Good Checkup

Last Tuesday afternoon, I went to see my hematologist for my second post-chemo treatment check up. I was concerned about the itchiness that came with flashes after the weather changed. My blood tests show that I'm still in remission--no signs of lymphoma at all! YAY!

So what's up with the itchies? Probably just the heat. Before my next check up I'm scheduled for a new PET scan. I'm believing it's all clear. I knew I'd be working Extended School Year this summer so no school on Fridays. The appointment nurse was able to get it scheduled for a Friday this July. It will be on my grandson's birthday on the 17th so it's an easy day to remember. I also learned the hard way that I should not have a candy bar before a PET scan.

One thing she said about my blood was that the white count is down so I should still watch out for infections. I'm a hand washer and I keep hand sanitizer around. Most of all I stay prayed up. I have been so blessed in that area while working with the children. It's only God at work because I never stopped working. I still get a bit tired in the afternoons.

If you're one of the few people who may read this, I hope you will help keep me lifted up in prayer also.

Brother Neville

This is my Brother Neville. This picture was taken by another brother, Jim Lambert, as they made their way home to Lafayette from a Kairos meeting in Baton Rouge.



Brother Neville is very active in Kairos Prison Ministry and he is an inspiration. You can see that he has a sense of humor, but what you cannot see is that when Brother Neville was in college, he was in a horrible car crash which put him in a coma for a time and left him with traumatic brain injury, or TBI. Sometimes he is on a walker or a cane and sometimes on long stretches he is in a wheelchair. When the guys go into the prison they have to walk a distance so they make sure they take a wheelchair for him.

Because of the TBI, sometimes Brother Neville may not remember that he's already asked a question of you. Sometimes he can't remember if he telephoned or a word he was thinking of or how he was going to end the sentence he started.

What he doesn't remember is not as important as what he does remember. He knows God loves him so much that he saved him on more than one level. He knows what a blessing the Kairos Ministry is for the prison residents and for those of us who serve. He knows we love him and he loves us very much. He has claimed my husband and myself and we claim him.

When I asked for prayer after discovering I had lymphoma, Brother Neville went into action. He let his church family know to be in prayer and he contacted a sister who had been through the same thing and had her contact me. He would call every other week from Lafayette to keep up with my treatments and he'd keep me in the forefront of the minds and prayers of others. I truly appreciated that.

Now when you are ready to complain when someone asks how your life is going, remember my brother, whose favorite saying is: "It's all good!" Then he points up.
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