Sunday,

Today, God showed Bonnie some small amounts of compassion which were a cause for praise. For the past 24 hours, Bonnie has been restricted to no fluid/food intake. She could chew ice, but not swallow the melted liquid. With a dry mouth and throat to begin with, this was an uncomfortable nuisance in the big picture, yet a level of comfort Bonnie didn’t have. Today the doctors approved her to chew ice and swallow which gave her great relief. She was also given the confidence to get out of bed and walk laps (11 of them) around the floor and sit out in the elevator atrium without fear of having to stay close to the bathroom. This was huge as she needs to use her muscles after being in bed since Monday afternoon.

Bonnie continues to deal with the intestinal issues, however it seems to be slightly more manageable. The bone marrow biopsy scheduled for tomorrow (Monday) at 8:30 has been postponed. Bonnie is so vulnerable right now without any white blood cells for such a long period of time, there is a rising concern about infection so they have started injections of Neupogen prior to the biopsy because the blood has been clear of blasts (leukemia) cells for quite some time. The doctors want to jump start the growth of good WBC. Please pray that this will be the result.

The CT Scan of Bonnie’s chest is normal, however the intestinal area does show the lining wall of the small and large intestines thickening. The doctors have told us that this in part is due to all the activity being pushed through them as part of the side effects of the chemo. Please pray that the lining will thin so the normal bowel process will occur as opposed to it being sluggish and unresponsive.

Every day brings new challenges, however it is a comfort in knowing that God is compassionate. It pleases God to show compassion to His people both in small and large ways. All through scripture we see God’s hand of compassion present in the redemption of His people. In Jonah 4:6 He gave the prophet Jonah relief from the heat by causing a plant to grow and provide shade. In 1 Kings 19 He showed Elijah compassion by providing him with cake and water before a long journey. God’s greatest compassion was giving us a way to reconcile our sinful nature with God’s perfect holy nature through the sacrifice of His son Jesus who met the requirement on our behalf of living a perfect holy life. All we have to do is put our faith and trust in Him for the security of spending eternity with Him. That is compassion, because we don’t deserve it and we can’t earn it, it is God’s greatest gift. This is the source of the great peace that we are experiencing through this incredible trial we are enduring. Knowing Christ, is knowing peace.

As a father shows compassion to his children,
so the LORD shows compassion to those who fear him.
Psalm 103:13

God Bless.