Daniel

Daniel finished his last chemo treatment! He's now past the yucky stage and back to feeling well. He also had his PICC line removed and couldn't be happier! Except for a little bit of scar tissue underneath the skin where the tube was inserted, there is no evidence that a PICC line was there. Now Daniel is a free man until…until next month. He'll have a bunch of blood work done and a check-up by the doc, but no chemo drugs! At this appointment the doctor will determine when his next PET scan will be, but he mentioned that it most likely won't be until the fall. By then, six months will have passed and they'll have a good idea whether the cancer will come back. Hodgkin's Lymphoma is easily cured however, and rarely returns. After another PET scan this year, he'll only have one scan a year for five years. If the cancer has not returned after 5 years, he will be considered cured.

So what does Daniel's life look like now that he's in remission? It's busier than when he had cancer! He started his last quarter of the mechanical engineering program at Cal Poly and he's taking 20 units. The school load is pretty much insane, but he's making up for taking an easier load last quarter. Six classes is all that stands between him and graduation! June 15th can't come soon enough! In between all the classes and homework, Daniel works part time and has been going to lots of career fairs and job interviews. He's had 6 interviews! His choices for employment are looking better and better each week. God is answering our prayers! I look forward to seeing how His plan continues to unfold for Daniel and his family.

Life is also a lot calmer for his wife, Heidi. She’s not consumed with doctor appointments, lining up baby sitters, endless paper work with medical bills, a sick husband… No doubt cancer is hard on the patient but Heidi has carried a burden that was at times beyond my comprehension! In the last nine months she has walked through the fire.

I would like to share Heidi's words with you. “To be honest, I am in a much better place spiritually, emotionally, and physically than I was 9 months ago. I truly am thankful for this trial the Lord allowed us to go through because it taught me lessons that I know I wouldn't have learned otherwise. Don't get me wrong, I had A LOT of days where I wanted to give up. I wanted to complain, whine, and throw a major pity party. That was probably the biggest lesson I learned: refusing to complain and choosing to be thankful instead. The conscious effort to praise the Lord rather than focus on myself has not come naturally. Of course I still have much to learn, but I feel spiritually refreshed.” ~Heidi Davison

I want to thank everyone who held Daniel and Heidi in prayer. This mother’s heart is filled with joy, gratitude, and relief beyond words. I can never thank you enough!

Brenda

An Illustrated Journey, Video

Its been a couple months since "An Illustrated Journey", by Danny Gregory was published. Before I had a copy of the book in my hot little hands Danny interviewed me on Skype. We had a wonderful conversation about techniques, tools, materials, my personal journey, and thoughts. As promised, I said I'd tell you when it was posted on-line. Today it was posted! Here is a link if you would like to watch the video interview. The beginning is a little choppy, but hang in there...it's good stuff!

The book is a real jewel...filled personal thoughts, creative inspiration, funny stories, wonderful adventures and more. The artists in the book are diverse, talented, inspiring, unique...and from all over the world.
Here's a link if you are interested in the book, "An Illustrated Journey".

Happy Sketching!
Brenda