Once upon a time... My Story

Psalm 139:13-16

For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there were none of them.

In July of 2000, I was in the shower and found a very small lump near my armpit. I wasn’t really alarmed because I had just stopped nursing our younger daughter, but decided to point it out to my doctor. On August 21, a week before I turned 34, I was diagnosed with breast cancer. We had found it early, and it appeared that it had not spread. That fall I had a mastectomy and reconstruction, along with 4 rounds of chemotherapy. Our family and friends provided incredible support, along with a million meals and countless days of childcare for our two toddlers. Although it was a frightening and difficult time, God used it to clarify my view of life, myself, and my purpose. As I learned to be grateful for every single day, He showed me that my ministry is to my family, and that it is for His glory. If given a choice, I wouldn’t change a thing about that time!

In June of 2005, as I was looking forward to celebrating my fifth anniversary of being cancer-free, we found out that my cancer had recurred. Once again, it appeared that it hadn’t spread to any lymph nodes. In the year following, I had seven surgeries, twelve rounds of chemotherapy and thirty seven radiation treatments. Whew! Once again, we were carried through the fire with the help of our family, church family and friends, and we were grateful when it was over.

This summer, 2008, I visited my oncologists in June and August, and my exams and blood work appeared normal. Then, on September 8, I visited the doctor to follow up on a cough that had been bothering me for two weeks. The doctor assured me that it was probably just allergies, but I insisted upon a chest x-ray because I knew that something just wasn’t right. The x-ray was normal, but my doctor could see that I was still very concerned. When he heard that I was scheduled for a CT-scan in two weeks, he volunteered to have it rescheduled for the next day. Within moments of leaving the radiologist, Scott called and told me that my scan wasn’t normal and we needed to meet with the doctor right away. The following Monday my liver was biopsied, and I had a bone scan on Tuesday. The next day, Wednesday, September 17, I was diagnosed with breast cancer metastases to my liver and bones. I started chemotherapy, a drug called Abraxane, the following day.

You are invited to join us on this journey because we covet your prayers more than we can say. That is our greatest need! Many of you have offered to help us in many other ways, and we will gratefully accept your offer as we discover those needs. The joy of the Lord is our strength, and my life, however long or short, will be for His glory!