Good Day

The title, "Good Day" is a greeting, though I believe it was a good day despite the fact that we spent most of it waiting to move forward with the medical professionals on the business of annihilating this lymphoma!  We met many challenges, but took them well, for the most part. And just when the frustration was getting a bit thick, we received a call from John Biedler who made us laugh and the intensity of prolonged waiting dissipated.

We arrived at UCI (University of California Irvine) this morning just after 8 a.m. We picked up our CD of Geoff's recent endoscopic ultrasound and headed for the office of Dr. Nguyen, gastric surgeon. There was a bit of a wait while he finished up his hospital rounds. When he arrived in a great rush we asked how the hospital was this morning, "CRAZY! It's always crazy" he replied and then he quickly turned his attention to our visit. He viewed the gastric ulcer via CD images and decided it must definitely be surgically removed before any chemotherapy should begin. He scheduled us for this Friday afternoon and then ordered some presurgical tests we must complete before Friday. Then he left in a rush and said that his nurse would finish up with us. She came in and asked when we would be having surgery and was quite surprised to hear that the Dr. had fit us in on Friday afternoon--so soon. We enjoyed talking with her--she was very friendly. We left their office, but before we could go about our business of the presurgical tests we had to get a quote for the treatment from the billing department. We would have to wait for the phone call from billing before we did anything else toward gastric  surgery.

So, we pounded the pavement a few buildings over to the office of Dr. Verma, ENT surgeon. There was also a question there about how finances might be handled, but the confusion did not postpone the office visit.  Once we met with Dr. Verma we realized our mistake of not carrying the CD of the PET scan with us to his office. So, we said "goodbye" and headed back to Long Beach to pick up the CD. With the CD in hand we returned to Dr. Verma an hour later and he immediately decided to do a biopsy of the growths in his throat. Geoff's very active gag reflex provided some "fun," but we hope he was able to obtain what he needed. Geoff liked Dr. Verma very much as his "bedside manner" was quite comfortable. Especially when he said that there was a risk of bleeding with the procedure, but that if the biopsy area bled too much there in the office, we'd just make an emergent move to an OR and stop the bleeding there. He said it all like it was no big deal and Geoff appreciated his forthright, yet non-concerned, easy-going attitude. There was no problem with the bleeding, thankfully, but there was a problem with the billing department again. We waited another hour before being cleared to pay and leave.

We finally left UCI at 4 p.m. having never received a call from the billing department for our presurgical tests. Maybe tomorrow.

We got a call once we were back home, however, with some very good news!  Our application for a rental house was accepted and we'll meet in the morning to sign the lease!  We are so thankful for God arranging this particular house for us. The owners did not want to lease to anyone for less than a year, but we believe that God gave us favor with them. They have agreed to give us a 6-month lease and have been very gracious to us as we have waited for a final answer.

Tomorrow may find us moving in the morning, back at UCI in the afternoon and completing the move in the evening!  OR, maybe we won't make it to UCI until Thursday or even Friday morning. God has never failed us and He won't now. I know that all will be in place in time.

Thank you for your prayers for Geoff and me and the kids. The gastric surgery will require an overnight stay on Friday night and we'll return home on Saturday. The ENT will not be performing any surgery on the cancerous area in the throat, but if the biopsy he took today did not yield a satisfactory amount of tissue, he will perform a second biopsy on Friday afternoon while the gastric surgeon already has Geoff under general anesthesia for the gastrectomy. During all of this the kids will be with my sister, Laura.

Blessings to you. Thank you for standing with us in prayer!!!

Moving Forward mpola, mpola, slowly, slowly

A quick update on how we’re moving forward toward a complete treatment plan.  

On Monday Geoff will have a bone marrow biopsy performed by Dr. Vora.  On Tuesday we travel south to UCI for a meeting with Dr. Nguyen, a gastric surgeon, followed by an appointment with an ENT surgeon.  After these three items are complete, Dr. Vora will be in a position to decide upon the overall order of each step of treatment.

House hunting has been time consuming and tiring, but we’re hopefully getting somewhere.  We have applications in on two houses. One is small, but close to family and the hospital, and “inexpensive.”  The other is a little farther away, more expensive, but larger for our needs. Your prayers are appreciated as we wait to hear from the rental agencies. 

As always, we’ll keep you updated and will remain thankful for your prayers.

Mary

THE ONCOLOGIST

We’ve just returned from our meeting with Dr. Vora, an oncologist in Long Beach, California. We are very encouraged at this point, though many things are yet to be decided upon. 

The PET scan did not show extensive overall involvement throughout the body. But, because the stomach organ is involved, he is diagnosing Geoff as stage IV diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, though he says Geoff does not completely fit a stage IV picture. Due to the large ulcer in Geoff’s stomach, he is consulting with a gastric surgeon regarding whether or not resection should be the first course of treatment. He has concerns that administering chemotherapy before resection would result in the ulcer shrinking faster than the stomach can heal the area, thus leaving a hole in the stomach.  

Another “hot spot” on the PET scan showed up on the right side of the floor of Geoff’s mouth. Dr. Vora will have us meet with an ENT surgeon regarding that area. In addition, he needs to perform a bone marrow biopsy, which he will do on Monday, and will meet with his tumor board on Tuesday to present Geoff’s case and receive input from other experts. 

So, at this point we don’t have a clear picture of what will happen first, second and so on. The one component that will definitely happen is the chemotherapy, but whether or not that will begin before surgeries to either the stomach or mouth is yet to be determined. Dr. Vora indicated that once Geoff’s chemotherapy treatment begins it will consist of 6-8 treatments, one being administered every 3 weeks.  

Again we were very encouraged and God continues to assure us that He is with us and will continue to give us grace.  Thank you for all the encouraging comments, prayers and support we are receiving.  It is really encouraging knowing that we are walking through this with so many of you.  

Blessings, Mary

TRANSITION

Today I am in transition.  Since the receipt of the news a little over a week ago we have been in vacation mode.  I have not tried terribly hard to process what God is doing, but focusing on the kids, my parents and plain old having fun!  Well  today the vacation mode must end, we are flying back from Orlando today and tomorrow the Doctors visits begin.  As we relaxed yesterday I began to ponder exactly what things are going to be like, even to the point of losing sleep last night.  But this morning as I got out of bed I was reminded of a word that I have not thought of in quite some time "LAVISH".  It is not a common word that we use often in our American english, but we find it in the ESV translation of Ephesians 1:7-9 - "In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ"  The NKJV translates it "good pleasure" which is also sweet in it's meaning.  What I can tell you this morning about the transition is not that I have it all figured it out, or know exactly how things are going to end up but that God is lavishing His grace upon me.  As we yield all areas in our lives to The King of Kings, as we release our need to be in control and abandon ourselves to Him we find the grace that we need for all things life can bring our way.  It is my prayer that through this transition and the journey to come I am able to fully see and experience His good pleasure and receive the lavishing of His grace.  HIS GRACE IS SUFFICIENT!
--Geoff

What a Week!

We met Geoff's parents and niece, Mary, in Orlando, Florida last Saturday and spent the week enjoying fun times!  These are just a few of our photos of Epcot, Magic Kingdom, Disney's Hollywood Studios, wake boarding with our Nautique friends, Kennedy Space Center and our general goofiness! We will arrive back in Long Beach on Monday evening and begin diagnostic tests and meetings with the oncologists. Check this space for frequent informational updates.

Mary, Toby, Acacia and Kevin anticipate Nemo at Epcot!

This was MY personal favorite!  These guys displayed some amazing talent as they drummed on plastic and tin buckets! The fam had a hard time prying me away from this performance at Epcot! 

The butterfly tent was a hit with this little princess

And, . . .  a hula hoop contest at the resort

We met some of the management team of the Nautique boat company in Uganda last year and they invited us for a tour and wake boarding lessons. Dusty set a high standard when he showed us how it's done!

The non-boarders just chillin'

Greg makes wake surfing look sooooo easy!

Toby--getting positioned and ready!

That really is Toby getting up on the board! Sorry we cut your head off, buddy!

Mary stayed up for a LONG time!

Little princess A wowing all of us with her first time ever on a board of any kind in the water!

Kevin got up pretty fast and had a great run

Kevin and Dusty goofin in the sunshine

Greg offered Geoff the opportunity to drive back to the dock.
My personal favorite day of the whole week was our day on the water with Greg, Dusty and Aaron! Amusement parks are, well, amusing, but being out on the water in God's creation, soaking up His sunshine, can't be beat by man's attempts at pleasure!

The day after getting wet at Nautique, we made a splash at Magic Kingdom's Splash Mountain

A good reminder by Brer Rabbit . . . and an additional reminder  from our LORD, "In this world you will have trouble, but do not fear for I have overcome the world!" John 16:33

Navigating the barrel bridge on Tom Sawyer's Island

Mad driver, Kevin, on the Disney motor speedway!

Geoff braved it with Acacia in the driver's seat

A peaceful ride on this side of the  People Mover 

A little bit sillier ride on this side of the People Mover

Proof!! It's genetic!!!! Notice the tongues out for concentration on the targets!

Assorted monkeys in the cage

Oh MY! What a DAY!!!!!

A little nighttime Magic Kingdom family magic with the Dad

. . . and the Mom

Next . . . off to Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral. This is the currently used rocket launching pad.

The very impressive building which houses the space craft as it is being prepped.

Who knew we'd have a little safari of our own in Florida?? These Alligators live in the waters on Space Center land.

The HUGE boosters for the Apollo program dwarf Geoff, Acacia, Toby and Jerry

More safari entries . . . a flock of vultures sunned themselves outside one of the display buildings.

The view of the launch site from across the water at the expansive KSC property

I sure love these United States and what her people have accomplished with the gifts God has given them!

Kevin . . .his foot didn't quite make his target of Daddy's backside

Going "home" after a nice day at the Space Center.

That Aerosmith hat at Disney's Hollywood Studios was just a wee big for little Miss A

Meeting these superheroes was just . . . Incredible!

Nice hair, Toby

Beyond life-size guitar outside of the Aerosmith roller coaster--one of the best rides EVER!

We couldn't resist a photo in front of this San Francisco back drop

Ahhhhhhh, Kevin wanted to buy us this "Best Parents" award in the gift shop, but we opted instead for a photo and let him spend money on another souvenir.

The kids LOVED this stunt show based on Indiana Jones. They stayed around waiting for a photo with the stars and were sweetly rewarded.

Hollywood Studios has numerous classic cars positioned around just begging for silly photos!

Geoff, Mary, Dortha and Jerry waiting in line for the toy story shoot out!

And a week full of fun is not complete without Kevin and his HAIR!

We hope these photos have given you more than just a picture of the FUN we've had, but also our deep gratitude to our God for treating us to a week of family time with Geoff's parents and niece.


As we leave this week of play and enter this next phase of tests, appointments, procedures and treatments, we thank you for your prayers. We have received NUMEROUS messages from friends far and near and we are grateful to you all for the prayer support you're giving us!  Thank you for your love and sincere concern for us!
God is good---ALL THE TIME!

--Mary

The Brittons have had some major changes to their schedule.  We are not going home next month as we had planned. 

Geoff has been dealing with stomach pains since early January and we have spent a great deal of time investigating why. Since February he has given blood and other substances to the medical community in an effort to narrow down the reason for not feeling up to par. The most recent test, an endoscopic ultrasound last Monday, revealed a very large ulcer in an unusual place in the stomach. Biopsies were taken and Friday we learned that the cause of the ulcer is “Diffuse Large B-cell Lymphoma.”  This particular cancer, from what we can tell, has a very good prognosis with a favorable outcome and little chance of recurrence. The treatment might take six months and the recovery time a bit longer. We have our first appointment with the oncologist on the 24th of April. We will find out more then and can post more information in this space as we go along. 

In all of this, we have kept the lines of communication open with Toby, Acacia and Kevin.  Honestly, as a family our biggest hurdle is not the diagnosis or the treatment, our biggest hurdle it is NOT BEING ABLE TO GO HOME.  

It was heart wrenching yesterday to tell our kids, Nabukeera and Sam, over the phone that we didn’t know when we could make it home. Sam just moved into our home last September and now we’ve “abandoned” him. Of course, we haven’t abandoned him in our hearts.  The reality is we have no control over the big events as they are occurring, but our fear is that Sam will feel abandoned.  Pray with us for our ability to let God do what He is doing and to trust that He has Sam’s heart and life firmly in His gentle, loving hands.

All of the recent changes upon us as a result of the diagnosis of cancer require adjustments to “our” plans.  No changes to God’s plans, He is always in control, always Good, always Wonderful, always Right and Sovereign over the big picture. I have not struggled to accept the diagnosis, nor the required treatment. But, I have complained about not going home.  “Funny” how we fail to see our sin. I didn’t realize until this morning that I was excusing myself from the sin of complaining and WHINING with the justification that I had great faith for the overall outcome. As if my faith in God for the big picture excused my inability to be thankful for not going home when I want to go home. Can you hear the “Waaaaaaaaa”?  It’s pretty loud at times and NEEDS to be silenced by thankfulness. Yes, thankfulness. There are reasons to be thankful for this season of staying in the states rather than returning to Uganda.  Today, I am starting to look for them and I know that, as I look, the adventure in thankfulness will yield great results. “In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus.” I Thessalonians 5:18. IN EVERYTHING--even when that means not going home.

Currently, we are in Orlando enjoying the very timely party that God had planned for us!!!  We had this one on the schedule before we received the diagnosis, and we couldn't get an appointment with the oncologist until the 24th anyway, so we kept our trip to Orlando intact.  So far, we've enjoyed Epcot and a personal tour of the Correct Craft boat factory. We were also graciously given an afternoon on the newest model Nautique wake boarding boat complete with wake boarding lessons for the kids. It was an awesome afternoon in the sunshine with great Christian people!!!! Thanks to Greg, Dusty and Aaron for some sweet wake boarding memories!!! Today we're off to the Magic Kingdom with thanksgiving in our hearts that we are part of God's Kingdom!!!!

We had a great day at Epcot. We are with Geoff's parents and his niece, Mary.

We also had a day around the resort: mini-golf, swimming and paddle boats.

We are going to praise God and Live, Love and Laugh in HIM and His goodness!!

--Mary

PROFOUND TRUTHS

Each day as a part of our kids day we incorporate spiritual disciplines, well that is as much as you can with 9, 10 & 11 year olds.  So in an effort to encourage journaling we have them reading a a passage of scripture and then writing down something that has spoken to them and their thoughts about the text.  Well the other day Kevin was reading proverbs 5 and came to verse 21, “for a man’s ways are before the eyes of the Lord, and he ponders all his paths”  Well Kevin has a revelation from God and writes in his journal “So why do evil if the Lord is watching your every step”.  WOW!!   Can we all come to the same revelation as Kevin?  Out of the mouth of babes... Jesus said that to enter the kingdom you must be as a little child.  And that is what I love about the gospel, it really isn’t that complicated.  The problem is most of us “mature people” want to look deep into the scriptures to understand the hidden things of God yet very often we are ignoring the obvious.  Now I am not against the deep things of God, actually I love to dig and see  and bathe in the scriptures.  But honestly the church is spending a lot more time hearing these things than they are living them.  Can we all strive to end the deception (James 1:22) and be doers of God’s word.  

Along the same topic this past Sunday we were looking at the parable of the good samaritan (Luke 10:25-37) and I was again struck by the simplicity of what God is really calling us all to.  Thank you to the Nike corporation, Geron Bryan and Jesus as I say to Christians it is time to “JUST DO IT!”  Jesus tells us in this passage what it means to love our neighbor and then tells us to go and do likewise.  What are we waiting for?  

Where are you today?  Are you embracing the simplicity of God’s commands, hating evil and loving God and your neighbor?  The simplicity of the gospel, can we be like children and truly enter and experience God’s Kingdom in our lives.
--Geoff