The result of the blood test sent to KL for bone marrow match screening is out. There is no match for both my sister and I to my brother's stem cell type. I don't know what to say about this but I knew it beforehand that the chances are low. I studied about immune system and stem cells are not so much genetically related because it depends on the individual's body needs to defend its system. God is smart , come to think about it, each of us is so unique (albeit physically) from appearance up to minuscule of our cells. God is good in His creation and that is why He sees it good.
Back to the point, I can start to feel restless but I am not going to and totally seeing the positive side. Although the search might be cumbersome, with so much sources out there, I am sure it is possible to find a match for my brother. He will go through 3 months of interval healing and chemo treatment. Meanwhile, I will try my best to find matching bone marrow.
As of now, will look into immediate relatives and family. My cousins can go for test since their are closest related. :) I hope to know more about the result so that I can check brother's exact stem type.
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Saturday, March 13, 2010
First the Suffering
And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace [Who imparts all blessing and favor], Who has called you to His [own] eternal glory in Christ Jesus, will Himself complete and make you what you ought to be, establish and ground you securely, and strengthen, and settle you.
— 1 Peter 5:10
“Why do we have to suffer?” “If God truly loves us, why do all the bad things happen to us?” I hear such questions often. For thousands of years, people smarter than I am have wrestled with those questions, and they still haven’t discovered the answers. I don’t even try to answer the questions. I do make one comment, however: “If God only blessed us after we became believers—if He took away all suffering, hardship, and turmoil for Christians—wouldn’t it be a way to bribe people into the faith?”
That’s not the way God works. The Lord wants us to come to Him out of love and because we know we’re needy—so needy that only He can fill those needs for us.
The reality is that from the time of birth until we go home to be with Jesus, we will suffer at times. Some have harder tasks than others, but suffering is still suffering.
I also think that when people watch us as we turn to God for help in our hardships and they see our victories, it provides a witness to them. That witness may not always make them turn to Christ, but it does show God’s presence in our lives and makes them aware of what they’re missing.
Yes, we will suffer. The other day I had a new thought: Suffering results in thanksgiving. When our lives turn chaotic and we don’t know what to do, we turn to the Lord for help, and He answers our prayers and sets us free. God speaks to us and comforts us. And the result is that we’re thankful.
The time between suffering and thanksgiving is wh
en the devil truly attacks our thoughts. He may begin by saying, “If God really loved you, you would not have to go through this.” It’s a subtle way of saying to us that serving God is useless. The truth is, we’ll have problems if we’re believers; we’ll have problems if we’re nonbelievers. But as believers, we’ll also have victories. As believers in Jesus Christ, we can have peace in the midst of the storm. We can enjoy our lives during the hardships because we truly believe that God is working on our behalf to bring deliverance.
The next attack of Satan is to whisper, “It’s not going to get better. You have served God for nothing. See, this is what happens when you really need help and trust God. He doesn’t care about you. If He truly cared, why would He allow you to suffer?”
This is where we have to stand firm. We can take courage from the story of Job. Few of us have suffered as he did—he lost his children, his possessions, and his health. His critics accused him of hypocrisy and deception. Because we know how Satan works, we realize that his so-called friends were tools of Satan. I’m sure they didn’t realize they were being used by the devil to discourage Job. But just because they weren’t aware, doesn’t mean Satan didn’t use them.
However, Job, a godly man, refused to listen. He said, “[. . . though He slay me, yet will I wait for and trust Him . . .]” (Job 13:15). He refused to allow Satan to attack his mind and make him question God. He didn’t understand what God had done. There’s no indication that Job ever understood. But one thing he knew, God was with him and he never doubted the love and presence of God.
That’s the attitude we want—that calm assurance of God’s love that says, “Though He slay me, yet will I wait for and trust Him.” We don’t have to understand or explain. In fact, I’ve heard it said this way, “Obedience is required; understanding is optional.”
Finally, if we suffer, it just may be a powerful reminder that we are walking the same paths as some of God’s greatest saints. Even in Peter’s time, they suffered. In their case, it was Roman persecution; in our case, it may be people who don’t understand us, or family members who turn against us. Regardless, suffering can and should end in thanksgiving.
Pray this...
My Master and my God, forgive me for always wanting the easy life. I admit that I don’t want to suffer, and I don’t like it when things go wrong. But I ask You to help me have a good attitude and to trust You to bring good out of it. I pray this in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
From the book Battlefield of the Mind: 100 Insights That Will Change the Way You Think by Joyce Meyer. Copyright © 2005 by Joyce Meyer. Published by FaithWords. All rights reserved.
— 1 Peter 5:10
“Why do we have to suffer?” “If God truly loves us, why do all the bad things happen to us?” I hear such questions often. For thousands of years, people smarter than I am have wrestled with those questions, and they still haven’t discovered the answers. I don’t even try to answer the questions. I do make one comment, however: “If God only blessed us after we became believers—if He took away all suffering, hardship, and turmoil for Christians—wouldn’t it be a way to bribe people into the faith?”
That’s not the way God works. The Lord wants us to come to Him out of love and because we know we’re needy—so needy that only He can fill those needs for us.
The reality is that from the time of birth until we go home to be with Jesus, we will suffer at times. Some have harder tasks than others, but suffering is still suffering.
I also think that when people watch us as we turn to God for help in our hardships and they see our victories, it provides a witness to them. That witness may not always make them turn to Christ, but it does show God’s presence in our lives and makes them aware of what they’re missing.
Yes, we will suffer. The other day I had a new thought: Suffering results in thanksgiving. When our lives turn chaotic and we don’t know what to do, we turn to the Lord for help, and He answers our prayers and sets us free. God speaks to us and comforts us. And the result is that we’re thankful.
The time between suffering and thanksgiving is wh
en the devil truly attacks our thoughts. He may begin by saying, “If God really loved you, you would not have to go through this.” It’s a subtle way of saying to us that serving God is useless. The truth is, we’ll have problems if we’re believers; we’ll have problems if we’re nonbelievers. But as believers, we’ll also have victories. As believers in Jesus Christ, we can have peace in the midst of the storm. We can enjoy our lives during the hardships because we truly believe that God is working on our behalf to bring deliverance.
The next attack of Satan is to whisper, “It’s not going to get better. You have served God for nothing. See, this is what happens when you really need help and trust God. He doesn’t care about you. If He truly cared, why would He allow you to suffer?”
This is where we have to stand firm. We can take courage from the story of Job. Few of us have suffered as he did—he lost his children, his possessions, and his health. His critics accused him of hypocrisy and deception. Because we know how Satan works, we realize that his so-called friends were tools of Satan. I’m sure they didn’t realize they were being used by the devil to discourage Job. But just because they weren’t aware, doesn’t mean Satan didn’t use them.
However, Job, a godly man, refused to listen. He said, “[. . . though He slay me, yet will I wait for and trust Him . . .]” (Job 13:15). He refused to allow Satan to attack his mind and make him question God. He didn’t understand what God had done. There’s no indication that Job ever understood. But one thing he knew, God was with him and he never doubted the love and presence of God.
That’s the attitude we want—that calm assurance of God’s love that says, “Though He slay me, yet will I wait for and trust Him.” We don’t have to understand or explain. In fact, I’ve heard it said this way, “Obedience is required; understanding is optional.”
Finally, if we suffer, it just may be a powerful reminder that we are walking the same paths as some of God’s greatest saints. Even in Peter’s time, they suffered. In their case, it was Roman persecution; in our case, it may be people who don’t understand us, or family members who turn against us. Regardless, suffering can and should end in thanksgiving.
Pray this...
My Master and my God, forgive me for always wanting the easy life. I admit that I don’t want to suffer, and I don’t like it when things go wrong. But I ask You to help me have a good attitude and to trust You to bring good out of it. I pray this in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
From the book Battlefield of the Mind: 100 Insights That Will Change the Way You Think by Joyce Meyer. Copyright © 2005 by Joyce Meyer. Published by FaithWords. All rights reserved.
Despair... the mild one
Hmm.. never thought I would find this time of the season a difficult one for me. Small things like this never brings me down when every time I know God is in charge and provide for my needs. I had always feel the joy, optimism, and being positive of everything including the people around me.
After the stagnant season with my brother, my perspective on things around me change drastically especially now I am back to KL. I find myself having difficulty connecting and participating in the environment and people around me. I hope that I am able to feel the passion for life again.
I am going to start my job on 1 April and desperately needing a place to stay. I pray that Lord provide that suitable place for me. I would like to be in a place where I can cook and enjoy the food with good companion. I am looking for a room of a house to stay. I love the feeling of doing gardening in the front porch and stay near LRT. Since I am going to be permanent here, I thought spending good amount of time in searching for accommodation is a worthwhile thing to do.
Cheers~~
After the stagnant season with my brother, my perspective on things around me change drastically especially now I am back to KL. I find myself having difficulty connecting and participating in the environment and people around me. I hope that I am able to feel the passion for life again.
I am going to start my job on 1 April and desperately needing a place to stay. I pray that Lord provide that suitable place for me. I would like to be in a place where I can cook and enjoy the food with good companion. I am looking for a room of a house to stay. I love the feeling of doing gardening in the front porch and stay near LRT. Since I am going to be permanent here, I thought spending good amount of time in searching for accommodation is a worthwhile thing to do.
Cheers~~
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Good bye KK
It has been a week since I last wrote. This stretch of time seems like ages to me. I have enjoyed so much and yet also took a long time for decisions to be made.
I am leaving KK today and I had booked my flight to KL at 4.30 pm online previous two days. I was indecisive about the date of going, however, I just placed my reservation based on the cheapest fare available and board MAS airline in the evening. I do not know how to wrap up my last day here before leave KK. To recall all the things I have been through here, especially together with my family members during the unusual Chinese New Year, no words can describe the tension, care, love, struggles, challenges, prayers, family and relatives visits, blessings, memories and all others that came to pass. It seems that a breath can't even summaries the whole deal about this season of life.
Even as I am writing right now, knowing the fact that I am leaving today, I do not feel any sense of peace transitioning my life in KL. Firstly, although my brother is capable of going through the second treatment here in KK (how we came to this decision will write about it later) and requires less of my help ( yes my role is coming to an end - missing it) I will not feel the relief until the day he declared free from the disease to a total healing. I wish I could be here for him until he is well , however, I need to move on to other things now. (Love my dear brother so much!)
There are many things I wanted to do today!! Gonna cook one last meal for my brother before I fly hehe...this past three days, he has been making burger buns and each try is getting better and better. These buns goes well with alfredo sauce and hummus dips (yeah made this sauce ) and my brother specially request me to make dhal after hearing my dad liking it so much. huahahaha there is a secret ingreditent to every recipes ;p
Anyways...things I wanna do today...a visit to the beach 15 minutes away, a quick walk or drive around downtown to get some souviniers, grocery shopping, and once done with packing, just relax and enjoy the heat from the sun (lol) plus goodbyes to mom and dad... today is a good day and I am loving it :D
I am leaving KK today and I had booked my flight to KL at 4.30 pm online previous two days. I was indecisive about the date of going, however, I just placed my reservation based on the cheapest fare available and board MAS airline in the evening. I do not know how to wrap up my last day here before leave KK. To recall all the things I have been through here, especially together with my family members during the unusual Chinese New Year, no words can describe the tension, care, love, struggles, challenges, prayers, family and relatives visits, blessings, memories and all others that came to pass. It seems that a breath can't even summaries the whole deal about this season of life.
Even as I am writing right now, knowing the fact that I am leaving today, I do not feel any sense of peace transitioning my life in KL. Firstly, although my brother is capable of going through the second treatment here in KK (how we came to this decision will write about it later) and requires less of my help ( yes my role is coming to an end - missing it) I will not feel the relief until the day he declared free from the disease to a total healing. I wish I could be here for him until he is well , however, I need to move on to other things now. (Love my dear brother so much!)
There are many things I wanted to do today!! Gonna cook one last meal for my brother before I fly hehe...this past three days, he has been making burger buns and each try is getting better and better. These buns goes well with alfredo sauce and hummus dips (yeah made this sauce ) and my brother specially request me to make dhal after hearing my dad liking it so much. huahahaha there is a secret ingreditent to every recipes ;p
Anyways...things I wanna do today...a visit to the beach 15 minutes away, a quick walk or drive around downtown to get some souviniers, grocery shopping, and once done with packing, just relax and enjoy the heat from the sun (lol) plus goodbyes to mom and dad... today is a good day and I am loving it :D
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
He is home!
I am so so relieved to see him home. Yesterday, I was really exhilarated to hear from the doctor saying that my brother could go home the next day. Just hearing that phrase melts everything or the burden I have in my heart away. I felt lighter and breath better but at same time become so tired right away. One thing I notice that I have all the appetite to eat. Whatever food I saw people eating I feel like having the same thing too! Pass few days, although I eat, I usually couldn't finish my food and now I see myself gobbling down everything (to a mediocre of course hehe).
Anyway, my brother is back home and there are challenges to overcome. Doctor gave him so many medicine to take and he has to becareful with the food and hygiene. On Thursday, he will go back to hospital for another bone marrow check up to see if there is any cancer cell. Sometime around next week, we will go to KL for him to continue the rest of chemo treatment. It will be another adjustment back in KL now.
KL here I come! Hehe..
Anyway, my brother is back home and there are challenges to overcome. Doctor gave him so many medicine to take and he has to becareful with the food and hygiene. On Thursday, he will go back to hospital for another bone marrow check up to see if there is any cancer cell. Sometime around next week, we will go to KL for him to continue the rest of chemo treatment. It will be another adjustment back in KL now.
KL here I come! Hehe..
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)