Post Spring Break Update (April 2, 2025)

 Thank you for your prayers and messages of encouragement these past 4 weeks. God in His grace has answered those prayers. My presumably inflammatory migratory joint pain has resolved on its own and my sight returned to just about normal within 3 days of a 2-week course of steroid eyedrops followed by a 1-week wean from those drops.  So for now, I’m to remain on lubricating eye drops indefinitely to stave off any irritation to the cornea from dry eye, which I might have long-term.

As for the next steps in my health journey, I continue to tolerate Selpercatinib “Super Cat Nip” for the lung cancer. My post-radiation numbness/tingling in the legs with chin-tuck hasn’t gotten much better but it also hasn’t gotten any worse and I can certainly live with that. I will be asking for an assessment of new mid-spine pain (around T11-T12) that started about 3 weeks ago, got worse last week, and unfortunately hasn’t improved at all, unlike all the other joints which have stopped hurting. While a new metastasis to the spine is possible to explain this new symptom, I think that’s unlikely this soon with my response to treatment. I am hoping it will get better with time as I continue to mobilize but wonder whether I could be experiencing a new vertebral compression fracture due to the collateral damage to bone from prior metastases in that area or whether this could be some non-resolving inflammatory process that can be managed some other way (e.g. more Aleve). People living with back pain can empathize. Prayers over my back are deeply appreciated!

Otherwise, with as well as things had been going, we were incredibly fortunate to spend a week in Hawaii over spring break. We stayed in Kauai, the “Garden Isle” with the most gorgeous weather we could have asked for. See David’s upcoming post for details on our days’ adventures, of which there were many! 

One day consisted of an out-and-back hike on the north side of the island along the Kalalau Trail in Ha’ena State Park. While one can easily take in every gorgeous coastal vista along the way, one also needs to be prepared as it is “considered strenuous and difficult, with significant elevation changes, and often slippery and muddy conditions due to frequent rain.” Kalalautrail.com sites it as one of America’s top 10 dangerous hikes “due to its cliffs, footing, weather, and potential for sudden whitewater.” I made it clear that due to time and some of these concerns, we weren’t going to go the full 11 miles but enjoy the first 2 miles to the first beach stop, then turn around. We felt the difficult incline by the 1-mile mark but didn’t run into anything too treacherous.  It was around this time that another group of people ahead of us took my notice. While it’s not uncommon for our family to pass others on hikes, this group seemed a bit different – slower and more intentional than the others. As we approached them, I noticed a young man, possibly in his 20s, leading the pack, and he was escorting a woman, possibly his mother by the looks of things. He was side-by-side with her and took her by the hand and forearm. He was giving her what sounded like instructions, but I was too far from them to hear specifics. As I passed, I saw that she was wearing sunglasses and seemed to be fixing her gaze straight ahead, rather than on the ground to place her feet, like the rest of us. Then I understood what the young man was staying, “incline here,” “step down now,” “to the right,” and “big step up here." His voice was clear but gentle, and his tone was kind and patient. They were slow but making progress. She was blind! I was so surprised to learn this because this trail consisted of very challenging terrain, even for the fittest of us. Most of the trail was uneven with a steep incline and there were many spots that were muddy, wet and slick. But this woman was able to carefully proceed with his physical support and verbal cues. It was so beautiful!

If this young man could lovingly guide a blind woman through this tough hike allowing her to enjoy a part of the greatest paradise on earth that I’ve ever experienced, how much more does our heavenly Father gently and patiently guide us along our life’s path? He has done so over and over again. In the time of Moses, he led the wandering Israelites through the desert by a cloud offering shade by day, and a pillar of fire by night, bringing them light. (Exodus 13:21) In his psalms, David writes “Your word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path.” (Psalm 119:105) We have God’s word to read to guide our life’s steps. When God Himself came to the world in the form of a man, Jesus, he stated “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life.” (John 8:12) We have the benefit of knowing of Jesus’s life, his brutal death and miraculous resurrection. We can place our faith on him, who took on the sin of the world, faced death and overcame it, to be reconciled to our God who patiently waits for and pursues us.

Oh, but the best is yet to come as there is a paradise way more majestic than even the Garden Isle we explored. I think it was Maroon 5 in my late 20s that put “Even the sun sets in paradise” to song. Yes, the sun sets every night where we are on this earth. Many of these stunning places are subject to hurricanes, mudslides and tsunamis. Most scientifically minded people agree that even our sun will eventually burn out in time.

But John writes of the most beautiful forever garden and city promised to come. It is a place with unending light for those who put their faith in the Savior, the Messiah, Jesus.

“The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp. The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it… There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever.” (Revelation 21:23-24, 22:5)

These are some incredible promises. If there is any purpose that keeps me going pre and post stage 4 cancer diagnosis, it’s in pursuing a relationship with God and sharing that amazing privilege with my husband, kids, family, friends, community and you for as long as I have here. If this all seems foreign or confusing, I encourage you to ask questions and dig into this stuff by joining a Bible study! It might just change your life ;-)

With love and gratitude,

Joyce