Updates on Cindy Stringer
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Look for updates from Dr. Stringer
Date: Monday, July 19, 2010, 12:46 PM
Dear Friends: We are rejoicing in good news and adjusting to other news.
First, all tests show Cindy to be cancer free. That is of course great news and is better than any of the doctors had predicted by this point. We thank God every day for this news
However, we are learning a great deal more about the challenges Cindy is facing. Radiation is due to be finished in a few days. We had hoped for a return to normalcy then. Her doctors are recommending a return to chemotherapy and also treatment with perceptin. Cindy has a very aggressive form of cancer with a high return rate. I have checked out this direction with three Christian doctor friends who all agree with it. This next year will be the key and better safe than sorry is the rule. This will prevent Cindy's return to our Christian school staff as we had hoped. She is very popular with both students and parents. We accept this as the plan of God.
We continue to overwhelmed by all the support we have received. I am constantly hearing from new people who are praying for Cindy. Many are people that we have never met. We are grateful beyond words.
We are sensing some great things in the church. I have more new converts and prospects to follow up on than ever. Our summer attendance is as good as our spring attendance. Recent new church attenders include people from Russia, China, Burma, Liberia, and India.
We are very grateful for your prayers.
Phil Stringer |
Saturday, April 24, 2010,
Dear Friends:
Yesterday, Cindy took what we hope will be her next to last dose of chemo. The side effects continue to be less than the with the original type of chemo. She is very tired and has to be careful with her schedule. She is looking at radiation this summer.
We have changed vacation plans - cancelling a whirlwind trip to Wash DC and two weeks in Hawaii. Instead we will go to the Duluth, Minn area and plan each day according to how Cindy feels that day.
Cindy continues to be a real "trooper". She never complains, focuses on her family and the church and does as much as she can. The church continues to be marvelous in standing with us and we thank God that we are part of Ravenswood Baptist Church.
We are six days into our annual 8 day revival meeting. We have had a tremendous time with Dr Harry Carr, Dr Jon Jenkins, Evangelist Herb Brail, Dr Dan Haifley, and Pastor Alan Farmer. Evangelist Mike Thurmond will close the meeting for us tomorrow. Cindy has been able to attend many though not all of the services.
We hear constantly from many friends and have renewed many acquaintances from the past. We are very appreciative for all the prayers and we are very conscious of them.
God bless you all.
Pastor Phil Stringer
Date: Saturday, March 6, 2010, 12:12 AM
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Dear Praying Friends:
Great news for us in Cindy's battle with cancer. Our number one concern has been the tumor on the outside of Cindy's lungs. The hope was that the chemo would shrivel it away. By the grace of God the report from the doctor is that it is completely gone.
Cindy will start four new cycles of chemo next week, however the side effects to this type of chemo are much less that the side effects of the previous treatment.
We are grateful to the Lord and for all of your prayers.
I will be resuming my normal outside teaching and preaching schedule. I am also looking forward to pouring myself in our spring soul winning campaign at Ravenswood.
It looks now like all treatment - chemo, radiation, and reconstructive surgery will be done by fall.
May God bless you all.
Phil Stringer |
Date: Tuesday, February 9, 2010, 2:53 PM
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Dear Friends: Cindy has finished her fourth and last scheduled chemo infusion. As always the side effects were rough but she is mostly over them now. Now the main focus of our prayers are the results of tests that she will take towards the end of February. These tests will determine whether or not we can stay on the original schedule. This would call for her to begin six weeks of radiation followed by lighter doses of chemo.
Since the original surgery a tumor has been discovered on the outside of her lungs. Our hope and prayer is that the chemo has destroyed that tumor. If it has not we, must look at another surgery or more of the type of chemo that she has been undergoing. We very much would like to skip both of these possibilities. We should know about the end of the month.
Ravenswood Baptist Church continues to be the example of how to support a preacher through this kind of challenge and we very grateful. We have heard from many friends that we had lost contact with. We hear from churches all over the world. We are overwhelmed and deeply appreciative for all the prayer support. We talk about it every day.
It has been amazing to watch how the Lord has taken care of us financially. The Lord has opened many doors for witnessing and counseling through all this.
Church attendance has been great in spite of the bitter cold. This is the first winter that have not had a drop off in attendance due to the weather.
Cindy has not been able to attend church for four months. Our goal is for her to be back in church by the first of March.
We are very grateful for your prayers.
Pastor Phil Stringer |
Saturday -1-09 -2010
Dear Friends: We continue to be overwhelmed by the avalanche of prayer support and good wishes that we receive for Cindy's battle with cancer. In the last three weeks we have heard from every continent but Antarctica. We are deeply appreciative.
Ravenswood Baptist Church continues to be a model of support for the pastor's family!
Cindy had her third round of chemo last Wednesday. The side effects continue to be pretty rugged but we are better prepared for them now. The oncologist tells us that the side effects being so rough is a good sign. The rougher the side effects the more cancer cells are being killed. I have confirmed this with two doctor friends and several cancer survivors.It is a great encouragement to us.
Lord willing, Cindy will be done with chemo early in February and with radiation in April. By all accounts radiation should not be so difficult as chemo.
We are continuing to see people saved at church as we work our way through adjusting to the new economic realities around us.
Thank you for your prayers.
Phil Stringer
Date: Tuesday, December 15, 2009, 3:36 PM
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Dear Praying Friends:
Several have asked for an update on Cindy.
We continue to be very appreciative for all the prayers. She is on church prayer lists all over the world.
We constantly hear from new churches that are praying for her.
She has taken her second round of chemo (last Friday) and again she is suffering from the side affects. Last time this lasted about 8 days.
I am spending most of my time operating out of my office at home so that I can be with her. This is allowing me to get some things done that normally get put off. My son Robbie, who is on our church staff, lives at home and has been a great help. The church has been overwhelming in its support. I am greatly blessed to have the most dedicated, hard working associate pastor, Dr Karl Engle, that anyone could ever have and he has been magnificent through all this. I have cancelled trips to Florida, Canada, Nigeria and The Philippines. If all goes well I will be back to my normal schedule by spring.
The Lord has opened a number of witnessing opportunities through all this. People are much easier to talk to in the oncology waiting room than they are on the street corners of Chicago. Cindy is hearing from the wives of preachers and missionaries who are going through similar challenges.
We are restructuring our school with staff reductions and a pay cut that all of us are sharing. We believe that this will put us in good shape to guarantee that the church and school will be here in the fall. I appreciate every single staff member's good attitude about the pay cut even though I know it is hard for everyone. I look forward to the day when everyone's pay is restored to the proper level.
To my preacher friends - I wish to recommend two great missionary opportunites.
First, Reynan Luluquisin from our church had taked six months off of missionary deputation to help us with needs at the school. He is back in deputation full time. He and his wife Rachel will make great missionaries to the Philippines.
Second, Mike and Candy Bader have just joined our church. They are missionaries to the deaf. Their special music with deaf sign language will be a unusual blessing to any church. One of our new members said Sunday that the special music from the Bader's was the greatest songs they had ever experienced. They will eventually move from Kentucky to Ravenswood where they will start a deaf church here. There are a large number of deaf in our immediate neighborhood as there are throughout Chicagoland. They will not stay here indefinitely but will eventually move on to another city after establishing a deaf work here. I cannot recommend these good folks enough.
Both the Luluquisin family and the Bader family are a very worthy investment in your mission dollars. You may contact both families through me.
Again, Cindy and I cannot say thanks enough for all the prayers, friendship and support.
May God bless.
Pastor Phil Stringer |
November 28 2009
Dear Friends: We have both good and bad news concerning Cindy's battle with cancer.
GOOD NEWS
Extensive testing show that the cancer is not as widespread in her body as it was once feared that it might be. As a result the oncologist is suggesting that three months of chemo might be sufficient instead of the six months as originally estimated.
BAD NEWS
They have found another tumor in the chest cavity near the lungs but not in the lungs. The doctor is hopeful that the chemo will destroy this tumor without additional surgery.
Cindy had her first dose of chemo last Friday. The effects of chemo are different upon everyone. It has hit Cindy very hard and she has basically been bedridden since Friday.
It is difficult to watch her be so uncomfortable.
SUPPORT
We continue to be overwhelmed by the support from our church and friends. I could not ever find a better church family than the people of the Ravenswood Baptist Church.
CHURCH
God continues to bless our church outreach and we are very thanful. We are working at restructuring our school for these difficult economic times. Church members and staff are being very helpful and supportive.
May God bless you all. Pastor Phil Stringer
November 16, 2009
Dear Friends:
We continue to be very grateful for all the support that we have received during Cindy’s battle with stage 3 breast cancer.
Our church family has been marvelous in every way. Churches around the world have been very prayerful and encouraging. The American Cancer Society has been a wonderful unexpected blessing.
Cindy has just finished several tests to determine how far the cancer has spread. We expect the results in a few days. The port- o-cath for receiving the chemo has been surgically implanted in her and she will start receiving chemo therapy very soon.
Cindy will be in involved in a research study and in a support group. We believe that the Lord is really using this to open doors for her as a witness.
Our church continues to do well with constantly increasing attendance and people saved every week. However the economy in Chicago is even worse than the national economy and is straining our Christian school badly. We are looking for wisdom and supply from the Lord.
I have had to cancel several preaching and teaching trips as we deal with all this but I hope to be back on schedule soon. I believe that I will be able to make my annual trip to the Philippines in January.
Again, we are very appreciative of all your help and prayers.
Pastor Phil Stringer
Date: Tuesday, October 13, 2009, 2:03 PM
Dear Praying Friends:
Cindy and I met with her doctor and her surgeon yesterday. She is recovering very well from the effects of her surgery. She is getting stronger and gaining more mobility every day. The surgeon said that her recovery from the surgery was "spectacular".
The plan now is for her to skip radiation and go directly to chemo. This should start in about two weeks. The dose will be strong and chemo treatments should last about six months. Of course everyone reacts to chemo differently.
There is no way that we can express how appreciative that we are for all the prayers that have been offered up from all over the world and all the calls, emails and cards that we have received. We are not always able to answer everything immediately and we trust that everyone will be patient with us.
We are rejoicing in the goodness of the Lord.
Pastor Phil Stringer |
Dear Praying Friends:
Robbie and I have just come home from the hospital.
The second part of Cindy's surgery lasted almost four hours.
They found more cancer than expected, extending up towards her left arm.
The doctor is hopeful that they got it all but only time will tell.
We hope to bring her home from the hospital tomorrow.
Thank you greatly for your prayers and support.
Pastor Phil Stringer
Cindy is home recouperating
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