Hello Friends & Family! Today, Feb 26th, is a BIG MILE MARKER for our family as we celebrate Jason being CANCER FREE for ONE YEAR! We wanted to invite you to come alongside us as we reflect back on the journey of our past year.
I’ll be honest, sometimes the idea of pausing to reflect on what you have been through can be somewhat daunting. Especially if it involves one of the most difficult times in your life. Don’t get me wrong, we have had so many INCREDIBLE BLESSINGS AND JOYS to share from this past year with an outcome that FAR EXCEEDED ALL EXPECTATIONS! However, because we don’t often take the time to truly process what we have been through and how God has worked through it all due to the rat race of life, it can make you relive it all over again - both the GOOD and the REALLY HARD stuff. We reminded ourselves that the original reason for starting this blog many years ago was to capture what we were going through and how God’s hand was weaved through it all. We wanted this ongoing testimony to be in writing for our children to read for themselves one day. It’s been really cool to see how God has made this blog into so much more than just that!
To kick off our update, we will share an interview Taylor conducted with Jason to hear his thoughts directly on this past year. For those who are getting this update via email, you will need to go to wilestrials.blogspot.com to view the video.
So, let’s go back in time together to one year ago. We were in NYC at NewYork-Presbyterian / Weill Cornell Medical Center facing the biggest, most complex surgery Jason had ever gone through in his life. This was cancer #3, stomach cancer, which was completely unrelated to cancer 1 or 2. After having had this diagnosis for about 6 months and going through the biggest roller coaster ride emotionally to date, God clearly directed our paths to this point, this day, this option. I’m not kidding when I say our biggest roller coaster ride to date. Never before with the other cancers had Jason been told surgery was not an option by his medical team, whom we loved and trusted whole heartedly, and had been family to us for years. We had all been through thick and thin together and as a result took their recommendation of not doing surgery without blinking an eye. As a result, we didn’t consider surgery for the longest time. It took many months of prayer, research, second and third opinions, etc. to get to the point of surgery actually being an option for Jason.
PRAISE GOD surgery was now an option with a surgeon in NYC, recommended by NIH, that performed about 10 of these Colon Interposition surgeries a year and has had success with them! Especially because none of the other treatment options were truly valid options. Chemo had such a low chance of being effective with awful side effects that Jas and I both (and many medical professionals) did not feel it was a good option. After many months of prayer, appointments, tears, fear and completely passing our thresholds of how much we could handle in a short amount of time, we were here in NYC ready to give this surgery a try. We knew the risk we were facing. Jas may walk away from this surgery never being the same again from a quality of life perspective and that our lives could be radically changed forever. This was such a hard decision for both of us, especially due to the timing of it all. Our family was just coming off of a year apart from one another, as Jas had been overseas the year prior for an unaccompanied assignment for work. As many of you may be able to relate, it takes MANY MONTHS to reacclimate back as a family and to find your groove again after being apart that long. For many, this reacclimating can be the hardest part of a tour. We didn’t have the luxury of time to adjust as Jason came back from his year away because BAM, cancer diagnosis #3 was given as he was being processed to get medical clearance for our next tour in Abu Dhabi. We were living in a hotel at the time with a rental car and a borrowed car. We had already packed out of our last location and school was starting in Maryland in a few weeks. HOLY MOLY! We were both at our breaking point. Never had we had so many major things happen in such a concentrated time. To say it was AWFUL is an understatement!
Going back to surgery day, all of our lives were changed in a RADICAL way alright! I remember so vividly as I watched them wheel Jason back into the OR and then walked into the waiting room. At that moment the Lord whispered to my heart these words, “EXCEEDINGLY, ABUNDANTLY MORE.” Nothing more. At that point, I was a bit puzzled by it but knew it was from the LORD because that verse had not been on my mind at all that day or even the weeks before and it was just out of the blue. I know Ephesians 3:20 and love that verse, but again that verse had not been on my mind in quite some time. To be honest, both Jason and I were so scarred from the surgery and recovery of cancer #2, that we both had PTSD from it as he headed into surgery #3. We experienced fear in ways we hadn’t struggled with in prior cancers and had many triggers from the past that were compiling. It was a big risk we were taking to do this surgery, however (medically) there wasn’t any chance to get rid of the cancer any other way. This surgery was quite complex, as it involved removing all of his esophagus AND his entire stomach, and then using part of his colon to make all things new.
Within less than 5 minutes of being in the waiting room, two of my friends I had met in Thailand, who had become family, walked in. I will forever be thankful for them and the sacrifices they and their families made to be with me in such a time of need! I decided that since the surgery was planned to take a good 10 hours, that we could go to a nearby coffee shop for a bit for a change in scenery. Having learned from the past, these surgeries can be LONG, LONG days if you just sit in the waiting room surrounded by others who are worried sick about their loved ones. As a result, the first 4+ hours FLEW by. You see, we hadn’t seen each other since living in Thailand and had a ton to catch up on! We headed back to the hospital early afternoon so that we would be in the waiting room for the rest of the surgery. Shortly after, the Surgeon came out to tell me that the surgery was successful and DONE! While the surgery was much harder than anticipated due to all of the scar tissue from prior the surgery and radiation, it was a SUCCESS! The cancer, stomach and esophagus had been removed and the colon was now in place as a replacement. Additionally, the surgeon was able to remove the old “hookup point” of Jason’s esophagus from his prior surgery that has caused him so many problems over the last 9 years. WOW, WOW, WOW! Surgery took about 6.5 hours in total, compared to the anticipated 10 hours. Remember those words that the Lord whispered to my heart? EXCEEDINGLY, ABUNDANTLY MORE… This was the first BIG example of what the Lord had been telling me I could expect!
The next few days were a whirlwind of pain and nausea for Jas. However, each milestone was achieved SO MUCH FASTER than the surgery prior that we had PTSD from. It was UNBELIEVABLE to experience! By day 3 post surgery they were able to find the right combo of pain and nausea meds and he was a NEW MAN! He was walking loops around on the hospital floor, tubes were coming out quickly, he was able to facetime with the kids, etc. I will NEVER forget the Home Health Nurse coming into his room to talk to me 3 days post op. It still brings tears to my eyes thinking through our conversation. Keep in mind EVERY SINGLE PERSON including the surgeon had said it would be a 3 WEEK minimum stay in the hospital for recovery and this was 3 Days Post Op. She came in and started talking to me about his discharge within the next week. I truly had to ask her multiple times if she had the right patient. Not only did I feel she was nuts, I was FREAKED OUT. I’m still seeing that Jason had a LONG way to go recovery wise (even though he was recovering so well) and thinking what on earth is going on that they are trying to force him out of the hospital this early? Was it an insurance thing, etc? And how on earth was I going to be able to care for him states away from this hospital with two kids at home? Tears were spilling over. As the Nurse identified how upset her conversation was making me, she said she would speak to the Dr. again and then loop back to me. At the end of our conversation she ever so graciously spoke in a soft voice to me and said, “I know he doesn’t look like he is anywhere near ready to go home now, however you will be AMAZED at how well he will be doing in a few days given his accelerated recovery up to this point.” I remember going back into the waiting area on that floor where 3 of my Thailand friends were hanging out and I just fell apart as I processed it all. I’m so thankful for their company, comfort and redirection right back to Jesus at that moment, as they had also done so many times before during our Thailand days together! After many more tests, scans, scopes, pain med change ups, etc., Jason was discharged from the hospital 10 days post surgery. Let me spell this out for you all, that’s being released 11 days early minimally! If anyone has ever been in a hospital with a shared roommate the entire time, THIS WAS HUGE!!! Again, EXCEEDINGLY AND ABUNDANTLY MORE than we ever even thought to ask for….. Thank you Jesus!
From this point, we needed to stay in the NYC area for the weekend in case any stumbling blocks occurred that needed immediate attention. As a result, we had an amazing weekend together while staying in a nearby hotel. Jas carefully planned out what he wanted to do/see each day throughout the city as we declared it was his birthday weekend and whatever he felt comfortable doing we would give it a try. I have to say, we walked a good 6+ miles each day on top of ubering here and there and the man wore me out! We enjoyed some special meals, stores that we don’t get to typically visit, catching up with my cousin Mark who brought us some authentic Italian to our hotel, and even got to see a musical. It was an absolutely magical weekend! Never in a million years would I have expected that we would have an enjoyable adult weekend away in NYC 10 days out from this surgery! Again, EXCEEDINGLY AND ABUNDANTLY MORE… Jesus you are knocking our socks off!
After checking back in with the Doctor that Monday and receiving his blessing to go back home, we headed back to Maryland on Jason’s Birthday which was the next day. Talk about an AMAZING birthday gift! So, let’s hang out here on the date of March 10 for an extra pause. During this time of being in the hospital and then our weekend of fun, COVID-19 was gaining traction and being talked about more and more. To the point where if you coughed when in an uber/cab they would look at you strangely and we were starting to see more and more masks around. However, there was never a day where I was denied from going in to see Jason at the hospital nor were any restaurants or theatres shut down from it yet. In looking at the COVID timeline, March 1st was when the first COVID-19 case was reported in NY. March 12, Broadway shut down. March 13, President Trump declared a national emergency. March 15, all public schools in NYC close. Do you see God’s providence yet again in our story? We left NYC on March 10 and by March 12 things were shutting down. ABSOLUTELY MIND BLOWING God’s perfect timing for getting us out of there before we were stuck! I can’t even imagine or want to imagine what it would have been like if Jas would have been in the hospital for the 3 week minimum timeframe in the height of the COVID-19 shutdown. THANK YOU JESUS for your provision! EXCEEDINGLY AND ABUNDANTLY MORE than we even knew to ask for…
Once home, things began shutting down in Maryland due to COVID as well, including the schools. While no one would wish for this pandemic ever, our family has experienced MAJOR BLESSINGS from the timing of the shutdown. Jas was able to fully rest and recover while home safe and sound, and not worry about having to push his return back to work sooner than he should. His employer was incredibly supportive of his recovery through it all. We are so THANKFUL! And remember me saying it takes many months to acclimate back as a family after you have been apart for a year? We were now getting the chance to do that! Because of the major stresses of life in the past fall since his diagnosis, we really hadn’t gotten the chance to do so. So from March 10 - mid July, so much incredible healing took place in so many ways that was needed. One memory that holds near and dear to my heart is that Jas and the kids built a chicken coop together in the Spring and raised up 36 baby chicks. For those who know Jas, you know that he doesn’t do many things on a small scale. The motto “Go Big or Go Home,” definitely applies to him. Therefore our chicken coop is more of a chicken palace and if you are questioning why 36 chickens...well I still do also lol. We have been able to thin out our flock over time down to 12 chickens in case you were worried for us - HA! Because of the shutdown, this building and raising process for Jas and the kids was great physical therapy and a wonderful focus to have something to look forward to each day after they logged off of virtual school. Most days once they made it to lunchtime they were outside the remainder of the day. The kids not only were able to repair their relationships with Jas during this time, but even a stronger bond was developed in a way that they had never had before as a result of Jason being home with them the most he has ever been in their entire lives. Taylor and Jas are now two peas in a pod. It’s so sweet to see how God has blessed their relationship and took it to a whole new level! Jas did an AMAZING job being Mr. Mom at home during this time, while work on my end picked up and I was at the office more often than usual for a period of time. He was truly a champ! Here I planned on having to take on everything at home while he recovered, yet instead he was able to and wanted to help with the kids, make all our meals, etc. All I had to worry about was going to work and picking up groceries and he took care of the rest. It was EXCEEDINGLY AND ABUNDANTLY MORE than I ever even considered possible to ask for! WOW God, you keep blowing us away!
There’s another BIG point I wanted to pause on briefly, that has majorly changed Jason’s quality of life from the past 9 years. As a result of the cancer #2 surgery, Jason’s “Hook Up” spot of his new to his old esophagus healed with a much smaller opening than what he had previously. Since surgery #2, he has had 50+ scopes where they have had to put him under and dilate this opening. Our GI Doctor always laughed with us about the fact that we more or less paid for his son’s college education due to the number of procedures he performed on Jason. After surgery #2, his new esophagus opening was so small that he even choked on smoothies for a time. This forced him to be on his feeding tube for much longer than we all had hoped and made it super hard for him to gain weight. As a result, he struggled to get down pills without them getting stuck or choking them back up, hadn’t been able to eat salads (because the lettuce didn’t weigh enough to push through the opening), dry foods would make him choke, etc. He learned to “chase” most bites of food with water to help push everything through the opening. Well, after this most recent surgery, the surgeon was able to remove this old “hook up” point and create a new one higher than the last. As a result of Jas’s colon being his new esophagus and new “hook up” spot, he no longer had any of these problems. THIS IS HUGE! He can swallow all of his supplements that he takes to boost his immune system with no problem, he can eat salad again, he doesn’t have to chase his food, etc. You all this is a HUGE Quality of Life change for us all! We had gotten used to quickly assessing restaurants when we walked in to see where the restrooms were located in case he choked on his meal and had to run for the toilet. I had given up on buying and eating salad for years because I felt like it would be mean to eat something in front of him that he couldn’t have. WOW, WOW, WOW! Who would have thought that after a much more complex surgery #3, that Jason’s quality of life would be better vs. worse? WOW God, EXCEEDINGLY AND ABUNDANTLY more than we ever even imagined possible! THANK YOU!
Before Jason headed back to work in July, we took a couple trips as a family knowing once he was back to work it would be harder to get away. We were able to go to Hilton Head in June right after school ended to celebrate. We made it through the Spring and Jas was doing so well! It was GLORIOUS and a memory we will always hold dear to our hearts! Jas has been a huge cyclist since his time in Bangkok. We were able to bike ride all over the island as a family and go for fun, new adventures each day. And the beach was absolutely gorgeous! We found a spot on the island that was super quiet with very few people around and it was perfect! And a bit later in the summer we made a trip back home to Ohio to see our family, which was good for our souls!
Once we got to mid July, Jas headed back to work and then the kids started school shortly after. It’s been a crazy fall/winter with all this COVID stuff still going on. We were able to enroll Taylor in a Christian school this year for 6th grade, which allowed her to go to school in person. In our county in Maryland, all public schools have been 100% virtual until this past week. Due to Taylor being adamant about going to school in person, as she gets awful headaches from being on a screen for too long, this was a beautiful fit for her. We will keep her at this school for all of middle school most likely, as she absolutely loves it! Ty, my little guy, is in 1st grade now and actually handling virtual school like a champ! This week our county started a hybrid schedule, so FINALLY Ty now gets to go in person 2 days a week. It was so cute to watch him go to school for the first time on the 25th. He practically ran from the car to the school he was sooooooo excited! What JOY he experienced being able to be in person at school again!
Going back to late last fall, Jason had a 2 month work trip overseas from late Oct to right before Christmas. Looking back now, we recognize our family was NOT ready for this next step in reacclimating to life. Having been apart for a year prior, we thought 2 months... we can do this no problem. Well, little did we know how difficult those 2 months would be. We completely underestimated how Jason being gone would trigger each of us in different ways as a result of what we had just been through with his health earlier that year, and the fact that we had all gotten used to being back together and having him home more than ever before. Poor little Ty was so affected by it all that he was really sick for 2+ solid months, which then continued over Christmas and a good month after until healing finally took place. Most of the times that he ate, he was in intense stomach pain for a couple hours after and there wasn't much that could help relieve his pain. Over time it progressed to not just stomach pains, but entire body aches and headaches on top of the stomach pains, which led to taking him to the Pediatric ER at Johns Hopkins. Nothing we had tried up to this point was helping and he was still getting worse. Of course just coming off of stomach cancer for Jas earlier that year, and with a long line of cancer on Jason's side of the family tree, this was clearly a trigger for us. Thankfully, Jas was able to facetime in with us during the conversations with the G.I. Dr. at the hospital, however there really wasn't anything they could do for Ty other than recommend we put him on a Rx for reflux. At that point we held off doing that, as we had been trying those meds earlier for Ty with no success and didn't want to keep putting more into his body if it wasn't helping. So the pain continued as we experimented removing certain foods from his diet with little success. Shortly after Christmas, we were able to get Ty in with a Naturopath/Acupuncturist and PRAISE THE LORD, she was able to identify the root of the problem for the first time and was able to treat him accordingly. Here his body stopped producing enzymes to break down fiber, which ultimately led to leaky gut. Over time, as leaky gut progresses your body can react to more and more foods, even vitamins and nutrients. THANKFULLY, she knew how to help him. Over the course of 7 treatments, our little man is doing SO MUCH BETTER and hasn't had to be on any Rx throughout the course of his healing. We are SO THANKFUL for her help, knowledge and ability to bring healing to Ty. THANK YOU LORD! It's so hard to watch your children go through health trauma! Through this all, it opened up our eyes to the fact that none of us were fully recovered and healed from the emotional trauma this past year has taken us through. So, we need to continue to invest in seeking the appropriate resources for each of us individually to bring us all back to a path of complete healing.
Now...fast forward back to present day, the BEST NEWS EVER! Jas has been getting into a good rhythm with work and enjoying being able to be back and be productive in that way. And most nights we are able to sit down and have dinner together as a family which is HUGE and such a blessing! I know it sounds so simple, but it really is huge luxury for us given our past couple years!
Jas recently had his 1 year follow up scans/tests at NIH. DRUM ROLL PLEASE......
PRAISE GOD they are CLEAN! CLEAN, CLEAN, CLEAN!!! THANK YOU JESUS! We are 1 year out from Cancer #3 and Jas is doing well! We give all the GLORY to our HEAVENLY FATHER who has allowed Jason to be healed yet again and has given us more time together here on this earth. I can’t stop smiling as I type this! EXCEEDINGLY AND ABUNDANTLY MORE! SO MUCH MORE THAN WE DREAMED POSSIBLE! Three cancers later and Jason is alive, free of cancer and thriving more than before. God's provision over Jason's life has been INCREDIBLY REMARKABLE!
We want to THANK our family, friends, co-workers, strangers, etc. from all around the world who have been our army of angels this past year and a half! There are so many of you who helped us through the biggest trial of our lives to date and made so many sacrifices for us. From the bottom of our hearts, THANK YOU for your compassion, prayers, encouragement, meals, cleaning, furniture refinishing, car loaning, help with kids, financial support, hotel points, fundraising, etc...the list goes on and on. We weren’t able to send out personal THANK YOUs due to the intensity of what we were going through at the time, however please know how much it all meant to our family!
As we wrap things up here, we want you to know that whatever you may be facing, GOD CAN DO EXCEEDINGLY and ABUNDANTLY MORE than we ask or think! We pray that by sharing our journey, your faith in Jesus may be strengthened. And if you don’t have a relationship with Jesus, you will seek to learn more about what it means to be a follower of Jesus and take that step to becoming one.
Thanks for coming alongside us and recapping this past year! It’s been an honor to share with you. This past fall our dear friend, Tania Grab, was able to check off a dream of mine for many years, which was to have family pictures taken in a sunflower field. While she has captured gorgeous pictures of our family throughout every single cancer journey so far, these are definitely my all time favorite. Sunflowers remind me of HOPE, JOY, HEALING and a beloved non-profit organization that we hold near and dear to our hearts, www.believebig.org. To be able to stand together as a family in these fields of gorgeous flowers and be reminded of God's faithfulness and healing is something I'll forever be thankful for. Enjoy the pics below!
With Much Love,
Jas & Meg
Ephesians 3:20-21 "Now to Him who is able to do EXCEEDINGLY ABUNDANTLY ABOVE all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen."
