Gary and Marietta Welter

A dear and close friend of ours is in dire need of your prayers and financial support.

Gary and Marietta Welter are friends of ours and co-workers with us in the Lord's ministry. Marietta was just diagnosed with acute Luekemia and is undergoing treatments and tests at the Shands Hospital in Gainesville, Florida. Her blood platelets have been dangerously low and she has already received a few transfusions. She's running a low-grade fever now, so she is going on antibiotics.

Please pray for her, my brothers and sisters!

They may do another bone marrow biopsy to determine the specific strand of leukemia. They are running alot of other tests-ultrasound, x-rays, tests on the heart. Marietta now has a port in her arm and above her heart, which they will use for administering chemotherapy, iv's and drawing blood. When they get a better idea what strand they're looking at, they will be able to present the course of treatment.

They plan to do a round of chemotherapy to kill off some of Marietta's marrow before the bone marrow transplant (they kill off the last of it during the transplant itself). This should begin today or tomorrow. All treatment will be done in-patient, so they're looking at possibly up to four weeks in the hospital just for the chemo.

Specific prayer request: for a smooth approval of the paperwork for Medicaid and also Social Security disability.

Also, for those of you who aren't aware of the financial situation, the Welter's do not have health insurance, and their company, Beautiful Walls, cannot operate without the two of them. Therefore, there is no money coming in and uncertainties about income in the near future.

Any monetary gift that you can bless them with can be sent to their home address at:

Important: Since their daughter, Emily, is handling their finances right now, you will need to make all checks out to Emily Puckett.

And you can mail them to:

Gary and Marietta Welter
13200 West Newberry Rd. Unit S99
Newberry, FL 32669

The family will be checking the mailbox daily.

Update - August 07, 2008:

• Marietta tested positive for the Philadelphia chromosome. This will make it more difficult for the cancer to stay in remission.
• There was no sign of cancer in the spinal fluid-PTL! They will continue to administer chemo through a lumbar puncture, though, as a preventive measure.
• Her immune system has basically been knocked down to zero. I spoke with her by phone yesterday, and she wanted me to tell everyone that in spite of this, she is really feeling wonderful! She had extra energy yesterday and had a really good day. The Lord is so faithful.
• Marietta has been moved to a different room. Her new room # is 4244-still on the BMTU floor

Update - August 25, 2008:

As you may recall, the initial bone marrow biopsy revealed approx. 97% cancer in the bone marrow (termed "fully involved"). The oncologist had just recently prepared them that it would be unlikely to see low numbers for awhile. Well, the results just came back and the cancer is down to 3%! Anything below 5% is considered in remission. The oncologist said this is very rare to have a patient go into remission so quickly, that they just never really see this.

They will continue to administer chemo, however, while they prepare now for the bone marrow transplant. Please be in prayer that they will find a match quickly. Marietta's brother and sister are being tested today.

Also, Marietta has now been approved for Medicaid and Social Security disability benefits. This is wonderful timing for the transplant.

Marietta was able to spend some time at home in St. Augustine with her family this past weekend. It was a wonderful time of refreshment and rest for her. However, the doctors informed her today that from this time forward she will not be able to come home until after the transplant and recovery time. She must stay within a 20 minute drive of a hospital that could care for her if something went wrong (Flagler Hospital does not qualify). Therefore, when they do release her between chemo rounds, she and Gary will be staying in Gainesville at the home of Frank Viola. The Violas are dear friends of the Welters, and are precious members of the Body of Christ. Gary has been spending the night in their home while in Gainesville for Marietta's treatment.

Thanks be to our Great God and King and to His wonderful children who have been so faithful to be His hands and feet to the Welter family. We so appreciate your continuing prayers and support for Marietta and the family.

Update - September 18, 2008:

I wanted to let you all know that a serious complication has developed regarding Marietta's condition. Earlier in the week Marietta began experiencing some swelling in her neck, face and arm (the side with the PICC line). The doctors discovered that a blood clot had formed around the PICC line in the collarbone area. The clot appears to be a formation of leukemia cells.

The doctors have said that the clot is inoperable. The hope is that the body will assimilate the clot into the blood vessel wall. For the next 6-12 months, Marietta will be at high risk of this clot going to her lungs or brain.

The doctors have placed Marietta on a blood thinner to help keep other clots from forming. Gary will have to give her this by injection every 12 hours. Marietta will probably have to stay on this medication for up to a year. Unfortunately, because the blood thinner is counterproductive to the leukemia treatment, her blood levels will now have to be checked daily, possibly even on the weekends. It is now critical that her blood platelet count stays above 50, so they will have to monitor that closely.

Because the PICC line has been removed, chemotherapy, for now, will have to be administered through an IV. However, the doctors have mentioned possibly inserting a PICC line on the other side of Marietta's neck as a temporary measure, and then possibly scheduling surgery to put in a port line (an implantable catheter which would connect directly to her heart).

Marietta wanted me to share that she had another lumbar puncture yesterday, and that it went VERY well-it was completed in half the time and went very smoothly. Praise the Lord!

Please pray that the clot will assimilate and that Marietta will be protected from it breaking free. They are continuing to trust in the Lord and His provision, and are saying this is just another "hurdle" to cross. :)

Update - November 17, 2008:

Great news! Two donors have been found for Marietta's bone marrow transplant proceedure! Praise God!

The donor that she will be using is a total 10 match. And even though they cannot give her personal details, it seems that the donor has the same blood type and is female. The second donor will be used as a backup.

Marietta's bone marrow donor has agreed to go forward with the December transplant-praise the Lord! So, if all goes well, in mid-December Marietta will undergo 4-5 days of whole-body radiation (to kill off her blood marrow and any remaining cancerous cells), then the transplant on December 19th.

This is, for many reasons, wonderful news, but also because the December date will cut the number of chemo treatments almost in half, which is such a relief for Marietta.

Thank you so much for your prayers for the upcoming transplant procedure.

Update - January 26, 2009:

The results from the bone marrow biopsy revealed that the transplant never engrafted. Therefore, they have decided to move forward with the second transplant. The hospital has begun the process of contacting the potential donors. There are three matches (including the original donor); they will go with the first available donor. The transplant could happen as early as two weeks from now. Time is of the essence-Marietta is at zero immunity and has been in this state about 3 times longer than they are comfortable with.

Please pray for Marietta to stay free from infection and disease. She is still running fevers intermittently. She is in very good spirits, believing that this is part of what the Lord has for her.

Update - February 19th, 2009:

Marietta has received another round of chemotherapy and a new transplant of bone marrow. Within one week (on her birthday) she was producing white blood cells which is great news! Praise God!

Please pray that all will go well with this transplant and that her ear infection will now be healed.

Update - February 23rd, 2009:

I just received word that Marietta has developed engraftment syndrome, which is a very serious condition that can occur after a bone marrow transplant. Apparently, the overabundance of white blood cells circulating throughout her body has set off a negative chain reaction. The syndrome has manifest in her lungs, causing a build-up of fluid and blood. Marietta is now on oxygen, and will receive massive amounts of steroids in an attempt to counteract the syndrome. Unfortunately, the steroids suppress the immune system, which could result in infection.

We would so appreciate your specific prayers-that this new condition could be brought under control without further damage to any organs, and that Marietta would be protected from infection.

Update - March 1st, 2009:

Gary would like to thank everyone for their prayers-Marietta's lungs are responding to the steroid therapy. The inflammation is going down, and they have been able to reduce her oxygen levels and remove the face mask and just use nose tubes-all signs that the lungs are healing. Praise the Lord!

Also, the numbers from the transplant are looking good, and the doctors think she will be able to continue therapy as an outpatient within a month.

Update - March 10th, 2009:

Marietta Came Home Today!!!

Marietta was bubbling up with the joy of the Lord-she spoke of how her journey truly has been a spiritual one; one of learning how to quiet herself and just listen to her Lord-of knowing that she can do nothing and that He is Everything. She's so thankful for the beautiful Body of Christ, and for witnessing the coming together of the Bride in such a way as to "comfort the part that's hurting".

Marietta will continue to receive outpatient therapy at the clinic for at least a couple of weeks. Please pray that she regains her strength day-by-day. Also, the infection in her right ear has not completely cleared up; she is experiencing about a 30% hearing loss in that ear, but is hopeful that when the inflammation goes down, her hearing will fully return.

Thank you and God bless you all, your brother, Milt Rodriguez