Weekend Whirlwind

Whew! What a weekend! Last Friday Mike went to the ER at St. Mary's as he was just not feeling well and hadn't in quite sometime. He wasn't there anytime when the doc on call told him that he has leukemia. Imagine the shock he felt (and is still feeling). From that point he was ushered into his room where over the next 48 hours went through every test known to man. I will say he has been a trooper throughout this whole process though, of course maintaining his (demented) sense of humor! One of the tests he had was a bone marrow biopsy, which was not comfortable to say the least. A little after the test, his nurse came in and told him that she had to draw some of his blood. He said, "Go ahead, they already pulled a bone out of my ass!" To which she laughed and replied, "Oh yeah, we're gonna get along just fine!" Everytime I have been in there he and his nurses and doctors have all shared a laugh. That is Mikey's gift to the world, his sense of humor and it hasn't been undershadowed what-so-ever by this instance.

Casey got to see his daddy yesterday too. At first he was a little unsure of his surroundings but warmed up in no time! He was in Mike's bed watching TV. He wanted to have the IV tubings on his arm and even wear the hospital gown! The nurse got him a bandaid for his arm and that seemed to suffice. Sweet baby.

While the gravity of this situation has been overwhelming, the amount of comfort and grace that the Lord has already provided us has been even more overwhelming. Each and everyone of us, specifically Mikey, knows the Lord's hand is totally guiding this ship and it is up to us to stay the course and keep our faith that His will shall be done. As we have drawn close to God, he definitely has drawn closer to us. The verse that the Lord has laid on several of our hearts is Psalm 91. While the verse is pretty lengthy, I won't post it in its entirety. Mike and I read it together Friday night and we decided that it is should be a football huddle pep talk, maybe even a Bobby Knight pregame talk. (It's a pretty strong verse.) However, 91:4 is especially comforting to us as it states, "He will cover you with his feathers and under his wings you will find refuge..." With this we have all been finding these feathers and have been putting them in a holder in his room. As you are walking outside, should you see a feather, please say a small prayer for Mike and Melisa and if you feel like it, send it to me and I will add it to our collection. He would love that!

Please be thinking of us today as it is a big one. We will be hopefully receiving the results from that bone marrow biopsy, which will tell us specifically what type of leukemia Mikey has. Also today, please be thinking of Melisa as she will be dealing with the insurance company (Fun!) Lastly, after much thought and prayer Mike and Melisa decided that he will undergo his treatment at the Vanderbilt Ingram Cancer Center in Nashville. Today we will begin that transfer process. We are hoping to have him down there by mid to late week.

Thank you for your love, support, and encouragement. Jesus Saves!!
Love,
Rachel