Dearest Friends and Family,

Today, we are overwhelmed with the love that we received.  It was a magnificent day to remember!

First, a team of dear saints from our family's church, Christ Church Tri-Valley, came and cleaned up our front yard, backyard, and kitchen.  Then, two friends came and cleaned up our downstairs room (Sierra's apartment) in record time.  Every last one of these people did a remarkable and expedient job helping us, and we were stunned!  Our neighbors also pitched in and offered their cans for the excess yard clippings.  I cannot believe how much better everything looks; these folks know how to prune!  Thank you to the amazing team that came in and did what Tom cannot do at this time, and has not been able to do for awhile.

Second, we would like to thank Jimmy, Jeannie, Shorty, and the whole crew for making Tom so happy today and helping him celebrate his birthday.  We love you guys!

This has been a wonderful day, and we're in awe!  We thank you all, and you are all an incredible blessing in our lives!

With much love and gratitude,

Martie, Tom, and TJ

Dear Friends and Family,

It is Tom's birthday today!  And Tom, being the sweet and adorable man that he is, was content to spend his birthday with TJ and me, eating Chinese food and salad.  

We got our second opinion from a very nice and certainly knowledgeable doctor today.  Apparently, the pain medications were not used correctly, and he explained how we should be using them in tandem with each other in order to keep the pain under control.  I guess we had kinks to work out.  Next, he reiterated that nothing would be "curative."  However, he did state that how we handle things with the hospital depends on our personal goals.  Does "time" matter more than "quality of life," or vice versa?  And, how do we define "quality of life"?  He asked important questions.

We told him that "quality of life" matters more, and he said it seems we prefer to live it naturally.  He mentioned chemo, but didn't push it on us; moreover, he stated that it would not add appreciably to the length of life, and may diminish its quality.  We mentioned the other nutritional things that we were doing, and he neither censured nor approved; however, he had heard of these things, and quietly acknowledged them.

It would appear that the "solution" to all of this --- for lack of a better word --- lies in four different realms:  a) keeping the body's internals in as pristine a condition as possible so that it has the best chance of fighting disease; b) managing the pain properly, always keeping the hope that Tom will get better; c) maintaining and managing as stress-free and supportive an environment as possible; and d) most importantly, trusting in God.

The question is:  how do you trust in God when it appears that life is being so unfair?  The answer is simple, but the execution is hard:  we remain faithful to His plan and His design.  How do we learn about His plan and His design?  By reading His Word, by prayer, and by accepting that we don't have all the answers... but He does.

This is a journey.  We are not giving up on alternative treatment centers to fight this through more aggressive means!  However, there are many options, and we need to be prudent about what is being offered.  

In the meantime, we are grateful... grateful to all of you, for everything you have done for us, and continue to do, in order for us keep operating smoothly on a daily basis.  We would not be able to manage without all of you to help us!  You are a beautiful community of friends and family, and we are VERY, VERY lucky to have all of you!  It is our privilege to know people who care so much for others.

Here is to 63 years of Tommy!

Thank you for your love and support!

Martie, Tom, and TJ

Dear Friends and Family,

It is after Easter.  It was nice having my mother and brother over.  They cooked, and left us a lot so that meals would be handled for the week.  Thank you, Mom and Frank!

Tom has been sleeping a lot, but I consider this to be a very good thing.  There has been virtually no pain medication today, and I look upon this as a healing.  I know he's a bit disappointed about the food situation, as is TJ.  Tom's friend Jeff sent us very healthy recipes using things like broccoli and cauliflower; I'm doing the best I can, but I'll have to improve my skills over time.  In the meantime, things are very healthy but more than a bit bland.  My friend Amy and I went to Whole Foods Market today.  As I gazed at all the healthy but delicious offerings, I realized how much I have to learn about the art of making a great meal.  The good news:  Tom and TJ are reasonably polite about the whole thing, and we know we have a very big job to do in getting Tom's immune system into shape.

With tremendous reluctance, I am deciding to take people up on their offers to help us with things big and small.  Both Tom and I consider ourselves to be pretty self-sufficient, and this is difficult for both of us.  However, we have made a commitment to keep our family together with as little stress as possible.  If we allow ourselves to get worn out and overwhelmed, no one will benefit.  Thus... those of you who have offered to let me call you in the middle of the night to unburden my soul to a sympathetic ear... you've been given a friendly warning.  :-)  We want to model for TJ what it means to be a family, and how to pull together during hard times.  All of you who are stopping by, calling, helping, sending things, and loving us are a beautiful demonstration of what it means to care for others.  I can't thank you enough, on behalf of our son.

Amazingly simple and effective suggestion on Easter Sunday came from Joyce:  drink lots of water with lemon to increase the alkalinity in your body!  Will do!  And, thank goodness we have a lemon tree!

Marla:  Lunasin rocks, so do you, and so does your book:  Killing Cancer, Not People!

And, to Dr. Johanna Budwig, who lived to be 95:  we are relying on your ingenious and simple protocol to oxygenate Tommy's sick cells!

Finally, we have started a fund so that I can be at home with Tom without our becoming financially insolvent.  He gains a lot of strength by having me home to call on, help him, administer food and medications, and lend my moral support.  I don't want to see him lonely and in pain for hours on end every day.  Therefore, I have enlisted my dear friend Kim, a retired teacher, to take my class.  The funds that I gather will ensure that our household does not go into a horrifying downfall in an effort to love, and do what is right.  If you would like to contribute to this fund, please go to http://www.gofundme.com/cheerfortom.  Any donation amount is appreciated!  Tom and I have always been financially responsible and out of debt within our marriage; any donations ensure that we can continue honoring that commitment during this difficult time.

In closing, I would like to thank our friend Cherris for giving us the idea for this blog.  Cherris, this has been an incredibly helpful way to keep people informed, and we're grateful that you brought up this idea to us.

That is all for now.

Gratefully yours,

Martie, Tom, and TJ

Dear Friends and Family,

We had a couple of visitors today.  Keep visits coming!  They really cheer up Tom.  

I found an amazing website called www.greendrinkdiaries.com.  This site is chock full of helpful plans to beat cancer, and gives an excellent layman's description of The Budwig Protocol.  For those of you who are fighting cancer, I strongly encourage you to take a look at this site.

Tom balked at the cottage cheese/flax seed mixture until I read what it does.  He then, like a good boy, grudgingly ate every mouthful!  :-)

Please know that Tom is feeling better, "in little ways that he can't exactly describe."  Not sure what this means, but if it's getting him up and into the sunshine, then this is a praise!

We want to wish everyone a Happy Easter and Happy Passover!  We also want to thank all of you for your incredible support, love, and prayers during this time.  These have made all the difference in the world to us.

Please pray for our son, as he is becoming a teen rather rapidly.  Please pray that Tom and I are there for him as much as we always have been.  He needs us, and with all the hustle and bustle, we need to remember this.

Gratefully yours,

Martie, Tom, and TJ

Dear Friends and Family,

Please pray for strength and endurance during days that are so uncertain.  Tom fluctuates between feeling much better and being in incredible pain.  The bone pain seems to hit him most in the middle of the night to early morning hours.  He took an absolutely pain-free nap today, which made me very happy.

We are still experimenting with which foods would be most advisable and yet tasty at the same time.  This is a huge lifestyle change to grasp, and it's pretty difficult to give up carcinogens.  I have dreams about a miracle, and I know Tom does too.  Please pray for discipline and diligence!

More tomorrow!  :-)

Gratefully,

Martie, Tom, and TJ