Riverside - biochemo round 4 begins

Madeleine’s Blog 

August 21, 2012

So do not fear, for I am with you

Do not be dismayed, for I am your God

I will strengthen you and help you

I will uphold you with my righteous right hand

Isaiah 41:10

We're back at the hospital in Riverside for round 4. As you can tell from the adjacent picture (where Madeleine & her mom are sharing a hospital bed while she waits to be taken down for her central line surgery), Madeleine is not too excited to be back doing this again! But she has a good sense of humor - in fact, she got me laughing so hard while I was trying to take this picture that one of my shots was just of her legs! But seriously, coming back for chemo takes a lot of internal strength and courage. We laugh, but we also pray together for the strength to face the challenges that we know are ahead this week. And you won't see us posting pictures of those days - they are full of endurance, facing fears, and counting the days until she is back home again.

Madeleine with a stuffed animal gift from Dr. Gailani

Each visit also has its own set of encouragements. Yesterday,
shortly after we checked into our hospital room, a man and woman came over to greet us. They explained that their 33-year-old daughter was in a room down the hall and was also battling melanoma and was there for her first round of bio-chemo. They also explained that they had come to know of us through somehow stumbling upon Madeleine's blog on the internet, and that the blog had really helped and encouraged them as they were facing her diagnosis and considering doing bio-chemo. They invited Madeleine over to their daughter's room, and Madeleine was able to encourage her as they compared experiences and talked about the treatment. It is really amazing to realize that the things that Madeleine has gone through, and the encouragement she has found along the way, might also be an encouragement to others.

Thanks again to everyone for your prayers for Madeleine - we are praying that this treatment would be effective and that she would have courage and grace as she goes through this week.