Dear Family & Friends,
First Entry... what to write?
Well, first of all, we want to Thank you for all your prayers, encouragements, love & care for us. We thank God everytime we think of how blessed we are to have our relationships with you all. We're not usually blog people, but we felt that this is a good place for us to keep in touch with what's going on, to express ourselves during this part of our journey as individuals and as a couple and to recognize, share and remember all of God's lessons and blessings.
Why the name? It took us a while to come up with a name for this blog..hahha.. we didn't want cheesy, but that's unfortunately how it came out. We figured, "L" is a nice letter.... it stands for most of the topical words that we wanted to talk about in blog... and in the future, we'll be the "Lings"....haha... so that was that.
So... here it goes....
To let you guys know exactly what has happened in the past month, maybe the best way is to do a little timeline recap.
March Break 2010
- my backache has not subsided since December. (Initially, I had hurt my lower back in July, but that was supposedly fixed and realigned)
- decided that maybe I should get some X-Rays for my back. Got those done, and they showed "blurry" pictures of my spine.
- family doctor schedule a CT
March 26nd, 2010
Scan the following Monday at Scarborough Grace. Went, and things we well.
- Scarborough Grace phones my family doctor the morning after. Family doctor called my family, Ike & I in for a little talk. He suggested I go to Toronto Western Hospital next morning to the ER.
March 31rd ,2010
- went to TWH in the morning. With X-Rays & CT Scans in hand, was kept in ER for most of the day. ER doctors got me an emergency MRI for my spine that took approximately 1.5 hours & blood work done. By midnight, had seen a neurosurgery resident and was admitted to Toronto Western (Neurosurgery floor).
- stayed in hospital for several days waiting to see what the next step will be. Met with Dr. Michael Fehlings, an amazing and busy neurosurgeon at TWH. Praise the Lord for this man and his nurse (Rosalie) because he got the "ball" rolling with all the quick appointments and bumped up scheduling. Another prayer answered from God. Thought we would get the biopsy the next 2 days, but ended up that I was discharged by Friday for my birthday :)
April 3rd-5th, 2010
-Birthday weekend was truly something special. Got to visit my grandpa, who was in York Central Hospital since Thursday, because he was having respiratory problems in his battle with cancer. It was good to see him, because it was as if I knew it would be a last goodbye before God took him Home. It was also a wonderful weekend to have my family from Hong Kong fly over to see my grandpa & to have a mini family reunion. Family is something I truly cherish, especially when it comes to cousins that I haven't gotten to know as well over the years. To see my youngest cousins (Charis, 7 & Channah, 9) enjoying the presence of us older cousins even in the midst of an awkward time... I'm so thankful.
- Had family dinner for birthday the night before my actual birthday. Ike, being the wonderful fiancee he is, arranged (in a very quick manner) to get all our friends to come and celebrate on Saturday night. Got the best of all my favourite cakes (Homemade Carrot, Meringue, Mango Mousse, Mango Cake, Tiramisu), plus lots of smiles & laughter.
April 7th, 2010
- Had my biopsy in the afternoon. It was an interesting experience to say the least. Didn't go to the Operating Room, but Dr. Fehlings got a friend, Dr. Smith to do the biopsy as a favour at the CT Scan room. They used the CT Scan machine to guide the precise location of the biopsy in the back... while I lied down on my tummy. They localized the anaethestics in my back and proceeded to give me a temporary sedative through my IV throughout the procedure. Unfortunately, I wasn't sleeping, I heard and felt everything...but another answered prayer... it didn't hurt, it was just all pressure & sounds. As I was beginning to feel that the sedatives were wearing off in my IV, they exclaimed, "We're all done"... and I said HOORAY!
- After recovering for a few hours, mom delivered the sad news... my grandpa had passed away the night before. They had waited until my biopsy was over to let me know. Cried a good cry, and was in need of a good night rest.
April 8th-April 12th, 2010
- Discharged after my biopsy, it was time to prepare ourselves for my grandpa's memorial ceremony on Monday. Ike & I spent a lot of time with my mom's family on the weekend, since everyone was over from Hong Kong.
- Monday funeral for my grandpa was just beautiful. It was a hard day to watch and to experience. Hard to watch my grandma grieving for my grandpa whom she's been with for 63 years, hard to see my little cousins cry and mourn, hard to see the casket being lowered. Yet, the beautiful part was that God was present. His comforting words in Psalm 23 was what brought healing, comfort, and a reminder that my grandpa was no longer suffering and that there's an everlasting hope for us that are still present. The eulogy my uncle gave was a perfect description of who my grandpa was: a family man, someone that was generous and put others first, hard worker, a man who loved each and every single one of his 5 children and all the grandchildren he was ever blessed with... a changed man in his demeanor and outlook of life after his faith and trust in God. I'm so glad this past year was full of flexibility in my work schedule that I had time to spend with my grandparents every week over lunch. What a blessing & answered prayer yet again!
April 13th, 2010
- went back to TWH... and Dr. Fehlings gave the diagnosis and scheduled me an appointment for Princess Margaret the next day (even though my next date was scheduled for the week after!) And... the "c" word that I was dreading to hear...it wasn't pleasant, but had to face it...cancer. I have been diagnosed with Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma ( a Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma). I will update you later on about more information concerning this disease... cause this blog entry is turning out to be a big crazy story.
April 14th, 2010
- my first meeting with doctors at Princess Margaret Hospital. Met with Dr. Tsang, the radiation oncologist & will meet with Dr. Kuravilla, the hematologist on Friday. Dr. Tsang further elaborated on my diagnosis, the procedures that they are scheduling, and was warm and friendly in answering all the questions we had about the cancer. Currently, I have no symptoms of the tumour pressing into my spinal nerves/cords (except for small tingling sensations on the bottom of my toes). I have normal bowel functions (well.. I pee a little more, and sometimes I have slight constipation. I've been trying to eat TONS of cheese... so my lactose intolerance would make me poo better.. haha). They found cancer in my spine and a little bit of the front... which sets me at Stage IV.
April 16th, 2010
- back at PMH to meet with Dr. Kuravilla, my hematologist to discuss more about the procedure, the scheduling, and all the risks & factors involved. I also had my bone marrow test done today. Now, that was another first for me... but PRAISE THE LORD, not too much pain! It took around 15-20 minutes of lying on my side. They gave me localized anaethestic and proceeded to jab these huge needles in my hip bone to get samples of my bone marrow & a sample of my bone. I felt a lot of pressure and maybe a twinge of pain here and there, but God answered prayers when I asked to him to help me overcome the uncomfyness! I even got to see the sample of bone & bone marrow afterwards. It's amazing how crazy technology is and how fascinating our bodies are that God has created!
and now.... after this weekend... I'm gearing up for my first chemotherapy session tomorrow morning at 8:30 am. I can tell you that I am a ball of different feelings mixed together at this point. Up until this point, I have experienced many up and down moments and I know that there are many to come in the road ahead. Being in church this morning, I experienced God's Love and Promises to me that he's been reinforcing since all of this happened...and even before that... in all my years of Walking with Him. He is the Same God Yesterday, Today & Tomorrow... and that He is A Mighty God who Listens, Hears, Relates, Understands and Has Deep Love for not only me, but for all who will encounter Him through our story.
This verse has been coming up time and time again this whole week.. including today when my future-mother-in-law sent me an email of encouragement.
2 Corinthians 4:7-10
"We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves. We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed."
Blessings & Have a great night:)
Love,
Vinci
