The perfect Word of God

The grass withers and the lilies fade,

but the word of God stands forever.

Isaiah 40:8

This is Zac. A couple friends from work took me to lunch today. They were asking me what I've learned in the last two years and even the past two weeks in all Stac and I have gone through. Hmmm...a lot! Too many things to mention, but one thing that sticks out to me is just how powerful scripture is. We've learned how we can rely on and have complete confidence on the Word of God. This is an ancient book, yet it is so applicable and completely revelent to this day. The passion and purity of the word of God has brought comfort and peace to Stac and I time and time again through many ups and downs. If I had one thing to say it would be - be in the word because it truly is the anchor of the soul.

Stac finished her 12th day of treatment. I'm so proud of her - she's a champ. Her techs told her she's their favorite because she lays so still! So excited to see her Thursday.

Another Beautiful Day

This is the day the LORD has made;

let us rejoice and be glad in it.

Psalm 118: 24

Zac and I had a great weekend. It was good to be home again and hug both my sisters! I think I was a bit ambitious this weekend and by Sunday night I was kind of tired and on the verge of a headache. But the slight headache passed (!) and we headed to bed early. I'm finding that short visits are best as I get tired and tension builds in my shoulders the more I'm talking throughout the day.

My mom is staying in Iowa City with me for the week (it's nice having her all to myself for a few days!) We've had a great day together. We both have been enjoying the beautiful weather - it made me think of the verse above - let us rejoice and be glad in this day!! God has created every minute of every day, He is the author of every point in time and we are so thankful for this day He has given to us. We were even able to walk to my app't this afternoon. I'm getting to know all of my staff and they make me feel so comfortable. I feel surrounded by God's love every minute of the day.

I feel like my posts have been kind of boring lately! But no news is good news right now! God is in control every step of the way and we are so thankful for His peace, His love, His mercies. His grace. Please continue to pray for no bleeding or swelling. I've been on chemo for a week now and continue to pray that my blood counts will remain at normal levels. We update the prayer requests at the side every once and awhile - and we are so thankful for all the prayers, support, cards, comments, encouragement.

Another week done!!

Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth.

Worship the LORD with gladness;

come before him with joyful songs.

Know that the LORD is God.

It is he who made us, and we are his;

we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.

Psalm 100:1-3

I can't believe we've finished two weeks already of radiation!! 10 down, 15 more to go!! I remember the first day I went in for a practice run 2 weeks ago and I walked in the room and just started crying (one of the tech's gave me a hug!) Now I feel like a pro and thanks to God, I have had a peace that surpasses my understanding each time I go. I'm a person who likes stillness and solitude, so it's not all that hard for me to lay perfectly still with only my prayers to focus on. 15 minutes of just talking with God. And a peace that overwhelms me. Who would have thought this could take place during cancer treatment!!

I had my first MRI yesterday and met with the doctor today. He said the scans looked fine - no changes from the last MRI, which is a good thing. The MRI was to watch for any abnormal swelling/bleeding. So PRAISE GOD! They do not expect immediate shrinking to occur and actually don't want shrinking to occur too quickly. This is what can cause the bleeding or other serious issues. So please pray that God would control this tumor and shrink it in His perfect timing.

No major problems today except for with my neck. It feels tight on and off. The thing that helps is to lay down for a bit and also rest my voice. But we continue to praise God each day for absolutely no headaches and head pains since this started!!! I know we've mentioned it before, but I can't explain what this means. In recent months I was consistently getting pains in my head that would last a few seconds and then go away, usually only after laying down. Granted, I'm taking it easy these days, but no pains is a miracle in itself.

We'll probably take a break from the blog for the weekend unless anything serious comes up. Thanks for the encouragement, prayers, and support! Talk to you Monday! : )

Back Together

But I trust in your unfailing love;

my heart rejoices in your

salvation.

I will sing to the LORD,

for he has been good to me.

Psalm 13:5-6

Drove out this afternoon to spend the night with Stacie and bring her home for the weekend. We had dinner with Liz and her husband Caleb, who rode out with me. Four days away from one may not seem that long, but it sure seemed like a long week and it was great to see her again. She's looking great and feeling pretty good still. She had a long afternoon - her radiation treatment, followed by her first MRI to monitor the tumor - making sure of no abnormal swelling/bleeding. We will meet with the doctor in the morning. One thing to be lifting up is her neck. It's been tense or sore tonight. Please continue to pray.

Thanks for the Love!

My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends...This is my command: Love each other. John 15: 12-13,17

I made it through my second night of chemo pills with no problems! They switched my anti-nausea medication and it worked much better for me. Praise the Lord! I didn't really sleep much though, but amazingly, that hasn't caused too many problems. I take it easy during the day and haven't been too tired. My aunt took off this morning, just as my friend, Elizabeth arrived. She's also taking good care of me! We took it slow today with the hot weather and had fun cooking together.

I had a fun visitor this afternoon. Zac's sister, Mollie, has a good friend who lives in Iowa City. I had never met her before, yet she stopped by to drop off a care package. Zac and I have been first, so humbled, by the people who have reached out to us to show they care. We are truly amazed at how the body of Christ (that's all of you!) have supported us and loved us from day one. You have obeyed Christ's command to love one another as He loves you and we have never been so thankful. Thank you for keeping us encouraged every step of the way!

Continue to pray for the requests at the left! We update it occasionally as needed.

First ER Visit

This is what the Lord says: "Do not be afraid! Don't be discouraged by this mighty army, for the battle is not yours it belongs to God."

2 CHRONICLES 20:15b

Do not be afraid.....do not be discouraged. This is Julie, Stacie's aunt writing tonight. In the middle of the night when your body is feeling the effects of the first chemo treatment and nausea takes over these are hard words to trust and believe. However, this battle certainly is God's and Stacie is standing in faith and has such a positive attitude. The nurse in the ER at 5 am even said "I can't believe you can give us a smile as sick as you are".

Yes, unfortunately we had to make a trip to the emergency room after 2+ hours of extreme vomiting in the middle of the night. One hour I knew could be normal; two was too much so I called the on-call doctor who ordered us to the ER immediately. IV fluids and a new anti-nausea medication were her best friend and after a few hours Stacie looked like herself again. She ate a good breakfast and by 10 am we were taking a walk (not quite at her normal speedy pace) but none too slow despite the short (or long) night, depending on how you look at it.

Stacie said she feels so grateful for yet another day with no headaches - truly Praise God! And she continues to ask for the same prayer requests listed. We would ask that the new medication keep away the nausea and that she would get a good night's sleep. Tomorrow her friend Liz will be her caregiver - I wouldn't wish that anyone be here by themselves and it's amazing that there are some who are. We have enjoyed visiting with some of the families in the dining area; you just never know whose life you are going to encourage along the way.

Keep the cards and prayers coming - she looks in the mailbox every time she walks by! JULIE

Back at It

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:4-7

After a very relaxing weekend back home seeing family and friends, it's now back to Iowa City for the week. I traveled over this afternoon with my aunt, who's staying for a couple days. I had my 6th radiation app't, and they're going smoothly - besides the metallic taste I'm starting to develop in my mouth.

I'm officially starting the chemo pills this evening. I was staring at the bottles earlier and started thinking how I'm really not enjoying the thought of chemo! But the verse I wrote above came to mind, which has been a verse on my heart throughout this whole experience. I cannot be anxious about ANYTHING and I must continue to present my requests to our loving God. Obviously that's not always easy! But that's where we are so thankful for the many people praying for us through this. We have felt the peace of God, guarding us over and over again.

Please continue to pray for my hearing. On and off, my left ear (my good ear) has felt plugged. Pray that it would open up so I can hear clearly. Pray also for the anxiety which seems to be worse at night and therefore I haven't been sleeping very well. We are so thankful for all of you and our encouragement!

Home for the Weekend!

For in him we live and move and have our being. Acts 17:28a

It's so good to be home! We made it back tonight after a long trip home - flash floods, water over the interstate, semi off the road. God protected us and it's now so great to be in our own house for a couple nights, hoping to see some family and friends this weekend.

I've made it through the first 5 days of radiation! 20 more visists to go. Chemo pills start on Monday. Please continue to pray that God will guide every radiation beam and pill directly where it should go to best heal me. Pray also for no side effects. My ears have been plugged today and the doctor explained that could be from the radiation. They go in at 5 different spots and 2 of them are right above my ears. Pray that my hearing will be protected. I've also been having a hard time sleeping - not sure if it's being away from home or if it's from the treatment/medication. Pray that I can receive some much needed rest. And pray for peace to overwhelm me each day.

We'll be heading back to Iowa City Monday morning. God bless!

Strong and Courageous

Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you, he will never leave you nor forsake you.

Deuteronomy 31:6

For those of you who know my husband, he tends to think he's the Asian Lance Armstrong when out riding his bike. The other day in a waiting room, he found a magazine with Lance on the cover so of course he had to take a look. For those of you unfamiliar with Lance he was diagnosed with testicular cancer, which had also spread to his brain and lungs. He battled back from cancer to win the ultimate cycling race, the Tour de France, 7 years in a row. He also started the LIVESTRONG campaign to raise cancer awareness and encourage people to be strong in their cancer battle.

The thing that stuck out to us in this article was that Lance said he approached his battle with cancer with the same determination that he approaches a bike race: focusing on the finish line. I may not be a world cyclist, but I have this same determination in my battle. I am focused on the finish line. However, where I'm different from Lance is that my key to living strong is Christ living in me. I have Christ with me every day keeping me strong and courageous. I have set my mind on the finish line - living with Christ every step of the way.

Another day done and I'm feeling great! Continue to pray for NO side effects through this - please continue to check the left side of this website for specifics. We have continued this week getting more information on the chemo and will start that on Monday. It will be in the form of a pill and I will take it for approximately 6 months. We continue to try to live a normal life - more visitors today with Zac's mom bringing his 2 nieces out for a fun lunch.

Our Home Away From Home - Hope Lodge

Lamentations 3:21-26

Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope:

Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed,

for his compassions never fail.

They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.

I say to myself, "The Lord is my portion;

therefore I will wait for him."

The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him,

it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.

Just wanted to give an update on our home away from home for the next several weeks. One of Stacie's nurses got us in touch with a place called Hope Lodge. It's kind of like a Ronald McDonald House, only for adults with cancer. It's been a huge blessing and God completely opened the door for this - with one room available. The facility is brand new (0pened in October) and it's in a great location. For those of you familiar with Iowa City (and who love Iowa Football!), her doctor's app't are right across the street from Kinnick Stadium and Hope Lodge shares a parking lot with Carver Hawkeye. So we're in walking distance of all her app't. As you can see from the picture above, it faces the woods (we saw deer yesterday!). You can see our bedroom - it's on the top floor, left corner. There are no tv's in our rooms, because they try to get you out in the dining room and tv rooms to meet people and feel like a community. We also have a shared kitchen and make our own meals.

One thing I've learned over the last two years about my wife, is how encouraged Stac gets from receiving mail. My goal through this time is to shower her with cards throughout the next few weeks and beyond. Her address in Iowa City is:

Hope Lodge

Attn: Stacie McGregor #301

750 Hawkins Drive

Iowa City, IA 52246

Our address at home is:

Zac and Stacie McGregor

3007 SW Westwood St

Ankeny, IA 50023

Day 2 went well - a couple of app't and second day of treatment. Stac's spirits are high and she's feeling great - she's a trooper . The highlight of the day for both of us was having dinner with our good friends, Mike and Danielle. Thank you all so much for your love and support. Again, we have been so blessed by all of you.

Day 1 - in the books!!!

Psalm 103:1-5

Praise the LORD, O my soul;

all my inmost being,

praise his holy name.

Praise the LORD, O my soul,

and forget not all his benefits -

who forgives all your sins

and heals all your diseases,

who redeems your life from the pit

and crowns you with love and compassion,

who satisfies your desires with good things

so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.

We made it through the first day. Praise the Lord! God is so good!

We started out bright and early this morning with our first app't at 8:00 AM with the eye doctor. This was to get a baseline reading of my vision to compare throughout the process. Then we headed straight to radiation oncology for treatment #1. I was fitted for all the equipment last week so we were ready to go. I basically lay on a table (they cover me with a blanket and rubber band my feet together to help keep me from moving). Then they put a mask on me that is fitted to my face, along with a mouthpiece. All of this is to keep me as still as possible. If I move even a millimeter, there are sensors on the mouthpiece that tell the computer I've moved and it shuts down the radiation. They then have to come back in and adjust me back to my original spot. This is all so that the radiation hits exactly the precise spot it's supposed to. They said I did great - I didn't move at all today!! Last week when I tried all this on, it was hard to relax and breathe easily. It's definitely easier today, but pray that I can stay relaxed through this process. It's fairly quick and also painless, which is a blessing!

Please pray that the radiation beams will always hit EXACTLY where it's supposed to. Pray for the staff, that they will be alert and focused. I've really been praying that God's HAND would guide the radiation, and also the chemotherapy and other drugs to EXACTLY where they need to go to be most effective.

After this we stopped at Hope Lodge to check in. We will post a picture, hopefully tomorrow, of where we're staying and give you more details. Then we were off to an oncology app't to discuss the chemo with my doctor. We were told in more details the side effects of the chemo and our doctor explained at length that it will cause infertility. This has given us new things to pray about. Please pray for us as we meet with our team of doctors tomorrow to discuss this more.

Thank you so much for your prayers. It's been a long day and we're exhausted so we'll write more tomorrow. We love you all and are humbled by your support! God Bless!!

Update, Please Pray

"There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven." - Ecclesiastes 3:1

It's been two years already since Stacie was first diagnosed with a brainstem glioma. The doctors have all been in agreement to wait for treatment until symptoms were increased. As of recently, she has experienced more intense changes and we headed to the University of Iowa Hospitals this week for a last opinion. Following these appointments, we have decided that it's time to begin treatment. Our next season of life consists of 5 weeks of treatment in Iowa City.

We feel very comfortable with the team of doctors and staff and believe we are in good hands. Stacie will be receiving radiation along with chemotherapy. Wednesday she had a series of tests and exams and was fitted for some of the equipment that will be used for radiation. This morning we headed back and they walked her through what treatment will consist of. Monday morning everything will officially begin. God's hand has already been shown in mighty ways. One of those being that we already have a place to stay during the week and will hopefully be home on the weekends.

Bottom line, we covet your prayers. Please look at the prayer requests to the left and continue to pray with us as we ask for God's protection and healing hand during the next 5 weeks and many years to come. We will do our best to update you with this blog throughout this journey.

Thank you and God bless.