Praise God!

Wow. There is so much to be thankful for today...it's difficult to know where to start. So, I'll just list off all the reasons one-by-one for why I feel blessed today.

1. Bryan. I am SO thankful for our cousin Bryan who chose to come keep Brad entertained during his treatments. I am still not certain as to who this was more of a gift for...Brad because he has a buddy here to 'hang' with or for me so that I do not constantly try to think of new ways to entertain/distract Brad from the miserable treatments. I DEFINATELY know who is better at providing the entertainment and that would be Bryan! This afternoon the boys were entertaining themselves by making 'lists' in the spiral bound notebook that Bryan seems to have with him at all times (filled with mostly sports stats, I think). Two example topics of the 'lists' they were making today are: Top Worst Defensive Teams in the NFL & Top 10 Video Games of All-Time. I keep wondering what they will come up with next to discuss.

2. Great sleep. Brad & I both had a wonderful night of rest and we feel so refreshed. When I woke up, I immediately asked Brad how he was feeling and he said he felt good. I know that our restedness has a direct effect on our mental state which has been so much better the last couple of days.

3. Brad's cough. While still apparent from time to time...has been SO much better the last several days! Lesser cough = a much happier, much more relaxed Jenny

4. The weather. It continues to be cool, crisp, and breezy here. I want to do nothing more than be outside enjoying it ALL the time. It is wonderful!!!

5. High fever with little side effects. Brad's fever rose to 39 Celcius (102 point something) today but did not experience any breathing difficulty or extreme shaking. That was the best thing that could have happened. We had been concerned because Brad has not ran a high fever since Tuesday, but at the same time we were wary of pushing his limits and experiencing another episode like Tuesday. We had the best of both worlds...high fever...no extreme effects.

6. Amazing CT Report! The last and most important (I saved the best for the end!) Dr. Thaller came in first thing this morning to let Brad know that the radiologist had called to let him know the comparison of the CT in June with the CT that we did just before coming here (end of July). The comparison shows that the tumors have not grown since June's scan! We could not be more thrilled to hear this news. More importantly, Thaller explained that during immunotherapy, inflamation cells fill the tumor cells and he said that the inflamation cells can be the cause of up to two-thirds the size of the tumor. Meaning that two-thirds of what we see could be mostly inflamed cells and not tumor itself. Therefore, the tumor should be even smaller than it appears on the scan.

Just seconds after the news was shared with us a huge clap of thunder struck outside along with a flash of lightning. The weather changed in an instant. Much like our outlook on Brad's health changed in that same instant.

Dear Father,

We are on our knees thanking you and praising you for the wonderful works you perform in our lives. It was just a few nights ago that Brad & I were pleading with you, feeling desperate for you to send us some kind of sign that you were hearing our prayers. Painful thoughts of what we perceived we might be facing kept coming to the forefront of our minds. We were at such a low point, not knowing what to think or do or say to each other.

Thank you for laying your hands on Brad. Thank you for stopping the growth of tumors. Thank you for working a miracle on my sweet husband. We have so much that we want to do together. His presence and friendship in my life brings me so much joy. Thank you for intervening & coming to our rescue (in more ways than one). We continue to be in awe of you wonderous grace and power.

We love you Lord.
Amen