BigFred

Freddy Says:
July 31st, 2007 at 6:36 am I haven’t learned how to post like Diana but I hope this gets through. Everyone hs been so sweet and suppotive. The visits have been great. The chemo and raditation are statrting to take hold, so I’ told there will be more headaches and body aches with the treatments. Please contiu your prayers for mmy family and me.
Hope to see you in church next week. And please send up special prayers for students at Easide Side and the inner city, the enemy wnts thier souls.

God bless
Freddy

So we had planned to go to church, had our clothes all picked out and everything, but Frederick was so tired and sleepy that we didn’t make it.  He has been sleeping all morning and as I write this at 12:26pm today, he is still asleep.  Hopefully that means his body is healing itself!  Please continue to pray for his strength to come back especially on his right side.  (He’s right handed)  That side seems to be the weakest. 

I pray that the half and half day at church went well.  ECBF you know what I’m talking about…

Love ya”ll

Diana & Frederick

Praise God, we made it through another week.  By Friday, the chemo and radiation had Frederick kinda tired, but nothing else too serious.  He is still wobbly on his feet sometimes and other times he cruises along almost like normal.  Ericka has been taking care of her Dad very well while Mom goes to work.  He says she is stricter on him than I am.  Go Ericka!

We have been lavished with so much love we don’t know how to take it all in.   I am especially grateful for the food.  Coming home from work to a meal that’s already cooked is a wonderful thing!  Our refrigerater is continually overflowing with goodies.  Just know that if you call and talk to Frederick, he will put in an order for something.  He’s not shy about the food!

Also, please  come by and visit him.  Just call first!  He’d love to see you.

Thanks

Diana & Frederick

Hallelujah, being in service was such a blessing.  We were all so happy to be there.  All the love from the family was overwhelming.  I wasn’t gonna cry but when Harold Franklin got started, I couldn’t help myself.  It was a blessed day and a blessed service.  We even got to go to the Olive Garden after church, thanks to Frederick’s boss who had given Frederick the gift certificates some time ago.   After that meal, Frederick was out for a couple hours.

Frederick started his chemo yesterday.  So far so good.  He actually has to take 5 pills to get the milligrams he needs for each dose.  He takes it at night before bedtime.  He made it through the night fine and was a little nauseaus (sp) later today but he took his nausea meds and was fine.  He is actually doing well.  The occupational therapist has given him a green light to cook his own meals and even go downstairs to his studio.  He is still working with the physical therapist and is getting to walk the block in front of the house several times a day.  I think he sat in the yard today and watered the flowers!  Thank you for your prayers and love.

Diana & Frederick

Wow, it’s been a long week.  Diana went back to work full time and Frederick and Ericka got to spend some “quality time” together.  Friday after radiation, we dropped Jerrold and Jalen off at the train station for a trip to California, and headed to the oncologist.  Frederick will be taking a chemo pill called temodar.  He was suppose to start on Friday.  What we didn’t know was that  this medicine was so expensive that no pharmacy carried it.  So we had to have our pharmacy order it and it should be in on Monday.  That throws off the clock a bit, but God is still on the throne.  Chemo will continue for 42 days or when radiation stops, whichever comes first!

Today, we’re gonna try to make it to church.  Frederick has been getting around a lot better and feels up to it so we may see some of you there today. 

Thank you for your continued care and expressions of love.  It is unbelievable that we can be loved so much.

Diana & Frederick

Well, it’s been three days of radiation.  The first day was the worse.  Even though it really wasn’t too bad.  Thursday and Friday were much better days and today…Frederick says he thinks he’s getting his appetite back! 

Sorry this post got out of order… I guess I started it and never finished it. 

Love

Diana

I know, we’re getting a little lax with the updates, but it’s just because there really isn’t much different happening.  Frederick is going to radiation every morning at 8 and then I take him home and have been back to work since Monday.  The physical therapist have come to the house twice.  The second time, he let Frederick walk downstairs to the studio.  That was quite an accomplishment.  Frederick is using his cane instead of the walker and most days he does pretty well.  When he gets tired, his right side kinda gives out on him and if we’re not careful he starts leaning to the right and without help can’t get his balance to straighten up.  Thank God for walls and  chairs!!!  Ericka has taken over watching the patient.  I hear she watches her Dad better than I do.  I appreciate my little girl as she is growing up pretty quickly through all this.  We have an appointment with the chemo oncologist on Friday.  If all goes as planned, the chemo will bill a pill that Frederick could just take at home.  Radiation is scheduled to go through August.  A month after radiation is done another MRI will be done to check the status of the tumor.  We’re believing that it will all be gone.  Praise God!

Again, I need to say Thank you to all of you who have come to visit, brought food (scheduled and unannounced) for the money people have given to help with gas, food, & etc.  We continue to feel so loved and blessed by God and His people.  ”The family of God, always takes good care of us” - we will one day soon be singing that song for all of you!  Okay, I’ll end for now and try to be more consistent with the updates.

Love you all,

Diana & Frederick 

Thanks so much for all the calls and visits and meals. Your love has been over whelming. Let’s keep praying for one antoher. Freddy

Today was a very busy and tiring day.  Frederick had his radiation treatment start date changed to today!  He also had an MRI today, so we were out the door at 8:30am this morning.  The MRI was first.  It took about 2 hours.  He was a little grumpy afterwards.  Than we had lunch at Arby’s (Yuck) and then radiation treatment at 12:50.  He says the radiation wasn’t nearly as bad as the MRI.  He was very tired when we got back home because he is trying to get around more without his walker.  He did real good so that is encouraging.  We didn’t even have any help this time.  Thanks Thomas for helping us out but we’re growing up now and we did okay just the two of us!  Well, three if you count the walker!    Tomorrow, we get to play with the physical therapist!  Whoo hoo! 

So keep Frederick in prayer.  He will be going in every week day @ 8:10am for radiation treatment until the end of August.  We still don’t know when the chemo will start.

I’m also suppose to let you know that Sharon and Cedric Armstrong, good friends,  are putting together a benefit concert to help us out.  If you are interested in more information about this, please contact them at 206.778.7250 or 206.334.5224.

Thanks

Diana & Frederick

Sorry we haven’t updated in a few days.  Frederick went to the Valley Hospital Radiation clinic on Thursday.  This was the first consultation.  Frederick will be undergoing radiation probably starting July 16th.  It will be for 5 days a week until about labor day.  Dr. says the radiation will not be hard on the body and should not cause a lot of hair loss.  Well praise God for that.  We are still waiting to connect with a physical therapist, and to talk to the chemo doctors to find out when that will start. 

Overall, Frederick is doing well, but still cannot get around by himself.  He might get to sit out in the sun today for a little bit.  Oh yeah, for those of you who haven’t seen Frederick, his hair is cut short so you probably won’t recognize the man. 

I am working on thank you cards, but please know if you don’t get one for a month or so that they are in the works!  We are so grateful for all the outpouring of love we have been continually shown.  You guys have made us feel so very special.  It is so humbling and it just lets us know that there is a God, and he still has many people working for his purposes, not just in Seattle, but around the world!

We love you all.

Diana