We are so excited to not being traveling to U of M today! It’s the first time in 5 weeks (well actually A LOT longer) that we have a whole week with only a blood draw on our “list of things to do”. It feels so freeing! However, our “to do” list for graduation is very large…hahah. Isn’t it just like God to free up our calendar at the perfect time? I said in my last post that I would let you know if we had any prayer requests and as of now, we do have a couple that we would love to have you all on duty for.

On April 22nd I had my first trip back to Lemmon Holten Cancer Center to get my Velcade (chemo) injection.  Since my diagnosis in 2021 I have experienced neuropathy, but it has been quite manageable.  After my kidney transplant the anti-rejection drugs have taken my neuropathy to a whole new level. I usually only had it in the tips of my fingers, but now I have been experiencing it in my hands, feet, and around my lips. So, when we actually meet with our Oncologist on May 6th, we had a conversation about this new issue. We were told that due to the fact the cancer isn’t the number one concern or issue at the moment they felt extremely confident in holding my chemo shot for the next month to see if we can gain some ground for the future of my nerve endings. My doctors said that they didn’t want me to be 70 and not be able to hold a coffee cup or have to walk with assistance.  I am not going to lie the thought process was kind of scary at first due to the fact that I had already been off Velcade for about a month before my transplant to get it out of my system. However, as Dan and I talked and prayed through it, we decided to look at it as a gift from God. A few weeks of an additional bonus to not have so many appointments and just be able to take a deep breath to celebrate where we are at in this journey. And let’s all remember I haven’t given up my prayer for complete healing…the only thing left in getting that answered is to be off all cancer treatment for good, because this amazing kidney is totally rocking the healing process. So, we will just see what God is up to in this process. For now, we are asking for prayer! On June 4th we will be having our annual PET scan. (always a little bit of a PTSD moment, lots of prayers required). This scan will determine how treatment will go moving forward. They will decide whether to lower my dose, change treatment to something else, or maybe just maybe God will decide that it just isn’t what my body needs anymore? Please pray for my scan to show “no evidence of disease” and also pray for wisdom and guidance in moving forward. That God will make it clear what our next steps should be. Please also pray for my neuropathy to subside. We have also been praying about some alternative options. Unfortunately, most of those options cost a lot of money and are not covered by insurance. So, we are just asking for clarity in moving forward.

Our second request is insurance related. Three years ago, when I got diagnosed, we were assigned a case worker through our insurance company. I can’t explain what a gift this amazing women has been to us. First of all, we quite quickly learned that we both believed in Jesus, which was a HUGE blessing. She has fought for us on so many occasions when we needed her to, she has prayed with me over the phone and I have prayed for her family too.  Well, two weeks ago we were told that she would be taken off our case. It’s a long story, but we were all pretty devastated. Especially when we truly feel it was because she got to close to her patient! Lots of tears were shed. Today was the last time I got to talk to her, but we said we will see each other in Heaven one day. Please pray for us. This is horrible timing to not have case worker. We have lots of bills for procedures and medicines that have to be sometimes questioned. Please pray that our new case worker is kind and willing to work hard for us. And an extra bonus would be that she loves Jesus. I know God has a plan for us to always have what we need. So, we are trusting the process, but also asking for prayers so that the transition can go smoothly.

My kidney is doing great. All my tests continue to come back pretty normal (which is so crazy to see after being either high or low for so many years). My body is healing well and everyday things seem to be getting better. Sandy is also healing great and doing amazing.

Last but definitely not least, please pray for us in the next few weeks. Next week we start the beginning of so many celebrations. Please pray that we can be present and enjoy each moment. There is a lot of decisions to be made, and quite frankly a lot to prepare for and get done around the house. But if I have learned anything from this process it is that life is a gift and enjoying it and living in the moment is something to be grateful for. I can vividly remember sitting in my room crying out to God begging Him that I would be able to still be here to see this day and celebrate my son with my family. I can’t tell you how incredibly blessed I feel to be here. I don’t know why I got to have this gift, but I am not going to waste it worrying about all the things that don’t matter and try my best to focus on the things that do.  So please pray that I can put my detailed (ducks in a row) brain to rest. Pray that Dan and the kids have the strength and patience with each other to get things done (because I am really not much help other than being the director of operations) but most of all that we can enjoy each moment and truly celebrate all that God has blessed us with and all that Trey has accomplished.

As always THANK YOU for your prayers and love for our family! You are so very very appreciated.

Be Blessed My Friends,

The Kulikamps