Walk by Faith

John Stephens started a new adventure today. He visited USA Children’s and Women’s Hospital as a volunteer. He dressed as Thor and made rounds with Mrs. Beth from the Child Life Department.

Five years ago, he had a clear PET scan, but the cancer came back three months later. Three years ago, there was an area of concern that turned out to be cancer in his lung.

BUT, this year, he was able to give back and serve in the same hospital where he was once a patient. He got to see many of the caregivers who took care of him and some kids he knows from camp. It was a great day (although it was bittersweet to be on a hospital adventure without Hunter). I am proud to see John Stephens using his gifts and abilities to bless others.

John Stephens and I both got clear scan results today!!

There are not as many PET scan comics as I thought there would be, so I will substitute a CAT scan joke!

Our oncology team was able to schedule John Stephens’ PET for Wednesday, March 26 at 12:30pm. The PET scan should provide clarity on the issue shown in the CT scan.

A friend of mine commented yesterday that she was praying for the Lord to remove anything that was not His will. I love that prayer for JohnSt in all areas of his life.

Because you all have been so faithful to care about John Stephens and his journey, I need to share difficult news. His dear friend Hunter, the other young man who was an amputee fighting cancer, passed away last week.

To be honest, I have hesitated to post because I cannot grasp the horror of this loss. I truly believe that Hunter now walks on streets of gold and has probably already cracked a couple of jokes with Jesus; but for those left on earth without him, the loss is enormous.

Please pray for Hunter’s family, friends, and caregivers.

Camp Rapahope 2024 kicked off this morning! JohnSt was even excited about “lice check” because he has hair this year! This is the best week of the year, and I wanted to share it with everyone who has loved on us and helped us get this far.

48 months… We walked into this waiting room in June 2020 to have a “ganglion cyst” removed from John Stephens’ ankle. The cyst had been there for a while, but we hadn’t done surgery because it was close to a growth plate and there was a risk that it wouldn’t heal well, and he might end up with a limp.

He was in the summer between 6th and 7th grades. Now he’s in the last week of his Sophomore year.

Back then, the Covid pandemic had just started. Now, we are on the other side, but the world has changed. Sitting by myself that first day was hard. Surgery is so routine for us now that he asked me if we had any errands to run after he’s released this afternoon.

I don’t have words to describe how we have changed. I will probably spend the rest of my life unpacking everything I’ve learned on this journey. There aren’t enough words to say how thankful we are for all of the love and support we’ve received from family, friends, community, school, and our medical team. We are forever grateful.

This may be our last visit to USA Children’s and Women’s Hospital. I feel like someone should play “Pomp and Circumstance” when we leave today. It’s been a long four years, and he’s ready for this graduation.

Please pray for us today as John Stephens’ chemo port is removed.

Also, a shout out to the Lady Bears playing in the state softball tournament today. We watched the guys win the 2022-23 Football title from a hospital room here. We’d love to see y’all win today.

What an amazing day! John Stephens had his one-year scans this morning. The initial reading of the scans shows no areas of concern. (They will do a complete reading later, but we are confident that he is clear.) He had another round of genetic testing last month due to some potential problems identified in some bloodwork. Those tests also showed nothing new to worry about. His chemo port will be removed next Wednesday.

The only sad part of the day was the knowledge that he has graduated from the Hope Clinic. The staff in the Hope have taken amazingly good care of us since the first time we walked through the door. I didn’t even stop to say goodbye. I refused to cry today. Today is a day for joy!

Thank you to our friends at the Hope and to everyone who prays for us and supports us. And, we are always thanking God for His healing touch.