The Struggle Has Ended

Greg Hewlett passed away on January 17th after nearly eight years of battling colon cancer. While we grieve his loss, we are comforted to know that he is with his Lord.

If you would like to leave your thoughts on Greg, please see this thread.

If you would like to make a charitable donation in Greg's honor, please see this thread.

Saturday, October 11, 2008

Mostly Stable

The scans showed that my three small tumors (two chest lymph nodes and one in the lung) have increased "slightly". For example, one went from 5mm to 6-7mm. This is not considered significant enough to switch to the heavy chemo. This means I can stay on the more tolerable chemo through the holidays. I wish it had shrunk, but I am also happy to be able to continue living in the manner I have been, with just the Xeloda/Avastin. Dr. Eng suggested I continue doing what I'm doing. Taking a break doesn't make much sense because I am tolerating this lighter stuff so well. And changing to anything else does not make sense either. In the dark world of stage IV, "slight" increases are considered good.

Christine has managed pretty well in her pain in Dallas while I went to Houston for the checkup, thanks to the couple of you who checked in and helped her out during the week.

Wednesday, October 8, 2008

Master-of-things-web needed

Is there anyone out there who is a master of web-stuff who could help me automatically transfer this blog from its MovableType home to an easier to manage blog foundation. I was thinking of using blogger. I'd like to retain the archive articles and comments. I have some ideas how it can be done, but am not adept at writing scripts that access the web.

On a related note, I'd also like to be able to format all these articles (around 350 in this journey) for hardcopy-friendly formatting.

Any help or pointers?

A Prayer of a Sick Person

The hospitable couple in whose garage apartment I am staying invited me Sunday to St. George Antiochian Orthodox Church in Houston. In the liturgy book, I ran across a beautiful prayer, which I have allowed to guide my heart this week, especially in anticipation of finding out Thursday how the cancer's doing.

A Prayer of a Sick Person

O Lord Jesus Christ, our Saviour, Physician of souls and bodies, who didst become man and suffer death on the Cross for our salvation, and through thy tender love and compassion didst heal all manner of sickness and affliction;

Do thou O Lord, visit me in my suffering, and grant me grace and strength to bear this sickness with which I am afflicted, with Christian patience and submission to thy will, trusting in thy loving kindness and tender mercy.

Bless, I pray thee, the means used for my recovery, and those who administer them.

I know O Lord, that I justly deserve any punishment inflicted upon me for I have so often offended thee and sinned against thee, in thought, word, and deed. Therefore, I humbly pray thee, look upon my weakness, and deal not with me after my sins, but according to the multitude of thy mercies. Have compassion on me, and let mercy and justice meet; and deliver me from this sickness and suffering I am undergoing.

Grant that my sickness may be the means of my true repentance and amendment of my life according to thy will, that I may spend the rest of my days in thy love and fear: that my soul, being helped by thy grace and sanctified by thy Holy Mysteries*, may be prepared for its passage to the Eternal Life, and there, in the company of thy blessed Saints, may praise and glorify thee with thy Eternal Father and Life-giving Spirit. Amen.

* "Holy Mysteries" is an early church term for sacraments.

BTW, does anyone know the date/origin of this prayer?