I am writing to give you some good news, concerning Jim Reyna. October 8th was the anniversary of his liver transplant. On Nov. 3rd Jim returned to Baylor for an annual checkup. The good news is that Jim’s recovery status was found to be excellent, amazing some of the doctors. If the doctors knew how many prayers are being offered on his behalf there would be no amazement. It has been through your prayers and financial help that this has been made possible. Therefore on behalf of Jim and his family it is with a truly heart felt thanks from the bottom of our hearts, for all the prayers and the financial help you have provided, both large and small. “You will be enriched in every way for all your generosity, which through us will produce thanksgiving to God.” 2 Co 9:11. May God richly bless the generosity of each and everyone of you. I wish to say a special welcome and thank you to those that have added themselves to our growing list of donors.

Some additional good news is due to Jim’s personal financial status being low that Baylor wrote off the balance of unpaid charges on his account. On the last statement from them the balance due equaled zero. In addition through a prescription program from Baylor he s now able get some of his high cost medication at a reduced price. However his prescription overall cost is still in excess of $300.00 per month. The Texas High Risk Insurance program premium cost has been creeping up to be at $842.00 per month. They have notified Jim that due to his low income level that after Jan. 1, 2011, the premium will be reduced by 50%. In addition to this Jim was able to return to preaching and teaching full time in the latter part of June without any further medical complications hindering him.

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Now for some concerns. I mention this with a great deal of reluctance because of the individuals and congregations that have continued to contribute to brother Reyna’s medical needs. Even though I have been emailing and mailing 120 letters a week to congregations across this country, funds are coming in at a less frequent rate. Although the medical bills have been paid or written off Jim will continue to need funds. At the present rate of income vs. expenses my fear is the inability to pay Jim’s insurance premiums, prescriptions and mandatory cell phone cost. If this should be the case I can only imagine what will happen. It would be wonderful if someone would help share this expense on a monthly basis. Please pray that contributions will increase and Jim’s financial needs be met. He still continues to need your prayers and encouragement. Sending him cards and letters would be a great encouragement. The recovery time can be a drag and he is already trying to do more than he should, yet he continues to have a positive and humorous outlook, for the most part.

Needless to say, that from all the complications Jim had before he got the transplant, the bills still come in (see How To Donate page for donation information). The insurance is paying 80%. Even though I have been emailing and mailing 120 letters a week funds are coming in at a less frequent rate. It is with a truly heart felt thanks from the bottom of our hearts, from ourselves and the Reyna family, for any financial help you can provide, both large and small. “You will be enriched in every way for all your generosity, which through us will produce thanksgiving to God.” 2 Co 9:11. May God richly bless the generosity of each and everyone of you. To update you on his continuing needs, and on the status of the fund, at the present time there is less than $7,000.00 on hand in the fund. The insurance premiums have now exceeded $1,000.00 per month. His medication expenses at the present are predicted to cost $550.00 per month. This expense will decrease as they decrease his medications. I am still holding about $10,000.00 in medical bills that need to be paid from all the throat and lower intestine bleeds were caused by back pressure from the diseased liver and the infection he developed after the cancer removal surgery from his liver. Therefore Jim will continue to need funds. He will continue to need your prayers and encouragement. 1Jn 3:17-18 “But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him? Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.”

First, my heartfelt thanks to all those who have lifted me up before the Lord in these hard times. The Lord has been heeding your prayers. On October 8, 2009, I received a liver. I don’t know that donor’s name. I know that she was a young woman. Please keep her family in your prayers.

We have been in Dallas, Texas since that time. Baylor Medical Center Transplants requires that the transplant recipient remain in Dallas for 3 months after the procedure. This allows the transplant team of doctors to regulate the many medications and to educate the recipient on how best to maintain the new liver. Many of these medications will be taken for the rest of my life.

The recovery, at first, was quite painful. It was well over a month before I could maintain any semblance of normalcy in my daily life. But I have been improving steadily and feel really well right now. The doctors have given me a tentative “going home” date of January 6, 2010. I can hardly wait. It’s been very hard being away from my kids during this time. Becca celebrated her 16th birthday in November and we couldn’t be there. We missed Thanksgiving, but hope to celebrate Christmas together.

There have been some complications in the procedure. One of the veins in the right lobe collapsed a couple of days after the surgery. They had to go back in and repair it. The veins in the left lobe are blocked but the liver appears to be compensating somewhat. However, the liver is functioning well overall. The blood tests indicate good liver function. In the future, a stent may have to be installed, but that’s not a certainty. The oncologist determined that I will not have to undergo chemotherapy. His evaluation is that the chances of the cancer recurring are less than 5%. The cancer was localized in the removed liver and had not spread to any part of my body. Overall, we are very pleased with everything. We hold your prayers near to us. We are also very grateful for the financial gifts that you have supplied.

I want to offer a special thanks to our friends, Jim and Linda Newsted who have worked so hard as trustees of the medical fund. It’s a LOT of work and they have labored tirelessly on our behalf! We love you guys! And of course, we offer the Lord all the Glory and Honor He so well deserves. Please pray that I will use this new gift faithfully in His service.

Jim Reyna

After these incidents, he made the decision that a TIPS procedure be performed on the liver.  This is where a shunt is surgically embedded in the liver to relieve the blood pressure.  I went to Baylor Medical Center in Dallas to have the surgery performed.  During the preliminary testing, two cancers were discovered in the liver.  The TIPS procedure was abandoned in favor of treating the cancer.  So our 4-day trip turned into 3 weeks.

The largest tumor was treated with a procedure called RadioFrequency Ablation (RFA).  This is a laproscopic surgery.  In radiofrequency ablation, imaging techniques such as ultrasound, computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) are used to help guide a needle electrode into a cancerous tumor. High-frequency electrical currents are then passed through the electrode, creating heat that destroys the abnormal cells.  In effect, it “cooks” the tumor and some of the surrounding liver tissue. The procedure itself wasn’t too bad. I had some problems with pain and other things for a while.

So, Ella Mae and I came home for a week to rest up for the next treatment of the other tumor.  Upon returning to Baylor, the preliminary tests revealed a third tumor.  These two tumors would receive Chemoembolization as the treatment.  In chemoembolization, anti-cancer drugs are injected directly into a cancerous tumor. In addition, synthetic material called an embolic agent is placed inside the blood vessels that supply blood to the tumor, in effect trapping the chemotherapy in the tumor.

This procedure was performed and we were back home in about a week.  I’m still in some pain, but it’s to be expected.  I’m glad the Lord revealed these medical procedures so that His children and others could be benefited. Cancer was not discovered in any other part of my body.  And believe me, they did a lot of thorough testing to check if it had spread. With your prayers and support, these cancer issues will become inconsequential.

On the up side, the presence of the tumors doubled my MELD score from 11 to 22. The MELD prioritizes patients waiting for a liver transplant. MELD is a numerical scale used for adult liver transplant candidates.  I recently received a letter from my Baylor Physician, Dr. Rita Lepe stating that due to the new developments “…you will be transplanted very soon.”  I wonder what she means by “very soon”?  I am to see my gastroenterologist, Dr. Thomas Johnson in Amarillo, TX within the next week.

Then we wait!

“Yet those who wait for the LORD Will gain new strength; They will mount up with wings like eagles, They will run and not get tired, They will walk and not become weary,” Isaiah 40:31

Thank you for your love, prayers and support.  Your generous donations have been a great help to us.

May The Lord Richly Bless You,

Jim, EllaMae and Kids

Now this brings me to another financial need we are having. The small congregation here in McLean is active and enthusiastic for the Lord. Our numbers, however, limit what they can do financially. My salary is $400.00 per week and that’s a stretch for our congregation. With that amount I must cover the living expenses for a family of 5. I would like to take a second job and that would be okay with the church but since the second bleeding incident that’s no longer possible. I am severely limited in my abilities. It is frustrating and hard to accept.

My request is that if you can donate to my living and/or medical expenses, you don’t know how much that would bless us. My kids always have needs which I haven’t been able to provide. And I mention this just to illustrate the harsh reality of the situation. It is only through the good will of the brethren that we will be able to survive.

Of course, prayers are always welcomed and cherished. And helpful advice on alternative approaches would be great. I am humbling myself before the brethren to make this request. It is not an easy thing to do. Please help if you can and please pray for us.

Your Fellow-Servant,

Jim Reyna

About 15 years ago, I was diagnosed with Hepatitis C which was discovered during a routine insurance examination. I don’t know if I caught it in South America or during a surgery where I received blood in the 1980s. Nonetheless, I have it.

I underwent experimental interferon treatments for six months. That regimen was still in it’s infancy then. It involved self-injections of the interferon once a week for six months. It didn’t work.

I was preaching at the time in Cheyenne, Wyoming. I preached there for seven years until we moved to McLean, Texas. We have been in McLean for almost 12 years now. I preach for the Old Route 66 Church of Christ.

While here, I underwent a year-long regimen of the newer interferon treatments. This required self-injections of the interferon 3 times a week, along with other medications to help fight the side effects. The side effects would be very similar to chemotherapy. I felt like had the flu for a year, hair loss, weight loss, loss of energy and appetite. All the things one might expect.

But I was very thankful that the treatment was available and that I was able to undergo it. However, it didn’t work, either.

About a year or so after the interferon treatment, the veins in my esophagus burst due to my stressed circulation in the liver and I almost bled to death. But apparently the Lord had other plans.

After this incident, my gastroenterologist determined that the next step would be a liver transplant. So he arranged for me to go to Baylor Medical Center in Dallas, Texas.

It is a premier facility and after a series of week-long tests (mri, blood work, etc.) they determined that I was indeed a candidate for a liver transplant. So, at this point, I am just waiting for the transplant. I take regularly scheduled trips to Dallas so they can monitor my status. I also see my local gastroenterologist, Dr. Thomas Johnson, in Amarillo, Texas on a regular basis.

Actually, I had been feeling pretty good, all things considered. But this May, 2008, the veins in esophagus burst again and I almost died again. But the Lord must still have other plans. After this incident, however, I am feeling the negative effects more strongly than ever.

And still, we pray and wait. I am uplifted by the many prayers that are going before God’s throne on behalf of me and my family. And every once in a while I will receive a card from the brethren who have become aware of my condition to let me know I am in their prayers. How great is that!?

Jim and Linda Newsted are the trustees of the Jim Reyna Medical Fund. The fund was started in response to paying a $35,000.00 medical bill debt, to maintain his costly Health Insurance premiums, to maintain his health needs and raise future funds leading to a liver transplant for Jim.

We first met Jim in 1999 when we were looking for a good congregation to be a part of when problems with the local congregation here in Shamrock, TX became of such that we could no longer work and worship in peace. We spent 8 years attending a McLean, TX congregation with Jim as our preacher and teacher, traveling 44 miles round trip to do so, twice on Sunday for two worship services and on Wed. nights for Bible Study. During those years we came to love both Ella Mae, Jim and his family and the work they were doing in McLean,TX area.

We moved from Nashville, TN to Shamrock after having to make several trips to Shamrock for family illnesses, in that Linda’s parents lived here. We found ourselves making too many trips and we had lived too far away from family for too long. We gave up our jobs and moved here, We found employment almost immediately, without too much of a financial hardship.

Having met in Phoenix, AZ when I was stationed there in the Air Force, we married in 1963. Our oldest daughter was born on Aug. of 1964, in Phoenix. After having several conversations concerning going to church, it was the influence of Linda’s grandmother that led us to the Maryvale church of Christ and a home Bible study with the preacher at that time being Tom Baker. In the Spring of 1965 we were both baptized into Christ for the remission of our sins. Linda was baptized first and then I
followed about a month later. We love serving the Lord and doing for others.”

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God Bless,
Jim Newsted
Shamrock, Texas