Sunday, October 28th, 2012
While driving home from church, Dusty got a call from his mom.
She had taken his dad to the hospital the night before, and at that point, it appeared that
he had too much liquid in his brain. He has Parkinson's, so I thought it may have something to do with that. After another day of tests, we received the devastating news that his dad has lung cancer, and it has moved into his liver and hip. Not only that but it was in stage 4, the final stage of the disease. Doctors said that it could be as little as 3 months, to as much as a year, but that there is no hope for getting rid of it.
There were many tears among all of us. We are all still trying to "process" it, if you will. Last week I was a fog. I didn't tell anyone except the Pastors at our church (which is rare for me!) There were moments where I felt we were in slow motion. Even Halloween seemed weird. In the back of my mind was the fact that Dusty's dad had been given such a final diagnosis. Granted, Dusty and I always press on no matter what the circumstace (thank goodness for God's grace and strength!)
Though this absolutely heart wrenching, and I won't even begin to express what Dusty and his family are feeling, I write this more so as reaching out for specific and ferverent prayer for our family. Jim Cooper has a tough road ahead. He began Chemo and Radiation treatments already, and will undergo 9-12 weeks of treatment. Vicki has stepped up to a huge plate of caring for Jim's every need and her patience astounds me. Dusty's cousin moved here a few months back and has moved in with Jim and Vicki to help (what a blessing from God!)
This current season of our lives has dealt us some challenges, and we are still confident that God is in the business of doing miracles. I want nothing more than to see God glorified in this situation.
We STILL TRUSTING, and taking it one day at a time. Below is a reminder, of God's great care for us.
Psalm 23
The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
He makes me lie down in green pastures,
He leads me beside quiet waters,
He refreshes my soul.
He guides me along the right paths for His name’s sake. Even though I walk through the darkest valley,
I will fear no evil, for You are with me;Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely Your goodness and love will follow me, all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely Your goodness and love will follow me, all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
If you would like more consistent updates, you can add Vicki Cooper as a friend on Facebook and she tries to give Jim's progress often. If you know Jim personally (some of you reading might be Dusty's good friends) he welcomes visitors when he's feeling up to it.
Blessings,
Lindsey
