Prayer Request!

As I write this, Veronica (my 16 yr. old daughter) told me that her friend's mom has liver cancer. So, please say an extra prayer for her. I am so glad that Veronica is able to be a light for others who are going through similar things. Thank you!

My Struggles are About Him
September 28th, 2009
by Max Lucado

What about your struggles? Is there any chance, any possibility, that you have been selected to struggle for God’s glory? Have you “been granted for Christ’s sake, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake” (Philippians 1:29)? Here is a clue. Do your prayers seem to be unanswered? What you request and what you receive aren’t matching up? Don’t think God is not listening. Indeed he is. He may have higher plans. Here is another. Are people strengthened by your struggles? A friend of mine can answer yes. His cancer was consuming more than his body; it was eating away at his faith. Unanswered petitions perplexed him. Well-meaning Christians confused him. “If you have faith,” they said, “you will be healed.” No healing came. Just more chemo, nausea, and questions. He assumed the fault was a small faith. I suggested another answer. “It’s not about you,” I told him. “Your hospital room is a showcase for your Maker. Your faith in the face of suffering cranks up the volume of God’s song.” Oh, that you could have seen the relief on his face. To know that he hadn’t failed God and God hadn’t failed him—this made all the difference. Seeing his sickness in the scope of God’s sovereign plan gave his condition a sense of dignity. He accepted his cancer as an assignment from heaven: a missionary to the cancer ward. A week later I saw him again. “I reflected God,” he said, smiling through a thin face, “to the nurse, the doctors, my friends. Who knows who needed to see God, but I did my best to make him seen.” Bingo. His cancer paraded the power of Jesus down the Main Street of his world. God will use whatever he wants to display his glory. Heavens and stars. History and nations. People and problems. Rather than begrudge your problem, explore it. Ponder it. And most of all, use it. Use it to the glory of God. Through your problems and mine, may God be seen.

“I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world!” John 16:33

Happy 22nd Birthday to Vince!!!

Today Vince turns 22 yrs. old! We love you and we are so proud of you Vince! I will update later on what we are doing for his birthday! Thank you all for all you continued prayers and support! Don't forget to order your bracelets at the right side of this page! God bless!

A Year In The Life of Vince Capaldi

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

A Year In Review

Today is 1 yr. since Vince was diagnosed! I can't believe it! It seems like yesterday. I still remember waiting for the call from the doctor about the MRI and the feeling that I had until he called. I didn't want to even think he may have cancer, so I kept saying to myself, self...don't even go there...you don't know for sure what it is, but my mother's intuition told me otherwise.

I remember when he called and told me that Vince possibly had a disease called Ewing's Sarcoma. He said that we should see an Oncologist named Dr. Eckhardt at UCLA. Little did we know how serious it really was. We thought they would just go in and remove the tumor and everything would be fine. We were wrong.


Along the way, I have seen God's hand in this journey, from the doctors, nurses, family and friends of friends who in some way were associated with his cancer and provided help to us when we didn't know which way to turn. We have met so many amazing people at the hospitals, chemos, dr. appointments & the internet, too. They have made a difference in our lives, and have made us laugh and even cry. The reality of this disease is in our face every day and we don't like it. No one does. Here is a quick synopsis of his journey for the last year:

• 9 Chemotherapy treatments & hydration totaling 600 hrs. spent getting 6 different toxic chemicals pumped into his body

• 25 Radiation Treatments-totaling over 2 hrs. of targeted treatment to his humerus
  

• 116 days spent either in the hospital or at doctors appointments (a speeding ticket and a few parking tickets, too)

• A few trips to the ER (of course at 3:00 a.m. every time)

• CT Guided Biopsy

• Surgical Biopsy

• Bone Marrow Biopsy

• Port Placement

• Bone Scans

• MRI's

• Xrays

• Platelets

• CT Scans

• Ultrasounds

• Bloodwork galore

• Limb Sparing surgery

• Drugs for:

• Pain

• Nausea & Vomiting
  

• Mononucleosis

• Fevers

• Headaches

• White Blood Cell Booster

• Constipation

• Swelling

• Allergies

• Anxiety

• Boredom

• Stomach Pain

Vince has been so incredibly strong through this last year, but to be quite honest with you, it's getting tougher. He is sick and tired of the whole thing at this point and he really desires to have a normal life. One of his biggest desires is to have his hair, eyebrows and eyelashes back. Those feelings are not any different if you are a man or a woman.

The doctor told us that it is extremely tough for patients at this point because the urgency is not there, as far as surgery and radiation to get the tumor to shrink and get it out of the body. The battle at this point is to try and sterilize his body from any lurking cancer cells, fighting an invisible monster, the unknown. He is a little more than halfway done.

His next treatment will be September 25th, all necessary scans will be taken at that point and he will be re-evaluated. My heart is once again asking for your continued prayers and moral support for Vince. We need to help him keep his eye on the goal. Not an easy task. The journey continues.......


Through Christ you have come to trust in God. And you have placed your faith and hope in God because he raised Christ from the dead and gave him great glory. 1 Peter 1:21

Small But Mighty! Amazing Little Boy!

Great Sermon! Cornerstone Community Church in Simi Valley, Ca

Pastor Francis

Click on August 30th sermon to watch or listen!

He is also the author of these two wonderful books! Christianbook.com has them if you are interested:)

What would you give?