Rance Update

with food donated by Portland's Noho's Hawaiian Cafe
to raise money for the Ishibashi Medical Bills

Sunday, July 11th after 2nd Service

Dear Intercessors,
Our beloved Rance Ishibashi went home to be with His Heavenly Father last Monday morning. There will be a Memorial Service for Rance on Saturday afternoon, June 5th, here at Sunnyside, at 1:30 PM. If you would like to provide a dessert or a finger food item for the reception, please sign up at the Information Center or call the church and let us know. We would like the food delivered downstairs by noon, if possible. A fund for Rance’s family has been set up here at the church. In lieu of flowers checks can be made out to Sunnyside Foursquare Church with a note on the memo line: Rance Ishibashi Memorial Fund. Thanks for your continued prayers for Martha and Rance’s family and friends.

If you would like to help with the reception please contact Pastor Leonard or Michelle Carney (503) 984-6508.

God bless you,
Pastor Leonard

Please direct all cards, letters, and prayers to: Leonard Eurich at 503-698-5555 ext. 225 or email leonard@sunnyside4.org

John 14:13 "And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 "If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.

Rance quietly went home to be with the Lord this morning at about 5:30 AM. Martha still needs our prayers and comfort. She will be resting this morning and I will talk with her this afternoon to begin the process of deciding about memorial service times and other things. I suppose one of the most difficult things for us who pray and believe that God does heal today and that He does do miracles today is trying to understand why Rance didn’t receive his miracle of healing in this life. We know that he is perfectly healed now, as he enjoys the Lord’s presence, for that is the promise for Christians, “to be absent from this body is to be present with the Lord.” But for our questions and lack of full knowledge we must know and we do, is that God loves us and He is sovereign and He knows what is best for us and we must posture ourselves to fit into His plan. Rance is in the presence of his Lord and he is doing really, really good right now. No more pain or frustration with his week and sick body. He is enjoying really life as God, through His love for us, has always intended. Thanks again for your love and faithful prayers for Rance and Martha. Please continue to lift Martha up in your prayers during this difficult season for her. I will let you know when the Memorial Service be held later today or tomorrow.

Rance returned from Hawaii the first of the week. Martha had to call an ambulance to take him to the hospital on Tuesday. The doctors discovered a blood clot in his brain that is causing him to sleep and when he wakes up it’s only for a few seconds and he goes back to sleep. The doctor said that Rance could possibly not wake up from this. He is doing better today, staying awake a little longer. Please pray that the clot would be dissolved quickly and that no damage would be done to his brain. Thanks for your prayers.

I talked with Jim McIntosh after service yesterday and he had just talked with Martha. The news was that the doctors think that the hemorrhage they saw was in fact from a fall that Rance experienced about 2 weeks ago. If things went well Rance could be leaving the hospital today or tomorrow. Please keep praying and I will keep you informed.

I received a call last night from Jim McIntosh that Rance was in the emergency room in Hawaii with a brain hemorrhage. I haven’t heard anything concerning Rance since then. Please continue to pray for him and Martha!

Rance and Martha will be going to Hawaii in a couple of days for a class reunion. Rance has really been looking forward to this. He’s been in a lot of pain and is concerned about the flight. Please read Jim’s email below and continue to pray for his healing and comfort. Thanks again for your prayers on Rance’s behalf.

Rance has been going through a lot in recent days. Much pain in his arms and legs. Very difficult for him to sit for any length of time because his hind end starts hurting. He is afraid of the flight and how he will handle five hours in a seat on the plane. Please ask others to intercede on his behalf. I am praying that he will sleep through most of the flight and have a wonderful time at his reunion.

Martha called me last night and said that Rance was admitted into the hospital with a staff infection. I had talked with him earlier in the week and he had been experiencing severe aching in his body. This weekend he fell on the driveway and hurt his hand, head and then the infection really took off. Martha was able to get him to emergency where they admitted him and started giving him antibiotics. He was feeling better just before she called me. Please continue to pray for his healing. Rance is scheduled to fly to Hawaii for a class reunion in 2 weeks. He really wants to be there. Please pray for God’s healing and grace to be upon him. Thanks again for your prayers!

Drs told Martha that Rance could go home tomorrow, Tuesday the 16th.
They took a CAT Scan today to try and determine where all the blood that leaked went in his body.
He has no infections - Praiser the Lord!
They are giving him blood today.

I talked with Rance yesterday. He’s been in the hospital as a result from internal bleeding that ended up pooling in his thigh. He woke up one morning and couldn’t move and they discovered that this internal bleeding was the problem and very painful as well. The doctors still don’t know exactly what to do. Rance believes that they will send him home today and allow the pool of blood to disseminate and allow his body to absorb it. He will have to really rest and not over do, as he is prone to do. Please continue to pray for his complete healing in this life and don’t forget to pray for Martha as well. Thanks again for your love and prayers for God’s people!

I just received this email concerning Rance from Jim McIntosh. Please join us in praying for Rance. Thanks for your prayers!

When Rance woke up this morning he could not walk. Martha took him to the hospital. He had xrays of his hip. Rance said that they could hear him down the hallway as he was experiencing level 9 pain. It was excruciating. The Doctors do not know what is going on and will let him know what the xrays reveal.

I talked with Rance this morning. I was very surprised that he answered the phone this morning. He sounded much stronger then the last time I saw him. He is doing much better. He said that his body is beginning to stabilize. I asked him how we could pray for him and this is what he said.

1. Pray that his white and red blood cells would stabilize and become normal for him. 2. Pray that his platelets go up.
3. Pray for a smooth switch from IV to oral anti biotics.

The plan is that he will go home tomorrow after they give him some more platelets.

Remember, what Rance needs from us is our continuous prayer and intercession. God will take care of everything else. Christ is Rance’s healer and we can praise God because He is faithful and His love for Rance and for us goes far beyond our comprehension and understanding. We all have the benefit of living in and under God’s magnificent grace, which abounds toward us through Christ Jesus our Lord. Thanks again for your ongoing prayers and intercession for all the prayer requests that come your way!

I visited Rance and Martha in the hospital yesterday. Rance is weak, but holding on. His faith is strong! Martha said that his good platelets rose 1%. That’s not much, but praise God they rose! Please continue to pray for his healing. Both Rance and Martha, plus many others have not given up for Rance’s miraculous healing. Thanks for continuing to pray!

I just talked with Martha and Rance is not doing very well. Their faith is strong. Rance is very weak and the doctors are not very confident that Rance will be able to leave the hospital. Remember that we are relying on God’s promises as we pray. Our job is to pray. We always don’t get what we want, but we know God is in control and that he loves Rance and His plans for us are far beyond our understanding. So again, our job is pray and trust God for the answer.

Rance was admitted back into the hospital yesterday. He was in a lot of pain and very sick. The doctors are not able to give him a blood infusion because his white cells are so low. I talked with Mary Jo yesterday and she had talked with Martha and they really need our prayers, support and God’s comfort. Remember it’s never too late for God to heal! Also remember there is no defeat in our prayers. God simply asks us to pray and intercede. He is the healer. His timing for everything is perfect and just! Thanks for being faithful and loving Rance and Martha as they go through this difficult season.

Rance left me a message on my phone saying that the bone biopsy didn’t turn out good. His doctor is consulting with some other doctors concerning some other chemical treatments that might be available. Rance sounded understandably discouraged, but he reiterated his trust is in Christ to see him through this season. Please continue to pray. Rance has not given up so don’t you. Thanks for your love and continued prayers for Rance and Martha.

I talked with Rance a few minutes ago. He actually called me last night to ask for prayer for a dark spot in his right thigh, which the doctors were very concerned about. Of course Sandy and I prayed along with many others and the report came back that it was a hematoma which must have happened sometime earlier when he knocked up against something. Anyway the hematoma must be tightly wrapped so it doesn’t move and eventually it will be absorbed. They are concerned because of the possibility of a blood clot. So please direct your prayers towards the healing of that hematoma as well as the healing of the leukemia and the infections.

The results of the bone marrow biopsy will be in on Thursday. Continue to pray for a good report. I’ll email you as soon as we know.

Please include praying for Rance’s faith to be strong. He realizes that he has his weak moments, just like us all. Thanks again for your prayers for Rance and for Martha.

Dear Intercessors,

Martha Ishibashi just called me and asked us to pray right now for Rance. The doctor just took a bone marrow biopsy to see if there were any cancer cells. The doctor said if there are cancer cells in the bone marrow there would be nothing they could do for Rance and it would just be a matter of time until this cancer would take his life. Please join me in praying that the bone marrow would be cancer free and that the infections attacking his body would be healed and eliminated from his body. Thanks for your continuous prayers! I’ll report back to you when I here from Martha.

I talked with Rance on Saturday. He was on his way home from the hospital. He was very thankful for being able to go home and enjoy some normalcy. He is still very weak and susceptible to infection. He must return to the hospital everyday to undergo more IV therapy. His faith is strong, but we all now how burdensome and weary these kinds of physical trials are. Please continue to pray for Rance’s healing and strength. Pray for Martha’s endurance and health as well. This is a time when we need to continue to unite in the strength of prayer for Rance’s healing. Thanks again for your love and care for Rance and Martha as well as your continued prayer covering.

Rance is still in the hospital. I had thought that he had returned home, but that only lasted three days or so and he had to go back. He’s been in the hospital for a couple weeks now with that short respite at home. He has battled a lot of infections. He had an infection in his blood, in his bowel and many infectious sores in and around his mouth. Rance says that they burn continuously. His legs and feet have turned dark, almost black, due to the infections and are very swollen. His blood counts needs to go up. His white cell count went up to five today. It had been fluctuating between one and three. So today’s increase is a good sign. They still will only allow family on his floor, due to the H1n1 and other concerns for infections. His immune system has been destroyed by the chemo. Please continue to pray for Rance and Martha. We all know how difficult this is for them. Their faith is still strong and they are longing for the day when Rance is cancer free in this life. AMEN! Thanks again for your prayers.

I just talked with Martha and she has taken Rance to the hospital with a 104 degree temperature. His temperature has now risen to 105 degrees. He has an infection somewhere in his body and they need to find the infection. Please pray that his temperature goes down immediately and that the infection or infections would be healed. Rance just completed his last chemo treatment the first of the week and he’s been feeling pretty bad with aches and weakness.

Thanks for your immediate prayers for his healing.

Please continue to pray for the doors to be opened for Rance to have the “bone marrow” transplant and that God would provide the finances through his insurance or through some other miracle. Thanks for your willingness to stand with Rance and Martha as we seek God to work the healing miracles needed in their lives.

I just talked with Martha and Rance is home from the hospital. He completed the chemo and the doctor let him leave the hospital this morning at about 8am. Rance is hurting and very uncomfortable, a lot of aching and so on. He is very susceptible to germs etc... so Martha is keeping a close watch on him. Please pray for Rance’s comfort. Pray that the aching ceases and that his strength would return. Pray that the chemo worked and that the window of opportunity for the bone marrow transplant would happen. Pray also that the cost of the bone marrow transplant would be covered by the insurance. As of now Rance and Martha would somehow have to come up with the money. Thanks for your ongoing prayer support for Rance and Martha.

I talked with Rance today and he said that the leukemia had returned and that the doctors are going to put him through another round of chemo, possibly as early as this Thursday. As you can imagine this is very discouraging for him and Martha as well.

Hi everyone,
I'll be out of ontact for a while. Had a set back, last weeks bone marrow biopsy revealed that leukemia has returned so I'll be back in the hospital this Thursday for a week of chemo treatment. It was all set up for my bonemarrow transplant in 2 weeks, so now everything is on hold (temporarily).I'll let you know how things come out. My trust is still in the Lord Who has
brought me through this far. My frustration is the 5-6 weeks I lost during the denial & appeals between OHSU and insurance.
Aloha, Rance

Give your case to God, casting all your cares upon Him, for He cares for you.
1 peter 5:7

Please continue to pray for Rance’s healing and also for physical and spiritual strength for him and Martha.

Remember that as you pray God knows the beginning through the end. We can depend on His promises despite what we see. The truth is that Christ has paid the price for our healing as well as Rance’s. So be encouraged this is just a bump in the road. Keep pressing in in prayer. I am believing and praying for Rance’s complete healing here on the earth and that he will be cancer free! Thanks for you ongoing prayers!

I just talked with Rance. Evidently his insurance company is “bumping heads” with OHSU and has denied the paying for the bone marrow transplant. Rance is in the midst of going through the appeal process. Will you please pray that this issue will be reversed into Rance’s favor? Pray that what ever is holding back the approval of coverage would be dealt with and that everything, including the bone marrow transplant would be covered and paid for under Rance’s insurance. Thanks for your intercession and thank you Lord Jesus for continuing to provide the miracles needed for Rance’s complete healing.

Rance will be undergoing another chemo treatment on September 27th or 28th. The chemo treatment will last for 3 days or so. The chemo treatment is designed to bring his resistance down as low as possible. At that point they will do the bone marrow transplant. The transplant could happen around October 5th or so. Many things need to fall in line including the donors timing and availability. Please pray that this entire process of chemo through transplant and recovery is ordered and supported by the Power of God’s Holy Spirit. Pray that “all things work together for Rance’s full healing and recovery!” Thanks for you ongoing prayers.

Praise God!! Things are moving. I was informed last night by OHSU that there are 122 potential bone marrow donors. I am now waiting for DNA matches and my fungal pneumonia and blood infection to clear up. When I do go into OHSU, it wil be for 100 days, give or take how well things go. I don't know as yet when things will move, Martha and I are hoping to spend a few weeks in Nov. at our home on Kauai. Pray for Martha as the stress is greatest on her.

Thanks you again for your faithful prayers and support, which God has honored. I'll let you know when I know more.

I received this update from Mary Jo McIntosh concerning Rance and Martha. This will help us in focusing our prayers. Thanks for praying.

Martha brought Rance home on Thurs. Martha is exhausted, and her brother's wife just died. So much to bear. Martha will be the caregiver at home as the hosp. bill is over one million now! Martha is very nervous to have to do the I.V. packs and injections, as she has never done anything like that before.

I visited Rance at the hospital. His blood counts are very, very low. They have not figured out where this current infection is coming from. They surmise that it may be from the Pick in his chest that receives and distributes all of the medications and I-V’s. The doctors plan is to remove the current Pick for 48 hours and try and get the infection under control and putting in a new Pick on the other side of his chest. In order for that to happen they need to be able to use another vein, which is becoming more difficult to find because of Rance’s current condition. This has been very physically draining for Rance and of course spiritually draining as well. That’s why Rance needs us to stand in the gap for him. This is a very serious time in his recovery. Please pray for the eradication of this infection and the successful treatment for the leukemia. Pray also for strength for him and Martha as well. Thanks for your prayers!

To my concerned friends and family,

As a result of my past week of chemo treatments, all of my blood levels are very low. My white cell count is 0.1, putting me in a condition called NUTROPENIA, therefore Master Sgt. Martha has placed me on house lockdown or isolation. Low Platelet and red cell counts have also taken their toll. Dr. Soo wants to hold off on a blood transfusion, so PRAISE GOD!, somethings up regarding my transplant situation. I do have to make daily trips to Providence
for the next 3 weekd for injections to chemically encourage my bone marrow to increase white blood cell output and blood lab work. So its back and forth for a while. Hey, I still feel good and thank God every day for His healing promises. Most of my appointments are in the mornings so afternoons are better to call.

Aloha, Rance

"For I will restore health to you and heal you of your wounds" (Jer 30:17)

Hawaiian Dinner Fundraiser

Sunday, July 11th after 2nd Service