Ding! Ding! Ding!

Travis completed his last day of radiation therapy on Friday, March 21st. Travis celebrated the end of his treatment by participating in an M. D. Anderson tradition of ringing a bell signifying a final radiation session. I secretly invited both of our families to meet us at the hospital for Travis' last treatment and we were all so excited that this part of the journey was complete. Afterwards we went to dinner to celebrate! It has been a long 6 weeks, but thanks to your prayers and encouragement we made it through and Travis knows that he has fought this cancer with all of his might, thus far. We thank God for strengthening, comforting and loving us. He has carried us through and we give all praise to HIM. Each and every day Travis becomes stronger and feels better than the day before. We pray that his heath continue to be restored. In one month we will return to MD Anderson for another MRI of Travis' brain. If the results show the tumor is growing again, chemotherapy will be administered. If there is no sign of cancer, frequent MRI's will be taken to monitor.

Thanks again for the outpouring of prayers, support and encouragement. We will continue to update the blog for prayer requests and to let you know how things are progressing; so check back soon.

We love you all and would like to leave you with this verse and our prayer for Travis...

1 Peter 5:10

And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.

An Easter Prayer

As Easter nears we are reminded of God's perfect gift sent to us through His son Jesus. An awesome example of love as He came to Earth to live with us and die for us. It is a constant reminder of how our family can now have hope, not in circumstances but, in Christ who has already conquered this world. With this reassurance, we also know He can conquer this cancer. For the past couple of weeks I have been thinking about Easter and it's meaning. God loves us so much that he sent His only son, Jesus, to dwell on Earth and show His mighty power to all. Jesus then died on the cross for us, so that we may have eternal life in heaven. All of this was part of a perfect plan so that we may inherit the Kingdom of God. When we placed the last day of radiation therapy, March 21 (Good Friday), on the calendar I knew it was all part of God's perfect plan. I don't know how He will use this date, but I know that everything during this season in our lives has been designed for a reason. I have found symbolization in the correlation of the final days. On Jesus' final day on Earth he was persecuted and then nailed to the cross where he would die. Our prayer is that through the surgery and radiation that this tumor and all cancer cells will be killed. However, that is not the end of the Easter story. Three days later Christ rose from the grave into Heaven. All of this was done to give us life, eternal life. The second part of our prayer is that after the cancer has died that a new, cancer free, life will be raised up inside of Travis, for the rest of his life here on Earth. If you would like, we would love for you to join us in this prayer. We know that prayer is powerful and if it is God's plan for this symbolization to become a reality, we are assured it will!

Two verses that have been on my heart...

2 Corinthians 5:17
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!

Jeremiah 17:14
Heal me, O LORD, and I will be healed; save me and I will be saved, for you are the one I praise.

We would also like to leave you with this little message and a video that is very powerful representation of Jesus' final days...

Through this circumstance we have learned what it means to have Hope in the Lord. We many times have said that we could not have gone through this without knowing Him. He is our strength, our comforter, our protector and our savior. He is the one who can save you. All you have to do is call upon his name. If you want the same hope we have in all circumstances and have not received Jesus Christ as your savior, please email or call us, we would love to share more of who God is, with you!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NaSROohLzs

Blogger CD

Okay, you guys... Travis will be completing his last week of radiation this week. (Can I get a WOO HOO!). This weekend I will be burning the "Blogger CD" for him to listen to during one of his last treatments. If you would like to include your favorite song for Travis, email me or post it ASAP!

Jennifer

In all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.
Romans 8:37

Physical Therapy Completed

Just wanted to let everyone know that Travis graduated from physical therapy this week. He met his goal of balance and strength in just 8 sessions (4 weeks)! We praise God for His protection during the surgery.
In January, Dr. Lang (the surgeon) informed us that there was a possibility that Travis could be permanently paralyzed on his left side as a result of the surgery. God graciously protected Travis and he only had a slight loss of strength and balance needing a small amount of physical therapy. Thanks to all of you who prayed so fervently during the surgery on January 10th. We are so thankful and grateful that this part of the recovery was quick and successful.
Praise God from Who ALL blessings flow!

I will give You thanks forever, because You have done it, and I will wait on Your name, for it is good, in the presence of Your godly ones.
Psalm 52:9

Kevin Harvick and Shell

Driving home from one of the treatments this past week we noticed a Shell and Kevin Harvick eighteen wheeler at a Shell gas station by our house. When we got home Travis got on the RCR (Richard Childress Racing) web site and they had a car showing of the #29 and a simulation. Travis was definitely feeling up to checking it out. One pictures we took is posted above.

By the way... If your not familiar with who Kevin Harvick is just check out his website under "Links".

Going the Distance

As of Friday, February 29th Travis is halfway through his radiation treatments. Hooray! Overall his spirit is good. He is beginning to lose some of his hair in patchy places, which is a little upsetting, but Dr. Mahajan had said this would be a side effect. He still has some nausea and little appetite, but we are learning about many different ways to deal and control how he feels. We praise God for carrying us through this far and want you to know that we still appreciate your prayers and encouragement.