Ruth and I thank God for your amazing encouragement and prayers over the last three years of her journey recovering from major surgery to remove a cancerous tumor (and her right pelvis) in September 2019.
Today, I want to share an update on Ruth’s health.
In April, we learned that Ruth’s bone cancer (peripheral chondrosarcoma) had recurred. The prognosis is good, but it does require that she have another surgery (her fourth) this Friday, June 24 at the University of Iowa Hospital.
The only treatment is surgical removal (no chemo or radiation). However, it is a major surgery (6-10 hours). She’s expected to be hospitalized for 5-7 days, and then perhaps 1-2 weeks in a rehab hospital. We praise God that her rehab and recovery are expected to be much faster this time, and doctors expect her to regain all the mobility that she currently enjoys.
Thanks in advance for all your love, support, and prayers! We deeply appreciate it. You can pray for the Lord to:
H – Heal her body E – Eliminate any potential complications A – Advance her mobility L – Lead us by the Holy Spirit
One Scripture we have leaned into is:
“Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in everything.”
Though we never expected, nor would have chosen this difficult trial, we daily experience the peace, power, and goodness of Jesus Christ. Along with prayers for full healing, Ruth has especially prayed that she would be a light of the joy and love of Christ to everyone she meets.
I am blessed to walk alongside such a wonderful woman of God. Ruth has demonstrated remarkable perseverance and joy through everything. We have known about the recurrence of this cancer for the last two months, but it has not affected Ruth’s positive attitude. Her faith is stronger than ever.
Today, we give thanks to God for so many things. We especially treasure each new day, even with its troubles, and find joy in the grace and love that the Lord has poured into our lives – and so much of that grace and love is through people like you.
From the bottom of our hearts – from me and from Ruth. We love you all. God bless you all!
Quintin
From Sept 2019 I’d appreciate your prayers for my wonderful wife, Ruth. In June, it was discovered that she has a large, malignant tumor in her pelvis/hip. The technical name for this exceedingly rare bone cancer is peripheral chondrosarcoma.
Ruth is having surgery on Tuesday, September 3 to remove it. Her long-term prognosis is very good, as the tumor is believed to be level 1, low-grade, and does not appear to have invaded any other areas. Praise God!
The only treatment is surgical removal (no chemo or radiation). However, it is a major surgery (6-10 hours), and long hospitalization (1-2 weeks), and difficult rehab (2 months intensive, then additional for 1+ year).
We are rejoicing and thankful to God because it could have been much worse. And we are grateful to God because only about 25 hospitals in the nation even treat this kind of cancer -- but the University of Iowa Hospital is a national leader in the treatment of chondrosarcoma. So, we are able to be close to home.
That said, it’s a major health ordeal, and I’m so sorry my bride has to endure all of this.
Thanks in advance for all your love and support and prayers! We deeply appreciate it. Throughout these last few months, we have leaned into a favorite Scripture of ours…
Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.
In reality, every day we have is a gift. So, we especially treasure each new day, even with its troubles, and find joy in the goodness and love that the Lord has poured into our lives – and so much of that goodness and love is through people like you.
From the bottom of our hearts – from me and from Ruth. We love you all. God bless you guys!
“I choose to believe that the good story, and the hard story can be the same story.” (Katherine Wolf)
The awesome Ruth and I heard this quote from a favorite author, Katherine Wolf, as we drove home Tuesday night from Ruth’s latest scan results at the University of Iowa Hospital in Iowa City. And we agree, because we trust God to write our story. We trust him in the hard times to write his good story in our lives.
The scan revealed that Ruth’s tumor had grown slightly. This was not the news we were hoping for, but it was not unexpected or alarming.
We praise God for Ruth’s progress in mobility, and so appreciate your love, thoughts, prayers, and support as we continue our journey together.
The next scan is in three months. Please continue to pray for God‘s healing power, strength in regaining greater mobility, and overall health.
We are both in good spirits. We truly desire to “rejoice in the Lord always.”
We also rejoice in the recent birth of our third grandchild, Esme Victoria. Everybody’s healthy and Nico and Luisa are over the moon in welcoming her into the family. She is a beautiful baby girl.
Thanks for your faithful friendship!
And the photo is of Ruth in Pella at the town square near Tulip Time.
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