Fenter Friends and Family -- Update 2

January 10, 1997

We met with Dr. Corwin, the radiologist who will administer Gail's radiation on Friday, December 27. Some of the news he gave us was disturbing. One of the side effects of this type of radiation occurs three to five years down the road. There is loss of some brain function, particularly memory. Also, at about this time, aging accelerates to several times its normal rate. Then, too, the hair loss where the radiation is aimed, is permanent. Since Gail's tumor and surrounding edema (swelling) are so large, the area requiring radiation crosses the midpoint of her brain. Therefore, she is receiving radiation from both sides of her brain.

Obviously, these side effects are deemed medically acceptable because life expectancy is only a matter of months. However, since we are praying for a complete recovery, all of this news was discouraging to us.

Gail began her radiation on Thursday, January 2. On Friday, my 44th birthday, her hair began to come loose. Rotha Cloyd, a good friend and Gail's regular stylist, gave Gail a buzz and styled a wig we had purchased when we were in Dallas. This was a hard day for Gail. When she looked in the mirror, it wasn't her. It looked like somebody else. We are still anticipating the loss of her eyebrows and eyelashes.

Gail returned to work as one of Midland's assistant city attorneys on Monday, January 8. Her fellow workers have been superb. All of them are believers and wonderful people. One of the other assistant attorneys flew to Fort Worth to see us, all of them came to Midland Memorial Hospital, and most of them attended a special prayer service for Gail, Sunday evening, December 22, at Golf Course Road. (Another special time of prayer which I failed to mention earlier, was a time of prayer and anointing with the GCR elders at our home on Wednesday, December 18, the night after we arrived back in Midland.)

Keith Stretcher, Gail's boss, deeply empathizes with us as he lost his father to cancer a couple of years ago. He has made Gail's work arrangements extremely flexible. If she feels like coming in, fine. If she needs to go home, that's great. If she would prefer to stay at home and do some reading on cases, then one of the other attorneys will be glad to run something out to the house. All of this was beyond our expectations. We're grateful.

So far, Gail has gone in to work every day all day since returning. Our radiation treatments are at 8:00 am and only take about fifteen minutes. After taking her to radiation, I take her to work (she is not allowed to drive for at least six months), and then I begin with my schedule.

Actually, returning to work for both of us has been good. It gives us a return to some kind of normalcy. Since the discovery of Gail's tumor on December 4 until our return to a normal work and school schedule on January 8, there had not been a 24 hour period when we were not in Dallas or receiving out of town guests in Midland. We valued every one of those days and guests, but a regular work schedule is easier!

Both of our girls, Marta (15) and Rachel (11) are also doing well on a normal schedule. Marta has made up all of her finals since school restarted (Rachel did not have any), and is involved in honors programs and band (she plays the flute). Rachel has started basketball through the YMCA and serves as social director for a group of girls her age. Both have good and bad times, though, as you would expect, Marta seems to be handling things better. Rachel, at 11, was already riding the raging hormones of puberty's onset, and the thought of her mother dying hasn't helped. Rachel has always felt everything strongly.

On January 5, I preached on "Handling Serious Illness" in which I detailed our approach to the next few months. You can order the tape from Golf Course Road (915-694-8836 [voice] or 915-694-1176 [fax]). Basically I said that we are depending upon the power of prayer, the purpose of God in our lives, the people of the Spirit, and the presence of Christ.

So we stay busy as we had before. Obviously, both Gail and I have to find the right pace, which we have yet to do. In addition to your other prayers for us, pray that we will make the most of every day as it comes. Pray that we will face it with strength and calmness, that we will know what to do, what not to do, when to act, and when to be still.

Randy