I want to share how thankful I am for all of you who have offered up prayers on my father’s behalf.  Some of you have asked how you can specifically pray for my dad so I will share what’s going on.

My dad (Robert) has been battling colorectal cancer for a little over a year.  When it was diagnosed, the cancer had already reached stage 4.  This is the advanced stage and means that the cancer has spread to other parts of the body, such as the kidneys, liver and lungs.  The doctors prescribed chemotherapy and radiation treatment.

Last Friday, my dad was hospitalized because he had shortness of breath.  They found out that he had water in the lungs.  Well, the water in his lungs caused him to catch pneumonia.  This, in turn, made his condition worse.  This past Tuesday, the oncologist told my dad that if his pneumonia doesn’t go away, there is nothing they can do for him.  He was told that it could be days weeks, or one month.

My sister had just picked me up from the airport when we got a call from his doctor asking as to come in right away as his vitals were dangerously low.  We were told that afternoon (Thursday) that the worst case scenario is that his condition would rapidly deteriorate and he would not last through the night.  The best case scenario is that his body will respond to the antibiotic treatments which would mean that we are looking at days.

The good news is that later in the day he started feeling better and became more responsive.  By the evening, he was entertaining the guests with jokes and singing!  It was a big turnaround from the day before.  His vitals were looking much better.   Also, my dad had been hallucinating the last couple of days but he hasn’t been hallucinating since I arrived.  

Today (Friday) a team of doctors came in to examine him.  The head doctor told my dad that he gave us quite a scare yesterday.  He further said that he is happy with my dad’s condition but he is still not out of the woods.  They will keep a close watch on his condition during the next 48 hours and then will decide the next course of action.  My dad still has pneumonia but the antibiotics seem to be working.  And the water in his lungs seem to be resolving.  

Please pray that:

1) the pneumonia will completely go away

2) all water will leave his lungs

3) my dad will have appetite to eat

4) his body will be healed miraculously

5) he will be able to breathe better (he’s been wheezing today)

6) his spirit will continue to feel uplifted by the love and support people have been giving him

7) I will make the most of the remaining time I have left with my dad as I fly back to Japan Sunday afternoon.

That’s all for now.

May God’s will be done,

Riz