Sunday, December 15, 2013

GREAT NEWS...the Christmas gift that can't fit underneath the tree!

Hi all
Sorry it has been a few weeks since an update...can you tell the Christmas shopping season is upon us and between, shopping, hiding gifts, wrapping gifts, decorating and preparing for the last week of school I am BUSY and EXHAUSTED!!!
Well here is the Christmas gift that CAN'T FIT BENEATH our TREE this YEAR!!!!!

Right  before Thanksgiving Ray got his viral count from week 2 labs- his HCV (hep C viral count) was down to 2,000...remember the original HCV was 28 million. We didn't send an email that week because Ray wanted to tell his family in person his news for Thanksgiving. He didn't have to go to Duke the week of Thanksgiving and returned the first Friday in Dec. that was week 4 in the trial.
So somewhere between week 3 and week 4 his HCV load became UNDETECTABLE! There is NO HEPATITIS detectable in his blood stream!
We found out last week on Wed. Unbelievable right!!! A TRUE MIRACLE. I knew that once Ray was admitted into this trial that it would be Gods will to cure him and to show ALL those who pray for Ray a TRUE MIRACLE through the healing of his body.
Ray had to return to Duke last Wed and will return again tomorrow. His hemoglobin is LOW and they did stop one of the two drugs he was taking the ribavirin for now. They are waiting and hoping his hemoglobin- red blood cells will go up on their own soon. The ribavirin decreases his red blood cells. If they drop below 5 they will do a blood transfusion, he is in the 6's now.
He continues to take the "trial drug" though by itself. It basically does all the "heavy lifting"...the ribavirun just assist it. He is very anemic and it makes him winded, tired and if too low is dangerous. Duke took him out of work last Wed-Friday to rest, lay around and relax...didn't want him to over exert himself. He will go back tomorrow for another blood draw to check his hemoglobin. He then returns on Friday for his scheduled visit. When his numbers improve they will begin him back on the ribavirin. He is having little side effects from the medicine- obviously extreme tiredness, headaches- pretty much daily, some trouble sleeping and for some reason can now "hear his blood pumping" in his ears/head...which drives him a little nutty! BUT overall they are so minimal compared to all the other side effects he had in the past on other treatments that he is dealing!
He will continue to take the full 12 weeks of the drug even though the virus is undetectable now.
THANK YOU THANK YOU for all the continued prayers. Please share this email about Rays miracle with those that pray for Ray as well.
MERRY, MERRY CHRISTMAS, Thank you God for such a wonderful gift. The kids are SUPER excited as you can imagine!
- Ray and Janet Brooks

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