My heart is breaking for my friends...

About a year and a half ago I posted about some family friends who had just learned that their son Luke had cancer (AML - leukemia). Shortly after that I started a blog called 500 prayers for Luke, because Luke had said his wish was that 500 people would pray for him. So many of you reached out to this family and lifted them up in prayer. As the next 6 months went on the prayers continued and we all watched while Luke continued to amaze the doctors with his bodies positive response to the treatment. Whether it was chemo or the bone marrow treatment...everything went just about as well as it could. Just a little over a year ago the bone marrow transplant was a success and Luke went home cancer free. For the past year this family has treasured every minute of life together and has given God all the glory both in the hard times and the times of celebration.

Today.....one of the hard times came. Luke's cancer is back. I've included their post from Luke's Caring Bridge site for today. Please read it and remember to be praying for this family. Feel free to leave them a note of prayer and encouragement at the caring bridge site....even if you don't know them. Last time they were sooooo encouraged by the prayers and well wishes of complete strangers.

here is their letter from today......

We met with Dr. Lamkin today and learned of the results of Luke's last bone marrow test. The results are not good. The leukemia is back, and we will need to restart treatment.

There was a tiny trace of cancer cells (too small to find in earlier test... but they were there), and those cells have multiplied to the point that they are now 15% of his bone marrow cells. Luke definitely is not at a point where he is feeling any ill effects of the leukemia; however, left untreated, he would get very sick very soon.

We have no reasonable option other than to start chemo again. Luke will receive another round of treatment (maybe more rounds, maybe radiation... we'll know more later) and will have another bone marrow transplant. Since both Jake and Tori are a match, we'll discuss with the doctors later who would be a better donor this time around.

After the appointment, we went home and shared the news with our kids. Those kids are amazing the way they responded! They understand (much better than last time) some of the challenges that lie ahead. They know that this is very real, but they are ready for this. God quite literally has graced them with a peace and a strength in the face of new fears.

So all of this new adventure will begin with Luke getting a new Hickman catheter (central line) in his chest. This might be early next week, but it is not yet scheduled. Luke will then become a resident of Doernbecher once again, and will start a new round of intense treatment.

Oh, by the way... as if all of this wasn't crazy enough, Tori fell down our stairs last night and received a minor concussion. We had to take her to the emergency room for a CT scan, and didn't get home until after 3:00 this morning. Now Tori has a bright red nose and two black eyes -- and she is a flower girl in a wedding this Saturday!!

You would think that all of this should be too much to handle. Well, it is! I'm mean, c'mon! This is ridiculous! Here's the truth: We are heartbroken. We are in pain. We are having fearful thoughts. This is very hard. BUT it is also true, at the very same time, that the Lord is carrying all of us right now. This is what is meant by 'the peace of God, that surpasses understanding..'

So, please pray for healing for Luke, for God to protect his body from all the potentially vicious and life-threatening side-effects of the treatment, for protection on the hearts and minds of each of our kids (Jake and Tori have been in the 'backseat' before, and it's not easy), for our faith to prove true in this new test of endurance, and pray that God would be glorified through all of this.

It's a lot to pray for. God is big enough!

Steve