Day +1 : Items of my battlefield,

this AM :

Bed – hardly rumpled, good sleep
File – Blood/results & light-block
Water – 3L per day, plus drip
Call Button-try not to use, but there
Bible & Pencil case – Joy & Life
Earplugs – critical
Various Meds – must take shortly
Watch – taken off at night

🌟🌟🌟 That’s It 🌟🌟🌟

Day 0 : Stem Cell Update

Hi Everyone
Claire here …
Scott has done very well today. Such an exciting day with the stem cell infusion.
He has slept for much of the day and does feel pretty wiped out and will likely not be online before tomorrow.

The stem cells arrived around 12 and it all happened quite fast. (Total of about 15 min actual infusion). It was so nice to have some key medical staff from the Haem Team, as well as the nurses to over see it all happening. The stem cells have to be warmed up from -8 degrees celcius to room temperature and rapidly administered via IV drip to maintain their health. It was very exciting watching the red liquid making its way into Scott’s jugular port. Wow! We thank God for medical science and the new chance this is giving Scott.

Thank you so much for all the amazing messages and love and support. We feel so strengthened by them.

Please pray for the clearing of a red rash that Scott has mostly on his legs and back. They have given him a cream for this which is soothing.

Please continue to pray for him to remain infection and complication free and for another good nights sleep for us both.

We are so thankful to God for His enabling grace and for how He is carrying us through this storm.

Sending lots of love from us both. ♥️🙏

Day 0 : D-Day 🌟🌟🌟

23rd October 2024

9 months, from January this year, has led to this moment. Amazing!

Diagnosis, Phase 1, Recovery, Phase 2, and now Stem Cell Infusion scheduled for today.

I’m feeling ok…good sleep at 8hrs, which was such a blessing. I battled a bit with nausea, stomach cramps and gripes in places through the night, but did manage some good sleep.

Slighlty gripey diagraphm this morning and some rashes in various places… but apparently it’s all on track and that I’m doing well.

Bloods just came in and all indicators holding well – so, so thankful. Kidneys at eGFR = 79 and Urea 6.0 which, following Melphalan and then Dialysis, is all appearing to be consistent with normal function. Immunity dropping as per plan.

Imagine – my own Stem Cells – screened, cleaned, and re-appearing after cold storage for 6 months.

I had a shower and shave for the occasion today.

I’m not sure what time things will happen…but I’m assuming that Dr Ashmoore will be here around 10-ish and then we will see from there.

I tend to be able to message in the morning, and then Claire later in the day. We will just see how it goes.

Thank-you for your love and prayer – THANK-YOU.

I was spent most of my time in just one verse this morning, sent by prayer-friend, Steve Murphy, 2 Cor 9.8. I was delighting in All the All’s, which nothing/no one can ever steal, in Christ :-

And God is able to make all grace abound to you,

so that having all sufficiency

in all things at all times,

you may abound in every good work.

I am so thankful and worshipful that The Lord’s purposes will certainly prevail and that we are so freely invited in to his fullness, grace, and love for ever and ever.

Much love and thanks,

Scott

And hey, third family birthday in a row – Peter Cunningham 🌟 🎈 💫 I don’t know how many years it is today, but I’m celebrating a shared birthday with him today – and shared parenting & grand-parenting on this special day! Happy Birthday, PETER!

Day -1 : Dialysis Day

Shirt of choice from yesterday’s challenge – Faithwear Red, from not a few years ago!

Slept SO WELL last night 🌟
1.5hrs + 5hrs + 3hrs = 9.5hrs

Tiny sedative helped, headache at 3am took panado, hardly noticed blood person at 4am, woken at 6am for weights, bp, pulse etc and felt GOOD.

I feel a bit like I’m walking on the moon and buzzed, but strong in heart and soul.

AMAZING blood results just in – kidneys showing performance over 90 e-GFR! Back to NORMAL. Wow…wow…
Creatinine record low at 83 – overjoyed.
Platelets and immunity in blood reducing per expectation and plan. Wow.

ALL set for Dialysis Day.

I believe they are bringing a machine into the room and will hook-up to jugular for 3hr detoxification and assistance to kidneys to start with…and see from there.

I’ll be trying to take this as part of resting ahead of tomorrow’s planned infusion….Day 0.

Amazing prayer and love and support – THANK-YOU for standing with us so solidly.

Huge love
Scott

21st Oct : 430pm

Hi Everyone
Claire here …
Wow!! What a day.
Scott has done so incredibly well.
He started eating ice and blue slush puppy at 945am and finished 5 1/4 hours later at 3pm.
He was really cold at one point and very tired from about 2 hrs in … but carried on with focus and courage. We thank God for His amazing strength that has carried us today.

The malphalan went in over 30 mins without any problems.
He will have the kidney dialysis tomorrow morning around 1030am. The kidney specialist popped in to see us which was great … so good to know they watching his kidneys closely. The malphalan is known to affect kidneys so they want it to do its job in his bone marrow for 16-20 hours and then they do dialysis to remove it so that it does not damage the kidneys.

Please pray for his kidneys to continue to be strong and for good sleep for him tonight.

Please also pray that he will not get any ulcerations in his throat – they say this usually occurs in 8-10 days time if it is going to happen and may happen despite all our efforts with the ice. But we are trusting that Scott will remain free from any ulcers or infections.

We are very thankful to be through today and for Scott to have handled so well.

Thank you so much for your love and prayers. It’s hard to articulate how much we appreciate all your amazing love and support. Xx

21st Oct : 730am

Another good night 💤🌙🌟…6 or 7 hours sleep! Nurses being so kind. Very joyful and peaceful in The Lord.

Big day and much unknown. Big Re-Set…and hoping for it to all go well…maybe even a more vibrant immune system and constitution than I’ve had in recent years. Wow. Much to hope for.

More than anything else, I’m more amazed at how The Holy Spirit enables us to see Jesus, bringing glory to Our Father in Heaven, despite all fullness and compromise in us and around us.

God HIMSELF – Father, Son and Holy Spirit, trumps everything of this world…the best and the worst…is nothing in comparison to who He is. And we are freely invited in to his glory ‘To this he called you, through our gospel, so that you may obtain the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ’ (2Thes 2.14)

Oh what love, what joy, what peace!

Where is Mohammed, where is Buddha, where is Caesar, Elon Musk, Robert Mugabe? Where are our houses and cars and certificates? Where is the Grave, where is Sin, where is Death, where is Cancer, where is Satan?…where are you and me? Answer : IN CHRIST – through his life, his cross and his resurrection – everything and everyone in their rightful place – whoohhooo!

In Christ, ‘all the fullness of God was please to dwell, and through Him to reconcile to Himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of the cross’. (Col 1v19-20)

I can approach today with such confidence that my hope is in Christ and not essentially in and drugs or any ultimate result, which are all fleeting anyway…my hope is in the eternal life of Christ and He has my life. Peace – BOOM.

Worshipping this morning with track 10 – Son of Suffering

Truly GLORIOUS He is, and that he reaches for me (and you).
A God who weeps, a God who bleeds – that we may be made whole in Him :

Oh, the perfect Son of God
In all His innocence
Here walking in the dirt with you and me

He knows what living is
He’s acquainted with our grief
Man of sorrows, Son of suffering
The blood and tears
How can it be?
There’s a God who weeps
There’s a God who bleeds
Oh, praise the One
Who would reach for me

Some imagine You
Are distant and removed
But You chased us down in merciful pursuit
To the sinner You were grace
And the broken You embraced
And in the end, the proof is in Your wounds
Yes, in the end, the proof is in Your wounds
Blood and tears
How can it be?
There’s a God who weeps
There’s a God who bleeds
Oh, praise the One
Who would reach for me

Your cross, my freedom
Your stripes, my healing
All praise King Jesus
Glory to God in Heaven
Your blood, still speaking
Your love, still reaching
All praise King Jesus
Glory to God forever

———

Daniel 6.26-27

“…for he is the living God,
enduring forever;
his kingdom shall never be destroyed,
and his dominion shall be to the end.
He delivers and rescues;
he works signs and wonders
in heaven and on earth,
he who has saved Daniel
from the power of the lions.”

PRAYER

THANK-YOU for your prayer for today.

•⁠ ⁠I’m hoping for good strength in every way today. I’d appreciate prayer for that.

•⁠ ⁠And hopefully a really good setup for Dialysis tomorrow ….blood cleaning day. Taking out chemo and toxicity, to free up kidneys and to give the best canvas for the new Stem Cells coming the day after.

•⁠ ⁠and to pray for these three days to work well together :

Oct 21st : Melphalan Day
(Immune System Shutdown)

Oct 22nd : Dialysis Day
(Kidney & Blood super-detox)

Oct 23rd : Stem Cell Infusion
(Brand new, fresh, clean cells to colonize bone marrow, blood and lymphatic/immuno system)

Thanks and so much love,

Scott

Big Update : Oct 20th

Day -3 nearly complete…getting closer to Day 0 Infusion Day

Feeling so well and so thankful for great physical function. Wow. Rested, pacing, handling. Praise God.

Just one more hit tonight at 11pm and then the last, and perhaps biggest, day tomorrow.

Tomorrow is the MELPHALAN day. Rare drug, specially imported to SA for my case (along with a couple of others, I believe).

It is what has been described to me as the final :

CTRL-ALT-DELETE to the immune system, from the bone marrow operating system outwards.

It blitzes the white blood cells, red blood cells, platelets, neutrophils, lymphocytes, the lot. Immune system SHUT-DOWN to RE-BOOT with Stem Cell Infusion following 2 days later as the new ‘SWITCH ON’

In between MELPHALAN Shutdown and STEM CELL INFUSION is Dialysis day. This is all on the schedule, but hopefully this helps to explain.

So summary :

21st Oct : Melphalan Day
22nd Oct : Dialysis Day
23rd Oct : SCT Infusion Day

We have some exciting family birthdays over these days too, which makes it even more fun 🫶🫂👏 starting with granddaughter June Marques tomorrow at 1yr old. 🤗🤗…I’ll tell you the others as we go 🫶❤️

MELPHALAN is a 20 to 30 minute infusion tomorrow at about 1030am/1100am tomorrow.

Apparently I have to swallow crushed ice particles for an hour-or-so before the infusion and for at least 2 hours after it…preferably 4hrs if I can make it…to mitigate the corrosive effect of the chemo on the mucus membrances of respiratory and digestive tract.

I am aware of so much love and prayer and care. It’s amazing.

A clip of River of life profile my update this morning, aware of the midnight group on prayer again, some fasting, and just saw Christ Central Fredericton, Canada, as the latest news of our amazing international family praying (their prayer journal attached). It is overwhelming the love and care…and from Russian brothers and sisters as well. The nurses love to listen and see the different pieces coming in!

THANK-YOU so much.

Also two aspects of broader interest :

Firstly Alan Frow (Leading Advance Leadership Team) on Newfrontiers Global conference etc, beaming in on his return to California. Thrilled my heart to hear him speak with such characteristic love for The Lord, the Church and the World. (Fb link attached, sadly I couldn’t download it for you here.)

Alan recently shared with me a version of Matt Redman’s 10000 Reasons album recorded at Southlands Church with their choir. I’ve been listening to it as a worship hour before the 11pm hit each evening. What a JOY. (I’ll share the Spotify link, but I think you can find it on YouTube too)

And secondly, in the back of my mind, I’m aware of the race for the White House, and am listening with interest at the opposing positions and articulations from the two candidates. Lots happening…Big Days…and Hallelujah that our God ‘The Most High, rules the kingdom of men….’ (Dan 4.17) Clip attached for reference.

In finishing this evening then PRAYER :

1). Prayer for good sleep again would be ideal
2). Prayer that my system would continue to handle the drugs well and optimally for disease eradication whilst retaining long-term physical strength.
3). That I would manage Melphalan tomorrow and have no lasting negative side-effects and low-to-no disruption to the good flow so far.

Huge love and thanks and blessing

Scott

Update on Cancer Treatment

Ok – here goes – the eve before Autologous Stem Cell T/Plant

I had a great day with Claire and am feeling very thankful for the opportunity of ASCT starting tomorrow, albeit daunting and intimidating.

I did a Facebook post, recorded a greeting for River of Life for this Sunday, and a 15-min sermon for our Next Gen Leaders camp coming up in a couple of weeks. What a joy!

In personal prayer I have continued to delight in Ezekiel 37v4-5, which I was so encouraged by a couple of weeks ago :

‘O dry bones…Behold, I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live…and you shall know that I am The LORD.’

I have such joy and peace that, whether in life or death, He will surely raise me up and I will know that He is The LORD. 🎉🎉🌟🌟

I have also been mightily encouraged by so many people – family, friends, business, church, sphere, Newfrontiers and beyond. THANK-YOU, THANK-YOU for your support, prayer and kindness in every way.

I have done some work on a ‘Quick Reference Guide’ which should hopefully give a summarized perspective on the journey so far and some useful detail on the next days, weeks, and months…with a perspective even to the end of all three phases (with target/potential return date to Zimbabwe 🇿🇼🫶)

I think the Quick Ref guide will have most of what you need for tracking to whatever extent you would like to🫶🫂

PRAYER POINTERS
I’d be so grateful for specific prayer for the following :-

1). That the jugular port would go in well tomorrow and that my body would handle the chemo and all the potent drugs very robustly, including good kidney function.

2). That the medication would be superbly effective and achieve the best possible results over the coming days.

3). That I would get to Day 0 with successful destruction of the disease and successful dialysis – best possible priming for Reinfusion.

I’m anticipating that either Claire or I will be able to give updates as we go along, and further prayer pointers as things unfold.

Huge love and huge blessings,

Scott


Click here for Scott’s Facebook post
https://www.facebook.com/share/v/atzjqpEyRJVzWJi7/?mibextid=WC7FNe

It’s looks like it’s all happening

A sobering, yet promising, final consultation with Dr. Ashmoore today, before Stem Cell Transplant set for next week.

Sobering in that one ‘signs consent’ to a number of pages of stuff, which also clarifies the extremity of the disease and the ferocity of the proposed action.

I sometimes find it hard to reckon with it all. Cancer originating in lymph nodes, detected also in blood, spleen and bone marrow, unlikely to father any more children after this (🤔), some don’t make it through, etc etc. 😱wow.

Promising in that I keep getting called a ‘young patient’…or even ‘young and fit, should handle it!’ Also, exciting talk of how well I feel now and may well be even better in 4-6 months. And lots of talk of new developments in treatment in case needed in the future …and the overarching ultimate reality of my peace and hope and joy in Christ.

Quite a day.

It’s looks like it’s all happening. Thick triple line into the jugular on Tuesday next week, and the Big Gun chemo starts Wednesday for 6 days forward, then dialysis and then infusion…and the rest follows . I’ll probably do a quick-ref guide sheet for those who may want to track with it for the next couple of weeks.

I’m looking forward to having Claire home tomorrow, back from what sounds like was a tremendous time at Global ‘24.
I hear good reports and am expectant for all that is ahead as we keep following The Lord together. (Two pics that brought me joy attached)

I may be quiet this weekend but will likely message again on Monday before going in to hospital.

Off to walk at the Golf Course ⛳️ 🐦

Thank-you for all your prayer and support…it’s been needed for longer than I expected….but I am VERY grateful and believe we are getting there.

Thanks and huge love,

Scott

Update – Mon 30th Sept

Family & Praying Friends

Health : I have had a good couple of days while Claire has been in Zim, and she has had a really tremendous time there too. She has loved being home and reconnecting with everyone. She is due back on Wednesday.

I continue to feel the benefit of the extra rest given to me by Dr Ashmoore, between Chemo and Stem Cell Transplant. Now two weeks away tomorrow. Feels kind it’s approaching fast.

Interest (1 or max 2!)

Friends.. It was such a blessing to see Luke & Lizzy Kawala, with their daughter Amy, yesterday🌟🥳. Passing through jhb as they link with a movement of churches called Four12 (from Eph 4.12) and take on church leadership in Blantyre, Malawi.

And Mbonisi Malaba, Bones 🌟🥳 passing through jhb, down from nairobi, for a wedding. What a blessing to see him, to share and to pray.

Baptisms : we had just over 1600 people at River of Life this Sunday across the 5 meetings, with some wonderful baptisms at Eastlea. Also many baptisms of Ebenezer Afri college apprentices, and some others, from three different churches in a combined service in the Matopos. And to top it off, a wonderful baptism Sunday at the church-plant in Kigali, Rwanda, as more people have come to know Christ. So exciting to see the energy in the churches and the impact in communities. 🌟🌟🌟🥳🥳🥳

Prayer

•⁠ ⁠that the kidneys and whole body would get to peak form
•⁠ ⁠⁠for Claire to have an excellent trip
•⁠ ⁠⁠for churches, business, family, and all touchpoint areas that I have, to thrive in God’s purposes and for his glory.

Huge love and thanks,

Scott