Heavy Heart

For the past 9 months or so, our little family has been praying for another member of our family. She isn't blood related, but that hardly matters. Grace Brewer is my other mom. From the time I can remember, we (my brother and I) spent many many days (and nights) at the Brewer house. Rachel and Josh were some of our very best friends growing up and our parents are great friends as well. Miss Grace (as we have always called her) made the very best grilled cheese sandwiches and always cut them into butterflies on our plates. When I have happy childhood memories, Miss Grace, Mr. Rod, Rachel and Josh are usually in those memories as well. I named my first born child after this wonderful woman, after all, she put up with me in a van for umpteen hours on the way to Disney World one summer, and of course, mainly because I love her and respect her.

Miss Grace has cancer. We have been praying so hard for her. Grace and Susannah pray every night for her and if someone forgets to say her name in the prayer, the other one gets mad and makes them re-pray. Cancer just isn't nice. I don't like it, but of all the people to teach us lessons when they are going these times, it would be Miss Grace. She said last night that she felt as close to Jesus as she ever has. I believe that so much. He is sitting right next to her because she is about as close to Jesus as I can imagine a person can be. Here is the e-mail that we got today from Miss Grace's husband, Mr. Rod.


Grace had an MRI on Tuesday. It showed what the CTscan did not.
The lymphomas are active again.
This time, the cancer has attached to/within the spinal column.

One large tumor, at the base of the spine, has caused Grace to lose use of her legs. What we / the doctors thought was neuropathy was, in fact, this tumor disrupting the nerve signals to the legs.

We met with the oncologist Dr. Koch and the radiologist Dr. Payne on Wednesday.
They explained that at this point, we are down to palliative, or comfort, care. With radiation -- scheduled daily for the next 9 days
-- Grace could regain some use of her legs, not have as much pain in her back, and maintain the ability to control her bodily functions.
Grace could have opted out of this treatment, of course, but she hopes to be in as good a shape as possible for Christmas.

Her first treatment was yesterday, and so far she has handled the side-effects all right. Both doctors recommend that, after this radiation, that we contact Hospice. We'll see about that, as time goes by.

After we got home last night, she was in good spirits. She ate well and, after resting a spell, called a couple of friends -- and intends to call some more when she's up to it.

We do not know how quickly this infernal cancer will strike back after the radiation. So the time she has here is still undetermined. In the meantime, we pray for healing and comfort for Grace, daughter of the most high God.

As I learned from the testimony of Kerri, my cousin Lora Lee's daughter, the healing will come, whether in this life or the next.
Grace looks forward to the ultimate healing, at a time deemed appropriate by the Great Physician.

Late last night as we were talking, she said with a smile, that beautiful smile, that she guessed she was closer to Jesus now. I told her that she'd been close to him all her of this life.

She's resting this morning, saving her strength for the trip back to CARTI for radiation at 2:50 today.

Please keep Miss Grace in your prayers. Give her the strength to do what she wants to do right now. Also, all of her great family, because after all, they are my family, too.