1.1 is not enough

Chris was scheduled to have his next chemo treatment today. But, when he arrived and they checked his white blood cell count it had gone from very low to extremely low. Normal WBC range is 4-8, and last week Chris' count was "low" at 2.8. This week he hit an all time low of 1.1 (sigh).  Apparently the chemo kills off the new baby blood cells that his blood marrow makes and it takes time for them to "grow." Dr. B is confident that his counts will be back up to "low" by Monday, and chemo can continue.
I think this may be the way things go for a while during these first few months of treatment as his body tries to recuperate. Chris isn't allowed to go anywhere AT ALL this weekend to avoid all you "germy" people, so basketball games and church will be solo affairs for me and the boys. Please pray for lots of new baby white blood cells between now and Monday!

Shout Outs!

I wanted to give thanks to many of the people who have made such a difference in our sanity levels the last few weeks.

• The Humphries and Johnsons for keeping us fed- can you say homemade chocolate mint ice cream and lasagna?  (The Leavells, Francis', Pierces, Johnsons, Escobars and Smiths fattened us up a bit too).
• My FIL Terry for coming to take care of some things around the house last week and MIL Karen for 3 plates of cookies.
• Maggie for checking on me all the time and Ryan for taking Chris to his doctor's appointment while I was at work. 
• My coworkers who check on me when Im there and give me hugs when I need them (you know who you are).  
• Beverly for driving the boys to basketball practice and Evelyn for keeping us supplied with fruit, nuts and caramel apples.  
• Mindy for the yummy treat basket she made for all the doctors appointments.
• Jon and Andrea for lots of new dvds to watch and Anne for watching the boys so I could run errands and take a nap. 
• Rebekah for having the boys over for a play date and our neighbors Shane and Rhonda and Delaine who have volunteered to take care of our grass all summer.  
• Mary Beth and Brian for unexpectedly bringing us dinner last Friday after the chemo treatment, saving us from cooking dinner.  
• The Brices for inviting our homegroup over to their house for game night, the Johnsons who organized prayer for us the weekend Chris was diagnosed, and Tiffany for buying me and the boys lunch yesterday.  
• My co-workers who filled in for me while I was out and my patients for the sweet card they gave to me.
• EVERYONE who has sent an email, letter, text or phone call. Its obvious we are truly blessed!

"Pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus."  1 Thess. 5:17-19

A Week Gone By...

   Its been a week since Chris' first chemo treatment.  He has struggled with dizziness and low blood pressure all week, keeping him at home and horizontal most of the time.  The latter half of the week, he was able to push through a bit more and spend some quality time with me and the boys.  He saw his oncologist, Dr. B on Thursday who said that his white blood cell count, which was already low, dropped just a bit from the chemo. But overall, he was pleased with how Chris was doing. 


   Chris does have some interesting restrictions due to the cancer and his low immunity levels. He is not only restricted from public places with lots of people (church excluded), but also from the local pool, ("dirty places" according to Dr. B), but also from going to and eating from restaurants.  He's only allowed to eat food that I or friends have prepared, to protect him for poorly cooked food and random germs.  No take out for the Sterziks for a while (don't tell Chris, but we went to Chik-fil-A on Friday).


We are taking the phrase "One day at a time" very seriously around here these days.  Focusing on the fact that we have each other, friends and God to sustain us. Keep praying- we need it!

Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.   Matthew 6:34


Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.    Phil 4:6-7 

Post Chemo

Chris had his first chemo on Friday. His dad Terry went with him while I ferried the boys to a doctor appointment, ran some errands, and took a nap while my friend Anne watched the boys. They had a playmate that afternoon, so everyone was busy! He felt ok Friday night, but is starting to feel worse as time passes, which we expected. He wasn't able to go to the boys basketball games today but was there in spirit. We are trying to get him prepared for trying to go into work a little bit later next week, so if anyone wants to go shopping for chemo stuff at Target, give me a shout. Yet another sweet family bought us a meal tonight- thank you J and P! The updates will start to slow down probably as things slow down here to a more manageable state. Another sweet friend has set up a Care Calender where we list different needs we might have. If you are interested just let me know. If not for all your prayers and help, we would a much more exhausted Sterzik family! Love, Chris and Andra

Tests finished...for now

Quick Update: The oncologist told us yesterday that Chris' cancer is Stage II B (out of 4 stages) and that his bone marrow biopsy was "clean" indicating no cancer in his bones at this point.  Both of these things are good signs, and Chris should see some improvement in his current symptoms after the first chemo treatment. Of course, chemo side effects will probably kick in- but hey, we like change right?

Today (Thursday): Im exhausted by the events of the day and I don't have cancer, so Im amazed at how well Chris is doing tonight. As you know, we had an extremely tight and probably impossible testing schedule today and yesterday. A number of wonderful things happened that I want to share.

Blessing number 1: The hospital called and asked us to come in early for Chris' port placement, getting us in 45 minutes ahead of schedule- we never would have made it to the next test if this hadn't happened.  The placement went perfectly, but Chris' blood pressure was too low to leave the hospital. We had to wait almost an hour total for him to finish "recovery." We left the hospital at 2:15, the same time as his PET scan was scheduled 20 minutes away in Denton.

Blessing number 2: After calling the office, they agreed to give us 15 more minutes to arrive- we made it there in record time, rolling in at 2:30pm. The PET scan went well and we should have the results back in time for Chris' chemo tomorrow morning.

Blessing number 3: Chris seems less tired and anxious than in days past. Its like a weight has been lifted having all the tests done.  He's sore from the port placement in his left chest wall, but moving around, eating, resting and generally doing well.

Blessing number 4: When the oncologist called yesterday and said he wanted us to come in right that minute, 4 hours earlier than our appointment to give us test results,  our friend Kim was able to arrive in record time after I sent out a flurry of text messages.  I don't know what we would do without all the babysitting, meals and prayers we have been given.

Blessing number 5: the boys are doing really well with all the crazy happening around here.  Apart from Jacob's concern that we don't know why Chris has cancer, they are taking it all in stride.  Last night we read Psalm 46 during our night-time devotional. It speaks of a time when King David was "in a scary place" and he trusted in God to be his safe place and his source of strength.  God's timing of this Psalm reading is great- a wonderful reminder that he is to be trusted in times of desperation. Thank you, thank you, thank you for all the emails, texts, calls and prayers- just hearing the offers of help and thoughts you give are one of the ways God is providing for our family.

God is our refuge and strength, 

an ever-present help in trouble. 

Therefore we will not fear, 

though the earth give way and the 

mountains fall into the heart of the sea...

The Lord Almighty is with us; 

the God of Jacob is our fortress.

Psalm 46 

Scratch that- A change in plans

All aboard the crazy train! Due to Chris' health issues all tests have been moved up and rearranged. Wednesday Oncology appointment 1:30 pulmonary function test Pre op at Presby for port placement Thursday 10am arrival at Presby Hospital FLower Mound - port placement - noon surgery 2:15 PET SCAN  in Denton Friday  10:30 chemo - 4 hours BIG PRAYER NEEDED: either for Chris' port placement to be moved up even a half hour OR that the procedure takes less time than anticipated in order to get him back to Denton in time for his PET scan on Thursday. It doesn't seem like its possible. If one of them doesn't happen he won't be able to start chemo on Friday. I won't be able to take off work on Thursday so we are hoping Chris' mom or dad can come to drive him to his next appointment on Thursday after the port is placed. Thanks again for all your prayers!

A Speeding Train

 Friends-  things are starting to ramp up into warp speed for us.  Chris had a really bad night last night between a high fever and drenching night sweats. He was up changing clothes every couple of hours. After talking to his oncologist last night and again this morning, Dr. B wants to start chemo this Friday right after Chris gets his chemo port placed.  He's pushing to get us in today for the pulmonary test and to see him again this afternoon. We have the PET scan Thursday and the port placement Friday.  We were hoping to start chemo next week, but Dr. B doesn't want to wait any longer.

  Chris is really exhausted and is probably pushing himself harder than he needs to be, between work and all the cancer testing and life in general. After the fever broke early this morning, he was able to sleep peacefully for a few hours. He went to a chemo training class yesterday afternoon and found out what chemo medications he will be taking. He will go in for chemo for one day every 2 weeks for a 4 hour treatment session. They will give him 4 medications one after the other and then we have to wait and see how he responds/feels to the treatment. So many unknowns these days.  Life is never really in our control, even though we like to think it is- all of this is a reminder that God is in control and we are along for the ride. The good news is that He is right there with us leading the way.

 Please pray for strength for Chris- emotionally and physically. He's processing and worrying about anything and everything.  Pray that our appointments go smoothly and that we are able to get everything done today that Dr. B wants us to do.  Pray that the chemo side effects are mild and that Chris can bounce back quickly. Finally pray that the cancer will be destroyed and Chris restored!

A Diagnosis

We are TIRED friends. Emotionally and physically and spiritually tired. But it is with GLAD hearts that we can tell you that we have a definitive diagnosis. Chris has been diagnosed with Hodgkins type Lymphoma, which is a relatively uncommon variation of lymphoma. The good news is that its a very curable form of lymphoma. The bad news is that Chris will require 6 months of chemotherapy, occurring every 2 weeks. He is scheduled to have a medication port placed in his chest next week, as well as a few more tests (they never seem to end) and then chemo is tentatively going to start the week of June 18th. We still don't know the stage or severity of the cancer but should know soon.

Its all so surreal. Having cancer is like you unwillingly joined a club that no one wants to be a part of. You are required to attend meetings that you don't want to go to and pay thousands of dollars for the pleasure of doing so!

Our oncologist, Dr. B has been a force to be reckoned with for us- he has gotten us in to see doctors who didn't have appointments available when we called and pushed all Chris' tests through at the hospital with amazing speed.  Chris' primary doctor, Dr Desai is a believer and an elder at our old church, and has asked the elders there to be praying for us. Our church prayed for us at Elder Led Prayer on Wednesday with hundreds of our church body.  Family and friends near, far and wide have sent us words of comfort and hope lifting our spirits during this hard, hard time.  It has all literally kept us going this past week. All I can say is thank you. I've included a link to information on Hodgkins below if you are interested.

Hodgkin's lymphoma information site

"Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the LORD your God who goes with you. He will never leave you or forsake you." Deut. 31:6

Thursday Update: Chris

Chris is home!! We picked him up this morning and ran a few errands to prepare for his final test tomorrow, his GI scope. The oncologist is hoping to get some preliminary results on the previous biopsies back today, but we do already know that Chris' anemia is a little bit worse than before. The GI test will check for internal bleeding as a possible reason for low red blood cell levels.

The results of Chris' CT scan yesterday show that there are no other areas in his body with enlarged lymph nodes. This is obviously a good sign, but also that will help with the staging of the cancer. If the cancer is on only one side of the body and has not passed to the other it indicates a better prognosis- the cancer is more centralized and hasn't spread across the blood stream to the other side.

Chris is very tired and will have to be on a liquid diet for almost 36 hours for the final test, so keeping his energy levels up will be a challenge. Please pray for stamina for him during this time. The test will be Friday at 1pm here locally.

Thank you for all the prayers and meals and phone calls and emails and texts. They mean the world to us.

Chris Update June 6th

Chris spent the night at Presby last night and was able to have the CT scan done before bedtime. His doctor is concerned about his bloodwork results so he will also have a GI doctor do a scope of his abdomen to check for possible internal bleeding. His red/white blood cell counts are a little off. So that may keep him through Thursday afternoon- all his tests were going so quickly we thought he might be able to come home tonight but now we aren't sure. His two biopsies are scheduled for today at 3pm. Dietary accidentally sent him a meal and the nurse caught him eating half way through and stopped him. Oops, not allowed to eat before procedures. He is doing ok and probably enjoying the rest he is getting. I'm going to take the boys to see him tonight. Luke called him this morning to check on him. Thank you for all the prayers and well wishes we have gotten. I'm going to compile them all for Chris so he can see how loved he has been. Our friend Sandy came up with the idea to have all his friends stop and pray for him on this Thursday at 11am. "The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective." Keep you posted...

Health Update

Friends and Family-

  I wanted to let you know about a family emergency we are currently going through. About 6 weeks ago, Chris got very ill with what we thought was a nasty flu virus.  He spent a week in bed and never really seemed to recover his full strength and energy. He continued to run really high fevers, lost weight, had a chronic cough along with body aches and pains, and required lots of naps. The most disturbing thing was drenching night sweats almost every night, requiring him to change clothes and the sheets several times a night. Thankfully he continued to seek medical treatment, and in addition to finding out that he is severely anemic, he had a CT scan done last Friday. The results showed inflammation of several sets of lymph nodes around his spine and central arteries as well as an inflamed spleen. His doctor diagnosed him with Lymphoma, which is a blood/lymph cancer which can also spread to the bones.  

 The oncologist he wanted to refer us to locally was on vacation and we had to wait until today to see him. After a thorough history and looking at the radiation results he confirmed that Chris does have lymphoma, but that is really only the first step in this process. There are 20 different kinds of lymphomas- Hodgkins is the most curable but also uncommon. Non Hodgkins Lymphomas (NHL) are the most common but not as curable.  

 We were given the choice to do all his testing on an outpatient or inpatient basis. We chose to have Chris admitted locally to the hospital to have a full body CT scan, a bone marrow biopsy, blood tests and a lymph node biopsy. Our prayer is that we will be finished with the testing by late Thursday and hear back from the pathologists by Friday or at the latest, early next week. As soon as we get the results, treatment can begin immediately. 99% of lymphomas can be treated on an outpatient basis, so he will be home for that.  We don't know if treatment will require only radiation or some chemotherapy as well.  They need to stage the cancer as far as progression, determine the risk level (low, high or very high) and pinpoint the exact type of cancer it is.

 God has graciously answered our first 2 prayers: that we would get in to see the oncologist today (we didn't have an appointment- the doctor fit us in)and that we would quickly move towards finishing all the tests.  The doctor forsees us starting treatment some time next week. We are praying that the pathologists would easily determine the type and that Chris would be able to finish all his testing quickly and be home by early Thursday. Obviously, we are hopeful that the cancer has not progressed far and that it is very curable.  We are being loved on well and are so thankful for our friends- we are blessed with amazing friends and an amazing church and an amazing God. The boys are fine and I am ok as long as I don't spend a lot of time thinking about the cancer's possible progression. 

Please pray with us for the following:

*That Chris would not give into his worrying about work, money, me, the boys or the future.

*That the boys and I would be a blessing and not a burden to him.

*That the cancer is a low risk, high cure type

*Peace for us and our family

*Energy and stamina for Chris as well as an increased appetite

*All testing and results by Friday so we can start treatment first thing next week

Here we go again...

Dear Friends and Family,
 I want to apologize for my lack of postings over the last year. I promise to make it up to you. I will see you again really soon.
Love, Andra