Four weeks of chemo remaining...
Distractions are wonderful: June has brought much needed relief; summer has arrived, Jake
has moved back home after graduating from ISU, Mason is preparing for a National
IT Skills Competition in Kentucky, my sister Jill came from Austin, TX to visit
and help us, the girls are both playing summer basketball for the high school
throughout June and we love watching their games! Cheering them on and berating
poor referee calls has been a great distraction. Having only four weekly chemo
treatments remaining has given us something to look forward to as well. It
seems we are over the worst of it, or my body has finally adjusted to the newer
chemo treatments, or I am holding down more food, so I have more physical strength.
Whatever it is, I feel renewed and can see light at the end of the tunnel even
as I lose my eyelashes and eyebrows. The past three months were a real test, and
I feel like I have crawled back from the abyss of darkness. It is interesting;
my body is weaker than it’s ever been in my life, but I feel an unexplained
spiritual strength. Is this the refiner’s fire? We still have a long way to go
this year, but making it through these months of chemo and the subsequent physical
(and emotional) changes has forever changed my perspective and spiritual
outlook.
Thank you to our loved ones: Words cannot explain how much we
have appreciated the caring thoughts, sweet cards and care packages from
friends and family from around the country. Support from loved ones has carried
us through a very dark time of medical upheaval and financial stress. Although
we are still living in a limbo of unanswered questions and uncertainty, we know
God is looking out for us. We know we can make it through whatever comes, and
it is mainly because of our incredible support system. Thank you.
The scoop: As previously mentioned, we have four weekly
chemo treatments remaining, with the final treatment around July 7th.
So, what’s next? We’ll have an MRI and other tests to see how much the chemo
has reduced the size of the tumor. I can feel that it is smaller and it seems
to have released the pectoral muscle, because the pain in this area has
subsided. We will meet with our surgeon again to work out our game plan and
discuss the surgical options. It seems we’ll have surgery around the first week
of August, take four to six weeks to heal and then follow it up with radiation
treatments. The oncologist says the radiation treatments will probably last six
weeks, with treatments everyday Monday through Friday; roughly 30 radiation
treatments in all. This seems like a lot, but we are prepared to do whatever it
takes to rid my body of this cancer.
In other news: God continues to answer prayers when we least
expect it. I had applied for the BSU Communication Graduate Program before I
was diagnosed and this spring we found out I was selected to receive one of
three Graduate Teaching Assistantships. This is a substantial award, which waives
the tuition costs of graduate school and includes a small stipend. I will have
a small office on campus, be considered part of the Communication Department
staff, take classes and train to receive my college teaching certificate. The
department heads have been very supportive regarding my medical situation and
we are sure this will open doors for our family in the future. Although we aren’t
exactly sure how everything will play out with my surgery and radiation, we
know where there is a will, there is a way! This opportunity is a blessing for
our family; we are confident and have faith that God has blessed us with this
opportunity for a reason. Part of the assistantship includes training and teaching
Communication 101 classes, which were originally supposed to start the week of
August 22nd, but due to my medical issues, they have agreed to let
me receive the training throughout the fall and start teaching next semester
(in January). I love to teach and knowing the BSU Comm Department sees my
potential has been a real confidence booster; exactly what we needed to make it
through this trial. We just have to get through the next few months of surgery
and radiation, but knowing some of what our future holds helps me personally
feel empowered, which was exactly what I needed after losing my prior job in
the middle of my chemo treatments. Isn’t it amazing how blessings arrive when
we are at our lowest, when we least expect them? Isn’t it amazing to sit back
and let God steer our lives? We just have to trust that he knows where He is
taking us. He knows us better than we know ourselves; he knows what we are capable
of achieving. He knows each of us and wants the best for us, we just need to
trust in Him and let Him steer. Being the ultimate backseat driver (just ask
Tim & the kids), it is never easy to relinquish control and let
others steer, but if we have learned anything recently, it is that we must learn
to let go and trust in Him. There have been days and weeks over the past few
months when I was not sure I was going to survive and still often feel I am
just hanging on by my feeble fingernails throughout this journey. Although we
are far from finished, we know the trick is to hang on to what matters and to
let go of everything else, to have faith and to trust in God. He loves us and
knows what we stand in need of; He will see us through.
Thank you for sharing your personal journey. I want you to know I am always thinking of you and wishing you the very best. Charles and I heading to Washington, DC for a vacation soon. Much love to your whole family. -Kristi
ReplyDeleteLove you Therese! Love your testimony and fighting spirit. I personally think the Lord loves backseat drivers! You can backseat drive and not steer! Keep up the backseat fight girl! Congrats on the BSU job! Woot woot!!
ReplyDeleteI couldn't help but notice that you are sharing positivity and hope as you go through this experience. In every paragraph you share it (I know, I just went back and re-read it). You are such a resilient woman and I admire your example and determination! Keep it up! Love you! ~Kristen
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