HUGS ......PRAYERS FOR RANDY AND SHERI

LITSAFALDA

Prayer Angel, Moderator
Here is a copy of the post from the rift forums. I told Randy I would post a general prayer request earlier, but did not get a chance to do so. I know how much many of you old timers from wow love this couple as myself and hubby do as well so I thought I would get you an update.

As for us, we are back in Florida again as of February and I am fighting with crazy medical people down here to figure some things out for myself as well.

Blessings and Hugs, "Angel"

Randy's post.......(He goes by Durruck here.)

In late September, I hurt my shoulder. I was hurt badly enough that my doctor (who indirectly works for my employer as well) relieved me of duty. Through a series of events that I can only describe as God reaching in and making things happen exactly when He wanted them to happen, we've kept moving when we should have hit a wall.

I had "outpatient" surgery earlier this week, and ended up with a bonus 3-day stay because I had a terrible infection in my shoulder and chest. Again God's hand reaching in, because I should have been really, really really sick, and I was still up walking around, driving, going to appointments for another medical condition (will explain below), attending meetings at church to select our new lead pastor, etc. I should be been hospitalized days before, but somehow He kept me moving. The infection has been cleaned out, I'm on antibiotics to make sure it doesn't sneak back in, and I'm already better than I've been in a month. I know that God's in control here. On this chest injury, I still have a LONG way to go until I'm back to normal and able to work, but the last 3 days laying in a hospital bed were a big step in getting there.

So what's the other medical condition? During the testing to figure out exactly what was wrong with my shoulder, my doc (same one that works for my employer) had a gut instinct to send me for a certain test that wouldn't be typically included in a shoulder injury workup. As expected, the test was inconclusive about the shoulder injury.

But it revealed a large mass on my thyroid. It was in such a location and growing in such a way that it would not have been found through any other typical test. It was already over 9 cm^3, and any thyroid mass over 1.0 cm^3 needs further investigation. While I was undergoing treatment for my shoulder (before they figured out that it was a nasty infection), I was going through all the tests and prep work for the mass, including a needle biopsy.

So that brings us up to Friday afternoon. While I'm in the hospital with the nasty infection and shoulder surgery, I get a phone call from my endocrinologist. The results of my biopsy came back. It was inconclusive, in that they were not able to identify the specific mass. There are 3 things that it could be, based on the results. 2 of them are cancer.

2 out of 3.

66%

I'm a firefighter that can't fight fires for a long time because of my busted shoulder, and now I'm looking down the ugly end of more likely than not...facing cancer.

I'll be honest guys, this has been a tough few days for Ambriana and I. Up until 5 weeks ago, I've been generally healthy, in good shape, etc. And the last 5 weeks I've been in so much pain and so sick that I couldn't even sit in front of the computer for 10 minutes at a time. We're still facing a huge uphill battle.

But we know that God will make this all work out. It's tough to remember that at times, and it feels like I'm chanting it more for my own reassurance than telling others what I know to be true. But we do know it's true.

This is going to be another long week - followups with my shoulder surgeon; prep tests for my thyroid surgery. We may not be around much, but believe me that we are thinking of you guys, missing you, and wanting things to calm down so we can get back in and enjoy Mathosia, Brevane, and Dusken with you.

See you again in game soon,

Imcu and Ambriana
(Randy and Sheri)
 
Thanks for sharing, some of us have kept in touch via FB but not all the details. Randy, you are in our prayers brother. What He has planned for you can't readily be explained but He has only the best in mind.

Lord, I pray for Randy, I ask for your healing touch on his body. I pray his testimony will continue to grow, showing the love and care you have for your son. I ask Lord, you give the doctors wisdom and understanding, along with some divine insight. Please do not prolong his pain Father, but not by my will, but by yours Lord.

Amen
 
Figured I'd drop by and give a quick update. It was cancer (actually, both of the two cancer possibilities ended up in there). I've had two surgeries to remove the thyroid. Unfortunately, they had to leave the surrounding lymph nodes in place, and I go to the doctor again this week to find out about radiation. One of my parathyroids was damaged, but he thinks he was able to fix it. And lastly, he stretched one of my vocal cord nerves, leaving me unable to speak above a whisper. He said I should recover in 4-6 months, although some people eventually need surgery if they haven't improved within 12 months.

So your continued prayers would be greatly appreciated. It seems our journey is far from over.

The pain has been much more tolerable after the second surgery. Something God was laying on my heart from the beginning was to film a testimony video (styled after the http://iamsecond.com videos. Fortunately, I filmed that a few days before my surgery, so I was still able to speak normally. My editor is working on the video and said he will include a series of text slides revealing my inability to speak. He is hoping to have it ready for next week's church service... as I've actually been keeping all of this from my youth group. I just got the feeling that seeing the whole story at once would be more impactful to them, especially if they've seen me all along, teaching, laughing, playing, serving, living faithfully despite the struggles I've faced. Once it's done, I'll post it on youtube and link it, in case you're interested in watching it.
 
Thanks Randy for sharing, your life is a testimony to God's grace and what can happen when one person completely surrenders their life over to His will. I pray that God will continue to bless and keep you and that your testimony will move the hearts of the unsaved, bringing them into unison with our Father.
 
Thanks for sharing Randy. I haven't been on the forums near as much as I used to but I love seeing specific directions in being able to pray for you. May God's mercy and His abounding grace be ever near your heart through this very tough season. I would love to watch the video when it becomes available!
 
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