An Anniversary Not Fun to Remember!

That's right - 1 year ago today I found out that I had cancer. Not a fun memory! The 2 months before this day, I had been going through test after test and playing the waiting game to see the Dr. to find out the results. I knew that the results of the PET scan were not going to be good when the surgeon's office called and moved my appointment up 2 weeks. I still remember that day so clearly. Dr. Brooks had called and said she wanted to go with Ronnie and I to see the Dr. I didn't think that was odd because we had become personal friends and I thought she wanted to meet Dr. Macias. I remember the nurse calling us back to the dr. office and him walking in and showing us the findings on the computer screen. The pet scan shows my body ( the inside, not the outside) slowly turning around showing all the organs and any abnormalities. He stopped it and showed me the area on my left lung that was a hot spot. This means cancerous. His words were "I'm so sorry , but you have adenocarcinoma." I looked at him then over at Kathy Brooks and Ronnie, trying to process what he had just told me. I said "what exactly does that mean?" His answer was the dreaded words "lung cancer"!

But you know what? God was with me in that room that day and I have felt His presence every day since. I don't know how people with serious conditions can get through those dark times if they don't feel God. I did have many dark times during the next 6 months as I went through the chemo and then radiation. But even then , I never doubted that God was feeling my anguish. I just hope now that I don't forget where I've been and what I've been through. I know it must have been to help someone else through the darkness. I pray that my eyes are open all around me so I will recognize my opportunity.

Now, for some news on the wonderful side! We did our family vacation in July. All 12 of us went to Gulf Shores, Alabama. We stayed in a wonderful townhouse. It was a 3 story structure across the street from the white sand beach. The bottom floor was actually the garage/parking/storage area because all the houses are on stilts. The whole 2nd floor was rented to another family. We had the 3rd floor to ourselves. There was actually a whole 5 bedroom/6 bathroom house on each floor. We had a deck on the front side that overlooked the ocean and on the back side was another deck that looked out over the swimming pool and a couple of blocks over was a lagoon. Everyone got along great and Ronnie was able to sit on the deck about 3/4 of the time with his binoculars always around his neck!

The guys went bay fishing one day and golfing one day. The girls and Brandon went for a massage one day. Ahhhhhh. Anyway, the family vacation was great and now we have to figure out where to go on our next trip!

Thanks for keeping up with me. I still covet your prayers. I go for my next scan sometime within the next month.