Updates - 31 Jan

As most of you would've received Jo's or my SMS this afternoon, this is mainly a recap of our meeting with Dr Goh. To cut to the chase:

The Verdict
1. CT Scans have confirmed that the dark spots present at the lumbar 1-3 region are cancer cells. Seems as it's "eating" at the bone. But it's not at the spine, so we're happy.

2. Furthermore, the scan also showed that Jo's left liver had a few other "spots" present. The largest being 3cm in diameter. Rings a bell, sure does...as when we first discovered the spots in her right liver lobe.

The Cure
1. Radiotherapy for the back aches. We have an appointment with a Radio-Onco doc this Friday afternoon. Stay tuned for more updates. Shouldn't take too long each session.

2. Brachytherapy for the left liver which will commence after the radiotherapy sessions. This treatment is non-chemo based and not invasive as I'll explain again subsequently. So, we're pleased and happy too.

The Couple
Jo showed strength, true divine strength. I sensed real calm within her, peace to be precise.
I...I was just silent, holding back the tears. A whole bunch of emotions juxtaposed together.

When God allows us to go through this, He will provide a way for us. We've always believed that...and He has.

Dr Goh

Dr Goh as we've always said - is God sent. He is the epitome of what every doctor should be: patient, calm, sensitive and most of all - an objective communicator of the facts.

Besides he shared with us that Jo's right liver has improved quite well since the IRT procedure.

The Blessings
But we've come to a conclusion that it ain't bad after all... I mean, the Blessings are quite evident:

a. We've got a great doctor that God has provided for...
b. Very effective treatments for both cases.
c. Treatments that are non chemo based therefore have very little side effects.

d. Jo's appetite is getting better and her weight gradually rising...
e. Her right liver is improving well.

f. We have a multitude of prayer support from our Church, Small Groups, friends, ex-colleagues, relatives and the list goes on... Thank you...your prayers are so very important to the both of us. Don't ever think that God doesn't listen to your prayers!

Of course we had to have lunch after this but before that, we had to drop by Dona Manis to pick up Jo's favourite banana pie cake. Dona Manis is located at the basement of Katong Shopping Centre...take the escalator down and you'll smell the aroma. Follow your nose!



Satay @ East Coast Lagoon

Jo had cravings for this. So off we went! 20 sticks chicken & 10 sticks lamb + ketupat and all. Simply delicious. Chicken sticks were big I must say. Pictured further below is the Magi Goreng dish - basically using Magi noodles to cook Mee Goreng style...quite nice!

Finished this with a walk by the beach...how befitting! :)

Dinner @ Singapore Cricket Club

Ok ok, yet again another wonderful makan session with wonderful friends...and really it's the company that matters most!

Thanks to SC & DD's invite to SCC, we had the most awesome time here last night. We met @ 6pm for drinks and the weather reminded me so much of my Hawaii / Waikiki days... with the tradewinds blowing daily between 20-30kmh. The sight from the rooftop of the club was priceless - with City Hall behind us, Swissotel, the Esplanade and the CBD surrounding us.

So what did we eat?
Well we shared the following: Lamb Shank Korma with rice, Muligatawny Soup, Curry Chicken with Rice, Pizza and Fried Beef Kway Teow. Off course DD sucked on the lamb shank reminiscing of eating tulang at Adam Road hawker centre.

Food really value for money, but of course you need a member to sign you in.

More Foody Updates

Marina South Pier (MSP) www.can.com.sg/neocan/en/streetwise/unwind/piering_at_marina.html

This is a shot from the Marina South Pier roof top. Jo had suggested to check out the Pier 11 restaurant which is located on the 2nd level of this building. Beautiful view from here as you can see. Extremely windy! How do you get here? Get along the ECP and turn off into Marina South. Follow the road signs all the way to the end of the road... and wala!



Birthday Cake!
Today's kids get to have all the fun! Look at this amazing birthday cake designed like a forest with "flowing" river and animals! Our friend's kid daughter celebrated her 10th birthday last Sunday.


Hog's Breath Cafe (Holland Village outlet) http://www.hogsbreath.com.sg/
Had a wonderful lunch at this quiet outlet yesterday. We had drove to Ghim Moh initially to check out Blue Spoon, unfortunately it was closed so we decided to head on down here. The set lunch is great value for money... I had my Fish & Chips (Beer battered fish served with Hog Tail Fries, side salad and sauce) served with fabulous home made beef soup along with a soft drink at a mere $14.00! Besides, the portions were simply Aussie huge!

Jo had the Hog's Breath Prime Rib (200 grams) @ $19.50 - Best served medium rare to ensure a moist and tender steak. Served with baked potato, classic mashed potato or Hog Tail Fries. Your choice of salad or vegetable. The Prime Rib was really succulent and very tender...certainly one of the better steak outlets around. You don't have to pay $$$$ for a Lawry's or Morton's, just get on down here or to their Chijmes outlet.

According to the staff and the website, they slow cook their Prime Rib for up to 18 hours, then finish with high temperature searing on the char grill to seal in the flavour.




Wild Rocket (Upper Wilkie Road)

Had to venture to Jo's fav restaurant once again. Haven't been here since 2-3 months back.

We both had the set and as usual was beautiful and meticulously prepared. Our only peeve was that the waiting time seemed much longer at approximately 35-45 mins. Food quality remained uncompromisingly superb, which is really important as Jo exclaimed. Jo had the rack of lamb while I had the beef burger. The set came with deep fried cod cakes which was nicely done. In all of it's dishes, Wild Rocket sets itself apart by it's very Asian infused fusion menu. Never heavy, just right. Pictured above is my half eaten burger :) and the Pandan Panacotta dessert. Ahh somehow forgot to snap Jo's rack of lamb....shucks.

CT Scan Tomorrow Morning

Jo's CT Scan is tomorrow morning and appreciate your prayers.
Results will be known on Wednesday noon as we meet with Dr Goh at NUH.

We do hope that the back aches are nothing more than what they ought to be - back aches.

Jo's Food Updates

Here are the long missed updates on Jo's food escapades over the last few weeks...

1. Meidi-Ya Japanese Supermarket (Basement of Liang Court)
Apart from selling all things Japanese, Meidi-ya regularly arranges for special food fairs whereby chefs from all over Japan would be present to show off their culinary skills and foodstuffs. This time round, it was the Hokkaido fair and we joined the queue (and it was long!) to sample traditional Red Bean & Custard Cream "fish" pancakes. It was beyond words and simply heavenly! Take a look at the many photos taken. Sorry you can't get them now, they were here for only a weekend in late December 2006.

2. Corduroy Cafe @ Vivo City (1st Level)
Jo had the caesar salad and shaved chicken with caramel latte. She later shared the cinnamon apple crepe with her friend. The butter cream cake pictured above is very deliciously patterned and obviously rich in butter. 5 stars for the butter cream cake. Selected cakes at 50% off daily after 9pm. Go get it!

3. Yan Palace Restaurant www.yanpalace.com.sg

Perhaps one of the best dim-sum places in town, next to the infamous Red Star (Chin Swee Road). Here the dim sum dishes are all served fresh and piping hot in a modern setting. And like most other cantonese restaurants serving dim sum, you won't find the roving trolleys here either. Jo came here to especially try their signature dim sum dish - paper wrapped chicken also known as "ji bao gai" in cantonese. It was so tender and succulent...fantastic!

4. Cafe de Amigo (Funan Centre 2nd Level)

This restaurant has been around for the longest time. Originally located at the Specialist Centre @ Somerset Road. Jo had escargots with herb & garlic butter. I had chicken chop with black pepper sauce. Simply excellent! They have a large wine cellar here too.

5. Vinco the Doughnut Parlour @ Vivo City (2nd Level)

The Donuts craze has arrived in Singapore! Here, donuts are freshly made on the spot. $1.20 per piece. 18 different varieties. Reheatable. Check out www.vinco.com.sg

6. Coffee Bean's Buster's Weekly Cheesecake

What more can I say? A fabulous strawberry topped cheesecake.

Updates - 22nd Jan

After Jo had completed her course of muscle relaxants last Friday, the pain in the lower back had gradually recurred once again. She is however able to sit and stand up easily still but walking for long stretches is not possible.

We will return to see the orthopaedic doc tomorrow afternoon to seek further advice on this.

Appreciate your continued prayers in this area.

Just last evening, while Jo got out of the car and walked a few steps, she was suddenly immobilised with a sharp ache in her lower back. She gradually made it to our friend's doorstep for dinner. We had a wonderfully home cooked bee hoon with curry chicken meal plus soon kueh and strawberry shortcake from BakerzIn for dessert.

Wisdom Tooth Extraction (Alex)
I on the other hand had an "incredible" time at the dentists today. After 2 years of deliberating, I decided it was time to remove the 2 left wisdom tooths (top & bottom) that had been troubling me for a bit. Since my tooth is impacted, the dentist had to grind and drill it down before removing it in 2 pieces. All this took a simple 45 mins. Amen that all went well and my fears were quite kept under wraps. **Phew** Anyway, I get 5 days medical leave... heh!

Amazing Inspiration!

In life, go straight and turn right.. always and in all ways.

My name is Nick Vujicic and I give God the Glory for how He has used my testimony to touch thousands of hearts around the world! I was born without limbs and doctors have no medical explanation for this birth "defect". As you can imagine, I was faced with many challenges and obstacles.

"Consider it pure joy, my Brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds."....

To count our hurt, pain and struggle as nothing but pure joy? As my parents were Christians, and my Dad even a Pastor of our church, they knew that verse very well. However, on the morning of the 4th of December 1982 in Melbourne (Australia ), the last two words on the minds of my parents was "Praise God!". Their firstborn son had been born without limbs! There were no warnings or time to prepare themselves for it. The doctors were shocked and had no answers at all! There is still no medical reason why this had happened and Nick now has a Brother and Sister who were born just like any other baby.

The whole church mourned over my birth and my parents were absolutely devastated. Everyone asked, "if God is a God of Love, then why would God let something this bad happen to not just anyone, but dedicated Christians?"
My Dad thought I wouldn't survive for very long, but tests proved that I was a healthy baby boy just with a few limbs missing.

Understandably, my parents had strong concern and evident fears of what kind of life I'd be able to lead. God provided them strength, wisdom and courage through those early years and soon after that I was old enough to go to school.

The law in Australia didn't allow me to be integrated into a main-stream school because of my physical disability. God did miracles and gave my Mom the strength to fight for the law to be changed. I was one of the first disabled students to be integrated into a main-stream school.

I liked going to school, and just try to live life like everyone else, but it was in my early years of school where I encountered uncomfortable times of feeling rejected, weird and bullied because of my physical difference. It was very hard for me to get used to, but with the support of my parents, I started to develop attitudes and values which helped me overcome these challenging times. I knew that I was different but on the inside I was just like everyone else. There were many times when I felt so low that I wouldn't go to school just so I didn't have to face all the negative attention. I was encouraged by my parents to ignore them and to try start making friends by just talking with some kids. Soon the students realized that I was just like them, and starting there God kept on blessing me with new friends.

There were times when I felt depressed and angry because I couldn't change the way I was, or blame anyone for that matter. I went to Sunday School and learnt that God loves us all and that He cares for you. I understood that love to a point as a child, but I didn't understand that if God loved me why did He make me like this? Is it because I did something wrong? I thought I must have because out of all the kids at school, I'm the only weird one. I felt like I was a burden to those around me and the sooner I go, the better it'd be for everyone. I wanted to end my pain and end my life at a young age, but I am thankful once again, for my parents and family who were always there to comfort me and give me strength.

Due to my emotional struggles I had experienced with bullying, self esteem and loneliness, God has implanted a passion of sharing my story and experiences to help others cope with whatever challenge they have in their life and let God turn it into a blessing. To encourage and inspire others to live to their fullest potential and not let anything get in the way of accomplishing their hopes and dreams.

One of the first lessons that I have learnt was not to take things for granted.

"And we know that in all things God works for the best for those who love Him."

That verse spoke to my heart and convicted me to the point where I know that there is no such thing as luck, chance or coincidence that these "bad" things happen in our life.

I had complete peace knowing that God won't let anything happen to us in our life unless He has a good purpose for it all. I completely gave my life to Christ at the age of fifteen after reading John 9. Jesus said that the reason the man was born blind was "so that the works of God may be revealed through Him." I truly believed that God would heal me so I could be a great testimony of His Awesome Power. Later on I was given the wisdom to understand that if we pray for something, if it's God's will, it'll happen in His time. If it's not God's will for it to happen, then I know that He has something better.

I now see that Glory revealed as He is using me just the way I am and in ways others can't be used.

I am now twenty-one years old and have completed a Bachelor of Commerce majoring in Financial Planning and Accounting. I am also a motivational speaker and love to go out and share my story and testimony wherever opportunities become available. I have developed talks to relate to and encourage students through topics that challenge today's teenagers. I am also a speaker in the corporate sector.

I have a passion for reaching out to youth and keep myself available for whatever God wants me to do, and wherever He leads, I follow.

I have many dreams and goals that I have set to achieve in my life. I want to become the best witness I can be of God's Love and Hope, to become an international inspirational speaker and be used as a vessel in both Christian and non-Christian venues. I want to become financially independent by the age of 25, through real estate investments, to modify a car for me to drive and to be interviewed and share my story on the "Oprah Winfrey Show"! Writing several best-selling books has been one of my dreams and I hope to finish writing my first by the end of the year. It will be called "No Arms, No Legs, No Worries!"

I believe that if you have the desire and passion to do something, and if it's God's will, you will achieve it in good time. As humans, we continually put limits on ourselves for no reason at all! What's worse is putting limits on God who can do all things. We put God in a "box". The awesome thing about the Power of God, is that if we want to do something for God, instead of focusing on our capability, concentrate on our availability for we know that it is God through us and we can't do anything without Him. Once we make ourselves available for God's work, guess whose capabilities we rely on? God's!

Something's never change...
But something's do...
Whatever problems or difficulties you have now, Give them all to Jesus...

Dr Liew

From last Wed to Sun, her back pains grew worse.
Now she takes panadol every 6 hours not so much for the fever but for the pain.

Yesterday we decided to see Dr Liew, Jo's family GP along Henderson Road. Dr Liew is supposed to have specialised in Orthopaedics but his clinic is like any other situated along the ground floor of a row of HDB shops. Both the exterior and interior decor of the clinic seems like it's never been touched since it was here. Dr Liew is a very pleasant doctor and was genuinely concerned for Jo as I sensed.

The last time Jo when to see him for a rib pain, he gave a jab and this solved the pain after 3 days.

This time round, she was jabbed 2 x in her lower back with a muscle relaxant. Doc told her to relax her muscles since they were extremely tensed, thus causing pain. She was also told to do more leg and arm exercises since her muscles are nearly non-existent. He further suggested for me to get a lumbar back support.

We pray that the medication works and she'll be back to her normal mobile self once again.

God Bless.

At The Foot Of The Cross (Kathryn Scott)

AT THE FOOT OF THE CROSS (Ashes To Beauty) Kathryn Scott

At the foot of the cross
Where grace and suffering meet
You have shown me Your love
Through the judgment You received

And You've won my heart
Yes You've won my heart
Now I can

Trade these ashes in for beauty
And wear forgiveness like a crown
Coming to kiss the feet of mercy
I lay every burden down
At the foot of the cross

At the foot of the cross
Where I am made complete
You have given me life
Through the death You bore for me

I'm laying every burden down
I'm laying every burden down

CCLI #4157353Copyright 2003 Vertical Worship Songsc/o Vertical Music, 1000 Cody Road, Mobile, AL 36695All rights reserved. Used by Permission.

Results

We met Dr Goh at 1215pm today.

He flipped the LCD screen in our direction and shuffled between cross sections of the MRI scans.

Initial scans and report seemed to show that everything was in order - no slip disc, broken bones etc except for one portion - at lumbar region (lower back) 2 and 3 there was 2 areas with dark coloured patches which Dr Goh was not quite sure what it was. The report said something like "suspect for tumour infiltration?"

As a follow up to the IRT, she will undergo a CT Scan on Monday, 29 Jan @ 9:00am followed by the results on Wed, 31 Jan @ 12 noon.

I guess things are still inconclusive for now until the CT scan is done. This should tell the full picture once and for all.

Are we worried? Very much so...but with cancer it's always been a roller coaster ride:

Every pain a suspect.
Every scan - arduous.
Waiting for the results - a huge torment.

You do however gradually get over it, by God's grace.

MRI

We got to NUH @ 4pm today and there wasn't much of a crowd.

Jo was already very apprehensive of the whole thing since 2 days ago. If confirmed, she may need to have contrast injected into her to enhance the MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) readings. Having to be pricked again is an extremely detestable thought. The last time round she had blood drawn from her, a small clot developed on her hand...but it's ok now.

As she was helped into the MRI room, she was told that she didn't require the contrast. Amen!

With MRI, one has to lie on a very flat platform that draws you into a huge cylindrical machine that keeps humming very loudly. The patient needs to wear ear plugs or they'll go deaf. The whole procedure lasts some 30 mins. Certainly a very long time for her to keep still. No movement is permitted.

We now await the results on Wednesday. Appreciate prayers that this will not be anything serious.

Thank you prayer warriors.

He Knows My Name

Seeing Jo in her present state for the past 2 weeks has been tough...

We couldn't attend Watchnight Service (on Dec 31, 2006) but instead celebrated the coming of the New Year in meditative worship @ home. It was a real Blessing. One of our favourite songs is captured below. The lyrics speak simply of God's presence, insurmountable love and divine providence for His people. We only need to believe...

He Knows My Name (by Tommy Walker)

I have a maker
He formed my heart
Before even time began
My life was in His hands

He knows my name
He knows my every thought
He sees each tear that falls
And He hears me when I call

I have a Father he calls me His own
He'll never leave me
No matter where I go

On Friday, we studied Joshua 1 in our first Elim SG session of the new year. God spoke to me over and over again in this amazing passage -

"Be strong and courageous..." This phrase is repeated 4 x in Joshua 1.

And as God spoke to Joshua in (v.5) "...As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you."

Updates - 5 Jan

Happy New Year folks!

Sorry for the delayed updates, internet was extremely slow due to the Taiwan cable cuts...and it was impossible to log in after Dec 31 strangely.

We met up with Dr Goh on Wed to get to the bottom of the aches & pains.
First Dr Goh ran through her blood & liver test results which was very positive - all indicators showing an improving liver.

After explaining the aches to Dr Goh, he suggested for an MRI lower back / spine scan scheduled for this Monday (8 Jan) afternoon @ 4:15pm. The scan would provide comprehensive details on anything amiss. Results will be out when we meet Dr Goh again on Wed (10 Jan) noon time.

It's pretty bad now for Jo. She can't get up from bed without my help or before wriggling up after 10mins. Walking is fine. Leaning back, looking down, coughing, deep breathing, sneezing etc is tough. Some pain killers don't seem to work as effective as Panadol. Panadeine, Morphine and Semflex not as good. Thank God her appetite is still fine.

So appreciate your prayers in this area. God Bless.