Health Update - 30 October 2010

Greetings friends,

I thought I might update you as to how I’m going in Melbourne. Interestingly, had I not been unwell, these past days I would have been in South Africa at the Lausanne gathering focused on world evangelisation, but like many other things I hold dearly, I’ve had to lay them aside for time being.

Unfortunately, there’s not a lot to report on regarding this radiation therapy. I won’t know how it’s impacting the cancer for weeks and months to come. Just so you understand, there’s a limit as to how much radiation a human body can absorb in a lifetime and at the conclusion of this treatment, I’ll have reached that capacity. Secondly, this radiation will continue to burn within me a month after the treatments have finished. So you can see, reaching a clear indication from the treatment can be tricky even after we’re done.

Two prayers points:

1. The radio therapy is accumulative, meaning that the fatigue and the heaviness will only grow worse as the weeks progress. Pray that I’ll have the strength to complete the full treatment.

2. In the third and fourth weeks, the possibility of a scorched oesophagus would make it difficult to drink as well as eat solids.

Like Abraham climbing the mountain and Isaac asks, “The fire and the wood are here but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?” Abraham replies, “God Himself will provide, my son.” That’s how we feel. What’s going to happen? God will provide is all we can say.

Thank you for your prayers and on-going concern.

May God bless you.

Graham