Praise be to God! Today we visited with Karen's Oncologist who had not measured the lump in her breast or the distention of her liver since we first visited on Friday 03June. Today, 30June, she updated the measurements and found that over the last 27 days the lump in Karen's breast has shrunk by 2 centimeters and her liver has shrunk by more than 2 centimeters! This is wonderful news!

It's extremely important to note that Karen has only taken chemo for 11 days and the first Herceptin infusion was done on the 09June, just 21 days ago. Doctors will tell you that the medicine is working well and that is probably true. We believe that the knowledge these doctor's have comes from God and that He is moving to destroy these tumors. Prior to seeing the Doctor we asked God for a report that would energize Karen and give her hope. God is good!

Now as your read further please don't let the remaining information in this update be a discouragement to you. A major victory has been won!! Shrinking cancer is what every person suffering from this disease hope's to hear. Please join us in prayers of thanksgiving.

Despite the reduction in the size of her liver, it's function is still greatly compromised. She was given yet another drug to begin taking immediately. The reason for the new drug (Kristalose) is to reduce the amount of ammonia in her blood. Ammonia is naturally found in the body and it's the job of the liver to keep it to non-toxic levels. This is not occurring in Karen's body at this time, but it's believed this medication will bring the ammonia levels back to a safe level. This additional drug brings her daily dose to 12 pills, one self injection and 16 ounces of a drink with the consistency of flavorless Jell-O.

The blood thinner (Lovenox) that she began taking as a result of blood clots found in her legs is causing her veins to "roll" which made starting her I.V. and taking blood today a very painful process. Prior to taking this medication it was very easy for nurses to access Karen's veins for various test and to administer infusions. We did see a specialist today (30June) about having a port placed in her chest that would eliminate this problem. Karen is scheduled for the operation to place the port at 06:00 hours on Tuesday, 05July.

Finally, the diuretics are doing their job in that Karen has lost 15 pounds in excess fluid over the past week. The painful swelling in her legs and feet is greatly reduced at this time. Occasionally, she has been able to get out of bed and do limited things for herself. This is wonderful! The children get so excited when she feels good enough to come and sit in the same room with us when we have meals. We celebrate each success. Above all, even though we do not know what God's complete plan is for us we trust completely in Him.