Horn Family Updates
Update #21 - January 18, 2012
Hi friends,
Well due to a pulled muscle in my chest the doctor ordered a cat scan on my chest yesterday to make sure it was not a pulmonary embolism... which can happen during chemotherapy treatment. There was no blood clot so we now know that it is just a muscle around my lungs. The doctor saw Brian and I today to go over results of what the cancer in my lungs looks like now. He gave us tough news that every spot of cancer in my lungs has grown significantly during the past two months while I was having radiation of my rectal tumor and a low dose of chemo. This was not what we wanted to hear. What this means is my cancer is very aggressive and grows faster than 'normal' colon cancer. So my month off to rest and recover is not going to happen. My final radiation therapy is Tuesday the 24th and I will go straight into the aggressive chemo treatment I was on before that started to shrink the spots. The treatments will be every 2 weeks with cat scans every two months until it shrinks the cancer away or stops works in which time we would have to switch treatments. This fight is a marathon and I have to stay strong to be able to endure it. God gives me the strength I need each day. I am praying that this is the last of the bad news doctor visits for me... I want to start seeing significant shrinkage at each scan from here on out until it is completely out of my body. I believe God can and will take this cancer completely out of my body so I can be here with my beautiful family. I need all of my warriors to believe so for me too and to ask God for it each day.
While today feels like a setback we remember that God is so much bigger than cancer. This means no month off so vacation will look a little different for us. Brian and I decided we still need the getaway to change our surroundings and enjoy spending a quiet restful week together so we have the energy we need to face this. We will spend several days at a resort in the hill country the week after my first strong chemo. We know I could be sick and tired but still feel we can enjoy the time with each other and it will be good for us. Thank you all for continuing with us on this difficult journey.
Father God thank you for sending so many to encourage and lift us up. Please bless them for the time they spend praying for me and my family and for the gifts they continue to send to us. Lord God thank you for the beautiful family you have blessed me with and for the sweet husband I am a lucky gal. God I beg you to hear our prayers and for you to remove every spot of cancer from my body so I can spend more time on this earth taking care of my sweet family.
I pray all these things in Jesus Christ's sweet name. AMEN
Wren Horn
Update #20 - January 12, 2012
Hi praying friends,
I know it has been a while since I have updated everyone. I have completed 23 radiation treatments as of today! That means 7 more to go. I have had a tougher time with this part of treatment than I thought I would. I had 2 stays in the hospital during the month of December. On a positive note I am completely off pain medications due to the tumor shrinking. One of the hospital visits was right before Christmas but Thankfully I made it home on the night we were celebrating Christmas with my family... Everyone in my family except one brother was able to make it to my house for a wonderful slumber party of 16 and everyone from Grace up to my Grandfather surprised me with them all wearing matching shirts saying Wren's Warrior on Christmas... It was a special time for all. I don't remember the gifts but the family time was the best gift I could have received. Even with the new radiation side effects I am experiencing that are no fun I am overall have better days than during the chemo treatment alone. I am getting a weekly low chemo dose during the radiation to keep the cancer in my lungs from spreading during this time. I finish in a week and a half then there will be three weeks off. After 2ish weeks I will have a cat scan to see what the cancer in my lungs is doing and how much the tumor shrunk. We are starting to plan our getaway that will happen during those 3 weeks because I should feel better than I have in a while during that time. The doctor suggested that we take a vacation to rest and rejuvenate to prep for the coming chemo treatments that take their toll. When we return from the trip to wherever ( without kids so we can actually rest!) I will jump right into the same chemo regime from before on a 2 week schedule for as long as it takes to shrink the cancer in my lungs to nothing or at least into a few spots they can remove or radiate.
All 3 kids are doing well. Braden is potty trained and so grown up, Eli is happy and makes sure we smile a lot and Grace is growing like a weed and is doing so well. Brian and I are looking forward to several nights away alone and are praying that I feel more like myself than I have in months so we can have a special time together to gain the strength we need to push forward in this fight.
Please continue to pray for us as we endure the trials that come with this fight we are in. I know God is in control of everything and He will will be victorious in this battle. Pray that we continue to trust our lives in the loving hands of our Heavenly Father who loves us so much. Pray that the cat scan will show shrinking cancer.
Thank you all for the continued prayers and love, cards, and gifts you are all sending. We are being so taken care of by you all the body of Christ with our every need. We love you all and continue to pray for you as well. I will not wait so long to update again. =)
Wren Horn
Update #19 - November 30, 2011
Dear Friends and family,
We just met with Dr. Harris and I wanted to update you on the results of the CT scan on Wren's lungs. Dr. Harris said that the cancer is responding to the current chemo treatment. What that means is that, after comparing the CT scan we took before we started treatment and the one taken this past week, the cancer nodules either stayed the same or even slightly shrunk. So, moving forward we will start radiation on the colorectal cancer on Monday. The radiation treatment will run for 5 weeks, then we will go back to the current chemo treatment she is currently on.
During this appointment we also got Wren’s genetic testing back, which came back negative. This essentially means our children are not at a higher risk for developing colon cancer, which is obviously a huge praise.
Thank you so much for all of your prayers and support. Wren and I both feel very positive about the results!
Brian Horn
Update #18 - November 15, 2011
Hi praying friends...
It has been a while since we updated for a few reasons... there is not a lot of new news to share and I am getting more tired with every treatment. We so appreciate your prayers and support. The cards, emails, calls, visits, gifts, money and services you are doing for us blesses us so much. We believe the prayer is the most critical part of me beating cancer... it will be God beating the cancer!!! The boys are doing so well. They adapt to whoever is staying with us to help and are friends with anyone who we send to pick them up from school. The hugs and laughs I get from them is priceless in my healing. Grace is growing so well. She is over 8 pounds now and is just as sweet and perfect as she can be. Brian is wonderful. He takes care of me and the kids as well as continuing to pastor the members of our church and community. I am so thankful for my sweet family. We have been blessed by having someone constantly living with us to take care of us and the kids. It is normally our moms taking turns doing so and sometimes they get breaks when sweet friends have come in town to help. God is providing our every need thru all of you. Please continue to pray for us.
As for my treatment I go in for chemo # 7 monday before thanksgiving. I have been experiencing exhaustion and generally pretty icky feeling on my chemo weeks and then on week 2 exhaustion and pain. The doctor is trying to balance the right amount of medicine to stop the cancer in my lungs and lymph nods as well as a pain level I can live happily with. I will have a CT scan on Monday the 28th to see how the cancer is responding to the chemo. I also met with my radiation oncologist to plan for my radiation to shrink the tumor. (we don't know yet what is next in the lungs until after the scan but we are moving forward with planning on getting rid of the tumor.) Once I start radiation after thanksgiving my pain level should significantly reduce. Pray that my pain level is low this week and after my next chemo and that the cancer in my lungs responded to the chemo.
"I can do all things thru christ who strengthens me" Philippians 4:13 is the verse i have hanging in my bathroom for me to read every time i am in there, which is quite often these days. It is so encouraging to know that God loves me so much and loves it when all of us talk with Him... Pray continuously. Love to all of you in whatever you are facing right now. Have a wonderful week. Tell your family you love them and tell God you love Him.
Love, Wren
