Settled at home

Denise is settled at home! She has to go back to Nashville next week for a check up but will be able to recover at home this weekend! Please pray for her comfort & rest this weekend!

Headed home!

Denise is headed home! She had a pretty good night and has had her bandages changed. Dave passed on how grateful they are for the prayers!

Wednesday evening update

Denise is doing great tonight which is such an answer to prayer!  Dave has been able to go to the hotel and get some real rest.  He left Denise in the very capable hands of her dear friend Shay!  Denise has been eating and has been up walking around.  Dave mentioned that if she has a good night that they will probably be headed home tomorrow! 

Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever.

-Psalm 107:1

Change of plans again...

Since Denise was in so much pain, the plastic surgeon decided he doesn't want to risk trying to put the port in tomorrow.  He wants to address her pain and wanted to get her up and moving.  She is out of bed, has been able to eat, and is sitting up in a chair.  The plan is to put the port in next week sometime.  If she has a good night, there is a chance she may come home tomorrow.  Will update once they know for sure!

Small Setback

Denise has had what Dave called a "small setback" this morning.  She was in too much pain for them to place the port, so they are going to wait until tomorrow and try again.  This will mean that she can't come home until Friday.  On a positive note, she is going to be able to eat today!  Please pray for Denise's pain and for the procedure tomorrow. 

Wednesday morning update

I heard from Dave a few minutes ago, and Denise had a restless night last night but seems to be doing better this morning.  She is scheduled to get a port put in this morning.  The procedure to do this is short, but they will have to put her under again.  The port will be very helpful in administering the chemo treatments.  If Denise does well with this procedure, the doctor said that there is a good chance that she would go home tomorrow.  Please be praying that his procedure goes well and also for her comfort.  Thanks!

7:15 update

Denise is in the room, and Dave said she looks good!  She is a little nauseated and in some pain, but was very happy with the news that Dave was able to share with her about the lymph nodes and overall success of the surgery!  Dave wanted me to be sure and pass on their thanks for all of the prayers today, and that they were praying for safety for everyone here with the approaching bad weather.  I will post again tomorrow with a report!

6:15 update

Denise is in room 6628 at Baptist hospital.  Dave & the rest of her family should be able to see her within the hour in her room.  Pray for her recovery in these first few hours and in the days to come.

5:15 update

Dave just heard from the plastic surgeon who said that everything went great with his part!  He was very pleased with what he was able to do.  Denise is out of surgery and in recovery!  The family should be able to see her in 30 minutes or so!  Overall, everything went as well as it could have today, and there were definitely many answered prayers! 

3:50 update

Great news and answered prayers coming from Nashville!  Denise is doing great and the surgery is going better and quicker than expected!  Stage 1 is complete and her lymph nodes are clear!!!  The removed one from the right side and were able to leave the rest of them!  They said that she should respond well to the chemo!  I will post once I hear more from Dave!  Praise the Lord for his wonderful blessings!

1:45 update

I just heard from Dave, and Denise has been taken back for surgery to begin.  He said she was in great spirits!  They saw both doctors before surgery and the expectation is that the surgeon will take about 2 hours to do the mastectomy and then the plastic surgeon will take about another hour for the reconstruction.  The first surgeon will come out and talk to the family once he's done and will hopefully have some information about the lymph nodes then.  Please continue to pray for the surgeons and for the surgery to go as well as possible!  I'll update again soon!

10:30 am update

I heard from Dave a few minutes ago with an update. Denise is settled at the hospital after a crazy morning! He said the transport guy was wonderful- his wife had gone through the same thing last year & was doing great! He was a Christian, so they were able to have a time for prayer as well! Dave said Denise was smiling like she always is as she went back! Will update again soon!

Prayer for Tuesday

I wanted to pass on the time frame that Denise shared with me for the day tomorrow.  She has an MRI at 8:00 and then reports to the hospital at 9:00 for pre-op.  Her surgery is scheduled for 1:00.  I will post updates when I have them.  Please be in constant prayer for Denise and her family and also pray that the day goes as well as can possibly be expected. 

The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you or forsake you.  Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged."  -Deuteronomy 31:8

Pink Bracelets and Prayer Request

 

Two of our co-workers had the wonderful idea to make some pink bracelets in Denise's honor and to try to raise some money for breast cancer research in the process.  Our company will match any donations made to charitable organizations, so these girls thought it would be great to sell these bracelets for a contribution and have Merck match the total amount.  The money will be donated to Susan G. Komen foundation for a cure to breast cancer.  These pink bracelets say "Fight like a girl" on one side and "We fight for Denise" on the other side.  I want to post pictures of people wearing these bracelets on the blog mainly so Denise will be able to see how many people love her and are supporting and praying for her! 

Denise has asked that I ask specifically for prayer for her boys (Dave included!) and their strength through this week and the weeks to come.  Please pray for Ryan, Keaton, and Dave. 

Fight for Denise Blog Introduction

Hey all!  My name is Whitney, and I have created this blog for my sweet friend and co-worker, Denise, so that all of her friends and family can stay updated on her fight with breast cancer!  Her double mastectomy and reconstruction are scheduled for this Tuesday, April 26th.   I will be posting updates as I get them from her family on Tuesday and then in the following weeks as Denise recovers and begins her eight rounds of chemotherapy.

One of the reasons I wanted to keep this blog updated for Denise is so that we can all be aware of specific things to pray for.  The power of prayer is amazing, and when hundreds of us are storming heaven's gates with the same request, the outcome can be miraculous!  With that said, I have listed a few specifics to pray for below:

-For Denise's surgeons and for her surgery to go as well as possible on Tuesday.
-Pray that Denise's cancer is confined to just her breast tissue.  There will be a biopsy during surgery to determine if there are any affected lymph nodes, and if there are, the surgeons will remove them.  Pray that all lymph nodes will be clear of cancer!

Please pass this blog along to any and all around who know Denise so that everyone can be praying for her fight against breast cancer!

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition,
with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God, 
which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. -Philippians 4:6-7