I met with Dr Majithia yesterday for quite a long time. He was gracious with his time and words. I am thankful to God that He brought us to Boise to have my cancer care overseen by Dr Majithia and the phenomenal staff at St. Luke’s Cancer Center in Meridian. Here are the bullet points from my appointment:
- We will not continue the chemo treatment that I had just one time in January. I have yet to get the feeling back in my feet, legs and hands and he said unfortunately, that may never come back. We will see. My body reacted so poorly to that particular chemo that it is too risky to continue it.
- Next week I will start a new chemo drug that is oral. I will take it in pill form Monday thru Friday for three weeks, then have two weeks off. We will repeat this cycle and see what it does to the cancer. The good news is that it is a more mild form of chemo so the side-effects should not be as harsh as the last round. One of the most concerning of the side-effects is low blood counts. I will likely be anemic and struggle with energy and weakness. Lol, isn’t that what chemo and cancer do anyway?
- There is a new chemo drug that came out in the past 2-3 months specifically for Esophageal Cancer. They are sending away my tumor tissue again to see if this drug is a match for my cancer. If so, they will treat me with that also. That is an IV drug given every three weeks.
- They had to increase my pain medications. At this point, I am dealing with pain in my body all the time. If we get the medication mix/timing right, I can keep a lot of it to a minimal amount, but when we don’t, it gets kinda rough. And it seems to change all the time what works and what doesn’t.
- I am getting a C/T scan this week or next to see how much the cancer has progressed. Stay tuned.
- Karen and Kasey are the best at-home nurses anyone could ask for. I get breakfast in bed almost everyday, as morning time is usually the roughest. Kasey is a master smoothie maker and makes them for me anytime I ask – often even before I ask. This is critical as it is getting harder and harder to eat some foods because the tumor is growing and blocking more and more of the pathway to my stomach. Back rubs, leg massages, gophering and so much more are all part of the love these two heap on me everyday. I am thankful for all they do, but more so, for who they are. The boys check in on a regular basis and tell us all their adventures in Oregon and Northern Idaho. The Tribe is doing well overall.
40 Days Left: As my life is on display, it is easy for people to see I am living with limited energy and time. This causes me to make very intentional choices about what I will and won’t do. It also causes me to depend on others for so many things. When you think about it, is your life really any different than mine? We all have limited time. We all live with limitations. We all make choices as to what we will and won’t do. The ‘fact’ that I have been given an expiration date seems to make it more pronounced in my life, but I am no different than anyone else. What if we woke up each day with the idea that we only had 40 days left on earth? How would that change our decisions? Who would we pursue? What accomplishments would fade away as we look more intently at our limited time?
I am trying to learn to be wes, rather than be the list of things wes gets done.
*Photo from February 5, 2014. Paul Shumski and the Coddington Boys bowling in Oceanside, CA.
What is your home address…if we wanted to send snail-mail?
Praying for your continued responses to Chemo and that God would do an amazing work in your body. I am thrilled that God has blessed you with such great “nurses” as this is key to your health – and I know it is a blessing for them to help you every day.
I loved your challenge – as I have thought about this many times! I had a professor in college ask us, “what would you do today if you found out it was your last day?” And after many responses, his challenge was, “if you are doing what God has asked you to do today, then there would be no change to your schedule or your plans.” Obviously, he was speaking at some level to the extreme point (ie. if today was my final day, I might contact some and say goodbye – but that would be a little weird if today wasn’t my last day!). However, it was a good one. Living in light of eternity is a day to day activity. Living a “Spirit-led” life implies that He is controlling our activity, our conversations, our plans and our finances. Thanks for reminding us to walk after Him daily and be intentional with our time and energy! God bless you!!
We are continuing to pray for all of you and love you!
Continued prayers for you everyday Wes. you are loved by so many, including our family.
Patty Carmichael
Thanks for the update. I have no words to add to your excellent testimony of the Lord intimately working in and around your life, but will continue to pray for the whole Coddington Tribe and extended family…
Continued prayer for the Coddington tribe.🙏🏼
Thanks for showing and telling and being an example of living life with faith and in Gods will. I find myself asking Would I do the thing I am doing if God was here on earth watching me in the physical being and I find myself asking would God do this and would God be pleased with me. I get asked are you afraid to die? I wonder why they ask it. I get afraid of things but I am not afraid to die. I like how you pointed just pointed just being you instead a list of things to do or things you got to do. I needed to hear that. A wise person told me recently it isn’t whether you make it is whether you kept on going and progressing on your goes. This seems to be confirmation for me. I will continue to pray for you and your family.
Hey Brother, thank you for sharing. Sure miss your insights, knowledge and company at the Thursday’s Men Bible Study. 40 days of purpose has so many symbolic messages to me. Please let me know if you need anything or need anything done. My sister’s disability case was approved. We finished the back yard project and we are plugging away at life praying that our kids have an equally yoked relationship in Christ with there significant other. Please pray for my daughter Alexandra, as she is struggling with the relationship with her boyfriend in New York. She is coming home to pray, talk things through with her sister and hopefully me and Jen and to see if this is what God wants. Also, my son came home and is thinking of relocating. This all depends on his business plan. He actually came out for his friends funeral. A 29 year old guy that called Addison about a month ago and said he was not doing well mentally. Boy, being a father is a full time job. Can you imagine being a father to nearly 7,000.000,000 kids !! Amazing. Keep in touch. Say hi to Karen and the kids. Peace and love always, Glenn
Thank you, Pastor Wes, for your open and honest communication concerning your cancer struggle. Even in your battle, you share the wisdom you have gained. Thank you so much. Bob and I are praying for you and your wonderful family. We pray you are experiencing the peace and comforting presence of the Lord every day.
Hi! I read a prayer this morning for new hope from a His Princess Warrior devotional by Sheri Rose Shepherd. May you be blessed by this prayer too.
“Hopeful Warrior! I pray that you may place your hope fully in the Lord who has created you and saved you. He has been faithful to you in the past, and He will remain true to His Word. I pray that no matter how bad your circumstances seem, your heart will be filled with unshakable hope in your Lord and in your future. May you be sustained by the Lord’s promises and be shielded from the evil of this world as you daily choose to put your hope in Him. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”
Wes, we continue to pray for you & yours. Today I started counseling a 59 year old male who is struggling with a rare blood cancer (less than 1% in the world) & we agree with you that cancer isn’t who we become just what is happening to us! We are learning from your example to find then”lessons & take the opportunity” from our “turning points” in life. Keep on keeping on brother! ❤️🙏🏻🤠
40 days is an important number in the Bible. Your 40 days will be remarkable, because of who you are, the family you have, the friends that support you with love and never ending prayers on your behalf, and mostly because of the God you serve so completely. AMEN
You are a wise man, Wes, and we are all beneficiaries of your wisdom, grace, and faithfulness. I thank you and I pray for you.
Praying every day for you Wes and the family. So good to hear that there is a new drug as a possibility. 17 years ago they knew very little and had Don immediately on a feeding tube which, as I look back, was not a good idea at the time. But the Lord knows when He wants us home; we do everything we can to stay around for the ones we love here on earth while still knowing assuredly that we will be home some day in His presence with great joy. Love to your dear wife Karen and one of my very best basketball players!!!!!
Hey, Wes! Thank you for your updates. You are as amazing now as you were when I had you in Sunday School at Main Street. Praying the tumor is one that will respond to the new meds.
Blessings!
JoDee
Wes and Karen,
The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, His mercies never come to an end, they are new every morning, great is your faithfulness oh God. Lamentations 3: 22-23
I’m holding all of you in prayer…
May you sense His grace and peace surrounding all of you…
With love,
Barb
Continuing to lift you and the rest of your family before the throne of grace. May you know the Lord’s presence as you walk through these waters. Do not fear. He is walking with each of you – even when the path is shrouded in fog and uncertainty. Praying for daily strength and joy to be yours.
Praying for you and your family, Wes. I’ve been following your posts since just before Christmas and they’ve been a good reminder to keep praying. May the God of hope fill you with his joy and peace.
Wes,
Always thinking (and praying) for you all. Thank you as always for sending us updates.
Thank you for your perspective Wes. I will continue to pray for you and your family.