Blessed in the Midst of Stage 4 Cancer

My family and I invite you to join us celebrating my husband's life. You are also welcome to leave Tributes, Memories and Condolences either in the comments on this blog post or privately via email to rememberinggeofffindlay@gmail.com or via #memoriesofgeoff (Instagram or Facebook) Livestream attendance : Please register here  http://bit.ly/funeralGeoff  to ensure you receive the link to the livestream and Order of Service via email. For those wishing to bring flowers , in keeping with Geoff & Lesli's preference, we kindly request instead you make a Donation in Memoriam to either: WPC Churches in Chin State, Myanmar - Acc name: WPC National Assembly BSB: 036-043 Acc no: 963282 Reference: "Chin WPC" ALK Positive Lung Cancer Research Fund - http://bit.ly/ALKfund Include additional information: "Prof Ben Solomon, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Australia"

Surrounded by his loving families - wife, children, parents, sister and grandchildren, our beloved husband, father and grandfather, son and bother, breathed his last and entered into glory through the tender mercies of our heavenly Father in His perfect timing on this second day of April 2021. We are overwhelmed with God's goodness in His providences that enabled us to come home in time for a truly heavenly time of farewells. The time was more precious than I could have imagined. I feel unspeakable blessed. After 40 years of serving the Lord with all his heart, we have the peace and confidence that He is in the glorious presence of His Saviour. Ushered in to the eternal kingdom by his and our Redeemer "Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord." The photo was taken only a week ago - the end has come mecifully swiftly. Praise the Name of the Lord!

Reflecting on the weeks since my last blog post, God has blessed us with innumerable wonderful moments together. How unlikely such times had seemed, how precious are the memories, how deeply we hope and pray for longer, how profoundly God is reminding us of His unfathomable love in each breath every day and every night.  Encouraged by Geoff's ongoing improved health, we dived into activities and adventures, balancing our time between family and friends, recreation, writing projects and organising tasks. But while Geoff has been on fast forward hiking up hills, speeding down off-road mountain bike trails, kayaking amongst dolphins, digging into his theological book and sorting office files, the cancer has been on fast forward also, silently developing resistance mechanisms to the targeted drug therapy, accelerating tumor growth in the abdominal darkness. Progression is usually a positive word. Not so in the world of cancer. Progression signals that the cancer is worsening, that the ...

He gives power to the weak, And to those who have no might He increases strength... Those who wait on the Lord Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint." Isaiah 40 verses 29 & 31 Heartened by Geoff's health: two months since his awful liver capsule pain, two months with no cancer-related crisis, two months on the new targeted drug therapy, two months between CT scans and two months of improving physical and mental ability, we entered the cancer centre full of optimism. Sometimes everything simply 'seems to go just right'! Barely had we chosen a chair in the empty waiting room, when the nurse called Geoff in for his obs and efficiently pronounced them all perfect! At which moment the oncologist peered around the corner looking for his patient, so we gladly by-passed the usual long second stint in the socially-distanced, interaction-minimised holding zone. Settled in the con...

Year's end, Christmas and six months since venturing into the world of blogging * brings a time for reflection, for thanksgiving, for praise.  🙌 From  oncology professor to  occupational therapist, social worker to sister, elder to palliative care expert, GP to Google(!) the bleak advice turned our eyes toward a heavenly home. Yet we are here together, participating  in a living miracle.  Instead of farewelling our dear husband, father, son, pastor and friend we are enjoying earthly experiences impossible six months ago!  Joy in gathering for grandchildren's birthdays  🎂 with Grandad!  🎈 Joy in the presence of our sons and daugthers mixed with gladness over love out-poured and sadness upon parting. 🚙 👋 🛫 When Ruth and family returned to WA to pick up their car and caravan, tears expressed the possibility of a final goodbye. More recently, with the wonderful improvement in Dad's condition, Naomi's departure held the hope of future vis...

During Geoff's first week in hospital, the development of double vision was a clear sign of the cancer's invasiveness. It seems that a tumor in the base of his skull causes pressure on a vital nerve impeding the movement of muscles essential for focussing. While the combined effect of targeted drugs attacking cancer cells and reductions in medication has resulted in resolution of many early symptoms, the diplopia has continued. The more Geoff's condition improved, the more aware he became of the limitations due to the diplopia and the more determined to find a solution. Research led to the idea of specialised glasses. The Lord had another miracle in store! After four trips to the optometrist, including two very long appointments, Geoff is happily seeing ONE of everything! H is new glasses for general use have prism correction which aligns the two images detected by his eyes. The only drawback is that prism isn't compatible with multifocal lenses so when Geoff took off h...

The incredible love shown by each one of our children in their own unique ways according to the capacity of their circumstances has been a blessing beyond our hopes or imaginings. This post highlights some very practical demonstrations of their care, ensuring minimal ongoing home maintenance for us. Three years ago in collaboration with our sons, Geoff launched into unchartered territory, taking on the role of spare-time owner-builder for the construction of a carport. Positively impressed by the planned father-sons project, I happily agreed to the idea, not realising that building a carport would involve remodelling almost every square metre of our block. 😲 Geoff's diagnosis came when the carport aka garage was built but the chaotic yard would have rivalled a worst-imagined building site. From removing outside junk and culling indoor clutter, to stonemasonry, landscaping, welding and painting our children willingly tackled ... ... and tamed the backyard ... ... the skyline jobs...

Encouraged by the positive prognosis shared previously on the blog , we plunged into activity, optimistically facing the daily ups and downs.( Activity Amusement & Adventure ) After barely two weeks, pain arose in Geoff’s left side which gradually worsened until it became entirely debilitating. ( Meandering Medical Musings ) Amazingly, recent changes in treatment have achieved the best outcome healthwise since Geoff’s diagnosis. ( This post )   Liver Mets Lead to Lorlatinib Early in November, a long-awaited CT scan on Geoff’s chest, abdomen and pelvis, provided the first direct comparison to the dismal picture of his initial cancer diagnosis four months earlier. In light of the inconclusive results from the last brain and spinal column MRIs plus the knowledge that continued treatment on the second generation targeted drug, Alectinib, depended on clear evidence of it’s effectiveness, we had hoped the CT scan would show definitive improvement. Disappointingly, although two of the...

Encouraged by the positive prognosis shared previously on the blog , we plunged into activity, optimistically facing the daily ups and downs.( Activity Amusement & Adventure ) After barely two weeks, pain arose in Geoff’s left side which gradually worsened until it became entirely debilitating. ( this post ) Amazingly, recent changes in treatment have achieved the best outcome healthwise since Geoff’s diagnosis. ( Liver Mets Lead to Lorlatinib )   Meandering Medical Musings When the pain in Geoff’s side became so severe that driving to emergency wasn’t a viable option and cumulative doses of hydromorphone had brought no relief, I called the ambulance. It happened that all vehicles were attending to life-threatening night-time emergencies, so after giving me advice regarding pain management, Geoff's case was handed over to other healthcare providers. Thus began a stressful week as I tried to advocate for an effective solution. One difficulty arose because Geoff could partially ...

Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out! From the heights of hope to the depths of despair, God has carried us through the shadows, and graciously lifted us into the sunshine again. Praise His name! Encouraged by the positive prognosis shared on my October blog post , we plunged into activity, optimistically facing the daily ups and downs.( this post ) After barely two weeks, pain arose in Geoff’s left side which gradually worsened until it became entirely debilitating. ( Meandering Medical Musings ) Amazingly, recent changes in treatment have achieved the best outcome healthwise since Geoff’s diagnosis. ( Liver Mets Lead to Lorlatinib ) Activity Amusement & Adventure Two months ago, unpredictable episodes of mild delirium were continuing to impact Geoff’s thinking and his ability to approach and complete tasks. Entering into his sense of uselessness or frustration was heart-rending: “I...

Shall I take from Your hand Your blessings Yet not welcome any pain? Shall I thank You for days of sunshine Yet grumble in days of rain? Are You good only when I prosper... And God only when I’m well? You are good when I’m poor and needy... You still reign in the deepest valley You’re still God in the darkest night Oh let Your will be done in me In Your love I will abide Oh I long for nothing else As long as You are glorified (extracts from the song by Mark Altrogge) Appointments with the oncologist have gradually settled down to a regular monthly occurrence. Arriving at the cancer centre we check-in at the desk then wait for a while. Soon a nurse assistant measures Geoff’s weight and vital signs. Back to the waiting room for a while. Next the oncology registrar calls us in for a preliminary consultation. After a while the oncologist enters, usually followed by the lung cancer nurse. Working together as a team, they review Geoff’s present health and consider directions for ongoing tr...