Amazing Goodness

But I trust in your unfailing love, your heart. Please help Eric to at least graduate at GIS. Thank you, Lord. You said, “Nothing is impossible with God” and I believe it. I know you can turn this around for good. Please use it to glorify yourself, to unite us as a family, to strengthen our faith, to not lose hope and to be a constant source of encouragement. Please help us to be able to use this to point people back to you. Thank you, Papa. Please use it for your purposes however the enemy might have attacked us and want to use it against us. Kindly help us know how to resist well and submit to you.

I wrote and prayed the above on February 20 while away on a Silent Retreat. At the time, we just found out that Hodgkin’s lymphoma couldn’t be ruled out as the reason for Eric’s swollen lymph nodes. In the end, he did have it (we found out on March 3rd) and so began our journey with his cancer. There was a LOT of unknowns then. It was easy to be overwhelmed, to be afraid and to be gripped by fear. But for God, that’s where we would have easily been. Thankfully, He answered my prayer and more; He blessed us as well. A teacher at GIS who was not there last school year gave me a hug yesterday and said she was sorry for what we’ve been through. I had to honestly tell her, “No Marge, it was good for us. It was hard, but good.”

I won’t even attempt to summarize what the Lord has done. I’ll likely forget something and to really capture the Lord’s goodness, it is best to read the full stories. They are all documented here. Please check out the older posts dating all the way back to March.

I do want to point out that Eric never lost his hair the whole time he had his treatments. The side effect of all four of his chemo medication is hair loss but only the top part of his hair thinned out. He currently has short hair but it’s because of his choice to have a buzz cut. Praise God for His goodness. Eric did not want to lose his hair to chemo and he didn’t!

Tomorrow is Eric’s last radiation treatment. This afternoon, I was able to go with him and see where he receives his radiation. I met the little, old lady that he mentioned in last week’s post. She has nothing but love in her eyes for Eric. Please pray for her, Yay Samon, that she will know our Lord and find healing in His arms. They have been writing one another since she cannot talk and Eric was able to say that it is the Lord who helps him. May she know the Lord as her helper as well.

Towards the end of the Silent Retreat mentioned above, I listened to what the Lord wanted to say and wrote what I sensed Him say, “I will send people/friends who will be there for you. They will help you. You will feel my love and compassion on you through them. Be strong and focus on me. Keep looking to me. I will never leave nor forsake you. You will know my strength and my love will be revealed to you in a (new) way you’ve not seen before. Trust me, I love you and am not giving you more than you can bear. This time in your life will be used for the furtherance of my kingdom. I am good. You can and will taste and see that I am good.”

Aye, then He did what He said. Good, He definitely is.

Thank you for praying with and for us. After tomorrow, Eric will periodically go for check ups (blood work) to ensure that he is cancer free. We will celebrate this Saturday (with friends) and together say "Goodbye" to cancer for good! =) YAY!!!

Eric's Break of Silence

My name is Eric Yeong. About 5 months ago my family and I discovered I had cancer. Cancer is a fairly scary word. A loaded word, I'd say. I say this because whenever people hear the word cancer they think, "Woah, someone's gonna die!" I can tell you now, though, that I will not die. At least not from this. After catching our breaths and doing some research we learned that Hodgkin's lymphoma although being a cancer and although being worse than non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, was a "nicer" cancer and wouldn't take my life away. God has given me an opportunity to be around a little longer. We caught it early enough that it wasn't very serious but I still had to do chemotherapy, 4 months of it, (8 treatments every 2 weeks = 16 weeks.) and 3 weeks of radiation. (5 treatments each week. I guess even cancer takes the weekend off). My last treatment is August 10th, just 8 days away.

All this information, I wish I could tell to the little, old lady at the radiation clinic. Sadly, even after 5 years of Thai study I can't communicate well enough to be the other half of an intelligent Thai conversation. Maybe Thai isn't my forte and maybe I wasn't paying enough attention. It's the past and now I'm taking Spanish.

Today is my mother's 49th birthday and we started the day EARLY, much too early for a summer day. I woke up, skipped the shower and stumbled to the car. We drove up the mountain to eat breakfast at Lanna Resort, as well as enjoy the scenery. I was much too tired to enjoy anything except go back to sleep but we walked in the garden and my mother asked us to ask God for ways to bless her. We ate a breakfast of ham, eggs, toast, and sausages. As we drank our hot chocolate, we prayed and blessed my mom, sharing what each of us had heard from God. Afterwards we drove back down the mountain and I caught up on lost sleep while my family went to go do their own thing.

Later that day my mother drove me to the hospital for my daily radiation treatment. I was a little late because I had watched a movie earlier at the mall with some friends. I watched "Avatar: The Last Airbender" and like the reviews said it wasn't one of M. Night's best but I do disagree with people saying that it's racist. Because of my lateness, I had to wait longer than normal but because I was waiting, I got the opportunity to see the little, old lady and stumble through some form of communication. On most days I'd pass her on my way out and I'd give her my best smile. She'd return my smile and give me a thumbs up. Today she stopped me to try and say something to me. She couldn't talk because the radiation was affecting her throat. I also have a sore throat, courtesy of the radiation. She told her friend to tell me, from what I understand in Thai, that I was good for being alone. That's exactly how it translated but I think she meant something more like, "You're brave or strong for being able to go through treatment by yourself." She may also have been addressing the fact that I'm so young having to do treatment. She may have noticed that I was the youngest person in the cancer treatment ward. I was glad to be able to communicate with her and maybe in the future I'll be able to say more. I'll try to give her a note that I can copy off of Google translate.

My mother was able to enjoy the rest of her birthday by taking us to eat a meal at a new pizza and pasta place that we had not tried before. The food was very flavourful and we all came home satisfied with a couple of slices left over. We're all glad to have had her for all these years and hopefully we'll all see many more together. I'm glad to have been able to write you all tonight and I thank you for all the prayers and thoughts you've dedicated to me. I am truly grateful, touched, and feel very blessed. God bless you all.

A Warm Welcome Home

I am now back here in Chiang Mai. It is good to be back! Eric gave me a long hug when he saw me, Ethan insists that my arm has to be around him when we walk (in the mall), Eli kisses me when he leaves the house, and flowers were laid out on the bed (courtesy of Eng) the night I arrived. That's it; I'm convinced that I need to leave more often! =) With touch being one of my love languages, I also hope the shower of affection lasts for quite awhile. I am enjoying it enormously!

Eric finished 5 days of radiation last week and says he's fine. He still says he doesn't feel a thing and that his energy level is good. Praise God! Thank you for praying.

This week, his radiation will be from Wednesday to Friday (28-30 July) because of two Thai holidays. Coming home tonight, I realized after seeing lots of lights and candles lit that another Buddhist holiday wreak havoc in our household. Not only did almost all of us not get along last night with a nasty argument but I had a freaky experience where I saw myself in a weird and strange room as I tried to sleep. Evan's and my parents' faces were reflected on a mirror at the side of the room but they were nowhere! Sensing immediate discomfort, I started to pray audibly but I couldn't speak. I was praying aloud but my words were coming out muffled. I saw nothing on me but I couldn't speak properly, and I couldn't move! Finally, continuing to pray, I ended it by saying the enemy had 3 counts to leave or I'll get the Holy Spirit to burn them with His fire. A muffled “one” and “two” barely escaped from my lips but I heard a very distinct “THREE!” (with my normal voice back!) clearly. I opened my eyes (or blinked?) and I was back in my bedroom. Wow! Thank you, Lord.

My 89 year old father drew all the plans to get a building permit so he could enclose their front porch. He's done all that is pictured here with a little help from Evan.


He's been using a power saw and electric nailer, among other things! I've been thankful for this, "his little project". He is proud of it, as I am of him. In my 80s, I wish to also be renovating our place.

Loving Better

Once again, being here in Toronto with my parents has taught me more about myself. The other day, I was taking a nap on the couch when my mother walked by to close the door by me. It was a hot day so the fan was on and as she got in between the fan and I, I caught a whiff of excretion. She must have gone to the bathroom again and failed to wipe or wash herself well. Since arriving here 3 weeks ago, I’ve been saddened by the fact that my mother’s Alzheimer’s has caused her to forget how to use the washroom properly. Many a times have I gone in to use their bathroom and found it in different and unusual states. Repulsed, I would reluctantly disinfect and wash all around their toilet. I’m just grateful that she still makes it to the toilet in time, most of the time. I’ve been told that she sometimes would not get there soon enough. At any rate, since I was tired and wanted to nap, I didn’t get up to inspect her as to why she smelled. As she passed, I pretended to be asleep. How often she passed back and forth, I do not know. (It’s normal for her to do this, walking back and forth.) Soon, I was half asleep, barely aware of where or what she was doing. Imagine my surprise when all of a sudden, I felt her hand caressing my face and moving my hair off my face! She was saying words that sounded tender and loving. At this point in her illness, my mother would sometimes speak none sensibly. Different words would be spoken but every now and then, they would not make any sense. The words are strung together confusingly. I wish I could say that I received her loving action and responded accordingly, or gratefully. Instead, I recoiled at her touch, remembering what I smelled moments earlier. The grace is that the smell didn’t come from her hand. My disgust this time was at myself for making the smell matter more than her gesture. I received what she did to me but moments late. If only I didn’t make such a fuss about the smell. I then realized that my kind of loving has a lot to be desired. Where filth is evident, I need to learn to love and receive love anyway. The Lord has done far more for me as I wallowed in my filth. Why can’t I? My prayer is that I’ll love better.

As for Eric, he’s received 3 radiation treatments now and says he feels a slight tingling on his nose during the treatment but nothing else. Thank you for praying!

From the Eldest Son

It's interesting being back here, on YeongLife, after so long; it's been years, actually, since I've posted anything here. For those of you who have been reading this since its beginning, you know that I, Evan, the eldest, was once the one who updated this blog every Monday. Alas, life moves on, and since graduating from high school and heading off to college I no longer see my family enough to write on the events that occur in their life.

So here I am, trying to update you on my life in a brief, concise post; this will really just be about the past year and this summer.

This summer I have been working at Foundations Ministries, a Christian ministry organization which is backing one (1) Pastor Marie Miller. It's enjoyable work, though the issue is that the office is in Mississauga, meaning that my commute is two hours (only one way). I don't mind, though, as just getting a job this summer has truly been a blessing from God, and I thank him for this opportunity to both make money and further His work in the world.

I am in this picture with just 8 of my 19 cousins. Second from left, Leslie, is the cousin who raised over $900 for Eric's medical expenses. She had a "Cut It or Keep It" fundraiser, offering her long hair.

I am living with my grandparents (my mother's parents, whom she has written about in the previous post), which is nothing out of the ordinary. This year, however, I feel like I've really been able to help out more and pull my own weight. I get meals ready for them, I distract my grandmother when she's pestering my granddad, and I generally do what I can to make sure the house is running smoothly. I feel like I've become a big help in their lives, and it's actually going to be a little bit difficult moving back to college, knowing that they'll be living here without me.

Speaking of college, I am moving out of the dorm. This is an exciting prospect, as it means that seven of my friends and yours truly will be moving into a townhouse together. This change brings with it a smaller living area, a kitchen, and, in my case, a smaller meal plan. The implication of that being that I will be eating lunch in the cafeteria, but will be preparing my own dinners. Hopefully all goes well with this; if I manage to become a tenth of the chef my dad is, I think I'll do just fine.

I'm not really sure what to say about this. I don't really know what my mom has and hasn't told you about my life. She asked me to ask for prayer requests, so I suppose it would be nice if you asked God for help in my keeping my grades up (a GPA of 3.5, minimum) and my social life interesting. When my mom leaves on the twenty-second I'm back to holding down the fort myself, so hopefully I'll remember what it's like when it was just my grandparents and me, and get right back to where I left off.

As a closing note to this very brief update on my life, I'd like to keep you up to speed on how my younger brother is doing. On Monday Thai time he had a CT scan. What it's revealed is looking good. His radiation treatment will start on Thursday. Please keep him in your prayers, as I know many of you are doing. I really want to thank you for that, as it means a lot to me, and us, as a family.

Depending on what happens, I may be back to throw another update your way, but until then. Thank you for reading this blog and taking an interest in my family, my mother really slaves away (I write these in about a twentieth of the time it takes her) to bring you updates every week, and it's great that you get to read what results from her efforts.

Atop the Jacuzzi

“Lord, teach me what real love is and make me a loving person.” This week’s dare from “The Love Dare, Day by Day”

Actually, I’m on the bed but it sits atop the Jacuzzi at my parent’s house in Toronto. It’s where I’ve been sleeping since arriving here to visit Evan and my parents. It’s very comfortable as in the absence of bodies (Eng’s or sometimes Ethan’s), I’m surrounded by pillows. I just have to make sure I’ve done what needs doing in the bathroom or I’ll have to climb back down again on the chair that’s set just by the door where the bed ends. It’s a strange arrangement but it works for me. I like it better than sleeping on the couch as it gives me some privacy when the door is pulled shut.

It’s good to be here and to spend some time with Evan. Today was his day off so he bought me lunch at an All–You-Can-Eat Sushi place and then we visited his favorite book store. He’s shown me where he runs 3x a week in the morning and we saw “Toy Story 3” (an excellent movie!) last week. It’s great to see Evan again. With regard to Eric’s being sick, he’s handled it well and resorted to praying a lot for him. =)

My parents are as well as they can be. My mother is 86 and has Alzheimer’s. My father is 89 and has Diabetes. He injects himself with insulin twice a day and it isn’t uncommon for him to wake up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat because his blood sugar level is too low. At those times, he eats chocolate bars (KitKat) that he keeps by his bed to quickly increase his blood sugar level. Every day, I thank God for another day with him. He’s been living on the Lord’s grace for a long time.
My mother is a different story every few minutes. We never know what we’re going to get. When she has good moments, she’ll take her medicine without a fuss and would be pleasant, warm, and cheery. Her many other sides could be any of the following: anger, rage, suspiciousness, vindictiveness, fear, confusion, doubtfulness, weariness, etc. We’ve had many tense moments as she attempts to throw her pills, react furiously as to why she has to take them, or call my father names for having her do something she doesn’t want to do. Every day, there seem to be a drama yet waiting to be played. Thankfully, she still responds to music and I’ve been able to play the piano for her to dance to. Unfortunately, the music does not keep her occupied as much as it did last year. She seems to tire more easily nowadays. Evan’s friend’s grandmother has the same illness but she isn’t talking anymore and just sits all day. For what my mother is able to still do, we are grateful.
The other day I found her unsuccessful in cleaning herself after going to the bathroom. I explained to her that she needed to change and proceeded to help her. She didn’t like how I removed her shirt so she furiously yanked it from me and attempted to pull it over my head. We struggled over the shirt, she pulling it down while I tried stopping her. At one point, I wondered what I should be doing. Should I physically resist her to the point where she would feel pain? I really didn’t want a smelly stained shirt on my head! In the end, she physically stopped and resorted to verbally say what she wanted to do with her hands. The whole incident shocked and surprised me. I felt fear for what she might do next but even more so for my reaction of not wanting to care for her. Only later did I mentally choose to let go and just now, forgive. Like she’s forgotten me, she’s forgotten the incident already. She really isn’t the problem; she is ill. The Lord is obviously answering my prayer above. I have a lot to learn.

Thank you for praying. Everyone is doing well at home. Eric is getting a CAT scan on July 12th and is now scheduled to receive his first radiation treatment on July 15th at Siripat Hospital in Chiang Mai.

By the Grace of God

The last round of chemo was administered today without any glitches or complications. Our whole family was at the hospital so we could all celebrate when it was over. Ending with us corporately saying “Alleluias” and doing our clap offering, we thanked God for His goodness, faithfulness, mercy, and grace. Eric’s 4 cycles, or 8 rounds of chemo treatments, are now a thing of the past for him.
Praise God!

Ethan instantly liked Eric's doctor, Dr. Rattiya. Please keep praying for her to know Jesus. We just found out that our Christian friend started seeing her as well. A routine check up showed he had cancer also.

We came back from our vacation at the beach late Sunday night. We had a magnificent time and were all rested and tanned by the time it was over. Not only were we blessed with delicious food, good company, perfect weather, and restful sleep, the Lord continued to bless us with His love through His people. The temporary hosts of the place treated us to a delicious seafood meal on our last night and then gave us money as we left the next morning. What a gracious God we have!

Lastly, as an indication of Eric’s stamina, I would like to admit that he beat me in our swimming races across the length of the pool (twice!). On our last race, I even started a few strokes ahead of him but he beat me anyway! It was several years ago but I did use to swim for the school team. I don’t get where he gets all his energy! It isn’t his own but God’s.

I actually wanted a rematch of our swimming pool basketball game since he and Eli beat Eng and I in our game. I told him I couldn’t believe they beat us. I said, “Aren’t you supposed to have cancer? How could you beat us?” Although initially amused, he then took on a serious look and said, “By the Grace of God, Mom.” And that there explains everything.

Eli wore the hospital garb just for fun. While waiting, they spent time watching T.V.

Thank you for praying. Two to three weeks from now, Eric's 3-weeks’ radiation treatments will start. The half hour treatments will have to be done in the evenings so it works perfectly with Eng being able to do it after work. What excellent timing. =) Thank you, Lord!

I am leaving for Canada tomorrow for a 3-week visit with Evan (our oldest son) and my parents. Evan has been living in Toronto with my parents while he works there during the summer. He has been studying to become a writer or editor at Houghton College in Western New York for the past two years.