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Thank you to all who sent birthday greetings money and gifts. I am so emenously blessed by all of you. We feel carried through this trial by the loving hands of the saints. Know the Lord is blessed and pleased by your sacrifical love.  Thinking back to a year ago I am such a different person today. I thank the Lord for the lot in life He has given me.  He is Good and He is Wise and I am a worm, a redeemed worm. Alot of people ask how I am doing, how I am handling the trauma in my life. For a while I was a bit bothered by the question becuase I did not know how to answer. Well it came  to me the other day and quite simply you "roll with it". What I  mean is you take whatever God brings in life with thankfulness and by His  grace adjust. It steams deeper though, you see I know what I deserve- Hell. So any grace God gives me I joyfully recieve there is no room for compling when I know what I truley deserve. Even then sometimes pride creeps in and I complain Shame on me. As a sidenote I am so blessed by God in by so many ways.  

thank you to Julie Gephards for blogging for me forgive me please for my laziness in not blogging my self, the truth is me and the computer dont really get on all that well. 

thank you again.

Nichole

HAPPY BIRTHDAY NICHOLE!!!

I stopped by Nichole's home today to wish her a happy birthday. Nichole turns 33 today, and has appreciated all of the birthday wishes and cards and gifts she has received.
Nichole has not yet had the major kidney surgery, but will be meeting with the doctor and is anticipating this surgery in the next couple of weeks down at USC. (Sorry for the misinformation) She is feeling well, though still in some pain, especially at night. She is looking forward to a date-night tonight with her husband, so pray for her energy!
She looked well this afternoon and was in good spirits. She was unable to have her chemo this week since her blood counts were low, but will be back on track next week, all things being equal.

Continue to pray for Nichole and Norm as they daily live in this "life crisis". It is easy for us to "visit" the crisis now and again as we read the blog, hear updates, and even serve the family, but so easy to resume our lives and neglect to uphold the family in prayer on a regular basis, as well as bear the burden with them... Again, I encourage you to see what you can do to help edify the Greene family and help bear the heavy burden they are carrying. I certainly need the reminder myself. Not only are they dealing with the difficulty that cancer presents, but there is a host of other difficulties that accompany this life crisis...

Just wanted to add a little bit of info... Nichole spent Friday night at the hospital after her fever and pain would not subside. She had a CAT scan done, and both her kidneys are enlarged. This could be caused by several things, but chances are she will need another extensive surgery in the near future to deal with the problem. She came home this afternoon (Saturday); the fever is down but she still doesn't feel very well (nausea etc). Keep praying!!
--Shawni

I spoke with Nichole last night (this is Julie) and she will be having surgery at USC sometime this week, it looks like.

She also told me that she won't likely be receiving blood from the Encino-Tarzana Medical Center, so it would be better if you could donate at St. Joseph's Hospital (in Burbank) or even down at USC at the Norris Center, where she will have surgery. Again, Nichole is A+, but would like to encourage any of you to donate blood on her behalf since she feels like she has used up some of the blood bank...

Nichole is so appreciative of the support she has received from the Body of Christ as a whole. Last night she commented that there are people that she doesn't even know who are sending her cards, gifts, and supporting their family through this difficult time. She is conscious of the Lord's providential hand through this trial, and I would say that it is largely due to the support she feels through the body of Christ.

Shawni, I also wanted to encourage you. Nichole has said to me several times that she doesn't know where they would be without you. Your service to their family has meant so much to her, and has been an incredible blessing since it is done with such a sweet spirit and willing heart. The sacrifice you are making to serve them will reap eternal rewards. Those kids are so blessed to have you there consistently loving them and caring for them. You are making such a difference to the Greene family as a whole and I am personally thankful to you because I see how much Nichole is able to rest at ease knowing that when she is unable, you are there loving and taking care of her kids. Their trust in you is without hesitation and complete. You are certainly playing such an important role in their lives right now. I pray that your soul is satisfied in the Lord through your service to them!

Update

It's been a while, and I apologize for the delayed update. Anyway, I just visited Nichole for a short while and she is doing okay. She has a slight fever right now, and is wondering if it is going to go up or go down...
The kidney surgery was successful. What needed to be done, was successfully done. We praise God for that.
Nichole resumed chemo treatments after the surgery, so seems to be back on schedule for that. (Sort of...though she is behind) She is waiting to see if the fever is due to the chemo treatment (this was a common side effect in the past) or something else. She is in a lot of pain right now- pain specifically around the kidney. Please pray that the pain would subside. If it doesn't, the doctor will want to do a CAT scan to see if there is some problem.
Nichole also wanted me to let you all know that she has received many blood transfusions that have literally saved her life. She is so grateful to the unknown blood donors who have generously given, and would like for us to contribute to the blood bank on her behalf. If you are A+ and would like to donate directly to Nichole, she would be grateful for that. She could receive your very blood for the next transfusion. Please contact the Encino-Tarzana Medical Center to schedule a time to donate. She has also expressed that she would much rather receive blood from someone she knows than from a random donor. You can designate your blood to be specifically for Nichole Greene. I am waiting to hear back from the medical center for specifics on how to go about donating, and I will post them when I receive them. However, the phone number for the medical center is 818 881-0800 and they can direct your call to the blood donation center, where I'm sure they can help you. Please leave a comment on the blog indicating if you have done that, so Nichole can specify when she goes for another transfusion.
Please continue to pray for the Greenes. Nichole specifically asked for prayer for wisdom for them in the decisions they are making. If she continues to feel sick and have a fever with the chemo, she would like to consider alternative methods, since quality of life is important to her. However, with alternative methods comes a host of other challenges- financially, locationally, etc.
We know that our God is in complete control, but we would still pray for a miraculous healing to take place in her little body. Pray that God would be most glorified in healing Nichole of this cancer and giving her more years of life to live for His glory, as she has been so faithful in doing through the fire!

Survivorwoman, part deux

My last post was entitled "Survivorwoman" because that is how Nichole referred to herself. She was telling me how she enjoys the show SurvivorMan, and she has adopted the mentality of a survivor. She told me at length of just one of the many trying ordeals she has had to maneuver through in order to survive. She is determined. Her next survival test will be another surgery on Monday. The plan is for her to be back at home Monday night. Please pray for her endurance through the many tests and trials. Nichole hates surgeries, but in her own words, "You do what you have to, right, Jen?" Yes, Nichole, you do what you have to.

Survivorwoman

I just finished a long interview with Nichole in order to get the material to write this post. First, I asked about her priorities. Her one priority is to please God in all she says and does, and especially in how she responds to this trial. When asked how she can best live out this priority in her life, Nichole was quick to respond that she believes she can best please the Lord by putting her family first right now. She mentioned at length her appreciation for her husband and for his love towards her, especially in this very difficult time. Nichole was also adamant that her readers, her fans, know how deeply touched she was by one special pastor's visit to her in the hospital on an extremely busy day. Our church was celebrating 40 years of faithful ministry to our congregation on Superbowl Sunday, so with the busyness of all the celebrating, and the excitement of the big game, one very special pastor spent a good amount of the day in the hospital with this one dear saint. For Nichole, this was the epitome of all that a true, loving pastor should be. This act spoke more than many sermons, and Nichole was deeply touched. On asking what else she wanted her public to know, Nichole wanted me to express her sincere thanks to all who have been faithful prayer warriors on her behalf, and have served her in the mundane tasks it takes to run a home. She also wants to extend a special thanks to those who patiently put up with her computer-unsavvyness, and especially to those who, knowing this, persist in giving her encouraging notes written on paper and sent through the US Postal Service. Nichole would personally thank every one for every act of kindness done for her. No good deed goes unnoticed.

Nichole is HOME!!

Nichole was able to come home from the hospital yesterday afternoon, not as planned. Praise the Lord! She was recounting to me tonight the difficulty of being in an isolated room- and describing how she was posting pictures from women's magazines (scenery) so she had something other than bare white hospital walls to look at. She was certainly in good humor tonight, even though she is still not feeling up to par. The fever is gone (for now...), but she is anemic and unable to walk around the house without help. She is also sore from the surgery, and is anticipating another surgery later this week if all goes as planned. Of course, she is constantly aware that all is going just as the Lord has planned, even if it means that certain "planned" things don't happen!
Nichole is still remaining focused on the Lord's sovereign plan for her life, and is thanking Him for the provision of opportunities for His gospel to go forth. She was able yesterday to have an hour long conversation with her "room-mate", a Jewish older woman. Nichole described her as "ripe for the gospel", and this woman was asking many questions of Nichole. Nichole would love for us to pray for Elenore, who seemed to hang on to Nichole's words. Continue to pray for all of the lives Nichole has impacted with the gospel! This woman was also very interested in keeping in touch with Nichole. Pray that this would happen, and that Elenore would come to know the Lord through this interaction.
With all of the added kidney problems, Nichole has been unable to receive her chemo treatments. She is very behind, which concerns at least one of her doctors. Pray that she would be able to get back on schedule for these treatments, and that the effects of missing the treatments would be minimal.
We pray, asking the Lord for all of these things, but we also remember that His plan is never interrupted by things that "go wrong". He is holding each detail of Nichole's life in the palm of His hand, and caring for her in just the way that He sees fit. She is resting in this, yet as you can imagine, at different times she struggles with becoming anxious about certain things. I have been amazed, though, in her confidence in the Lord through it all. I am sure that her faith is sustained through your prayers as well, so please continue to uphold Nichole and her family to the Lord daily in prayer!
She has said many times that she is so thankful to each of you who prays for her, encourages her, visits her, helps with the kids, has given to the family, etc. She wishes she could write each one a note of gratitude, but many of us have strongly encouraged her not to take any of the precious time that she has when she is feeling well to do this. That time is so limited, and needs to be spent with her family.
Please continue to uphold the Greenes in your prayers!

Another Update from Sue Leber

Beloved, I received this information this evening. The fever is back to the ‘up & down’ thing with her blood counts off as well. They also told her today that the virus is back, which changes things for this week. She will be staying in the hospital until the fever is gone and the virus under control. She will not be having Chemo until she is doing better as well. She is in a private room, she is contagious and understands if folks make the choice not to visit but YES, she can have visitors. Visitors must be healthy & no children allowed. Visitors will simply be required to were a gown & gloves. She asked that if folks are going to visit please come between the hours of 10 a.m. & 2 p.m..

Sue still faithfully ministers to Nichole, even when dealing with a host of other things. The Lord sustains! If you would like to visit Nichole, please email me and I will give you the information you need to see her. My email (again) is kurtjulieandkids@gmail.com.

Kidney Update

I received an email from Janet Linahan detailing some of the issues that Nichole is dealing with as she spoke with Nichole on a hospital visit. Praise the Lord that she is feeling so much better now that the fever is gone. Here is Janet's note:

I was able to get down and see Nichole tonight at the hospital. She is recovering fine from her "procedure" involving the kidney Friday night. I'm guessing they won't let her go home until Monday. She is in some pain from where the tube is coming from her kidney. She was up and walking a little before I left, but her blood counts are low (anemic) so she feels a little dizzy and can't really move much without help.

They don't know what's going on with the kidney, and how it will be resolved. Her normal doctor is out of town, so there are a lot of unanswered questions.

Just having her explain all the issues involved with her kidney really brought to light how fragile all these issues are. One little infection could really be a very big problem.

She really doesn't like being in the hospital. I think Linda Adrian was going to try and spend the night with her tonight. She doesn't like being alone AT ALL ... thankfully I think someone was with her most of the day today. However, tomorrow she is expecting it to be slow. If you know of anyone who could go visit her, maybe you could pass that along. She is at the Providence Tarzana Medical Center. It might be good to call first. She really likes phone calls, too.

At home all the kids and Norm are sick (sore throat, pink eye). So when she does go home, she will really need to be careful.

Please continue to pray for Nichole!

There just happens to be a happy event on the way! A dear friend just reminded me that Nichole's birthday is on February 20th. She suggested a flood of cards to the Greene residence to arrive on February 20th, to remind Nichole how we have all been deeply enriched, sharpened, and brought closer to our Lord from her life. It would be an added encouragement, if you have the means, to include a money gift of any size. Nichole treasures words of encouragement and they have a lot of needs.

This was an update from Andrea Moore that I received. If you need the Greene's address, you can email me for it. kurtjulieandkids@gmail.com. Thanks!