I have had my 3rd treatment of radiotherapy today and it is going well. I thought I would start by explaining the process of radiotherapy as I have had a few people ask me and thought it may be helpful. Basically they fire radioactive radio waves at your whole brain. The idea behind it is it kills all new dividing cells, good and cancer. The new cells are able to reproduce within 4 - 6 hours whereas the cancer cells take twice as long and so the immune system tries to attack them whilst the cell is damaged. Prayer for the cells to be sensitive to the treatment and that the immune system would destroy the cells would be extremely appreciated. The treatment only lasts one minute on either side and waves do not come below my forehead so no other part of the body is then effected by the radioactive bits directly.
The treatment will cause hair loss, some tiredness and maybe itching. I was reading today of a story about a guy called Paul Negrut. He lived in Romania and was persecuted by the Ceausescu regime. He was a leader of the Romanian Church. He was in a concentration camp for 6 months then was interrogated all day every day for 6 months. They tried to kill his family through directing water pipes to the electrics. Once the regime had gone Paul learnt that the person who had interrogated him for six months was on his death bed with cancer in hospital. He went to the hospital and put his hands on him, then prayed for him. Not only did the guy's cancer go but he came to faith in Christ and they have been praying together since. How amazing is that! Not only did this guy have compassion and forgiveness he prayed for him. Then he came to faith and the cancer went - how glorious is our God. It made me think how important the gospel was to that guy and should be to us. God answers prayer too, he saved and healed.
I am doing well not having many side effects. I have had some nausea so would value prayer for this. I am also meeting the consultant tomorrow which may give me a greater idea of when the scan will be and will probably come off the tablets - yeah. Thank you for praying and your support. I am preparing Philippians and love how Paul says 'we should strive together for one accord' (Philippians 1 v 27-28) because the support of fellow believers and friends sustains us during the suffering we encounter and its for one purpose, the gospel.
Verse for the day: Ephesians 3 v 20-21 'Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all the generations, for ever and ever amen.'
Prayer for the day: Praise God for his gospel and that He has the power to save. Praise God for his compassion and that He loves us. Please pray that God would sustain me during the radiotherapy and I would not have to many side effects. Please pray for the success of the treatment along with the scan in 6 weeks would not show any further spread or growth in the cancer. Please pray that people would come to faith in Him and that we would be bold in our telling of the gospel. That we would continue to sleep well and with the peace of God.
Sleep tight, deep and peacefully Glen and Anne, safe in the certainty that the Lord is a good, merciful and compassionate God. Thank you for your long personal message, Glen. I was almost at the end of a 3,000-word essay in reply when my computer crashed and it disappeared into the abyss. I will rework it tomorrow. But in the meantime, please accept my thanks again for all that you have taught me and the door that you have opened to me. T xxxxx
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