A Great Report
From Denise Kreighbaum
I finished chemo on April 1st!!! I am feeling better each day. I still can feel some of the affects of the chemo, but can tell that I am recovering. I am only rarely having any joint pain, which is one of the main things that I was dealing with. I have a little bit of numbness in my fingers and feet, but that is also getting better. I am also sporting a short hairdo, no longer wearing a wig, so my hair has grown out enough to feel comfortable doing that! I am going tomorrow to KU Med Center to have surgery to start the reconstruction process. As far as further treatment, I will continue to be checked, I think about every 3 months, at the Cancer Center. They will do blood tests, including a tumor marker, to check if there seems to be anything suspicious. They feel that all of the cancer is gone, so don’t feel a need to do any more scans at this time. I will soon be starting to take Femara, a drug that is an estrogen blocker, and will have to take that for at least 5 years, since the cancer was estrogen receptor positive. I will still have my port in place for awhile, so I will have to go in to have that flushed periodically. Other than those things, I think that life is going to be getting back to normal!!! God is so faithful!
I would like to thank everyone so much for all of the prayers and support!!! I appreciate all of the outpouring of care and concern. It has been incredible! I really don’t know how people walk through things like this without the support and prayers of so many people. I have felt very loved and cared for throughout the whole thing. Doug and my family have been so very supportive. Our church family has gone above and beyond to care for and support us. Our extended church family has also done so much to care for us. I know that God has heard everyone’s prayers, and I think that I have gone through this as well as anyone possibly can because of it. Thanks so much!!!
My school family surprised me with a celebration party after I was done with chemo. The teachers and staff presented me with pink boxing gloves that they had signed. They also had a pink balloon representing each of my chemo treatments. We released those balloons into the sky, and they flew up and away until we couldn’t see them anymore. We were celebrating that, like those balloons, my treatments are gone, the cancer is gone, and really the whole hard fight has been won!! It was really very touching, and I watched those balloons go up with tears in my eyes; when I looked around, I wasn’t the only one with tears in my eyes. That is the kind of support I have felt through the whole thing. And, I have felt God’s presence at every turn, and want to thank Him for His faithfulness! I have seen first hand that what the enemy means for destruction, God uses and turns it around for good!
Denise, I am so thankful for you and for the strength you have found in the Lord, throughout your surgeries and treatments. I wish I could have been there the day you released the balloons . . . I would have been crying right along with you! I am grateful to God for your life and for carrying you through this whole thing! Your trust in God throughout this time has been a testimony to all of us who know and love you!! We rejoice with you today!!
Denise, we have been so blessed by seeing the grace that you have walked in during this process. There are no words to describe how grateful we are to our Father for bringing you and your family through this fight. You have definitely gone from strength to strength! Love you bunches!
I love this report! I completely relate to the feeling you’re describing here. Such relief, such gratitude.
Denise, we are so excited to hear that God has truly taken care of you through this rough time. We will continue to pray and lift up your entire family. We were so blessed that you came out to Fresno even though you were getting ready to start Chemo. It was awesome to have our church family lift you up in prayer. They continued to hold you and Doug in their hearts and have faithfully prayed for you ever since. Now you get to move on to better things like becoming Grandma!
With love from Bread of Life!
Denise, we are thrilled and thankful to hear that you are doing so much better. Our intercessory group continually prays for you. God Bless.
Denise, it is so good to hear your testimony! It is such a blessing to have gotten to know Nicole (and Jeff, too
and have them in our Life Group, and see what God is doing in their lives. But sometimes, I’ll admit, it has been hard for us to not wear her out by continually asking about you, rather we have just wanted to trust God and know that you have been in His big, caring hands.
But I will say during these past months, whenever we have looked at Nicole, we have automatically thought of you. And then our prayers go up to the Father on your behalf. So many prayers have, and we are rejoicing with you that the Lord has remained faithful just as He promised us He would always do!
We will continue to believe for perfect healing in the next phases of your life. Your “balloon celebration” brought tears to my eyes as well.
In the love of Christ,
Linda and Doug
What a picture you will look in those pink boxing gloves Denise! You and Doug have been a real model to us as you have fought such a good fight and continued loving, feeding and blessing God’s people.
#It would have been easy to run away and hide BUT you didn’t and we are so enriched because of your joint stance.
Europe awaits your arrival in May with great joy and anticipation….. a great photo and what a great testimony!
Much love
dave and chris richards England