It was the best of times, it was the worst of times… Last night, in the Christian church sanctuary, I watched my dear, sweet Melissa, my beloved wife of 22 years weep with me as we watched two of our older daughters, Hannah and Grace sing together with their fellow student an original Christmas song composed by our own L. Grace Espiritu and performed with her sister Hannah at their high school's annual holiday choirs concert. We watched and listened, a sight and sounds to behold, indeed, as our eldest child, Christina and I held on to her mother's hand with deep love and affection. We experienced the joy and the reason for the season of celebration as the hope-filled words of the gospel rang through the lyrics of timeless songs, echoing the good news of life in Christ Jesus our Lord. The Light of Life that has come into the world shone upon us in a fresh, new way that brought tears to our eyes in light of terrible news concerning the recent plight of the body of my dearly held loved one.
Given the grave situation at hand, I cannot help but tremble as I write. My God, these ought to be the best days of our lives together when the best of our love in life would shine brightly before us for the glory of God. Newly, never before witnessed, unfathomable depths of grief in our immediate family have come upon us as we now together cry out with heartfelt prayers to the Lord our God, the One Who heals us and in Whom alone do we find our healing, comfort and peace. In the Lord alone, we find strength to carry on in the face of such stark, unsettling news. Melissa has been diagnosed with an unusual form of stomach cancer: a rare type of gastric adenocarcinoma with Littinus Plastica. A Google search brings up the following singular web page excerpt:
Describe diffuse type gastric adenocarcinoma
=subtype of gastric adenocarcinoma
Features
1. Tumor infiltrates as single cells
2. Signet ring cells
3. Diffuse lesion with littinus plastica/ leather bottle appearance
4.Seen in younger pts with equal male: female
5. less clear genetic/environmental association
6. worse prognosis
Pasted from <http://cueflash.com/decks/pathologypt3>
We have been informed that there is no conventional cure currently known for this condition. Any modern medical treatment or therapy prescribed for this illness would be only palliative in nature. We have become aware of some alternative support measures that anecdotally may have some promise.
We ask, therefore, with intercessions before the throne of grace for dear friends and family to join with us in pleading before God, calling upon the Lord. At this time we are in urgent need of your prayers for healing, wisdom, grace and mercy. In this our time of need, we place our hope and trust in the Lord our God Who is able to make all grace abound, so that in all things, at all times, having all that we need, we would abound in every good deed to the glory of God. For we know that in all things, God works for the good of those who love the Lord, who have been called according to His purpose. And so we take heart and courage to face these trials in a Sovereign Lord and Gracious God Whose compassions, tender mercies, loving-kindness, steadfast faithfulness and unfailing love are renewed every morning with comfort and strength for the day.
Please pray for Melissa, my beloved wife and mother of and along with our six children, Christina (19), Hannah (17), [Lydia] Grace (15), Tabitha (12), Priscilla (9), and Sara (6), as well as her husband, their father. She and these, our lovely loving precious daughters, young ladies, growing girls and tenderly treasured little ones are being upheld in prayer. We trust in the Lord Whose healing, reigning and abiding presence is ever with us even through all eternally.
Now, to the Holy and Anointed One Who is able to do immeasurably more, exceedingly, abundantly far above all we could ever ask or think or even imagine, to Him be glory in the church and throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.
With The Best… of my love….
Rex (for Melissa) Espiritu
[and our girls]
