lines, toxins being put into my little girl’s body in an effort to rid her of the horrific cancer that still remains, and the list goes on.

Why was this the race marked out for me, for Belle, for David, Taylor, Emily and Jack? I do not know, and it is not my place to question a Supreme, Almighty, Powerful God that has everything under His control. So, I will run the race with perseverance, fixing my eyes on Jesus, knowing that He endured far more than I have had to. I will not grow weary, and I will not lose heart.

I am not the same person I was 4 months, and I can’t say that I want to go back to being the person that I was. I am a more insightful, caring, compassionate, appreciative and patient person than I was a few months ago. I was snapped out of my “comfy” little world with just 2 words, “brain tumor.” I would not wish this on anyone, but this is now my race and I will run it the very best that I can knowing that my strength comes from the Lord.

Please continue to pray that Belle’s counts would rise; that David and the kids would remain healthy for their upcoming visit, and that we would see miraculous results on Feb. 26th. Thanks for your prayers, it is where our strength comes from.

Love,

Kelley

Where does she find the strength to go on in this mission to save their daughter’s life? She finds it from God and from the members of the church, who are constantly praying for them. Friends of people of the church, all over the country, are also lifting them up in prayer.

We pray for them, which is the best thing we can do even if we could be there, and we ask others to pray for them and we all wait, with the faith she will be healed. But, what if God sees fit to take this child Home with him? This little girl I have come to know only from the journal entries since I have no youth of ours in the church.

As a human I feel so helpless in my own powers to do anything to help these people, except make a meal for the family still here in town, volunteer to watch the children if David goes alone to visit his wife and daughter, but I haven’t done that yet as I do not know David, but telling him I’m a member of First Baptist Church would certainly mean he would be welcoming of at least a meal and help in doing the mundane chores of cleaning the house and doing the laundry, grocery shopping etc.

I can’t help with the children because they don’t know me and it would be tough for them to be around someone they don’t know, but God has been good and has touched the hearts of everyone in our church congregation so that people who do know them–teenagers and their parents especially, plus the other ministers and their families have been able to fill that gap.

If I were a betting person I would bet they even buy the family groceries without charge to David, although my husband did run into David at the grocery store recently.

When Belle was first diagnosed David had a high deductible insurance plan he chose because he thought with a young family he wouldn’t need something more. I’m sure he changed it since then since the church benefits offer a variety of insurance plans. Back then there was an extremely high deductible and co-pay for the Mitchells and it would have made a huge dent in their finances.

The congregation was notified, the church gave some to help with the expenses, and a lot of us pitched in with gifts so that in the end they had their deductible met, relieving them of one more worry. Maybe it’s time for us to donate more money, as these trips to Memphis, even if David takes the kids by car, are expensive.

Let me tell you an anecdote: Last week Jack, their son, and then David came down with strep throat. David and the other children were to have gone to Memphis to visit Kelley and Belle that weekend. Because they were sick and because Belle can’t afford to be around anyone sick David asked the airline if he could change the tickets for the trip. The airline said they could change the tickets but it would cost $150 per ticket to change. That’s $600, probably the same price as the ticket, if not more.

Word got out and people began to pray that God would work this out. There are some in our congregation who could have, and probably would have, given them the $600 as a love gift, but people began to pray about the situation.

You may think we are crazy, but the Lord sent about 3 or 4 inches of snow on that Friday night, and it was enough for the airline to change the tickets at no additional charge! They will be flying to Memphis this weekend, with everyone so far still healthy! God works in mysterious ways, and now we are calling it our answered prayer for the Mitchell family. The snow melted quickly the next day. Three inches of snow in this area of the country is enough to shut everything down for days.

Now for Wednesday’s entry in the Journal:

Wednesday, February 17, 2010 2:35 PM, EST
Belle’s counts are up today! Her hemoglobin, platelets and magnesium were all good; and her ANC was 6,000! She is napping right now and looking forward to playing with Haley when she wakes up! Continue to pray that her counts would remain high and that David and the kids would stay healthy. We are looking forward to a great weekend with them! Thanks for your prayers and the encouraging messages.

Love,

Kelley

What a difference some numbers make in the weariness of the mother, who misses her husband other children, and is worried to death about her youngest child.

For daily updates and to offer your encouragement I urge you to go to Belle’s CaringBridge Journal

For those of you who do pray and believe in our God I ask you to pray that when Feb. 25 gets here and Belle has tests to see if there are any tumors in her back or anywhere else, there will be none and Belle will be able to go home with her family and get her medication in pill form.

It’s been a long 5 or 6 months for this family. Please lift them up in prayer and ask God to perform the miracle that is necessary to keep this child alive and cancer-free.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

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Some of you may recall the story of Belle Mitchell, the two-year old daughter of our youth minister and his wife.

Belle had a rare form of brain cancer that was removed, but showed some signs of having spread to her spine. She is currently at Saint Jude Children’s Hospital for treatment and last week finished her second round of chemotherapy. Everything was going fine until Wednesday, when she had to have a blood transfusion (her second. One for each round of chemo).

Here is the latest post from her mother, Kelley, who is with her while David and the other three children are still here. They did get to go out and visit Belle and Kelley during Thanksgiving week and members of our church and Belle’s extended family have been there to be with them from time to time also.

Wednesday, December 9, 2009 9:56 PM, EST

Belle had to have a blood transfusion today, but she has done well with it so far. She has not developed a fever from it like she did last time. Her ANC is dropping, and the Dr. suspects it will be below 500 by Fri. She will have to wear her mask when we are out when that happens, and if she develops a fever at that time, then she will have to be admitted to the hospital. So, pray that she does not develop any fevers and remains infection free!
Today was the big Target sponsored Christmas party. Kids were allowed to pick out one toy; and they also got a book, T-shirt, Christmas snow globe and gloves. There was a ton of food, and some couple called Choo-Choo Soul (I think) from the Disney Channel danced and sang. It was awesome! Belle saw a pink baby carriage/pram with white polka dots, and she pointed to it and said, “I want that!” So that is what she got! She was very excited about it and we had to walk it around Target House tonight so that she could show people! We had a lot of fun!

Keep praying that she stays well, and continue praying that the chemo will wipe out her cancer. Her 2 mo. scans will be coming up the week of Christmas. She befriended a 9 yr. old girl today and as they were walking and holding hands, Belle looked at her and said, “do you have chemo?” I tell her when she has to have her chemo med. but I had never heard her say the word before. Thank you for your prayers!

Kelley and Belle

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The Anchoress:

Received an email from Fausta that Ed Morrissey, our good friend (and Blogfather) from Hot Air has had to rush his dear First Mate to the Emergency Room, apparently due to complications with the flu.

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Because the CDC has been so slow in getting the H1N1 vaccine out to the people the time for it to be effective is just about over.

The H1N1 vaccine will arrive too late to help most Americans who will be infected during this flu season, according to a study conducted by scholars at Purdue University, The Washington Times reported on Tuesday.

The study also estimates that the virus — commonly referred to as the swine flu bug — will infect about 60 percent of the U.S. population, although only about 25 percent of Americans will fall ill. [...]

[...] “The model predicts that there will be a significant wave in autumn, with 63% of the population being infected, and that this wave will peak so early that the planned [U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention] vaccination campaign will likely not have a large effect on the total number of people ultimately infected by the pandemic H1N1 influenza virus,” the authors wrote in their study.

The authors said that this is the week, through Oct. 24, during which the greatest number of people would be infected. The vaccination program has barely started in the U.S.

“The model predicts that the peak wave of infection will occur near the end of October in week 42, with 8% of the population being infected during that week. By the end of 2009, the model predicts that a total of 63% of the population will have been infected,”

And, yes, I used Fox News as the source for the quotes instead of the original article in the Washington Times because, unlike Obama’s White House, I consider Fox News to actually be a news outlet.

I guess it will be no use to get the vaccine after all, even though the US Health Secretary has been telling us all to get it. You can’t find a doctor who has it yet or even knows if they are going to get it.

Is this an example of the nationalized health care that is going to be forced upon us come hell or high water?

On another front, Belle and her mother are at St. Jude Children’s hospital in Memphis, TN. Belle is being checked over to determine the best course of treatment for her. She said she doesn’t want to go in there and be hurt.

Remember she’s just a two year old and a very special one at that. Please remember her and her family in your prayers.

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We’ve been telling you about Belle, the two-year old daughter of our youth minister and his wife.

Belle went home the end of last week, but is set for a longer journey in her quest for a cure of this aggressive cancer. She and her mother will be going to St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital in Memphis, TN, on Sunday.

Belle’s Daddy and siblings will stay behind during the expected 4 month treatment of Belle. Please be praying not only for Belle’s complete healing, but for her Daddy and siblings, who are going to miss Mommy and little sister.

Monday, October 12, 2009 11:04 AM, EDT

After much prayer and consideration we have decided to take Belle Belle to St. Jude’s. I guess that we knew it all along but was just trying to be sure. God seemed to open the door for St. Jude and it just feels like the place to go. I know that they want Belle there ASAP, so we are making a mad dash to get ready. Please pray for Kelley to have strength and stamina during this process. Pray for Belle Belle that God would continue to heal her little body. Pray for Taylor, Emily, and Jack as they do without their mommy for 4 months.
Thank you for making this journey with us.

Love you All,
David, Kelley and Belle Belle

Tuesday, October 13, 2009 9:27 PM, EDT

Everything is falling into place for St. Jude. They are great to connect with us and make sure that we have everything that we need. Kelley and Belle will be heading out Sunday to go to Memphis. Pray for their safety and for those of us who are going to be lost without mommy and baby Belle Belle.

We are hopeful and ready to get things moving so that we can get our baby well. The heavens have been bombarded by your prayers and I want to thank you for sending them heavenward.

Love you all,
David

We are not asking for your money, but your prayers and prayers are free. Pray for a complete healing of this beautiful little girl, and for comfort for the brother and sisters who will be without their mother for so long at such a young age.

People from the church who know the children are caring for them while David works and are bringing in groceries and cooking for the family.

Any money needed has been provided by the Lord touching the hearts of the church membership and the church itself giving money to take care of the large deductible that was due. God is working in this family’s life, and it has brought the sense of community into our church in such a way I have never seen before.

All praises go to God, and we thank Him for beating the doctors’ prognoses so far. Keep praying He will heal her completely.

Thank you for your prayers.

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We praise God for all small and large steps in Belle’s case. She is now home until she goes back in to have the ports for her chemo put in.

Here’s the latest report:

Thursday, October 8, 2009 12:53 PM, EDT

Guess who is sitting at our table at the house eating? Belle Belle, yeah! She hugged her big brother and wanted to go swing and play in the yard. It is awesome to sit in our on home and play with all of our kids.

We will go back to the doctors next week to find out when her next surgery will be planned. As soon as they insert the ports they will begin Chemo. They will give her those treatments until she turns three then they will start Radiation. Doc said that he doesn’t like to give radiation to anyone under 8 years of age, but this cancer is so vicious that they will need to start it as quick as he can.

I am not sure how to feel anymore! I know I can trust God, but my emotional state is in major fatigue. We will keep seeking the Lord and trusting in Him. God’s power is not limited by my feelings or my exhaustion.

We love you all for taking this journey with us. We have miles to go before we sleep. Miles to go…

Love you,
(Daddy), (Mommy) and Belle Belle

Pray hard!

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Here’s the latest from Belle’s father:

Wednesday, October 7, 2009 1:24 PM, EDT

Guess who may be going home in the next couple of days? Yes, Belle Belle. The doctor said that she was doing awesome and made an amazing turnaround.She has been doing some physical therapy in the playroom and getting stronger by the day.

This little girl is making up for all of the missed meals. She is eating everything that isn’t nailed down. She is also turning into her normal self with her two-year old attitude. It is awesome to behold.

We are waiting on the oncologist who is coming by this afternoon. I will let you all know what he says about the next steps.

We are excited about progress and fearful about the future. I know God is with us and will work all things for His good, but somehow I still have a giant butterfly in my stomach.

We love you all and thank you for your continued prayers.

Mommy, Daddy and Belle Belle

This is wonderful news and we need to continue to pray that any other tumors will be dissolved and she will be cured of the one taken from her brain.

Praise God for answering prayer! Keep praying!

Journal updated at 2:12 PM:

Just spoke with the Oncologist and are trying to digest what he has told us. Looks like we will start Chemo right away. They are going to try to use chemo to keep the cancer under control until she turns three. They will not give radiation to children under 3 due to the damaging effect.

Belle’s cancer is rare and tough to beat, so the docs arent giving us much to hope on. They are painting a fairly dismal picture of her chances, but they are not impossible. I keep thinking that with God, all things are possible.

I just want Him to step in and show these doctors what He can do to heal a baby from cancer when they can’t find a way. Please pray for the next steps. I hurt every time I hear about the process she is getting ready to go through, the surgeries and the treatments.

As Jeanette asked above, please keep praying. Sue

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Thanks to the many who have visited and graciously offered their prayers and thoughts for Belle and her family.

Here is the latest update on this precious little one via CaringBridge:

Monday, October 5, 2009 2:04 PM, EDT
I wish I had great news update for you all, but we are still in the deja vu loop of waiting. We are waiting for the doctors to give us the updates to pass them on to you.

Belle Belle has been sitting up and talking to her mommy and daddy, but after about an hour she crashes and has to sleep a while. She is so cute. It is hard to see her little body hooked up to all of those needles pumping meds into her body.

I know this has been a long process, but please dont grow weary and continue to pray for my baby girl.

Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.Galatians 6:9

*Update

Monday, October 5, 2009 7:59 PM, EDT
Prayer update. They have shut off the drain in Belle’s head and are planning on removing it totally tomorrow. Tonight is the test to see if her little body can handle the fluid. God has led us to this point, and we expect great things in the morning.

Thanks for your prayers.

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I’ve been telling you the story of Belle, the two year old daughter of our church’s youth minister.

Belle was diagnosed with an aggressive brain tumor and was operated on last Monday to remove the orange-sized tumor.

Here are the latest posts from CaringBridge on Belle. I am deleting all names except Belle’s to protect the family’s privacy.

Saturday, October 3, 2009 12:12 PM, EDT

I wish to write a huge entry about how she is doing better than anyone ever dreamed, but that just hasn’t happened yet. It seems that for every step forward she makes, she slips back a little here and there. We are still waiting on the drains to be removed and for her body to get rid of the fluid on its own. We made the move from ICU to Progressive care which has been a blessing because that tells us she is progressing. Belle is starting to experience a little more pain as she comes around and that is concerning.

They are going to try to stand her up today, but we can’t get her to sit up because it hurts her little head. So Daddy will not hang around for that or I might hurt some physical therapist. She did tell me that she loves me, which started another round of tears.

I have tried to sit and read the posts that you all have written, but every time I try to read them I breakdown in tears. I can’t begin to tell you how much it means to (my wife) and I to hear from some of you and to read your prayers for our baby girl. We love you all so much and thank you for your continued prayers as we go through this storm.

Love you all,

Daddy, Mommy and Belle Belle

PS – While I was typing this update Belle began to throw up and was rushed down for a CT scan to see what is going on in her brain. This is like a roller coaster. Please pray hard.

Saturday, October 3, 2009 5:40 PM, EDT

Today has been a day of ups and down. Belle is doing much better after her spell this morning. She has stopped throwing up and has even been more responsive to some of the medicines. She has had a rough day! Lots of test and checking things to see why this drain is not working.

She has taken to her new favorite game, kicking daddy in the head. She thinks its funny!

Doctor said that unless she responds better to the drains and the fluid quits building, she will have to have another surgery. We do not want her to have to go through another surgery. Please keep praying.

Love You All,
Daddy, Mommy and Belle Belle

PS – I am not sure what it is about writing these things, but as I was writing the above she started throwing up. Just a little, but it still scares her daddy.

Please continue to pray for Belle and her entire family. She has two sisters and one brother who are having to have grandparents care for them while her parents are at the hospital for Belle, and they are all young too.

We are taking this day by day with faith that God will remove whatever obstacle is in the way that day and eventually that she will be healed of this terrible disease.

While I’m talking about sick children let me mention that both Sue and I have had and are still having sick grandchildren.

Sue’s granddaughter has been sick for a couple of weeks with whatever crud is going around now. She’s on antibiotics and seems to be improving, but has still had to stay home from school sick again. Sue says she’s getting better.

My husband’s and my granddaughter in Texas has just gotten over a mild case of H1N1 (swine flu) and our little guy (the youngest grandchild and he lives in town with us) was sent home from second grade last Thursday with a sore throat and fever.

The doctor said he tested negative for both kinds of flu and we kept him with us Thursday night to prevent my husband going over to his house early and our granddaughter from having to get up earlier than necessary on Friday. (We also kept our granddaughter here that night so she could sleep an extra hour).

Thursday was a rough night with the little guy spiking a fever of over 105 degrees at one time. He still had fever on Saturday and visited the doctor again. This time the doctor said the flu tests are not completely accurate and in addition to bronchitis (not diagnosed till Saturday) he thinks he has the flu. He had to have a chest X-ray to see if he had pneumonia, but thankfully, that turned out negative.

He is now finally on the same antibiotic Sue’s little one is on and hopefully he is on the road to recovery.

Please keep these children in your prayers and all children during this sick season of the year. And don’t forget the unfortunate ones in third world countries who don’t have the same medical care available to our grandchildren here.

Send a little something to those third world and poor children in our own country through a charity of your choice. It doesn’t have to be a lot, but a million people giving one dollar each is a million dollars to help feed, clothe, house and give medical care for these children. There have been many earthquakes in Asia and the need is great for all those people.

Thank you for your prayers and acts of kindness in these hard times.

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Here are the updates on two-year old Belle. Please pray earnestly for this little girl. Thank you.

Wednesday, September 30, 2009 11:26 AM, EDT

Belle Belle is trying to wake up today. The doctor had told us that she would be paralyzed in her right side, but she has already shown movement in her hand. She was sucking her thumb this morning when (her Mom) checked on her. The doctor couldn’t be happier with her response to the surgery.

We just spoke with the doctors this morning and they are telling us that this tumor is a very rare tumor especially in a child. They are going to have to be very aggressive with her treatments and are still trying to figure out what path that will take. The spots on the spine are what has us most concerned. From what we know it is an aggressive form of cancer and we have to pray for the next step.

Thank you so much for your prayers and support. It sure has been special for (my wife) and me to know that you all are praying. We are in a marathon, so pray that we make it to every check point.
The docs haven’t given us much to hope for in the area of medicine, but we know that God is not bound by their medical knowledge.

Wednesday, September 30, 2009 6:11 PM, EDT

Today Belle has had a few setbacks. They tried to remove the stints from her head, but the fluid built up too fast for her body to absorb. She will remain in ICU until they get this under control. She still doesn’t recognize mommy or daddy.

All names except Belle’s have been deleted to protect the family’s privacy. ~Jeanette~
* Thank you Anchoress and your readers for any and all prayers offered for Belle and her family.

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Belle

The little girl in the above photo is Belle M., whose Daddy is the Youth Minister at our church. Little Belle is two years old and has one brother and two sisters.

Last week Belle was diagnosed with a brain tumor and on Monday surgery was performed for about 8 hours to remove the tumor. The doctor thinks he got all the tumor, but it was malignant.

In addition, a couple of spots were found on her spine. She has had an MRI done to determine what the spots are but I am not yet aware of the outcome of the MRI.

Our entire church is praying Belle will recover fully, her parents and loved ones will have peace and comfort, and that Belle will be able to live a normal, happy life after this horrible diagnosis.

I am earnestly asking you to pray along with us for Belle. The first 48 hours after surgery are the most dangerous, and that will end at approximately 8:00 pm Wednesday.

As I write this we have people at the church taking turns praying all night, round the clock for Belle and her family.

Thank you for your prayers for this sweet little girl.

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Sometimes, there are just no words…..

Please stop by Wide Awake Cafe to offer your prayers and support.

Thanks.

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We received notice that INC’s father passed away on Sunday at 3:15pm.

INC is an occasional poster on our blog and a member of the J’s Cafe Nette family. She is a very devout Christian and is going through a hard time right now, as everyone does when they lose a parent.

We extend our prayers and good wishes to her and her entire family during this very difficult time.

We ask for you to be in prayer for INC and her family as well.

But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint. (Isaiah 30:41)

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How about this for picture of the week?

Senator DeMint has shown great courage lately through his actions in the Senate. Calling for a vote on the Fairness Doctrine as early as next week would be another moment worth watching:

Sen. Jim DeMint announced that he will force a vote next week on a bill that prevents the Federal Communications Commission from reinstating the Fairness Doctrine.

The South Carolina Republican’s bill, the Broadcaster Freedom Act, is cosponsored by John Thune, R-S.D., and 27 others and will be offered as an amendment to the D.C. Voting Rights bill…

Let’s get it out in the open. America should see how each of their elected officials lean on this matter.

Cowards, huh? That’s a heck of a thing for a Attorney General of the United States to say.

Here is the best take down of Holder’s statement I have read to date.

If anyone can tie coffee, the courts and the porkfest legislation into one neat package it is Alfonzo Rachel..just watch:

Have a good weekend all. Hopefully by Monday this bug will have departed altogether. Maybe then this exhausting, exasperating monster will allow me to post something original and intelligent.

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Kate has posted a Prayer Request for her Grand-Niece.

Please stop by and show your support for this sweet little girl and her family.

Thanks.

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Please take a moment to offer up a prayer for the Anchoress, her husband, and their children:

Spent all of today in the company of nurses, cardiologists, and so forth with my dear husband, who had mild-but-persistent chest pains over the weekend. They had “mostly” abated by this morning, and he was preparing to travel, but I couldn’t see my way to letting him get on a plane with chest pain “mostly” gone, and insisted that we get things checked out.

Things are less conclusive than we’d like – not a heart attack, thankfully, but whether he’s headed for one is another question. He, of course, is insisting that he’s a he-man and “completely fine with a little indisposition, okay, maybe angina…” I am not over-reacting but I’m not at-ease, either, and more tests are needed later this week. If you could keep us all in your prayers, that we get through this bump in the road without overturning the cart, we’d appreciate it.

Thanks.

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A few days ago The Anchoress posted this:

Folks, I cannot go into a lot of detail, but a military family and good friend to this blog has written an email they never wanted to write – because of the inability to give details I can share only this:

“[he] has been wounded very badly. The doctors have said I need to be prepared to lose him. If there’s a positive, they said most other men would have died because of the severity of wounds. At present, he’s under heavy sedation.”

To this family we offer our prayers and thoughts and to all who have and continue to serve this country with honor please know that even in the midst of this intense political season, you have not been forgotten.

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For the past week or two I have been almost unable to get up the energy to do anything. I am tired all the time and am beginning to get worried about it. No matter how much sleep I get it doesn’t seem like enough.

I have a regularly scheduled doctor’s appointment the first of December, and if I can go that long I will wait and ask him to check my iron and thyroid levels with my regular blood work. If I don’t feel better in a week or so I will make an appointment to see him and see if we can get to the bottom of the problem.

In the meantime, I covet your prayers. I apologize to Sue for making her carry the water on this blog.

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Sue and I have forged such a friendship that we can complete each other’s sentences most of the time.

I love her like a sister, even though we have never met, so you can imagine my distress when she called me Thursday.

It seems she had her furnace worked on Wednesday and had the need to turn it on on Thursday morning. The furnace wouldn’t kick in so she called the people who worked on the furnace. She was told to go to the basement and check something so see if it was working properly.

While going to the basement, she twisted her left foot and fell on the last step of the stairs. She crawled back up the stairs to tell the people whatever it was they wanted to check wasn’t working.

Because she tends her two granddaughters in the morning and one in the afternoon due to the older one being in half-day kindergarten she had to stay calm while in excruciating pain.

She got hold of her daughter and her husband. Her daughter took her to the ER while Grandpop took care of the girls.

She has broken her left foot from the small toe up. She said the X-Rays look like a broken tree trunk, as it is splintered and surgery will be required to repair the fracture.

She’s on “happy pills” now, but won’t take two when the instructions say she can because she doesn’t want to be too dependent on pain pills. I told her to take the second one so she can sleep and if the instructions say every 4 to 6 hours take it in 4 hours to keep the pain under control.

Needless to say, my workhorse will be out of commission for awhile and we’ll miss her commentary.

The most important thing, though, is not the blog but her healing. I ask your prayers that she will recover quickly and not suffer too much longer.

Thank you, and I love you, Sue.

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Today around 9:00 am EDT Senator Edward M. Kennedy will be undergoing approximately six hours of surgery on his brain tumor at Duke University Hospital.

Duke is one of the premier hospitals in the country, and I ask you to be in prayer that God’s hands will be working through the doctors’ hands. After the surgery the Senator will have chemotherapy and radiation on the area.

The 76-year-old senator was diagnosed last month with a malignant glioma, an especially lethal type of brain tumor. A statement from the Massachusetts Democrat’s office said he would be operated on Monday morning in Durham, N.C., by Dr. Allan Friedman, followed by chemotherapy and radiation. Anthony Coley, a Kennedy spokesman, said the surgery is expected to begin around 9 a.m. It is expected to last about six hours.

“I am deeply grateful to the people of Massachusetts and to my friends, colleagues and so many others across the country and around the world who have expressed their support and good wishes as I tackle this new and unexpected health challenge,” Kennedy said in the statement. “I am humbled by the outpouring and am strengthened by your prayers and kindness.”.

He expects to remain at the North Carolina facility for one week to recuperate and then will begin further treatments at Massachusetts General Hospital and start chemotherapy.

Kennedy said that over the past few days he and his wife, Vicki, “along with my outstanding team of doctors at Massachusetts General Hospital, have consulted with experts from around the country and have decided that the best course of action for my brain tumor is targeted surgery followed by chemotherapy and radiation.”

Kennedy said he selected a team of neuro-oncologists from Boston’s Massachusetts General Hospital and Duke University Medical Center.

Friedman is chief of the division of neurosurgery in the surgical department at Duke and also co-director of the neuro-oncology department there. His clinical interests are brain tumors, skull-based tumors, peripheral nerve surgery, pituitary tumors and cerebrovascular disaster, according to his resume on the Web site of Duke Medical Center.

All our prayers and good wishes are with Senator Kennedy and his family today.

Update: Senator Kennedy’s surgery is complete and his surgeon has delivered his first statement:

“I am pleased to report that Senator Kennedy’s surgery was successful and accomplished our goals. Senator Kennedy was awake during the resection, and should therefore experience no permanent neurological affects from the surgery.

The surgery lasted roughly three and a half hours and is just the first step in Senator Kennedy’s treatment plan. After a brief recuperation, he will begin targeted radiation at Massachusetts General Hospital and chemotherapy treatment. I hope that everyone will join us in praying for Senator Kennedy to have an uneventful and robust recovery.”

HT:Drudge

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Please keep ~J~ and her dear hubby in your thoughts and prayers today.

Thanks!

From ~J~ In case you are wondering what is up, my husband has had blood found in his digestive tract and the doctor is doing an endoscopy and colonoscopy to find the cause of the bleeding.

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Our son just called us from Texas to tell us our daughter in law has been taken to the hospital by ambulance after passing out at work last night.

They now suspect an aneurysm in the brain since there apparently was some blood in her spinal fluid. This is a nightmare all over again, as I underwent the same tests when I was 27 years old, but my spinal fluid was clear. I also know it can mean a brain tumor, and I am asking anyone who reads this to please say a prayer for Lucy, that whatever it is will be healed by the Great Physician.

I thank all of you and will keep you updated.

Update: 8:17 am EDT I just spoke to Lucy. She said when she got to the hospital her blood pressure was 175 over something; she has numbness on the right side of her face and down her right arm. The blood indicates a slow bleed somewhere in her brain and she has already had a CT scan and is waiting for an MRI machine to free up so they can check to see whether she had a stroke or if there is something else going on in there.

Update 2, 12:15 PM EDT I just heard the most beautiful words from our son: “Mom, it’s basically nothing. She had what they called a complicated migraine and sinus infection.”

Thanks and praises to our wonderful Lord and Savior! Thanks to all who have responded with prayer. God has heard it and spared her for us once again.

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I find myself in a situation of my own making which is giving me much grief these past few days.

I befriended an atheist French man who was claiming he wanted to commit suicide. We spoke online via Skype, a voice and video site, and became good friends even though we had nothing in common.

A couple of weeks ago he posted a photo of another Christian woman’s face on the naked body of a woman hanging on a cross with her genitalia covered in an American flag.

I asked my “friend” to please take it down as it was very hurtful to me as a Christian and I considered it blasphemy.

He didn’t take it down but left it, so I broke off our friendship and showed my anger. I never used bad words but I told of some of the things he has done.

To complicate matters a member of my family visited the site and put in a comment. Since this family member is currently at my home my IP address showed up and I have been accused of trying to lie about my identity. I told them what happened and she did too but they don’t and won’t believe me.

Today a post went up to supposedly talk about animal cruelty and I was the topic of 90% of the post and asked why I don’t give up my crazy religion.

When I didn’t answer the person kept trying to egg me on.

It has taken all the strength I can muster to stay away from there and to not say anything.

I ask the prayers of any Christians reading this to help me stay away from that site, even as a lurker, and to ask the Lord to help me get over the feelings of rage I have right now.

I’ve asked others for prayers, but a few more won’t hurt.

I pray that God will surround me with angels who will make me forget these awful people who are so anti-God they don’t realize their own peril.

I thank any of you who pray for me.

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A few weeks ago, Mrs. Greyhawk requested prayers for a family who was in real need:

We have a Specialist 4 John who was stationed at Ft. Bliss, Tx. in El Paso, Tx. and he was deployed to Iraq,injured and send to BAMC in San Antonio,Tx. he was in Med Hold and was going to be released soon back to his duty station and his wife Monalisa was driving up from Ft. Bliss where there three Children 9 year boy named Tyler, 5 year old girl named Ashley and 2 year old son named Logan.

Right outside Ozona, Tx. a truck hit them and from the nearest hospital they were life-flighted to Dallas, Tx. I am very sorry to say that the two year old Logan and the five year old Ashley were killed in the crash. Tyler is in Children’s Hospital at Dallas, Tx.

Sadly, a request for continued prayers came yesterday:

A wounded Iraq veteran and his wife have lost a third child from injuries the boy suffered in a car accident on the way to visit his father in the hospital.

Three weeks after his siblings died in an Oct. 13 accident on the gusty West Texas plains, 9-year-old Tyler Johnson died Saturday at Children’s Medical Center Dallas.

There is no way I could say I understand the pain of losing a child or grandchild. The grief must be overwhelming.

May the Johnson family know there are many who are keeping them in their thoughts and prayers.

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There is sad news today from the site of Sister Toldjah:

If you’ve been around the blogosphere any length of time, you are sure to have seen the daily cartoons of the Chris Muir, cartoons which have been a source of reading/viewing enjoyment for millions of blog readers for the last five years. Two years ago, I joined in a blog-wide campaign to drum up visibility for the website of the cancer treatment center that helped keep his sister, Cathy, alive. Cathy suffered from stage 4 colon cancer.

Today, I read with sadness that Cathy passed away on October 12th from a massive stroke. …….

Thoughts and prayers are offered by us here at J’s for Chris Muir and his family.

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kimsch from Musing Minds is asking for prayers for her sister and family.

Her sister’s father-in-law lost his brother to cancer a few weeks ago and he was unable to visit him at the hospital because his wife was also in the hospital with cancer. The wife (kimsch’s sister’s mother-in-law) passed away from cancer on Thursday.

Please go to this link and express your condolences so kimsch can pass them on to the family.

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Kimsch from Musing Minds is having some gastrointestinal distress that has been going on for over a week now.

The doctors are stumped and I know from talking to her she has been in a lot of pain and discomfort.

I ask you to pray for her if you feel so inclined, that the Lord will put His healing hand on her and restore her health.

Kimsch is a very good friend who has done the design of this blog and I care for her very much on a personal level too.

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The Anchoress is asking for prayers for her in-laws.

Both are suffering from medical problems, but her father-in-law has been taken to the hospital for emergency surgery. This is, naturally, difficult on his wife and the entire family.

Please pray for God’s Will to be done and, if it is His Will, to heal the father-in-law. Pray that the surgeon’s hands will be guided by those of God Himself as the surgeon operates on this man.

Thank you.

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Please pray for the Anchoress. I received an email from her and I am not at liberty to tell you the details except she is sick and is at the ER.

Please pray that God, with the help of her doctors, will heal her body.

And go over to her site and give her a few hits while she’s unable to blog.

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