Keith Martin

We went to the doctor today, and he seems very pleased with Keith's progress. We will have scans done the middle of August, so please keep us on your prayer list! The doctor told Keith he was one of his only patients to have chemo off and on for a year! It was good to hear him say that he feels like it is over.

I will update this page as I have more news. It probably won't be as regular as it has been, since we have slipped back into our normal lives! I will post when we get the scan dates and of course when we get any results. Thank you so much for your faithful prayers and support for us over the past year!

Thursday, July 22

Yesterday Keith and the group went to the orphanage to give out toys and bikes. The children were so wonderful, and loved all the toys. These children all all Navajo, and they are beautiful. The team visits them every year and takes care bags to the young Minnonite women that work at the orphanage. After the toy presentation, the children were singing songs for the team. It was precious...Keith said there wasn't a dry eye in the house! At the close of the songs, this little girl jumped up and said, "I can't wait any longer...I have to know if it's real!" She jumped up and ran over and started rubbing Keith's head! I guess a white completely bald guy is not something that Navajo children see often!

I am in Texas visiting with Josh for a few days. He's decided this is where he's going to stay, so I'm helping him get all of his car stuff (tags, insurance, etc.) switched over. Bethany is still enjoying Paris. She would really love studying abroad if it didn't have the "studying" part!

Tuesday, July 20

I talked to Keith this afternoon, and the trip is going great. They went to Black Mesa on Sunday, and arrived at the little church just as they were beginning their service. When Keith walked in, the people stood and cheered. The pastor cried and hugged Keith and kept saying, "God has answered my prayer." Keith cried on the phone just telling me about it...and of course, so did I. I can't tell you what it means to him to be out there.

Someone asked me the other day if I was worried about him going out there. Of course I am concerned, but the way this trip came together, it is so obvious that God's hand is in it. For me to question that would be to dishonor God. Physically, Keith is doing well. He was really tired on Saturday and Sunday, but has really rebounded yesterday and today. While physically he may be a little weak, I can tell you that his spirit is soaring. This is such a fitting end to this cancer-filled year!

This morning before they left Black Mesa, the pastor and the men of the church gathered around Keith and prayed for him and for the cancer to be gone from his body. He said they prayed in Navajo and English, but mostly Navajo. He said, "I can pretty well tell you that if there were any cancer cells left, they are gone after that prayer service!" Amen and amen.

Monday, July 19

The Navajo Mission Trip is going great. They are in the heart of the reservation now in Black Mesa - no phone service (or electricity!) the conditions are pretty rough there, but he loves it! I won't be able to talk with Keith until tomorrow afternoon when they go back to Window Rock. I will report then! Thank you for your prayers!

Saturday, July 17

Keith is having a great time on the mission trip. All the team arrived in Albuquerque yesterday and they traveled to Window Rock this morning. He is very excited about the potential of the week, and just seeing all of the folks out there. I was pleased that when the group decided to go to a park yesterday that he made the decision to stay at the hotel, so he wouldn't risk tiring out before the week began. I really believe he will pace himself.

It is really hard to believe that one year ago today was when Keith was first diagnosed with cancer. He had flown home from the mission trip because he was in so much pain, and they did a CT scan on him a year ago this morning. The doctors freaked out when they saw it, and sent him straight to the hospital. I'll never forget where I was standing on a street corner in Gallup, New Mexico, when our doctor called and told me that my husband had cancer. This year-long journey has been very difficult and yet I can't imagine not traveling this road.

We truly pray that the cancer part of this journey is over, but the lessons learned and the love that we have been shown will last the rest of our lives.

Wednesday, July 14

Today was spent getting things ready for the mission trip. We had to buy Keith some new, smaller pants...he could hardly keep up the last "smaller" ones that we bought! He's very excited about the trip and can't wait to see all of the folks on the reservation. It is truly his passion, and I am so grateful to the Lord that he is able to go this year.

He heads out tomorrow - flying into Albuquerque. The rest of the team will arrive on Friday, and they will head to the reservation (3 hour drive) on Saturday. Then they have to buy sheep (yes, you read that right. Sheep.) for the people in Black Mesa. Our church raised enough money for 15 sheep and two goats. I'm sure there will be lots of interesting stories to come from this one!

Thank you again for your prayers. Keith is getting stronger daily. Just please pray God's protection from any infection. I know it will be a great trip for him.

Tuesday, July 13

Keith is doing a little better today (or he is just ignoring the fact that he's not). He went to the office today for most of the day, came home and took a brief nap, then went back to the church to supervise the loading of all the supplies for the trip. I'm sure he will sleep well tonight!

Please continue to pray for his recovery for the trip. He is so looking forward to going, and loves those people out there so much (and they love him). Some of our most faithful prayer support this year has been from the community of Black Mesa, deep in the heart of the Navajo reservation. He'll be with them this weekend.

Monday, July 12

Keith went to the doctor this morning for bloodwork. His counts were so-so, but nothing so bad as to need action (ie. transfusion). He has been completely wiped out all day today. He even took two naps! He's feeling a little better this evening. He's not sick, just has overwhelming fatigue. If his counts will bump up even a little bit I know he will feel better.

The doctor okayed him to go on the mission trip on Thursday. He has delegated all the trip stuff out so he can just sit back and enjoy the trip (yeah, I know...those of us who have been on mission trips with him know THAT'S not going to happen!!) Anyway, please continue to pray for him this week as he prepares to go, and I will provide updates as I get them from the trip.

A year ago on Friday, Keith came home from the Navajo trip with what we thought was severe kidney stones, only to find that there was a monstrous tumor in his abdomen. What a year it has been!

Friday, July 9

The past two days have been really good. Keith went to work for part of the day yesterday. Who would have thought on his last full day of work on March 17 (the day before the surgery) that it would be July 8 before he would be back for good! I told him, "Okay, bubba...vacation's over...this is the first day of the rest of your life!!" Sorry for the cliche', but it really seemed to fit. I pray this journey is behind us!!

Today we went to Lido Key for a beach day. The weather was beautiful, and we had a great time! Keith found a bunch of shells, which most of you know is a great love of his! We both got a little sun, came home, cleaned up and went out for seafood. It was really a great day!

Wednesday, July 7

Keith got some new blood today, and can already tell a difference in his energy level...hooray! I was so hoping it would really give him a boost. He had a surprise today - our dear friends Paul and Mariann Strozier surprised him at the hospital. They are from Ohio, but were in Orlando headed to a conference and decided that they couldn't stand being 1.5 hours away without coming to see us. So, they came over for the last of the transfusion, had lunch with us and headed back to Orlando. Such special friends! And I REALLY wish I had a picture of Keith's face when they walked in...his jaw dropped, then he teared up and we all started to cry! Remember last time he was there was when he had the teary experience with "It is Finished"...those people down there probably don't know what to think about us!

Please continue to pray. Keith will be leading worship this weekend, then leaves on the Mission Trip next Thursday. Everything is looking good for him to go, we just need those counts to stay up!

Tuesday, July 6

Keith has slowly gotten stronger over the weekend. Saturday he was too weak to go with us to take Bethany to the airport, but by Sunday he was a little better, and he was much stronger by Monday. He went to the doctor today, only to find (surprise surprise) that his red counts are low and his platelets were VERY low (15,000). He went right over to the hospital for platelets, and will go back for a transfusion tomorrow. I am really hoping that this one affects him as well as the last one did. It really gave him a boost! So, 5.5 more hours in a chair tomorrow, but hopefully that will be it!

Bethany made it to Paris, and is really enjoying it so far. We are so thankful for Skype...it's so nice to be able to see her and talk to her every day. She is going to London this weekend to visit with my cousin and see the sights. Yeah, well, it's a rough life!!

Friday, July 2

Sorry I missed the update yesterday. Bethany is home, getting ready to leave tomorrow for a month in France. She is doing a study abroad program with Auburn. This week has been a flurry of details trying to get her ready to leave. If you could see her room right now, you would not believe that this time tomorrow she would have all that stuff packed in suitcases headed for Paris!!

Keith is doing pretty well. As most of you know from traveling this journey with us, as we finish chemo there are a series of icky things that he has to go through. It starts with the nausea, and then goes through all sorts of things. Right now he is dealing with the digestive issues, and a low grade fever. Each afternoon his fever jumps up to 100-100.5, just enough to make him feel yukky.

All in all, though, he is making progress. Yesterday he was laying on the bed after he had had a "digestive event." I laid down next to him, and he looked at me and said..."Just so you know, I'm not doing any more of this. If they tell me it's either more chemo or die, I'm ready to go!" Thankfully there is not anything else planned!