MamaArcher's Blog

A Heart Wrenching Week

Today I come to you asking for prayers for a dear family.  We have friends here in Alaska who are missionaries with Cadence International.  They work along side the chaplains (my hubby) on base.  Dan and Barb are a blessing to all they come in contact with and have such an amazing heart for the Lord and for sharing his love with others.  Barb had been having symptoms of several things for years and was having them treated. Headaches, nausea, vertigo, depression, long hours of sleep, and what they thought was reactions to some of the medications for these ailments.  Almost 3 weeks ago, she began to have other symptoms.  The doctors decided to do a MRI.   They found a very large brain tumor.  It was about the size of a plum; an orange if including the sac which contained it.

They were hoping it was a benign tumor but when she went into surgery this past Wednesday to remove it they discovered it was the most aggressive type of cancer they could have anticipated, Glioblastoma multiforme.  The first day after surgery Barb seemed to be doing well.  She was up a bit, eating a bit, and conversing a bit.  The next couple of days as the swelling increased things began to change.  She became unresponsive falling into a coma.  They went in for surgery again.  This is where we wait.

She is in ICU currently.  She is in a medically induced coma and on a ventilator at the moment to allow her to rest and heal.  They will most likely try to wake her and remove the ventilator today. We hope and pray!

Her family is struggling greatly.  They have gone from thinking it was a benign tumor, to knowing it was cancer with an average of 15 months survival, to almost loosing her.  We are all still waiting.  Her parents are here now.  Her sister has been here all along.  Her husband, though constantly surrounded by those who love him, is lonely and longing for his wife.  His children, though they do not know the full extent of the situation, are struggling to deal with things.  Their faith is being challenged.

I ask that you fervently pray for their family!  If you want to know more accurately how to pray, they send updates via twitter.   Thank you all for your faithfulness to pray!