Let's try an experiment

*English to follow

Pour traduire le texte, vous pouvez utiliser Google Translate pour vous aider.

Dear friends,

I was watching the movie "The Secret" with a dear friend last night and became impressed to write about a very simple principle that we could all try right now, to witness a miracle, the hand of God in action. I hope that you have kept a very positive outlook about everything. What I would like to experiment is for all of us to start shifting our way of addressing what is happening to Nathalie at the moment. Instead of focusing on the negative, I would like to ask you to focus on the positive aspect. Let me clarify my thoughts.

I would appreciate if everyone would start to say: "Thank you for healing Nathalie and restoring all her bodily functions to perfection". Now remember when you do this, you have to talk in the PRESENT, as if it already happened. For example, this is NOT Nathalie's cancer, she DOES NOT WANT IT, it is not hers. So let's rephrase our thoughts. Right now she is battling cancer, she doesn't have cancer. Do you see the difference? I sure hope you do.

For those of you with great imagination, start imagining Nathalie running, doing yoga or every little thing that she used to do before her hip started to hurt and that gave her great pleasure. Imagine her completely healed, in a happy state among family and friends. You have to feel it in your bones, you have feel the happiness as it unfolds in front of you.

I appreciate you sharing the link of the blog with your friends, especially those that know Nathalie so that they too can become part of this experiment. Let's be positive. Let's laugh, let's rejoice in seeing her completely healed in our mind and in our hearts. Thank you for doing this experiment with me, I know that we can ALL be part of all the positive to happen in her life from now on.

Thank you God for healing Nathalie, and restoring all her bodily functions will be my mantra from now on.

Be you all be blessed with health and all the little things that makes your life more enjoyable.

XOXO

P.S. To write an email to Nathalie while she is in the hospital, please use withfaithineveryfootstep@gmail.com. I will print the letters and bring it to her or answer any inquiries about Nathalie. I strongly encourage you to send her a card at home. If you do not have her home address, please email me at this same address.

More tests to come and also more radiation next week!

*English to follow

Pour traduire le texte, vous pouvez utiliser Google Translate pour vous aider.

Dear friends,

Well, today Nathalie is starting her 3rd week in the hospital. Hard to believe isn't it? I am so glad she is receiving good care at the Jewish Hospital. Some of the nurses are so nice and friendly, so it's always a pleasure to see them. We especially love Sadia, a morrocan nurse who is so loving and reminds us both of our dear friend Nadia, who is also morrocan (and not the Nadia writing this blog). We think of you often Nadia and we want you to know that our prayers are with you as well. The roses Mishari brought on your behalf smelled wonderful for a whole 2 weeks. Thank you!

Nat got the blood tests results that revealed that her fever comes from a renal infection, so her oncologist started her on antibiotics in order to help cope with that. She is also scheduled to meet a GI (Gastroenterologist) Specialist to find out why she has been nauseated for so long now. He was supposed to meet with her today but I haven't heard from her tonight, so I'll tell you more as soon as I know.

The radiologist also told her that she will have to radiate her left hip as well next week, so it seems that she will not be leaving the hospital just yet. One day at a time.

When I visited Nat last night with her parents, she had the pleasure to read all the cards, letters and packages she had received at home. Thank you so much for those words of encouragement, they mean so much to know that you are keeping her in your prayers. Despite the illness that is causing her pain, she still finds words of encouragement for her parents that love her so much and care for her very deeply. It is humbling to see the relationship they share. You can definitely tell that the apple did not fall far from the tree.

Well, that's it for tonight. May your lives continue to be blessed with health, that you may be able to do all that you want. Again, a big heartfelt thank you for your words of love, support and encouragement for Nathalie.

P.S. To write an email to Nathalie while she is in the hospital, please use withfaithineveryfootstep@gmail.com. I will print the letters and bring it to her or answer any inquiries about Nathalie. I strongly encourage you to send her a card at home. If you do not have her home address, please email me at this same address.

The radiotheraphy is going well

*English to follow
Pour traduire le texte, vous pouvez utiliser Google Translate pour vous aider.

Dear friends,

Sorry for not being able to update sooner, but there was a power outage in my area because of the cold and it has kept me away from my duty of informing you of what is going on.

As mentioned in the previous update, Nathalie was marked on Friday so that they would be able to start the radiotheraphy on Monday. She was told that it was possible that the pain would increase after the first treatment, but luckily it didn't. She is taking her pain medicine like clockwork though to make sure she feels minimal pain on a daily basis and with the last nurses assigned to her, it has been easier.

She called me tonight to ask you to pray on her behalf about very specific things, which are:

1. To help stabilize her kidney function. The extreme amount of calcium found in her body when she entered the emergency made it difficult for her kidney to fully recover. In order to paliate to that problem, they had to plug her into an IV again.
2. To help stabilize her hemoglobine
3. The help in the healing of her hip and take away the constant pain
4. So that she would have a good digestive function
5. That the pain in the left shoulder she has been feeling might disappear the same way it appeared, quickly!

Even though her whole world seems to be ever changing, she has kept very hight spirit throughout the whole process. On Thursday night, she will have been in the hospital 3 weeks and it might go on a little longer, depending on how well her body is recuperating. Last week she had to cancel most visitors as she started being sick again, having nausea and sweating during the night, accompanied by fever. Though it is hard to stay away, I know it is best to just contact her through the phone during that time. She has been resting and sleeping a lot as well, which is why a lot of people told me that they haven't been able to get a hold of her yet at the hospital yet. All I can tell you, is try again. I know it is hard, which is why I've created the blog, so that you can stay informed, even though you can't visit or talk to her directly.

In the past week, the two ladies who shared the room with her lost their battles to very advanced stage of cancer. She is on the floor use by cancer patients and that is a reality that she is faced with everyday, which is why Nathalie feels so fortunate to have the knowledge of the gospel. Though we all feel very strongly that her time has not come yet, she is at peace with the situation because of her belief in the Plan of Salvation and the knowledge that life doest not end after death. We have been given this time on earth to prepare to meet God and since she is a woman of faith, she feels confident that when her time will come, that she will have done everything in her power to stay true to her covenants.

I wish to thank you all for your generosity in time, money, comfort and everything else that you have been able to provide her. She appreciates each and every one of you and feels blessed to have so many wonderful friends praying for her recovery. The world may be big, but when we all unite in prayers, it seems so small. Speaking of prayers, Brigitte (Nathalie's sister) brought to my attention the need of a little 7-year old girl name Élimie Filiatrault who was diagnosed with neuroblastoma, a cancer that had lodged near his kidney and is very resistant to medical treatment. A Facebook page has been created for her explaining in more detail her condition, but Brigitte has asked me if we could include this little angel in our prayers as well. Her mother was actually Brigitte's son teacher, which is why she has heard of her condition. For more info, you can check out one of the many pages created for her on Facebook. The pages are all in French though.

Well, I hope that this update will find you well and know that it is Nathalie's wish to thank you all for everything you are doing on her behalf. A very heartfelt thank you to you all.

If you have a minute, please write a comment under the posts and let me know how I can better spread the information.

P.S. To write an email to Nathalie while she is in the hospital, please use withfaithineveryfootstep@gmail.com. I will print the letters and bring it to her or answer any inquiries about Nathalie. I strongly encourage you to send her a card at home. If you do not have her home address, please email me at this same address.

14e jour ~ La radiothérapie commencera demain

*Le texte en français suivra

This time it will be in French, so for those of you who don't understand, here's hoping Google Translate can help decipher this message!!!

Nathalie m'a appris la bonne nouvelle que ses traitements de radiothérapie commenceront demain. Enfin par débuteront demain ça veut soit dire qu'ils vont commencer à faire les marques sur son corps afin de pouvoir recevoir la radiothérapie dans les prochains jours ou qu'ils entameront tout le processus, y compris le premier traitement, ce que je souhaite vivement. À ce stade-ci, nous ne savons toujours pas combien de traitements elle devra recevoir ni combien de temps sa convalescence durera. Pour l'instant, comme elle reçoit encore des injections pour sa douleur dans la hanche, je ne crois pas qu'ils décident de la laisser retourner à la maison tant que les traitements ne montrent une diminution de la douleur, du moins je l'espère.

Comme elle ne se sentait pas très bien se matin, elle a annulé toutes les visites pour la journée afin de pouvoir dormir le plus possible, ce qui s'est avéré la meilleure chose à faire pour elle afin de pouvoir récupérer. Ses parents lui rendront visite demain, ce qui lui fait toujours très plaisir.

Son moral est toujours excellent, et sa foi inébranlable. Encore et toujours elle demeure un pilier de reconnaissance pour toutes les petites choses autour d'elle et reconnaît la main de Dieu en toutes choses. Égale à elle même, elle partage toujours de magnifiques expériences spirituelles avec ceux qui veulent bien l'écouter.

J'en profite pour remercier tous ceux qui m'envoient de magnifiques paroles d'encouragement et de reconnaissance pour ce blogue qui leur permet de se sentir plus près de Nathalie. Je suis contente de pouvoir être l'instrument qui vous permet de vous rapprocher d'elle.

Je vous souhaite tous une magnifique fin de semaine.

P.S. To write an email to Nathalie while she is in the hospital, please use withfaithineveryfootstep@gmail.com. I will print the letters and bring it to her or answer any inquiries about Nathalie. I strongly encourage you to send her a card at home. If you do not have her home address, please email me at this same address.

The oncologist revealed the PET Scan results

*English to follow

Pour traduire le texte, vous pouvez utiliser Google Translate pour vous aider.

Dear friends,

I just learned that cancer that metastasizes (spreads) to the bones from other parts of the body, such as the breast, lung, or prostate, is called metastatic cancer, and is named for the organ or tissue in which it began. Primary bone cancer is far less common than cancer that spreads to the bones.
 In order to complete the diagnosis, her oncologist performed the following tests:

• A computed tomography (CT or CAT) scan, which is a series of detailed pictures of areas inside the body, taken from different angles, that are created by a computer linked to an x-ray machine.
• A magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) procedure, which uses a powerful magnet linked to a computer to create detailed pictures of areas inside the body without using x-rays.
• A positron emission tomography (PET) scan, in which a small amount of radioactive glucose (sugar) is injected into a vein, and a scanner is used to make detailed, computerized pictures of areas inside the body where the glucose is used. Because cancer cells often use more glucose than normal cells, the pictures can be used to find cancer cells in the body.

Nathalie's oncologist came back with the PET Scan results today. Turns out it's a good outlook!

The tumor is located in her hip and there are a few lesions around her spine in her back. Her oncologist will now start the treatment shortly, exactly when, we don't know. He mentioned that he will start her on radiotheraphy and hormonal therapy to irradiate the tumors. Nathalie is very optimistic about this news because it means that it hasn't spread too much.

Her treatments will include:

1. Radiation therapy, also called radiotherapy, involves the use of high-energy x-rays to kill cancer cells.
2. Hormonal therapy. Hormones are chemical substances that are produced by glands in the body or made in a laboratory. Hormonal therapy is a treatment that removes hormones from your body or blocks their action and stops cancer cells from growing. Drugs, surgery or radiation therapy can be used to change hormone levels.

Again, I want to emphasis that Nathalie is really positive about the whole process, and you should too. Her will to beat this cancer is what will carry her through. I hope and pray that we will all be able to sustain her during this time, by staying positive and upbeat and by constantly showing our support. Remember, Nathalie has the faith that she will overcome this cancer, and so should you.

May God's blessings be upon you all.

P.S. To write an email to Nathalie while she is in the hospital, please use withfaithineveryfootstep@gmail.com. I will print the letters and bring it to her or answer any inquiries about Nathalie. I strongly encourage you to send her a card at home. If you do not have her home address, please email me at this same address.

Avant d'aller visiter Nathalie

*Le texte en français suivra

This time it will be in French, so for those of you who don't understand, here's hoping Google Translate can do a good job!!!

Encore une fois j'aimerais remercier toutes les personnes qui se sont déplacées pour aller visiter Nathalie mais j'aimerais vous rappeler que suite à la demande de Nathalie, je vous invite à communiquer avec moi par courriel avant d'aller la visiter afin d'éviter qu'il y ait trop de personnes qui lui rendent visite en même temps car elle est à l'hôpital pour se reposer. La priorité est également donnée aux membres de sa famille.

Merci de votre compréhension.

P.S. To write an email to Nathalie while she is in the hospital, please use withfaithineveryfootstep@gmail.com. I will print the letters and bring it to her or answer any inquiries about Nathalie. I strongly encourage you to send her a card at home. If you do not have her home address, please email me at this same address.

Message de Nathalie ~ Personal message from Nathalie

Message de Nathalie en français

Pour écrire un courriel à Nathalie alors qu'elle est à l'hôpital, s'il vous plaît utiliser withfaithineveryfootstep@gmail.com. Je vais imprimer les lettres et les lui apporter ou de répondre aux demandes de renseignements au sujet de Nathalie. Je vous encourage fortement à lui envoyer une carte à la maison. Si vous n'avez pas l'adresse de son domicile, s'il vous plaît écrivez-moi à cette même adresse et je vous la fournirai.

Nathalie's personal message to you

P.S. To write an email to Nathalie while she is in the hospital, please use withfaithineveryfootstep@gmail.com. I will print the letters and bring it to her or answer any inquiries about Nathalie. I strongly encourage you to send her a card at home. If you do not have her home address, please email me at this same address.

Nathalie's mensaje en Español

P.S. Para escribir un correo electrónico a Nathalie mientras que está en el hospital, utilice por favor withfaithineveryfootstep@gmail.com. Imprimiré las cartas y le las traeré o contestaré a cualquier pregunta sobre ella. Yo le recomendamos que envíe su tarjeta en casa. Si usted no tiene su dirección, por favor envíeme un correo electrónico en esta misma dirección y yo le enviará por correo electrónico.

Messages de Madame et Monsieur Rivard

Voici Nathalie à l'hôpital... so this is what she looks like now!

It's important to bring the sriptures to be spiritually fed.

And bring good books to read...

And good games to keep our mind busy.

Nathalie with her parents while visiting one afternoon.

Nat and Nadia... N&N

The result of the Brain MRI is in

*English to follow

Pour traduire le texte, vous pouvez utiliser Google Translate pour vous aider.

The result is in and we're happy to report that it was all cleared. Ouf! (that's a big sight of relief from me). Nat did her PET scan* this afternoon and we are waiting to hear from the oncologist how he would like to proceed with that information. I'll keep you posted as soon as I know.

Luckily she asked her mom to bring her a sandwich, otherwise she would not have eaten at all in the afternoon since she was supposed to be fasting for that test. On top of that, they forgot to bring her dinner, so she got stuck eating pasta in a tomato sauce and as expected, the acidity in the sauce made her sick! Luckily her visitors had to cancel because they were also sick so she was able to rest in the evening.

Now here is a picture that I took in the afternoon while I visited her with her parents. I'll post more picture and the videos we made in French, English and Spanish for all to hear form her own mouth how she is doing. Stay tuned, I'll post them as soon as I have a minute.

More details to come tomorrow!

*En cliquant sur le lien du PET Scan, vous pourrez lire le texte en cliquant sur la langue de votre choix dans la colonne de gauche.

P.S. To write an email to Nathalie while she is in the hospital, please use withfaithineveryfootstep@gmail.com. I will print the letters and bring it to her or answer any inquiries about Nathalie. I strongly encourage you to send her a card at home. If you do not have her home address, please email me at this same address.

We're live!!!

*English to follow

Pour traduire le texte, vous pouvez utiliser Google Translate pour vous aider.

Hello everybody!

Well this is it, we've finally gone live so that everyone can come and get the information they want about Nathalie's condition. I will try to update it on a daily basis so that you can all know what is going on.

First and foremost, a big heartfelt thank you to Jorge Perea for making this blog for Nathalie and to Enrico Lévesque for making one as well, not knowing that Jorge was already working on this one. Unfortunately I don't have a Blackberry or an iPhone and therefore was not able to communicate to Enrico that I finally got in touch with Jorge around lunch so that he could start working on it before I started running my errands. In any case, thank you both for helping me achieve the final results.

Nathalie is doing better. During the weekend they finally removed the iv and the catheter, so she is now more free to move. They did an MRI of the brain today and hopefully I'll see her doctor tomorrow to have the results of that and she is schedule for a PET Scan tomorrow. This should give her oncologist a better sense of what is really happening to Nathalie as it will show her whole body. More updates to come as we get the results.

Nathalie wishes to thank all of those who have called, those who have tried countless times and are still not able to reach her, please don't despair if you get no one at the other end, it means that she is recuperating by sleeping, visiting with someone or gone for tests, so it's all very valid reasons.

Tomorrow I'll be going to Royal Victoria Hospital in the morning for her father's pacemaker bi-annual adjustment. Hopefully that will help him be less anxious about his own condition.

That's all for today, but I just want to reiterate the fact that it's always nice to receive a card when we're in the hospital, so those of you who are far, this is a great way to feel a little closer to Nat. You can either send it to me or to her house and we will deliver it to Nathalie as soon as they are received.

May God bless you all for you prayers and willingness to help in all things.

Love you all!

Nadia

P.S. To write an email to Nathalie while she is in the hospital, please use withfaithineveryfootstep@gmail.com. I will print the letters and bring it to her or answer any inquiries about Nathalie. I strongly encourage you to send her a card at home. If you do not have her home address, please email me at this same address.

Nouvelles de Nathalie

*Le texte en français suivra
This time it will be in French, so for those of you who don't understand, here's hoping Google Translate can do a good job!!!

Premièrement je tiens à remercier tous ceux qui m'ont répondus personnellement car les messages d'espoir et d'amour envers Nathalie m'ont vraiment touchés. Avant de faire la mise à jour, je tenais à mentionner que Nathalie a exprimé le désir que j'avise tout le monde qu'elle apprécie de savoir que vous aimeriez tous venir la visiter, mais qu'il est important qu'elle puisse dormir pendant qu'elle est à l'hôpital afin qu'elle puisse récupérer le plus rapidement possible. À cet effet, je vous demanderais de vous abstenir d'aller la visiter à l'hôpital. Vous pouvez lui téléphoner le matin entre 10h et midi, ou le soir, entre 19h-20h. Afin de ne pas trop la fatiguer, je vous demanderai de garder les appels entre 10-15 minutes. Vous la connaissez, elle vous écoutera par politesse, même si elle est fatiguée. Je vous invite donc à abréger la conversation au bout de 15 minutes afin de la laisser se reposer.

Les personnes qui ont exprimées le désir de la visiter et m'en ont déjà fait part, veuillez vérifier avec moi si vous êtes bien sur le calendrier. La priorité sera toujours laissé à sa famille afin qu'ils puissent passer du temps privilégié avec elle.

Aujourd'hui elle a eu 13 visiteurs et était complètement épuisée à la fin de la journée, quoique contente d'avoir vu toute le monde! SVP faites passer ce message à tous ceux qui la connaissent car il semble que tout le pieu est maintenant au courant et que plusieurs personnes essaient de planifier une visite. Il est impossible que tous puissent la visiter. Nous vous demandons d'attendre qu'elle soit de retour à la maison pour planifier une visite.

Nathalie a eu de la difficulté à garder son souper de dimanche, mais depuis, tout semble être revenu à la normale, c'est-à-dire qu'elle a recommencé à manger un repas au complet, quoiqu'elle mange encore très peu, probablement par peur de le régurgiter! Elle a repris ses couleurs normale et ça lui remonte le moral.

Son médecin était content hier de voir que son taux de calcium est finalement revenu à la normale. Aujourd'hui ils ont essayés d'augmenter son potassium qui était trop bas. Une fois le tout rétabli, les examens vont pouvoir commencer, probablement demain.

En terminant, j'aimerais clarifier un point afin de vous rassurer que Nathalie n'est pas en train de mourir. Elle est en très bonnes mains à l'hôpital et très confiante que tout se déroulera pour le mieux et qu'elle pourra retrouver la santé sous peu. Son moral est excellent car elle a la foi qu'elle va guérir, la moitié de la bataille est donc vaincu!

Encore une fois merci de vos encouragements et sachez que je lui transmet toujours tous les magnifiques messages de prompt rétablissement que vous lui faites parvenir à travers moi, mais j'en profite pour vous encourager à lui envoyer une petite carte, car elle pourra les lire à son aise et même les relire au besoin. Son adresse est indiquée à la fin du message précédent.

Au plaisir!

P.S. To write an email to Nathalie while she is in the hospital, please use withfaithineveryfootstep@gmail.com. I will print the letters and bring it to her or answer any inquiries about Nathalie. I strongly encourage you to send her a card at home. If you do not have her home address, please email me at this same address.

Saturday's update about Nat

*English to follow
Pour traduire le texte, vous pouvez utiliser Google Translate pour vous aider.

Hello all,

I'll be brief because I am exhausted tonight. I just finished replying to most of you individually but for sake of time, I might be answering you all during a mass email next time since you all pretty much ask the same questions, so if I don't answer personally, please don't be offended, because I'm just running out of juice at the end of the day.

These updates are never easy to write, I'll tell you that, but I feel that her friends should know what she is going through. She is a woman of extraordinary faith and she needs all of our love and support at this time.

Just to clarify with everyone, her breast cancer was diagnosed in the summer of 2008. At that time, she got operated and besides her family and very close friends, nobody knew about it. This time around, those that heard and noticed that something was wrong kept asking so I decided, along with her permission of course, to let people know as I was certain that united we could do something to help her. The outpouring of love that came from that first email I sent at the beginning of December when I mentioned that her cancer was back, was amazing. I cried a lot when I read the love messages and felt the support I got from our mutual friends. You really are the best in the world!!!

This time around, the oncologists pronounced a diagnosis of bone cancer. One seemed quite certain and the other one wanted to run more tests to be sure, so they will do that this week to figure out to what extend and which approach they should take, but the two oncologists that I met are very positive in saying that the aggressive treatment works at a rate of about 85-90% so that gave Nathalie a lot of hope. She is very positive in all of this and is a huge example of faith in moments of trial. She still has a lot to teach us.

If you wish to call her, try to call the hospital in the morning between 10AM and noon EST. If you get no answer, it means that she is sleeping, so you'll have to try later. If you wish to call later than that, you can do so in the evening between 7-9 PM latest so that you do not wake up the other patient sharing her room.

She will be alone tomorrow morning while I go to church. Afterwards, around noon, I will go and pick up her parents, so if you can visit her in the morning, that would be great!

Please remember that if you get really emotional while calling or visiting, she will try to console you... while she is the one that needs to be uplifted. As for me (who can cry on cue) I cry my heart out before I go and visit with her so that I am as dry as the desert when I go see her.

We'll be fasting for her tomorrow. If you can join us, great, if you can't "You're still my friend" would reply Nat. ;)

We love you all and cannot stop talking about how amazing our friends are, and that means all of you! We feel really blessed to count you as our friends and know that YOU can always count on US. Again I wish to thank you all for all that you do. It touches our heart in ways you can't imagine.

I will try to give an update as often as I can.

If you know of someone that knows Nat but who I might have overlooked, please feel free to send them the message as I can't possibly get to everyone alone.

P.S. Some of you enquired how to best send money for her. I used PayPal last time with someone and it was really convenient to transfer the money. It is free to send and very minimal fee for me to retrieve it and now I am able to transfer the money directly in her bank account, so it's even easier. You can do so by using the email address (withfaithineveryfootstep@gmail.com) that has been created for this purpose on www.paypal.com.

P.S.S. To write an email to Nathalie while she is in the hospital, please use withfaithineveryfootstep@gmail.com. I will print the letters and bring it to her or answer any inquiries about Nathalie. I strongly encourage you to send her a card at home. If you do not have her home address, please email me at this same address.

More bad news about Nathalie Rivard

*English to follow
Premièrement je tiens à m'excuser aux francophones si les courriels sont en anglais mais je n'ai que peu de temps pour écrire et comme plusieurs anglophones ne comprennent pas un mot de français, j'ai choisi d'écrire en anglais. Au besoin, vous pouvez utiliser Google Translate pour vous aider.

Dear all,

First of all, I apologize to all of those who gets this email for the first time. I had made a list of all the friends Nathalie and I have in common and who's email I had to send the first email informing you that Nathalie's breast cancer had come back and to ask for your help in prayers and action, but apparently it didn't reach all of you. I apologize. I will attach the first email at the bottom so that you are aware of what is going on. I appreciate the response I received from those that got the email and want to thank all of those that have contributed on her behalf.

I'm afraid though that I am not a bearer of good news today. When she got operated in December, I failed to mention to you all that she had suffered a hip injury last August that never seemed to go away, but which was growing more painfully every passing day.

During the week of January 3rd, the pain was so severe that she was considering going to the hospital after the sports doctor refused to give her an injection of cortisone when she described her pain on Thursday. That day when I talked to her she told me that she had been throwing up for a day and was not able to hold any food down. She had called the hospital where she was operated to ask whether it would be possible for her to wait on a stretcher in the ER because she was not able to sit for more than 15 minutes on a chair. The answer was a categoric "NO". She was devastated.

She was inspired to called the Jarvis, a couple of friends of ours who are both doctors at the Jewish Hospital and when Kathy offered to take her to the ER of the Jewish, she jumped at the occasion.

To make a long story short, when she arrived at the ER, her pressure was 170/113 which is EXTREMELY high, which meant one of two possibilities, she was either in heart failure or in excruciating pain. In her case, it was the latter. The doctors took her history and ordered more tests, to discover that the pain was coming from an abnormal high dosage of calcium in her blood, indicating that the cancer had now spread to her bones. The high level of calcium was the reason she had been throwing up and the cancer the reason what seemed like a hip injury was not healing at all.

She has now been admitted to the hospital and I was there when they moved her to her room. I am on my way back to the hospital today.

For those of you wishing to send something, you can do so through me again or directly to her. Email me at this blog for the detailed address.

I will bring her parents to the hospital everyday that I can, so that all letters and packages will be brought to her on a daily basis, but those in town and that know her parents and would be able to bring them to see her, please get in touch with me. I will bring her father to her cardiologist appointment on Monday because he is really afraid of getting lost, so he needs to be reassured. I will replace Nathalie in the interim but would ask for your prayers in the meantime.

No one should have to go through so much pain and suffering, and Nathalie is really not one to complain about anything unless she is in a lot of pain, so please keep her in your thoughts and prayers.

If you want to call her, you can reach her at (514) 340-8222 (2891). If no one picks up the phone, it's just that she is most probably sleeping or have visitors, so you should try again later.

She just called me to give me an update about her condition. She was able to hold down the food this morning, at least for now, which is a huge improvement. I'm on my way to pick up her parents so that they can go and visit with her today.

May you have a blessed day.

P.S. To write an email to Nathalie while she is in the hospital, please use withfaithineveryfootstep@gmail.com. I will print the letters and bring it to her or answer any inquiries about Nathalie. I strongly encourage you to send her a card at home. If you do not have her home address, please email me at this same address.