Hi everyone,
It is with a mixture of numbing and overwhelming sadness coupled almost with disbelief that I write this blog. My best freind and the love of my life has gone to be with our God on Wednesday morning May 9th at 3.40am. Sonja did everything possible to "fight a great fight". To say that I am proud of her would be completely inadequate and an understatement beyond measure. She is without doubt the most courageous and faith filled person I have ever known.
I have no answers as to why this has happened this way, but I do know that Sonja and our family could not have walked this very tough road without the strength and love of God. It makes no sense at all to any of us to have this outcome come to pass, so don't look to me for an explanation as I am as lost as anyone, if not more so. But I do know where Sonja is and that is enough for me right now.
My family and I again want to thank all of you who have supported us on this journey - which we all know didn't have the great ending we had in mind.
We would appreciate prayer for:
Strength for us as a family to accept what has happened and stay true to the faith in God that Sonja so strongly displayed.
Supernatural peace to surround us all - especially our three children (Aimee, Rachel & Timothy) along with Kane, Aimee's husband. Also Roel & Anneke (Sonja's parents), along with Paul & Roland (Sonja's brothers).
We are having a service to celebrate Sonja's life on Monday May 14th at 10.30am, at Elim Christian Centre. Address is 159 Botany Road, Howick. Please join us if you can to celebrate Sonja's life and the joy she brought to so many of us.
Denis
Thursday 10 May 2012
Saturday 5 May 2012
Saturday 5th May
I find this post hard to compose as it's been a very rough few weeks since my last post for Sonja and us as a family. A number of things have happened since my last post and so far none of these have been good as far as Sonja's condition is concerned. I won't go into a lot of details except to say that the disease has advanced again quite significantly to the point where I had to take Sonja to hospital about 10 days ago.
We have spent 8 nights in Auckland Hospital which included a multitude of tests and meetings with wonderful doctors, nurses and the many teams of people who are so dedicated and passionate about what they do that it's amazing to watch. We have finally arrived back home yesterday with the knowledge that there is no more to be done for Sonja medically in terms of chemotherapy, radiotherapy or other cancer treatment.
We are looking after Sonja at home with the great support of family, friends, church and Hospice. We still stand with Sonja completely and absolutely believing in the "miracle she has talked about for so many years" as her oncologist put it. His thoughts echoed us all in the hope that she gets that miracle and proves her prognosis wrong.
My thanks go out to all the people who are standing with us and who have provided amazing support both in the long journey we are still traveling, and also recently with the provision of well appreciated meals and so many other gestures of support and encouragement. We so love and appreciate you all. Also to my employer "Croxley" who have been so supportive and enabled me to be with Sonja through all of this.
I really can't think of what else to say except please pray for that miracle that can and does happen (although not as often as we would all like). We rely totally on God now and I know we can trust him "no matter what".
Points of prayer include:
Total miraculous healing for Sonja.
For us as a family to stay strong and full of faith.
Provision for our daughter Aimee and her husband Kane who had to urgently return from a preplanned trip overseas. Pray that Airlines/Insurance will show them favour.
For amazing "good" to come out of this whole experience - this seems hard to see at the moment, but I know it's possible.
Thank you all again,
Denis.
Thursday 19 April 2012
Friday 20th April
Hi Everyone,
Let me start by again saying thank you to everyone who has supported us in so many ways and to let you know what a difference it makes to have you behind us.
Since my last post we have had the results from the CT scan. We had hoped to get these before Easter but that didn't happen until last Wednesday. Overall the results seem to say that everything is stable. So no real change from the last scan. Although this is good in so much as the disease appears to be not increasing, it is obviously disappointing that things are not reducing as we expected.
The sore and upset tummy was again a problem over Easter for Sonja but we were able to get this under control quicker with different medications.
After meeting with the oncologist 2 days ago, it would seem that this is a complicated case and as such a larger team of specialists will be reviewing Sonja's results and her case in general to determine the best plan to go forward. The chemotherapy for today has been deferred until they meet with us again a week from today. We both feel this is right as there is no doubt that the treatment takes a lot out of Sonja and if it's not the cause entirely of the nausea and tummy problems, then it certainly makes that worse and more difficult to tolerate.
We especially appreciate your prayer support over the next week as we have a couple more tests to get done and then for results which we should have by Friday.
Please pray for: wisdom for the great medical team who manage Sonja's case.
Sonja's tummy to remain settled and for her appetite to increase.
Strength and peace for Sonja and us all as a family.
The miracle that we need to come soon for Sonja to completely recover.
Thanks again to you all,
Denis.
Let me start by again saying thank you to everyone who has supported us in so many ways and to let you know what a difference it makes to have you behind us.
Since my last post we have had the results from the CT scan. We had hoped to get these before Easter but that didn't happen until last Wednesday. Overall the results seem to say that everything is stable. So no real change from the last scan. Although this is good in so much as the disease appears to be not increasing, it is obviously disappointing that things are not reducing as we expected.
The sore and upset tummy was again a problem over Easter for Sonja but we were able to get this under control quicker with different medications.
After meeting with the oncologist 2 days ago, it would seem that this is a complicated case and as such a larger team of specialists will be reviewing Sonja's results and her case in general to determine the best plan to go forward. The chemotherapy for today has been deferred until they meet with us again a week from today. We both feel this is right as there is no doubt that the treatment takes a lot out of Sonja and if it's not the cause entirely of the nausea and tummy problems, then it certainly makes that worse and more difficult to tolerate.
We especially appreciate your prayer support over the next week as we have a couple more tests to get done and then for results which we should have by Friday.
Please pray for: wisdom for the great medical team who manage Sonja's case.
Sonja's tummy to remain settled and for her appetite to increase.
Strength and peace for Sonja and us all as a family.
The miracle that we need to come soon for Sonja to completely recover.
Thanks again to you all,
Denis.
Wednesday 28 March 2012
Thursday March 30th
Well another couple of weeks have passed since my last update so I thought it was time to update you on how things are going for Sonja. On my last post it seemed like the problem of tummy cramps and nausea was a "thing of the past" and leaving us alone, but unfortunately Sonja had another episode of this again about 12 days ago. This was again very difficult for Sonja and has taken longer to get her strength back this time.
So it was good timing that we saw the Oncologist yesterday for an assessment appointment (these are every 3 weeks). He has ordered a CT scan for this Tuesday to try and establish what is causing this mysterious recurring problem and also see how things are going. We hopefully will have a result on that before Easter. In the meantime Sonja carries on with chemotherapy (tomorrow Friday, and the following Good Friday) as well as the Tykerb Tablets. Although weaker from this latest tough patch she is as strong as ever in her determination to beat this disease. I have to say again how amazed I am at her strength and how proud I am to be her husband.
Thank you to all of you who have sent messages of encouragement and support and please feel free to keep doing that as it really does help a lot.
Things to pray for are:
• Sonja to regain strength and normal appetite.
• The CT scan to show good results in terms of disease reduction.
• An answer to what is causing her tummy problems and a solution to this.
• A complete and total miracle to give Sonja her full health back (we believe this is possible).
Thank you all again for all your help and prayers.
Denis.
So it was good timing that we saw the Oncologist yesterday for an assessment appointment (these are every 3 weeks). He has ordered a CT scan for this Tuesday to try and establish what is causing this mysterious recurring problem and also see how things are going. We hopefully will have a result on that before Easter. In the meantime Sonja carries on with chemotherapy (tomorrow Friday, and the following Good Friday) as well as the Tykerb Tablets. Although weaker from this latest tough patch she is as strong as ever in her determination to beat this disease. I have to say again how amazed I am at her strength and how proud I am to be her husband.
Thank you to all of you who have sent messages of encouragement and support and please feel free to keep doing that as it really does help a lot.
Things to pray for are:
• Sonja to regain strength and normal appetite.
• The CT scan to show good results in terms of disease reduction.
• An answer to what is causing her tummy problems and a solution to this.
• A complete and total miracle to give Sonja her full health back (we believe this is possible).
Thank you all again for all your help and prayers.
Denis.
Sunday 11 March 2012
Sunday March 11
Hi everyone,
Once again I would like to start by thanking all of you who have encouraged Sonja (and all of us as a family) with your positive feedback. Just the knowledge of knowing that you are all with us and believing the same things as us is amazing powerful!
Since my last post a few weeks ago there hasn't been too much to report. We just had an assessment meeting with our oncologist last Wednesday and he is positive in his approach. He sees Sonja responding to treatment and is happy to continue with the regime of treatment as it stands. The sore stomach that has been a problem is still a bit of a mystery but I am pleased to say this has been less troublesome in the past week. Sonja had her intravenous chemotherapy last Friday and this has not had the same effect on her as previous treatments as far as side effects go, so I see a definite improvement which is really encouraging!
Sonja is eating reasonably well and although this tummy issue still seems to present itself on some days, it is not as bad as it was in early February. We have a few new weapons to combat this and they seem to be working, which is great.
Things to pray for in the upcoming weeks would be:
Continued positive response to the treatment regime (by this I mean the chemotherapy drugs and the prayer, which we see as going hand in hand).
Continued lessening of the sore stomach issue as it fades away completely.
For Sonja to stay strong and continue to have the strength to win the battle.
Wisdom for us and the medical team to continue to battle and win this fight outright!
Thank you all again so much,
Denis.
Once again I would like to start by thanking all of you who have encouraged Sonja (and all of us as a family) with your positive feedback. Just the knowledge of knowing that you are all with us and believing the same things as us is amazing powerful!
Since my last post a few weeks ago there hasn't been too much to report. We just had an assessment meeting with our oncologist last Wednesday and he is positive in his approach. He sees Sonja responding to treatment and is happy to continue with the regime of treatment as it stands. The sore stomach that has been a problem is still a bit of a mystery but I am pleased to say this has been less troublesome in the past week. Sonja had her intravenous chemotherapy last Friday and this has not had the same effect on her as previous treatments as far as side effects go, so I see a definite improvement which is really encouraging!
Sonja is eating reasonably well and although this tummy issue still seems to present itself on some days, it is not as bad as it was in early February. We have a few new weapons to combat this and they seem to be working, which is great.
Things to pray for in the upcoming weeks would be:
Continued positive response to the treatment regime (by this I mean the chemotherapy drugs and the prayer, which we see as going hand in hand).
Continued lessening of the sore stomach issue as it fades away completely.
For Sonja to stay strong and continue to have the strength to win the battle.
Wisdom for us and the medical team to continue to battle and win this fight outright!
Thank you all again so much,
Denis.
Sunday 19 February 2012
Sunday 19th February
It seems like a long time since my last post but I do want to thank those of you who have been supporting us in prayers and with calls, emails and texts. These are really encouraging to Sonja so please continue to feel free to share any encouragement you have.
The day of my last "blog" was when I finally persuaded Sonja that maybe she needed to be seen by a doctor at hospital for that sore stomach and all that went with it. She is never keen to go to hospital at all so this was a mini miracle in itself!
We had great doctors and nurses who recommended that an urgent CT scan was required to see if they could pinpoint the cause of the pain. This meant admission to Auckland Hospital. By this point the doctors had the picture that Sonja wasn't keen on this plan as it meant admission to hospital. So a deal was struck which meant staying during the day, getting fluids and some drugs and monitoring, but being able to go home at night to sleep at home. I was amazed at this and how it all worked out so everyone got the required result.
The CT scan was done and initially showed no real change as far as disease goes since the scan which brought us bad news in December. This was not unusual as the chemotherapies haven't had enough time to show any measurable change yet. However after the full reading of the scan a blood clot was discovered near Sonja's liver. This is obviously not good but treatable and the fact that it was spotted so early is good. The CT scan was not planned so soon, and was only done as a result of the mysterious sore stomach. So the sore stomach did bring about something good.
The treatment for the blood clot is a daily injection of something called "Clexane". I have had a crash course in administering an injection and seem to have landed the job permanently. Seems like this will go on for 6 months and then revisited by the hospital.
Sonja had a follow up assessment with the oncologist last Wednesday. He was quite positive. He thinks the sore stomach was not the result of the "Tykerb Lapatinib" and Sonja is back on those on a slightly reduced dose. She also had her intravenous chemotherapy last Friday.
He thinks overall she is responding the treatment and is happy for her to continue.
The past few weeks have been hard, and confusing at times but I am amazed at the strength of Sonja and how she is able to face every day with determination to win this thing and there is not a day when she doesn't have a smile for something. She is no doubt the bravest and strongest person I know!
Things to pray for are:
• Sonja to regain strength from the ordeal of the past weeks
• No return of the sore stomach
• Side effects of all treatments to be minimal
• All treatments to work even better than expected.
• Denis to get the injection in with no pain
• Wisdom for the medical people as we go forward to make great decisions
Thank you all once again for your support, initially your financial help, but now it's moral support, prayer support and encouragement. This is so valued and you will never really know how important it is to us.
Denis.
The day of my last "blog" was when I finally persuaded Sonja that maybe she needed to be seen by a doctor at hospital for that sore stomach and all that went with it. She is never keen to go to hospital at all so this was a mini miracle in itself!
We had great doctors and nurses who recommended that an urgent CT scan was required to see if they could pinpoint the cause of the pain. This meant admission to Auckland Hospital. By this point the doctors had the picture that Sonja wasn't keen on this plan as it meant admission to hospital. So a deal was struck which meant staying during the day, getting fluids and some drugs and monitoring, but being able to go home at night to sleep at home. I was amazed at this and how it all worked out so everyone got the required result.
The CT scan was done and initially showed no real change as far as disease goes since the scan which brought us bad news in December. This was not unusual as the chemotherapies haven't had enough time to show any measurable change yet. However after the full reading of the scan a blood clot was discovered near Sonja's liver. This is obviously not good but treatable and the fact that it was spotted so early is good. The CT scan was not planned so soon, and was only done as a result of the mysterious sore stomach. So the sore stomach did bring about something good.
The treatment for the blood clot is a daily injection of something called "Clexane". I have had a crash course in administering an injection and seem to have landed the job permanently. Seems like this will go on for 6 months and then revisited by the hospital.
Sonja had a follow up assessment with the oncologist last Wednesday. He was quite positive. He thinks the sore stomach was not the result of the "Tykerb Lapatinib" and Sonja is back on those on a slightly reduced dose. She also had her intravenous chemotherapy last Friday.
He thinks overall she is responding the treatment and is happy for her to continue.
The past few weeks have been hard, and confusing at times but I am amazed at the strength of Sonja and how she is able to face every day with determination to win this thing and there is not a day when she doesn't have a smile for something. She is no doubt the bravest and strongest person I know!
Things to pray for are:
• Sonja to regain strength from the ordeal of the past weeks
• No return of the sore stomach
• Side effects of all treatments to be minimal
• All treatments to work even better than expected.
• Denis to get the injection in with no pain
• Wisdom for the medical people as we go forward to make great decisions
Thank you all once again for your support, initially your financial help, but now it's moral support, prayer support and encouragement. This is so valued and you will never really know how important it is to us.
Denis.
Monday 6 February 2012
Tuesday 6th February
Since my last post on the 25th January we have had some "ups" and also some "downs" on our journey.
The chemotherapy Sonja had just 2 days after my last blog was a slight increase in dosage and the nurse who did the cannulation got it in first time and it went well. (Thanks for prayers which were answered) . Sonja was experiencing some of the symptoms from the chemotherapy including aches, pains and fatigue, but on Tuesday just gone she started to experience a sore stomach which was like a cramp. This continued for a few more days. On Friday just past (Feb 3rd) she was due to have another injection of chemotherapy but as she still had a very sore stomach and wasn't really eating much I asked for a doctor to check her out prior to more chemo.
The end result of this was the oncologist suspected that the "Tykerb" tablets were possibly the cause of the sore stomach and that we should reduce the dose slightly. Sonja didn't have chemotherapy on Friday as she was really quite unwell and the chemo on top of this was going to be too much on the day.
She has had a hard few days since Friday with a very sore stomach and general weakness from lack of food for many days. However I am pleased to report that she has had a better day today (especially in the second half of the day). She had some liquid nutritional drink, and even some food. Believe me this is a big step forward compared to the last few days!
We value all of your prayers and support so much! The last week has been hard but we are determined to win this battle and we know we can.
Prayer points are:
For the sore stomach to be well.
Sonja to regain her strength from the toll the last week has taken on her.
For the reduced dose of the "Tykerb" tablets to be the key to the sore stomach problem.
For us all as a family to stay strong.
For the drugs to work to their maximum potential and the side effects to be minimal.
Thank you all in advance for your support and standing with us.
Denis.
The chemotherapy Sonja had just 2 days after my last blog was a slight increase in dosage and the nurse who did the cannulation got it in first time and it went well. (Thanks for prayers which were answered) . Sonja was experiencing some of the symptoms from the chemotherapy including aches, pains and fatigue, but on Tuesday just gone she started to experience a sore stomach which was like a cramp. This continued for a few more days. On Friday just past (Feb 3rd) she was due to have another injection of chemotherapy but as she still had a very sore stomach and wasn't really eating much I asked for a doctor to check her out prior to more chemo.
The end result of this was the oncologist suspected that the "Tykerb" tablets were possibly the cause of the sore stomach and that we should reduce the dose slightly. Sonja didn't have chemotherapy on Friday as she was really quite unwell and the chemo on top of this was going to be too much on the day.
She has had a hard few days since Friday with a very sore stomach and general weakness from lack of food for many days. However I am pleased to report that she has had a better day today (especially in the second half of the day). She had some liquid nutritional drink, and even some food. Believe me this is a big step forward compared to the last few days!
We value all of your prayers and support so much! The last week has been hard but we are determined to win this battle and we know we can.
Prayer points are:
For the sore stomach to be well.
Sonja to regain her strength from the toll the last week has taken on her.
For the reduced dose of the "Tykerb" tablets to be the key to the sore stomach problem.
For us all as a family to stay strong.
For the drugs to work to their maximum potential and the side effects to be minimal.
Thank you all in advance for your support and standing with us.
Denis.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)