General Update

From Doris:

 

The passage of Time

 

I have pondered the passage of time. How can time pass slowly and yet quickly at the same time? As a child, I felt Christmas took forever to come. Now I feel as if one Christmas barely finishes before it is Christmastime again.

 

As I begin treatment cycle 14 of 24, I am thrilled to be in the second half of my treatment. When I look back to last June when my treatments were in the earliest stages, I can hardly believe that was a year ago. When I look forward, the end of treatment feels very far away and I am tempted to quote our grandson, Grayson who said, “I could be patient if it didn’t take so long!” I still have to endure through months of treatment. When they are completed, will I be cancer free?

 

We sometimes talk about enduring to the end as if it is simply waiting for time to elapse without giving up. I am more and more convinced that it is not the passage of time that matters but who I am becoming because of cancer. Not giving up is only a small part. Am I giving service in the midst of my suffering as did Dr. Kuper? Am I finding joy in my journey or am I complaining? Am I outwardly focused or self-centered?

 

I love these quotes from Elder David A. Bednar spoken at our most recent general conference in April 2026:

 

“The Savior’s restored gospel invites us to be spiritually transformed—not merely to improve our behavior. As we align our character, desires, actions, and what we truly love more closely with God’s will, the Savior can bring about a comprehensive and complete change in us.”

 

“Enduring to the end is the joyous quest of a lifetime—a pressing forward with faith in Jesus Christ in a gradual process of trusting in and receiving help from our Savior to become more like Him. As our love for Him grows ever stronger and deeper, we can be blessed to receive spiritual perspective, the Lord’s empowering grace, and exceedingly great and indescribable joy.”

 

Paul used his tripod and recorded a time lapse video of our orchid plant. The attached video took 28 hours. The closed bud bloomed into a glorious blossom. I hope that at the end of my cancer journey, I will be open and glorious like this orchid. I pray that I will have become more Christlike.

 

From Paul:

 

Cycle 14 of 24.

 

As this journey continues, it is gratifying that Doris is finding some renewed strength. While she is not setting the world on fire with astounding feats of extreme physical achievements, we find encouragement in Doris’ progress in again being able to do some things she did before her cancer diagnosis and treatments.

 

This Thursday, I had an unexpected conversation with a man as we “raced” up the stairs together from the Cancer Institute at St. Lukes Meridian. He invited me to race up the stairs, and I immediately conceded, because I like to make jokes. He shared with me that he had some good news today – he was found to be cancer free. Upon his diagnosis of Multiple myeloma, his primary care physician gave the grim news that he had six weeks to live. When he met with the oncologist at St. Luke’s Meridian Cancer Institute, he told him, “You are not going to die.” That was in 2022.

 

The team at St. Luke’s is a team filled with hope, caring, compassion, and focus on the patient. I feel blessed that Doris has had this team caring for her and cheering her on. As I reflect on those nurses she has had assister her, I recognize that the relationships she has forged with them are meaningful and not limited to her treatment or diagnosis. Her relationships are reciprocally daring and supportive.