Please keep my sister Rebecca in your prayers. Last week she was diagnosed with advanced inflammatory breast cancer, the worst possible kind with the lowest survavibility rate. She has a husband and three kids under 6.

--Subdeacon Adam

Prayers for Rebecca that she receives healing and comfort.

Prayers for her husband and children that all are granted strength to cope with all this

Prayers!

Prayers.

Prayers...

james

Prayers!

May the Lord bless your sister, Rebecca, and heal her of cancer!

Prayers!!

Prayers!

Father of mercy, may her healing be a witness to many people of Your tender concern for all Your children, as well as Your great power. May it be a source of renewed faith and strengthened hope to them, and especially to Rebecca herself. To You be all glory, honor and worship, now and forever and ever, amen!

Adam, my brother,

I was thinking of you just last night, in reading the thread about missing and absent posters, but I'm so sorry to see you posting here under these circumstances.

I'm not much a fan of postings that offer anecdotes (whether raising hopes or dashing them) to the original poster about the experience of themselves, loved ones, or acquaintances with "the same disease". It often isn't, no one really knows what the other is going thru, and every instance is different. But, I'm going to forego my bias in this case because inflammatory breast cancer is so little known, yet so deadly (and, unlike most forms of breast cancer, claims its victims from young women, many of whom have no familial history of the disease). It is, by far, the most deadly form of a horrific disease and, for those reasons, almost any hope one can offer to those faced with the dread statistics surrounding it, is worth grasping.

Fifteen years ago, several years after our divorce, my former wife was diagnosed with inflammatory breast cancer, a disease with which neither of us was familiar despite having spent our entire professional careers in health care. The statistics then were even more dire than they are now and survivability rates were predicated at no more than 7 years - and that was the outside, considered extraordinarily rare. It was impossible to find numbers any higher and the medical literature was both scarce and unpromising when found.

Cyndie underwent radical surgery, a long and intensive course of chemotherapy, and a similar regimen of radiation therapy. Our youngest was then perhaps twice the age of Rebecca's oldest - about 12. Cyndie's prayer was to live long enough to see her graduate from high school. A few weeks ago, her "baby" received a doctorate in veterinary medicine. The intervening years have not been easy - in fact, there have been a lot of extremely rough patches. She's beaten the odds several times over and, God willing, will continue to do so.

Rebecca is going to need to be a fighter, to seek out the best possible diagnosis. care, and treatment, to explore every avenue, to be fully supported by family and friends in doing so, to pray as she has never prayed before, and to be prayed for as she has never been before. The rates are somewhat better - though not a lot - than they used to be and advances in effective treatment measures have been attained but, other than prayer, I am firmly convinced that an extraordinary will to survive is essential in battling this successfully - and 3 little ones make a great incentive for that attitude.

Holy Theotokos, Mother of us all, intercede with your Son for His handmaiden, Rebecca. Make her strong, capable of both understanding and dealing with this scourge that afflicts her. Give her the wisdom and the strength to seek out, find, and make contact with those physicians most knowledgable of the disease and most qualified to treat it. Give her the physical, emotional, and spiritual strength to face all that she must endure, to rise above it, and to conquer it.

Saints Cosmas and Damian, Unmercenary Physicians, inform and guide the sons and daughters who practice your healing arts in the diagnosis, care, and rehabilitation of our sister, Rebecca.

Saints Agatha and Nektarios give strength to Rebecca and intercede before the Holy Throne for her in the coming battle.

St Joseph, you who were chosen to be His earthly foster father, give solace and strength to Rebecca's husband and all her family, that they may support her throughout this coming battle.

Neil

Adam, I am praying for Rebecca to get the very best treatment and have many more years yet. As it is in God's hands.. He is good to hear our prayers.

porter..had bi-lateral surgery, 6 mos chemo, and was given 2, 5, or max of 10 yrs. in 1989. It's 2008 and I am still here without cancer.

Prayers, my brother Subdeacon Adam, for your sister. I am the brother of a sister and a niece who have survived cancer. I will remember Rebecca in the Divine Liturgy today.

In ICXC,

Father Deacon Daniel

Through the intercessions of all the saints in Heaven, and the Blessed Mother of God, may Rebecca survive this battle and see her children grow up to be lovely young people...

Kyrie Eleison!!!

In Christ our Hope,
Alice

Lord of the Powers be with us, for in times of distress we have no other help but You.
Lord of the Powers, have mercy on and heal Rebecca, grant Adam the grace to persevere.