Pop went to see his oncologist last week after completing his 4th cycle of chemo. The most recent CT scan showed that the tumors (large one in his left lung and two others in his liver) had shrunk by more than half.

Although we were hoping for the cancer to be gone, the doctor explained that this was great news. The fact that the cancer is responding to the drugs means that remission is a good possibility. His plan: two more cycles of chemo, then another CT scan. If the cancer is gone, then Pop will be considered to be in remission. If not, then two more cycles of chemo.

Pop is doing well and feeling good other than having a cold right now. Please keep praying for both Pop and Nana. Thank you for your support, love, and prayers.

Matthew 6:32b-33, "Your heavenly Father already knows all your needs, and He will give you all you need from day to day if you live for Him and make the Kingdom of God your primary concern."

Just wanted to update everyone since it is has been so long since my last post. (Sorry about that.)

Pop is doing beautifully. He has just completed his 4th cycle. He goes for a CT scan this week to see if the cancer is gone, which, of course, is what we are all praying.

You would have to see Pop to fully understand just how well he's doing. You cannot even tell that he has undergone 4 cycles of chemo. He has steadily gained weight, which thrills his doctor. His white blood cell count is great. He looks good and feels good. He is so ready to get back to work.

Thank you everyone who has prayed for him and for Nana, too. She, too, is doing well. God is so good. We are so thankful.

Sometimes in light of all our problems and busy lives, we forget to be thankful. I am as guilty of that as anyone. If we don't get the particular answer to a prayer, then we feel like everything is caving in around and on us. We get a defeatist attitude and wonder why God is not listening to our prayers. We wonder, "why me?....so and so is getting what they want, why not me?"

Well, God is reminding me that even if I cannot see it, He is working on my behalf. Even when I feel like giving up, He never does. He never gives up on us. He never stops loving us. He listens to our whining and complaining and keeps doing what is best for us although we don'y always see it. He works the good out of everything...even our mistakes....(I make a lot of those!)

What are we to do? We are to "keep on well doing for in due season we will reap if we faint not." Or in other words, "Do not get tired of doing what is good. Don't get discouraged & give up, for we will reap a harvest of blessing at the appropriate time." (Galatians 6:9)

So remember to talk to God today and tell Him how thankful you are for what He has already done and for what He is doing now. He is faithful even when we are not. Even if He never did anything for us for the rest of our lives, Jesus dying for our sins is more than enough! May God bless you!

Hi, Everyone. Went to see oncologist with Pop yesterday. EVERYTHING, and I mean everything, looks great. I think the doctor was happy with Pop's condition, but not any more so than we were! He looks great! He feels good, and he's as handsome as ever!!



Last Friday when Pop went for his IV fluids, the nurse said he wouldn't be getting them as he didn't need them. PRAISE GOD!! (Pop says anytime he doesn't have to get stuck with a needle is good!)



In addition, his weight has been really good. I guess usually chemo patients lose weight, but not Pop. He's been gaining a little. Some of this is fluids and some is just healthy weight gain.



Also, Pop's white blood cell count is really, really good. Last week it was 15.1, and the doctor had said that it needed to stay within the 4-10 range. So Pop's count is super!! He received a special shot to boost his white blood cell count the day after his second chemo cycle, and it worked. Of course, I am sure Pop's supplements and lots of prayers have helped, too. (Thanks Mary Sidney and Joe,...for everything!)



So, as you can see, Pop is doing very, very well. I have to refer back to a scripture from a previous post; it is Ephesians 3:20, "Now glory be to God! By His mighty power at work within us, He is able to accomplish exceedingly, abundantly more than we would ever dare to hope, ask or think." AMEN! (I just love this scripture!!)



Please keep praying; next week Pop starts his 3rd chemo cycle. He's hoping that he will only have to undergo 4 cycles and not the 6 he was originally told. He is ready to get back to work!



Ecclesiates 5:19b-20 says, "To enjoy your work and accept your lot in life-that is indeed a gift from God. People who do this rarely look with sorrow on the past, for God has given them reasons for joy."................I am sure we all have reasons for joy-sometimes we just have to look for them as we got bogged down with our sorrows. Keep your eyes on Jesus and never stop hoping and believing. Speak positive things and stop focusing on the negative. You reap what you sow....so sow positively! Speak blessings and not curses. May God bless you!!

Last week Pop finished his 2nd cycle of chemo. To boost his white cell production he was given a shot of a special medication on Friday. It worked. Although he was tired this weekend, his white blood cell count was good today. It was 15.2, which is very good. He received IV fluids today which energizes him and is good for his kidneys.

Two cycles down and four to go. Keep up the prayers!

Psalm 27:14, "Wait patiently for the Lord. Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for the Lord."

An update on Pop's white blood cell count....Tuesday, Pop's white blood cell count was low; it was down to .8, which is too low. (Friday it was 2.6 and that is what they told us at Tuesday's appt.)A drug called neupogen was administered; the purpose was to stimulate white blood cell production in his bone marrow. Pop was to receive an injection daily until his count came up to an acceptable level. Wednesday, his count was up to 1.3, which, while an improvement, is still too low. (The oncologist wants his white blood cell count to be between 4 and 10.) Thursday it was up to 5.7...Yea! And today, Friday, it was up to a whopping 18.3!!!! Pop told me that incredible news himself! PRAISE GOD!

I told Pop I was so proud of his bone marrow! Yippee! A time of celebration is here! This is such great news!! He will start off his 2nd cycle of chemo next week with a high white cell count! Other than a total and complete healing, I am not sure we could've gotten better news this week!! God is SO very good!!!

2 Corinthians 12:9 states that "My gracious favor is all you need. My power works best in your weakness."

Isn't that the truth!! I don't think anything more needs to be said on that!

Today Nana, Pop, and I went to see the oncologist followed by Pop receiving iv fluids. (He gets iv fluids twice a week on the weeks he is not undergoing chemo. The fluids give Pop a boost plus help his kidneys.) The appointment went well. Basically everything is looking good. He is scheduled for his 2nd cycle of chemo next week.

The physicians assistant that we saw went over Pop's latest bloodwork from last Friday. (He gets lab work done each time he receives his iv fluids.) Pop's blood levels are good with his white blood cell count a little low. His hemoglobin is good as are his platelets. Due to a cat bite on his hand, he was put on an antibiotic to prevent and/or treat any possible infection.

We did find out that he is receiving two different cancer drugs; we had thought it was only one to start off with. The reasoning behind the use of two drugs is that what cancer cells one doesn't kill the other will. He also receives a steroid to prevent nausea, act as an anti-inflamatory, and boost the cancer drug's effectiveness.

Colossians 1:9b-10, "We ask God to give you a complete understanding of what He wants to do in your lives, & we ask Him to make you wise with spiritual wisdom. Then the way you live will always honor & please the Lord, & you will continually do good, kind things for others. All the while, you will learn to know God better & better."

Sorry...slacked off last week. Just to give everyone an update on Pop...he's doing WONDERFULLY! Praise God! First cycle of chemo went well. Lab work done twice last week showed his blood levels are good as are his kidneys. He's eating well and looks GREAT! He says he feels good. We couldn't ask for anything more, except for a complete and miraculous healing, of course.

This week he has a regular appt. with his oncologist. I will let you know how that goes.

Please keep up the prayers. Pop is not used to having so much spare time on his hands. Pray that God helps him deal with this side of it. If you know Pop, you know he has worked hard all his life (i.e. he's a workaholic). This is definitely a challenge for him to spend so much time resting. Nana is trying to keep him occupied, but she will be returning to work soon.

Psalm 34:8-9, "Taste & see that the Lord is good. Oh, the joys of those who trust in Him. Let the Lord's people show Him reverence for those who honor Him will have all they need."

Well, Pop's finished his first cycle of chemo this week. He's doing really well, too. He was given a steroid the first day, so he's not been sleeping a lot. This is supposed to help control the nausea. It did.

Each day (Tuesday - Thursday) he underwent 4 1/2 hours of treatment with Nana waiting patiently in the lobby/waiting room. (What a woman! She's going to do whatever is necessary for her man!) He will go back twice next week for lab work and an IV. We think the objective of the IV is to maintain good kidney function, but we'll have to verify that. His next appt. with the oncologist is July 21, 2009.

Keep up the prayers. We all appreciate it! God bless!

Psalm 27:13, "Yet I am confident that I will see the Lord's goodness while I am here in the land of the living."

Well, today was Pop's first day of chemo. He came through it with flying colors!! PRAISE GOD!

Nana stayed in the waiting room while he underwent 4 1/2 hours of chemo. Pop said he feels great so far! YEA!!!!!

"When I think of the wisdom and scope of God's plan, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father, the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth. I pray that from His glorious, unlimited resources He will give you mighty inner strength through His Holy Spirit. And I pray that Christ will be more and more at home in your hearts as you trust in Him. May your roots go down deep into the soil of God's marvelous love. And may you have the power to understand, as all God's people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep His love really is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is so great you will never fully understand it. Then you will be filled with the fullness of life and power that comes from God." Ephesians 3:14-19

Today, July 2, 2009, we went back to the oncologist. Results from the MRi were good...no cancer in the brain. Unfortunately, the PET scan showed cancer in Pop's liver. The radiation doctor had told us the previous day that bit of information. It was quite a blow, but Pop said he wasn't surprised. The good news that there wasn't any cancer in the brain was received gratefully. We needed to hear that.

The oncologist said chemo would start next Tuesday. Pope will get 4 cycles of the chemo drug, called cisplatin. Each cycle is 3 consecutive days of chemo followed by two weeks off. The 3rd week begins another cycle. Each week he will have lab work to check his blood work, kidneys, etc. to make sure they are okay.

After the 4 cycles then another CT scan will be done. If the cancer is responding to the drug then two more cycles of that drug. If not, then VP-16, another cancer drug, will be used.

When Pop is having his chemo, he will be more susceptible to germs. He may feel tired and weak. Other side effects may occur, but one of the main ones is the change in his blood counts. He will have to be careful to try and eat right and drink lots of water and rest.

Please refrain from exposing him to germs if you are sick with anything. Please wash your hands as this is one of the main ways of spreading germs. Also, try not to shake his hand. Pat him on the shoulder or something, as this is less likely to spread germs.

The family thanks you for your support and prayers. Please keep praying.

"Now glory be to God! By His mighty power at work within us, He is able to accomplish exceedingly, abundantly more than we would ever dare to hope, ask or think." Ephesians 3:20

Just an update on this week's info on Pop. Pet scan on Tuesday; MRI on Wednesday. These tests will help determine if the cancer is present anywhere else besides the left lung. Appt. with oncologist on Thursday to review this week's tests results and determine Pop's treatment plan. Chemo should start Monday, July 6, 2009.

Pop is is unflappable in his faith. He states that no matter what it is all in God's hands. AMEN!

Pop's Journey: Overview

In case you are not up-to-date on what is going on, let me try to catch you up. Pop, a.k.a. Roy Holland, Jr, Papa, has been diagnosed with small cell carcinoma in his left lung. To say that this announcement came as a shock would be putting it mildly. Everyone was pretty much in a daze. Of course, Pop took it all in just like he does everything, quietly and calmly. His faith is secure, and he knows that no matter what God will see him through this! Our God is an AWESOME GOD!

Thought for the day: Sometimes God delivers us FROM our trials, tribulations, etc. And sometimes He delivers us THROUGH them. Either way He's always right there WITH us!

The purpose of this blog is to keep all of Nana and Pop's loved ones up-to-date on his treatment so that they will not have to re-hash it 100 times over every day, and so that anyone can just look on this blog and and see how things are going. That is not to say that you cannot call Nana or Pop to check up on them, but this blog will allow people to stay informed.

We are all standing together united in our love for God and Pop. Please join with us in praying and believing that God will heal Pop if that's His will and that He will see us all through this....that on the other side of this trial will be victory as we grow in our faith and trust in our Savior, Jesus Christ.