Our Testimony

On 21^st June 2011, our eldest son Samuel, then an 11 year old boy, was diagnosed with Ewing Sarcoma, a rare form of bone cancer. A tumour the size of an apple was discovered on his lower right leg. Further investigation also discovered 2 small nodules on his right lung, a symptom that the cancer has metastasized.

Children are gifts from God, but why is this happening to our son? Did we do anything wrong? How are we going to reveal this illness to him? If only we can take his place? There are so many questions that circled our mind. Claire and I cried and pleaded with God to spare our son from this illness, from death. The pain is indescribable.

Sam stopped his schooling and embarked on a different journey.....6 sessions of heavy dosaged chemotherapy designed to shrink the tumour, surgery to remove the tumour and followed by a further 8 more rounds of chemotherapy. The hospital room has become his 2^nd home.

On the week of 25^th June 2012, one year after the discovery, both the surgeon and the oncologist that treated Sam informed us that Sam is back to normal. His leg is healing well after the removal of the tumour, and the nodules in his lungs are cleared (in fact, they are already cleared by his 4^th Chemotherapy treatment).

We couldn’t have gone thru this 1 year without the Lord personally hand holding us and guiding us in every step and decision that we take. As Samuel began his chemo treatment, God has impressed on me the verse from Psa 118:17 (I will not die but live and declare the works of God), which gives me assurance that my son will walk out of this ordeal victoriously. Another verse is in 1^st Pet 2:24 (by His stripes you are healed). When my faith becomes weak, He reminded me to have faith as a mustard seed and to trust and believe in Him (Matt 17:20).

I recalled a traumatic period where the surgeon asked us to make the decision on amputation of Sam’s right leg. We have to seek opinions from multiple surgeons before the Lord led us to a very experienced surgeon who is fatherly and comforting, and is also a Christian brother. Samuel does not need to have his leg amputated.  Praise the Lord! In fact, the tumour by then has already shrunk from the size of an apple to that of a cherry. The biopsies on the subsequent removed tumour revealed that it is dead. It reminds us of the fig tree that Jesus cursed, and it died (Mark 11:12 – 20). We have repeatedly used the word of the Lord to curse the tumour. How powerful and almighty is the word of the Lord!

There was a time where Claire went thru a period of lost sleep, fear and restlessness. She has developed a deep sense of regrets, fears and doubts. That week, the Director of Rhema Training Center was in town and there is a Wednesday prayer meeting. We attended the prayer meeting. Claire was ministered that evening and she no longer has problems with her sleeps.

Our God has intervened and snatched Samuel back from the jaws of death. We do not know the reason why our son has to go thru these pains and sufferings at such a tender age. But we do acknowledge that the Lord is in charge. Meanwhile, there are so many people that we want to thank for their prayer and support;  our cell members, pastors, brothers and sisters in Riverlife, our ex-church, relatives and family members, colleagues ....the list goes on. But the biggest gratitude from our heart goes out to our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. We are forever grateful to Him.

From Samuel:

The last chemotherapy session ended on my 12^th birthday. I felt very relieved and very thankful to God for seeing me thru the whole year of treatment. In particular during the surgery to remove the tumour on my leg, I prayed to God and felt his peace in me. I do not ask God why this has happened to me because He has planned my path as stated in Jer 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).

Currently, I am back to school, which I missed for the entire year in treatment, and I will be attempting my PSLE this year J.  I will still have to be back to the hospital for continual checkups and reviews on a monthly basis. Please pray for me that I will be fine.

Like my parents, I am forever grateful to the Lord and I will serve him as best as I can.

End of Chemo Treatment ....the Best Birthday present

It's Samuel's birthday today.
Today, he will be discharged from the hospital.
And today marked the last of Sam's chemo treatment, which started in June 2011.



The final chemo treatment is over. Thumbs up for overcoming the 11 months of misery and sufferings.
By the grace of God, it is finished,

The first birthday cake presented to Sam by the nurses of Wd 76. Thank God for all these dedicated nurses, who often go out of their ways to make Sam feels at home despite during the treatments. 



We then have a pleasant surprise....there is a 2nd cake prepared

for Sam. It is from the Children Cancer Foundation, a non-profit

organisation dedicated to improve the quality of life of children

with cancer. We have recieved a lot of help from CCF

throughout Sam's treatment. We are grateful for the ladies in

CCF that are always so cheerful, and will always do their

best to make life easier for Sam and Claire.  

The final trip out of the ward. Sam is tired, but very happy...seen here with mum and godma (Letitia).


When we were in the car driving out of the hospital, Sam spoke out aloud, saying
"this is the best birthday gift, and I will remember it for the rest of my lifë"

Day 1 - 14th Chemo Treatment

Woke up today with a mixed emotion .... its chemo treatment day again for Sam (sad).

But today is also the last chemo treatment in the prescribed protocol, a day where we have looked forward to when we first started treatment 11 months ago......



We started off from home to KK Hospital early, arriving before 9am for the full blood count test and admission process. After so many sessions, we know the importance to be early, so that we get to select the room&bed, and also to ensure the chemo drugs are prescribed and preparation for the treatment by the nurses and doc gets underway. This simple process will often takes between 5 to 8 hours, and its not uncommon for the treatment to begin only around late afternoon or early evening !!



Treatment started around 3:30pm, first with the Actinomycin, then Vincristine and finally the Ifosfamide. By then, Sam has already become drowsy and tired, falling in and out of sleep. The drugs were finally adminstered by 7:30pm, and Sam was already sleeping. He has conquered Day 1 of the treatment, with no vomitting and body ache. Thank God for His protection.

 

All ready for the 13th Treatment

Sam will be admitted to hospital for the 13th chemo treatment tomorrow. It has somewhat become a routine for us, with bags packed and ready to go. Sam has been eating well the last few days, and has beefed himself to face the treatment. These two weeks are exam week in school. Sam took a few papers, but will miss the rest this week. The boy struggles to catchup on almost 9 months of missed lessons. But he is insistent to sit for his PSLE this year, something which Claire and myself both have doubts. Anyway,the priority is clear to us, ie Sam's complete healing. As we look back the past 9 months, we thank the Lord for the healing that has already taken place. Please continue to pray that Sam will have an easy treatment this week. Thanks.

12th Chemo Treatment

Sam started his 12th chemotherapy treatment today after his full blood count and urine test results are certified OK by the docs.

He started his self-imposed fasting after lunch. This is his usual routine, to combat the nausea effects induced by the drugs. Not the best method though, as he needs a lot of fluid to help purge the toxins.

Picture on the left showed Sam enduring the chemo treatment, with mummy giving him a light massage.

He managed to get thru the day with 1 bout of vomitting. Thank God for making it an easy day.

A POSITIVE REPORT

Samuel completed his 11th Chemo treatment last week, and also has another CT Scan done on his chest and lungs. The report from the scan is positive. Everything is cleared. Praise the Lord.

GCSF jab was done to boost up Sam's white cell growth and improve his immunity. The health situation at home is not ideal. Claire and Caleb have been coughing and I am on antibiotics for an inflamed throat. So we need prayer for protection for Sam. Thanks.

The next chemo...

My eyes well with tears when I thought of a friend who lost his 18 years old son suddenly a few weeks ago. The pain and sorrow that he and his wife is currently undergoing is beyond words.

It reminds me of the devastation that both Claire and myself went thru almost 9 months ago when Samuel was diagnosed with Ewing Sarcoma. I looked at Sam now, and I can't help but to give thanks to the Lord for keeping the boy with us. It has been a 9 months journey, with 10 chemo treatments, 1 major surgery, countless consultations and rehabilitation visits to the hospitals and Sam is on his way to recovery. There are 4 more chemo treatments to go, but we are convinced that the Lord has already healed.

This week, Sam will go for his 11th chemo treatment, and there will be a follow up CT scan during his stay in the hospital. Although the dosage of the chemo drugs has been reduced, the anti emetic drug was also correspondingly reduced. That results in Sam constant vomitting during treatment. Please continue to uphold Samuel I prayer during his treatment this week.

Thank you.

happy times in school

Thank God for seeing us through CA1 ... NEVER had it been so relaxing
for me... for once, I just let Samuel do what he wants though still
with some nagging to study. Samuel NEVER wants to miss school like before.

I have to go to school with him everyday, making at least 3 trips
fetching children to/from school. Have to spend time in school
even as I wait for him to finish his lessons(MATHS and SCIENCE only).







No complains at all just a heart of gratefulness to GOD to let Samuel
return to school finally. Thank HIM for all that HE provides -
supportive school (see toilet reserved for his sole usage),
classmates very tenderly 'babysit' him, and the laughters in the sun.

A lot of challenges ahead but we can trust HIS faithfulness.

Prayer requests

Pray for protection even as we prepare for chemo #10 this week.
Pray Samuel to be motivated for his studies ... even as we treat
his BIG 'C'(ancer) and the other small 'C'(omputer gaming).

finally... chemo #9 over ...

Thank God that this time sam's 24hr cct on 5/2 to 6/2 yielded a good BSA.

So chemo #9 proceeded uneventfully and we are to discharged on 8/2.

5 more chemo to go and we should be on the way to normalcy... though
with 1 week delay now...

However, we are cautioned to cut down his salt and step up on hydration so that
the chemo will not take a toil on his kidneys...

Prayer request

Sam to be able to adjust to school with so much going on and the right help to come to cheer him on to work hard but smart... with CA1 coming soon:>

That there will be God's joy and strength to run this race and be thankful
for all things...

chemo withheld...

Thank GOD that saw us through a week with me taking up the driving part finally...

Sam did a chromium EDTA at SGH as an outpatient was not good. This test is a
check on the functionality of his kidney.

As a result, upon admission on Wed, instead of chemo, we did a 24hr CCT
(collection of his urine sent for lab test). However, this time the result
was very good.

Which contradicts the test results of chromium EDTA and a previous 24hr CCT.

Therefore, the oncologists cannot ascertain clearly if chemo has taken a toll on
his kidney or not. There is even talks about changing a particular chemo drug
which may damage kidneys.

Now, the doctor decided that we should do another 24hr CCT (collection of urine)
on Sunday before admission on Monday again for chemo. In the meantime,
they will further investigate the findings of the EDTA with SGH.

Prof Tan suspected that while the chemo drugs are still strong in Sam, the
chemo drugs may have weakened his kidneys but as they wear off, his kidneys
recovered. However, she needs further test to ascertain this. They are very
cautious with proceeding as while there is a need to administer chemo drug
to eradicate the any lurking cancer cells, they do not want to permanently
damage his kidney.


Prayer requests

God's protection upon Samuel both physically and emotionally. He was initially
quite upset over the delay and perhaps also a bit anxious too.

Pray for God's healing hands to be upon the oncologist to decide on the
right and best course for treatment.

With so much disruption and activities going on, it is difficult for Sam to
focus on his studies. Pray for God's wisdom and help even as we try our
best to juggle all his needs.

Preparing to go back to school...

Sam was down with cough and running nose last Saturday.
Thank God he has recovered even faster than Caleb.

Much negotiation with the School and social worker,
Sam should be set to return to School on 25th Jan,
it is a meaningful milestone in the recovery pave for him.

To safeguard his health, we have decided to let him do only 2
subjects at school. Tutors have been sought out to help him
to self study at home and make up for potentially-to-miss
lessons due to his inpatient treatments.

Prayer request:
Good health, love and unity at home.

Meaningful and fruitful school and tuition sessons as Samuel
re-start his engine after nearly 7-month break.

Wishing all Samuel's supporters and prayer partners:

'HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR AND

MAY THE GOOD LORD BLESS YOU ABUNDANTLY IN THE NEW YEAR !'

Urine test has abnormal creatinine clearance ...

The result of pre-chemo (2nd of 8 chemo left) urine test has abnormal creatinine clearance. As a result, this time some chemo dosage was reduced by 30%. Doctors explained that this could be due to the cumulative effect of all chemos and advised us to reduce salt and sugar intake for the time being so as not to overload his kidneys.

For next chemo(3rd), a more complete chromium EDTA will be performed first to test the functionality of his kidney first.

Though this abnormality is not uncommon amongst cancer patients , pls pray for His protection over his organs.

Back To School Plan . . .

Recently, Samuel’s medical condition has stabilised and is
assessed by his primary physician to be fit for school. Samuel aims to return
to school by 25th January 2012 (Wed) with the recommended environmental adaptations and infection measures in place.

As Samuel is scheduled to complete treatment in mid May, his condition
is expected to stabilize by end June 2012. Thereafter, upon review and approval
by the oncologist, he may be allowed to return to pre-illness lifestyle.

Despite persistent persuasion from principal, form teacher
and us to return to P5 where he missed term 2 completely, Samuel is vehement
about trying to catch up with P6. He insisted to try but we get his assurance
that he will be willing to give up if he cannot cope. We are now in the midst
of speeding up his self study for this purpose.

As Samuel has 4 months of light chemotherapy to complete, he
has a comparatively low immune system. This means that he would require some
special arrangements to safeguard his health. Thus, he will only attend lessons for the core subjects like EL, MA, SC, MT.

Tentatively, he still needs to seek the following treatments:

Physiotherapy weekly ; Oncologist weekly ; Ortho Surgeon monthly
·
Maintenance Chemotherapy: remaining 7 out of 8 cycles light inpatient chemotherapy

Samuel will be absent from school during the inpatient chemotherapy week.

Prayer requests

Once again, we will see the goodness of our Lord, learn to trust Him even more for greater things despite obstacles.

Samuel would benefit from the support and understanding from the school about his unique medical,emotional and academic needs. Samuel to
reintegrate physically and emotionally back to school well.

Pray against possible effects arising from the chemotherapy:

Physical

Appetite loss
Changes in body image
General fatigue - limited alertness and strength
Weak immune system; increased susceptibility to infections
Low blood counts e.g possible anaemia & low blood-clotting ability; may be easily bruised.
Risk of trauma to chest due to the intravenous catheter (port-the-cath)

Cognitive & Neuro-psychological

Possible difficulty with higher conceptual abilities e.g
problem-solving, Mathematics, assignments requiring multiple steps,
organizing/planning.

Pray that we will be able to work with the school effectively to
minimize disruptions due to treatment and reduce the need for follow-up by the
respective subject teachers

Pray that we will be able to seek out healthy, very experienced,
compassionate tutors who will be committed to teaching him to fulfill his
deepest need to ‘get back to normal’ soon.

This morning, I was encouraged by my QT reading which ends
with

...Ezra's faith in God's protection inspires me to pray for
my children's safety. After I have taken every precaution, I choose to trust
that GOD's strong hand that holds me will also hold them securely (Psa 63:8).

Histopathology results

We recieved the best Christmas present we can hope for when the surgeon told us that the histopathology results were "negative for malignancy" on the removed tumour and the surrounding muscle margin. No atypical cells are seen. They are 100% dead.

We thank the Lord for this very positive result. God's word is very powerful, and we have repeatedly used his word to curse the tumor in Jesus' name. Just as Jesus cursed the fig tree and it withered from the roots, the tumor in Sam has withered from its roots.

Sam will now embark on the 3rd phase of the treatment. This phase requires Sam to undergo 8 more rounds of chemo treatment to eradicate remaining cancel cells that may not have been killed earlier. Each treatment will require 3 - 4 days stay in the hospital, with an interval of 3 weeks in between treatments.

We will start the treatment on the coming Monday, 19th Dec and we will be back to KKH.....

Back home, rehab, cold pads & afo

We are now back home for rehab.
Sam is resting well.
He has to undergo 3 exercises a day, all meant to get him back to walking again.
It's not easy, each exercise meant lots of pain and cold pads are needed to help ease the pain.
He still need painkillers too.
At the moment, he still can't stretch out his right leg completely, and is wheel chair bound.


Below is a picture of the scar left behind on his leg.
It is a long incision in order to remove the tumour.
About 15cm of the fibula, together with surrounding muscles and nerve are also removed.





Sam will need the assistance of an ankle foot orthotics (afo) in order to walk properly.
This device helps him to overcome the foot drop condition.

Today, Sam has his best friend over to our house, and they are happily playing computer games.
Nice to hear laughters in the house....

6 days after surgery

Thank GOD that we could be discharged today. Looking back, we are so grateful to
GOD for HIS unfailing love and faithfulness. We had started the surgery phase with
much apprehension, not knowing what to expect and to do, He saw us through with
strong support from friends and relatives...

- Friends who had helped us seek professional counsel;
- Friends who even booked appointments for us for 2nd opinions;
- Friend who accompanied us to the doctors so as to help us make more
informed decisions;
- Buddy and his mummy who came to our ward at 6.30 am in morning
to accompany us to the operating theatre;
- Godma who came to prepare Sam and prayed with him prior to surgery;
- Cancer survivors' parents shared their experiences with us
(some of whom I had not seen before!);
- CCF social worker who dropped by constantly to prepare Sam;
- Aunties and uncles who dropped by to cheer him;
- Neighbours and buddy that took care of Caleb during our hospital stay,
they even helped us to purchase his new school books and uniform;
- Friends that called constantly to cheer ;
- Aunty, Buddy's mummy, grand uncle and grand aunty who took time
to cooked and delivered home cooked meals for him when he refused
hospital meals;
- Buddy's mummy who run all the errands for us when we had to be in
hospital with Sam.

Indeed, we are so blessed! Thank you!


Latest Report

Sam was so determined to be discharged earlier that he walked quite a long way
with a walking frame to show the Surgeon.

The following is a report by Surgeon :

" Samuel had undergone elective wide Local excision of right proximal fibula
and peroneal nerve on 1st dec.

The operative findings were that of right proximal fibular Ewing's sarcoma
involving the neck and proximal metaphyseal fibular shaft with good response
to chemotherapy, with hardly any macroscopic soft tissue component. Previous
healed biopsy scar seen at the proximal peroneal compartment. The peroneal
nerve is seen to bury into the peroneal muscles at the proximal fibular neck
region. He tolerated the procedure well and is fitted with an ankle foot orthosis. "


Prayer requests

Surgeon informed us that Samuel is not out of the woods yet. Pray for speedy
recovery, healthy diet and positive histology report so that chemotherapy can
start soon.

Due to his physical condition, Samuel resists going out. However, he needs the
sunshine especially to overcome MSRA infection. The physiotherapy exercises
that Sam has to take is quite painful for him. Now, he cannot really straighten
his right leg. However, it is important that he exercises often to alleviate
his footdrop. Otherwise, may suffer 'long-short legs' phenomenon when he walks.

As he is in need of help most of the times, it can be very frustrating for him.
He is experiencing 'funny sensation' which added to his frustration(the doctors
explained that is due to his brain sending signals to the absent peroneal nerve)

He is also very concerned about catching up with his classmates in Primary 6.
We have tried to convince him to defer his studies but this is a non-negotiable
item with him now. We really do not know how to help him get back to his study
as his treatment tentatively ends in May-June next year.

Pray for encouragements for him to overcome all the difficulties he faces and
God will guide us as to how to help him.

Even as we trust in the Lord about His plans for Samuel, pray that HE will
direct our path and persevere.

3rd day after Surgery

Thank God that today Samuel can go off morphine and is no longer feeling nausea. He is recovering but needs a lot of encouragement to get him to eat especially hospital food.

We are very grateful to GOD for providing us with superb surgical team. The anaesthetist was so assuring, she prayed with us and made Samuel feel so at ease. She even played 'ANGRY BIRD' on the iPad with him before he passed out before the surgery!

It is important that Samuel eat well to recover and to build up before the next chemotherapy in 2-3 weeks time. Surgeon encouraged us that we have only 1 phase left to go. Another 8 rounds of chemotherapy and we should be on the road to recovery.

Please continue to pray against infection especially from superbugs, discomfort, restoration of appetite and speedy healing so that the next phase of rehabilitation can begin.

Tomorrow, the physiotherapist is going to fix 2 splints for him. Pray for thankful, cheerful and courageous hearts to adjust to the changes to lifestyle. Also, tender, loving care from the physiotherapist.

We are believing GOD for a miracle for Samuel. By HIS Grace, Samuel will be healed and be able to walk well soon to the Glory of God!

1st day after surgery

Thank God for providing us with such wonderful friends, doctors.


The operation went smoothly accordingly to plan - it was a wide ressection
about 15-16 cm of his fibula was removed along with part of his peroneal
nerve, muscles and other issues. He is resting back in the room and is
a bit feverish and feeling nausea.

Pray against infection, discomfort and restoration of appetite. Had not eaten
anything yet.

2 day before surgery

I am glad that we have made the shift to the new surgeon. Yesterday,he and his team made time to answer all my queries after consultationhours. He encourages us to do some outdoor activities with him before the surgery. At home, we also made time to talk to Samuel about the impending adjustments he has to live with. He has put up such courageous front. It pains my heart to know he may have to give up vigorous sports eghis favourite football. However, must trust GOD to open anotherdoor when he closes one. He is also anxious to get back to his schoolwork once he misses his friends and wants to join them soonin school. Prayer requests: Surgeon highlighted that once the tumour is removed, it will be sentto the pathologist for further tests. Pray for complete removal of tumour to be possible so that no othermeans of removal is required. Test results with 90% and above cancer cells dead, will indicate we will carry on 1st line of chemotherapy. On theother hand, we need to take 2nd line of treatment that is more vigorous. Please pray for favourable yet accurate prognosis as the 'MOP-OUT''treatment is vital. Pray for Samuel to be victorious in HIM to get UP and walk... and we will all stand by him strong to encourage him...

Prayers for protection and good preparation

From our pre-surgical tests, we discover that Samuel has some nasal

infection. SGH will prescribe some cream for this but advised that

Samuel goes outdoor for morning sunshine will help.

Pray that this infection will clear within the next 5 days before the

operation and Samuel will be obedient to go out.

Also, we are advised to be admitted 1 day before surgery on 30/11 to

better prepare Samuel for the surgery. We are expected to stay in hospital

for 2 weeks.

New hospital exercises very strict visitor register policy and at any one day,

only 4 visitors can visit. We were told that Samuel may be

put in the High dependency ward for monitoring

(no visitors except parents) before he is transferred back to the ward.

Prayer items :

Pray that God will be a reality and a stronghold in this time especially for

Samuel. We will make adequate preparation for this operation and recovery

plan.

Pray for God's mercy and grace to divinely heal Samuel.

Pray that God will grant the new surgeon wisdom to do the right resection

to remove only what needs to be ''sarcrificed". Pray against all the risks as

mentioned in blog. Good teamwork and health for him and his team.

Pray for strong support for Samuel - His peace and presence to be felt by him

and strength too as anaesthesiologist has mentally prepared us that there may

a need for pain management after operation. God will grant him courage and

speedy recovery.

Pray that Samuel will have healthy appetite and God will provide ways to

provide good meals for him. Till now, he still does not take hospital food.