Joseph Update 3

Thanks for your continuing support for four year- old Joseph and his family in prayer. I forgot to post a recent update which detailed his first round of new aggressive chemo. From Abu-Joseph:

“Joseph was admitted to the hospital late Friday night (1-11) with a high fever and a body rash. Although the doctors have been treating him with antibiotics, they still do not know what is causing the fever/rash. Today, the rash is still spreading over his body and he is still fighting a high fever.

“The oncologists went ahead and started Joseph on his second round of aggressive chemotherapy yesterday (1-12). New drugs and higher doses are being given to Joseph. But, because of the fever/rash the oncologists may delay a portion of the treatment until they get a handle on the fever/rash issue. Until then, Joseph will remain in the hospital.

Things to pray for:

1. Please pray for the doctors. They are having to make decisions and judgments on how to proceed when these developments arise. Pray for God to grant them wisdom and to guide them as they treat Joseph.
2. Pray that the fever/rash would be healed and the cause determined as to prevent it in the future.
3. Pray that this new round of aggressive chemotherapy would be effective in fighting the cancer.
4. Pray that Joseph would be able to tolerate and endure this new round of chemotherapy without fevers and infections.
5. Pray for a strengthening in his immune system during this round of chemotherapy and that his body would build healthy cells on its own.
6. Pray for God to bless Joseph in endurance of pain, dealing with the nausea, with an appetite for nourishment, with restful sleep and to bless Joseph spiritually with His presence and power.
7. Pray for us as a family that God would strengthen us in every way and continue to enable us to serve Joseph and one another.”

I just cannot even imagine how I would be handling this if Joseph were my son as I pray for that little boy to ‘be able to endure pain’ and ‘deal with nausea’. Over and over again. How could I ’serve’ my other children and husband in the midst of it all? This family is such an inspiration of faith to me, and they remind me that God gives the grace bear it when you are in it, not outside. But He asks those on the outside to pray and trust His goodness, so I will.