I’m Going on an Adventure

For as long as I’ve known Alycia, she has loved the Lord of the Rings movies. I don’t know if we watched them when we were dating, but I’m sure we watched all 12 hours of the extended editions before we had kids. And, when The Hobbit movies were released, we saw each of those in the theater. So, when it came to theming this website and how we wanted to talk about this season of our lives, “An Unexpected Journey” seemed appropriate.

If you haven’t yet, check out the page dedicated to how we got here. The TL;DR version is that Alycia has breast cancer and, instead of talking about her fight, we want to talk about her journey. We know that Alycia is victorious no matter what happens because of what Jesus accomplished through his death and resurrection. We don’t know where this road will take us, but we know that the destination is firmly within God’s will.

Much like Bilbo’s journey to the Misty Mountains, this is our unexpected journey. We weren’t planning on it, and we didn’t see it coming, but it is our journey to walk. We know that so many of you want to walk this journey with us. So, we’re going to use this website to provide updates for Alycia’s journey and how you can be praying for us.

We met with the surgeon on Thursday morning, less than 72 hours after getting the diagnosis. After months of waiting on results and having appointments canceled, it was really nice to hear from a doctor so quickly and actually get some good information. The doctor is relatively encouraged by what he saw. Alycia has HER2-positive cancer, which tends to be more aggressive. However, the treatment that targets HER2-positive cancer is extremely effective. Alycia has a number of treatment options available to her, but she’s going to wait on a genetic test before she decides. If the cause of the cancer is genetic, then the likelihood of it recurring is higher. If that is the case, then it might affect which option she chooses.

At this point we are waiting for the results of the genetic test. Alycia is putting her scientific brain to work, researching and gathering as much information as she can. She has a few more weeks left of school before summer school starts. Clara finished the second grade and she and JoJo are living their best summer lives.

Here are some specific ways you can be praying for us:

• Pray that we get the results of the genetic test quickly; we were told it can take a few weeks.
• Whatever treatment option Alycia chooses, the doctor will test her lymph nodes. Please pray that there isn’t any cancer in her lymph nodes, which means it is most likely contained within her breast.
• Pray that Alycia starts getting better sleep. Sometimes she experiences some pain that will affect her sleep, but mostly it’s the thoughts racing in her head that will keep her awake or wake her up. Walking this journey is hard enough without having to do it exhausted.

Thank you so much for joining us on this journey. It sucks and it’s difficult, but we have never felt alone in the midst of it. Please keep Alycia and our family in your prayers and look to this website for anymore updates. I’m sure we’ll have more to share in the coming months and ways that we’ll probably need your help. For now, though, we appreciate your prayers and are happy to have you joining us for this unexpected journey.