Health and Africa

Thanks for reading my blog! This is just an easier way to communicate more effectively what's going on in my world! Here is the latest health update...

-I went to the dr again this past Wednesday. His name is Dr. Joseph Fay, one of the oncologist/hematologists at Baylor Medical Center in Dallas, where I am going now. After the recent bone marrow tests, he has come to the conclusion that either I have a condition known as "myloproliferative disorder" of the bone marrow, or I have chronic myologeous leukimia. Either of these conditions would make the same treatment necessary. The doctors can not come to a complete diagnosis of either one of these, however, as the same steps are necessary in both cases, we are proceeding on. That treatment will involve a pill that I will start on next week called Gleevec, a medicine used to treat chronic leukimia patients. It is a mild form of chemotherapy (w/o any of the bad side effects), that will hopefully send my white blood cells into remission, and allow me to feel much better. The doctor is going to go ahead and pursue a bone marrow tranplant donor, in case one is necessary in the future. Hopefully however, the Gleevec pill will work well, and the transplant will be an option only later on. However, if it doesn't work, and/or if my condition gets worse, then they will accelerate the donor/transplant process, to pursue that faster. Thank you for everyone who has offered their bone marrow to me should I need it! They are going to go ahead and type my brothers, because full-blood siblings are usually a pretty close match. If not them, then they have to use the American Donor List, which anyone can be on, you just have to be typed at a doctor's office and be put on the list. That is the latest update. God has been so good in giving me peace and support through this whole time. I am so blessed with incredible family and friends who are praying for me constantly and honestly, I am confident that the Lord is using this whole experience for my good and to bring myself and others closer to walking with Jesus intimately. That is the purpose of our lives and should we get 100 more years on this earth, or 1 more day, God is good and as Paul says, "for me to live is Christ and to die is gain." (Phillipians 1:21)

Something else that I am really excited about coming up is my trip to Burkina Faso, West Africa. I'm a member of a church body in Ft Worth called Southside City Church, and we are partnering with the ministry called Heal the World out of Irvine, CA to begin the process of teaching English in Burkina Faso. This past summer, they opened the first English Language Institute, where 150 students were able to be taught English, as well as learn about Jesus and the Word of God. We will be doing this on my trip as well, which will be happening Oct 5-12. I will be writing more about this trip soon, but would definately covet your prayers about this trip, as it will be such a great opportunity to love on people who circumstancially have much less than we do, but are people just like us. Pray for God to open up doors there, for the finances of my trip and others going, for the people suffering with HIV and AIDS who we will be getting to love on and minister to, and most of all the we would love these people as Jesus would and grow closer to them and Him thru the process.

Thank you for taking the time to read my update. Please let me know how I can be in prayer for all of you.

By His Grace,

Luke Longacre