Merry Christmas!!!

I left today for Minnesota for Christmas. I was doing very well until mid Wisconsin and I ran into a great deal of snow. We had to stay in a hotel tonight because we could no longer drive. I was getting tired and knew 6 or so more hours in a snow storm with three children and going 35 mph would not be something I could mentally handle. :) We are watching The Wizard of Oz (which is Chloe's favorite movie) and we all have our electronics (it's really sad).
It is so nice to go home and be with family during this time. Christmas has been a wonderful time for me through the years, but obviously this year it has a bittersweetness to the season. I do pretty good as long as I don't think much about it. :) At this point I just want to get through Christmas day watching the kids open their gifts and enjoying being spoiled. Even though I had taken on many things when Warren became sick, there was still many things he did that I have now. He always did the video camera and I took photos because I did scrapbooking. I now have both and that is very tricky. He also took care of getting the car ready for trips and checked all those things during the trip. This is quite an adventure while traveling with three children. Anyway were going to finish The Wizard of Oz and then off to bed to begin the traveling again. Thank you to many who have prayed for us during this trip, I really appreciate your prayers please continue to keep us in your prayer were not there quite yet!!! :) Have a wonderful blessed
MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!

Another week......

Well, Thanksgiving is over. I really had a wonderful weekend with David P. and his family. I was so thankful they came to spend the weekend with us. The time flew by which right now is a good thing. We had a good time talking about and remembering Warren and just having a good time of fellowship. I am so thankful that they gave up a holiday with their family to spend it with us during this most difficult time. We spent Thanksgiving day with Warren's family and had a very good time. It was a strange day to be there and not be with Warren. We went to the cemetery on Saturday. The stone had been placed in the ground. I like to go there, but it is very hard to leave. Sunday was a very difficult day, I assume because everything slowed down and thoughts creep in that sometimes cannot be stopped. Oh how I miss him so much. Today is December 1 and we have snow!!! I know for some of you that isn't a big deal, but in southern Indiana it is nice to have snow for the Christmas holidays. On the way to school we thanked the Lord for the beautiful snow that he gave us that gave us a wonderful smile and cheerfulness. Just a note to thank Dave and Carla for giving their vacation to me. It was so helpful to have them here during this time and the kids had such a great time. Thank you so much!!!

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING to everyone!! I am writing this on the eve of my first major holiday without Warren. I am waiting for Dave and Carla and the girls to arrive. I have looked forward to their coming. I can't believe they want to spend Thanksgiving with me, it is so comforting. We are all going to spend Thanksgiving with Warren's family as we always do. This is a bittersweet time as we will be missing a very important part of our family. We put up the Christmas decorations last weekend, that was harder than I thought it would be. It really put us down emotionally for most of the weekend. It not only affected me, but it affected the kids. We shed alot of tears and were very quiet. I did have a young friend call and invite me to do something special with her (thanks Kaitlyn). It was good to get away for a few hours and have fun. We are doing better though for now. Thank you to many that have been praying for us so strongly, it got us through a very tough weekend.
On another note, Warren's mother has sent me a poem that a friend of hers wrote. Warren's mom asked me if I would post it on the blog, she said it was a help to her and she hoped it would be a help to others.
Dear God
They went to sleep
and awoke to you
in a place with skies of blue
Free of all the pain they knew

They look around
and there they are
surrounded by loved ones
angels singing from afar
and they know

Here comes Jesus, the king of kings
arms opened wide
While the angels sing
they run to him to receive an embrace
and gaze into his face

The love they feel, it runs so deep
They know this love, it is for keeps
They love this man
and nothing can compare
to them being there.

Dear God
I know their families understand
that they can be with them again
if Jesus is in their hearts
Dear God
Then heaven will be just a start
to be with our dear God
In Jesus name, Amen
- Sue Graham -

Happy Birthday Spencer!!!

Spencer will be 5 on Wednesday!! Wow, time goes so fast. We celebrated his birthday on Saturday at Bogey's (a fun pizza place). We had a good time!! It was really nice to have fun with the kids. Auntie Dana, Aunt Maxine and Cousin Lindsay and Aubrey came with us. We had a Spiderman party!! Spencer loves superhero's and Hot Wheels, I guess you can't get any better than that!! He has been so excited to turn 5!!
Everyone has left. My mother has been here since the week Warren died. She left Friday to go home and get ready for Christmas. She has cared for my children and I for weeks. What a wonderful blessing to have her. I don't know what I would have done without her. She just picked up where I just couldn't many times. Thank you Mom for all you did!!!!
Tonight is the first night we have been alone. As I said before, night time is not my favorite time of the day by any means. Night time is quiet. It does give me a chance to talk to the Lord though, in ways that I can't in front of people. I talk to Him about my anger, dissapointment, lack of understanding, lonliness for my husband, but also my faith that He does know all that has taken place and has a perfect plan. I have also realized "time". "Time" is everything. They say time heals things. I sometimes wish time would just move along quickly. I never had enough time in the day, and now I have more than I want. Having gone through these last several weeks, I cannot imagine what people do who do not know the Lord. It is hard enough having the Lord, but to experience this kind of pain and not have anyone to go to that knows what is going on and has the control is beyond my comprehension. I have rattled on long enough, but want to thank you so much for your continued prayers, cards, and phone calls. I am able to get through each day because of people's prayers for me and my family. God is Good!!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY MY LITTLE PRINCE!!

Getting back to........

I wanted to write a quick note to thank you all for the wonderful posts of encouragement my family and I have received. Writing the posts is difficult for me as I was not the writer of this family. I have so appreciated the outpouring of love for my family. Words cannot express the gratitude of so many people. God has given me several wonderful prayer warriors. I have had very good days for the most part, but the night time is exceptionally difficult. I know that God is giving me the grace and taking me through this journey with Him holding me all the way. The children are doing well. I am so thankful for my mother and sister Dana who have taken my children all week and showered them with love and affection. They have answered many questions about Warren's death and Heaven. The teaching they have received from God's Word has been priceless. Please continue to pray for my family and I as we have a journey ahead of us. But I know God is Good and we will continue to give Him honor in this. I truly covet your prayers during this time. Life will never be the same. Pray for us as we begin our "new normal" next week. Oh, if you have a good story of Warren, please post it or e-mail me. We are compiling these for the children. Thank you
wtbroke@juno.com

Warren loved to fish

Warren Brokering Obituary

Friends and Family, this is the obituary, which will be in the Terre Haute and Shelbyville, IN newpapers.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Warren Brokering, 41, of Terre Haute, Indiana left this earth to meet his heavenly Father on Thursday, October 10th, 2008 at 2:55 pm ET.

He was born, Warren Keith Brokering, on April 13th, 1967 to Nancy Lynn Stout Richards of Shelbyville, Indiana. He spent his formidable years in St. Paul, Indiana attending Hendricks Elementary, Waldron Junior High and Waldron High School where he excelled in wrestling and reached the state finals.

In 1986, God gripped Warrens’ heart and he accepted Jesus Christ as his personal Lord and Savior. Following God’s calling, he enrolled at Maranatha Baptist Bible College in Watertown, WI.

Beginning in 1986, Warren worked his way through college as he studied Youth Ministries. After many long years of sweat, toil and tears, Warren graduated in 1994.

Warren entered the ministry as a Youth Pastor in a small church in Virginia and began influencing many lives for the cause of Christ.

Later in his ministry, God called him to Bible Baptist Church in Terre Haute, Indiana. He faithfully served as a Youth Pastor for 10 years. It was during this time that he contracted lung and liver cancer. As he received chemo treatments and battled cancer he continued to minister to his youth group influencing hundreds of young people to serve Christ.

God then opened a door for Warren to work with other cancer patients at Providence Medical Center in Terre Haute, Indiana. He worked there as Chaplain for 2 years encouraging others in the Lord and leading many to Christ.

Warren was preceded in death by his father, Max Brokering, and leaves behind his wife of 13 years, Tana (Rodabaugh) Brokering and three small children; Madelyn (8), Chloe (6) and Spencer (4).

Also surviving Warren is his mother, Nancy Lynn Stout Richards of Shelbyville, IN; grandmother, Izzetta Brokering of Shelbyville; brothers, Scott Brokering of St Paul, IN. and Darin Brokering of Shelbyville; sister, Melissa (Rosenfeld) DeStain of Shelbyville; aunts, Sharon Broughton of Shelbyville and Janie Newhouse of Indianapolis and multiple nieces and nephews; and lastly, his extended family, in-laws, David and Ann Rodabaugh of Coon Rapids, MN.

In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made in memory of Warren Brokering through 5th/3rd Bank at 2511 Poplar Avenue Terre Haute, IN. Phone number: 812-462-0376. Please request your gift to be placed in the Brokering account ending in 001.

Viewing and Funeral arrangements for Warren

Friends and Family: The viewing and funeral will be held at DeBaun Funeral Home. The viewing will be held Monday, October 13 from 4-8 pm ET. The funeral will be held on Tuesday, October 14th from 1-3 pm with internment at Roselawn Cemetery right afterwards.

DeBaum Funeral Home:
85 E. Springhill Drive,
Terre Haute, In 47802
(812)-299-5125

Roselawn Cemetery
7500 North Clinton Street
Terre Haute, IN 47805
(812) 466-5221

If you have any questions, please reach out to me at 734-968-5135 as well as brett.a.marker@jpmchase.com

In Christ,

Brett Marker

Finally Home

Warren Brokering, husband, father, pastor, and friend went home to be with his Lord this afternoon, October 10, 2008, at 2:55 p.m. (ET). He was surrounded by his wife, Tana, his family, and dear friends. He is no longer in pain, and he is now face to face with Christ his Savior. Although his passing is painful, we rejoice with him as he enters a new, eternal life with Jesus Christ.

At this time funeral arrangements are being made, and will be posted as soon as they are finalized. The family is asking that you respect their privacy and refrain from directly calling. Comments on the blog and emails are welcome. Please feel free to call Brett Marker with condolences and requests for information. Brett can be reached on his cell phone at 734-968-5135, and through email at brett.a.marker@jpmchase.com.

Thank you for your love and prayers during this difficult time.

2 Timothy 4:7-8

"I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them that love his appearing."

The Last Leg of the Journey

**EDIT** To friends of the Brokering Family,
An account has been set up for the Brokering Family at 5th 3rd Bank (2511 Poplar Avenue Terre Haute, IN) 812-462-0376.
Any gifts need to be placed in the Brokering account ending in 001

The next few blogs I have dreaded to write. Warren has taken a very bad turn and has deteriorated very quickly. At this point, I might rattle on from lack of sleep and being overwhelmed, but God has seen fit to end the battle of cancer for Warren. It will only be a matter of time. My heart is heavy with grief as I watch him. I know that God is taking him in his arms very soon, but we are not ready to see him go. Please pray for my family and especially my children as this is very difficult for adults to understand, but children... Warren was taken to the hospital on Monday because of severe pain and breathing problems. They put him on a Morphine pump and kept him overnight. Warren was told on Tuesday that his battle with cancer would not continue much longer. We prayed together and cried together and shared our hearts with each other. God gave us a precious time together with Him. By Tuesday night he was struggling with his breath again and having pain. On Wednesday morning he went to the office and they administered a diffent chemo that he could tolerate, but the Oxygen intake would not improve. They ended up taking him by ambulance to the hospital and let us know that it had become so bad that he only had a few hours to days. I watch him breath in and out and am so proud of my husband and this long battle he has fought. He does not communicate much right now and is in and out of sleep. All I have now is the moments that tick by and I cherish each moment his eyes open. I am reminded of God's wonderful goodness. Thank you for your prayers keep them coming. I will update again.

Preparing for round 3

Hey all!

Thanks for your responses. I read them all and they are so very encouraging. It's like we're surrounded by an army of God's warriors.

I am doing better than last time. My recovery time has been much shorter and I'm able to enjoy nourishment for a longer period of time before I have to go at it again. The only problem is that I keep losing weight for no apparent reason. You may remember me saying in the past blogs that I'm losing weight, but it goes back up and I'm still well above the recommended weight for my size and age. Well, now I'm below that weight and steadily dropping. I can't account for the weight loss. I eat well, snack a lot and keep the calories rolling, but it's to no avail.

This is an important issue because if I get too puny I'll not be able to handle the treatments and it will just be sickness all the time. Pray that I can find a way to gain my weight back and keep it on. I look pretty pathetic with my clothes hanging off me. When I wear my shirt and tie it looks like I'm a little boy dressing up in daddy's clothes. Pretty sad.

A couple of other things to pray about: because of the weight loss I have little strength. It's hard to play with the children. They always want to be lifted, carried. thrown or on the floor wrestling. It's hard to do. The other thing is my breathing. I can't go up our stairs without being ridiculously out of breath and it takes a few minutes to get it back. Well, you can imagine the frustration in all of this so please pray and ask God to restore these things.

Thanks for all of you care and concerns for us. Continue to pray according to what you see on the blog and as the Spirit leads you as well. Some days are harder than others for whatever reason and the Spirit knows this. Thanks again and God bless.

Warren and the fam.

Round 2

Last week was Warren's 2nd round of this treatment. I was hoping it would be a lot better, but it wasn't. It wasn't as bad in his throat, but the sores are all through his mouth and down the throat once again. He has been down all weekend with pain in his mouth and throat and is not able to keep anything down. He is hungry though, which is a good sign, but eating is very difficult and his body doesn't seem to want to keep it down. The doctor reduced the strength of both chemo's, but the side affects are still very much there. It took almost the entire 2 weeks after treatment before he felt good again and then it started all over again. Life just keeps going on around him here at home, the children are used to it all and that is sometimes sad. I know it is hard for him sometimes to know days go by that he cannot spend much time with the kids. His spirits are good although I know he gets frustrated being cooped up day after day. We just keep in the forefront of our minds that God's purpose is so much greater than this cancer. Psalm 23 has been on my mind alot lately. It is such a simple passage that we learn as children and have at funerals, but there is so much in those small verses and the picture God creates is so beautiful...He leadeth me beside the still waters, He restoreth my soul. What comfort and encouragement!! Our God is good and we have seen his work 1st hand. WOW! Keep us in your prayers!!

Change in Chemo

Warren had a very rough weekend with sore's all through his mouth and down into his throat. They have given him medication to combat the sore's and blisters, but it takes time. We are thankful that he did run any fever or become so dehydrated that we would have had to take a hospital visit. He has not been able to talk much at all. Dr. Huh has taken him off of the trial medication until his mouth heals. On Friday and today they administered fluids as he was a bit dehydrated. He is not able to eat or drink much because anything placed in his mouth is very painful. He is in and out of sleep most of the time. I know his body needs the rest, but I check on him often to make sure he is OK. Thank you for all your prayers and notes, they are so encouraging and knowing how many are praying is bringing us through many hard days. Thank you so much for keeping us all in your prayers!!

Back to Chemo

Chemo has started again. The treatments are 72 hours of chemo every 3 weeks. Warren is also taking the new trial chemo which is in pill form. He takes 1 pill a day for 4 weeks and then 2 weeks off. This is the best mixture to have with the trial chemo. This week was his first round and he is exausted. He has been nauseated on and off, and has also had a terrible soar throat. They have given him more medication to combat the throat problems, but that won't take affect for another 24 hours. They also gave him fluids today, because of dehydration. He constantly sleeps and can barely talk. Please be in prayer as one of the nurses told me it could be a very rough weekend. We also found out that the tumor marker went up to 288, but has dropped to 144!! Praise the Lord!! We knew it was climbing, but didn't know how high. It is still high, but we are thankful God gave us a little ray of sunshine and the nurses and Dr. Huh seem encouraged.
After he was released from the hospital and several tests later, we have discovered that Warren's gallbladder is only working about 5%. He also has 4 stones in there as well. The specialist said it is too big of a risk right now to do surgery on the gallbladder and it is better to focus on the tumor. Most of the pain is from the tumor on the liver, so it would not eliviate the pain. The surgery on the gallbladder would be a major surgery and right now that is out of the question unless there would be serious infection. God has taken such good care of us and we have been blessed above what we deserve. School has started and we have sent Spencer to K-4 this year. He and Chloe (1st grade)go to a christian school, and Maddie (3rd grade) is homeschooled. Spencer goes 1/2 day, so it gives Maddie and I all morning to do school. Please continue to pray, we covet them daily!!

Hospital Visit

Today brought another challenge. Warren's day starting with vomiting. When he called the office to let them know he would not be in today, Dr. Huh said he wanted Warren to go to the ER, because there could be an obstruction. So we drove to the ER (stopping along the way to bond with the side of the road). After an x-ray and fluids, the ER Dr. said the vomiting could be caused from some chemo left in his system or maybe a virus of some sort, but there was NO OBSTRUCTION!!! Praise the Lord!! It is not easy to determine what the vomiting is from because Warren has also received his first IV iron yesterday because his iron is low, that is due to some kidney stone problems he has had for a week or two. He has been off of all chemo until his iron count goes back up and there is some change in the kidney stone issues. So the ER Dr. thought it best to keep him overnight for observation and to make sure he does not continue getting sick through the night. When I left tonight he was doing much better and eating solid food. He was not feeling sick anymore, so that was a wonderful blessing. We are thanking the Lord that this was not a bad situation, but still continue to pray that Warren will be healed!! Thank you for your prayers, on days like this it helps to get you through knowing there are many prayers going out for us!!!!

Need your prayers

Hey all!

I had some x-rays taken yesterday to see why my breathing is so labored. It came up negative for any breathing problems, but I think it revealed something that rose a red flag in Dr. Huh's mind. I'm not for sure about it because he didn't say anything specific, but he did put a hold on treatments for a month and ordered a CT scan in 3 weeks. Whenever he does things like this I know something may be up so pray that God will reveal to him the problem and the solution.

While I'm on this month break he says he will be monitoring my cancer marker and my pain level. Both have elevated in the past few weeks. This will give him a chance to see if the marker will rise aggressively or not and if my pain will continue to elevate as well. Of course the scan will reveal any of the causes or results of a growing marker and elevation of pain.

So to some up the prayer request remember the rising marker, pain, a bad cough (hurts my liver pain when I cough) and my very labored breathing. Thanks so much for praying. We need it desperately every day.

God bless,
Warren and the fam.

Answers to prayer

Hey all,

I just wanted to drop a quick note to tell you that I have been approved for funding to recieve the clinical trial medicine. I am eligible for at least 6 months worth of the medicine and maybe another 6 months if needed. I will have a co-pay and I'm not sure how much that will be, but we pray that the Lord will provide. I will also continue to take my Xeloda (a pill form of 5fu chemotherapy) through the trial and I will have a co-pay on that as well. The Lord knows.

This is all the information I have as of now. Dr. Huh has not spoken of the details of this trial as of yet, but I'm sure he will now knowing it's available. I will update the info as soon as I know what we're doing and when. Until then keep us in your prayers and believe that God is able.

God bless,
Warren and fam.

In Limbo

I wanted to let you all know that I'm now on the full doses of the regimen that Dr. Huh had me on when my marker started to rise. My blood pressure is better allowing me to start up the Avastin again and the funding came through for the Xeloda. So, I'm up and running again with a full regimen of treatments. For a couple of weeks I was only taking one of the 3 components of the regimen. This is good for now.

You may wonder why I'm still on a regimen that allows my marker to go up. Well, I'm
glad you asked. We are sill trying to get funding for the clinical trial medicines. We can't change until the trial is completely set up so we stick with this treatment until we find out if we can do the trial or not. In other words, this regimen is better than no regimen at all while we wait. The prayer request is for God to reveal the next step, whether a trial or already proven and known regimen.

For now you can pray for some struggles that have surfaced since my marker has risen. I have very labored breathing. The simplest task can tax my breathing. Now how am I supposed to keep up with the little boy in this condition? I also have pain in my side (the liver). If I over do it I'll become very uncomfortable and it takes some pain medicine and a lot of rest to get past it. Spencer thinks it's his superior boxing skills that causes the pain. I can't have him growing up believing this. Also, today I stayed home from work because of all of this and then some. I found it hard to keep my food down today. This could be a passing thing for today or something I'll have to deal with in the days to come until we figure out our new course of action. Pray for these things to subside so I can continue to funtion.

Well, I just wanted to update you all on these things so you could be praying for us. We appreciate all that you do for us in you prayer efforts. I'll update you when I know more.

God bless,
Warren and family.

Changing regimens again ... I hope!

Hey, all! Sorry to not update for so long. There has not been a lot to tell up until now. I saw the Doc on Monday and he told me my marker is rising again. It has gone from 56 to 80. So this regimen he has had me on is failing and we have to move to a new regimen ASAP.

Dr. Huh wants the new regimen to be a clinical trial. The problem with that is the medicine for the trial will cost me out of pocket because it is a pharmacy item. Anytime I get my medicine from the pharmacy I have to treat it as any other item and pay a co-pay amount every time I refill for the next treatment. Unfortunately cancer medicine from the pharmacy costs thousands of dollars and it sends my co-pay into the hundreds of dollars. So, Dr. Huh's staff is trying to find a way to fund the prescriptions for me. This is where the prayer request comes. Pray that we can find funding for my cancer medicine so I can participate in this clininal trial.

I am doing okay. Dr. Huh says that the cancer is still stable even though the marker has gone up again. Currently I'm still on the same regimen until we find out if the clinical trial will work out or not. One of the cancer medicines has caused my blood pressure to rise into dangerous territory so he took that medicine out of the regimen. My chemo pills are on hold until I get cleared for funding for those as well. Maybe God is trying to tell us something about this regimen ... GET OFF OF IT. IT'S NOT WORKING!!!! Of course I could be wrong. I am neither an Oncologist or God so it is hard for me to form an accurate oppinion.

As you can see there are many things to pray about concerning my cancer and treatments. In the mean time I do feel okay and the sickness is not a problem with this regimen so that's a blessing. My biggest problem is fatigue and I did pick up someone's cold over Memorial day weekend. Thanks to whoever you are that shared the germs. May God bless your armpits with the fleas of a thousand camels.

Thanks to all of you who pray so faithfully. You are the difference makers in this battle. God bless you all and I'll keep you posted on the clinical trial medicine.

In His care,
Warren and family.

And so we carry on ...

An update as promised. I met with Dr. Huh yesterday. My weight is fine, blood counts look good as well as all other vitals. The scan showed no change, which was good news. Anytime I find that the treatments have stopped working I wonder if the cancer has had enough time to grow. This time we cought it in time to keep it from growing and I can actually take a week off before I start the next regimen.

Throughout my 2 years of treatment I have either been on a regimen that stops the cancer from growing or one that shrinks the cancer. Starting Monday (5/5) I will start a regimen that incorporates both concepts. The first treatment will be Erbitux (a target medicine that shrinks the tumors) and Avastin (a target medicine that keeps tumors from growning) and Xeloda (a chemotherapy that aids both). Xeloda is a chemo pill that I administer myself at home. The week after that I will only do the Erbitux and Xeloda and it will rotate like that throughout the regimen. I've never been on this regimen before so I don't know what it will do to me. I've been on each of these medicines at one time or another, but never all at the same time. It will be interesting.

I am back to work now. The MetLife disability insurance informed us (after 7 weeks of paper work and no income) that we don't qualify for the program because I have a pre-existing condition that is more than 3 months old. If it had only been 3 months that my cancer had existed then I could qualify. I guess disability is not necessary if you've been sick for a long time. Only in America! The longer you are sick the less chance you have of getting help. Not only did we get denied disability but my office manager told me that our insurance was going to cancel us affective May 1. The good news is that social security cleared us to start recieving benefits to subsidize our income ... in September. So, when you get sick you risk losing your income without any disability and the insurance wants to cancel you as well and of course the government is always a day late and a dollar short. Well, God is the great equalizer of all that kind of nonsense. Just pray that we can go back to normal insurance coverage without any hassels.

I'm thankful that I do feel well enough to start work again. Dr. Huh is skeptical, but he is willing to let me give it a try. Pray that God gives me the strength to prove him wrong. It has been good to be back at the clinic for more than just my own treatments. I have enjoyed seeing some of the patients again, but I have found that the list of patients is just as new as our new facility. Wow, I have a lot of work to do just to learn all of the new faces. Keep it all in your prayers.

Thanks for all your prayers and support,

Warren and family

Here we go again!

The last time I blogged I told you about my marker going up and that it could possibly be an indication of the treatments losing their effectiveness. Well, it seems that is what has happened. The doc had one of the nurses call me today to set up a C/T scan for this week. I asked "did doc get a red flag from my tumor marker?" She said "yes it has gone up". It was 42.6 then it went up to 46 and stayed there for a month and then it went to 55. So clearly it has stopped working and we need to scan, see where the cancer is problematic and react accordingly.

I don't feel any pain in my side where the liver is, but I have struggled to breath and my coughing is worse again. I'm guessing the lungs want to take off again, but I can't say for sure. The scan will tell the story. With that in mind remember to be praying for me on Thursday (4/24) at 11:15. I'll be scanned at that time. Monday I'm scheduled to meet with the doc and discuss the results and where we go from here.

I'm begining to get the impression that I'm facing a very stubborn cancer. Has anyone else out there thought the same thing? Am I alone in this theory?

I appreciate all of you who are praying and those of you who are so faithful to share with your church or prayer group and friends the request to pray for me. Remember, scan on Thursday (4/24) at 11:15 and results Monday (4/28) with what we will be doing next. Pray for Dr. Huh to be given the wisdom of God in regard to my treatments. Pray for us as a family. It is hard to get this kind of news and it is even harder to wait for results and consultation.

Thank you all and God bless,
Warren and family

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

Happy Birthday Warren!!!! I hope you don't mind us cracking into your blog to wish you a very special Birthday! We love you so much. Mom and Dad said, "To our favorite Son-in-Law Alex, Uhhh, We meant, Warren, We Love You!!! Your card and check are in the mail.
YOU ARE THE BEST!!!!!
HAPPY B-DAY UNCLE WARREN!!!
Love you!!
Dad, Mom, Jim, Dana, Tyler, Will, Alex, Jana, and Ella

Keep the prayer wheels turning

I wanted to update everyone on how things are going. I was trying to hold off until I got the results from this week's blood work. But I can't seem to get the info I need from the lab. The nurses say they are waiting for the info themselves.
Here is what I do know. I have been feeling better. I got to go to the MBBC wrestling reunion in St. Louis a couple of weeks ago. We hooked up with Scott and Michelle Ice and drove over together. We had a great time. It was Easter weekend so we had time with family as well as all of the Easter festivities for the children. I slept much of Saturday and part of Sunday, but I did manage to show up for the highlights. Yes, I am feeling better.
This week I had my treatments again and I seem to be doing well again. I still have a few days before I'm out of the woods with sickness and so on. I have been requesting an extra dose of side affect medicine before they disconnect my I.V. and it has really helped. It mostly helps with the sickness, but does nothing for exhaustion and other discomforts. But it is the sickness that really causes a problem and contributes to something that Doc has been bothered by for the past few weeks.
Doc has been unhappy with my weight loss lately. When I'm sick it contributes to the weight loss. When I lose weight I become puny and less able to tolerate the treatments. So, pray that I can hold my weight and continue on. I still have about 10-15 pounds before it becomes critical. I don't think it will come to that but you never know.
The other thing he is watching is my tumor marker. Up until the last treatment we saw the marker plummet in big numbers each time the marker was tested. As of my treatment 2 weeks ago we saw it rise 3.4 points(from 42.6 to 46). The rise in the marker is not significant and we are thankful for that. However, when it goes from plummeting in big numbers to rising just a little we have to wonder if the treatments are beginning to lose effectiveness and we'll have to start again on something else. Remember, we are on a regimen to shrink the tumors and we want to get the full benefit of as many treatments as possible. I think Doc is hoping to get at least 4 more treatments (8 more weeks) before we move on to something else. So, the prayer is that we keep the tumor marker going down, even if it is in smaller intervals, and let the treatments last for as long as the Doc deems necessary.
If the marker goes up 2 more times he will probably stop the regimen and move on to something else.
So, yes I'm feeling better, but I do have some concerns to deal with. Keep us in your prayers and thanks for all of your support.

God bless,
Warren and company.

God has been good

Sorry to have kept you all waiting on this news, but I had treatments last week and it has taken a while to shake them off. I did get good news from the doc last week. I was talking with the office manager and doc came and handed me a report from the lab. He had circled the tumor marker most recently taken and it had dropped all the way down to 42.6. That is a little more than half of what it was when we started in January which was 89. So, as miserable as these treatments may be they are working. Continue to pray as these are the same treatments that worked so well last year and suddenly stopped. Before we knew what had happened the cancer had begun to grow again. Please continue to pray.

Another challenge is on the rise besides the cancer. Dr. Huh wanted to give me sick leave and continue to pay me my regular salary. Well the corporate office of our medical group found out and they told him that he couldn't do it that way and that he would have to process me through the corporate disability program. So we are processing all of the paper work for disability. As many of you may know disability only pays 60% of salary and it takes 30 days for it to take affect. So we are facing 30 days of no salary and only 60% of salary when we do get paid. Well, that looks pretty grim at first, but when I look back at how God has provided in the past I knew that He would do no less for us now. I went home and told Tana the deal, she began to worry, but I reminded her of what God has been doing for us for many years now and that we can continue to count on Him today. Well, He has already begun to move and we are assured of His hand of provision in these matters. We don't know how long this will last, but I'm praying for a very short term situation.

Dr. Huh and the office manager told me that they never intended for this to happen and that they feel just terrible about it. This was my opportunity to explain to them about how God has always cared for us and He will do no less through this. As long as we are faithful to do all that is asked and required of us He will do all that is needed to provide. I said "please do not spend time worrying about us. Let's spend our time finding ways to solve the problem and searching for the direction in which God is trying to lead us." That put us all at ease and they were able to see that we trust God in every aspect of our lives. I'm tempted to believe that God is not only showing Himself to us, but also to Dr. Huh and his staff.

We thank you all so much for your love and prayers. It is so good to read your responses on the blog. Keep the prayers coming. As you can see, this situation is bigger than we may ever know on this side of glory. God, I believe, has a plan for many through all of this. It's not just about the Brokerings. The next time you pray for us think of how great the picture may be and know that God is using you and your intercession to accomplish things of spiritually epic proportions. It also helps to think that I could be healed and live happily ever after.

I want to thank Scott and Michelle Ice for traveling over 2 hours to visit and take us to dinner last Saturday. It was so encouraging and we had a wonderful and refreshing time. God bless you for your sacrifice and love for us. We needed it.

Love and thanks,
Warren and family

A mixed basket

Hey all! I just wanted to update you on the last two treatments/doctor visits. I got my first treatment of this regimen 3 weeks ago. It went well. Normal reactions and I tolerated it as ususal. Two weeks later I showed up for my second treatment and I was denied because my white blood cell count was too low. It should be 3.0 and I was only able to muster up a 2.0. So doc said come back next week and we'll check and maybe your count will go up and we can treat you. I did and the count had only gone up to 2.77. Not quite enough to treat me but we did it anyway. After a short line of questioning he decided that we had no choice. We had to resume treaments or we could be dealing with something worse than a low white blood count.
The questions he asked were: "how's your breathing?" it has become labored again; "how's your pain?" it is coming on again; "are you getting sick with the treatments?: not yet (praise God!): "are you having any other extreme reactions besides the skin?" no (praise God). He said "well, we have not choice. Let's do it" So we did, I feel terrible, but I'll be okay soon.
Pray for the white blood count to rise. It is the backbone of my immune system and if I get sick it could potpone my treatments thus affording the cancer a chance to grow. However, if it doesn't go up I'll have to skip more treatments in the future causing the same scenario just mentioned. Funny how one little glitch can cause so many problems. But God can fix a measley low white blood count. I just need your prayers.
Speaking of prayers, I called the office last week to ask a question. After discussing the situation the nurse said "hey, I have some good news" I said lay it on me sister. She informed me that my tumor marker had gone down from 89 to 55 since the last two treatments. Praise God! It was such good news. I'm sorry to not have informed you earlier. That is why this post is called a mixed basket. There was a little bad news to be concerned about, but also some good news. So we pray with praise on our lips and concern in our hearts.
I want to thank my friends, David P. Martens and Timmy Brahs for coming to visit this past weekend. What an encouragement to know that they would spend the money for the cost of the trip, leave their famiies for a weekend and miss out on some much needed rest only to return to the rigorous grind of their jobs on Monday to come here and lift my spirits. And that they did. I thank God for all of my friends who have stopped in to see me and pray with me. It just means the world to me and my family. When Dave and Tim were preparing to leave Maddie said "daddy, where are they going" I "they have to go home now" she said "but why? Can't they stay here?" They even encouraged my children during their stay here. Thanks guys, we love ya.
I Must rest, I have another treatment tomorrow. Pray for the blood count, pain, and labored breathing. Thank you all for your prayers and reponses. It means the world to us to hear from you and that you are praying.
God bless,
Warren and family

New treatment regimen

Thank you all for praying so much for us and for responding on our blog to assure us of your doing so. It is always an anxious time as we wait to see what the doc is going to do next. So many unanswered questions, so much wondering how the next regimen will alter our lives and how I will be feeling in the months to come. But now all of the waiting and unanswered questions are over and we now know what we face.
The doc has put together a regimen similar to what I went through last spring but with different ingredients. The chemotherapy is called Irenotecan (eye-rye-no-TEE-can-). The cancer "Targeted" medicine is called Vectibix (vek-te-biks-). It is not chemotherapy it is a medicine that specifically targets cancer cells and KILLS THEM! HA, HA, TAKE THAT YE DOGS OF DISEASE! Sorry, I get excited about killing cancer. It's a strange passion of mine.
There is another agent involved called 5-fu and it is a chemotherapy that blasts cancer cells when combined with another agent (I forget the name ... sorry, I have failed you) and helps the 5-fu to bind itself to the cancer cells. It is not cancer specific in that it kills other normal cells that resemble cancer cells.
Normal body cells such as hair, skin, mouth and stomach cells are like cancer cells in that they are all rapidly dividing cells. The difference is that normal body cells know when to stop dividing and die off and are replaced by other cells waiting to go through the same process.
Cancer cells, however, divide quickly and do not know when to stop and will continue to divide until they have formed a cancer tumor. From there the cells continue to divide and grow the tumor until it is stopped, removed or has taken over a bodily organ completely. Am I boring you yet? You can read and research what these agents will do to the cancer and my body at Chemocare.com.
Here is how it will be administered. I will go in on Tuesdays for about a 4 hour treatment and go home with a chemo pump that will shoot shots of chemo into by body in certain time intervals until I get back to the clinic on Wednesday. They will unhook the pump, give me another treatment, hook me up to the pump again for the evening and unhook me on Thursday which will complete the treatment. I will repeat this treatment every 2 weeks.
Doc said "we're really going to get after this cancer and try to put the hurt on it". I said "does this mean that these treatments are pretty aggressive?" and he said "yes, we have to stay on top of this while the tumors are stable and the marker is rising". I said "well, alright, let's get started". So, as usual we left the examination room with a laugh and "I'm praying for ya, Doc. We're both in God's hands. You are His instrument and I'm His project". He just chuckles and shakes his head ... AND SENDS ME TO THE TREATMENT ROOM!!! So not fair!
Well, that's all for now. Thank you so much for your love, responses (which brighten our days so much) and most of all your prayers that strengthen us for the many battles in the days to come. We are so blessed to have God and His people going before us every day and leveling the battle ground in our favor.
God bless you all,

Warren, Tana, and precious children.

More news from the Doc

I talked to Dr. Huh again and he is making plans for the new regimen of treatments and this is what we know so far. He wants to start a new series the first full week of February. He doesn't know exactly what the combination of chemotherapy/cancer medicines he will use. He said he is going to review all of the information in my chart and make a decision as to what will be best. Keep him in your prayers and ask God to direct him as he does this.
The next thing is that when the treatments start he wants me to put all of my chaplain responsibilities on hold. He said to stay home and rest until he says he's satisfied with the progress of my treatments. So basically I'm on medical leave until he says otherwise. Can you say "Praise the Lord!?" I did tell him that I have to have something to do or I'll go nuts and Tana won't want to be married to me any more. He said it will be a opportunity to spend more time with the kids. It will help me to have more energy for them instead of coming home from work and being too tired to play. I insisted that he let me do at least some of the menial tasks of a chaplain. He said "maybe, we'll see. Your health needs to be the priority not your job". Can you believe this guy? Well, it's not hard to see that God has blessed in a wonderful way. I really hate my cancer, but I love how God takes care of us and shows His love and power to us through it all. Keep us in your prayers.
In Christ,
Warren and family

Scan Results

I talked with Dr. Huh today and he told me that my scans had indicated no change. It may sound discouraging, but not so if you consider what kind of treatments I have been on. The treatments for the last 6 months serve the purpose of stopping and stabilizing the growth of the cancer. It has done that so the news is good news. However, there is still the tumor marker to deal with. He said the marker had gone up, but we are unsure how much until the latest blood work comes back. When the results come back he will take into consideration how high or low it is and make a decision then as to what the next treatment will be. I still have one more treatment to go on this last regimen, but the last one I had on the 11th just about put me under. It came on extremely harsh and kept me down for over a week. I'm still feeble from that one. He may just let the last one go and start me later on the new one. He said he hated to see me suffer again like I did on the last one.
So, Doc has some decisions to make and he is very deliberate as he does so. lease pray for him as God leads him to the next phase of my journey. It comes with a double edged sword. On the one side we expect to see some shrikage in the tumors, but on the other we face a whole new set of side affects and life changing adjustments. It's hard on all of us, even the children. So keep us in your prayers as we await the news as to what's next and what it will do for me. Pray for God's hand to be on me and on the family. There is such a battle on every side of our lives. Physical, spiritual, emotional, mental ... you name it we battle it.
Thanks for you love and prayers.

Warren

Scan date moved

Warren has had a pretty rough week. He has been sick and has not felt well at all. They were doing a scan on the 31st, but today he could not keep food down, so they have moved his scan to tomorrow at 11:45 am. Please pray for a good report, or that if there is another problem that we can take care of it quickly. Thank you for the faithfull prayers.

Time...where does it go?

It's been a while since our last entry. Warren has had a rough month. He is so tired. They have him on another antibiotic and prednisone as he continues to get sinus infections. The prednisone gives him insomnia, so he can't sleep at night, but then he sleeps off and on through the day. The doctor gave him a month off of chemo. It was much needed, because his body is so tired. A month seemed like such a long time, but here it is already up and Warren starts chemo again on Friday, January 11.

December came and went with so many activities. I love the Christmas season!! All the excitement and crazy schedules (well, I could do without the crazy schedule) anyway, we did have a wonderful Christmas holiday. We went to Minnesota with my family. It is a very busy time, but so nice to get away and have a different schedule. It was hard for Warren at times, because he needed to rest but was afraid he would miss out. Dave Martens came many times to my parents house to hang out with Warren when he had to stop. I really appreciated the time he spent with Warren. I also thank my parents for having all of us to their home and having us come in with all the kids and just invade their quiet space. We had a great time. Now we are back to our home and school and doctor/chemo schedule. As I look back over 2007, I am so thankful for what God has done for us. God is good!! He has provided above and beyond our needs and has supplied many of our wants. I was listening to the radio today and heard a song I'm sure many of you know. It is about Paul asking God to relieve him of his suffering, and God says "My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness". Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 2 Cor. 12:9 I have asked God many times to heal my husband, but right now he has chosen to keep us right where we are, but He has promised to give us his grace and he has so many times. For that I am truly thankful everyday as he keeps us going forward and allowing us to share our faith with others. We are also so thankful for the many cards and calls and e-mails, etc. that have been sent through the year. What a blessing to recieve them and they give such strength to us. Please keep us in your prayers through the days and months ahead as we go through this journey. Your prayers are greatly coveted. God is good!!