Author: Debbie O’Connor

Looking Back and Looking Forward.

November 22, 2020

This is what the LORD says: “Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls.” Jeremiah 6:16

Dear family and friends,

Thank you so much for your continued prayers & encouragement. God has blessed me with so many people who love and care for me and my family.

This past Monday I finished up my fourth and final round of chemotherapy treatments. I will have scans done in a couple of weeks to see how my body is responding to treatment and to determine next steps. Please continue to pray that the medication will continue to do what it was created to do.

It was brought to my attention that some of you faithful friends do not know how I was first diagnosed with cancer. It was that at the end of 2018 I started noticing some weakness and stiffness in my left hip which I thought was probably some arthritis. In January of 2019 on a trip to the jungle areas of Peru I noticed even more how my hip was not working well as we were climbing in and out of boats. In April of 2019 I decided to go for some physical therapy. After a few weeks of PT my therapist felt that I was not responding to therapy and suggested seeing a hip specialist. After some procrastination I made an appointment, was sent for an MRI, and got the results of metastatic cancer in both hips. I didn’t believe the diagnosis and thought they probably made a mistake as I felt fine except for the hip.

I was then told to get a body scan to determine where the primary tumor was located. The scan revealed that I had a tumor in my lung and I was instructed to follow up with a lung specialist. The lung specialist did a lung biopsy and found that I had Carcinoid cancer, which is a rare and slow growing type of cancer. From there we interviewed a few oncologists and ended up at Seattle Cancer Care Alliance with Dr. Martins.

More scans and tests confirmed that the main tumor was in my right lung but that I had cancer lesions on my hips, shoulders and liver with a couple of lymph nodes involved and a couple of cancer spots on my spine. Almost from the first diagnosis of cancer I started on an organic, whole foods, mostly vegetarian, no sugar diet. My first treatment in the fall of 2019 was an oral chemotherapy which the cancer did not respond to. In early 2020 I was then put on a targeted therapy which was considered a very good option for me but once again the cancer did not respond to treatment as the doctors had hoped. In the meantime, the cancer had spread to my pancreas and one of my adrenal glands.

The third round of treatment started in the summer was a chemotherapy treatment. Half way through the treatment scans showed that finally my body was responding with shrinkage in the two tumors (lung and pancreas) showed no observable changes in the lesions and spots. Praise the Lord! So now the next steps – – as mentioned earlier – – are to get more scans, to evaluate progress and to determine what comes next.

One big thing I have learned on this cancer journey is to trust God to lead and guide ME. Many well-meaning people tell what worked for them or for their friend or for their family member. But most of the time what works for one person does not work for the next. Cancer is a very tricky disease and one has to be in tune with God and your own body & walk accordingly to the way God leads and guides.

So in all this, thank you for your continued prayers for healing, for next steps and for our family dynamics as sometimes it gets very hard. One area that is difficult is that I (Debbie) am able to do less and less physically. My hip instability forces me to walk with a cane and a walker and just recently I started to have some undiagnosed pain in my ribs when bending or twisting so there are a lot of household chores I can not do. This is humbling but also very frustrating and Patrick, Sarah and Kathryn are doing more and more for me.

Closing for now, Love to each one of you & thank you for your part in being a blessing in the journey. Happy Thanksgiving (to my American readers) & holiday blessings to you and your family.

Love to you,

Debbie and (Patrick:-), too.

The Lord is Faithful! (October 27, 2020)

“The Lord your God is with you, HE is mighty to save, He will take great delight in you, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing.” Zephaniah 3:17

Thank you, family and friends, for your ongoing prayers, notes of encouragement, and other expressions of love and support.

I am currently half way through round three of treatment and doing very well.  My treatment was postponed a week due to low numbers so my infusion dates were scheduled for Monday, October 19th and the week of November 2nd .  The fourth & final round of treatments are scheduled for November 16th and November 23rd, Lord willing.  Keep praying for God’s perfect timing in all this.

The great news is that the results from the scans came back this month and for the first time there is shrinkage in the cancer.  The oncologist was very encouraged by this and feels that I am responding well to treatment.

Please continue to pray for my left hip which has gotten worse and I have an appointment scheduled with the specialist for November 24th.  Also pray for pain on the right side of my ribs not sure if I pulled a muscle or if it is the cancer.

This is a fun time of the year as all of us girls have birthdays!  Kathryn the 24th, me on the 30th, and Sarah on the 1st of November.  We have some fun plans to celebrate and praying that I will feel well enough to enjoy this time.

Please let us know how we can be praying for you.  Patrick and I pray every morning for many of you who are going through your own challenges.  We consider it a privilege to be able to return the blessing of lifting you up in prayer.

Love and Blessings,

Debbie and (Patrick too! 🙂

The Good, the Best, and “the Bestest” – – (October 3, 2020)

Hello family and friends:


The good news is that round 2 of chemotherapy is now behind me and I have about 2 weeks “off” before we possibly start Round 3. By God’s grace, I have been feeling pretty good with just a bit of nausea and fatigue. The lab reports have come back pretty stable and my platelet count, though on the low side, actually increased slightly between the first and second administration of round 2. Thank you for your prayers! That qualified me to get all of round 2 but at a modified (20% less) level — which has greatly helped me physically with recuperation.

The best news is that my body seems to be continuing to respond to treatment. My energy is up and I am feeling better than I have in months. I still get tired and need to “listen” to my body, but I can feel the difference.

I will have scans this next Saturday October 10th to see how my body is responding to treatment. Prayers are greatly appreciated. This will determine if I will continue with the round 3 treatment (scheduled for October 12th) or if perhaps the cancer is under control and thus I would get a bit more of a break from treatment. I am leaving all these details in God’s hands. Please pray God’s best for me. is that my body seems to be continuing to respond to treatment.

The bestest news (and yes, I know that is not a real word) 😊, is that 41 years ago at the end of August 1980 at a time in my life when all was dark and without hope I cried out to God and asked that if He was real to come into my life and show me. Well God showed up and – ever so slowly and gently – showed me what it meant to live this life with Him. God has carried me through a lot of things but this cancer journey has drawn me even closer to Him. If you do not know God as your personal Savior then I encourage you to cry out to Him and ask Him to show Himself to you. He will show you truth and teach you through His Word what it means to walk with Him. If you have never read the Scriptures the Book of John in the New Testament is a great place to start to learn about who Jesus is. Let me know if I can help you in any way. I know that when I leave this world I will be in Heaven with my Savior. I want you to be there with me!

A favorite Scripture from 1 John 5:11-12 encourages me: “And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.”

Love and Blessings,


Debbie (with Patrick, too:-)

Another week off. (September 17, 2020)

Hello dear family & friends,


Once again, I went in for blood work on Monday and was informed that I would not be having treatment this week. The good news is that the low blood levels from the last couple weeks are now in the normal range. Thank you for your prayers for this. However, my platelet count was too low to receive treatment. Prayers for platelet levels are appreciated. I just found out that the plan is that next week (Monday, September 21st) we will move forward with my chemotherapy.

I am feeling great peace about all this because I believe God is in charge and directing all these starts & stops – – for my best interest. I feel that that is what it means to have a God who is acquainted with all of my ways. He knows and I don’t. I trust in Him to lead and guide me through the hills and valleys of life.

Beside feeling good in my spirit, I am feeling very good in my body as well. My energy is back up – – which is a great encouragement. The aches, pains and nausea in my body are minimal. Sometimes I even feel like my old self! The main source of discomfort continues to be my left hip which is not cooperating at all and I just graduated to a walker.

Thanks for your continued prayers, notes of encouragement and support. God is good!


Love,
Debbie (and Patrick as well)

Medical Update (September 4th)

Thank you for your continued encouragement, support and prayers. I am overwhelmed daily by the kindness from others. Thank YOU!

Once again I did not receive chemotherapy today due to one low number in my blood work.  The rest of my blood work came back normal and I have had a pretty good week.  My next infusion is now set for Monday September 14th and then the 21st.  This will allow me to, Lord willing, make our planned family time away at a lake house in north western Washington, which some kind friends are allowing us to use!

Thank you for prayers:

~~~ For my body to recover.


~~~ For safe travels to and from the lake house (Wed 9th-Sunday 13th).

~~~ For my left hip which continues to be stiff and causes me to limp and walk with a cane.


~~~ For new sensitivities to light, which caused me to get a bad migraine recently and a few headaches since then. (I trying to stay off of digital media, to help with this.)

    I am so thankful to the Lord as He walks me through this moment by moment journey.  I am learning to follow his leading and not to get upset when plans change but to realize He is the Good Shepherd and knows what is best for me. 


This is what the LORD says – – your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: “I am the LORD your God, who teaches you what is best for you, who directs you in the way you should go. Isaiah 48:17 NIV

Peace and Grace to you,

Debbie

Another Change in Plans (August 28th)

Thank you for your continued prayers, support and encouragement. The past few days I have been feeling increasingly stronger and better. This morning we went in for my second round of treatment but one of my lab results came back low so I was sent home to rest for the next week. Yeah!! A week “off” to rest is always a blessing.

Some good news from the lab results is that my body seems to be responding to treatment! The high numbers of two pancreatic enzymes referred to in my June 8th blog are starting to come back down closer to the normal range. This may mean that the tumor in my pancreas is shrinking! We will know more details after the next scan but the overall sense is that we are moving in the right direction.

My second round of chemotherapy treatment is now postponed next Friday, September 4th.

Thanks for continued prayers that my body can rest and recuperate so that I continue on with my treatment, next week.

Love and Blessings,


Debbie (and Patrick too:-)

A Medical Update. (August 19,2020)

“So do not fear, for I am with you. Do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” Isaiah 41:10 NIV

This is the Bible verse the Lord has brought to mind several times over the last couple of days. As I go through the aftermath of regular chemotherapy these are some very beautiful promises from the Lord that have given me great peace and calm in the middle of my storm. These promises are very much my daily reality, by Gods’ grace. It is amazing.

On Monday (August 17th) I had my part two of Round One of my chemotherapy treatment. The rest of my chemotherapy treatments are scheduled as follows:
~~Round 2 Friday August 28th (2 types of chemotherapy) +
Friday September 4th (1 type of chemotherapy).
~~Round 3 Friday September 18th (2 types of chemotherapy) +
Friday September 25 (1 type of chemotherapy).
~~Round 4 Friday October 2nd (2 types of chemotherapy) +
Friday October 9th (1 type of chemotherapy).

End of treatment.

I am praising the Lord for His strength, for His help, and for upholding me. I praise Him for peace and for His presence in real and tangible ways through out the day and night. I sleep very well and when I am a wake I am surrounded by His love and calm. I praise Him for my platelet count that is holding its own. I praise Him for stable blood work. I praise Him that I even gained a couple of pounds over the past few weeks. I praise God for a wonderful medical team that is very sensitive to and on top of pain management. I praise Him for medicine that works and that I have noticed some changes in how my body is responding to this new treatment. (We will not know how the chemotherapy is working until we have more scans – – scheduled for mid-October.)

Thank you for walking this journey with me. I am very much encouraged and hopeful at the way the Lord is leading me through each day and each step of the treatment. I continue to walk and live by faith one step at a time. I hope that you are feeling blessed and encouraged in your daily walk.

Love and blessings in the Lord,

Debbie (and Patrick too!)

A Short Update (Monday, August 3, 2020)

We met with my oncologist this morning and neither he nor the radiologist think that the Lutathera treatment is working in the way they had hoped.

I will start chemotherapy this Friday.

Thank you for your continued prayers as I hold on to a verse I consider my life verse:

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding, in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight.” (Proverbs 3:5-6)

Hanging in there,

Debbie and Patrick

NEXT STEPS (July 30th , 2020)

From Jesus: “I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart! And the peace I give isn’t fragile like the peace the world gives. So, don’t be troubled or afraid.”  John14:27 Living Bible                                            

These past eight weeks have flown by and it is time for my third of four treatments.  These weeks have included a lot of rough days with fatigue, nausea, burning in my stomach and a stiff hip.  I have also had some good days when my energy levels are higher and when I feel almost back to health.  Unfortunately, those days are few and far between! 

So, I am just trying to remain faithful and hopeful.  Thank you for the continued encouragement and support.  Please forgive me if I don’t answer emails, calls or questions, as I have very limited energy which I am trying to conserve to get through each day. I hope you understand.  If you get me on a good day, I will definitely respond.  So, don’t give up! 

Here is my upcoming schedule:

  • Friday, July 31st, 2020 – An abdominal CT scan in the afternoon.
  • Monday, August 3rd – Blood Work followed by an oncologist visit with Dr. Martins.
  • Tuesday, August 4th – My Lutathera Transfusion from 9am-3pm.
  • Wednesday, August 5th – A Body Scan with the radiologist and also a visit with Dr. Chen, who administers the Lutathera.  This is followed by an Ocreotide shot. Other oncology appointments most of the morning. 

PRAYER REQUESTS: 

  • Please pray for the peace of God to fill my heart and soul.  During treatment (when I do not feel well) it is hard to feel like the Lutathera is working.  But to do.   [Hebrews 11:1 — What is faith? It is the confident assurance that something we want is going to happen. It is the certainty that what we hope for is waiting for us, even though we cannot see it up ahead.]
  • Please pray for Patrick who is my caregiver and gets really down as he see me sick and not doing too well. He tends to internalize.
  • Please continue to pray for the Lutathera treatment – for it to do what it was created to do.
  • Please pray especially this next Tuesday the day of the actual Lutathera infusion: that I would feel and sense God’s protection, peace and presence.
  • Also pray that I would have more and more good days over these next eight weeks of treatment. We have a getaway booked (in the Cascades) in mid-August with our girls. With that also, some dear friends have made available to us their summer home in the mountains in September.  I would really like to be feeling well enough to enjoy these family times. 

Here are some more verses that I have been writing on my heart these weeks.  If you would like to pray these verses for me that would be a great blessing:

Zephaniah 3:17, 2 Chronicles 20:12, Isaiah 27:2, Isaiah 30:18, James 1:12, Psalm 116:7-9 and 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24.

Also, 1 Peter 5:6-11, Romans 12:12, & Matthew 11:28-30.  

I send this with great appreciation to you and to the Lord,

             Debbie (and Patrick too)

From my heart: When the Church is What the Church was Called to be…

A few seasons ago while we lived in Honduras I went through a season as a disciple maker/church planter where I had a distorted view of the Bride of Christ.  I started focusing on what the bride of Christ should look like and then I would look at myself and those around me and be woefully disappointed.  I spent a lot of hours crying out to the Lord over his ugly bride, apologizing for her faults and despairing in the fact that she was no way close to ready for His return.  One day in my lament the Lord spoke to me and said, “don’t mess with my bride,” and then the Lord spent the next few seasons teaching me about my identity in Christ.

“Don’t mess with my bride”… If you think about it when you go to a wedding no one ever criticizes the bride – instead people in good form always point out something stunning and wonderful about the bride.  It may be her beautiful dress, her glowing smile, the twinkle in her eye, her cute shoes! No matter what, there is always something good to say about the beautiful bride.

Understanding who we are in Christ and our true identity in Him is the key to living and becoming what Christ has called us His church and His bride to be.  

I share this story because on this cancer journey I have had the wonderful opportunity and vantage point to see and experience first hand the beautiful bride of Christ.  My journey which has now been intertwined with the whole covid crisis has, in my opinion, brought out the beauty of the bride – the church. 

During my journey, I have had people:

Bring me meals; send me handmade notes; share their stories; call me; send me Bible verses and words of encouragement; have breakfast with my and Patrick’s picture and then pray for us;  assure me of their daily or frequent prayers for me; offer to come and clean my house; make me smile or laugh; cry with me, hug me, show me they are walking alongside me; assure me of their love for me; offer to go grocery shopping for me; tell me that they could do any tasks I was unable to do; tell me I could call them any time of the day or night for help; walk with me around the block…  beautiful!

It is sweet that when the church does what the church is called to do it is a very powerful thing.  When the people of God – – – filled with the Spirit of God – – – serve from who they are in Christ there is a spiritual explosion that happens that goes far beyond words.  To experience this is life changing.

In all this I want to applaud the church and others who have shown kindness and love and have made and are making a difference in this world.  Your gestures and expressions of love have greatly impacted my life and my prayer is that you and I in turn would look at those around us who do not know Christ and that we would be the beautiful bride that He created for us to be.  The bride for whom He is coming possibly sooner than we think! 

Filled with a humble appreciation,

Debbie (and Patrick too:-)