I will need to send out a general email to everyone, but I don’t have the energy for that right now…

In our last update I shared joyfully how Blanca got a second opinion in Michigan that said she doesn’t need Herceptin injections. Well, this Wednesday she got a third opinion, since the first two didn’t agree. This doctor said she really should get the injections. And she was very impressed by his thoroughness and his helpful answers. She has decided to get the injections after all, and get the first one in Michigan while she is there.

However, this doctor gives the injections in smaller doses over three weeks, which means that she will be there until midMay, and I will be a single Dad until then.

My regional director encouraged me to go to Michigan to be with Blanca this Thursday for her first injection. He said I could take the time off I need to be with her, even though we have our annual missionary retreat this coming week. But what to do with the kids? We cycled through various options, and I finally decided to take them with me. We were going to be there from Weds the 21st to Tuesday the 27th, but I just found out that the Monday meetings after the retreat are pretty important and that my presence is required. So instead, we will be up from Wednesday the 21st to Sunday the 25th. Of course, with all the flip-flopping mentioned above, I wouldn’t be surprised if it changes by the time I hit the ‘publish’ button for this post.

Please pray for Blanca’s health and treatment. Please pray for patience and endurance for me. And pray for our kids as they cope with these changes. Blessings to you in Christ,

Dave  Gifford

(p.s., after our last update and email I was deluged by about 50 or more emails and well-wishes. That’s awesome and we were very encouraged by that. But since time is short and I am really busy before the trip, please understand that I will not be able to answer emails this time around. (But send them anyway, because we would love to hear from you!) And please understand that we will only have three days in Michigan, one of which will be at the hospital, so, we really won’t be able to visit anyone.

Hi everyone,

Just a quick note to let you all know that Blanca saw the oncologist in Grand Rapids, Michigan today. The doctor said that he did not recommend Herceptin injections for her:

• Her cancer, though the most aggressive kind, was spotted at a very early stage in November
• The affected area was small, and plenty of surrounding tissue was removed in December
• Her lymph nodes had tested negative for cancer in December
• She finished radiation in a timely fashion
• Her chance of recurrence is 10% or less
• The side effects and long term risks associated with Herceptin are too great to justify the injections in this case, given for the small chance of recurrence

So Blanca will be getting a checkup every few months, but will not need these injections. We praise the Lord for this good news!

We also want to thank again the many people from Christian Reformed World Missions who showed their concern and generosity in sending Blanca up for this second opinion. “World Missions is a caring community”, one director said during this process, and we sure experienced that.

We also want to thank all of you who prayed for us, and sent us words of encouragement and advice. You guys really went to bat for us, and it is surely due to your prayers that God has answered in this way. Way to go, team, you are awesome!

Continue to pray for me as I have a lot on my plate – teaching and preaching, retreat planning, and the responsibilities of being a ‘single dad’ until Blanca decides to come home!

Blessings in Christ who is above all,

Dave Gifford, Christian Reformed World Missions, Mexico City

Hi everyone,

Just wanted to post that Blanca arrived in Grand Rapids today and will have an appointment on Friday in order to see if Herceptin injections are the right treatment to eliminate any lingering cancer after her December breast cancer surgery and her seven weeks of radiation treatment. We ask your prayers for her health, and also for the kids and I as we cope with life and ministry without her here. Also please pray that I (Dave) will feel better. Since my Easter week trip to Tabasco I have been feeling exhausted easily, among other things. I think I am coming out of it, as today I did well, but pray anyway…

Blessings to you all in Christ,

Dave