Skip to main content

Good News Wednesday!

 My sister Melissa sends me a “good morning Sunshine” text every morning. 

This last Wednesday, waking up in Houston, I responded to her, “it’s Good News Wednesday”.  Our most important meeting that day would be with Dr Yap to discuss the results of my CT Scan. 

During this week of Easter we are mostly familiar with some of the names of the days leading up to Jesus’ conviction and crucifixion…Palm Sunday, Good Friday, and Easter Sunday for example.  But, until Diane and I did our morning devotion last Wednesday I hadn’t heard of Holy Wednesday, sometimes referred to as Spy Wednesday.  We learned from the devotional speaker that Holy Wednesday is Good News because Jesus announces that his death will save God’s people not from Rome or poverty, but from death itself (John 11:51-52)

Well, Holy Wednesday was good news for us this year!  We found that the two measurable tumors in my abdomen have shrunk!  The CT Scan was all very positive news.  Dr. Yap was pleased with the progress.  Remember, he is the genius behind this new drug so he loves to see success.  Three times during our meeting he said, “this is good, this is very good.”

It’s remarkable to think that the tumors have shrunk by more than 30% in just 3 months.  It truly feels like this drug has tremendous potential to provide long term remission for Mesothelioma patients.  We had asked for prayer for the tumors to stabilize, and God exceeded our expectations with shrinkage (not the George Costanza type of shrinkage!)  We also credit all of you who are faithful to include us in your prayers.  Don’t ever let anyone tell you there is no power in prayer!

Melissa and Mom on a recent visit!

Diane and I at Minute Maid Park in Houston watching the Houston Astros play the Detroit Tigers !


The plan is to continue with the same course of treatment and the doctor told us we will be doing a CT Scan every two months instead of three.  So, the next scan will be May 29th, which will be our first trip to Houston leaving from Anchorage.  

We are grateful be living a full life and look forward to our Alaska summer. 

Here’s a picture of the 65+ AAA Wisconsin Northerners who asked me to play in a local Arizona tournament last weekend.  We were 6-1 during the tourney and we finished 1st out of 12 teams!



As always, thank you for following our journey and for all the love and support we get from your prayers. With Spring approaching let’s all enjoy this change of season. Happy Easter!

Comments

  1. There's only one word for this, Mark... HALLELUJAH!!! Im spending the night at Willie's on Thursday... will it be possible to see you and Diane on this visit??? Bookie

    ReplyDelete
  2. This is an AMAZING update Mark!!! I am so thankful to be reading this. Very happy for you, and glad you’re in great hands with Dr. Yap. Can’t wait to see you & Diane in a few months!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Great news! Thanks for sharing and being an inspiration to so many! Hugs!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Battle Begins

I’ve never tried to create a blog, in fact I’ve never even looked at someone else’s blog.  So, this project may start off a little slow.  My plan is to post frequently about what’s currently happening.  But, people also want to know when this started, what were my symptoms, and why did it take so long to get this diagnosis.  So I will, from time to time, create posts that will be labeled “Prologue”. That story will begin on November 19th, 2021 and I’ll add stories until I reach today’s date.  April 18th, 2022 Today I finally have a comprehensive diagnosis.  It’s not what we were hoping for but at least we can now proceed with the attack. I have Peritoneal Mesothelioma.  Most people think of Mesothelioma as a lung disease but of the 3000+ yearly cases of mesothelioma only10-15% occur in the abdomen.  The primary cause of mesothelioma is from exposure to asbestos.  Later, I will tell you the story of my time working around raw asbestos.   ...

Tomorrow, 1954

“I had more fun on my 70th birthday than your average 10 year old!” The last blog we asked for prayers for a good scan on this new trial.  The scan was on the 19th and my doctor’s meeting was on the 20th.  Everything you do at a hospital begins with, “what’s your full name and birthdate?”  For every appointment on the 20th I had fun answering that question with, “Mark Daly, tomorrow 1954!” Before the doctor comes in for the consult, other members of the team visit to cover certain issues.  We were slowly put at ease as it seemed each person who came in to discuss something seemed to be in a good mood, especially when they learned my birthday was the next day.  One visitor was Patricia, my Research Coordinator.  She takes care of all my details including scheduling and she brought up details for April and May visits.  That seemed promising. Next, the Physician’s Assistant came in to discuss my bloodwork and the scan.   It was a little unnerving as ...

Off Script

An Angel in the dugout? “Mark, do you read books?”  This question caught me off guard last month between softball games at the Southwest Championship tournament in Las Vegas.   “To be honest, not very often,” I replied to Cathy, our Sidewinder’s team scorekeeper.  When I asked why, she told me she had been thinking about my situation and brought me a book I might like to read.  I felt a little unrefined and recovered by saying, “Diane likes to read, what’s it about?”  She told me a little about the book when she handed it to me and I thanked her and stashed it in my softball bag. That was April 9th, the first day of our three day tournament.  We had a few more games later that day and on my way to the parking lot after the last game I got a phone call from Diane.  Our son-in-law Joel had been in a terrible accident.  She only had limited information at that time.   We soon found out that Joel had been on his way from Denver via Texas and on t...