Transplant

My brother will be doing a cord blood transplant on the 29th. I am nervous. I know that I shouldn't be as our Lord will be there but it is hard. I am but a mere mortal. All ye who are tired and weary,  come to me and I will give them rest.  Lord I pray that you will take my brother and give him rest and recovery. Thank you for looking over him all this while. He has no complications and it's because of your care. During the transplant,  Lord I am sure you will be there for him.  Please use me in any way that's needed to carry out your plan to help my brother. Talk to me and I will do it. Thank you our Father. Amen.

Please let there be a miracle...

Dear Father,

I am not sure if I am over sensitive but I seem to feel that my brother is losing hope in his battle with leukemia. Lord, please grant him faith, peace and tranquility. I pray for his recovery and we should not forego modern medicine. Lord I trust that he have put men who are capable of saving my brother here. Be it bone marrow or cord blood, you have your plans. Everything happens for a reason. I talked to my friends regarding the situation, I read the article in the papers, my colleague having a dream about me and the odd feeling with regards to my brother. Lord, what is the message? I am lost and down and helpless. Only with your grace, will miracles happen. Only with your grace, miracles WILL happen. Thank you Lord.

I pray in the name of Jesus, Amen.

Lord I am tired...

Dear Father,

A lot have happened since the chemo for my brother had started. The issues revolving around my dad and my sister in law is making me really tired. Please Lord, guide me to resolve this. I am praying for all parties to be satisfied. My dad, my brother, my sister in law and my wife.

I am lost and don't know what to do.

Lord please grant my brother a speedy recovery. His chemo is really taking a toll. He looks weak. Lord, I pray for a match for his bone marrow, so that heay have a successful operation. I understand that there is nothing much that I can do but pray for him. Lord, I am tired and come to you for rest. Please grant me mercy and grace.

Amen.

The search is still on...

It's been a while since I last updated. We are still searching for a bone marrow match for my brother. Hopefully, by God's grace, the search won't take any longer. The chemo is taking its toll and my brother looks physically weaker. It didn't help that the family is going through some troubles over our father and money. I can feel the stress on my brother.

Dear God, please provide for my brother's family and bless them with your peace. Thank you Lord.

Our heavenly Father, by your grace things will change and get better. By your grace, everything will turn out as your plan which will be the best for us. Lord, let men know how I can help my brother and I will do my very best. Please forgive me for all the negative feelings I had and take it away from me. It's not right and my brother can sense it. I do not want to add undue stress to him. Thank you Lord.

Amen.

Cleared - Second Cycle Chemo

Dear God, thank you once again for the immense grace. My brother had finished his second cycle with no complications. Your Grace is good. My brother will be headed home today to be united with his family, its so heart war,king to see them together. With God's mercy and protection, I pray for their peace.

Jovan, my brother's son is now headed for his own operation. He had developed an infection on his ear and will need to operate to clear it. Once again their family's faith is being put to the test. However, I am sure they will prevail with God by their side. It has not been an easy year for this family but God has called upon them to do His work.

There are currently a few nine marrow matches in Taiwan. One of them is almost perfect match but we are waiting for the typing of his blood. I pray that our Father in heaven will once again grant a miracle to my brother and work this out. I am sure with God's help, nothing is impossible and my brother will be able to overcome this trial to move on to spread His word by being His testament. We eagerly await the result of the blood typing test.

To all who are reading this, please go sign up for the bone marrow donor programme. It's a simple way to save lives. I signed up recently and all that is needed is to fill up a form and take a swab of your inner mouth wall. Its really easy and hassle free. If you are needed o donate, the hospital will contact you and you will have o go thru a process like blood donation for a few days. The blood will be drawn from your body, filtered for the stem cells and returned back into you. Nothing is lost. Remember, a little inconvenience on your part means another chance in life for someone else. Please go find out more from your local hospital or clinic.

God bless.

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Cleared - First Cycle Chemo

Thank God for his grace! Another week had passed and my brother is recovering very well. He had finished his first chemo cycle and had started losing hair. However, God has been merciful and granted my brother a speedy recovery. My brother had reacted well to the treatment and miraculously, there are no infections or complications at all. Even the doctor in charge is surprised at the non existence of fevers for my brother. The original plan was for my brother to stay under observations a week after the chemo treatment for fear of complications but upon seeing the miraculous recovery, the hospital is going to allow my brother to go home next week! He can finally be united with his wife and son!!

Thank you all who had prayed and interceded for my brother. God has heard the prayers and had sent an angel to look over my brother, preventing all infections from coming near him. Praise God! If you are reading this, please continue to pray for my brother as he will still have to go thru the bone marrow transplant. I am the first candidate and I pray that God will continue to work on my brother and allow my bone marrow to be a perfect fit for him. This will minimize the time and cost for the whole operation. Thank you Lord. This had been a humbling experience and I have to come to know of the mercy and power of our Father. We are His children and He will plan for us. Amen.

First week of chemo

My brother started his chemo this week. Bags of chemicals are strapped to him for the entire day and he looks visibly more tired. His appetite is taking a hit as well and we are trying hard to encourage him to eat. Once again God has been gracious and sent his angels in the form of my brother's cell group mates. They came with home cooked soup everyday, so that my brother can get more nutrition by drinking the soup. Such act of kindness had really touched my brother as he mentioned that the soups were the only thing that he looks forward to eating giving his bland taste bud.

Once the chemo stopped on Friday, my brother reverted back to his cheerful self. It is such a relief to see him smiling and joking with us. Thank God. The side effects of the chemo were kept to the minimum with God's grace. Appetite, fatigue and constipation are the only symptoms that were noticeable. We continue to pray that God will watch over my brother on his road to full recovery.

I tested my bone marrow on Thursday. For a sibling, I have 25% chance of matching with my brother. If we are looking at getting a bone marrow match from a total stranger, there is only a 1 in 200000 chance. The odds are not high. After going for the bone marrow test, I realised the importance of the bone marrow donor program. I have decided to sign up for it to help others like my brother. It is really easy and painless to donate bone marrow and I urge all who can see this post to sign up for it. You be God's angels and help save lives. You will not need to be operated on but it's more like a blood transfusion. Another method of drawing bone marrow only involves an injection of a syringe. I pray that I will be my brother's angel. I will know the result in two weeks' time.

The costs involved in bone marrow procurement is really high and is not covered under any insurance. For a local procurement, the cost will be around $20000 in cash. As for a regional procurement, it will be $28000 and for a worldwide procurement, it will be $50000. The costs will cover the medical fees for the donor as well as the transportation for the bone marrow. However, the Singapore government does provide some financial help for the needy. The amount will depend on the the means testing for the family involved.

If one fails to find a bone marrow match, the next alternative will be cord blood. This can be bought from the cord blood bank. Unfortunately, cord blood is very limited in supply. This is because with each birth, only a small amount of cord blood is collected. For the average adult, cord blood from two births may be needed due to the difference in body size. Hence, this is usually the last alternative.

I hope that my journey will help inform others with similar situation and help to encourage them. Together, we can work miracles with God's grace.