First Tests

Here is the update I sent out on the evening of May 7th.

Dear Friends,

As many of you know, Kristi is in the hospital undergoing tests due to a mass in her chest. Kristi has asked that I send out this message to update you on the latest news. I have tried to include those that know her through Celebration, but if I have included anyone who does not know her or left anyone off, please let me know. Also, please feel to pass this on to others that know Kristi who are not on Facebook.

Today her doctors took a biopsy of the mass and attempted to perform a whole body scan. There were some problems with the scan, so they were only able to assess the upper half of her body. Based on what they were able to see, the doctors believe they are dealing with a Hodgkin's type lymphoma that has spread throughout as much of the lymph system as they could see. In the coming days, they will perform a PET scan and bone marrow biopsy to gather more information and pathologists will analyze the biopsy results. The doctors need to determine the exact type of lymphoma and stage as well as to pinpoint exactly where it has spread. The next two weeks will be full of tests and there will likely be many decisions to be made.

Here are some specific things we can pray over:

* Pray for a complete healing.
* Pray for the testing process to go as smoothly as possible and for the doctors to make accurate interpretations of the results.
* Pray that Kristi will be accepted for Medicaid as she is not covered by health insurance
* Pray that MD Anderson, a cancer research hospital in Houston, will be able to take her case and begin her treatments soon.
* Pray for Kristi to continue to feel God's presence and power.
* Pray for her husband Chris, daughter Kolbi, and sons Sheth, Bailey, and Gage. Her children are homeschooled and her husband works on commission, so there are many aspects to cover in prayer.

Kristi has requested that friends continue to pray and to please feel free to post on her Facebook and send emails. She is overwhelmed, and as I'm sure you can imagine, her phone is ringing constantly. We should all refrain from calling her for the time being. Let's let her know we are here but also give her the rest she needs. I will send out updates as I get them. Thank you for praying for my friend.

Standing in Faith in Our God,
Missy