Adear friend of ours needs our prayers now!!

I received an email last week from a good friend of mine and others. Mrs Yvonne Moon had helped us with the Bowling for Brandon Brewer fundraiser this past summer and I when she emailed me last week I was upset to find out that something like this could happen to a person like Yvonne. Here is what she wrote to me.

"As most of you know, I had taken time off work for a couple of years in early 2006 and starting volunteering as a reporter for our local community newspaper. I worked on my high school reunion and was so glad we all got to see each other again.

One never know what to expect from life. I'm learning that more each day.

I've stopping writing for the paper. I loved doing it but it was unpaid and with everything from groceries to gas going up, we were needing more income. I've been working for Ingram Periodicals (magazine division) in Customer Service since December 10th, 2007. Our plans were to catch up some of the bills, get some household repairs and pay off our daughter's college loans.

Of course, life happens in a way you least expect. My husband Steve has been feeling poorly for several months now. and actually has been off and on sick with flu-like/pneumonia symptoms since mid-November. He would stay off work a week, go back to work, get sick again, get a little better, go back to work and then get fatigued again.

At one of his doctor visits in late January, the doctor detected a mass in his lung. He's been a smoker for almost 40 years (despite my years of pleading for otherwise) --- I'd always been fearful since both of his parents died in 2000 of cancer - his mother 4 months after diagnosis, his Dad one month after diagnosis.

We went to a lung specialist on Tuesday of this week. The doctor confirmed based on the findings of the CT scan that there are actually 4 tumors. He told us to expect 2 - 3 years with treatment, perhaps as much as a year without any treatment. My husband is 55 years old.

Needless to say, we are grief-stricken at the news. I think I've cried a million tears.

The first few days we were in shock. Now, we've moved on to more of a "fight" mode. We are thinking positive, praying and hoping for the best. He's quit smoking (yes, a little too late), we are feeding him the best nutrition possible, and using herbs to try to shrink the tumors. The doctor said since he is so weak (130 lbs) he didn't think chemo and radiation were an option right now and the location of the largest tumor (4.5 cm x 3.5 cm) in the chest cavity would be too risky for surgery.

Our 21 year old daughter had already begun planning a wedding for August 2008 in Memphis. She is marrying a young man who attends Memphis School of Preaching. Tuesday was a rough day for her --- mid-day she got the news about my husband. Her fiance went up to Freed Hardeman in Jackson.TN that afternoon to be with her. The tornadoes in the area forced all the students into the basement for several hours. Unfortunately, nearby Union University suffered a massive loss of property, but thankfully no one was critically injured.

Please keep us in your prayers. Unsure of where life will take us next, we are going ahead with the wedding plans and taking one day at a time. Please ask family and friends and those at your church to keep us covered in prayer. I will add you to the email list for periodic updates to keep you informed. We need encouragement as we "take one day at a time" --- cards and letters would certainly be appreciated. Please know that I welcome and enjoy emails but may not have time to respond between working full time and caring for my husband while trying to be there for our daughter as she prepares for her upcoming wedding..

Send positive thoughts and prayers our way Love to all.

I hope that everyone will put her in their prayers and hope for the best for this family. Yvonne if you need anything please feel free to call me and I can do my best to help out. You are an inspiration to all of us for everything that you have done and I am so sorry that this has happened to your family.