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.