Day 274

5 steps forward 2 steps back…
Sarah has been doing so great lately, but once again the recovery from cancer continues to take its toll. Over the last month, Sarah has been starting to decrease the amount of pain cocktail she was taking because she was starting to feel pain free. She was so proud of herself and she was looking forward to her independence from pain medication. However, over the last week Sarah’s nerve endings in her chest were starting to wake up and cause serious pain. During Sarah’s double mastectomy surgery all of her nerves in her chest were cut leaving her numb in most of her upper torso. Now, she is starting to regain her feeling but unfortunately all the feeling that has come back has been pain. This is a new symptom and her doctors are trying to figure out how to manage this new pain. We have been working with Sarah’s pain specialist, but he is unable to see her and make medication changes until late next week. To add to the problem Sarah has been experiencing very severe hot flashes. These hot flashes are due to a hormone blocker medication that Sarah is taking to improve the percentage of staying cancer free. Imagine trying to sleep when one minute you have ice flowing through your veins and the next there is sweat rolling down your forehead. As you can guess the hot flashes and pain are causing Sarah to average 1 to 2 hours of sleep per night. So, when you can’t see your pain specialist for a week and a half and you haven’t slept in days, you are left with few options. For Sarah just about her only option for relief was the emergency room. My Sarah fought as hard as she could to be strong but the pain and sleep deprivation just overwhelmed her on Thursday night. This was very disappointing to Sarah because of all the hard work and persistence on her part to be able to live free of pain medication and hospital visits. At the hospital she was given pain relief and a sleep aid and it made a world of difference. Please keep Sarah in your prayers for her pain and sleeplessness. Thank you.

At the moment Sarah is very focused on finally being able to sell some baby hats for her new business Emalene. Sarah has a huge heart for under-privileged children in Africa and with Emalene her dream of helping them will become a reality. A portion of every hat sold will be donated to benefit the children of Africa.  Sarah is getting ready to participate in her first ever craft fair. Because she is not sleeping, she has had lots of extra time to get hats made. The lack of sleep is certainly not a good thing, but it has allowed her to get a ton done. The craft fair will be May 7^th and 8^th at Lake Connor Park in Lake Stevens from 10a-3:30p. Come on out and show your support for Sarah and the hurting children of Africa.

Thanks,

Kirk

Day 273

Blessings!
I want to thank each and every one of you who congratulated me on my great news. It touches my heart that so many of my friends and family called, wrote, texted, treated us to dinner and all but wrote in the sky how happy and proud of me you are. I am so blessed to have had an army of support backing me up in my fight for life…which I won! There are not words enough to describe the gratefulness I feel to have been shown so much love. All I can say is thank you. Thank you for crying with me. Thank you for believing in me. Thank you for loving me. You made the difference and I hope that I will show you that I will not take for granted this life that was spared. I will make a mark in history because I have a purpose and I believe that purpose is to serve God’s people. I am the Lord’s hands and feet and I will do whatever and go wherever there is a need. Thank you for giving me the courage to live without fear. Your prayers and encouraging words help me stand tall and feel that my survival is no accident but the divine plan of God. I have much to do and my goals in these next few months are to strengthen my body and mind for what God has in store for my future. Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

Love Always,
Sarah

Day 272

News!!!
News... and boy do I mean good news! I’m going to keep this short and sweet so we can all shout a joyful noise of praise. This last week I had a string of appointments at Seattle Cancer Care that lasted from 7a to late afternoon and by the last examination table I was told by all my doctors that I was doing way better than anyone could have imagined. My pain specialist was floored about my progress. My oncologist said it is amazing what I have accomplished in just one year. Then the best news came. My surgeon took my hand and told me my chance of getting breast cancer again is one to two percent. You don’t know what I left in that room when we walked out the door…weights fell off my shoulders when I heard that my percent of getting cancer again was as close to zero as we can get. I celebrate life because I have a life to live. I can breathe a sigh of relief and take the next step in my life with a smile on my face. I have beaten cancer. Sarah Elizabeth Lien has fought her battle and won.

Thank you for cheering me on to get this far! I still have much to accomplish to get back to where cancer found me but I am making up ground faster than doctors can even dream possible. And that is ONLY due to your prayers, donations, support and your love. Please keep me in your hearts as I work to regain what was lost plus much much more.

Love Always,
Sarah