Celebration

Thank you all for the outpouring of love and support. We have been so blessed by all the emails, calls, messages, visits and everything else you have done to care for us. You are a blessing and love us well. We are looking forward to celebrating dad's life with you!

Here is the information on the celebration service:

Saturday, August 17
10:00 AM to 11:00 AM 2738364 2841247 20130817T100000 201308

First United Methodist Church - Carrollton
2201 Hebron Pkwy.
Carrollton, TX 75010

We have also included a link to his online obituary here: http://coppell.tributes.com/our_obituaries/Harry-Price-Robertson-96234860

Grateful for each of you,

The Robertson's

Forever Home.

Philippians 1:21

For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.

Dad went home to be with Jesus this evening. We are rejoicing in the truth of 1 Corinthians 15:53-57 which says:

 

" For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality. When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written:

“Death is swallowed up in victory.”

“O death, where is your victory

O death, where is your sting?”

The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ."

Harry Price Robertson was an amazing man who sowed deep roots into our lives. We are so grateful for the precious time God gave us with him. He will be dearly missed. Even though we may feel the sting of his death while we live on the earth, we look forward to the day when God brings ultimate victory at Christ's return or when he calls us home before then.

Words cannot express how thankful we are for each of you. You are a significant part of the Team Robertson Adventure. Thank you for the community and love you have poured out on this family.

Romans 14:8-9

For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord's.  For to this end Christ died and lived again, that he might be Lord both of the dead and of the living.

Sharing in Christ's suffering.

2 Corinthians 1:5

"For as we share abundantly in Christ's sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too." 

The hospice care continues. We are grateful that Dad gets to be in his own home surrounded by lots of familiar love. We are learning that dying isn't always an easy process. We vividly see how Dad is experiencing what it is like to "share in Christ's suffering". We find comfort in the truth of the above verse that speaks about finding abundant comfort in Christ. What a great truth to cling to in hard seasons of suffering (of all kinds... physical, emotional, ect.) Dad told us the other day that he is ready to see Jesus. When you look at him you see a man at peace. We are excited for him! Until then, we will wait for God's perfect timing and shower him with love. 

With love,
c

Mirth.

This particular stage of the journey continues for Team Robertson. Just as an update: hospice gave Dad some good medicine early Friday morning, so much so that he slept all day. Sleeping beauty finally woke up on Saturday and was able to talk with us. He was definitely more himself. We have to share a hilarious incident that happened yesterday (Saturday). It felt like a scene straight out of a movie.

My dad's brother's family is in town and we had just finished eating an amazing lunch prepared by mom's dear friend Cathy. Mom had just looked at Dad and said he doesn't look right and put some oxygen on him. Right after she did this, Dad looked up at us and said "goodbye". We thought, well this is it. Jesus is going to take him home. So we all gathered around him telling him how much we love him. Mom asked him if Jesus had told him it was time and he said yes. It was a beautiful moment of surrender as we released him to go to Jesus. There were lots of tears and beautiful worship music playing in the background.  The song lyrics at that moment were even saying "Oh, I am running to your arms, running to your arms". It was perfect. Then dad looked up at us and said "For some reason I am going to stay a little longer". There was a slight moment of pause as we all digested what he had just said. Then everyone burst out laughing. Even dad. He then said with a mirthful smile, "I want to sit up... I guess that was just practice." My uncle said without missing a beat, "Well, how did we do?" Dad said we did great. What a dress rehearsal!

I know this story could sound a little morbid, but honestly it was a breath of fresh air to us. Laughter truly is the best medicine. I think the best part was consciously realizing the finality that Dad will be going to a better place whenever God calls him home. This earthly suffering is just temporary. Glory is coming for him! Praise God for this. Praise Him that a way was made for us through Jesus' suffering. In that one act on the cross all sin and death was defeated and was replaced with glory. John 3:16 becomes more than just something to write on posters at baseball games, it becomes amazing Truth with a great promise.

We are grateful for each of you. We know that God has a plan and purpose in the timing of all of this. Please pray for continued grace for both dad and our family as we try and walk through this leg of the journey. God is with us. We feel your prayers.

Love,
c

Comfort.

2 Corinthians 4:16-18

"Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal."

Well, the results of the MRI were not what Team Robertson would have liked to have heard. The short of it is that the tumor continues to grow and has been causing more symptoms. I have decided that cancer is the epitome of what the passage above is talking about... the "outer self wasting away". Dad continues to grow weaker, but his spirit seems to be doing exactly what this verse is talking about... "being renewed day by day". He is precious and God is faithful!

We called hospice yesterday and they have provided the support we need to care for Dad. Last night they were able to get us some medicine that will hopefully continue to provide him relief and comfort. We would treasure your prayers that the true comforter, the God of all comfort and mercy (2 Corinthians 1:3), would continue to be evidently near to us in this next stage of the journey.

We are finding great strength in the Truth of God's word. Dad had us turn to Isaiah 40:8 yesterday. It says, "The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever." It is this word that says, "For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 8:38-39) and "It is the LORD who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed." (Deuteronomy 31:8) and "Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." (Isaiah 41:10).This is powerful truth that speaks of a God who does not abandon us in suffering, but is actually right there with us in the thick of it. We feel his comfort ever so near.

Thank you for your prayers, thoughts, texts, emails, and calls. We are so grateful for each of you. Thank you for loving us well.

Treasuring each precious moment.

C

Strength, Peace, Wisdom

It truly has been very busy around here since we got Price home from the hospital.  For the first day Carol and my friend Cathy were here.  I was amazed at how busy three women could be just holding things together.    After we got home Price’s throwing up escalated to every few hours including all through the night for several days.  This was very hard to watch Price go through.  And, as usual, there was not one complaint.  This situation also made it very hard for Price to even talk.  Our prayers were answered on Saturday when we tried a drug ordered for hiccups and not only did the hiccups stop, but the throwing up stopped!     We are very thankful that he still has not thrown up!  We can now have small wonderful conversations.....though Price remains very weak and has no energy to do anything.  He gets short of breath with mild exertion.  He has trouble getting comfortable, yet denies that he has pain.  The big CT that was scheduled for last week did not happen because of different things related to the last hospitalization.  Instead we will get a MRI tomorrow to determine the plan for the future.  We meet with the doctor on Thursday to discuss the results.  So those days will be milestones of information.   We ask for prayers for strength, peace, and wisdom in planning. 

Love and "Thank You" to All,

Jan
 

John 16:33 (English Standard Version)

³³ I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”

HOME.

We are home!!! I apologize that it has been so long since the last update. It is amazing to me how fast the last 5 days have flown by. To fill you in, Dad was transferred out of the ICU to the PCU last Thursday. These have been busy days of healing, recovery, and many answered prayers since the initial assault. But it feels good to have everyone home under the same roof.

While in the hospital, we enjoyed spending time with so many dear visitors. Dad’s old coworkers from Oncor really lifted his spirits, all the church friends were a blessing, and everyone on the unit thought we were throwing a party in Dad’s room when my aunt, uncle, and cousins were all together watching the British Open. Each of the visitors reminded us of all the amazing people who have become part of “Team Robertson” through prayer. Thank you!

We are so thankful for your prayers! Dad has completely stopped throwing up! The sepsis has subsided! Dad has even started eating popsicles! Julie did great all weekend and we had a lot of fun sister time with Catherine in town! It has been a joy to see God work each day through this current adventure.

We still covet the prayers of everyone on “Team Robertson” this week. Here are some specific ways you can join us in prayer:

Dad has a lot of fluid build up. Please pray for this to subside.

Pray that he will be cleared to have his CT scan Thursday.

Please pray that his pain and throwing up would continue to be in check.

Gratefully,

Carol

Wednesday, July 17, 2013

Faithful.

Today, I am hoping Price will get to transfer out of ICU. A few more studies and procedures remain, but I am hopeful. From my point of view he seems very much improved. He is having a few new pains, which the medication is covering. He has restarted his feedings in earnest and we are praying and hoping the throwing up does NOT reappear. It has been absent this entire time in the hospital. That has been wonderful for Price. 

I want to thank Cathy, Melanie and Kerry for their help in the logistics, especially covering with Miss Julie. We are thankful for the faithfulness of Price’s brother who calls daily and gives us confirmation and support, but especially during acute care times in the hospital. I read all the e-mails to Price and they strengthen us both. The scriptures and prayers sent to us are truly the BEST medicine. This adventure could be described as a quick whirlwind &/or a long slough. It feels like both. 

Thank you for your faithfulness, as He is Faithful, so Faithful.

Jan

Monday, July 15, 2013

Thank you all for praying!! Dad continues to show improvement with all the right clinical numbers trending in a good direction. Or as dad has been calling them today his KPI (key performance indicators)...always the engineer.

He did wonderfully sitting in his chair all day, he really doesn't like those hospital beds. Always hard to keep him in them! :) The doctors have made progress in identifying a specific strain of bacteria in his blood that will lead us to the possible source of his infection. This is great progress.

He looks better and even had a nice visit from the new pastors at my parent’s church. We had a wonderful time of prayer, communion and fellowship. Also, my mom’s dear friend from 6th grade (or as we call her, Aunt Cathy) is in town and has been a great help and comfort.

Thank you again for your prayers and please continue to keep them up!

love,

c

Sunday Afternoon, July 14, 2013

Hey guys!

Just wanted to fill you in on how dad is doing. Right now he is in the ICU at Baylor Hospital Grapevine.

He has developed an infection so they put in a central line and they are giving him lots of fluids and antibiotics. They aren't real sure where the infection originated. All this intervention and your prayers have helped him stabilize! Right now it looks like he will be in the hospital for 4 days at the minimum.

Please continue to pray:

That they are able to find the origin of the infection.

That his organs are protected.

He will get to go home earlier than 4 days!

Strength for my mom and dad through this whole thing.

That Julie wouldn't have any seizures!

Thank you all for all the encouraging verses, texts, emails, and offers to help. You guys are our tangible "love letters" from God. We are so grateful for each of you.

love,

c

Sunday Morning, July 14, 2013

Dearest friends and family.

We could really use yall's prayers right now. Dad was taken to the hospital this morning. Not sure what is going on. Please pray! He had such a good day on Thursday after we sent the prayer update the day before. Prayer is so powerful! I will send an update on his status as soon as I hear anything.

Grateful to not be in this fight alone.

Robertson Bed and Breakfast

Wow, it has been almost a whole month since we have updated the blog.  The month of June brought us many special visitors that blessed us so much.  It was great to see Teresa, Wayne and Luke from New Mexico and Cathy, Janice, Micah, and the boys from Midland.   My friend from college and nursing school, Sylvia, came from Virginia.  It has been decades since we have seen each other, yet it was like the time did not pass.  Barb and Dirk from Georgia were a blessing and such a help.  Since we have not been able to get to Colorado, some of our Colorado Family came to Texas! We would have much preferred to have a “Jeepnic” on top of Saxon Mountain, but came up with a substitute, a “Citynic” on top of the Omni Hotel in Dallas.  Price enjoyed the time from a very comfortable chair with a wonderful view of the city.  The best part was spending the time with Kim, Pete, Claire and Gracie.  Carol and Catherine have both been here often.  They are a joy and a huge help.  All our special visitors brought us much happiness, support, and joy.

Price finished radiation June 27th.  The post radiation period has hit him especially hard leaving him very tired and weak.  He is also having frequent episodes of vomiting/dry heaving .  We are thankful that the J-tube he received in May is supplying all the calories and water he needs.  This has helped him maintain his weight.  We are trying different therapies to help with the retching.  Price is also having more discomfort.  This is usually controlled by simple oral medication.  A CT Scan is scheduled for July 19th.  The results will help us determine the next steps.  We are taking each precious day at a time.  Please continue to pray. 

Thankfully,

Jan

Confession of Our Hope

“Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.” (Hebrews 10:23)

Excerpts from Andrew Murray's commentary on Hebrews 10:23

“Faith and Hope ever go together.”

“Life in the Holiest, in the nearness of God, must be characterized by an infinite hopefulness.”

“We must live in faith, not looking to ourselves, but to God, and Hoping in Him.”

“Faith will still be tried, will perhaps most be tried when God wants most to bless.”

“Hope is the daughter of Faith, the messenger it sends out to see what is to come; it is Hope that becomes the strength and support of faith.”

“We must confess and give expression to our Hope. The confession strengthens the Hope; what we utter becomes clearer and more real to us. It glorifies God. It helps and encourages those around us.  It makes God, and men, and ourselves, see that we are committed to it.”

I have been mulling over Hebrews 10:23 the past few weeks. Carol found Andrew Murray’s commentary on this passage.  I have excerpted several key phrases from his commentary shown above. These phrases clarified for me the message that God has been working on in my heart. Before I go into an explanation of what all that means, I need to elucidate what God has been doing in my life since April 24^th, the day I was released from Baylor Grapevine Hospital after a six day stay. April 24^th was the day that God moved me from the “Waiting Room” to the “Intensive Care Room” or as I like to call it, the “Trying Room”. What I mean by “Trying Room” is the room where I wait for the doctors to figure out what to try next in my treatment and I seek God to receive His blessings during the times of trials and testing. It was a testing time when I tried so hard but was not able to meet my dietary requirements and was losing weight at an alarming rate. As a result the doctors wanted me to get a J-tube in a simple 15 minute procedure. This was a testing time because the procedure was instead another seven days in the hospital, this time at Presbyterian Hospital in Dallas.

This brings me to Hebrews 10:23 and the message that God has placed on my heart. From the very beginning God’s provision for me has been very gentle. I took comfort in this because I could feel God by my side. It is much harder to realize God is by our side when it feels like the gentleness has been removed. The time spent in Spiritual Intensive Care has given me a new found understanding and appreciation of the suffering cancer patients go through. I believe that revelation was one of the primary purposes God has me in Spiritual Intensive Care. As Andrew Murray stated, faith and hope ever go together. Faith will still be tried, will perhaps most be tried, when God wants most to bless. God’s message to me during this time was that I needed to confess my hope. I am doing this through this update. I totally agree that hope is the daughter of faith, the messenger it sends out to see what is to come. I had not made that connection before, nor had I understood that I need to verbalize my confession of hope, to do so blesses those around us and strengthens the hope within us. Most importantly, it glorifies God. My hope is in God the Father, the Healer, and the provider of Salvation. Further, my hope is that this season of Spiritual Intensive Care I am currently going through will encourage others just as it has given me a new found appreciation of the suffering cancer patients go through.

When God has me in Spiritual Intensive Care there are two choices I can make. One is to seek an even closer walk with God by letting Jesus work in me every minute by asking the Holy Spirit to give me hope so that I can confess it to myself and to the world. The other choice is to blame God, call it unfair, and reject the blessing God has in store for me. Those actions tend to reduce our level of faith and put us in the very position the accuser wants a Christian in, estranged from God. I was blessed by God with Unshakable Faith so my choice was easy. I am receiving God’s blessing, confessing my hope and letting Jesus work in me every minute of every day.  

Please continue to pray for me and my family as God ordains. God is continuously using you to support, encourage, and lift me up. That is such a comfort to me and my family.

Thank you,

Price

Carol here! I wanted to add a little love letter to the end of Dad's post. 

We have had several special visitors come to the house last week to pray over and just spend time with us. We are so grateful for each visit. After everyone leaves, we always find ourselves thanking God for such an amazing community who truly knows how to live out the gospel in tangible ways. 

One specific dear visit was from Cindy Shirley and Gary Swindle (friends from my parents church) who brought with them Helen and Timothy Addah. Helen and Timothy are from Nigeria where God has given them an amazing ministry as a pastor to the pastors of Nigeria. The way God is using them for his Kingdom was phenomenal to learn about. And the prayers they prayed over dad were so powerful. It was a dear moment I know I will treasure for a long time. Thank you guys for coming and loving on this family so well.

Cindy, Gary, Pastor Timothy, Helen, and Price

It's Good To Be Home

It is good to be home!  Price was in Presbyterian Hospital Dallas from May 23rd to May 29th.  He was initially going to have a "15 minute" procedure.  We had to laugh remembering my "15 minute" procedure back in November.  However, this "15 minute" outpatient procedure turned into a 7 day hospital stay.

My prayer from the last blog was that Price would heal up, tolerate the feedings, and get home as soon as possible.  I am comforted even now as I write this to realize that this has indeed happened.  Glory!

I will also honestly say that the last weeks of May have been a rough time for our family.  Personally, I have found the heartbreak of watching my loved ones suffer, coupled with the extreme fatigue of the mind and body, a recipe for shaking one's faith.  I have also, once again, found that He is faithful to supply richly.  I must say, this is in contrast to Price who's faith remains unshakable as well as his joy unstoppable.  I will let Price describe his journey with real physical challenges that have recently tested his faith when he is able to update the blog.

A particular "rich" blessing was to be with all our girls last weekend which included our 38th
wedding anniversary.  Price and I prayed at the onset of this Adventure that our girl's faith would not be shaken or lost.  Little did I know that they would be such a strong encouragement to me when MY faith became.....as I now like to say "worn". (I heard this song last week and related to it. I then found this youtube video of the artist talking about where the song came from. It's worth the listen if you have time.)

It is through God's Word that He has most blessed me.  There are so many verses I could choose, but I will close with this: 

Romans 8:37-39 

"No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord." 

Love,

Jan

Memorial Day Weekend

Team Robertson is scattered and have their hands especially full these days, but I wanted to get out a quick update to fill everyone in.  

Price had to be admitted into the hospital after his procedure to place the feeding tube into his small intestine on Thursday.  There were complications due to the condition of the bowel itself.  The procedure had to go from a laparoscopic procedure to a "open" procedure including a small bowel resection.  This means we will stay several more days in the hospital.  But the feeding tube is in place and we have received our teaching on how to set up everything when we get home.  Our prayer is that Price will heal up fast, tolerate the feedings, and get home as soon as possible.  

Julie and I are especially thankful for our dear friends Cindy and Jeannine who were there when I got called into a conference room when the surgery went several hours longer than expected.  They, along with Ted were treasures in our day.  

Price and I are sad we can not be at our niece's wedding in Atlanta this weekend.  We are there in Spirit and are so happy Carol and Catherine can be there to represent Team Robertson. What a wonderful day for Sarah and Andrew and we will be thinking of them during this special weekend!  It reminds me of another very special Memorial Day Weekend 38 years ago when I married a very special guy named Price.  I am blessed!

Jan

A feeding tube and glimpses of Heaven.

14 days. That’s how long it has been since our last post. That is hard to believe since it seems like yesterday. Time seems to be flying by lately! Someone tell it to slow down...

Dad is doing ok. He hasn’t been feeling that great recently and has been unable to eat or drink enough to give him the strength to fight the cancer. Mom has done a phenomenal job talking to dietitians and learning about the plethora of smoothie options (smoothies can be easier for patients to get down) to give him the sustenance he needs. Mom was even able to make dad a 650 calorie smoothie the other day! I think that is pretty impressive. But unfortunately Dad is even having trouble getting the smoothies down.

So, tomorrow (Thursday) afternoon the doctors at Presbyterian Hospital are going to put in a feeding tube! This is a huge answer to prayer since it has been so hard for Dad to get the recommended 2100-2400 calories he needs. Please pray for the procedure. It should be a relatively quick surgery.  He will have a pump that will supply him with 2400 calories/day! We are praying this will help energize him and give him the strength and sustenance to help him feel better.

God continues to give us precious “love letters” throughout this adventure! The whole family got to spend the weekend at the lake house near Austin to celebrate my graduation. It was a beautiful weekend. We got to spend sweet time being with each other, laughing, watching beautiful sunsets, counting stars out on the deck, and enjoying amazing meals together. My aunt, uncle, and cousin from my mom’s side of the family came in and prepared the most amazing Graduation Dinner! It was such an amazingly full and precious time. Definitely a little glimpse into heaven.

The whole family at graduation.

Please continue to pray for Dad’s healing. He seems to be more uncomfortable as of late. Pray that God would give relief and that this feeding tube procedure would happen without a hitch. Pray for strength for my family. It is hard to see loved ones uncomfortable. Pray especially for my Mom. She is a warrior and is walking through this adventure with such grace and faith. I am so grateful for her. Lastly, pray for God to continue to use this struggle in powerful ways for his Kingdom! That truly is the only thing that makes this adventure worth it in the end. That God would build eternal things for his Kingdom in us and in all who witness the journey.

Love,
Carol

“Your Kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven.” –Matthew 6:10

Email Updates

We don't want to lose any part of this adventure, so this post is just a transcript of our email updates that we sent out this week. So if you are on our email update list, I apologize for the repetition...

May 8th a.m. - Mini Update

"Your way, O God, is holy. What god is great like our God? You are the God who works wonders; you have made known your might among the peoples. With your arm redeemed your people..." (Psalm 77:13-15)

Thank you all for your prayers yesterday! God has answered them in a kind way. Dad sounds great and we are excited about the new directions. I am passing along his brief update, see below:

"The visit with Dr. Strauss (oncologist) yesterday brought a new direction to my treatment.  I hope to begin radiation treatment by next week.  Jan, Julie and I met with the Radiation Oncologist, Dr. Barker, yesterday afternoon.  I really like him.  Looks like we added another Doctor to the Team Robertson Adventure.

Since the CT Scan showed that there was no change to the tumors under the current protocol, Dr. Strauss wants to try radiation therapy with a different round of chemotherapy.  The issue is that I have to be cleared by Dr. Jain, the Gastroenterologist, after my Upper GI Study today at 10:45 am before Dr. Barker can start the process.  Your prayers are appreciated as we go down the road on the next Adventure.  God is so good and His timing is perfect.  I could not be in a better place at this moment.  Thank you, Price"

Grateful for each of you! Thank you for being a part of Team Robertson! :)

-c

May 8th Evening- Mini Update #2

Hello dear ones,

I am so sorry to bomb your inboxes today! But we have great such good news that must be shared!

We got a great report from the Gastroenterologist, Dr. Jain! There was no evidence of constriction in dad's duodenum!! This is a miracle since it was definitely there a couple weeks ago when Dad was in the hospital!! Woah. This good report means that he has been officially released for Radiation Therapy!!

He is still experiencing discomfort in his abdomen and has lost a lot of weight since being in the hospital. So we are praying that he would be able to fight through the "squiggly guts" as he calls them and put some of the weight he has lost back on. He is shooting for 10 lbs. We would love prayer in this area! He needs all the strength he can get.

Dr. Barker, the radiation oncologist, has dad set up for the simulation session (where they map the tumor, set up the control points, and prepare the dosage plan) at 9:00 am tomorrow morning. It looks like radiation therapy could start next week. Another good thing to pray for. :)

I must say, God has sent us so many amazingly precious and perfectly timed "love letters" through all of your wonderful notes, texts, verses and prayers. I have said it before and say it again, it is such a tangible reminder of God's care and kindness toward us. Each one of them is special to us. Thank you for loving and encouraging us so well with such rich Truth. I am grateful for each of you.

-c

The Adventure Continues

          Since I got home from the hospital Wednesday April 24^th it has been very active here at Team Robertson Headquarters.  I was so glad to be away from the medieval torture device called the “hospital bed”.  While in the hospital I tried to spend as little time as possible in the rack.  One time the hospital doctor came into my room when there were several visitors.  I was in my chair so the bed was empty.  She commented that the only way she could tell that I was the patient was by the hospital gown I was wearing.  That bed ruined my back for several days after I left the hospital.  Everything else at the hospital was great.  The staff was fantastic as were the nurses and doctors.  The care I received was stellar. I would definitely recommend Baylor Grapevine if you have to go to the hospital.  Bring your own mattress though.  Kind of a humorous moment while at the hospital occurred when I was visiting with Dr. Davis, the hospital Oncologist.  He asked me what drugs I had taken during the first chemotherapy protocol.  I got most of them correct but I stated I had taken Gabatron (I now know that this is not a real drug and very much sounds like something from a Star Trek episode).  I could tell that he was searching his brain for what drug that might have been. After a few minutes he asked would that have been Gemzar?  Of course that was it!  Carol was in the room during that conversation and she thought it was hilarious.  Later, I told Carol that I thought maybe I should try Gabatron since that must be the drug that cures cancer.  I explained that God was the only one who knew about that drug so I would have to go to Him directly.  That is ultimately who we need to turn to for the cure for cancer. 

            After I got home from the hospital, I had four nights of insomnia.  I can really empathize with everyone that suffers from insomnia.  It is miserable to lie in bed wide awake with no hope of falling asleep.  During the first night I told Jan that I thought I needed to take a “melanoma” pill.  She burst out laughing.  I realized my mistake but thought I would expand on why I wanted to take a pill that would cause another type of cancer in my body.  I told her that maybe the two cancers would cancel each other out.  You probably had to be there to experience the laughter.  Of course Jan knew that I had intended to say a melatonin pill, which is supposed to help you fall asleep.  I ended up taking one but it did not work.  I did realize that we have to laugh as much as possible because it is great medicine.  Thankfully the insomnia only lasted four nights.

            Friday April 26^th Marty and Gary stopped by on their way to Austin.  It was great getting the chance to see them again.  Carol also flew in to spend the weekend with us.  It is such a blessing to have my girls here.  Cathy (Jan’s lifetime friend) and Steve, her husband, left Saturday April 27^th.  She really made a difference while she was here.  Not just as a helper but also as a spiritual warrior.  The spiritual battle can be more difficult to wage than the physical battle.  Everyone who lifts me and/or my family up with prayer contributes to the spiritual battle in a mighty way.  Lindsey dropped by Saturday as well and we had a great visit.  Sunday April 28^th brought a visit from Jan’s brother Brad and his wife Anne.  It was a great afternoon of catching up and hearing about their trip to Scotland plus their support was invaluable.

            Monday April 29^th brought a visit to my Gastroenterologist, Dr. Jain to talk about all the issues I have been having with eating, digesting, and generally not getting enough calories.  Since I was already scheduled to have a CT Scan Wednesday May 1^st it was decided to review the results Friday and decide on a course of action.  Tuesday was my appointment with Dr. Strauss, my Oncologist, and hopefully my fifth round of the second protocol of Chemotherapy.  I did get the Chemotherapy and set up a time on Tuesday (tomorrow!) May 7^th to go over the results of the CT Scan with Dr. Strauss. I had the CT Scan Wednesday May 1^st without any issues.  Thursday May 2^nd the hazmat Chemo pump came off without any issues and Carol came back in town for the weekend.  Catherine arrived in town Friday May 3^rd so Team Robertson was at full strength and ready for action.  It was an awesome weekend in spite of the fact that I was nowhere near a hundred percent.  The gastric issues, the back pain, the inability to eat and the punk way I felt kept me from fully engaging until Sunday.  Everything got better that morning so I was able to be a fighting member of Team Robertson.  That was a real answer to prayer.

            Tomorrow I visit with Dr. Strauss on what the next steps are in my treatment.  Wednesday I have an upper gastro intestinal scan and Thursday I see Dr. Sanders, my Internist.  Whew.

            That should catch everyone up on the past few weeks and the next few days.  A few nights ago as I lay awake due to the insomnia a Chris Tomlin song kept running through my head.  I copied the verses below:

Chris Tomlin “Our God (Is Greater)”

“Our God is greater, our God is stronger, God you are higher than any other.  Our God is healer, awesome in power, Our God! Our God!  Our God is greater, our God is stronger, God you are higher than any other.  Our God is healer, awesome in power, Our God! Our God!  And if our God is for us, then who could ever stop us.  And if our God is with us, then what could stand against.  And if our God is for us, then who could ever stop us.  And if our God is with us, then what could stand against. Then what could stand against.”

            That was very comforting to me during this season of turmoil.  God is on my side and there is none higher.  The fact that I can have a personal relationship with God because of the sacrifice Jesus made is beyond belief.  He is an awesome God!

The Bible verse God has given me to study the last few days is 1 Peter 5:6-11.

1 Peter 5:6-11

“Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your anxiety upon Him, because He cares for you.  Be of sober spirit, be on the alert.  Your adversary, the devil, prowls about like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.  But resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world.  And after you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you.  To Him be dominion forever and ever.  Amen.“

            There is so much to ponder in those verses that I can only hit the highpoints in this Update. The immenseness of God is unfathomable to me. How blessed are we that He cares for each of us in such a magnificent way.  I want to know how I can humble myself before God even more than I have so far.  I want to fall into His arms even more so than I already have.  I also take immense comfort that you, my fellow believers, are being used by God to share the burden by listening, praying, and supporting Team Robertson in such a mighty way.  God’s provision for me has been a real rock for me to stand on.  The accuser has no way to reach me because of the support everyone has shown me and my family.  The day that God touches me to perfect, confirm, strengthen, and establish me is beyond compare to my life so far.  Praise our God!

            Please continue to pray for me and my family as God ordains.  God is continuously using you to support, encourage, lift me up and pray for Team Robertson.  That is such a comfort to me and my family.

Thank you,

Price

No Place Like Home

So much to be thankful for! Dad got to come home from the hospital today!!

God really heard yall's prayers because all of the doctors and nurses were amazed at how fast his lipase levels fell the last few days. For those of you like me who are not medical professionals, lipase is an enzyme that tells doctors just how inflamed the pancreas is. That is definitely a testimony to the power of prayer. AND I already shared with you about his nurse Mercy, well he also had a tech named Faith coming by his room to check on him while he was there. I love the little love letters God continues to send.

THANK YOU FOR PRAYING!! Here are some specific ways you can continue to join us in prayer:

1. Dad is having trouble eating. Please pray that God would heal his digestive tract so that he would be able to process the sustenance he needs to continue to fight the cancer and that food would be palatable for him.

2. Pray also for all of the doctor appointments next week. He is going to see his oncologist (pray for chemo!!) and gastroenterologist. He is also getting a scan on Wednesday to see how this new chemo protocol is impacting the cancer. Lots of big appointments next week.

3. Last but not least, continue to pray for complete healing!

Words simply don't express how thankful we are for each of you. God is using you in a mighty way for His Kingdom and in our family. Thank you.

Love,

Carol

"But as for me, it is good to be near God; I have made the Lord God my refuge, that I may tell of all your works." -Psalm 73:28

More firsts!!

A lot of firsts have occurred since Saturday.  Everything had gone very well after the ERCP.  At 1:00 am Sunday I had the first pain during this Adventure.  It was a 6 or 7 on the 10 scale.  By 3:30 am I was asking the nurse what pain medication they had prescribed for me.  He said it was morphine.  That was a first for me as well.  Until that moment I had not had any narcotics.  It brought the pain down to a 2 or 3.  Sunday morning the doctors figured out that I had pancreatitis from the ERCP procedure.  My lipase level came in at 9,000.  Normal is 100 or less.  Pancreatitis is inflammation of the pancreas. Mine may have been initiated by irritation of the pancreatic duct.  At this point I obviously do not get along with the various duct systems in my body.  I guess the next to go will be my tear ducts (just a guess). 

There is no treatment for pancreatitis.  I basically have to not eat or drink until it settles down.  Monday morning the lipase level had fallen to 3,000.  My pain was under control with the morphine.  So things were looking good.  This morning my lipase level was 900.  I am still at Baylor Grapevine and of course did not get my Chemo therapy.  That may occur next Tuesday, but we are taking one thing at a time.  I may be discharged tomorrow.  I am trying to eat some food and drink some liquids today to see how my pancreas reacts.  Prayers for me to respond well over the next few days would be appreciated.

Cathy, Jan’s lifelong friend, drove in from Midland Sunday night to help out.  She is such a blessing.  It is always hilarious when the two of them get together.  There have been many visitors since I have been in the hospital.  Melanie and Cindy came by and we had a great time sharing and then a great prayer time.  Jeff came by and we talked for a long time after which he prayed for me and my family.  Yesterday Lindy and Lindsey came by and again it was a special time of sharing and prayer.  As I write this Melanie and Cathy are here and I am eating Jello and broth. 

Well everyone has gone home except Jan and Julie.  The few clear liquids that I have tried have not gone well.  Though the pancreatic pain is not made worse by eating, the squiggly guts reaction increases to a very uncomfortable level when I eat.  The GI doctor was here and has prescribed a medication to try to help this response so I can eat my diet.  Pray this works so that I can be discharged soon.

We were uplifted to hear the news that my brother and sister-in-law are coming in this weekend.  This will be a blessing to us and Jan’s mother.  Carol is arriving Friday and has Monday off so she will be able to stay a little longer.

The tough times are the times that try our soul.  Two verses that Melanie that gave to me today fit this situation I currently find myself in on this Adventure.  Ephesians 3:17b-19 And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge – that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. and Psalm 62:1-2 Truly my soul finds rest in God; my salvation comes from Him.  Truly He is my rock and my salvation; He is my fortress, I will never be shaken.

Please continue to pray for me and my family in the next few days.  God continues to send me love letters at the perfect time so I know He will see us through this Adventure like He has all the rest.                     

Thank you,

Price

There's a first time for everything...

I think I have learned a lesson.  Things move too fast to do an update weeks apart.  So I will attempt to write my updates more frequently.  The big news this time is that I had my second ambulance ride in my life and I was admitted to a hospital for the first time in my life.  This all started Friday morning as I got out of bed.  I was very weak and light headed.  I had been feeling punk most of Thursday and for the first time I could not bring myself to eat dinner Thursday night.  I had a good night, but like I said earlier, I was weak and lightheaded getting out of bed.  That rapidly turned into profuse sweating and difficulty doing small tasks with a fever of 102.  I looked so bad Carol called 911 to get a Coppell ambulance dispatched to our house.  While Carol was getting the EMTs, Jan was doing an excellent job taking care of me in spite of my belligerence, caused by my weakened state.  The EMTs arrived very quickly since they are four blocks from our house and assessed the situation.  It was decided by all that the emergency room was the next stop.  I arrived very quickly to the emergency room and the course of treatment was to start high-powered antibiotics since the likelihood that I had an infection was very high.  After many tests and consultations I was admitted to the hospital (did I say this is the first time I have ever been admitted to a hospital, although with Julie I have spent many nights and days in hospitals) to continue the antibiotics and consult with four doctors (a Gastroenterologist, the hospital doctor, an infectious disease specialist, and an Oncologist).  The consensus was that I needed another ERCP (Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography) to clear my bile duct stent and possibly place an additional stent in.  The ERCP procedure took place at 9:00 am this morning without incident.  All last night the song One Thing Remains by Kristian Stanfill was running through my head.  God is so great to provide love letters at the perfect time to give us comfort and hope.  The Gastroenterologist cleaned me out and put a longer stent inside the first one to handle some incursions further up the bile duct.  That was probably the source of the infection and my feeling so lousy Thursday.  I am not sure when I will be discharged but everything is back to normal.

A real blessing for us was the fact that Carol came in Thursday for a visit.  She was able to take care of Julie so Jan could stay with me at the hospital.  She wrote the most wonderful e-mail this morning that I wanted to share with everyone.  I copied the text below:

Good morning dear ones.

What a difficult week it has been for so many across this country. As I sit here and think about all the pain and brokenness the only words that come to mind are "Come swiftly Lord, Jesus"! Come to bring ultimate healing and restoration to these people and this land. A good friend of mine sent a powerful Bible verse to our family yesterday. I want to share it with you and pray that it brings you hope and peace as it does to me. Jesus is talking to his disciples right before he is taken to be crucified. He knew their world was about to be turned upside down and that they would need to exercise great faith in the coming days and years. He says, "I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart, I have overcome the world." (John 16:33) The enemy was defeated on the cross and has no power over those who have transferred the leadership of their lives to Jesus. Even though this world is still broken, we can have peace because He has overcome.

God has given us great faith and peace in this crazy last 24 hours! Dad is still at the hospital and is about to go in to have an ERCP procedure to take a look at, clean out, and possibly reinforce the stent he had put in back in October. This stent is what is keeping his bile duct operational and they suspect it may be what is causing the potential infection. Last night when I was with dad, I asked him what he thought about the procedure (it is not the most fun process). He said that whatever the Lord willed would be fine with him. :) He is exercising the faith God has given Him and has such peace in it all. He looks really good and definitely still has his sense of humor!

Mom stayed up there with him last night, which left Julie and I to have a sister slumber party at the house! She did great! She slept most of the night and didn't have any big seizures!! Such a HUGE praise as seizures are no fun to deal with by yourself.

One cool "love letter" from God I want to share with you. Last night when the nurses were changing shifts for the night shift, the new nurse came in and introduced herself to us. Her name was Mercy. It felt really good to leave last night knowing that Mercy was watching over that hospital room. Such a precious reminder...

I am grateful for each of you. I cannot say it enough, thank you thank you thank you for walking this adventure with us. You are a blessing to us and we love you!! I hope to send an update later today to let you guys know how the procedure goes and hopefully we will know more about how long they want him to stay at the hospital.

-C

Now it is time to catch everyone up on the events of the past few weeks. My high school friend Ralph came down for a visit a couple weekends ago. It was awesome. It was like no time had passed since we were last together. It was a fun time catching up and talking about past adventures.  It was hard for Ralph to leave Dallas, not because I am such a good friend but because American Airlines could not get his plane off the ground.  He finally started back to Iowa after a terminal change and I think a plane exchange due to mechanical problems.  He took off from DFW at the time he was supposed to have arrived in Iowa.

My youngest daughter, Catherine, came in for a weekend visit after Ralph’s visit.  It was a fun weekend without any crisis adventures.  The weather was gorgeous and we took full advantage of it.  Catherine and I had some special time together going to The Village Church for Sunday service.  It was a great service and wonderful message.  We then went to the church service at Silverado (the place where Jan’s mom lives).  It was great having the whole family (we missed Carol) visiting Meme and worshiping the Lord.

I was supposed to have my fourth round of the second protocol Monday the 15^th of April.  We showed up at the Oncologist but once again my labs prevented me from proceeding with the course.  The infusion was rescheduled for this coming Monday.  That may be delayed as well if I am still in the hospital. Prayers for discharge Sunday and good labs Monday morning are in order.  I have experienced God’s love for me throughout this Adventure and will continue to desire His perfect timing for the next steps going forward.

If you were to review the blog from the beginning it is awesome to see how God has orchestrated the Adventure so far.  It is neat to have this record to remind one’s self of how gloriously God has walked with me and my family during this Adventure.  Your prayers have had much to do with that provision.

Thank you,

Price