Dear Friends and Family,
It has been quite a while since we have sent out a Coles Family Update, but I can assure you this is not because nothing is happening here in Maryland. On the contrary, we have been very busy and full of excitement with John-Matthew, Matt's new treatment, and my annual conference here in D.C. As the Lenten season has brought us upon a time of reflection and a greater stillness in our hearts, we hope to relate some of the things that have been going on here and ask for your prayers during this preparation time for the joy of Easter!
John-Matthew is now almost four and a half months old and such an awesome little boy! He is smiling and laughing more and more each day- he starts this around 6:00 AM which makes for a mighty nice wake up. It is easy to want to get up with that ear to ear smile staring straight at you. He has begun pushing himself up quite well and has started rolling over a little bit. He is a great eater and doesn't tend to miss many meals. He is quite a social light and shines most when he is in a group. It's amazing that he can be crying one moment when it is just the three of us, and then we enter a room with many people and his frown turns upside down.
John-Matthew is enjoying his daily time with his daddy which started full time January 2nd. Matt stays with John-Matthew while I go into work full-time. This arrangement has truly been a blessing as Matt finishes up his last semester of school and has night classes two nights a week. We are hoping at some point for me to be able to stay home with John-Matthew, but at this point the opportunity is not at hand. Almost every other day I get the opportunity to view some of the boys' activities through videos or pictures that Matt has taken. This is always a high point of my evenings. On nights when Matt has class, I have a flexible schedule so that I can go in early and get off earlier so that I can watch John-Matthew.
Lucy just finished up with her annual conference and has really impressed the association with her organization and design skills. There has even been talk about trying to keep her on the payroll to design brochures and posters and plan for the annual conference after we move to Texas. In conjunction with this, she's talked about possibly beginning a small business where she could do part-time graphic design while being a stay-at-home mom.
We have met several young families with children in our area and this has been a great source of community and learning as our little family grows. We have worked out a great date-night system, switching off having a date night once or twice a month with another family who has two small children. This has been a nice break for Matt and I to have some quality time together and to allow the other couple to do the same.
At our parish, we have passed on the leadership for the youth group as our schedule and time commitments have begun to change. But the group continues under its new leadership, and we are thankful for the time we were able to dedicate to it. As a sort of shift in our ministry, we have been given the opportunity to speak to several different groups about marriage, discernment, and the gift of life. This has been a special way that Matt and I have been able to grow more together and try to communicate the good news about the wonderful Sacrament of Marriage!
In regards to the cancer, thank you for all of your continued prayers. We are strengthened each time we hear someone randomly say that they are still praying for us. We recently received the results of Matt's latest scans. They showed some progress in the cancer since his last scan 12 weeks ago, and over the past year there has been enough progress to warrant a change in treatment. There was a slight increase in activity throughout his body, with a few 1 millimeter spots showing up in his brain. These spots will need to be watched for further development and we will go back for an MRI in one month. After much prayer and research we have decided to try an alternative treatment for up to three months with an initial scan of progress in a month (Good Friday-March 21). The new treatment does not include any sort of chemotherapy, but rather is based more on a diet and slight change in lifestyle. This will include more sunshine, and relaxation. As far as the diet, he will eat all raw foods which would include salads, fruits, nuts, etc. making sure to stay away from sugar, white flour, and meat. This isn't a huge adjustment since we had already almost gone completely vegetarian due to Matt's allergic reactions to meat while on the chemo. And surprisingly the new rage is the "Raw Diet" so there have been many resources to make up creative dishes. In addition to this, he has a flax seed/oil and kefir mixture 4 times a day which he spices up with some berries or cocoa and honey. If you have any tasty vegetarian dishes- send them on over, we are always looking to try new things. So far Matt has been on this treatment for close to 3 weeks. There are days when he feels that he is breathing much much better, and days when he still has pain on his sides or other cancerous locations. During his chemo treatment he would also have good days and harder days, so this is one reason why we will consistently try this treatment for a specific amount of time rather than on a day to day basis. Please pray for us, for the Lord's will be done- and that we will have the strength to live out this calling to the fullest.
We are looking forward to our upcoming visit to Texas at the end of March for my brother Lucas' confirmation and we also will have the opportunity to see my sister Lindsay dance one last time before she heads off to college! And of course some of the grandparents will have the opportunity to smother John-Matthew with kisses (and I hear through the grapevine that they are more interested in him coming down than Matt and I...but I guess that is understandable as he is so willing to show his love for everyone). We are still praying about the possibility of moving back to Texas this year, so we will leave this in God's hands and see what jobs, houses, & other opportunities arise in the next few months.
Thank you for all of your prayers, we would love to hear how you are all doing.
"The task of man is beautiful: to pray and to love. If you pray and love, this is the happiness of man on earth…" - St. John Vianney
Peace and blessings this Lent,
Matt, Lucy and John-Matthew Coles
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
9-15-07
Dear Friends and Family,
As we begin a new school year and finish up the summer we are once again reminded of our many blessings. How good the Lord is!
Lucy has only about a month to go with the little guy in her tummy. She's truly a supermom, handling all the discomfort and difficulties that come from having another person growing in her body. She suffers with such patience and self-giving love! As for the little guy, he's happily growing and growing. It is amazing to feel him kicking, elbowing, and even occasionally getting the hiccups for a few minutes. What an incredible gift from the Lord!
Lucy has been continuing to work at the Association of Catholic Colleges and even approaching nine months is still commuting. She's keeping quite busy preparing for the next national conference of presidents which takes place in February. The work, she says, is very productive, fulfilling, and helps to take her mind off the little motherly worries that tend to arise. Still, we certainly look forward to her time off and later to her being able to work part-time from home.
Matt has been working very diligently on his thesis this summer and has turned in all of his chapters for review. Matt has also been working part time throughout the summer at both research jobs. We are thankful for these jobs which have allowed for a flexible schedule both with school and treatments. He has begun studying for his oral exams for the Licentiate and will hope to graduate with the licentiate in December. He will still continue his course work for the Ph.D. (God willing), and finish this portion up in the Spring of 2008.
As far as plans and schooling after the lil guy is born, we are still praying and trusting in the Lord's wonderful plan. We would like to move back to Texas, but we are open to seeing where God leads us over the next year. This summer overall has been jam packed with wonderful visitors; Cosette, Grandma and Grandpa, Troy, Lucas, Sam, Mark, and Fr. Mike Sis, Nick, Aunt Carol, and Linda coming up for a bit- just to name a few. As someone at Lucy's work stated, it is such a testament of the love of our family to have, and continue to have, been blessed by so many visitors. These visits have been wonderful blessings and have allowed us the opportunity to focus on the gift of hospitality. Matt's sister Elise came in to visit us from Anchorage, AK, and planned an amazing baby shower with Matt's sister-in-law Marlen. All in all there were about 35 people who came to celebrate the gift of this child's new life. Elise then stayed with us through the week and helped us with setting up, putting together, and cleaning things to get everything ready for when the baby comes.
Two weeks ago we had the opportunity to take a final mini vacation before the lil guy comes. We made our way to Princeton, NJ, visiting Matt's aunt and uncle and then taking a detour home to enjoy the beautiful beach of Cape May and take an unexpected 75 minute ride on a ferry from New Jersey to Delaware. It was such a treat to be on a nearly empty boat as we sailed into the sunset. Though we got home 6 hours later than originally planned, the vacation was a much needed break and allowed us to focus on spending time with each other. We were so thankful for the hospitality given by our family in New Jersey.
We apologize for a poor job on updates regarding Matt's treatment and scans over the summer, but we do thank you for all of your continual prayers, and are constantly uplifted by those of you who have expressed your daily prayers for us. Matt has had 2 major scans in the past few months- one MRI and one PET/CT. This MRI came up negative to any new spots- praise God!! This past PET/CT scan of his whole body showed a decrease in activity level in the cancer in his adrenal gland which was also wonderful as there had been no change in this prognosis since we began treatment last July. The cancer is still scattered in various places (kidney, shoulder, lung, pancreas, and adrenal gland) but is being held almost constant in these areas. Our doctor is opening up more and more and blesses us with his caring smile each time we see him. Today we will go in for Matt's regular treatment and in the upcoming month we will be due for another scan of sorts.
Emotionally, these treatments have been a bit more difficult (probably a little bit of the pregnancy hormones kicking in:) ) so we do continue to ask for your prayers and support as each day is a new day to offer to the Lord. Today's readings were particularly inspiring as we prepare for this treatment...
"Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I complete what is lacking in Christ's afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church." Colossians 1:24
And so we offer this day for you, our prayer team, family and friends . . . the body of Christ!
Thank you for your continual uplifting support.
In Christ's arms of love,
Matt, Lucy and Baby Coles
PS. Gig'em Ags! Our dear friend and neighbor Chris has this new internet thingy (official name) that allows him to get cable from his parents house back in Florida...where the Aggie game happened to be showing. Thus we had the privilege of watching the game and cheering them on (though not in 107 degree weather)! Baby Coles is all set for the big game as Matt's aunt and uncle gave him a set of aggie overalls:)- Whoop!
As we begin a new school year and finish up the summer we are once again reminded of our many blessings. How good the Lord is!
Lucy has only about a month to go with the little guy in her tummy. She's truly a supermom, handling all the discomfort and difficulties that come from having another person growing in her body. She suffers with such patience and self-giving love! As for the little guy, he's happily growing and growing. It is amazing to feel him kicking, elbowing, and even occasionally getting the hiccups for a few minutes. What an incredible gift from the Lord!
Lucy has been continuing to work at the Association of Catholic Colleges and even approaching nine months is still commuting. She's keeping quite busy preparing for the next national conference of presidents which takes place in February. The work, she says, is very productive, fulfilling, and helps to take her mind off the little motherly worries that tend to arise. Still, we certainly look forward to her time off and later to her being able to work part-time from home.
Matt has been working very diligently on his thesis this summer and has turned in all of his chapters for review. Matt has also been working part time throughout the summer at both research jobs. We are thankful for these jobs which have allowed for a flexible schedule both with school and treatments. He has begun studying for his oral exams for the Licentiate and will hope to graduate with the licentiate in December. He will still continue his course work for the Ph.D. (God willing), and finish this portion up in the Spring of 2008.
As far as plans and schooling after the lil guy is born, we are still praying and trusting in the Lord's wonderful plan. We would like to move back to Texas, but we are open to seeing where God leads us over the next year. This summer overall has been jam packed with wonderful visitors; Cosette, Grandma and Grandpa, Troy, Lucas, Sam, Mark, and Fr. Mike Sis, Nick, Aunt Carol, and Linda coming up for a bit- just to name a few. As someone at Lucy's work stated, it is such a testament of the love of our family to have, and continue to have, been blessed by so many visitors. These visits have been wonderful blessings and have allowed us the opportunity to focus on the gift of hospitality. Matt's sister Elise came in to visit us from Anchorage, AK, and planned an amazing baby shower with Matt's sister-in-law Marlen. All in all there were about 35 people who came to celebrate the gift of this child's new life. Elise then stayed with us through the week and helped us with setting up, putting together, and cleaning things to get everything ready for when the baby comes.
Two weeks ago we had the opportunity to take a final mini vacation before the lil guy comes. We made our way to Princeton, NJ, visiting Matt's aunt and uncle and then taking a detour home to enjoy the beautiful beach of Cape May and take an unexpected 75 minute ride on a ferry from New Jersey to Delaware. It was such a treat to be on a nearly empty boat as we sailed into the sunset. Though we got home 6 hours later than originally planned, the vacation was a much needed break and allowed us to focus on spending time with each other. We were so thankful for the hospitality given by our family in New Jersey.
We apologize for a poor job on updates regarding Matt's treatment and scans over the summer, but we do thank you for all of your continual prayers, and are constantly uplifted by those of you who have expressed your daily prayers for us. Matt has had 2 major scans in the past few months- one MRI and one PET/CT. This MRI came up negative to any new spots- praise God!! This past PET/CT scan of his whole body showed a decrease in activity level in the cancer in his adrenal gland which was also wonderful as there had been no change in this prognosis since we began treatment last July. The cancer is still scattered in various places (kidney, shoulder, lung, pancreas, and adrenal gland) but is being held almost constant in these areas. Our doctor is opening up more and more and blesses us with his caring smile each time we see him. Today we will go in for Matt's regular treatment and in the upcoming month we will be due for another scan of sorts.
Emotionally, these treatments have been a bit more difficult (probably a little bit of the pregnancy hormones kicking in:) ) so we do continue to ask for your prayers and support as each day is a new day to offer to the Lord. Today's readings were particularly inspiring as we prepare for this treatment...
"Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I complete what is lacking in Christ's afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church." Colossians 1:24
And so we offer this day for you, our prayer team, family and friends . . . the body of Christ!
Thank you for your continual uplifting support.
In Christ's arms of love,
Matt, Lucy and Baby Coles
PS. Gig'em Ags! Our dear friend and neighbor Chris has this new internet thingy (official name) that allows him to get cable from his parents house back in Florida...where the Aggie game happened to be showing. Thus we had the privilege of watching the game and cheering them on (though not in 107 degree weather)! Baby Coles is all set for the big game as Matt's aunt and uncle gave him a set of aggie overalls:)- Whoop!
6-15-07
Dear Friends and Family,
Happy feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary!
It has now been a full liturgical year (Immaculate Heart feast day onSaturday) and almost a full calendar year since our wedding. The Lord is so good!
Much has taken place since our last update. Most recently, we went in for our major sonogram for baby and the doctors ran a full check on all of thebaby's major organs, bones, head, etc. The scan went well and the doctorsmeasured the baby at 22 weeks and 2 days (moving his due date to October 15th). The beauty of Natural Family Planning is that we had alreadypredicted this date based on the day we know the child was conceived. (Itis great to be aware of things like this before the doctor is:) The office we went to had a nifty television set that enabled us to see the wholescan. During the part where the nurse was trying to find the hands, she said "Look, the baby is giving a thumbs up!" and Matt and I looked at each other, smiled and said, "Gig'em!" And last on the subject of baby, he's a boy!
We had a wonderful visit with family and friends both in Mississippi and inTexas, and it was an honor to be able to celebrate Matt's grandparent's 60th wedding anniversary with them. It was a wonderful last trip out of DCuntil Christmas time, but we are looking forward to the many visitors comingour way this summer and fall.We have posted a few pictures from our trip as well as some sonogram pictures of baby. http://familycoles.googlepages.com
Summer in DC has not quite set in, though if you talk to people from this area they may tell you differently. We haven't had a steady week of anythingabove 90 yet, and today the high is 74. It is humorous meeing people whofeel as if they are going to die of heat when the temperature reaches 90 degrees. Our pastor at our church expressed it in the following way: "All of this heat really encourages me to pray that prayer that comes after theGlory Be in the rosary (fatima prayer)...'Oh my Jesus, forgive us our sins and save us from the fires of hell... I can't even bear this heat, and Idefinitely don't want to feel those flames..." But for us Texans, the Lord is being merciful, especially during this pregnancy, by allowing many cool days as a gift.
Lucy has become a veritable super-mom. In addition to carrying around anever growing, kicking boy, she also takes the metro to work each day aftermass. Then after work we both are back home for dinner and (more recently) putting this apartment in order. At work, Lucy's flexible workplace hasbeen very supportive - especially with the pregnancy that calls for doctorsvisits and an occasional short nap in the afternoon. She's more beautiful than ever; and this first year of our marriage has truly been amazing!
Matt, on his part, is done with classes until September. He's continuing towork on his thesis in hopes of graduating with the Licentiate in December. He is also working full time with the research firm in business ethics. Heis certainly staying very busy, but thankfully is able to do most of hiswork from home and also take the occasional nap as needed. He helped me so much as I transitioned from morning sickness to extreme fatigue setting inat 8pm, always knowing what to get me or just allowing me to rest, and whenall else fails finding me a popsicle.
At the beginning of this month we were reflecting on how it has already been a full year since Matt was diagnosed with cancer and we began theseupdates requesting your prayerful intercession. How blessed we have been tohave your support and love over the past year. The cancer currently does not look too much different from a year ago, which is very pleasing to thedoctors. But though the cancer is somewhat at bay, we still go in fortreatment every three weeks and Matt still so diligently takes daily oral treatments. So we continue to ask for your prayers for strength,perseverance, and faith.
This summer we are looking into the possibility of going to Johns Hopkinsfor another opinion on the possibility of removing parts of the tumor from Matt's lung surgically (It currently is not an option to remove it allbecause there are also metastases in his shoulder, adrenal gland, and in thelining of his right lung). So the surgery, if it is possible, would try to lessen the strain on his body when he receives his treatments.
All is in God's hands, and I am thankful for the positive attitude of lovethat Matt contagiously has and gives to others. In our last appointment with our oncologist, we reminded Dr. Smith that it had been a year since thediagnosis and he said, "Yes, and you have many miles to go." We are blessedwith the doctors we have been given, they are truly an example of the medical field living out the call to serve in a very special way.
And so as we look forward to celebrating this first year of marriage, we are daily reminded of Christ's goodness in our lives, especially in the blessing of new life!
And in the times of difficulty, we have been blessed with the opportunity toparticipate in Christ's redemptive Cross. It is the Christian witness ofthe cross that calls us to "rejoice always."
Please add a few close friends to your prayers: Christine and Jacob as theyprepare for their marriage this weekend- that their marriage will overflowwith God's graces; Robyn Gardner as she begins her christian walk with cancer. We know that your flood of prayers will help them greatly.
May the peace and joy of Jesus be with you.
Matt, Lucy and Baby Coles
Happy feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary!
It has now been a full liturgical year (Immaculate Heart feast day onSaturday) and almost a full calendar year since our wedding. The Lord is so good!
Much has taken place since our last update. Most recently, we went in for our major sonogram for baby and the doctors ran a full check on all of thebaby's major organs, bones, head, etc. The scan went well and the doctorsmeasured the baby at 22 weeks and 2 days (moving his due date to October 15th). The beauty of Natural Family Planning is that we had alreadypredicted this date based on the day we know the child was conceived. (Itis great to be aware of things like this before the doctor is:) The office we went to had a nifty television set that enabled us to see the wholescan. During the part where the nurse was trying to find the hands, she said "Look, the baby is giving a thumbs up!" and Matt and I looked at each other, smiled and said, "Gig'em!" And last on the subject of baby, he's a boy!
We had a wonderful visit with family and friends both in Mississippi and inTexas, and it was an honor to be able to celebrate Matt's grandparent's 60th wedding anniversary with them. It was a wonderful last trip out of DCuntil Christmas time, but we are looking forward to the many visitors comingour way this summer and fall.We have posted a few pictures from our trip as well as some sonogram pictures of baby. http://familycoles.googlepages.com
Summer in DC has not quite set in, though if you talk to people from this area they may tell you differently. We haven't had a steady week of anythingabove 90 yet, and today the high is 74. It is humorous meeing people whofeel as if they are going to die of heat when the temperature reaches 90 degrees. Our pastor at our church expressed it in the following way: "All of this heat really encourages me to pray that prayer that comes after theGlory Be in the rosary (fatima prayer)...'Oh my Jesus, forgive us our sins and save us from the fires of hell... I can't even bear this heat, and Idefinitely don't want to feel those flames..." But for us Texans, the Lord is being merciful, especially during this pregnancy, by allowing many cool days as a gift.
Lucy has become a veritable super-mom. In addition to carrying around anever growing, kicking boy, she also takes the metro to work each day aftermass. Then after work we both are back home for dinner and (more recently) putting this apartment in order. At work, Lucy's flexible workplace hasbeen very supportive - especially with the pregnancy that calls for doctorsvisits and an occasional short nap in the afternoon. She's more beautiful than ever; and this first year of our marriage has truly been amazing!
Matt, on his part, is done with classes until September. He's continuing towork on his thesis in hopes of graduating with the Licentiate in December. He is also working full time with the research firm in business ethics. Heis certainly staying very busy, but thankfully is able to do most of hiswork from home and also take the occasional nap as needed. He helped me so much as I transitioned from morning sickness to extreme fatigue setting inat 8pm, always knowing what to get me or just allowing me to rest, and whenall else fails finding me a popsicle.
At the beginning of this month we were reflecting on how it has already been a full year since Matt was diagnosed with cancer and we began theseupdates requesting your prayerful intercession. How blessed we have been tohave your support and love over the past year. The cancer currently does not look too much different from a year ago, which is very pleasing to thedoctors. But though the cancer is somewhat at bay, we still go in fortreatment every three weeks and Matt still so diligently takes daily oral treatments. So we continue to ask for your prayers for strength,perseverance, and faith.
This summer we are looking into the possibility of going to Johns Hopkinsfor another opinion on the possibility of removing parts of the tumor from Matt's lung surgically (It currently is not an option to remove it allbecause there are also metastases in his shoulder, adrenal gland, and in thelining of his right lung). So the surgery, if it is possible, would try to lessen the strain on his body when he receives his treatments.
All is in God's hands, and I am thankful for the positive attitude of lovethat Matt contagiously has and gives to others. In our last appointment with our oncologist, we reminded Dr. Smith that it had been a year since thediagnosis and he said, "Yes, and you have many miles to go." We are blessedwith the doctors we have been given, they are truly an example of the medical field living out the call to serve in a very special way.
And so as we look forward to celebrating this first year of marriage, we are daily reminded of Christ's goodness in our lives, especially in the blessing of new life!
And in the times of difficulty, we have been blessed with the opportunity toparticipate in Christ's redemptive Cross. It is the Christian witness ofthe cross that calls us to "rejoice always."
Please add a few close friends to your prayers: Christine and Jacob as theyprepare for their marriage this weekend- that their marriage will overflowwith God's graces; Robyn Gardner as she begins her christian walk with cancer. We know that your flood of prayers will help them greatly.
May the peace and joy of Jesus be with you.
Matt, Lucy and Baby Coles
3-19-07
Lord, cleanse our hearts and minds this Lent - and lead us closer to you.
Dear Family and Friends,
It has now been a little while since our last update, and we wanted to let you in on what has been taking place in our lives. First, we are thrilled to announce the life of a little one - little baby Coles, who is 9 weeks old and is growing quickly. How good the Lord is, surpassing all expectations!
The little one has been giving his mother a little nausea in the mornings, and doesn't seem to like our normal 3-meals a day eating schedules. But the Little one has a great heartbeat and seems to be doing fine. (We go to see the baby this weekend- our second ultrasound, and he no longer looks like a dot with a flashing spot for his heart, but rather a full lil baby with a flashing spot) We also had the joy of seeing our new niece or nephew who is due in a month on the ultrasound machine this weekend. The baby is SO much bigger than our little one:)
We are blessed again by the sisters Lucy used to live with as they just recently were donated a ultrasound machine (Sr. Dede is a surgeon who has helped us locate all of our wonderful doctors, and now has offered for us to see the baby more often on their new machine- if we are able to get the pictures, we will pass them along for others to see the gradual growth of the baby)
Lucy's lacrosse playing has since been put on the backburner - since she now has another contact sport she's enrolled in. (Motherhood) The people at her job have been wonderfully supportive, making her already exceptional atmosphere even better. Her boss even told her that if she ever needs to, she's welcome to close her office door, turn out the lights and take a nap . She's done an amazing job keeping up with all the work that is needed while still making sure she has enough time to sleep and eat for two. Matt has also done an wonderful job doing most of the cooking and cleaning up afterwards as the smells of food have taken a toll on me, this past week though has been much better and I've been able to keep most of the food down.
Matt's health has been doing well, his doctor asked how he was doing and he said ever since he found out that I was pregnant he has felt much better:) Dr. Smith replied "Your lungs must be happy!" So he does have clear lungs, and his last treatment went well with little side effects. This week he will have 2 big scans- his MRI and CT Scan on Thursday. The MRI will check his brain for the first time since the gamma knife treatment in December, and then the CT will be his normal check up in his chest and abdomen. Please pray for both of these scans this week. Providing everything is ok, we will continue treatments next week. If there is a problem in the brain, we will resume radiation next Wednesday.
I don't know how he manages school, a pregnant wife, work and cancer...but I do know that the Lord has been pouring forth so many visible graces these past few weeks. We are so thankful for everyone who has volunteered to help cook and clean in these first few weeks of pregnancy adjustments, it has been such a relief to the both of us.
In other exciting news, Matt was offered a full time research job with the company he currently does part time work for that is located in New York. They offered the possibility of moving to New York...but our goal is to get back to the south, probably Texas. So with this offer, it raises the possibility of moving back after Matt finishes his classes next May. He would be able to work full time from home as well as receive benefits. We will continue to pray about this option as the details get sorted out, but it is so amazing to see the Lord at work in every crevice of our lives.
Please offer prayers for another family in which the wife has been diagnosed with breast cancer and they also just found out they are pregnant. Their names are Christine and Ryan and they also got married within the year.
We are looking to spring, but winter keeps knocking on the door- we were hit with a little ice storm last weekend which brought back our freezing temps after a wonderful week of 70 degree weather:) Thank you for all of your prayers, and we invite you to include the newest member of the family in your prayers as well.
Happy Feast of St. Joseph!
Joyful in Christ,
Matt and Lucy
Dear Family and Friends,
It has now been a little while since our last update, and we wanted to let you in on what has been taking place in our lives. First, we are thrilled to announce the life of a little one - little baby Coles, who is 9 weeks old and is growing quickly. How good the Lord is, surpassing all expectations!
The little one has been giving his mother a little nausea in the mornings, and doesn't seem to like our normal 3-meals a day eating schedules. But the Little one has a great heartbeat and seems to be doing fine. (We go to see the baby this weekend- our second ultrasound, and he no longer looks like a dot with a flashing spot for his heart, but rather a full lil baby with a flashing spot) We also had the joy of seeing our new niece or nephew who is due in a month on the ultrasound machine this weekend. The baby is SO much bigger than our little one:)
We are blessed again by the sisters Lucy used to live with as they just recently were donated a ultrasound machine (Sr. Dede is a surgeon who has helped us locate all of our wonderful doctors, and now has offered for us to see the baby more often on their new machine- if we are able to get the pictures, we will pass them along for others to see the gradual growth of the baby)
Lucy's lacrosse playing has since been put on the backburner - since she now has another contact sport she's enrolled in. (Motherhood) The people at her job have been wonderfully supportive, making her already exceptional atmosphere even better. Her boss even told her that if she ever needs to, she's welcome to close her office door, turn out the lights and take a nap . She's done an amazing job keeping up with all the work that is needed while still making sure she has enough time to sleep and eat for two. Matt has also done an wonderful job doing most of the cooking and cleaning up afterwards as the smells of food have taken a toll on me, this past week though has been much better and I've been able to keep most of the food down.
Matt's health has been doing well, his doctor asked how he was doing and he said ever since he found out that I was pregnant he has felt much better:) Dr. Smith replied "Your lungs must be happy!" So he does have clear lungs, and his last treatment went well with little side effects. This week he will have 2 big scans- his MRI and CT Scan on Thursday. The MRI will check his brain for the first time since the gamma knife treatment in December, and then the CT will be his normal check up in his chest and abdomen. Please pray for both of these scans this week. Providing everything is ok, we will continue treatments next week. If there is a problem in the brain, we will resume radiation next Wednesday.
I don't know how he manages school, a pregnant wife, work and cancer...but I do know that the Lord has been pouring forth so many visible graces these past few weeks. We are so thankful for everyone who has volunteered to help cook and clean in these first few weeks of pregnancy adjustments, it has been such a relief to the both of us.
In other exciting news, Matt was offered a full time research job with the company he currently does part time work for that is located in New York. They offered the possibility of moving to New York...but our goal is to get back to the south, probably Texas. So with this offer, it raises the possibility of moving back after Matt finishes his classes next May. He would be able to work full time from home as well as receive benefits. We will continue to pray about this option as the details get sorted out, but it is so amazing to see the Lord at work in every crevice of our lives.
Please offer prayers for another family in which the wife has been diagnosed with breast cancer and they also just found out they are pregnant. Their names are Christine and Ryan and they also got married within the year.
We are looking to spring, but winter keeps knocking on the door- we were hit with a little ice storm last weekend which brought back our freezing temps after a wonderful week of 70 degree weather:) Thank you for all of your prayers, and we invite you to include the newest member of the family in your prayers as well.
Happy Feast of St. Joseph!
Joyful in Christ,
Matt and Lucy
2-12-07
Dear Friends and Family,
Let the earth bless the Lord, praise and exalt Him above all forever! (Daniel 3)
The past month has been a whirlwind of events and we apologize for not giving an update on life here in DC. We have had some beautiful snow, a few inches here and there and we even had some sledding adventures on the hill with our niece, nephew and friends.
The month of January brought us both into our 24th year of life and we were blessed to see many family and friends during the month. Matt's sister Elise and her husband Troy made a visit from Alaska on Matt's birthday, and we played games of bocce ball, cranium, and pictionary(The Coles family is big on games-yippee!) Lucy's sister Lindsay also came up to visit us at the beginning of this month, as well as Mark Glorioso and Mark and Sarah Cooper. It was wonderful visiting with them and sharing their joy - What a blessing to have had each of their visits.
The March for Life in Washington was quite remarkable. For those of you who don't know, the march is a gathering of people from all over the U.S. in support of Life - from conception to natural death - and is a peaceful protest against the Roe vs Wade decision that made abortion legal in our country. There were so many people walking up Constitution Ave., even amidst the freezing temps (we had just had our first snowfall the day before)! We ran into several aggies- notably Andy Gutierrez and some of the aggie Franciscan friars.
As far as Matt's cancer, the schedule of treatments has gone back to normal with an IV Avastin treatment every 3 weeks and a daily pill of Tarceva. Both of these drugs are not meant to extinguish the cancer but rather to keep it from growing. We started these back at the beginning of January after he was able to recuperate from the brain radiation treatment. The past two treatments brought about new side effects that we weren't used to, but they are not abnormal for these drugs. If Matt starts coughing or laughing too hard (thanks to some wonderful friends- Randy, Edward, Patrick, Chris:) ) it causes his lungs to bleed from the tumor and he starts coughing up blood. The bleeding is only stopped by being very calm, stopping the laughing, and concentrating on not coughing, as well as taking a nice dose of Vaseline up the nose. Matt is very patient and quick to react when needed.
He has had some pain in his side recently so we have an appointment next week to check that out. So next week we have three appointments, all on Thursday- Dr. Hamm our lung specialist will check on his side, Dr. Smith, our main oncologist will give the normal 3 week treatment, and we also go in for a regular PET scan to check the progress of the cancer (every 6 weeks). The MRI to check the brain for the results from the radiation will be on March 28th. And each day we are reminded of the gift of life and how fragile this gift is through the struggles or little pains the Lord allows us.
Matt has never been one to turn away food, but has found that turkey mixed with his treatments brings about a spout of itchiness...so next Thanksgiving we may stick to our Italian tradition of Lasagna:) He has grown fond of sauerkraut which he has taken to making himself from fresh cabbage- since cancer doesn't seem to like it too much.
Matt has been very busy otherwise with school and turning in his thesis for the Licentiate. He is taking 9 hrs of Philosophy this semester and is really enjoying it. We made a brief and unexpected trip down to Houston for the funeral of Lucy's grandmother on her dad's side. It was a blessing that we were able to go down and be with that side of our family as well as spend some time with Lucy's mom, brother, sister and grandmother. Please pray for Lucy's grandmother and the for rest of the family.
Lucy just finished her work on the conference for the presidents of Catholic colleges this past weekend. It was wonderful seeing all of her hard work (and that of her coworkers) come together, and also to see the positive direction that Catholic universities are taking. She is really enjoying her job at ACCU: she's been able to use her love for art to design brochures and posters and her love for people to bring that Texas joy to everyone around.
Lucy's lacrosse season starts up this weekend with tryouts in 27 degree weather (for those of you who were with her in Minnesota, you know her pain). The league is made up of teams throughout the DC and Baltimore area and they play every weekend through May. She's looking forward to getting out and playing lacrosse even amidst the cold.
Throughout the busyness of this month, we've realized even more so the great need for prayer in every step of life- through daily work, little struggles or difficulties, birthday celebrations, and deaths in the family. God is ever present and He provides such wonderful support through each of you. Thank you for the example each of you are through the lives you lead as parents, priests, sisters, brothers and friends.
May Jesus Christ be praised, now and forever!
Love,
Matt and Lucy
PS This month has been especially blessed by those of you who have relayed to us how your children keep us in their prayers each night, how beautiful the faith of a child:)
Let the earth bless the Lord, praise and exalt Him above all forever! (Daniel 3)
The past month has been a whirlwind of events and we apologize for not giving an update on life here in DC. We have had some beautiful snow, a few inches here and there and we even had some sledding adventures on the hill with our niece, nephew and friends.
The month of January brought us both into our 24th year of life and we were blessed to see many family and friends during the month. Matt's sister Elise and her husband Troy made a visit from Alaska on Matt's birthday, and we played games of bocce ball, cranium, and pictionary(The Coles family is big on games-yippee!) Lucy's sister Lindsay also came up to visit us at the beginning of this month, as well as Mark Glorioso and Mark and Sarah Cooper. It was wonderful visiting with them and sharing their joy - What a blessing to have had each of their visits.
The March for Life in Washington was quite remarkable. For those of you who don't know, the march is a gathering of people from all over the U.S. in support of Life - from conception to natural death - and is a peaceful protest against the Roe vs Wade decision that made abortion legal in our country. There were so many people walking up Constitution Ave., even amidst the freezing temps (we had just had our first snowfall the day before)! We ran into several aggies- notably Andy Gutierrez and some of the aggie Franciscan friars.
As far as Matt's cancer, the schedule of treatments has gone back to normal with an IV Avastin treatment every 3 weeks and a daily pill of Tarceva. Both of these drugs are not meant to extinguish the cancer but rather to keep it from growing. We started these back at the beginning of January after he was able to recuperate from the brain radiation treatment. The past two treatments brought about new side effects that we weren't used to, but they are not abnormal for these drugs. If Matt starts coughing or laughing too hard (thanks to some wonderful friends- Randy, Edward, Patrick, Chris:) ) it causes his lungs to bleed from the tumor and he starts coughing up blood. The bleeding is only stopped by being very calm, stopping the laughing, and concentrating on not coughing, as well as taking a nice dose of Vaseline up the nose. Matt is very patient and quick to react when needed.
He has had some pain in his side recently so we have an appointment next week to check that out. So next week we have three appointments, all on Thursday- Dr. Hamm our lung specialist will check on his side, Dr. Smith, our main oncologist will give the normal 3 week treatment, and we also go in for a regular PET scan to check the progress of the cancer (every 6 weeks). The MRI to check the brain for the results from the radiation will be on March 28th. And each day we are reminded of the gift of life and how fragile this gift is through the struggles or little pains the Lord allows us.
Matt has never been one to turn away food, but has found that turkey mixed with his treatments brings about a spout of itchiness...so next Thanksgiving we may stick to our Italian tradition of Lasagna:) He has grown fond of sauerkraut which he has taken to making himself from fresh cabbage- since cancer doesn't seem to like it too much.
Matt has been very busy otherwise with school and turning in his thesis for the Licentiate. He is taking 9 hrs of Philosophy this semester and is really enjoying it. We made a brief and unexpected trip down to Houston for the funeral of Lucy's grandmother on her dad's side. It was a blessing that we were able to go down and be with that side of our family as well as spend some time with Lucy's mom, brother, sister and grandmother. Please pray for Lucy's grandmother and the for rest of the family.
Lucy just finished her work on the conference for the presidents of Catholic colleges this past weekend. It was wonderful seeing all of her hard work (and that of her coworkers) come together, and also to see the positive direction that Catholic universities are taking. She is really enjoying her job at ACCU: she's been able to use her love for art to design brochures and posters and her love for people to bring that Texas joy to everyone around.
Lucy's lacrosse season starts up this weekend with tryouts in 27 degree weather (for those of you who were with her in Minnesota, you know her pain). The league is made up of teams throughout the DC and Baltimore area and they play every weekend through May. She's looking forward to getting out and playing lacrosse even amidst the cold.
Throughout the busyness of this month, we've realized even more so the great need for prayer in every step of life- through daily work, little struggles or difficulties, birthday celebrations, and deaths in the family. God is ever present and He provides such wonderful support through each of you. Thank you for the example each of you are through the lives you lead as parents, priests, sisters, brothers and friends.
May Jesus Christ be praised, now and forever!
Love,
Matt and Lucy
PS This month has been especially blessed by those of you who have relayed to us how your children keep us in their prayers each night, how beautiful the faith of a child:)
12-13-06
For all those united in prayer,
Thank you very much for your support during Matt's procedure yesterday. We arrived very early in the morning and Matt was able to have his MRI done early, so the physicist, neurosurgeon and radiation oncologist were able to begin calculations of the angles and dosage of the radiation.
Andy (Matt's brother) and my mom (who flew up for the day) were able to be there with us- our blessings never stop coming!
Before this whole process Matt was put into a titanium frame that was screwed into his skull so that all the measurements could be precise and so he wouldn't move his head during the actual procedure. He was awake through the whole thing, and we were able to watch the whole process (my mom and I are a bit queasy with these needles and screws, but the Lord held us up to watch...it is amazing how Mary was able to watch as Jesus suffered so much). They treated Matt on his back lesion (right cerebellum region) and we will go in again next week on Tuesday so that the second lesion can be treated. The instrument they used was limited in such a way that two separate treatments are needed - one for each tumor.
For those who are looking forward to the Frankenstein pictures...we have some good ones that will be posted in the future. Matt is recovering well and resting up today. He has one more final tomorrow and then back to the resting. He is able to drive and all that jazz, and his wounds in the head are healing nicely (it is amazing how quickly the body heals).
Thank you again, and please pray for the next treatment on Tuesday.
We are close to you in Christ's love,
M&L
Thank you very much for your support during Matt's procedure yesterday. We arrived very early in the morning and Matt was able to have his MRI done early, so the physicist, neurosurgeon and radiation oncologist were able to begin calculations of the angles and dosage of the radiation.
Andy (Matt's brother) and my mom (who flew up for the day) were able to be there with us- our blessings never stop coming!
Before this whole process Matt was put into a titanium frame that was screwed into his skull so that all the measurements could be precise and so he wouldn't move his head during the actual procedure. He was awake through the whole thing, and we were able to watch the whole process (my mom and I are a bit queasy with these needles and screws, but the Lord held us up to watch...it is amazing how Mary was able to watch as Jesus suffered so much). They treated Matt on his back lesion (right cerebellum region) and we will go in again next week on Tuesday so that the second lesion can be treated. The instrument they used was limited in such a way that two separate treatments are needed - one for each tumor.
For those who are looking forward to the Frankenstein pictures...we have some good ones that will be posted in the future. Matt is recovering well and resting up today. He has one more final tomorrow and then back to the resting. He is able to drive and all that jazz, and his wounds in the head are healing nicely (it is amazing how quickly the body heals).
Thank you again, and please pray for the next treatment on Tuesday.
We are close to you in Christ's love,
M&L
11-22-06
Dear Friends and Family,
As we prepare for Thanksgiving, how much we have to be thankful for!
Matt is rounding out the 1st semester of the school year finishing papers and preparing for finals. It has been such a blessing to us that he has been able to continue his studies through the treatments and do well in all of his classes. I have started the new job which has been an adjustment, but already packed with some great projects. I was most concerned about meeting other people my age because the USCCB had such a wonderful group, but not to fear:) God provided a wonderful woman the 3rd day on the job- He always takes such good care of us!
Along with school and work, the youth group at our church has kicked off and has been such a blast! The majority of the kids we have thus far are in junior high, not shy, and are in need of love. We meet twice a month currently, and depending on the interest level, we may change this in time. We have 6 volunteers (3 ags:)) who are all so willing to share their love with these kids. Our next big event is cutting down Christmas trees at the tree farms up in Northern Maryland to go in the church (this city girl can't wait to do this)! Please pray for the youth in the group as we try to guide them closer and closer to Christ.
For thanksgiving, we are blessed with the opportunity to go to New jersey and have dinner with Matt's Mom, aunt and uncle and fam. It will be a new place for all of us to celebrate this day!
Matt had a scan last Thursday which came up with the following results: The main tumor is "stable" which means it has neither grown nor spread elsewhere since the last scan. The adrenal gland, which the doctors have been keeping an eye on, looked more benign than they had previously thought- which was positive. They would not know for sure unless they did a biopsy which they don't want to do right now. He said he could also tell more from a PET scan (which Matt will have in about 6 more weeks). they did not give dimesions on the tumor this time, so we are unsure of any specifics.
Yesterday Matt had a treatment which was the regular IV Avastin that is given every 3 weeks, there were no problems with the treatment...and for the first time I watched the nurse stick the needle all the way in Matt (big steps!) We asked Doctor Smith how long this particular cycle of treatments would last, and he said indefinitely :) So we will keep praying for healing! Matt will have an MRI this weekend because he has been having pains in his head and neck, Dr. Smith was not too concerned, but there is a possibility for bleeding with Avastin, so he wanted to be sure nothing is going on up there.
I had a truly blessed opportunity to go on retreat this past weekend on a Charismatic Women's Retreat offered by the Mother of God community up in NW Maryland. I met so many wonderful women that helped me see through their suffering the true suffering of the Body of Christ, and how we are all brought closer to Christ as we take part in His suffering, it was such a gift to be able to pray with these beautiful women.
We are so thankful this thanksgiving for the most prayerful Body of Christ, you give us strength, perseverance and love.
We continue to ask for your prayers for healing with a truly expectant heart- Blessed be the Lord Now and Forever!
If you have any prayer requests we can offer our trials for, please let us know!
In humble thanksgiving,
Matt and Lucy
As we prepare for Thanksgiving, how much we have to be thankful for!
Matt is rounding out the 1st semester of the school year finishing papers and preparing for finals. It has been such a blessing to us that he has been able to continue his studies through the treatments and do well in all of his classes. I have started the new job which has been an adjustment, but already packed with some great projects. I was most concerned about meeting other people my age because the USCCB had such a wonderful group, but not to fear:) God provided a wonderful woman the 3rd day on the job- He always takes such good care of us!
Along with school and work, the youth group at our church has kicked off and has been such a blast! The majority of the kids we have thus far are in junior high, not shy, and are in need of love. We meet twice a month currently, and depending on the interest level, we may change this in time. We have 6 volunteers (3 ags:)) who are all so willing to share their love with these kids. Our next big event is cutting down Christmas trees at the tree farms up in Northern Maryland to go in the church (this city girl can't wait to do this)! Please pray for the youth in the group as we try to guide them closer and closer to Christ.
For thanksgiving, we are blessed with the opportunity to go to New jersey and have dinner with Matt's Mom, aunt and uncle and fam. It will be a new place for all of us to celebrate this day!
Matt had a scan last Thursday which came up with the following results: The main tumor is "stable" which means it has neither grown nor spread elsewhere since the last scan. The adrenal gland, which the doctors have been keeping an eye on, looked more benign than they had previously thought- which was positive. They would not know for sure unless they did a biopsy which they don't want to do right now. He said he could also tell more from a PET scan (which Matt will have in about 6 more weeks). they did not give dimesions on the tumor this time, so we are unsure of any specifics.
Yesterday Matt had a treatment which was the regular IV Avastin that is given every 3 weeks, there were no problems with the treatment...and for the first time I watched the nurse stick the needle all the way in Matt (big steps!) We asked Doctor Smith how long this particular cycle of treatments would last, and he said indefinitely :) So we will keep praying for healing! Matt will have an MRI this weekend because he has been having pains in his head and neck, Dr. Smith was not too concerned, but there is a possibility for bleeding with Avastin, so he wanted to be sure nothing is going on up there.
I had a truly blessed opportunity to go on retreat this past weekend on a Charismatic Women's Retreat offered by the Mother of God community up in NW Maryland. I met so many wonderful women that helped me see through their suffering the true suffering of the Body of Christ, and how we are all brought closer to Christ as we take part in His suffering, it was such a gift to be able to pray with these beautiful women.
We are so thankful this thanksgiving for the most prayerful Body of Christ, you give us strength, perseverance and love.
We continue to ask for your prayers for healing with a truly expectant heart- Blessed be the Lord Now and Forever!
If you have any prayer requests we can offer our trials for, please let us know!
In humble thanksgiving,
Matt and Lucy
10-12-06
Dear Friends and Family,
Mary Immaculate, pray for us! WHOOP! (the aggies won)
We had a blessed time down in the great state of Texas with the opportunity to visit relatives, friends and relax. It was wonderful to again be able to see the full sky line without buildings in the way:) The peaceful sunset and sunrise was wonderful, and it was such a treat to have the opportunity to thank many of you who have been praying for us. Thank you again to the Mechlers for their hospitality.
As we arrived at the airport in Houston we received some great news from our Doctor that the chemotherapy was finished for now. The results from the scan show a decrease in activity in the main tumor, no further activity in the lining of the lung (which previously had several nodules of cancerous cells), no new activity in Matt's body, but still some activity in the adrenal gland (which was apparent last time, but not as much of a concern as long as it stayed localized, which it has- depending on the progress in a few months, there could be a possible surgery to remove his right adrenal gland which is located above the kidney). So from these results we are able to move to the next part of the study and the next part of the treatment.
This will include an IV every two weeks with the drug Avastin (which was one of the 3 drugs he has been taking with the full chemo treatment) and Tarceva which is a pill that will be taken daily (or a placebo). Though Dr. Smith said there could be immediate benefits to continuing the chemotherapy right now, he said in the long run it would continue to wear on Matt and make him less capable of taking the new treatments, thus this is a little break for Matt and an opportunity to try these news drugs. New Side Effects: Avastin (still nosebleeds and high blood pressure)Tarceva (rash- Dr. Smith it was kinda like acne in the sense that it is more annoying than painful)We began this new cycle today and will continue as long as it is working. Matt's overall health is pretty top notch, plateaued off in weight at 205 (WHOOP!) which means he gained 23 pounds on chemo...his nurses just laugh:)
We truly wish everyone could experience the beauty of the season Fall. The colors of the leaves, the falling leaves brought on by the gusts of wind, the cool weather- we brought some leaves back for my mom's second grade class and they didn't believe that they were real:) I will begin the new job shortly on the feast of all souls (Nov. 2nd-and Mom's birthday), but until then we are ever busy and loving the youth group start up activities.
Thank you so much for all of your prayers, especially on those most difficult days, we are encouraged and strengthened by your perseverance in prayer.
St. Teresa of Avila, pray for us!
Matt and Lucy
Mary Immaculate, pray for us! WHOOP! (the aggies won)
We had a blessed time down in the great state of Texas with the opportunity to visit relatives, friends and relax. It was wonderful to again be able to see the full sky line without buildings in the way:) The peaceful sunset and sunrise was wonderful, and it was such a treat to have the opportunity to thank many of you who have been praying for us. Thank you again to the Mechlers for their hospitality.
As we arrived at the airport in Houston we received some great news from our Doctor that the chemotherapy was finished for now. The results from the scan show a decrease in activity in the main tumor, no further activity in the lining of the lung (which previously had several nodules of cancerous cells), no new activity in Matt's body, but still some activity in the adrenal gland (which was apparent last time, but not as much of a concern as long as it stayed localized, which it has- depending on the progress in a few months, there could be a possible surgery to remove his right adrenal gland which is located above the kidney). So from these results we are able to move to the next part of the study and the next part of the treatment.
This will include an IV every two weeks with the drug Avastin (which was one of the 3 drugs he has been taking with the full chemo treatment) and Tarceva which is a pill that will be taken daily (or a placebo). Though Dr. Smith said there could be immediate benefits to continuing the chemotherapy right now, he said in the long run it would continue to wear on Matt and make him less capable of taking the new treatments, thus this is a little break for Matt and an opportunity to try these news drugs. New Side Effects: Avastin (still nosebleeds and high blood pressure)Tarceva (rash- Dr. Smith it was kinda like acne in the sense that it is more annoying than painful)We began this new cycle today and will continue as long as it is working. Matt's overall health is pretty top notch, plateaued off in weight at 205 (WHOOP!) which means he gained 23 pounds on chemo...his nurses just laugh:)
We truly wish everyone could experience the beauty of the season Fall. The colors of the leaves, the falling leaves brought on by the gusts of wind, the cool weather- we brought some leaves back for my mom's second grade class and they didn't believe that they were real:) I will begin the new job shortly on the feast of all souls (Nov. 2nd-and Mom's birthday), but until then we are ever busy and loving the youth group start up activities.
Thank you so much for all of your prayers, especially on those most difficult days, we are encouraged and strengthened by your perseverance in prayer.
St. Teresa of Avila, pray for us!
Matt and Lucy
9-14-06
Dear Friends and Family,
Week three has approached us again! Matt will begin treatment number 4 tomorrow afternoon, we ask for your prayers. He has not had to have any scans this time which is a blessing, but we expect a full body scan after this coming treatment. Thank you for your continual prayers!
May we continue to find life through Christ on this feast of the Exaltation of the Cross!
In His love,
Matt and Lucy
Week three has approached us again! Matt will begin treatment number 4 tomorrow afternoon, we ask for your prayers. He has not had to have any scans this time which is a blessing, but we expect a full body scan after this coming treatment. Thank you for your continual prayers!
May we continue to find life through Christ on this feast of the Exaltation of the Cross!
In His love,
Matt and Lucy
8-30-06
Dear Friends and Family,
Praise and thanks to God!! We have had a whirlwind of events this past week, all with a of hint of His graces! Matt started off last week with a CT scan on Wednesday and finished off the week with Chemo #3 on Friday afternoon. We received very uplifting results on Friday as his scans came back in. Lungster has decreased by 1 cm in each direction after only 2 treatments, what a blessing! All of his blood work again came back positive and healthy, his weight was consistent and no allergic reactions this time around. When mentioning to his doctor his efforts to maintain and not gain weight this time, he was told not to stop eating and continue to try to gain because he may gradually lose his desire to eat (he was very happy to hear this because our Heavenly Homemade Ice Creams make his tummy happy:) )
Matt started back school this week with a full load of classes, luckily he only has one class on MTR, though he has already found them intense- we are thankful he will have the opportunity to continue to study. The side effects have been consistent with previous treatments (except he has found a way to keep his taste buds the whole time now:) ) still tired and achy this first week. Even through all of this he has still managed to beat me in tennis... By chance my dad had a last minute meeting up here in DC, so he has been able to spend time and make us laugh this week as we relax:) We are filled with a since of gratitude that we pray we will continue to have with all God has given us. It is easy, even during this time to get caught up in the little nit picky things that aren't as important as loving one another and others, thank you to all who have been encouraging and truly shown us the importance of love. I was taken aback this week when talking to a close friend; I asked for her prayer requests and she responded that she didn't know and it caught her off guard. I asked her why and she said because her automatic response to that question is always "Matt and Lucy"- how selfless and loving. Thank you for all of your prayers.
Among our other good news for the week, we found out that we will have a new niece or nephew in the next nine months (and one next month too:) )
Blessed be the Lord!
May we continually be drawn to the love of Christ,
Matt and Lucy
Praise and thanks to God!! We have had a whirlwind of events this past week, all with a of hint of His graces! Matt started off last week with a CT scan on Wednesday and finished off the week with Chemo #3 on Friday afternoon. We received very uplifting results on Friday as his scans came back in. Lungster has decreased by 1 cm in each direction after only 2 treatments, what a blessing! All of his blood work again came back positive and healthy, his weight was consistent and no allergic reactions this time around. When mentioning to his doctor his efforts to maintain and not gain weight this time, he was told not to stop eating and continue to try to gain because he may gradually lose his desire to eat (he was very happy to hear this because our Heavenly Homemade Ice Creams make his tummy happy:) )
Matt started back school this week with a full load of classes, luckily he only has one class on MTR, though he has already found them intense- we are thankful he will have the opportunity to continue to study. The side effects have been consistent with previous treatments (except he has found a way to keep his taste buds the whole time now:) ) still tired and achy this first week. Even through all of this he has still managed to beat me in tennis... By chance my dad had a last minute meeting up here in DC, so he has been able to spend time and make us laugh this week as we relax:) We are filled with a since of gratitude that we pray we will continue to have with all God has given us. It is easy, even during this time to get caught up in the little nit picky things that aren't as important as loving one another and others, thank you to all who have been encouraging and truly shown us the importance of love. I was taken aback this week when talking to a close friend; I asked for her prayer requests and she responded that she didn't know and it caught her off guard. I asked her why and she said because her automatic response to that question is always "Matt and Lucy"- how selfless and loving. Thank you for all of your prayers.
Among our other good news for the week, we found out that we will have a new niece or nephew in the next nine months (and one next month too:) )
Blessed be the Lord!
May we continually be drawn to the love of Christ,
Matt and Lucy
8-11-06
Dear Family and Friends,
Praise to the Lord! We have finished up the second round of chemo and have been truly blessed by the results thus far. Though Matt will not have any type of official scans until after his third treatment, the doctor said he is breathing well and he looks good:) He did undergo a chest x-ray before the 2nd treatment which revealed the fact that his previous surgery and pleurodesis was a success and he didn't have any other fluid build up in his lung. As for his overall health going into this second treatment, all of his blood work came back either average or above normal. His white blood cell count was actually above normal (which is helpful in fending on illnesses). As he weighed in for his vitals, he gained an incredible amount of weight (I'll let you guess and will put the answer at the bottom of the email:) ), and we are very thankful for our very own homemade ice cream we receive weekly from the girls at the Casa Sacra Couri where I used to live. Their newest invention is Chocotherapy which is a very rich chocolate ice cream (made to accompany chemotherapy).
Thankfully the actual treatment went very well and a little quicker this time. Matt still had a slight allergic reaction, but since we were aware of the possibility, we were able to ask the nurse to slow it down much quicker. His nausea improved and his nose bleeds have decreased ever since Dr. Smith gave us the tip of sticking Vaseline up your nose to keep it moist (eeek!) We've kept up the exercise routine, and got back on schedule yesterday, after a few days of weakness. Matt is still the tennis champ and still keeps me on my toes.
Thank you all for your continued prayers, we are thankful each day for the gift of life we have to share with each other and with others- we are truly blessed!
We have posted a few of Matt's new hair do pictures on the website- I think he has a nice head:) He likes being intimidating:) ( http://familycoles.googlepages.com) Peace to you all, May the blessings of Christ surround you! And the grand total of weight gain in 3 weeks is....17 pounds!
Peace through the love of the Sacred Hearts,
Matt and Lucy
Praise to the Lord! We have finished up the second round of chemo and have been truly blessed by the results thus far. Though Matt will not have any type of official scans until after his third treatment, the doctor said he is breathing well and he looks good:) He did undergo a chest x-ray before the 2nd treatment which revealed the fact that his previous surgery and pleurodesis was a success and he didn't have any other fluid build up in his lung. As for his overall health going into this second treatment, all of his blood work came back either average or above normal. His white blood cell count was actually above normal (which is helpful in fending on illnesses). As he weighed in for his vitals, he gained an incredible amount of weight (I'll let you guess and will put the answer at the bottom of the email:) ), and we are very thankful for our very own homemade ice cream we receive weekly from the girls at the Casa Sacra Couri where I used to live. Their newest invention is Chocotherapy which is a very rich chocolate ice cream (made to accompany chemotherapy).
Thankfully the actual treatment went very well and a little quicker this time. Matt still had a slight allergic reaction, but since we were aware of the possibility, we were able to ask the nurse to slow it down much quicker. His nausea improved and his nose bleeds have decreased ever since Dr. Smith gave us the tip of sticking Vaseline up your nose to keep it moist (eeek!) We've kept up the exercise routine, and got back on schedule yesterday, after a few days of weakness. Matt is still the tennis champ and still keeps me on my toes.
Thank you all for your continued prayers, we are thankful each day for the gift of life we have to share with each other and with others- we are truly blessed!
We have posted a few of Matt's new hair do pictures on the website- I think he has a nice head:) He likes being intimidating:) ( http://familycoles.googlepages.com) Peace to you all, May the blessings of Christ surround you! And the grand total of weight gain in 3 weeks is....17 pounds!
Peace through the love of the Sacred Hearts,
Matt and Lucy
8-3-06
Dear Friends and Family,
Praise to the Lord, now and forever! Please pray for Matt as he will undergo his second chemotherapy session tomorrow afternoon here in DC. His side effects from the last treatment have mostly subsided. Occasionally he has a nose bleed, and has begun to lose some hair (so we shaved his head:)) but besides that he has regained his sense of taste, and kept a steady appetite. We have been able to keep up our normal routine, and about once a week Matt enjoys a pleasant skate back to the apartment from school (about 25 minutes), so needless to say he has more energy than some of us have without lung cancer:)
My mom has come to spend the weekend with us, so she will have the opportunity to join us in the treatment room as well as help out over the next few days. We have been blessed to have a steady supply of homemade ice cream from my old roommates to soothe Matt's throat and my tummy . And each day we are filled with gratitude for all of those who know us and are praying for us, as well as those who have never met us and are praying for us. Thank you. We will post, on the website, some post-chemo pictures of Matt and his new hairdo after the weekend is over:)
Thank you for all of your prayers, notes and thoughtful gestures.
May His peace be abundant,
Matt and Lucy
Praise to the Lord, now and forever! Please pray for Matt as he will undergo his second chemotherapy session tomorrow afternoon here in DC. His side effects from the last treatment have mostly subsided. Occasionally he has a nose bleed, and has begun to lose some hair (so we shaved his head:)) but besides that he has regained his sense of taste, and kept a steady appetite. We have been able to keep up our normal routine, and about once a week Matt enjoys a pleasant skate back to the apartment from school (about 25 minutes), so needless to say he has more energy than some of us have without lung cancer:)
My mom has come to spend the weekend with us, so she will have the opportunity to join us in the treatment room as well as help out over the next few days. We have been blessed to have a steady supply of homemade ice cream from my old roommates to soothe Matt's throat and my tummy . And each day we are filled with gratitude for all of those who know us and are praying for us, as well as those who have never met us and are praying for us. Thank you. We will post, on the website, some post-chemo pictures of Matt and his new hairdo after the weekend is over:)
Thank you for all of your prayers, notes and thoughtful gestures.
May His peace be abundant,
Matt and Lucy
7-19-06
Dear Friends and Family,
Washington DC is truly making us feel at home with expected temperatures in the 90s-100s this week and the warm welcoming, all encompassing humidity that meets you as you exit the front door. We finished our first round of chemotherapy and now have a short break from doctors for three weeks until Matt's next appointment on August 4th. Of course the appointments and Friday did not go quite as expected, but that's what keeps our lives so exciting!
We were scheduled to begin chemo at 1pm, but at 12:30 pm we found out that Matt needed another CT Scan across town. Needless to say, after our tests were finished it was 5pm and Dr. Smith, our wonderful oncologist agreed to let us continue as planned and begin the treatment. We began close to 5:45pm. The office we were in has a very nice set up of a community of chairs in a big room with big windows, blankets and pillows. Matt was instructed to sit in one of the chairs and I was able to sit next to him (there were only 3 people in the whole room of over 40 chairs since it was so late). The process of chemo is as follows: Matt sits in these comfy chairs and has an IV started in his arm. First he is given saline fluids to clean out the IV and hydrate him. Following this are the 3 bags of chemicals/drugs that are also run through the IV. Depending on the drug, the bag will empty at a faster or slower rate. This session was due to take 3-4 hours. Matt did very well with the treatment, he had a slight allergic reaction to the first drug (Taxatere) which is naturally made and the nurse said many people react to it. She gave him a dose of Benedryl which cooled him down, enabled him to breathe normally again, and turned his bright red face back to normal color:) After this she re-administered the drug and continued with the rest of the treatment, which was a success. During this time we met a wonderful lady named Mary who was receiving Bone treatment (when you receive chemo it attacks your bone marrow which weakens them) she had been diagnosed with breast cancer at 39 and is now 57. She had come over to give encouragement to us, and then out of the blue started talking about her friend who just became a Dominican in South Africa and was looking for assurance and support in her vocation. We gave her some encouragement with certain flourishing orders in the US- she was thrilled! (Amazing how we were able to encourage one another in God' s perfect plan!) The treatment ended at 9:30pm. Matt was able to eat dinner during the whole thing...no worries about his appetite thus far:)
Side Effects: Matt has experienced a few side effects, but has overall been going strong. He says he feels like he ate some bad potato salad all the time, but not bad enough to throw up (he knows from experience). He is also much more sensitive to the sun, since he is already fair skinned, he burns much quicker (even in these past 3 days). Other side effects include cold sweats normally at night, achy-ness, bloody noses and loss of taste. And now he even has an excuse for forgetting peoples names and being confused:)- its a side effect:) He should expect to lose his hair sometime next week, we will probably give it a shave before hand. Matt was getting a little overwhelmed by the side effects, he said he has never had so many ways at one time to offer up prayers for people:)
In conclusion, as Matt says with a laugh, "Lucy you have a husband that is confused, sweaty and will have dry mangy hair...and then no hair at all, how do you feel about this?" I'm glad we can both laugh about it:) (the mangy hair is a quote from our wonderful nurse Ellen who administered the chemo and was trying to describe what his hair would look like in a few weeks) We are both back at work, and Matt is steadily working on his thesis- what a blessing for both of us to be able to continue to work and give glory to God through this work. We are very thankful for all of your prayers, and for those who have helped in other ways, especially in the preparing of meals for us. For those who have asked for our prayers- thank you so much for the opportunity to offer up some of our struggles for you, and be assured of our prayers.
Through the love of the Sacred Hearts,
Matt and Lucy
Washington DC is truly making us feel at home with expected temperatures in the 90s-100s this week and the warm welcoming, all encompassing humidity that meets you as you exit the front door. We finished our first round of chemotherapy and now have a short break from doctors for three weeks until Matt's next appointment on August 4th. Of course the appointments and Friday did not go quite as expected, but that's what keeps our lives so exciting!
We were scheduled to begin chemo at 1pm, but at 12:30 pm we found out that Matt needed another CT Scan across town. Needless to say, after our tests were finished it was 5pm and Dr. Smith, our wonderful oncologist agreed to let us continue as planned and begin the treatment. We began close to 5:45pm. The office we were in has a very nice set up of a community of chairs in a big room with big windows, blankets and pillows. Matt was instructed to sit in one of the chairs and I was able to sit next to him (there were only 3 people in the whole room of over 40 chairs since it was so late). The process of chemo is as follows: Matt sits in these comfy chairs and has an IV started in his arm. First he is given saline fluids to clean out the IV and hydrate him. Following this are the 3 bags of chemicals/drugs that are also run through the IV. Depending on the drug, the bag will empty at a faster or slower rate. This session was due to take 3-4 hours. Matt did very well with the treatment, he had a slight allergic reaction to the first drug (Taxatere) which is naturally made and the nurse said many people react to it. She gave him a dose of Benedryl which cooled him down, enabled him to breathe normally again, and turned his bright red face back to normal color:) After this she re-administered the drug and continued with the rest of the treatment, which was a success. During this time we met a wonderful lady named Mary who was receiving Bone treatment (when you receive chemo it attacks your bone marrow which weakens them) she had been diagnosed with breast cancer at 39 and is now 57. She had come over to give encouragement to us, and then out of the blue started talking about her friend who just became a Dominican in South Africa and was looking for assurance and support in her vocation. We gave her some encouragement with certain flourishing orders in the US- she was thrilled! (Amazing how we were able to encourage one another in God' s perfect plan!) The treatment ended at 9:30pm. Matt was able to eat dinner during the whole thing...no worries about his appetite thus far:)
Side Effects: Matt has experienced a few side effects, but has overall been going strong. He says he feels like he ate some bad potato salad all the time, but not bad enough to throw up (he knows from experience). He is also much more sensitive to the sun, since he is already fair skinned, he burns much quicker (even in these past 3 days). Other side effects include cold sweats normally at night, achy-ness, bloody noses and loss of taste. And now he even has an excuse for forgetting peoples names and being confused:)- its a side effect:) He should expect to lose his hair sometime next week, we will probably give it a shave before hand. Matt was getting a little overwhelmed by the side effects, he said he has never had so many ways at one time to offer up prayers for people:)
In conclusion, as Matt says with a laugh, "Lucy you have a husband that is confused, sweaty and will have dry mangy hair...and then no hair at all, how do you feel about this?" I'm glad we can both laugh about it:) (the mangy hair is a quote from our wonderful nurse Ellen who administered the chemo and was trying to describe what his hair would look like in a few weeks) We are both back at work, and Matt is steadily working on his thesis- what a blessing for both of us to be able to continue to work and give glory to God through this work. We are very thankful for all of your prayers, and for those who have helped in other ways, especially in the preparing of meals for us. For those who have asked for our prayers- thank you so much for the opportunity to offer up some of our struggles for you, and be assured of our prayers.
Through the love of the Sacred Hearts,
Matt and Lucy
7-13-06
Dear Friends and Family,
We are back in DC and getting settled and organized as we prepare to begin Matt's treatments. The following are the results that have come back in since the past update:
The surgery at MD Anderson went as planned with no complications. The doctors discussed the results and again said Matt was an unusual case, and that all of the samples they found tested positive with a diagnosis of lung cancer. The pleurodesis (the attaching of Matt's inner and outer lining of the lung) has been successful thus far with no sign of fluid coming back in the area that was closed together. Matt said he feels funny breathing at times, but he's been playing his lung exercise game and has continued to beat it. Last night he told me they needed to make these machines bigger so he could make it go past the 4000 mark:) (He likes to say he gets 4000 bonus points every time he reaches the top:) ). His side healed well from the two incisions that he had, and just yesterday the nurse was able to take out the stitches which relieved Matt of the irritation they were causing. He is no longer in very much pain, still a little sore but working towards more exercise.
Yesterday we talked to Doctor Fred Smith, who was the oncologist we originally met with here in DC, and discussed the plans for treatment. We will begin chemotherapy tomorrow afternoon and continue with it for 4-6 cycles. Each cycle lasts for 3 weeks, so every three weeks Matt will receive about 3 hrs of chemo. I was a little lost as to what chemo was, so for those who aren't as familiar (and we should have an even better idea tomorrow) Matt should have an IV in that will infuse several different types of drugs in at one time in a concentrated amount. Dr. Smith said he could walk around, work on the computer, read, play games etc while he is there receiving the treatment. He will be given medication for nausea as well, so hopefully that side effect will be subsided. Other common side effects are mouth sores, rashes at the infusion spot, fatigue, appetite loss. People have also asked about radiation and where that plays in; radiation would be used if the cancer becomes more localized rather than spread throughout the lung. Chemotherapy has the ability to reach throughout the body and affect a larger population of cells more effectively. In the future radiation may be an option, but not at this point. We are very excited to be working with Dr. Smith, he is an exceptional doctor and person. As we were leaving his office we ran into two Missionaries of Charity (Blessed Mother Teresa's order) and asked them where they lived and what they were doing there. One of them (Sr. Josina) has bladder cancer and is also being treated by Dr. Smith- praise the Lord! So you could keep her in your prayers as well.
Somebody commented on our perseverance and faith and how strong we are, but honestly our strength comes from the Lord and the prayers and sacrifices that so many of you are offering. Each day we truly feel the strength of the Body of Christ- what a blessing the Lord has given us! thank you very much.
We've been compiling some of the wedding pictures onto a rough website, please take a look when you have a chance: http://familycoles.googlepages.com/ Through the love of the Sacred Heart,Matt and Lucy "Without cost you have received, without cost you are to give." Matt 10:8PS- this is our new email address as well:)
We are back in DC and getting settled and organized as we prepare to begin Matt's treatments. The following are the results that have come back in since the past update:
The surgery at MD Anderson went as planned with no complications. The doctors discussed the results and again said Matt was an unusual case, and that all of the samples they found tested positive with a diagnosis of lung cancer. The pleurodesis (the attaching of Matt's inner and outer lining of the lung) has been successful thus far with no sign of fluid coming back in the area that was closed together. Matt said he feels funny breathing at times, but he's been playing his lung exercise game and has continued to beat it. Last night he told me they needed to make these machines bigger so he could make it go past the 4000 mark:) (He likes to say he gets 4000 bonus points every time he reaches the top:) ). His side healed well from the two incisions that he had, and just yesterday the nurse was able to take out the stitches which relieved Matt of the irritation they were causing. He is no longer in very much pain, still a little sore but working towards more exercise.
Yesterday we talked to Doctor Fred Smith, who was the oncologist we originally met with here in DC, and discussed the plans for treatment. We will begin chemotherapy tomorrow afternoon and continue with it for 4-6 cycles. Each cycle lasts for 3 weeks, so every three weeks Matt will receive about 3 hrs of chemo. I was a little lost as to what chemo was, so for those who aren't as familiar (and we should have an even better idea tomorrow) Matt should have an IV in that will infuse several different types of drugs in at one time in a concentrated amount. Dr. Smith said he could walk around, work on the computer, read, play games etc while he is there receiving the treatment. He will be given medication for nausea as well, so hopefully that side effect will be subsided. Other common side effects are mouth sores, rashes at the infusion spot, fatigue, appetite loss. People have also asked about radiation and where that plays in; radiation would be used if the cancer becomes more localized rather than spread throughout the lung. Chemotherapy has the ability to reach throughout the body and affect a larger population of cells more effectively. In the future radiation may be an option, but not at this point. We are very excited to be working with Dr. Smith, he is an exceptional doctor and person. As we were leaving his office we ran into two Missionaries of Charity (Blessed Mother Teresa's order) and asked them where they lived and what they were doing there. One of them (Sr. Josina) has bladder cancer and is also being treated by Dr. Smith- praise the Lord! So you could keep her in your prayers as well.
Somebody commented on our perseverance and faith and how strong we are, but honestly our strength comes from the Lord and the prayers and sacrifices that so many of you are offering. Each day we truly feel the strength of the Body of Christ- what a blessing the Lord has given us! thank you very much.
We've been compiling some of the wedding pictures onto a rough website, please take a look when you have a chance: http://familycoles.googlepages.com/ Through the love of the Sacred Heart,Matt and Lucy "Without cost you have received, without cost you are to give." Matt 10:8PS- this is our new email address as well:)
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