The news and the journey

This has been a very strange and sometimes difficult year. Not just for me, but for so many of my friends and family members. We all face varying trials and no one can really understand another person’s pain or joy. If I were writing my Christmas letter, I’m not sure I would be able to convey what I want to say or what I’m still learning along this path.

Cancer has a way of making you value life. It puts the years you may have left in a very different perspective. We may get sick with all sorts of illnesses or diseases that have their own problems, but cancer…that word has a way of stopping us in our tracks. I’ve been hearing that word far too often of late, not just my own, but from many other people.

I’ve been doing a LOT of research on the subject both for traditional treatments and alternative ones. In one podcast I listened to the man said something striking to me. Not quoting him exactly, but the gist of what he said was that cancer was God’s way of tapping us on the shoulder to tell us that our lifestyle is killing us. That’s not to guilt us for having cancer, but since cancer is in our bodies, it doesn’t hurt us to ask those kinds of questions, as in – “Is my lifestyle killing me?

That lifestyle can be what we’re eating – and if it’s the standard American diet our bodies are going to suffer for that one day – or the air we breath. Are we living near something toxic? It can be our water, our lack of exercise, but the biggest one for me is – how do we handle stress? Stress is a killer if we don’t learn to handle it well, and I’ve not been great at this. But I think it’s something God wants me to learn and He’s got my attention now!

During this journey, I’ve shared with you along the way, so I wanted to give you my latest update. The best part is that it’s all good news! A super answer to prayer – so thank you to everyone who so faithfully prayed for me. Please continue as you feel led, especially for wisdom.

The good news that I shared before is that my surgeon got all of the tumor and it has not spread. The final test also showed that the chance of recurrence is low over the next nine years, for which I’m very grateful. Of course, I want to live longer than nine years without ever hearing the word cancer again, and I also want to see my chronic fibromyalgia healed as well.

So I’m taking a different path in this journey to somewhat radically change my eating habits and my lifestyle. There is a lot of evidence that nutrition can aide our bodies in healing themselves. And the Bible also tells us that God has given us herbs for healing.

That’s not to say that I don’t value traditional medicine or the knowledge of doctors. I do. I have at least seven surgeries in my history to prove that. I believe there is a time and place for both. And every person has to do their own searching and make their own decisions on what they think is best for them. Because of my chronic pain and great outcome from this surgery, I have chosen to take a less traditional path.

My brain is on overload with all of the information it has tried to digest in the past month or more, but as we’ve prayed together about the right choice for me, God has led me to some great resources and a cancer support group and so much more. If anyone wants specific information because you are on your own research journey, please email me privately. I’m not promoting any one therapy or protocol or treatment. We are all individuals and these decisions are not easy. I support people who choose a different path and am grateful for those who support me in mine. So thank you in advance!

In the midst of my struggle and shortly after my surgery, I lost my brother, which was not a complete surprise as he’d been ill, but it is still a weird feeling to know that I can never pick up the phone and hear his voice again. I can remember the good things and have the hope of seeing him again one day, but I guess you kind of expect your family to live as long as you do.

We’ve lost other family and friends this year as well. I thought 2020 was bad, but 2021 seems worse on so many levels. And yet, God is still on His throne. He knows all that’s happened and will happen. And He’s teaching me to trust Him better than I have in the past. Perhaps that’s because I realize how fragile life is and how everything can change in a heartbeat.

On the bright side – yes, there is one – besides the good news of my cancer reports – we’ve been enjoying watching our baby granddaughter grow up too fast. Though we are watching from afar, she is amazing. I could easily become a bragging gramma, but I won’t.

I’m also back to working on Eve’s story and will soon tackle edits on The Prince and the Prodigal. God has given us some wonderful friends to pray, to send cards and flowers, bring meals, to talk, to just be there when we needed them most. I feel very blessed! If you were one of those people – thank you!

I doubt I’ll have much more to post about this journey unless I share any new insights or see greater outcomes along the way. But I’d rather get back to living life and sharing the things God is teaching me. Perhaps we can share those together.

Be blessed!

#goodnews #cancerupdate #theroadlesstraveled #cancer #health #healing #journey