The Impact of Prayer

I'm putting my FB post on my blog, because there are some people who follow my blag that are not on FB.  Plus, at the end, I'll post *before* Mekinist pictures and *after* taking 30 days of Mekinist pictures.  Please read all the way to the end. If you don't want to see the pictures, you may stop scrolling at the end of the printed word.

I wanted to take the time to tell you how much prayer can mean to someone in need. As you know, I’ve been battling this cancer since Sept of 2016 when it was 1st discovered. I immediately asked for prayer, and hundreds of people from everywhere (from Wash to Florida) started praying. I asked at that time specifically for peace of mind since this was a horribly frightening thing to happen to me. God answered that prayer in a major way because the next 8 surgeries I went through in perfect peace – no fear going into them! I was able to witness to many while in the hospital/ICU about the abundant peace God gave me. Praise the Lord!

As time went on my prayer warriors kept assuring me they were praying for me. I never took one of those posts lightly! Everyone gave me reassurance that God was with me all the way – regardless of the outcome.

Then I went into the hospital a couple months ago and was anointed with oil and prayed for by 2 different pastors along with elders from those churches. I felt no lightning bolt hit me, but I know that God was answering their prayers. My face didn’t immediately turn from purple to pink, but my blood counts began to rise immediately. Praise the Lord! 

Hundreds of friends and relatives continued to pray, and I continued to thank God for each and every one of them, hoping I was not wearing them all out. But I still had this very visible cancer that the doctors told me was incurable, and the one in KC kept talking about hospice.

Then the last part of February, I was scheduled to see Dr. Powers in KC. It was miserable weather – cold and icy. Thankfully we had gone up the day before. (That was the harrowing trip Jeannine took to get here to go with us!) Just before I was to go to that visit, a dear, dear friend of mine (former pastor’s wife) for so many years, Carol Broadbooks, came to Mark’s house to see me and pray for me. She had tried earlier in the morning to get out of her sub-division, but it was too icy. Then she tried ONE MORE TIME and made it! I will never forget what she said before she prayed. “I’m not an ordained minister, and I have no oil with which to anoint you, but I can pray!” And pray she did! I cannot tell you the words of her prayer, but I know she touched heaven!

I went to my appointment, and that was the day Dr. Powers had a smile on his face. He told of the ONE mutation marker found and the ONE medication that MIGHT work specifically for that marker. Folks, I’m here to tell you that those “ONES” that were found were not found by accident!! Guy told me just yesterday as we were in the car, and he was talking about my improvement and prayer. He said, “I have to tell you – that day Carol prayed for you, I knew something happened. Not to minimize in anyway anyone else’s prayers, but after she prayed for you I felt different! I can’t explain it, but something happened.”

The Mekinist was ordered, and 15 days later, I took the 1st pill. Prayers were answered in that whole event. My face grew to nearly black as I waited for that 1st pill to arrive not knowing if my last hope and chance would come through. I just knew God had not brought me this far to leave me now! My insurance company, which until now, had denied me nothing, denied paying for this $15,000/month pill because there was no data collected for its use in agniosarcoma. But Drew, from the KU specialty pharmacy, went to bat for me and got it provided through the patient assistance program. Praise the Lord!

Two weeks later, when I went back to see Dr. Powers, he could not believe it!! All he could do was just shake his head and smile. He took many pictures of me, saying, “You may one day be the center-fold in a medical journal!

This week I saw Dr. Page in McPherson, and he just sat, shaking his head, smiling, and saying, “It’s just incredible….it’s just INCREDIBLE!!”

Now, you may not be a pastor, or a deacon, or an elder, or a former pastor’s wife, but let me tell you that YOUR prayers matter – they matter to the Master, and they matter to me! It may have been YOUR prayer that staved off the nausea one afternoon. It may have been YOUR prayer that kept me from falling on one of my unsteady days. It may have been YOUR prayer that eased the pain on top of my head so I could drift off to sleep. It may have been YOUR prayer that gave me the energy for that hour to work in my quilt room. It may have been YOUR prayer that enabled me to see the music on a Sunday morning so I could play the keyboard. It may have been YOUR prayer that lifted my spirits in one of my low times. It may have been YOUR prayer that helped Guy to fix just the right supper that tasted so good to me.

GOD . HEARS . THE . PRAYERS . OF . HIS . CHILDREN. EVERYONE OF THEM. And no prayer is too insignificant. He NEVER thinks, “Oh, brother…..here she/he comes again…..” No, it DELIGHTS the Father to hear from His children.

I guess I say all this to say that I just continue to thank you again and again and again for your prayers. They . are . working!!!!

And as always.......I'm in His hands.......

Scroll down for pictures.

Here are the before pictures taken on March 3.  I began the Mekinist on March 7.

Here are the pictures after taking the Mekinist - a tiny pink pill once a day - for one month.

The pill causes swelling of my face and eyes - thus the puffiness.

Just miraculous!!