what really matters most

Posted on April 12, 2011 by caryschmidt


Have you ever rushed through your day at a frantic pace, crossing off as many things on your to-do list as possible? Have you ever finished a busy day, collapsed into bed, and wondered what you did of value that day? Have you ever sensed, deep inside, that you’re getting a lot of “stuff” done, but something is still missing? It’s easy to do a lot of good things with our time and life, but to miss the really important things—the things that matter most. And when we do, our conscience is unsettled. Perhaps you feel that way right now.
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time to crash…

Posted on April 10, 2011 by caryschmidt


I’m due for an update. This week was another mixed bag of blessings and challenges. Youth conference was awesome—nearly 3,000 young people gathered, many trusted Christ as Saviour, many made other great decisions. I managed to be a part—though my brain would debate that fact. Between a lot of praying friends, and probably some adrenalin, the Lord allowed me to lead services, teach youth workers, and preach once—but treatment #9 was knocking on the door the whole time. I wasn’t in my right mind—but that actually works out well when you work with teens, because none of them are in their right minds either. 🙂
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Posted in Health News | 3 Comments

treatment #9 doing its damage…

Posted on April 5, 2011 by caryschmidt

Just a quick update. I know many of you are praying for me in regarding to this week’s conference. Treatment #9 yesterday was a real hassle. Got sick in the middle of it all—nearly twice. Came home in the evening and literally crashed—sleeping by 6:30 until this morning. Didn’t throw up any more. I’m doing a little work, answering emails, but feeling crummy as usual.
I’m guessing I’ll be in bed resting most of today and tomorrow—to save up some strength for Wednesday night’s conference. My white blood counts were very low yesterday, but treatment proceeded any way. That means I have to be even more careful about shaking a lot of hands and being around crowds. Not a good recipe for a week of youth conference with nearly 3,000 young people attending.
At least healing is in progress—for that I am deeply grateful. Sorry nothing humorous today… my nutty side is under the influence of chemicals too powerful for funny. Shingles seem to be declining—not as quickly as I would wish. Thanks for praying and stopping by!
Only THREE MORE chemo treatments!!!

Posted in Health News | 2 Comments

reflections from a McDonald's booth

Posted on March 31, 2011 by caryschmidt


I woke up this morning, grabbed my computer, and came to McDonalds. Today is a family day, but sometimes I like to get up earlier and get some quiet private time with the Lord and to think. And, since McDonalds has wifi, and the loud ladies across from me have left, I thought I would share a few things.
It’s hard to believe this struggle with cancer has consumed the last six and a half months of our lives. In some ways they have trudged by, and in some ways flown by. Looking ahead, there are still at least three months of treatment left, and probably a few months of recovery before this season passes—if that’s the Lord’s will. When all said and done, from contracting the cancer to recovering from treatment will probably end up being a two and a half year trial.
The Lord has been teaching us a lot. Here are a few life lessons from recent weeks:
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Posted in Encouraging Thoughts | 2 Comments

itching, burning, and dana's dangerous cures

Posted on March 29, 2011 by caryschmidt


Just checking in for those wondering what’s up. Mainly, just itching! Shingles have declared an all out mutiny, and while the sores are healing, the itching is now driving away my last remnants of sanity. My new best friend is a bamboo back scratcher that Dana picked up at Walgreens. And I’m thinking of building a bed of nails to sleep on until this passes. I’m sure I would sleep better.
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Posted in Funny Stuff, Health News | 5 Comments

thankfulness therapy before chemo therapy…

Posted on March 20, 2011 by caryschmidt

Well, even with shingles, the last few weeks “off chemo” have been HEAVENLY!!! I can’t believe tomorrow it’s time to go back into the cave. I’ve been trying to avoid the thought, but tonight Dana and I started laying out some of the medications for the week (pictured above—holy COW!!!) and now it’s only too real. Sanity must depart once again—though it’s fleeting presence has brought sweet delight these days. So before I get back in the big green chair, I thought I would list a few things that the Lord has reminded me to be thankful for—before I start to complain about chemo:
So, I am officially thanking the Lord for the following things:
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Posted in Encouraging Thoughts, Funny Stuff | 1 Comment

more HUGE news and a family break!

Posted on March 19, 2011 by caryschmidt


I’ve been sitting on some news—first because I wanted the official report and second because we’ve been getting some family time the last couple of days. Here’s the story:
My PET scan was Monday morning. This is the cancer test—the one that shows dark spots where cancer exists. It begins with some sort of radioactive injection, then after thirty minutes, you lay in a machine that takes images of how the chemical metastasizes with “fast reproducing cells” in your body. Thus, cancerous regions show up very clearly on these tests. In my first PET scan in October, I had large black areas all across my upper body that were obviously cancerous. It was disturbing to see those images.
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Posted in Health News | 6 Comments

today was a gift…

Posted on March 10, 2011 by caryschmidt

Just a quick update! I’m thankful for praying friends. From what I’m told by everyone I know, my shingles should have been much worse. After staying down Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, I woke up today expecting to feel worse, but feeling better. The worst of the shingles has been body aches on the left side of my body, but not the excruciating pain that I’ve been told about. I believe the meds helped me dodge a bullet.
By mid-morning I was compelled to get Dana and Haylee and spend a few hours with them, out of the house. I’m learning with this trial—seize the good moments when they come! So, amid Dana’s protests about my immune system, I broke out of quarantine and God gave us a wonderful time together. (I surprised them with last minute, low-priced tickets to “Beauty and the Beast.”)
I’m amazed how that, even in the midst of such a strange and stormy season, God gives moments when His goodness overshadows all else. It’s like when the sun peaks through the clouds during a rain storm, or a rainbow shows up unexpectedly, just long enough to remind you that the sun is still shining! I believe that Christians, even in the midst of their trials, have more joyful and abundant lives than non-Christians on their best days!
This was one of those days—a gift. Unexpected. Memorable. Meaningful. Even a bit emotional. Thank you, Lord…

Posted in Encouraging Thoughts, Random Thoughts | 1 Comment

23-19! 23-19!

Posted on March 9, 2011 by caryschmidt


Until this week, I really thought shingles were things that you put on the roof of your house. Well, in our house, my kids have been declaring a 23-19 all week long! (For those of you who are not so “Monster’s Inc.” educated, a 23-19 is what the CDC declares whenever someone has been contaminated.) If they had protective suits, they would be wearing them. If they could put me behind a curtain and hose me down with disinfectant, they would—laughing all they way.
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Posted in Funny Stuff | 1 Comment

sidelined again… thanks to shingles!

Posted on March 7, 2011 by caryschmidt


Got all psyched up for treatment #8, but honestly, I could tell something wasn’t right with my body. While I was able to work and function this week, I still felt pretty crummy—weak and achey. By Thursday and Friday my chest was tight and I knew my body was having a tough time fighting off chest sickness, and I was having some strange pains in my upper body.
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Posted in Health News | 6 Comments