BryanVarghese.com
A life forever changed by God's amazing grace.

…busy getting healthy!!  I just realized that it’s been a while since I’ve posted an update. Since I am so focused on getting better, I forget to post and update my friends and family on my progress, but hey, no news is good news, right?

But before I update you…
I received a wonderful note from a good friend who let me know that someone special in his life recently accepted the Lord as her personal Savior. I had such a big smile on my face when I heard that; all of heaven rejoices when someone accepts Christ into their heart and I’m sure that this was no exception.

I’ve always said this before and I’ll say it again, you never know when you will come in on someone’s gospel journey. You may be the one that plants the seed, or you may be the one that waters the seed, or you may be the one that harvests the seed, either way, it’s important to always keep your testimony ready for the moment when you are able to have an impact on someone’s life and essentially, their salvation.

As for me…
Well, I’ve been doing really well. My hair was just starting to grow back the last time I talked to you and within the past few weeks, my hair has been coming in darker and a little longer, this includes my facial hair. Normally, facial hair isn’t a big deal, but my facial hair has been coming in and, without any of my doing, it’s formed a perfect goatee. It seems to have happened overnight and well, it’s pretty funny and I really can’t explain how it happened.

Aside from that, physically, I’m doing a lot better. I’m getting stronger every day and I’m not as tired as I once was. Although, I’m not back to a 100%, I’d probably say I’m at 60-65%. All of my doctors are happy with the progress I’ve been making; my bloodwork is back to normal and my scans have been looking ok. One of the side effects of chemotherapy is you lose the ability to taste food, but thankfully, my tastebuds are improving and I’m able to taste and smell food once again. Overall, I am getting healthy.

The next steps include more doctors visits, bloodwork, and more tests and scans, which will all take place within the next month or so, and exercise! It’s been close to five months since I’ve been able to exercise and lift weights and because I spent a majority of time in the hospital or at home in bed, I’ve lost a good amount of muscle mass. Since my stamina has been steadily increasing, I can begin to slowly incorporate some exercise and weight lifting again into my daily routine.

Again, thank you all so much for your prayers and well-wishes. It means a lot to me to know that I’m not in this alone. More importantly, it’s also a reminder of how God listens to our prayers and how He answers them.

Until next time…

Hi! It’s been three and a half months since I was first admitted to Fox Chase Cancer Center; it’s been about a month since my fourth and final chemo cycle began. It’s amazing to see how the days have gone by so quickly. At that time though, of course, the days seems to never end, but then looking back, I realize it’s only by God’s grace that I was able to get through everything, seemingly overnight.

It’s also by His grace that I’m continuing to get better. I’m regaining my strength and energy and my appetite has become more steady and normal. I’m not as tired, although, I still have to catch my breath after going up or down a flight of stairs, but much improvement has taken place over the past few weeks. The best news is that my hair is starting to grow back. It’s not much, but it serves as a reminder that I need to start looking for sales on shampoo.

Nowadays, as I’m looking in the mirror at my my almost-there-hair, I started to think back to the day, several months ago, when I first noticed my hair was falling out due to the chemo treatments. Every time I would take a shower or brush my scalp, more and more hair would fall out. Every time I would lift my head from the pillow, there would be strands of hair left behind. At the time, God really comforted me and reminded me that as numerous as the falling hairs may be, He has every one of them numbered.

In the same way, now when I look at myself in the mirror, He is reminding me, even as the hairs are coming back, each one is numbered, yet again. I have to smile everytime I think about it. It’s amazing to think that God loves me so much that He would care about something as mundane as my
hair.

And that’s the point that Jesus was trying to make in the Bible passage found in the book of Mathew 10:28-30

 “Don’t be afraid of those who want to kill your body; they cannot touch your soul. Fear only God, who can destroy both soul and body in hell. What is the price of two sparrows – one copper coin? But not a single sparrow can fall to the ground without your Father knowing it. And the very hairs on your head are all numbered.”

Jesus is trying to express that God loves us so much that He knows even the most minute details about you. There is nothing that goes on in your life without His knowledge. God is all-knowing. If you are ever surprised by a situation in your life, He is not. If you are ever scared of a situation in your life, He is not. If you are dumbfounded or confused by a situation in your life, He is not. Instead He has everything laid out; every one of His plans is carefully laid out and given much consideration and thought.

God’s omniscience (the fact that He is all-knowing) gives me such a peace because I know that inspite of me not knowing all the ins and outs of what’s going on with me, God does. I know that I don’t have to worry about anything because He already sees the beginning to the end. He knows everything that will happen because He is in control. If I didn’t have that peace, if I didn’t have such a relationship with God, my heart would be filled with worry and angst. I would never be able to focus on the future and getting better because my days would be filled with anxiety about what’s going to happen next.

God is fully in control. He’s the one who gave me life; He’s the one who knew me even before I was in my mother’s belly. God is amazing and the fact that He knows everything about me, even how many hairs I have on my head, makes me even more thankful for my Wonderful Maker.

Seems like that is the popular question on this bright and beautiful Monday!

It’s been an exhausting weekend and I know you are eagerly waiting to hear the results of the CT scan and my recent doctor’s visit.

So here goes…

We left the house early Friday morning and didn’t return till extremely late that night; NY traffic is no joke, especially in Manhattan and during rush hour!

I met with one extremely nice and knowledgeable doctor and he was able to share his thoughts on what he believed to be the problem. We spent a good hour talking to the doctor and left feeling relieved.

I won’t share too much detail as to what was discussed, but overall, the results are positive. The CT scan is clear – meaning no indication of cancer remaining, which is great news, but, this time around the doctors want to be more aggressive in their testing so that they are absolutely positive that I’m completely back to normal.

Meanwhile, the progress I’ve made so far is miraculous. God has really put His healing hands to tremendous work and even the doctors are in awe of how well I’ve responded to the treatment given. It’s amazing what prayer can do and it’s even more amazing what God can do.

As the days progress, my strength and appetite are increasing steadily. I continue to have some bad days, but now, those are few and far between.

So what are the next steps? Within a few weeks, I’ll, once again, undergo various tests and scans to make sure the cancer is completely gone. Like I said, the doctors want to err on the side of caution and really be sure that there isn’t even a trace remaining in my body.

After that, well, it’s hard to say what will happen – we’ll have to wait and see what the results of those tests are.

As always, there are never enough words to express the gratitude I have for my family, friends, church, and fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. Your prayers sustain me and I’ll forever and always be grateful for them.

Please continue to keep me in prayer.

Good evening!

Sorry for the lack of communication

I’ve been sitting at home these past two weeks resting and recovering from the last round of chemo. It’s been a bit challenging these past two weeks only because I am longing to get back to normal life, which includes simple things like walking up a flight of stairs without losing breath to strolling the aisles of Shoprite picking up groceries.

Thankfully though, my recovery is going well and I’m doing ok. In fact, my recovery has received a great boost from the NY Giants win today. Thank goodness for football!

I hope everyone has been enjoying the start of football season. I know I am!

So what’s the latest…?

Aside from sitting at home and recovering, I have a CT scan scheduled this Wednesday. The scan will show how my body has responded to the chemo treatment, which will give the doctors a better idea for next steps. Then, this Friday I will be traveling to a hospital in NY to visit with a specialist who will also offer his opinion of next steps. So please keep me in prayer as this will be a busy week for me.

But regardless of what doctors say I leave my fate in the hands of God, the creator and my true Healer.

I miss you all.

Go Giants!

My last cycle of chemo is FINISHED! Thank God for His unfailing love and mercies. I made it home late Tuesday night and I was exhausted!! The entire day was completely draining, but in the end, I made it home and now I’m once again resting and recovering.

Although we’re close, we haven’t reached the end yet. I still need to have some additional tests and scans done in order to see how my body has been responding and once that is complete, the doctors will review and determine the next steps. Please keep on praying and as always, I’m thankful for them.