There are a few people that come along in your life that help you to understand life and yourself better.  If you are really lucky, you get to spend some quality time with them, listening and learning, not only about life, but about yourself.  The great thing about it is that they are merely sharing themselves, not trying to teach, but it just happens.  Brad is such a person.  Brad, my friend , has cancer.

Hear the Good News, Jesus reminds us though there might be times when we feel like we are in trouble or need help, and hope is leaving our soul as our breath leaves our lungs, He is there, waiting for us to ask for help.  Then we get to my friend Brad.  Please read this note he sent me, and pray fro him and his family.

Well, it hasn't been long since you heard from me, but circumstances probably necessitate an update...

Medical Update

To recap generally... for 18 months I received a chemo-therapy regimen referred to as EP.  At that point a CAT Scan showed that the tumors in my liver had begun to grow substantially.  This means that they had grown resistant to that treatment.  I then received in May - June a second protocol of chemo-therapy referred to as CAV.  A subsequent scan showed continued and increased growth of the tumors (although there is no "detectable" spread of the disease at this time). 

Most recently, from August 7-10 I received four days of a third single agent drug called Topotecan.  This is one of the newer drugs that shows substantial anti-tumor activity against small cell cancers.  The downside of this drug is that it is more highly suppressive to all of the various blood products.  By the tenth my blood numbers were very low.  On that day I received one unit of blood.  Then on Monday the 13th I received two more units.  I felt pretty good until Friday and then began to have some symptoms that were typical to blood suppression.  Saturday the 17th I really did poorly.  That night I had chills and a fever of 103.  We phoned the doctor and started taking a steroid and antibiotic.  That did make me feel some better.

Today we had blood work done and a visit with the oncologist.  The results of the blood test show that my liver function remains almost completely normal and we are grateful for that.  However, many of my blood products are at critical levels again.  Two measurements, hematocrit and platelets are dangerously low.  So, tomorrow I will receive three more units of blood.  Another treatment of Topotecan is in the works, but my platelets have to get back to 100,000 and we aren't even a third of the way there!  Some of my blood products are at all time lows.

So, I wanted to ask you to pray some more!  I know that many of you have been praying for two years, but we need persistent prayer at this time!

My Prayer Dream

When I was pastor at Marlin, we had a very unexpected death in the church.  A group of people were on there way to dinner and a play and one of the members of that group didn't arrive.  Further checking by relatives found that she had died at home.  The entire group of about 40 people ended up at her home on the front lawn.  We consoled each other, cried with the loved ones and the whole neighborhood stood out on their steps and watched.  I eventually asked everyone to form a prayer circle in the front yard.  There we prayed for some time.  I have always thought that that was the church.  Not a building, but a circle of prayer.

Here is my dream.  That by September 1st we could form a prayer circle of 1000 people.  Here's how we could do that.  I know that you know many people who pray.  They may not know me and my family or about my situation.  But if you could send them a request to pray for me and include the link below, it gives a very brief, one paragraph description and prayer request.  The link is:  http://www.beliefnet.com/milestones/commemoration.asp?milestoneTypeID=6&milestoneID=15938.  The person you ask to pray could click on the link if you include it in your message, or copy it into their browser.  For those who don't have e-mail of course, you could just ask them to pray.  I know this dream may sound a little strange.  I know there is more to prayer than numbers of anonymous people praying.  However, in a recent study reported in a medical journal, AIDS patients who were prayed for anonymously did substantially better than those not prayed for!  Prayer is a mystery that no one fully understands.  I know it is a strange request....  but could you help me fulfill this dream?

Thank You

Over the last two years many of you have given aid to me and my family in so many ways.  Nothing has gone unnoticed by me or our Heavenly Father.  I want to say thanks again as I make these new prayer requests.  Thank you for every prayer you have prayed and all the practical aid that you have given!

Brad Ramsey