Diana Lane's Blog

Update on Don

Diana Lane — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 23:51:31 +0000

Just letting those of you who have been praying for Don that he has been moved to intensive care today. The doctor is getting consults from the kidney and infectious disease doctors to get the fluid off his lungs. Pray for his comfort and peace through the night

I called the kids to come last night because he was in such pain and I needed them to help us through. He’s getting good care. We love him as I know you do. Please continue to pray.

News From OKC

Diana Lane — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 01:04:54 +0000

I want to thank all of you who have asked about Don and sent cards, called and texted your love for Don, our family and Citychurch. I’ve never seen such a gracious community express genuine love and concern as you have. We appreciate how blessed we are to be serving where we are and to be able to do what we’re doing. Today, the Associati0n of Realtors provided Christmas for our King’s Academy kids with gifts, cookies, candy and pictures with Santa. I know these children have never received finer treatment ever. Next week is the Christmas party for all our CityKids, both the younger ones and the middle and high school. The Christmas boxes are being put together and will be delivered soon. What a joy for us and for the volunteers who are working so hard to make sure that children don’t fall through the cracks, especially during the Christmas season.

This has been a different Christmas for me. Since the 15th of November I’ve been here with Don at the Baptist Hospital in Oklahoma City. He’s been through a round of chemotherapy and days of treatment for the symptoms that it causes. God has given us new strength every morning and surrounded us with some of the finest hospital staff I’ve ever seen. He has provided for all we’ve needed for the ministry to carry on. I’m so thankful for the way the staff and volunteers have carried on and not missed a beat during this busy time of year. I miss being a part of all that, I miss my family and friends, and I miss just being home. But, God is allowing us to see His Hand at work, to see little lives touched and changed for eternity, to see families come together, to see people come to know the Truth. That’s what gives me the peace to be here and know that I’m where I’m supposed to be.

The doctor came in today with the report of the final phase of the bone marrow biopsy results. The first results showed that his bone marrow was completely empty. Then he passed the second phase and it still looked clear. The third phase showed a marker for leukemia. So, they started another round of chemotherapy today that will last five days. Then they will do another biopsy and see what the results are. There are several reasons for the aggressive treatment. First of all, the WBC went from normal to 242 in one month. The doctor doesn’t want to give the remaining leukemia cells time to multiply. Also, since his white count is so low, he is susceptable to infections and so going home and coming back for treatment would not be a good idea. His blood count will have to be brought back to normal range before he can go home. So, we will probably be here until the first of January.

I have shared this so that those of you who are praying will continue to pray for strength for Don’s body to endure the treatment. Please also continue to pray for our family and staff as we are obedient to God to carry on the ministry He has given us. And watch God’s Hand as He moves to show His mighty compassion to those who otherwise might not have the opportunity to know Him. We are so blessed to be part of God’s work in the world. I love you and hope you have a Blessed Christmas!

Good News!

Diana Lane — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 13:44:25 +0000

The doctor came in this morning with GOOD NEWS from the bone marrow biopsy. The first phase shows no white blood cells! There are two more reports coming in today that confirm that there is nothing hiding there, but it looks good so far. The next treatment will help the bone marrow produce new cells and when Don’s blood counts get to a normal range, that will be considered remission! If all goes well, we should be home by the 15th of December!!!!

Don said, “Wouldn’t we feel foolish if we had blamed God and not believed that He would heal me?” God is continually proving Himself to us. He is Glorious! Thanks for all the prayers that have been prayed. Don’t stop praising God for all He is doing in our lives and in yours.

Sunday Update re: Don Lane

Diana Lane — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 23:47:58 +0000

It’s about 5:40 pm. Just before I began to write this I asked Don if he was feeling bad. He said, “I just feel out of sorts.” I laughed and said, “That’s for sure! You’re the most out of sorts person I’ve seen in a while!” There’s not much to say that’s new. Tomorrow he’s supposed to have another bone marrow biopsy that should tell us the effects of the chemotherapy. Pray that the marrow will be empty and then they will begin to bring the white count up, hopefully with healthy cells, no leukemia cells. That’s a simplified explanation in my words. But the object has been to kill the leukemia cells and allow the bone marrow to build back healthy ones.

I feel very disconnected from everything here, but Don’s getting good care and it would be very hard to control infections if he had many visitors. We appreciate your prayers and ask that you pray for continued healing by the Great Physician. Pray also for the family and staff at Citychurch during this busy holiday time. We love and appreciate all of you. God is good and He will bring us through this difficult time.

Where’d it go?

Diana Lane — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 00:46:01 +0000

Well, I wrote a blog this afternoon while i was at the laundramat and I don’t know what happened to it. So, I’ll just do a brief recap.

This is his second day out of chemotherapy. I’ve been told the first four days are the worst. That’s held true so far. Yesterday was probably his worst. But he was resting when I got back here and he can have pain meds when he needs them. He tries so hard to be upbeat, but I think he should be able to just rest. Everyone’s been so good to pray and try to fill in the gap. Hopefully we’ll be home soon. Please pray for quick healing and no complications. Thank you for praying for our family. We like to be together and we sure miss them. But I’m thankful for the good care Don’s getting here. And we’ll be home soon

Update on Don

Diana Lane — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 22:59:11 +0000

Well, it’s the weekend. Don’s been here since Wednesday and so far all we can be sure of is that Don had a slight heart attack Tuesday morning due to a low red blood count and a high white blood count. He was transferred here to OKC where his liver doctor and pulmonary doctor is because they have the best knowledge of his medical history. They haven’t given us a diagnosis, but they are trying to lower his white blood count so that when they determine what’s causing it they can treat it. They have diagnosed him with leukemia or lymphoma, but don’t know where it is or which it is. Or what caused it. They have done a bone marrow biopsy but haven’t got the results yet. They’ve also given him several units of blood and platelets and have done a treatment called apherysis, trying to clean WBCells out of his blood. This is the third treatment and hopefully the last that he’s having today. The reason it’s so important to get the WBCount down before they can do any chemotherapy (if that’s called for) is that if the chemo kills too many white cells too fast, they could clump together and clog up arteries or damage the kidneys. Now, that’s a very, very simplified version, so if any medical people are reading this, you’ll have to excuse me.

The thing we are praying for is a lowered white blood count and no further damage. His liver numbers are good, and it’s too early to access heart damage, and as far as that goes, what’s happened has happened as far as that goes. God is the Healer and He has a hand in all this. Pray for the doctors! His transplant surgeon was especially taken back by this since Don was here a month or so ago and none of his bloodwork was showing this at that time. God’s timing is perfect and Don is feeling good now. He’s able to rest and again, he is not having liver rejection. Since this was caught so early, there’s a great chance of correcting it, especially with the expertise of these awesome doctors and medical people.

Don is a fighter. He’s anxious to preach next Sunday and get back to Citychurch. He says, “Don’t start dividing my stuff up yet!” LOL We feel all your prayers and know that healing comes from the Lord. He is our Healer, Protector, and Heavenly Father and He loves us. I’ll let you know of any changes!

New every morning…

Diana Lane — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 14:30:29 +0000

Don was transferred by ambulance yesterday from BSA to Integris Baptist Hospital in OKC. All doctors involved agreed that this was the best place to evaluate his health situation as the doctors here have dealt with his case before. When we arrived, the doctors were here and ready to begin tests needed for treatment. God is so good. We were exhausted. This morning they are running several tests, determining what is causing his symptoms and preparing him for treatment. That’s as much as I know right now and they say it will be at least Friday before we know anything definite. He has a complicated body to consider. Pray that the doctors and all the medical personnel will have wisdom in their treatments and that his body will tolerate the treatment that is needed. We appreciate you.

Pray for Don

Diana Lane — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 04:37:08 +0000

Just an update. Some of you have heard about our visit to BSA hospital today and I want to let you know what’s going on as best as I can. We appreciate your prayers and concern. We also know that God is aware of where we are and what we need. We have confidence that He will take care of Don and we’re depending on Him.

Don came to the ER at BSA Tuesday morning with chest pain. His heart seems to be fine, but he needed blood. They are still running tests and we plan to transfer to the liver clinic at the OKC hospital tomorrow after we talk to the cardiologist here. We don’t really know anything yet, but hopefully we will tomorrow. Please pray that the Lord will bless the doctors and medical staff both here in Amarillo and OKC and that Don will get the best care possible. Also pray for the staff here in Amarillo at Citychurch as they “hold down the fort.” We are blessed with a wonderful staff and volunteers. We’ll be back as soon as possible and I’ll update here when I know more. Thank you for your prayers.

Ok, this is Saturday night. We’re not supposed to be here.

Diana Lane — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 08:16:59 +0000

If we were at home, we’d be watching Nascar (which we are), getting ready for Sunday morning at Citychurch. We will be praying for you there. Please pray for us here. The staff is great. They come in one after another, you know, the med tech, the resp tech, the RN, the PA, nurse assistant, the trash collector, bed maker, the dietician, the pokers, prodders and snack confiscators. They all say he doesn’t look sick, and he doesn’t compared to everyone else on this floor. So, why is he here? As soon as they get him breathing, get his lungs dry and infection free, and get his hematocrit back up above Herman Munster’s, and as soon as everyone on the floor knows the Citychurch story and the names of all our grandkids, They may decide to send him home. I’m so glad we did come and they are being so aggressive with his treatment. But we will be glad when we’re home againl

Finding Ms. Walnut

Diana Lane — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 05:10:43 +0000

Since the beginning of the King’s Academy I have had the privilege of driving the school bus. I’m not an early morning person, so I wasn’t sure I would last. But, for some reason, getting the children to school has become one of my favorite jobs! I finally figured out why.

I have not had a “nine-to-five” job since Donnie Jr. was born. I’m not complaining, but being a full-time mom, homeschool mom, and pastor’s wife is job that requires putting out fires, dealing with the urgent things first. Schedules and plans must be very flexible. I’ve done that for thirty-four years. Being Ms. Walnut is a job that begins and ends at a certain time, when it’s done it’s done, and then I’m finished. That’s my time.

When our family began Citychurch Outreach Ministries, my daughter and I would pass by a certain business on our way back and forth and say, “Why can’t we just work there, go home at 5:00 and be done?” Why we chose that particular business I don’t know. It was just a simple, uncomplicated job.

At Citychurch, Don calls me the air traffic controller. My office is very accessible. It’s hard to complete a task without many interruptions and I sometimes just give up until everybody goes home and it’s quiet. Even then, someone may knock on the office window if they see the light on. So, I sometimes just have to say, “Leave me alone for a minute until I get through with this.” But on the van, I can visit with the kids, when I can hear them. In fact, that’s how I got the name, Ms. Walnut. One of them asked me, “What’s your name?” Thinking they said, “What’s the next stop?” I said, “Walnut.” The child said, “Well, Ms. Walnut, someone left their coat on the van.” I laughed, but told them, “From now on, when we’re on the van, I’m Ms. Walnut.” Some of them are really confused now that they’ve learned that I live with Pastor Don. Wonder if they think he’s Pastor Walnut? Hee-hee!