more hospitals

Just a brief update to keep you going till Ali gets to a computer - maybe Saturday!

1) Ali went to the Homerton today for a blood transfusion. She's been anemic again so please pray that this will give her a lift. I've not spoken to her so don't know how its been.

2) She has been quite tired of late but remains in amazingly good spirits. Please pray that she will continue to see the blessings of this time of her life as she has done so readily throughout her illness.

3) Chris and Ali will drive to the Royal Marsden tomorrow for an appointment with specialists in the clinical trials area. They have put off this appointment twice to do much much nicer things already mentioned in the main blog. Pray for a good journey and good time together. And that God would show them a clear path down which to walk - with or without the clinical trial along the way.

we could do with a break

1. The diarrhoea is persistent. Please pray for this to get sorted - you may never have prayed for solid poohs for someone ...but perhaps now's the time!!
2. Ali is really wanting to get back to the fight with the main issue - cancer. She is being told that this infection is all unrelated to the cancer, and she is doing so well.... but it is tough for Ali to have the sense of everything being on hold. She is able to put up a fight. Everyone is egging her on... But she is also needs permission to rest, to relax even, to accept that this is also about waiting and relinquishing a need to control it all. It's a weird balance - struggle AND relinquishing.
3. Please pray for the children - it is very hard on them that they get a few minutes with Ali perhaps once every week....

Christmas requests

1) please pray for Chris to shake the flu quickly and be fully well again (including free from back pain).
2) pray for Ali to respond well to the antibiotics and to be out of that hospital soon. Also pray for her sanity while she's there - I guess she's frustrated to be there again so soon after her last visit.
3) pray for Mary who's helping out while Chris is unwell as well as for David and Anne while they stay too and for all at No 33 to work out their roles well with each other.
4) pray for Chris and Ali to be able to spend time with Sue at the very least - really they want to be able to get to Amsterdam to see the whole family as planned for 2nd January.
5) pray for Chris and Ali in their relationship - that they would be able to carve out space to be together, talk frankly but with much grace and walk this road together as best they can.
6) pray for Asha and Kirin - two little loves in the midst of it all. Pray they would get all they need in the madness that is their life at the moment.

Nothing for weeks, then two at once!

This time, some specifics to pray for:
1) The bone scan on Monday - that it will be a straight forward procedure and the results will be reassuring.
2) The next chemo (it comes around quick this time!) - a better experience all round including a speedier recovery from it (the idea of taking a week to recover when they're only two weeks apart is hard).
3) The frustration Ali feels will the symptoms of the illness and the effects of the chemo.
4) Ali to make wise decisions re her priorities when she is feeling up to more stuff.
5) The right person to be found to come and share their lives for a bit and take some of the practical strain (please point anyone interested in the direction of http://www.gumtree.com/london/14/5947314.html for details).
6) Chris to be able to juggle the kids and the home stuff and his need for work and leisure even while Ali is laying low.
7) Asha as she starts at 'big' nursery next Wednesday - full time (9-3.30pm) at Millfields School. And also as she begins to wonder about mum's illness more than this time last year.
8) Kirin to continue to be easy-going and happy at his Stepping Stones nursery.

Some people never give up

Mrs Nella Charles turns 87 years tomorrow. She came to visit Ali today: Ali was able to be upright for a few minutes then had to go upstairs to lie down for the next two hours. Nell walks with difficulty so couldn't follow, but instead she sat with Chris and prayed and sang through the next little while sitting in front of video and stills of Ali and the kids coming up on the computer screen like prompts!

Thanks Mrs Charles. We are very very indebted to people like you praying - as you said not because God needs reminding we're here - but because it's all we can really do. You said you couldn't do much but you could pray. That's why we need each other. Pray-ers and prayed for and then the prayed-for become pray-ers again. It's all about holding each other in those faithful beautiful habits.

We haven't used this bit of our Blogsite for far too long. Hopefully you pray-ers haven't lost the habit! Please do the stuff. And if you can be with us at 9.30pm on Tuesday nights when we light a candle and a small group of us meet at 33 Powerscroft Rd to remember our God and learn to be faithful.

Today's appointment

We are seeing Sarah our Oncologist at 11am (10hrs time) dont really know what we'll end up discussing - you might pray for wisdom. She'll have a blood result that will be of interest.

Both Asha and Kirin are in danger of overdosing on Calpol at the moment. Broken sleep and snot pools are key issues for us all. Ali also has a cold that she cant shake off (maybe God can nudge the small foothills as He builds up to moving the mountain?!)

Chris just told the Church Board that he was up for more hours, please pray that he manages to make the right decisions about what he needs to take back and/or take on.

Post scan - waiting for wisdom to live right

Ali and chris say:

1) Please pray for healing. The expectation is that we will be getting news in the next few days that the cancer is shrunk yet again - but just how much? Plenty of room for prayers to be said about how we cope with the uncertainty here. And even if there's a considerable reduction, will the bit of cancer still visible (if indeed there are still bits of it visible) be the really really "resistant" bits, which haven't been stopped by any of the chemo over the last three months and might just keep on growing??

2) Please pray for wisdom. We have been having slightly strained conversations about how we contemplate "normalising" our lives without necessarily going back to 'normal'. Is it clear what we do with our weeks? travelling and holidaying / short breaks seem to feature a great deal! But how do we make decisions about things like staying very local , versus travelling here there and everywhere every month, or decisions about how much work and what type (voluntary, for money?..)... or decisions about how much paid-for childcare we can justify... when both of us are knocking around available to do it during the day?

3) IF you live local - we are hoping to gather friends for prayer this Friday Feb 10th 8.30-9.30pm at our house. So please come over - phone 07905 946779 if you need directions.