Peter’s Story

Site created on March 14, 2019

Welcome to our CaringBridge website. We are using it to keep family and friends updated in one place. 


After almost 4 years of serving Morrison Academy in Taiwan as educators, Peter and Martha have returned home to the Dallas/ Ft. Worth area of Texas.  Peter's medical story began almost a year ago.  He started experiencing sudden health problems (swollen feet, unusual fatigue and breathlessness) even after years of routine physicals gave him a clean bill of health.   In July 2018 he suffered a mild heart attack while visiting family in Texas.  He then returned back to Taiwan and in August a kidney biopsy diagnosed a rare disease call  AL Amyloidosis.  Then through more testing he found out in November that he also had Multiple Myeloma.  So in December, Peter started the arduous journey of chemotherapy.  Half way through this Tier 1 treatment, we felt God was calling us home to Texas.  We needed to first and foremost be close to family.  We also needed to be able to clearly communicate with his medical care team, which was somewhat of a challenge in Taiwan. 


We received loving care and wonderful support from our amazing Morrison community.  We praise God for good doctors, and exceptional medical care in Taiwan, that quickly diagnosed Peter's condition.  We thank God for all the prayers, love and support we received from our Taiwanese family and friends and members of Hope Bilingual Church. 


I (Martha) will use this forum to keep you up to date on Peter's journey and humbly ask for your prayers. We feel so blessed to have so many people praying for us. 


We arrived in Texas on March 31, 2019.  Peter's first doctor's appointment is April 1. 


 We appreciate your prayers and words of hope and encouragement. Thank you for visiting.

Newest Update

Journal entry by Martha D'Brass

"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God"  (2 Corinthians 1:3-4)
 
The highlight on the word 'comfort' are not mine, but from one of the many notes of encouragement I received from students in teacher Randy Schmidt's class (and swim team) at Morrison's Taichung campus.  While all his students dutifully signed their names on their notes (top right-hand corner like they've been doing since first grade) this one didn't.  Teachers grading papers can relate to the frustration, followed by detective work, that happens each time papers are submitted without names on them.
 
Anyway, a heartfelt thanks to this nameless student, and his/her team-mates, for their words of encouragement.  I read your notes routinely, especially when I am having a down day.  
 
To this end, I can report having far more good days than bad ones.  And my recent lab work (done every 3 months now) has shown that I continue to be in remission/recovery and my vital organ functions are in the Normal to Near Normal range.  When I compare my bio-markers from 2018 through 2019 and 2020, I see God's consistent hand in my healing and restoration.  
 
A new lease on life indeed and I intend to make each day count for His glory. 
 
I have started to work on my book.  For 2-3 hours each day, I write about my travel experiences around the world with special emphasis on story-telling.  This proposed coffee table book is quite the project and I hope to finish it in 2 years.  It helps that I am being mentored by an existing author.
 
In closing, "Have a Happy Thanksgiving, a Joyous Christmas and a Wonderful New Year".  Thank you so very much for all your prayers and support.  May God continue to bless you and your families.   
Blessings,
 
Peter (and Martha)
November 2020
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