Update on Clive

26 JANUARY We are delighted to let everyone know that having seen the consultant this morning, the results of the recent scans are that the cancer has all gone in Clive’s groin, stomach and spleen. The CT scan showed that there was scar tissue remaining but the PET scan showed there was no active cancer present in the cells. The consultant did say, however, that the scans have revealed a small lump in Clive’s neck which they are not sure about. The consultants are having a meeting on Thursday to review the scans again and if necessary they will call Clive back for an ultrasound scan and do a biopsy at the same time. The consultant said it is most likely benign but they need to check it out. We will keep you posted.

We would like to thank everyone for your prayers, cards, emails, texts, telephone calls, visits, flowers and gifts which has kept us going through these very difficult months. We thank the Lord for His grace, mercy and healing and look forward to serving Him in greater measure in the days that lie ahead.

15 JANUARY Clive has a CT scan today. On 26 January Clive will see the consultant to obtain the results of the PET and CT scans. We are trusting that as a result of all the treatment and prayer that Clive has received over the past 6 months, that there will be no cancer cells remaining. Thank you for praying for him throughout the course of his treatment and for standing with us in prayer for Clive’s total healing.

7 JANUARY Thank you to everyone who prayed for Clive today as he went for his PET scan in London (this scan reveals the activity of the cells and will determine whether there are any cancer cells still active.) Despite the weather – very cold and lots of snow – we made it to the hospital in time and the scan was completed successfully.

4 JANUARY Thank you to everyone for your prayers for Clive since his 8th and final cycle of R-Chop chemotherapy on 18 December. We have been very conscious of your prayerful support and it has been a great encouragement and blessing to us as a family over the festive period. We would like say a huge thank you to everyone for the lovely Christmas cards and greetings which we have received and we want you to know how much we have appreciated them. We wish you all a very Happy New Year.

18 DECEMBER Clive had his 8th and last cycle of R-Chop chemotherapy. Thank you to everyone for your prayers for Clive as we are pleased to report that he had no reaction to the chemotherapy. Please continue to pray for him that his body will cope with the side effects over the next few weeks and especially during days 10-14 that he will not catch any infection.

15 DECEMBER The appointment with the consultant went well and preparations were made for Clive to have a CT and PET scan in January. Clive also saw the nurse to discuss the side effects he had been experiencing since his 7th cycle of chemotherapy. Clive’s 8th and final cycle of chemotherapy is on 18 December. We would appreciate your prayers that Clive does not get a reaction today and that his body copes with this last cycle.

We would like to thank everyone who has prayed for Clive and the family during these past 6 months throughout Clive’s treatment. Thank you to everyone who has sent cards, flowers, texts, emails and letters. They have been a real encouragement and blessing to us as a family and we want you to know how much we have appreciated them.

We wish you all a very Happy Christmas and a blessed New Year.

27 NOVEMBER Clive had his 7th cycle of chemotherapy and we are pleased to report that he didn’t have any reaction. The hospital have given him the same drugs to inject to force his bone marrow to produce white blood cells on days 10 - 14 so that his blood levels keep high to prevent an infection. We would appreciate your continued prayers for Clive as his body copes with the effects of the chemotherapy. Please pray for strength and energy each day.

Clive is due back at the hospital on 15 December to see the consultant, and to ensure that all is ok for his 8th and last cycle of chemotherapy on Friday, 18 December.

24 NOVEMBER Clive’s appointment at the hospital went well today and Clive will have his 7th cycle of chemotherapy on Friday 27 November. After seeing the consultant, Clive then spent time with one of the nurses who went through a questionnaire asking questions about how he had been feeling and what side effects he was experiencing as a result of the chemotherapy. It was a good opportunity to talk about how it was affecting him physically and emotionally, as well as talk through all the side effects of the chemo and what was to be expected.

We would appreciate your continued prayers for Clive as he undergoes chemotherapy on Friday - that he will remain well as the treatment is given and for no reactions. Please continue to pray for Clive’s full healing so that at the end of all the treatment, there will be no cancer cells remaining.

22 NOVEMBER This is the first time in Clive’s treatment that he has not had to return for his routine blood test on day 11 after his chemotherapy. This has been due to the hospital giving him drugs to inject from day 10 for 4 days to stop him becoming neutropenic. However, the cumulative effect of the chemotheraphy seems to be taking its toll, as Clive did not recover as quickly this time as he has done previously. He is feeling better now and we return to see the consultant on Tuesday, 24 November in preparation for his 7th cycle of chemotherapy on Friday, 27th November.

Again, our sincere thanks for your prayers during this time and for the words of encouragement which keep us going.

6 NOVEMBER UPDATE We are grateful to everyone’s prayers for Clive yesterday as he managed to have his 6th cycle of chemotherapy without any problems. Clive is due back at the hospital to see the consultant on Tuesday, 24 November and his 7th cycle of chemotherapy on the 27 November. Clive has been given drugs to take to prevent his white blood cell count dropping during days 10 - 14 and we are praying that these will be effective.

Many thanks to everyone for your continued prayerful and practical support. Your words of encouragement via texts, cards and emails are a real source of blessing to us as a family - thank you!

6 NOVEMBER Clive receives his 6th cycle of chemotherapy today and we would appreciate your prayers that he does not have a reaction after the treatment, which he has had on the past 2 occasions. Please pray that his blood pressure remains normal, he does not feel sick or dizzy and that he can leave the hospital straight after his treatment.

29 OCTOBER The results of Clive’s blood test were very encouraging. From 0.2 on Tuesday, he miraculously went to 12.4! We believe this was as the result of everyone’s prayers, so thank you for praying for him. The hospital were amazed at the results and all is set for Clive’s 6th cycle of chemotherapy on Friday, 6 November.

27 OCTOBER The results of Clive’s blood test were not as high as had been expected, having had 3 days of injections to increase his white blood cell count. It was very low at 0.3 and so the hospital did another full obs - blood pressure, temperature, etc., and everything was at an acceptable level. However, they gave us more drugs to take and Clive returns for another blood test on Thursday, 29 October to see if his blood count has risen.

25 OCTOBER We would like to thank everyone who took time out to pray for Clive and the family on Friday, 23 October. It was a very special day and one which was very humbling for Clive and Ruth as they received calls, texts and emails from all over the world from people who said they were praying for them, holding special prayer meetings, services and vigils. We are believing God for Clive’s complete healing and want to thank you for standing with the family in prayer on this special day. Clive and the family are very grateful to everyone for taking the time to remember them in prayer and for their words of encouragement and support. Tuesday, 27 October Routine blood test for Clive to test his white blood cell count.

15 OCTOBER Clive received his 5th cycle of chemotherapy treatment. Just as Clive was getting up to leave, however, he suddenly felt dizzy and light-headed and had to sit back in the chair. The nurse immediately gave him oxygen, put him on a drip and took his blood pressure, which had dropped since the beginning of the treatment. The nurses then took him out of the main treatment suite into a side room and gave him an ECG. The reading was normal, but his blood pressure continued to fall for while. The nurses monitored him and continued to take his blood pressure and when it went back to a normal range, they said he could go home. He apparently had a reaction to one of the drugs. The whole process was a little worrying but we thank God that Clive was able to come home.

We would appreciate your prayers over the next few days that Clive’ s body will cope with this 5th cycle of chemotherapy and continue to make good progress.

23 October Global Day of Prayer for Clive – We would value your prayers on this special day as the wider Smile community prays for Clive’s complete healing.

Clive returns to hospital for his routine blood test on 27 October, followed by his 6th cycle of chemotherapy on Friday, 6 November.

Thank you to everyone who continues to remember Clive and the family in their prayers.

14 OCTOBER We are delighted to report the result of the CT scan which showed that the chemotherapy is killing off the cancerous cells, with the tumours being reduced in size. The consultant said that it is an excellent response to the treatment! With another 4 cycles of treatment, the consultant said that he thinks most of the cancerous cells will die, but there may be some residual positive cells still there. They will schedule Clive in for another CT and PET scan at the end of the treatment to see what the situation is then.

It was very encouraging news today knowing that what Clive has gone through the past 3 months has been worth it, and we would like to thank everyone for their prayers. Clive has his 5th cycle of chemo tomorrow (15 October), and we pray that his body will continue to respond positively to the treatment.

Thank you for your continued prayerful support.

13 OCTOBER The result of Clive’s scan has been postponed until Wednesday, 14 October. We are looking forward to hearing what the consultant has to say tomorrow. Clive has had a good weekend with Saturday night being the best night’s sleep Clive has had since he started chemotherapy in July. We subsequently found out that one of our prayer partners was still awake at 3.00am in the morning on Saturday and was praying that Clive would sleep particuarly well - Clive slept from 11.00pm until 7.00am that night! He felt so much better, as since starting chemotherapy he hasn’t slept well, getting up about 3 - 4 times in the night and sometimes being awake for a couple of hours. Having a good night’s sleep makes all the difference and Clive felt so much better. Thursday, 15 October Clive has his 5th cycle of chemotherapy. This has been brought forward from Friday, 16 October.

Our thanks to everyone for their prayers, cards, emails, texts, flowers and the the encouragement they bring to us.

8 OCTOBER Clive went back for another blood test, having had 3 injections of the drugs to force his bone marrow to produce white blood cells. His WBC count had increased but not as much as we had all expected as it was still below the normal level for a patient receiving chemotherapy. However, it had risen and Clive was starting to feel a little better.

5 OCTOBER 2009 Clive had his routine blood test this morning, but had to have drugs injected into his stomach again this morning as when the results came back, his white blood cell count was low. He will require the injection for another 2 days and we go back on Thursday for another blood test to check that all is well. The hospital also put him on antibiotics as a precautionary measure to prevent an infection due to his blood count being low. Clive is extremely tired at present and has no energy at all. He is also not sleeping very well. Your prayers would be appreciated that Clive’s energy levels increase and that he is able to sleep better at night.

On Wednesday 7 October 2009 Clive will have a CT scan to see how much effect the chemotherapy is having and the results will be available on Wednesday 14 October. This date was changed from Tuesday 13 October.

24 SEPTEMBER Clive had his 4th cycle of chemotherapy today. Towards the end of the treatment Clive went very pale and we were quite concerned about him so the nurse decided to take a blood sample afterwards to make sure there was nothing wrong. We had a 45-minute wait for the results, but were really pleased to hear that all was ok. The nurse decided that it was probably a combination of the effects of the chemo going into his body and being very tired. He came home and went straight to bed and slept for a couple of hours, which was good.

Clive has an appointment on Monday, 5 October for his routine blood test and on Wednesday, 7 October, he is booked in for a CT scan. The scan will show how much effect the chemotherapy is having on the cancer so we are praying that we will see a real reduction.

We would appreciate your prayers that the nausea he is feeling after the chemotherapy will subside and his body will grow stronger each day. Thank you for your continued words of encouragement, which are a real help as we face the challenges of each day

23 SEPTEMBER We would appreciate your prayers for Clive as since coming out of hospital on Monday 21^st he has been feeling very tired and has no energy. With his impending 4^th cycle of chemotherapy on Friday 25^th September, his body needs to be at full health to take the strain of coping with another bout of chemotherapy. Your prayers would be appreciated at this time.

21 SEPTEMBER We are delighted to report that Clive was discharged from hospital this afternoon. He is very tired but glad to be home. His white blood cell count is good and everything should be OK for his 4th cycle of chemotherapy on Friday 25 September. There is now no need for him to see the consultant tomorrow, Tuesday 22 September, as he was seen today.

We would like to thank everyone who prayed for Clive since going into hospital last Thursday 17 September. It was lovely to have such prayer support on his behalf, which really was encouraging to us as a family. Please continue to pray for his complete healing and for his next cycle of chemotherapy on Friday.

20 SEPTEMBER Thank you to everyone who has been praying for Clive whilst he is in hospital. We are pleased to say that his white blood cell count has now risen from 0.2 to 4.2. This is exceptionally encouraging. Clive continues to receive intravenous antibiotics, 3 times a day, and his temperature has now gone down to normal.

We have been very conscious of people’s prayerful support, which has kept us going through this difficult period. Our grateful thanks to everyone.

18 SEPTEMBER Clive had a reasonable night on Thursday evening. He has an infection and his white blood cell count is 0.2, which is very low. He is having intravenous antibiotics, and drugs to make his bone marrow produce more white blood cells. He is in an isolation room to prevent further infection, and is receiving wonderful care from the hospital staff. Clive will be in hospital until Monday.

We have another hospital appointment on Tuesday 22 September to see the consultant for the result of his PET scan (if it is available) and to see how Clive has been getting on. Then on Friday 25 September he has his 4th cycle of chemo.

We are so grateful to everyone who has sent cards, flowers, emails, texts, etc. They are a huge encouragement to us and really make our day. Thank you very much.

17 SEPTEMBER Clive has gone into hospital with an infection. They are keeping him in and have put him on strong intravenous antibiotics. Please pray that this infection will subside rapidly and that Clive will strengthen and return home as quickly as possible.

15 SEPTEMBER After Clive’s chemotherapy on Friday 4 September, he had 4 good days when he felt ok, but since then, he has not had such good days. He has been very tired and lacking in energy. We went back to the hospital yesterday (14 Sep) for his routine blood test (11 days after chemo) and it was back down to 0.7. Fortunately, the hospital said he needn’t be put on any drugs, but to take care and avoid anyone who has an infection, cold, cough, etc., and to keep away from crowded areas. He is feeling a little better today and we are trusting the Lord that over the next few days, he will start to feel much better. Thank you for your prayers for him.

4 SEPTEMBER Clive had his 3rd cycle of chemotherapy treatment today and he didn’t experience any problems, for which we thank God. Clive will continue to receive the treatment whilst at home and we would appreciate your prayers as the week after chemotherapy can be quite debilitating. He usually doesn’t have much energy and feels very tired. Day 10 - 14 are fairly crucial in the treatment programme as this is when his WBC can drop drastically and is the period when his immune system is severely compromised as a result of the chemotherapy.

We are very grateful for everyone’s prayers and support, which are a huge encouragement to us. Thank you!

2 SEPTEMBER Clive attended St Thomas’ Hospital for his 2nd PET scan. This went ok but the trip up to London and back was quite tiring for Clive.

1 SEPTEMBER Clive had his regular blood test and afterwards saw the consultant. His white blood cell count was very encouraging as it had risen from 0.7 to 2.3. Whilst we were exceptionally happy with the result, the consultant said not to get too excited as this would drop after his chemotherapy and would be a roller-coaster type of event with his WBC (white blood cell count) rising and falling throughout the treatment programme. However, we were still pleased!

24 AUGUST Clive's appointment at the hospital went well. He had a blood test and his white blood cell count had increased from 0.2 to 0.7 which was very encouraging. He therefore did not have to have further drugs, which was a real answer to prayer. Last week was a difficult one as the second cycle of chemotherapy proved to be fairly debilitating. Clive was very tired most days but we thank God that he has not yet been sick.

Clive's next hospital appointment is on Tuesday 1 September to see the consultant. During that week Clive will also go to a hospital in London for another PET scan to assess his metabolic rate. His next cycle of chemotherapy commences on Friday 4 September.

We know that many people around the world are praying for Clive and we know that through everyone's prayers his health is being improved and restored. Thank you for the lovely cards and emails that we receive on a daily basis. We do appreciate that you have taken the time and trouble to write, and the whole family is encouraged and cheered by the loving words and support.

14 AUGUST Clive had his second treatment of chemotherapy on Friday 14 August. This was given over a shorter period of time than the first treatment and we thank God that Clive did not have a reaction during the treatment. Clive also had no reaction in the evening, which he had experienced on this first cycle of treatment. On Saturday, Clive felt very tired, looked very pale and had no energy but Sunday, having been on the steroids, was feeling much better.

Clive’s next visit to the hospital will be on Monday, 24 August to test his white blood cell count.

Items for prayer:

1. That during the next 10 days Clive will remain in good health.
2. Day-to-day increased strength levels.
3. Clive’s white blood cell count will remain in the normal range.

Our thanks for your continued prayerful support.

11 AUGUST Clive saw the consultant who was pleased with his overall health in relation to his first cycle of chemotherapy, particularly as there had been a reduction in the lymph oedema. As a result, Clive does not need Heparin injections every day, which is a great relief.

Clive will receive his second cycle of chemotherapy on Friday 14 August. Please pray that this will go well and that Clive will not have a reaction, as this time the chemotherapy drugs will be given over a shorter period.

We are grateful to everyone who is praying for Clive. Thank you for your calls, emails and cards - they are a real blessing and encouragement to us.

3 AUGUST Clive went to the hospital today for a blood test, 11 days after his first cycle of chemotherapy, to check his white blood cell count. The staff at the treatment suite said we would not hear from them unless there was a problem with his blood count. We received a call this afternoon to say that Clive’s blood count was very low and he needed some drugs and antibiotics - so a trip to the hospital again and we now have the necessary drugs to inject for the next two days. Clive has to go back to hospital on Thursday for another blood test to see whether the drugs have worked in forcing his bone marrow to produce more white blood cells.

We would appreciate your prayers for Clive:

1) That the drugs take effect quickly to bring Clive’s white blood cell count to normal.
2) That Clive remains free from infection for the next 4 - 6 days as this is a crucial time in his treatment process.
3) For strength and encouragement.

Thank you for supporting us through this difficult time.

24 JULY Clive received his first cycle of chemotherapy treatment on Friday 24 July and was at the hospital from 10.00am until 4.30pm. The first cycle of treatment is given over a longer period of time to ensure that there are no reactions. For subsequent treatments it should be much shorter. We are pleased to report that Clive suffered no ill effects from the chemotherapy whilst at the hospital but at about 9.00 pm in the evening he got a bout of the shivers and was very cold. However, we are thankful this did not last long.

We are grateful to everyone for all the lovely cards, emails and telephone calls we have received, and especially your prayerful support. Thank you for taking the time and trouble to make us feel much loved and upheld in your prayers. Thank you for your continued prayerful support.