6/15/15: Matt lost his job April 2nd, and with it went his health insurance. Cobra is an option, but it does not cover catastrophic events such as this one very well. Previously, we did not qualify for the health care insurance offered through Julie’s Indian tribe, due to our income level, but upon calling, we found out that – not only do we now qualify, but the month of April is the only time of the year to sign up for the plan. Getting this locked down during this small window of time was definitely a divine intervention, and is an incredible relief to know that we have great insurance coverage that is nearly on par with the plan that Matt had with his previous job.

 

6/22/15: Once the word got out on our situation, our family, friends and incredible support team came out of the woodwork to support us! We are humbled with all of the offers to help – from offers to cook dinner, cleaning house, hanging out with our girls, watching our pets during the extended hospital visits, it is so amazing all the willingness to support us! As both of us are fairly independent people, it is easy to express our gratefulness, but rather challenging to actually accept the offers. We are certain they will be lifesavers, however, once we get into the surgery & recovery period, so don’t be surprised if we take you up on it then!

 

7/06/15: Our pastor Tammy raved about her oncologist and the nurse navigator that she had during her treatment, and we were praying that we would get a team of doctors that would be just as effective. Unfortunately, Tammy’s doctor has had his schedule locked out for nearly a year due to the number of patients he has been working with.The very day the surgeon who performed Julie’s biopsy confirmed the diagnosis of cancer and began to look for oncologists to take on the case, she discovered that – not only is this doctor in our network, but his schedule had just opened up this week for a new patient! We received the confirmation the  very next day that we had been assigned to this doctor; it is very apparent that our Heavenly Father’s timing is very precise in this situation.

 

7/21/15: Julie had her final follow-up test last night to verify to investigate the spot identified on her skull (Is it possible to get PTSD from the MRI machine?), and we got the call this morning to confirm that it is not cancerous! She is now determined to be cancer-free everywhere except her breast and lymph, so we are cleared to begin surgery the first week of August. While that will be a huge challenge, it is a bit of a relief to know that this is moving forward. One day closer to surgery is one day closer to being fully done with the entire process!