August 9, 2012 – Day 70
Today is day 70 since my BMT and according to MDA, I am 70 days old. It sure feels good to be 70 (again) ! Last week they started my maintenance Chemo. It was … interesting to say the least 🙂 I was given 10 injections in my tummy honey – 2 a day for 5 days. At the moment they are monitoring my blood levels to determine the impact of the Chemo and plan to adjust it accordingly. They are also planning to “add” Chemo pills to this regiment so I end up with 5 days of injections and +14 days of pills, for a whole year – (fyi; believe it or not, my case is fairly new to MDA – they have not had anyone go for back to back BMTs as quickly as I did or put on such a double maintenance Chemo – I guess I am, after all, one of a kind!! lol ) Well, so far so good. I am still alive and kicking !!! Sometimes I do lack energy, other times have minor side effects, however, all in all, I feel very blessed. I am blessed to be home, surrounded by loved ones and able to hit my own sack at the end of the day, free from IV lines. hm, hm, hm … PTL! As a side note, I had a few friends and relatives visit me at home and once they tasted Jacqueline’s tabouleh immediately commented that it was delicious and indeed full of healing powers – I guess when you’re blessed, you’re blessed all the way – -PTL !
I thank you for your faithful prayers and support for the past … hm … past … wow … it has been a year! hm, hm, hm … it is amazing how time flies when you’re having fun with the Lord, even if it was in the valley or a hot furnace … He gives you a peace that surpasses all understanding. Before leaving Dubai, I found myself meditating on two verses from Jeremiah 17, verses 7 & 8
“Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him.
He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream.
It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green.
It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.”
When I read “has no worries in a year (not days, weeks or months – but year) … I paused and wondered how I would react if it ends up being a year … it never left my mind and here I am today, having passed through a year of drought with no worries ! What can I say but PTL !!!
In His Grip,
Sami
Sami Lahoud 
Dear Brother
I ask God to heal you, and you will be better INSHAALLAH, take care and as I say every time be strong as I know you strong, see you soon here in Iraq INSHAALLAH…
Thanks
You have been a great blessing to us through your hard experience. We PTL for His examplified sufficient grace in your life. Our whole family & the church keeps praying for you. You are in good hands with our faithful Redeemer. GBU.
I love you my Brother.
PTL…PTL…PTL
Praise God from whom all blessings flow,
Praise Him all creatures here below;
Praise Him above, ye heav’nly host;
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost
Praise to the Father praise the Son
Praise to the Spirit Three in One.
Praise to the most high God we sing.
Praise to our Savior, Lord and King.
Chorus
Praise Our God, praise His Name,
Praise our God, for our God saves.
Let every mouth the Lord proclaim.
Let earth and heaven sing His praise
Let every knee before Him bow, Great is our God, the Lord of all.
Praise Our God, praise His Name,
Praise our God, for our God saves.
Praise, God from whom all blessings flow
Praise Him all creatures here below;
Praise Him above, ye heav’nly host;
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.
Amen
We are all still with you Sami!
My brother and my dear friend Sami
I wish to you health and wellness
And see you soon in Basra INSHAALLAH
My brother from another mother is like no other. Love you Sami. Speak of you often, think of you all the time. You touched many of us over here. Truly an inspiration. Kareem was asking about you the other day as was Udai I shared your blog with them.
Good news Sami, Khay ya khayé, You are just a Great Man, God bless you.
Great news Sami. I understand that you’ve been advising Diaa on medical care for his mother.
Thinking of you often and knowing that you are in capable hands. My love to you and your lovely family. XO Betsy
Good news. God will be glorified beyond measure in your healing. God bless you and your family. Frank
Habibi, we’ve always known that you’re one of a kind. God bless you, help you endure the double chemo, and see you all the way to a full cure. Eagerly awaiting a cancer-free day-100 post.
Much love, and thank you again for sharing.
I was just thinking of u yesterday and wondering how u were doing as its been a while since ur last post. So happy to hear ur home. Ive been reading from the book of Jeremiah so I loved reading that verse again. I can also still remember Jaquo’s amazing taboule:):):). Give her my best and tell her I miss her dearly… We miss u all! God bless and protect u everday and night.
Dear Sammi I am happy to hear you are doing better. It has been a hard road but filled with blessings. You and your family are always in my prayers. Love Martha Lahud
Samsoum Habibi Albi,
But of course you are one of a kind!! With a Faith, smile and heart like yours… you definitely are one of a kind. Wow!!! what a combination…
As for Jacqueline 🙂 ya Hayete, not only her tabouleh is full of healing power, did you forget the other delicious dishes she prepared??? Yum, yum, yum…
Yalla, Samsoum, 30 more days God willing, that’s it! 30 more Habibi. Keep your strong faith.
I love you dearly.
You’re always in my thoughts and prayers! Remember my nephew that had leukemia when he was 2? He is starting college in a couple weeks. 🙂
Sami, it has been few months and i was not
Able to read you , then i learned from Jiji that
Teddy got married, went to Facebook watch
The great link and saw you talking about Teddy
I was amazed to see that you are still the Sami
In my memory with “less” hair… 😉
A year has passed with your belief, faith and
Love … It can only go better…
We learned so much from you.
All my love cousin.
tablouh wow I want more yalla keep up the good work and ishallah kheir
Sami!!!
Your press conference yesterday rocked!! You should have gone into a media career. You are definitely one of a kind whose roots are spreading.
We continue to pray for you and your family. i will also add a little extra prayer for more roots – the hair producing ones. 😉
We love you and miss you and cannot wait to enjoy your company in person.
Keep up the fight!!!
Love
Joe, Neala, Bronwyn, and Mary Anne
Hi, Sir! It’s me, Melanie, the Filipino “Mafia” leader as you used to call me 😀 We are and we will always pray for your complete healing. I know our Almighty Father will heal you in His Time. Thank you for being the best employer I ever had. I very blessed of having known your family. You and your whole family is a blessing. God bless!
Sami,
It has been a year in the desert, hasn’t it? Its been tough not having you close by as a friend, although I know you’ll always be close. Stay strong and joyful. I pray for you always. I love you brother.
Jeff
مزمور 65 & 66
كللت السنة بجودك واثارك تقطر دسماً.
اهتفي لله يا كل الأرض. رنموا بمجد اسمه . اجعلوا تسبيحه ممجداً. قولوا لله ما أهيب أعمالك. كل الارض تسجد لك وترنم لك. ترنم لاسمك. هلم انظروا أعمال الله. فعله المرهب نحو بني آدم. ………………. دخلنا في النار والماء ثم اخرجتنا الى الخصب……….. لكن قد سمع الله. أصغى الى صوت صلاتي. مبارك الله الذي لم يبعد صلاتي ولا رحمته عني.
Sami, we miss you and your news. Please send us an update. Love and kisses to all.