Please Vote!!!

I made this video in order to bring cancer patients some joy in their lives! Please watch it and vote! You can vote as many times as you want and the contest ends on July 3rd! I have a long way to go! Thank you!!!

Click here!!!!

Happy Easter! He is Risen! Jesus Lives!

Life is Good:)

Yesterday Vince and I went to the Oncologist for his first 3 month check up since his chemo ended, but it only consisted of blood work and a chat with the doc and his nurse to see how he was doing. They were so thrilled at how well he feels and how great he looks with all his hair and full beard! Jim and I can't help staring at him each day, and when he realizes that we are staring at him, he says, "What are you looking at?" and of course we say, "We just love seeing you with all that hair!".

It's so nice not to have to go to the hospital and dr. visits and just go about life as normal. I know for many Sarcoma families that is not the case. In the past 10 days alone, 4 wonderful people have passed away and one being Brian, he turned 19 on March 11th and passed away on March 16th. He was such a wonderful young man and he even encouraged me through emails for Vince to persevere. He was truly amazing and touched so many lives through his journey. Please keep his family in prayer. My heart is broken for them. I can't even imagine...

Here is a photo of Dr. Tap and his nurse, Sandra. Vince signed two of the fundraiser skateboards that Girl Skateboard Co. so kindly made for him. They were so happy for him and so proud of him! You can purchase the board at various skate shops throughout the country, if you are interested. Click here for a list of shops. Also, our local skatepark, Skatelab, has them for sale on Ebay.

There is another Sarcoma patient (cancer free:) named Michael Irwin, he entered a contest to showcase a NASCAR that would represent Nick & Friends Sarcoma Foundation, which is helping to bring awareness to this rare disease that he and Vince were diagnosed with just one month apart. Only 100-200 people (mostly children) are diagnosed with this horrible cancer each year. If enough people vote for this design, it will be showcased at the 2010 NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race. It will also be a dream of a lifetime for Michael Irwin, the creator of the car! Please vote every day for the next 7 days! It's so important to vote so that we can bring awareness and hopefully find a cure for this disease! Thank you!!! VOTE HERE!!


Please continue to pray for my sweet friend Tafi. She had a PET scan today in preparation for her upcoming double mastectomy in a few weeks! She is doing so great and she finished all 4 rounds of chemo without a hitch! She is amazing! God has protected her just like he did with Vince! Woo hoo!

Jarren-having surgery at 7:30 a.m. tomorrow 3/25/10 He is only 3 yrs. old. Please pray for him, too!

"So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. " Isaiah 41:10.

Clean Scans!

Yesterday Vince and I drove to UCLA Santa Monica and he had his CT Scans and thank you Jesus, they are clean! I seriously had no doubt that they wouldn't be and I am so thrilled for Vince! I know that there is also that "scanxiety" when anyone goes for tests, but especially after such a serious diagnosis. Jim had Kidney Cancer 10 yrs. ago, so he knows how it creeps into your mind and it really never leaves. It's just part of the journey.

Click here if you are interested in buying Vince's cancer fundraising skateboard! Our local indoor skate park is selling them & they ship all over the world Thank you SKATELAB!

I met with Jane today, she is a mom of a Ewing's Survivor and her son is 25 yrs. old and 2 yrs. out of treatment. He is cancer free but has residual side effects from 2 surgeries on his femur, otherwise he is living his life and doing very well. I am so grateful that we found each other and we only live about 30 mins. away from each other. I can't even tell you how many AMAZING women I have formed relationships with through this experience and not just locally but from all over the world! Of course, there are a few that I am closer to...and they know who they are...wink, wink;) We feel such a closeness even though we have never met in person, but I know that some day we will, God willing! I am so grateful for cancer...sounds weird I know, but without it in my life over the last 10 yrs. my life would not have as many blessings in it...I know that God knows what He is doing and I am just along for the ride, and it's beautiful:)

My dear friend Tafi had her 3rd chemo today and she is another woman that I adore. We met because of Jim's cancer, she over heard me talking to someone in the school library when we were volunteering at our children's school, so I know that we were meant to be friends. I can see her house from my kitchen window and I am reminded every day that she is traveling this cancer road and I have the privilege of being able to encourage her and pray for her. She is handling treatment extremely well and her hair loss has not fazed her one bit! I can tell you one thing, I would not be so accepting, but she truly doesn't care that she has no hair. She has a cute wig, but really doesn't wear it that often. How wonderful to feel so secure! She loves the Lord so much and wants to be a light for others and that's exactly what she is doing.

Thanks for reading all my thoughts over these last 17 mths, I know how hard they are to read with all the words that hit the pages, but I am so grateful that you care. Prayers do work and God does hear our prayers! Whatever trial you have in your life right now is NEVER EVER too big for God to handle! After all, He created you and loves you more than anyone here on this earth. How cool is that!

I read this today & it fits perfectly for my own life:

At times God takes the people He uses and places them in impossible situations--in that way, they discover that He is faithful.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do and he will direct your paths.
Proverbs 3:5 & 6

The Cancer skateboard is here! Click here to find a Skate Shop that carries them! All proceeds will go to Vince's medical bills. Thank you Girl Skateboards! We are so blessed to have you help Vince in his fight against cancer!






Mikemo came home with this 6 1/2 foot tall cut out of he and Rick Howard in honor of the release of Mikemo's Pro Model Lakai shoe! Click here to see it! Every time I see this giant thing it takes me by surprise and scares me, thinking someone is in my house! LOL! Mikemo and Vince made me move it because the same thing would happen to them!

Tomorrow Vince is having some CT Scans at 11:20 a.m. Please keep him in prayer! Extra prayers are always appreciated!
Mikemo is leaving for Australia tomorrow night, so please pray for a safe trip for him as well!

Prayer Requests:
Tafi-is having chemo #3 for Breast Cancer on Wednesday. Pray for her husband Michael, as he has been having some health issues for the last 3 weeks and is awaiting results from an ultrasound and blood work.
Erin-had chemo #3 for Breast Cancer today.
Brian-Ewing's Sarcoma, needs tons of prayers!
Ed-he is preparing to bury his precious son after he survived a helicopter crash in Iraq on July 17, 2009. He spent the last 6 mths in the hospital fighting for his life, but lost his battle on Feb. 8, 2010.
Jarren-3 12 yr. old precious little boy with Liver Cancer. He needs lots of prayer, too! Also, his Great Grandma just past away a few days ago and as you can imagine the family is devastated.
Mitchell-has an incurable disease and is celebrating his 21st birthday this week. Pray for his parents as they help to find a cure for their son.

Praises!
George-had a clean PET Scan! Whoo hoo!
Fight Sarcoma-for doing such a great job bringing awareness to this rare disease!

That is why we have a great High Priest who has gone to heaven, Jesus the Son of God. Let us cling to him and never stop trusting him.
Hebrews 4:14

Life Goes On

It's been 1 month since I've updated the blog! Yay! I am so happy that I haven't had to beg and plead for prayers for Vince! God is truly blessing him! His hair is growing back and so are the eyelashes, eyebrows and beard! He actually had to shave! I am so happy for him! Everyday, Jim and I just stare at him and we can't help but rub his head and feel the stubble! It brings us so much JOY! He looks great and his color is coming back and the dark circles under his eyes are diminishing! Wow! 17 mths later we are finally breathing a little easier knowing that the poison that was saving his life is now no longer needed.

It was so tough to see him hooked up to the "ball and chain" knowing that the chemicals that cannot even touch our own skin, because it would eat us alive, were being pumped into a vein close to his heart and flowed through his entire system attacking both good and bad cells to bring healing to his body! How does that even work? I'm not sure either, but I know that it has! God has allowed Vince to be protected through this entire process and we are so, so grateful! Thank you Lord Jesus!

This past month has been pretty great. Vince and Mikemo are certainly not wasting any time getting out and having fun...shhh...don't tell anyone, but they like to dance...they have a "strobe light" which they have fondly named "Strobie Bryant" and a Mega speaker system for their iPhone "dance music"... a little "Lady Gaga"...ra ra ah ah ah roma roma ma gaga oh la la. Skating, basketball and dancing...what a combination! Who would've thought they would like dancing! LOL!

They are going to Arizona tomorrow and coming home this weekend and then Mikemo is going to Australia for a few weeks! Vince will really miss him while he is gone..lucky him, he gets to spend more time with Mom and Dad! Just what he doesn't want to do! He has been trapped for almost a year and a half with us and he wants to be free of us, I'm sure...but, oh well...LOL!

On February 1st, Girl Skateboard Company had their annual "Open House" and it was open to the public so they had tons of people there to hang with their favorite skaters and they had IN N OUT making hamburgers..yum! We know how much Vince loves IN N OUT! LOL!

They had a fundraiser for Vince and all the proceeds will help him to pay for his medical bills! What a blessing that is for him! They are also selling skateboards with the yellow cancer ribbon on it and I will post it as soon as I find out where you can get one. You can check out the catalog here. Thank you Girl Skateboards and especially Meg, who orchestrated the whole thing! You rock!


Mikemo arranged for a candid interview with Jim and I, which was a total surprise to us, but we complied and here is the clip of the interview. It was pretty cool to get to talk about our boys (men)..LOL! Click here.

Happy 51st Anniversary to my mom and dad! Last year at this time, my mom had just come out of a 6 day coma after suffering a heart attack! Wow! What a difference a year makes! I love you both so much! XOXO

Here comes the begging and pleading part...Vince is having his CT Scans on Tuesday, February 16th. Please keep him in your prayers for continued healing!

Other prayer requests:
Brian Ernst-Ewing's Sarcoma

Tafi-Breast Cancer

George-clean scans


Kate-aggressive brain tumor, she is only 6 yrs. old

Todd-had PET and CT Scans today, please pray for clean scans!

Pat-speedy recovery from back surgery

Erin-Breast Cancer

Ben-speedy recovery from appendicitis

Nono-pray for healing

Fightsarcoma.org-pray for doors to open & for direction

Praying for all cancer patients, praying for a CURE!

This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us--whatever we ask--we know that we have what we asked of him.
1 John 5:14 & 15

The Day Has Come! No More Chemo!

What a glorious day! Vince, Jim and I saw Dr. Tap, (the Oncologist) yesterday and Vince was not looking forward to it because he knew that Dr. Tap would want him to move forward with his last chemo. Vince has been wanting to quit for quite awhile, but he sucks it up every time and moves forward, fighting every step of the way, of course! Who wouldn't after such a long, draining battle! We left the office and Vince was not happy because he agreed to do it, even though in his heart he didn't want to. Dr. Tap is just doing his job. He is a wonderful, caring and compassionate doctor and we owe him so much! Thank you Dr. Tap! Here is a picture of Vince and Dr. Tap, who by the way looks as young as Vince!


The ride home we talked about all the options. Vince has decided on his own, that he WILL NOT be doing the last treatment. His decision is based on all the information that we have come across over this journey, it's not an easy decision to make. Basically, it's a "crap shoot" so to speak. We always ask the same questions, hoping to get clear answers, but that never happens. They just don't know. They don't have any concrete data which shows how many chemos are too little or too much. They don't know where the "magic number" is, if there is one, between 10 & 17 chemos. Each person is different, so how can everyone be treated the same? No one knows. Vince said he has PEACE about his decision. I love that, because so do we. 


All we can do is pray. All we can do is trust that Jesus has a plan. All we can do is live our life that HE gave to us and not waste it. All we can do is take the knowledge that we have and use it wisely. No one is guaranteed a tomorrow. Cancer is a deadly disease, but not knowing who Jesus is, is even more deadly. 


From this day forward, (sounds like a marriage vow..haha) I would hope that Vince's story of VICTORY will go out into the world and be used to glorify Jesus and that they too, would know that there is HOPE. Without HOPE we have nothing.


My heart and prayers go out to all of those who are currently fighting the battle and especially to those who have lost their loved ones from cancer. The heart wrenching feeling from watching a child suffer, watching a parent, husband, wife,  sister, brother, aunt or uncle or a friend suffer is a nightmare. Thank you to all those who have shared their VICTORY over cancer with us. You are such an inspiration for all of us! 


The plan is to have scans once every 3 mths for one year, then once every 4 mths the second year and then once every 6 mths after that. Only time will tell. Thank you for following Vince's journey for the last 16 mths! We have been blessed beyond measure by all the emails, cards, phone calls and texts that we have gotten and I am really going to miss them! Your prayers had power in them and gave us strength that we could feel in our midst. I will update the blog periodically so we can share what is going on in Vince's life. I'm sure it will be an interesting ride! LOL!


Prayer Requests, please click on links for updates:
Brian Ernst-URGENT
Tafi Harn

Do you need a personal Pentecost?

January 8, 2010

"But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth."

--Acts 1:8

Are you afraid to share your faith? Many Christians are fearful of opposition or that someone might laugh at them or mock them for sharing. Maybe you're afraid someone might reject you for believing in Jesus. But you don't have to be fearful!

Do you remember the gift that Jesus sent the disciples and first believers on the Day of Pentecost? He filled them with the Holy Spirit. And as today's verse says, he gave them power to be his witnesses.

But today, many Christians who have been to Calvary for pardon have yet to go to Pentecost for power. And you need the supernatural power of God in your life! You see, even though we only get saved once, there are many fillings. And we each need to be filled every day with the Spirit of Jesus Christ!

Ask Jesus for a personal Pentecost. Let the Spirit of God fill you with his presence and his power. And let him come into your life to rule, because the more you let him rule, the more of his power you will experience!

Come to Jesus today and say, "Lord, let the fire fall on me! Spirit of the living God, fall fresh on me! Holy Spirit, breathe on me."

ASK JESUS FOR A PERSONAL PENTECOST...
LET THE SPIRIT OF GOD FILL YOU WITH HIS PRESENCE.

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Merry Christmas!

Chemo #13

Vince had his 13th chemo on Tuesday, Dec. 22. It was the one day outpatient treatment. He did extremely well, again! God is hearing all your prayers! He is so close to the end! We are praising God for His healing hand on Vince's body!

Our Christmas was so nice, we had a party at our house with Jim's family (30 relatives) last night and then today we had my parent's over for a few hours. It was nice to be able to spend some time with all our loved ones. I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas, too!

Prayer Requests:

George-should be having his 14th and final chemo any day now, he has Ewing's, too. Pray for

minimal side effects and a healing 2010! He and Vince have journeyed neck in neck and

they are victorious!

Danny-his dad passed away just a few weeks ago. He is a teenager and needs lots of prayers

headed his way!

Tafi-my friend who was diagnosed with Breast Cancer 2 weeks ago. She is starting her first chemo

on Jan. 6th. Pray for strength and endurance as she begins her battle.

Tyler-pray for healing on his knee (Ewing's patient finished with treatment)

Brian-pray for healing in his back (Ewing's patient finished with treatment)

Friday, December 25, 2009-Pastor Greg Laurie

God Is with Us

"Blessed is the Lord God of Israel, for He has visited and redeemed His people."

— Luke 1:68

Immanuel: God is with us—God came to us. What a staggering thought. It is really the essence of the Christian faith and the Christian life. All other religious ideologies essentially tell you that you must do something: Do this, and you will find inner peace. . . . Do this, and you will reach nirvana. . . . Do this, and maybe you will make it to heaven. But Christianity says it is done—done for you at the Cross, paid for by the blood of Jesus Christ.

Being a Christian is not merely following a creed; it is having Christ himself live in you and through you, giving you the strength to be the man or woman He has called you to be. Jesus said, "Lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age" (Matthew 28:20) and "I will never leave you nor forsake you" (Hebrews 13:5).

The message of Christmas is God with us. That is important to know, especially during those times when we are going through great difficulty. The psalmist said, "If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there Your hand shall lead me, and Your right hand shall hold me" (Psalm 139:9–10). It is great to know that God is with you wherever you go.

The Bible never teaches that we will have problem-free lives as followers of Christ. But the Bible does teach that we never will be alone. And because of that, we don't have to be afraid. As Ray Stedman said, "The chief mark of the Christian ought to be the absence of fear and the presence of joy."

That is the message that this sin-sick world needs to hear: Immanuel—God is with us.

Mikemo on Fuel TV tonight!!

Check it out tonight!!! So cool!!

FUEL TV

Chemo #12 Update-2 Weeks Post Chemo

Vince and I came home from the hospital on that Sunday afternoon (Nov. 29th). I kid you not, every time we leave the hospital it feels like Ground Hog day...the movie! Same thing over and over, only instead of McDonald's we went to In N Out. YUM! Vince always wants that familiar comfort food and I don't mind it either (smile:)

Thanksgiving was very quiet in the hospital. The chemo ward has 26 beds and only 7-9 were occupied the whole 6 days we were there. One of the nurses asked Vince if he chose to come over the holiday and he said he did, because we knew it would b

e less busy. On Thanksgiving Day, Mindy, Bobby, Gianni, Mikmeo, Veronica, & Jim all came to the hospital and we went to a local deli for our dinner, and we had hamburgers, pancakes and salad, since we had the turkey dinner the Sunday before he went in. It wasn't very good, but we did get to spend time together and for that we are thankful:)

Soon chemo will be no more! With only 2 treatments left, it's a bittersweet time. We are so grateful that he has gotten this far and has endured the treatments extremely well, and we are able to finally see an end it sight, it's incredible to say the least! To be able to see your son be slammed with such a rare cancer diagnosis, and then to watch him go through all that he has with such a strong will and determination is what makes us so proud of him. It brings tears to my eyes to type those statements because you never, ever, expect this to happen to someone so young, but unfortunately cancer has no boundaries, not even for little babies and children. All you can do is dig deep in your faith and know that God is in charge and you are just along for the ride.

I can't believe it's been 15 mths. since he started chemo! I sometimes think that this was all a bad dream. The moment you find out about the diagnosis it puts you into a whole new dimension, kind of like the "Twilight Zone" of the cancer world. Sometimes you just feel so alone and isolated from the outside world and you don't really even want to concentrate on anything other than getting your child healthy. It took me about 1 yr. before I even really cleaned my house. How's that for deciding what's important and what's not. LOL! It doesn't matter if my house is clean or dirty, but the energy it takes to clean it, was something I just couldn't muster up and I'm not even the patient!

I am finally feeling like I can move on with my life and endure the rest of the battle with my head held high! Our family has quite a story to tell of how cancer can be beat! Jim is celebrating 10 yrs. of being "CANCER FREE" as of Jan. 11th, so that date is quickly approaching and what a wonderful testimony he and Vince have! God has been so good and we are so grateful! I am so proud of my men! They are truly my HEROS!!

When Vince and I came home from the hospital I asked him if he thinks about dying and he told me that he doesn't think about it at all. He feels very positive that he is going to be cured. What an amazing attitude! He did say that he was scared of dying, just because it's the unknown. Such a common thing, don't you think?

Being a Christian is all about faith, and I especially cling to the verse in the Bible about what it says in Hebrews 11:1, "Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see."

Vince saw the doctor on Tuesday for his 1 week post chemo appointment and as we were driving in the car, he kept telling Jim and I that he is going to tell the dr. that he is NOT going to do anymore chemos. He said he is DONE! Well, we kept telling him not to get his hopes up and whatever he told us would be something that we would have to trust him with and that he knows what's best for him. The doctor has already lowered his original chemos from 17 to 14 and now Vince wanted to stop at 12, but we knew that would probably not happen. So, again they compromised. Since the hospital is the hardest treatment for him (emotionally it's like a dark cell in prison, but physically it's easier on the body) the doctor agreed to let Vince do 2 outpatient treatments (they are only about 6 hrs. long for one day) so that is the plan at this point. Vince was giving him the "evil eye" the whole time they were figuring it out....LOL! I don't blame him one bit! I don't know how he has endured this treatment for so long and kept such a great attitude, I think I would be a ..um...never mind! Hahaha! It's about time he is fighting back! LOL!

We have built relationships with quite a few nurses at the hospital and many of them are Christians and have been praying for Vince, and we, or at least I (LOL) will miss seeing them, they have been a huge part of his healing and tender care. We are so grateful for each one:)

His next chemo will be on Dec. 22nd. Please keep him in your prayers that it goes as smooth as possible and that there are no side effects! We love "status quo" since he has done so well in the past.

I have a special prayer request for my wonderful friend, Tafi. She was diagnosed with breast cancer just a few days ago. This is her http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/tafiharn Please keep her in your prayers as she is having an MRI on Tuesday to find out about what her next step will be. Thank you:)

Happy Hanukkah & Merry Christmas!

These trials are only to test your faith, to show that it is strong and pure. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold--and your faith is far more precious to God than mere gold. So if your faith remains strong after being tried by fiery trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.

1 Peter 1:7

For when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow.

James 1:3

Happy Thanksgiving from UCLA Hospital Chemo #12 Day 2

This posting includes 2 posts. One from his last chemo, which is posted below. It's been almost 2 months since I posted an update, mostly because Vince said that I was "over-exposing" him, even though it was said in a somewhat joking manner, I took that as something that I needed to respect. I have always asked his permission to post photos and talk about what he is going through, but maybe sometimes everyone just needs a break. I actually really needed one myself. I can't tell you how exhausting it is to sit and write about something that is so personal, there is a fine line of what you can and cannot tell and it actually seems to take a lot out of you.

I have also refrained from reading other stories about Ewing's patients because it can be so heartbreaking to hear the stories of loss and most of them are children because this is considered a childhood cancer. There were about 8 deaths in the last few months from this awful disease, and that's just in my own circle of mom's and wives of Ewing's patients. It breaks my heart each and every time, knowing that they will never be able to hug and kiss their precious loved ones ever again. My brain just doesn't want to go there. I know some of them are reading this and I hope they know that there are so many people lifting up prayers to Jesus on their behalf, including myself. God bless each and every one of you. May God heal your hearts in ways that only

He can do.

Vince is on day 2 of his 12th chemo and he is doing great, as usual. This time I brought the prayer quilt that a wonderful group of Christian women made for him last year when he was diagnosed. I hung it up on the wall so that we could be reminded of how God works through prayer, plus it's a great conversation piece for the nursing staff. It's gotten some attention for sure, plus it adds some color to a drab room:)

Vince and I walked to Subway a little while ago for an early dinner. It is a beautiful day in Santa Monica, California! It's about 75 perfect degrees and beautiful! Where we live it is super windy, so this is a nice change.

I took this photo yesterday of the complimentary toothbrush, toothpaste and comb that they gave Vince here at the hospital, which he calls "a cruel joke for a cancer patient"...he only wishes it could use that darn comb! LOL! At least he still has teeth to brush! LOL!

We celebrated our Thanksgiving this past Sunday because we are spending Thanksgiving Day in the hospital. We will be here until Sunday. Tomorrow there is a deli that is open for Thanksgiving, so we will probably walk over there and have our dinner with strangers, but that will make it special no matter what because Vince is doing so great and for that we are VERY THANKFUL.

We could not get through this journey without the love, mercy and grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. He is our hope and our refuge! He carried us this whole entire time and He isn't going to ever leave us nor forsake us! He is our comfort and we give Him ALL the GLORY!!

Speaking of blessings! Jim was diagnosed with kidney cancer 10 yrs ago, just a few days before Thanksgiving Day, so this time of the year is a time to reflect and give praises for him being CANCER FREE!!! It will be 10 yrs. in Jan. (that's when he had his cancer surgery) so there are happy stories about cancer and we are shooting for two CANCER FREE patients in our family. Like Father, like Son!!!

I am also thankful that my mom was able to pull through having had a heart attack in Jan. and wasn't expected to live through it, and again, Jesus answered our prayers. I love you mom and dad!

I am also thankful for knowledgeable doctors that have helped Vince, my mom and myself get through some tough times this year.

I am thankful to all my family & friends who have brought us cookies, food, prayed, sent cards and emails to us, and to Vicki for making me a birthday cake and coming over and eating it with me and making me laugh & cry!

I am grateful to my mother in law who came to my rescue when I had surgery and fed me! That's what Italian mom's do!!! LOL!

I am grateful to my beautiful kids, grandson, and son in law...they all make me so proud and I love them so much!!

I am grateful to my wonderful husband of 22 yrs and how much he loves our family and makes us laugh! I love you:)

My condolences go out to The Cross Family. They have been our friends for 40 yrs. and Joe passed away last week. He was such a wonderful, caring man and he will be greatly missed.

My condolences go out to Francine and her family. Her precious sister lost her battle with cancer just a few months ago, she was only 45. She was diagnosed just about a week after Vince.

My condolences go out to Maria. Her precious mom passed away recently. Her son has Ewing's and was diagnosed shortly after Vince. My heart and prayers go out to her and her family. Her son is doing great and has successfully finished all his treatments.

Love and blessings for a HAPPY THANKSGIVING to all! We are truly blessed no matter what our circumstances are. We just have to look for them.

Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.

Psalm 100:4

Chemo #11

Yesterday Vince had his 11th chemo. It was the one day outpatient infusion, which is so much easier than being in the hospital. It was only about 5 hrs. long and then we came home. He is doing really good, except for a little of nausea. He is tired today, but that is to be expected.

After Vince got out of the hospital from his last chemo, he and Mikemo have been on the go. He was feeling so good and just wanted to do some of the normal things that he used to do. They both went to Sacramento, which is in Northern California, to visit another pro skater, Brandon Biebel. They were gone for 10 days and oh how we love to see them together and skating and just enjoying the simple things in life. Vince did have a cold while he was gone, but his blood counts were really good and he is staying strong.

Halloween was a few days ago and Vince and Mikemo went to a party at Skatelab, a local indoor skate park. Vince dressed up as the WWF wrestler, Stone Cold Steve Austin, which was perfect because he is bald and didn't have to shave his head! He was going to go last year, but ended up getting sick and couldn't go, so he has had the costume for a year and finally got to use it. Next year maybe he will go as a hippie since his hair will be growing back, which would be awesome!! I don't know if he will want to cut his hair for a long, long time....LOL! Mikemo was Mario from the video game, he looked great, too!

Psalms 86:4

Bring joy to your servant, for to you, O Lord, I lift up my soul.

Hope Devotional

Hope
October 27th, 2009
by Gail Rodgers

How can you walk in hope when you feel hopeless inside? Let us walk this path together, we want to help.

Is your heart filled with hope? Do you have a confident expectation of your tomorrow? What happens when the road ahead is filled with loss and stress weighs your shoulders down? When confident expectation in life’s tomorrow dwindles, what can you do? How can you walk in hope when you feel hopeless inside? The God of Hope is your answer.

“May the God of Hope fill you with all joy and peace, as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit” (Romans 15:13).

• Hope for H elp
We are invited to come to Him and confidently ask for help. Hebrews 4:16 tells us “to come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in our time of need”.

• Hope to O vercome
Things that leave one feeling powerless and hopeless come in many forms. With Christ’s strength you can overcome great obstacles. 1 John 5:4 says “and this is the victory that overcomes the world, even our faith”. Faith in Jesus gives hope and help to overcome.

• Hope for P ower
Sometimes in life we find ourselves with a task that simply looks too big for us. We do not just need a cup of God’s strength added to our own; rather we need His strength in us to do what we need to do. He will give it! 2 Corinthians 12:9 says, “My grace is sufficient for you: for my strength is made perfect in weakness”. Seeing our weakness as the entry point of God’s strength gives access to His power!

• Hope for E ternity
When we put our faith and hope in Jesus, it not only gives us help, strength and power where we walk today but it also gives us hope for life after death. It is a confident expectation of the ultimate “tomorrow”.

The God of Hope sent His son to be our Savior. He is only one prayer away. If you want the confident expectation of His strength and wisdom in your today and His help and hope for your tomorrow, you need only ask. Just tell Him…

Dear God, I have gone my own way and have put my hope in so many things that have disappointed me. Thank you that You sent Jesus, that first Christmas long ago, to be my Savior. I believe He came for me. Forgive me and come into my life today. Show me how to live in the confident expectation of how You can impact my life, my character and my circumstances. I place my hope in You right now and ask You to make Yourself known to me in my life right where I walk. I thank you. I pray this in the name of Jesus, Amen.

Chemo #10-Day 5

This last month has gone by pretty fast for us. Vince celebrated his 22nd birthday on Sept.10th and he and Mikemo spent the whole day together, which I was very happy about. Bobby (my son in law) celebrated his birthday on Sept. 11th , Bernadette (Vince's girlfriend) celebrated hers on Sept. 13th and I had mine on Sept. 17th, so September is always a busy month for us.

Since Vince was diagnosed, Mikemo has been traveling quite a bit, so they really haven't seen each other that much, considering they used to spend 95% of their time together, skateboarding. On Vince's birthday they got home around 8 pm and we went to Buca Di Beppo (Italian food, of course) for dinner and we came home and had cake and celebrated kind of late. Overall, it was quiet and nice, which is nothing like last year when just 5 days before his 21st birthday we found out about his cancer, and he ended up having

a bone biopsy on his birthday. What a difference a year makes.

Vince and Mikemo went to the east coast for a much needed break! They went for the Matix Clothing Co. Recession Tour. Vince was gone for 10 days and Mikemo is coming home in the next few days. Here is a photo when they were in New York. Vince is in the middle, wearing the black shirt and hat. Too bad Mikemo isn't in this photo.

My parents came down from Northern California and spent a week here, visiting with my brothers and I. My mom had to be here to see her heart doctor and she is doing great! In January of this year she had a near fatal heart attack and ended up in a coma for 6 days and she is doing so much better than she has in years! Apparently her defibrillator/pacemaker is doing it's job! Yay for electronics (and God's grace, of course:)

Veronica got her driver's license and is enjoying her freedom, but of course, not without all our texts to see where she is and what she is doing. No TEXTING while driving is our new motto, even for ourselves.

Vince is on his 5th day of chemo as I write this and we are guessing we will go home before noon tomorrow! This stay hasn't been as bad as it has in the past, because he hasn't been sick at all! Each time we come to the hospital, it seems as though they make different adjustments to his treatments. For instance, in the past they have given him blood thinners, but we found out as long as he is up and around that he doesn't have to have them. So, that is something he will not be getting anymore! Also, they put glucose in one of the I.V.'s which they decreased the amount in, so he doesn't have any need to get insulin shots, which they have given him a few times since we were here, and in the past, so now we have that one figured out, so no more insulin!! Yikes! It's always something! My advice....ASK LOTS OF QUESTIONS! People will respond and try to do their best to figure it out with you!

Vince had an xray of his humerus, a CT Scan and a Bone Scan while he has been here and the doctor said that everything looks great! He still has to have PET Scan in the next few weeks. Thank you Jesus for clean scans! Whoo hoo!!!

The bracelets have been a big hit! If you would like to order one, you can click on the link on the top right hand side of the blog. Just so you know, those of you who ordered the bracelets and haven't gotten them yet, they will be shipped out hopefully at the end of next week. Thank you to everyone who has ordered! You have made Vince's burden a bit lighter! Bills are getting paid! Yay! And, yes, we do ship to foreign countries and have gotten quite a few orders! It's so great to know that people from all over the world are praying for Vince!

Strength in Weakness-Pastor Greg Laurie

Strength in Weakness

That's why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

— 2 Corinthians 12:10

We love the exciting aspects of the Christian life—except for the suffering. But Paul wrote, "Yes, and everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution" (2 Timothy 3:12).

If you want to be used by God, then you will be attacked. If you want to mix in with the crowd and never stand up for your faith in Christ, then you probably will not have much opposition. But if you say, "I want my life to make a difference. I want to stand up for Jesus Christ wherever I am," then you will face opposition.

Paul faced a lot of it—from unexpected sources. He said,

I have worked harder, been put in prison more often, been whipped times without number, and faced death again and again. Five different times the Jewish leaders gave me thirty-nine lashes. Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked. . . . I have faced danger in the cities, in the deserts, and on the seas. And I have faced danger from men who claim to be believers but are not. (2 Corinthians 11:23–26)

In spite of this, Paul stated, "I want to know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised him from the dead. I want to suffer with him, sharing in his death" (Philippians 3:10). Part of knowing God is not only in the power of His resurrection, but also in His suffering.

God can work through human weakness and suffering. But if you face calamity, if you have a physical infirmity or challenge and can still rejoice and praise God, then that is a powerful witness. And in some ways it can be more powerful than the person who has no infirmity at all.

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!