Psalm 116

Aside from a couple of nose bleeds and vein pain on his left wrist where the chemo has been going in, Eric has been feeling well following his 5th round of chemo. We continue to rejoice that he is doing so well with his treatment. The Lord is so good and so kind to him, to us. As Eric's parents, the Lord and His love through His people have been overwhelming us. We've been in awe of what people have done for us. So, I, Linda, didn't think much more will touch me. I was wrong. Yesterday after church, Eric shared that he had teared up after reading Psalm 116, especially verse 12. He said the verses applied specifically to his situation. Please read it and thank the Lord with us. He is just too good as He now works on Eric’s heart.

I love the Lord, for He heard my voice; He heard my cry for mercy. Because He turned his ear to me, I will call on Him as long as I live. The cords of death entangled me, the anguish of the grave came upon me; I was overcome by trouble and sorrow.

Then I called on the name of the Lord: “O Lord, save me!”
The Lord is gracious and righteous; our God is full of compassion.
The Lord protects the simplehearted; when I was in great need, He saved me.

Be at rest once more, O my soul, for the Lord has been good to you. For you, O Lord, have delivered my soul from death, my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling, that I may walk before the Lord in the land of the living.

How can I repay the Lord for all His goodness to me? (verse 12)

Thank you for praying!

King of Wonders

Your glory shines before our eyes,
the more we see, the more we love You.
King of wonders, we stand amazed,
there's no other, other than You,
King of wonders, You know the way to our hearts
and the more we see, the more we love You.

from the song "King of Wonders" by various artists

Last Friday, May 14, Eric received his 5th chemo treatment. Only three left and he will be done! =) The day started out like all the other times we’ve been to the hospital for Eric’s treatments. His weight and blood pressure were checked. Next, blood was drawn out from him to check his blood count, etc., (His white blood count was slightly lower than the last time but it was still okay to proceed with the treatment.) and there ended the norm as we knew it. We then were made to wait for over 2 hours before we got to see the doctor! Eventually, Eric was examined and declared doing remarkably well. His doctor continues to marvel at his resilience.

After checking-in into his room for the day, we waited for another unexplained two hours before the first of four chemicals were administered. The last chemo is a two hour drip so we thought we’d be there till late at night but we were soon ready to go home by 8 p.m., just 3 hours later than the last time. Yay!

Eric fell asleep on the drive home, moved to his bed when we got home, and didn’t wake up till late morning the next day. On Saturday night, his friend was over for a visit so he was up but he slept most of the week-end. And oh yeah, he also had the energy to beat his mom in several games of Boggle. By Monday, he was back to school and even hung around during, and after the Art Show (to clean up), which was from 7:00-9:00 p.m.

Where Eric gets his energy and strength when he needs it can only be attributed to God. There is no way to explain it. That he has hair, feels well, looks well, and does well is purely God's doing. We just wonder sometimes and we do stand amazed. But, the more we see what God does, the more we love Him. We are so grateful for your prayers. What an amazing God He is to answer them. Thank you!

Having a Nice Time

RJ and Eric, ready to eat! <--

On Mother’s Day, we finally spent the $100 US that was given to us with instructions that we’re to “have a very nice dinner at Duke’s” (a popular restaurant here in Chiang Mai). The giver further added that it would make them happy if we had a nice time. The instructions weren’t very hard to follow. We enjoyed the delicious food and Eric’s friends, and we had not just a nice but also enjoyable time. Thank you, Kyuns!

Because the giving was prompted by Eric’s being sick, we’ve already decided to find a suitable time when we could celebrate him. Also, with his first chemo treatment being just a day before his 17th birthday (March 20), we never really had a chance to celebrate his birthday. So seven weeks later, without actually planning it beforehand, we celebrated him (with his friends) and Mother’s Day together. What a nice treat! =)

After dinner pic with Justin Henry, Phillip Hampton, RJ Jackson, Kurt Jones, and Eric. It's good that these men are sitting or leaning. They all tower over Eric! -->

The Lord continues to awe us through the kindness of His people. A week ago we had a celebration at school and the popcorn sales were set aside for Eric’s medical needs. This Saturday, some 11th grade moms are having a food sale at a volleyball tournament. Again, they are raising the money for Eric’s needs. Eric also has an 18 year old cousin who decided to have a “Cut It or Keep It” fundraiser. By the time you’re reading this, she could already be bald, and she has (had?) gorgeous hair! “How do we thank all these people?” is Eric’s question, and ours! Sometimes, we just don’t really know how to go about it. Mostly, we end up praying for the Lord to bless back. From our hearts, please accept our thanks now, to all who pray, who encourage, who give, who does. We are grateful that the Lord can bless you. We serve a mighty God.

Lastly, for those living here in Chiang Mai, we found out that after the chemo treatments, Eric will be receiving daily (Monday to Friday) half hour radiation treatments for three weeks starting in mid July. If you are able to help drive Eric to the hospital and bring him home to Koolpunt Ville 6, or just do one or the other (once, twice, or any number of times), would you please phone Rhonda Cochran at 087 303 6004 or 053 131 101? You can also email her your name and contact details at mike-rhonda_cochran@sil.org Thank you for your consideration and help!

Trusting in Our Lord

O house of Eng, trust in the Lord --
He is your help and shield. paraphrase of Psalm 115:9

We praise God that we are halfway through Eric’s chemo cycles! Last Friday ended the second cycle of the prescribed four cycles of chemo. Since there are two treatments per cycle, we only have 4 chemo treatments to go through. Yahoo! We are also pleased to let you know that Eric was singing and dancing tonight. His behavior is surely an indication of how he’s feeling which is well! Also, he finished writing his final exam for his AP Statistics class today (Tuesday) so he is ecstatic.

Eric tried to study for his Stats exam but he could not stay awake. This chemo usually takes two hours to drip into his vein. <---

His doctor said all the swelling on his lymph nodes are gone. =) She added that Eric is responding to the treatments well and is doing better than average when compared to other cancer patients. His white blood cells are multiplying fast and plenty as there are more this time than the last time it was checked. His hair has thinned even more but is still there. He is pain and nausea free. Lastly, for so long, he’s wanted to gain weight and he actually has! He looks great and we are extremely grateful. We serve an awesome and amazing God! Nothing is impossible for Him.

Over the week-end, Eric tried to get up but he was soon asleep again. --->

On top of all the Lord has done for Eric, we are able to have an end of June family vacation at the beach (in Prachuap – 4 hours south of Bangkok). We initially canceled this vacation because of the 12 hour drive required to get there and another 12 hours to come back. Although we needed a break, we felt that it wasn’t worth our while to stay there for only a short time and then have to head back here for Eric’s last chemo treatment. Well, the doctor agreed to postpone his last treatment (from June 25th to June 28th) and then we received the gift of free flights to Bangkok (and back!) so we are able to be there for a whole week (from June 20-27)! That we are blessed is an understatement. The Lord is so good. Thank you all for praying! He is answering mightily!

How is Your Heart?

I’ve been asked this question many times last week by different people. I finally figured out as I wrestled over my answers that my heart was ready to trust our Lord. Coupled with the question was a song that started to play in my head early last week. The song's title is “Awaken My Heart” and I haven’t heard it in over a decade! Why it started to play in my head while I was praying was surely a mystery. As I listened to the words though, it implored me to know the Lord’s love and to love Him in return. Yes, with a heart that’s awakened, I could love anew. And more important, I could trust the one I love, the same one who loves me and wants me to trust Him. How could we truly love someone we do not trust? My heart is ready to trust.

I admit that this might mean pain for Eric, discomfort, suffering, despair, whatever else, but we can trust the Lord’s heart. He loves us and will only allow Eric to go through what he may for a higher purpose, possibly for the building of his character. I know we will thank Him for it afterward. He is always up to something good.

Please ignore our other prayer requests and agree with us in prayer for the following:

1. That the Lord constantly be glorified in Eric’s circumstances.
2. Regardless of what we want, that His will, will happen, and not ours
3. That we rely solely on God and are unified as a family.
4. That Eric will be prepared physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually, for what’s in store for him.
5. That we trust the Lord completely no matter what happens to Eric.

On the way home from the hospital. <-- We don’t know why Eli is wiped out but this is usually how Eric looks after a treatment.

We thank the Lord for the many miracles we’ve seen already in Eric’s life. As one friend kept saying who’s been around many cancer patients going through horrible side effects, he’s amazed at Eric having hair, having energy, and having no pain nor nausea. Lastly, I had the pleasure of meeting a new friend who’d gone through what Eric is going through right now. She shared about what the Lord taught her as she suffered during her treatments. Later as we prayed, I knew the Lord allowed me to meet her to give me a glimpse of Eric’s future. He won't become sterile because of the chemo, he’ll have his own children, he'll have his own ministry, and he'll have a maturity brought about by this illness. What an amazing God you are, Papa. Thank you!

Nose Bleeds

If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.
Matthew 21:22

The nurse said Eric’s white blood cells (WBC) were low but not quite that low to receive the chemo last Friday (16th). We need to pray that the chemicals would stop eliminating his WBCs so Eric can keep receiving his treatment. Either that or we can pray for new WBCs to multiply fast and plenty.

Playing solitaire, listening to music, on Facebook, while
receiving his chemo -->


The treatment last Friday took the usual 11-12 hours long to administer but it was uneventful. The doctor indicated that Eric’s lymph nodes have shrunk considerably. She was pleased that Eric is responding to the treatments well and made a mental note not to prescribe anti-nausea medication to him next time as he has not needed them. One week later, we are also grateful that Eric still has lots of hair. =) God is answering our prayers.

The nurses are always careful that the toxic red chemo (there's also an orange one) doesn't spill. It is disconcerting that it goes in his body!

On Saturday morning, Eric had continuous nose bleeds for the first time. I think it alarmed both of us that it took awhile before the bleeding stopped. Eng quickly pointed out later that nose bleeds are side effects of the chemo. I began to accept that and hoped that the next nose bleeds wouldn’t be as much nor as long as the last time.

The next day, talking to a friend about Eric, I told her about his nose bleeding. As she asked whether it was happening still, I asked Eric, “Did you have a nose bleed today?” Our two other sons both yelled, “I did!” Eric said, “No.”

If all three of them had nose bleeds maybe it wasn’t a side effect after all but more because of the air that they all breathed. I obviously have a lot to learn about the verse above. We’ve been asking for minimal side effects and the Lord has been answering. Thank you for believing in what you ask for in prayer. I’m learning and believing with you.

To Shave or Not to Shave

<-- Off to school with a mask to protect against infections.

Since his hair started to come off, Eric would consistently find fallen hair on his pillow or shirts. He is one of those who gets bothered by off-the-head hair (be it hair in his soup, your neck, shirt, actually even hairbrushes!) so you can imagine his consternation each time he finds hair almost anywhere his head has been. It could be why he’s contemplating shaving his head. Once it’s done, there won’t be any more misplaced hair to contend with! It’s interesting how we let things like a piece of hair on our meat bother us. Even more interesting is the fact that our God would care to help us deal with our quirks. Eric is certainly learning to deal with his idiosyncrasy! Everyday for the past week, he’s been forced to handle his fallen hair better. Will the Lord never stop in helping us become better people? Apparently not!

With a cap to hide his thinned hair. -->

The great news is, Eric is supposed to have lost his hair 2-3 weeks after receiving his first chemo (which was March 19). It’s been almost 4 weeks but his hair, although thinned, is still there. We are grateful for the hair that the Lord continues to allow Eric to have. Thank you for praying! He’s also been eating well, full of energy, and infection free.

Please keep praying for him as he receives his next chemo treatment (the first administration of the 2nd cycle) this Friday, April 16. Bless you!

Oh, he decided not to shave his hair but wear it for as long as he's able. =)